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On the calendar today …
- LUNCH-MAR: Integrating nature-based features into flood risk management projects: toward a multi-benefit future from 12:30pm to 1:30pm. Integrating nature-based features into flood risk management projects: toward a multi-benefit future with presenter Julie Beagle, USACE. Click here to register.
Colorado River negotiations …
Biden-Harris Administration releases Final SEIS for current operations of the Colorado River Basin; Lower basin states, Metropolitan respond
“Today, the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation released a final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) in the ongoing, collaborative effort to update the current interim operating guidelines for the near-term operation of Glen Canyon and Hoover Dams to address the ongoing drought and impacts from the climate crisis. The identified preferred alternative reflects a historic, consensus-based proposal – secured by the Biden-Harris administration in partnership with the seven Colorado Basin states – that will lead to at least 3 million acre-feet (maf) of system water conservation savings through the end of 2026, when the current guidelines expire. … ” Read more from the Bureau of Reclamation.
‘Significant milestone’ in Colorado River conservation plan for short term. What’s next?
“Federal officials on Tuesday announced that they have finalized a massive environmental document that outlines how to shore up the Colorado River system through 2026 with 3 million acre-feet of additional conservation. Much of the savings would come through payments to California and Arizona farmers, tribes and water agencies of hundreds of millions of dollars to use less water. They will immediately turn to evaluating how to stabilize the river long-term, with a draft environmental plan expected by year’s end, the officials said. States with more than 30 million people who rely on the river are already warring over who should cut what after 2026. The announcement by the Department of Interior, the Bureau of Reclamation and White House officials of what was billed as a “significant milestone” also includes final agreements for California desert areas over the next three years with Coachella Valley Water District, Palo Verde Irrigation District and Bard Irrigation District for conservation of nearly 400,000 acre-feet of water via seasonal fallowing of fields and other measures. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun.
SEE ALSO:
- 3 new California agreements announced to save Colorado River water; billions adding up, from KLAS
- Biden administration claims near-term victory in Colorado River system stability, from Engineering News-Record
- New conservation agreements will improve water savings for Lake Mead, further measures needed to ensure Colorado River resilience, from the Environmental Defense Fund
Colorado River states to submit competing proposals ahead of deadline for draft of new rules
“In tense talks over the future of the Colorado River, policymakers are focused on the year 2026. That’s when current rules for managing the river expire, and the seven states that use its water will have to agree on new ones. But now, with an approaching deadline on March 11 to agree on a first draft of new rules, those states are far from consensus on how to manage the shrinking river in the future. Water negotiators from states around the Southwest said they are planning to submit separate proposals about managing the Colorado River after 2026 to the Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency that manages rivers and dams in the Western U.S. The split is the latest flareup between the Colorado River’s Upper Basin states of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico, and the Lower Basin states of California, Arizona and Nevada. … ” Read more from KUNC.
SEE ALSO:
- Western states to release competing Colorado River proposals after tense negotiations stalled, from the Colorado Sun
- Risks ease for Colorado River reservoirs after wet winter, but long-term challenges loom, from the LA Times
- Commentary: On water compact: ‘Colorado will never get a better deal,’ from the Journal
New Colorado River agreement stops short of giving tribes a seat at the table
“Many tribes have senior water rights — in other words, the oldest and highest priority water rights in the West. In the century since the compact was written, 30 tribes across the Colorado River Basin have been fighting not only for a say in how the river is managed but also for the water they are entitled to. On Monday, the Upper Colorado River Commission — an interstate agency composed of one federal representative and commissioners from the Upper Colorado River Basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — took a step toward greater collaboration between the states and the tribes. The commission unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with six Colorado River tribes: the Jicarilla Apache Nation, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe, Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe and the Shivwits Band of Paiutes. … ” Continue reading from the Salt Lake Tribune.
In other California water news today …
Are any more blockbuster storms on the horizon for California?
“AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring new storms that may impede cleanup operations in California as residents continue to dig out from beneath mountains of snow following the most recent blizzard to slam the Sierra Nevada. Dry conditions are in the offing for California by the end of the week but will be sandwiched between two storms. The first is expected to bring wet weather to Southern California later Wednesday into Thursday, followed by another storm over the weekend that will focus precipitation on Northern California. Regardless of how many storms follow in the days, weeks and months, AccuWeather experts expect California to be free of widespread drought through at least 2025. … ” Read more from AccuWeather.
California undergoes ‘Miracle March’ in recovering snowpack deficit with recent dayslong blizzard
“Ski resorts are calling the current month “Miracle March” after a blizzard dumped up to 10 feet of snow on California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, and they are not alone. State water managers are celebrating too. The snow water equivalent started the year at a slim 28% of average. February’s start was better, but still only 53% of average. Today, the percentage sits above normal at 104%. The snow water equivalent is the actual measure of how much water is locked up in the snow that can refill reservoirs and aquifers in the spring melt. Melting the snowpack on the ground would net that amount of water in inches. So, as of Jan. 1 there were less than 3 inches of water locked in snow. Feb. 1 saw under 9 inches of water and now March 5, levels are up to over 20 inches of water. “Psst… you want some great news? The storm helped out the whole state A LOT!” posted the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab on social media. “We’re also at 94% of our April 1st normal and should be able to get to 100%.” … ” Read more from Fox Weather.
SEE ALSO:
- California Drought Outlook Gets Good News After ‘Biblical’ Blizzard, from Newsweek
- SWOT Satellite Catches Coastal Flooding During California Storms, from NASA JPL
Better data key to informed water policy decisions
“To adapt to climate extremes and become more water resilient in California, modernizing the state’s water data—including the way it is collected, stored, shared and used—may lead to more informed decisions. Improving data practices to best manage California’s water resources helped drive discussions last week as state and local water managers, farmers, environmentalists and others gathered in Sacramento for the 62nd annual California Irrigation Institute Conference. “To really understand what that vulnerability is from the headwater to the groundwater to the outflow in a watershed, we need to bring together multiple data layers,” said Kamyar Guivetchi, planning division manager for the California Department of Water Resources. “Those same layers will help us come up with adaptation strategies that can help us get in front of and hopefully manage the impacts of climate change.” … ” Read more from Ag Alert.
New legislation would ease burden of water conservation mandates
“Rowland Water District (RWD), Walnut Valley Water District and Bellflower-Somerset Mutual Water Company have banded together to co-sponsor a new bill, SB 1330, introduced by Senator Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera). This legislation would provide cost savings for water suppliers facing new water conservation mandates. Two 2018 laws require urban retail water suppliers to reduce water use in residential and commercial sectors of the economy. The State Water Resources Control Board has prepared regulations to implement the laws, known together as “Making Water Conservation a Way of Life,” but water suppliers have expressed concern that compliance with the regulations will be costly and yield little water savings. “I met with water suppliers in my district last fall and heard loud and clear their concerns about the cost of complying with these conservation mandates,” said Senator Archuleta. “The water managers and elected officials asked if I could do something to help them, so I looked into it.” … ” Read more from Rowland Water District.
Growers scrap vineyards as market dims
“A once-in-a-generation downturn in the wine market is reshaping California’s grape-growing regions as farmers tear out vines to rebalance supply with declining demand. Throughout this winter, bulldozers plowed through Lodi’s wine country, leveling vineyards and piling vines in mangled heaps on either side of Highway 99 in San Joaquin County. Thousands of acres in the region have been removed or are slated for removal, according to an ongoing survey of its members by the Lodi District Grape Growers Association. “There are significantly more pullouts than happen in a normal year,” said Amy Blagg, the association’s executive director. … ” Read more from Ag Alert.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Heavy metals in the Klamath River? Things are still murky post-drawdown
“Three weeks after citizens stood up at a public meeting in Siskiyou County, California, and raised concerns about heavy metals in the Klamath River, the situation is about as clear as the river. And the river’s pretty muddy. The breaching of the Iron Gate, Copco 1 and JC Boyle hydroelectric dams in January was done to draw down the reservoirs behind the dams as a prelude to dam removal later this year. But the drawdown released vast amounts of sediment that had been backed up behind the dams. And some of those sediments contain metals. … ” Read more from the Capital Press.
Klamath River water quality deemed unsafe, Siskiyou Health Division says
“Residents should not be in or drink water from the Klamath River due to high levels of arsenic, lead and aluminum, the Siskiyou County Environmental Health said today. According to the report, heavy metals in the Klamath River have increased due to sediment buildup that happened after drawdown of the river’s three reservoirs in January. This is part of the Lower Klamath Dam Removal project. “The heavy metal analytes that have exceeded the primary and secondary EPA standards, and those which have exceeded the California Beneficial Use Standards may cause deleterious health effects if consumed,” the report said. “Therefore, it is not safe to consume the Klamath River surface water. In addition, at this time, it is advisable to stay out of the Klamath River.” … ” Read more from Channel 12.
The Klamath River salmon die-off was tragic. Was it predictable?
“A recent large die-off of young salmon released into the Klamath River shocked and dismayed state biologists, reinforcing that human efforts to restore nature and undo damage can be unpredictable and difficult to control. The tiny Chinook salmon turned up dead downriver just two days after they were released from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s brand new Fall Creek Fish Hatchery, built to supply the Klamath River as it undergoes the largest dam removal in history. The $35 million state hatchery, on a tributary just upstream of Iron Gate dam in Siskiyou County, was constructed to help the river’s threatened coho and dwindling fall-run chinook salmon, a mainstay of commercial and recreational fishing and tribal food supplies. The hatchery’s first release ended with an unknown number of the 830,000 young Chinook salmon found dead, their eyes bulging, in a federal sampling trap about 9 miles below the dam. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Nevada Irrigation District March snow survey: snowpack at 80% before winter storm
“Just ahead of last weekend’s blizzard, Nevada Irrigation District (NID) hydrographers measured 80 percent of average snow during a monthly survey. Of course, that changed with the recent storm activity as March roared in like a lion. “The March survey totals do not include the most recent storm which brought 8-10 inches of precipitation to our watershed and an additional 5-7 feet of snow,” said NID’s Water Resources Superintendent Thor Larsen. During the measurements for March, NID hydrographers found the average water content in the snowpack was 22.5 inches, which was 80 percent of the 28.2-inch average. … ” Read more from the Nevada Irrigation District.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Department of Fish and Wildlife submits flow recommendations for Mill, Deer, and Antelope Creeks
“The State Water Resources Control Board received a letter from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) submitting instream flow recommendations to inform a long-term flow-setting process to support anadromous salmonids and year-round ecological stream function on Mill, Deer, and Antelope Creeks. Mill, Deer, and Antelope Creeks are tributaries to the Sacramento River and provide aquatic habitat for several native fish species including Chinook salmon (spring-run, fall-run, and late fall-run), Steelhead, and Pacific Lamprey. Additional information will be forthcoming on the next steps in considering the recommendations.” Read the letter here.
Padilla secures over $75 million for 27 projects in the Inland Empire
“Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced that he secured over $75.5 million in federal funding for 27 projects across the Inland Empire in the first package of FY 2024 appropriations bills. The package includes the Agriculture; Energy and Water; Military Construction-VA; Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development; Commerce, Justice, and Science; and Interior appropriations bills. The House and Senate will consider the bills this week ahead of the March 8 funding deadline before they are sent to the President to be signed into law. “I am proud to have secured millions in funding for projects that will improve the quality of life across the Inland Empire,” said Senator Padilla. “This funding will support local governments and non-profits working on the ground in our communities to provide cleaner water, safer streets, and more economic opportunities. Investments in stormwater and wastewater infrastructure will improve the reliability and quality of our water supply while making the Inland Empire more resilient against disasters.” … ” Read more from Senator Padilla’s office.
CENTRAL COAST
Sea otters’ appetite for crab is helping strengthen estuary banks
“Sea otters, once hunted to near extinction, are staging a comeback in California. Their return has revealed the incredible positive effects these furry apex predators can have on the state’s coastal ecosystems, including kelp forests and seagrass meadows. Now, there’s another coastal ecosystem to add to that list, one that plays an important role in bank stabilization, water filtration, and carbon storage: the salt marsh. In a new study in Nature, researchers found that sea otters have reduced bank erosion rates by 69% in Elkhorn Slough, a coastal wetland south of San Francisco, in the decades since their return to the estuary. Their big effect is due to their big appetites—the Elkhorn Slough salt marsh has been eroding, in part, because of root-munching shore crabs that burrow into the soil and destabilize the banks. … ” Continue reading from EOS.
Padilla secures over $18 million for 15 projects along the Central Coast
“Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced that he secured over $18.4 million in federal funding for 15 projects along the Central Coast in the first package of FY 2024 appropriations bills. The package includes the Agriculture; Energy and Water; Military Construction-VA; Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development; Commerce, Justice, and Science; and Interior appropriations bills. The House and Senate will consider the bills this week ahead of the March 8 funding deadline before they are sent to the President to be signed into law. “I am proud to have secured millions in funding for projects that will improve the quality of life along the Central Coast,” said Senator Padilla. “These investments will support local governments and non-profits working on the ground in our communities to protect against flooding and improve the reliability and quality of our water. As water rates continue to climb and climate change causes devastating atmospheric river floods, these investments in local infrastructure are critical for improving sanitation, water affordability, and agricultural production throughout the region.” … ” Read more from
EASTERN SIERRA
New project to understand the role of evaporation at Mono Lake
“As an endorheic—or terminal—lake with no outlet, Mono Lake loses water naturally only through evaporation. Evaporation is a complex process, influenced by radiation, wind, temperature, and humidity. The rate of evaporation varies across seasons and over the lake’s surface. With no long-term observational data of evaporation at Mono Lake, the effect of evaporation on the water balance is not well understood. Longtime Mono Lake Committee hydrogeographer Peter Vorster studied evaporation here for a short period in the early 1980s. He determined Mono Lake loses nearly four vertical feet of water to evaporation each year. With a more current understanding of evaporation specifically at Mono Lake, the Committee can better estimate lake level fluctuation. In 2023, researchers from the University of Michigan installed an evaporation pan on the east side of Mono Lake as part of a larger study examining Mono Lake hydrology and geochemistry. … ” Read more from the Mono Lake Committee.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Plant a tree, get $100 under new MWD program aimed at expanding SoCal’s tree canopy
“With many areas of Southern California starved for shade, the region’s largest water supplier has launched a rebate program offering residents and businesses up to $500 as an incentive to plant trees. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California on Tuesday announced the addition of the tree incentive to its long-standing turf-replacement program, which offers cash to property owners who rip out water-guzzling grass and replace it with drought-tolerant landscaping. Starting this week, new applicants can seek a $100 rebate for each eligible tree planted — up to five trees total — as part of their turf-replacement project, according to a spokesperson for the district. Qualifying residents will also receive $3 for each square foot of grass lawn they replace with native plants, up from $2, due to a federal grant. The higher rate will last until the grant runs out, officials said. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Padilla secures over $75 million for 27 projects in the Inland Empire
“Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced that he secured over $75.5 million in federal funding for 27 projects across the Inland Empire in the first package of FY 2024 appropriations bills. The package includes the Agriculture; Energy and Water; Military Construction-VA; Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development; Commerce, Justice, and Science; and Interior appropriations bills. The House and Senate will consider the bills this week ahead of the March 8 funding deadline before they are sent to the President to be signed into law. “I am proud to have secured millions in funding for projects that will improve the quality of life across the Inland Empire,” said Senator Padilla. “This funding will support local governments and non-profits working on the ground in our communities to provide cleaner water, safer streets, and more economic opportunities. Investments in stormwater and wastewater infrastructure will improve the reliability and quality of our water supply while making the Inland Empire more resilient against disasters.” … ” Read more from Senator Padilla’s website.
Lake Elsinore reaches new depths thanks to recent storms
“After a series of atmospheric river storms dumped record levels of rain on Southern California, the region’s largest natural freshwater lake has recovered in a major way. As of last week, Lake Elsinore was deeper than it had been since June 2011, according to data from the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District. Years of drought and the occasional wet winter have caused wide variations in the lake’s depth. At 1,248 feet above sea level, the lake is now more than 10 feet deeper than it was in July 2022, and almost 15 feet deeper than at its lowest recent point, in November 2018. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
SAN DIEGO
Column: Let’s make a (water) deal!
Columnist Michael Smolens writes, “San Diego’s role as a water broker seems to be growing. The San Diego County Water Authority just entered into negotiations to sell some of its surplus water to the Moulton Niguel Water District in Orange County, which would pay for supplies produced by the desalination plant in Carlsbad. The details of any potential deal are a long way off. The water authority board green-lighted the talks just a couple of weeks ago and the Moulton Nigel leaders gave their approval on Thursday. It’s the second water exchange involving SDCWA over the past few months that signals a new direction for the agency. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Commentary: The January storms prove we can’t put off funding stormwater infrastructure anymore
Michael Drennan, Director of Water Resources at NV5, writes, “San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera is leading a much-needed effort to generate the funding to address flooding and stormwater pollution issues in the city. Recent heavy rains have certainly brought attention to the situation, but these issues are not new. The lack of sufficient dedicated funding for the San Diego’s stormwater needs has been outlined in several reports over many years, including a report by the Office of the Independent Budget Analyst in 2021. Flooding and stormwater quality issues are the result of the city’s aging infrastructure, reduced or deferred maintenance (because of inadequate funding), and a growing backlog of critical capital projects. San Diego is not alone. Many cities throughout California are facing similar challenges with funding stormwater infrastructure, particularly since the passage of Proposition 218 in 1996. … ” Read more from the Voice of San Diego.
Along the Colorado River …
ADEQ’s groundwater monitoring helping thousands of Arizonans drinking water
“Lauren Baader, a hydrologist with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality’s water division, fills up bottle after bottle of groundwater, occasionally taking droppers to apply solution. She fills multiple bottles, a process that takes her about an hour. “The reason we use these is because they have a rubber gasket that allows us to purge air from the sample,” she explains. The ADEQ said some of the most common contaminants in groundwater are arsenic and uranium. … ” Read more from Channel 9.
Some Cochise County residents blame Rep. Gail Griffin for blocking groundwater conservation progress
“At a recent listening session hosted by Attorney General Kris Mayes, Cochise County residents called on state officials to do more to protect Arizona’s groundwater — and pointed the finger at one rural lawmaker for blocking progress. Cochise County residents such as Anne Carl reported that mega farms, dairies and lithium mines are sucking the groundwater out of the earth and leaving it dry which causes the ground to shake and crack. “I reached an abyss, it wasn’t just a fissure. I mean there was no road at a certain point,” Carl said of a recent drive. “I had to turn around, and it’s dangerous. I’m so glad it was in the daylight.” Residents blamed Rep. Gail Griffin (R-Hereford), the powerful chair of the House Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee, for blocking bills that they say would protect their water rights. Mayes, a Democrat who’s spoken strongly against drill permits previously awarded to foreign-owned companies, suggested they vote her out and vowed to act if the Legislature will not. … ” Read more from KJZZ.
‘We are the guinea pigs’: Arizona mining project sparks concerns for air and water
“Growing up on both sides of the Arizona-Mexico border, Denise Moreno Ramírez got respite from the border town bustle by hiking through sycamore and juniper trees in the mountains near her home. These isolated mountains – known as the Sky Islands – provide a crucial habitat for native plants and animals, but also played a special role in Moreno Ramírez’s family history: like many in the area with Indigenous Yaqui or Mayo origins, her ancestors once mined the mountains for precious metals. Moreno Ramírez’s great-grandfather, Alberto Moreno, dug for copper when he first came to Arizona from Mexico in the early 1900s. He found that the mining industry powered the state economy and put food on his table; eventually his son – Moreno Ramírez’s grandfather – followed suit and worked in the mines, too. … ” Read more from The Guardian.
Colorado has had water courts for 50 years. Meet one of the referees who helps make them work
“As water supplies come under more stress across the West, some states are seeing increased legal activity related to water rights. Bloomberg has reported some states, including Utah, are setting up specific water courts, or judges who deal mainly in water law. Colorado has had this kind of a setup for more than 50 years. Holly Strablizky is a water referee for the Water Court in Colorado. The Show talked with her about what her job entails.” Read and listen at KJZZ.
In national water news today …
Innovation that can solve housing’s water scarcity challenge
“So many hurdles are impacting new home construction, yet one is quickly growing more urgent and critical—access to water. In more and more places across the country, access to healthy, safe, and sustainable water supply is causing restrictions on new home building permits and challenging current homeowners with new water use policies. This challenge is triggering states and municipalities to reconsider new developments, halting them or shutting them down completely at a time when housing supply is at critically low levels. Groundwater shortages have shut down new permits in parts of Arizona where new homes would rely on wells. A large development with thousands of homes north of Las Vegas also was shut down due to concerns over water supply. In California, similar issues are impacting new developments where so much groundwater has been extracted that the ground has sunk about twenty feet and threatens to sink more. … ” Read more from Forbes.
A Superfund for climate? These states are pushing for it.
“The oil and gas industry could be on the hook for billions of dollars as a growing number of states consider making the sector pay for climate impacts such as floods and sea-level rise. At least four states are debating legislation, modeled on the federal Superfund program for contaminated land, that would hold major fossil fuel companies liable for damage caused by the historical emissions of their products. In Vermont, which saw record flooding last year, a majority of the House and a supermajority of the Senate have signed onto the proposal, all but ensuring it will pass. Similar bills have been introduced in New York — where it already has passed the Senate — as well as Massachusetts and Maryland. Advocates expect similar legislation soon in California and Minnesota. … ” Read more from E&E News.
