Several news sources featured in the Daily Digest may limit the number of articles you can access without a subscription. However, gift articles and open-access links are provided when available. For more open access California water news articles, explore the main page at MavensNotebook.com.
On the calendar today …
- WEBINAR: Best Practices for Subsidence Evaluation – A Regional Overview from 11am to 12pm. Many communities across the US are facing subsidence risks, but few understand the tools and techniques needed to adequately assess and evaluate those risks. This webinar will detail the best practices for subsidence evaluation including: Analysis Tools, Modeling Tools, Cost/Benefit Analysis, and Regional Approaches to Mitigation (West, South, East). INTERA has brought together subsidence leaders from different areas of the country to provide a regional look at how communities in the west, south, and east are effectively evaluating their subsidence risks. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
Court ruling against bond financing for controversial Delta tunnel won’t impede project, state says
Paul Hames / DWR
“A recent court ruling may have thrown a wrench in the state’s funding plans for the controversial and expensive Delta Conveyance Project – a tunnel to move Sacramento River water 45 miles beneath the ecologically sensitive Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.In January, the Sacramento Superior Court denied the state Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) request to finance the project through bonds. Tunnel opponents hailed the ruling as a blow to the project. But state staff say the ruling will not impede funding. DWR has appealed the case and is still planning on using bonds to pay for the project if it comes to fruition. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
MBK Engineers report highlights advantages of the Agreements to Support Healthy Rivers and Landscapes over the 55% Unimpaired Flow Scenario
“MBK Engineers conducted a technical review of California’s Draft Staff Report/Substitute Environmental Document, focusing on potential updates to the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary. The report addresses key issues related to water management and highlights crucial considerations for government officials. … ” Read more from the Northern California Water Association.
Kings County farmers suffer sticker shock over proposed fees even as state takeover looms
“Kings County growers are organizing to stop a set of groundwater and land fees they say will wipe out small farmers, even as the drumbeat of a looming state takeover grows louder. Managers of the Mid-Kings River Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA), which covers the northern tip of Kings County, have been holding a flurry of meetings asking farmers to approve the fees – a combination of $95-per-acre-foot of water pumped and $25-per-acre of land – at its April 23 meeting. That is after April 16, when the state Water Resources Control Board will hold a hearing to decide whether to put all of Kings County, known as the Tulare Lake groundwater subbasin, into probation for failing to come up with an adequate plan to stop over pumping. … ” Continue reading from SJV Water.
SGMA breakdown of the 2024 trends in agricultural land and lease values
“Agricultural land value continues to be negatively impacted by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, according to the Outlook 2024 Agribusiness Conference hosted in Bakersfield on March 19-21. Rural appraisers and agribusiness professionals gathered to discuss the “SGMA Effect” at the California Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers’ annual conference. The conference also included the release of the 2024 Trends in Agricultural Land and Lease Values Report covering California and Nevada. According to the trends report, farming districts and regions with the most secure groundwater and surface water supplies continued to see a strong interest relative to regions — namely Central and Southern San Joaquin — with insecure water supplies. During a water outlook presentation, Vice President of Company Resources for Wonderful Orchards Kim Brown explained that water, not land, is the limiting factor in California agriculture. … ” Read more from Valley Ag Voice.
Back-to-back storms to refresh a precipitation windfall in California
“March is a notoriously fickle month for California precipitation, but the storm door remains open for the Golden State, where precipitation has been plentiful for a second straight year. The month began with a severe blizzard, and it looks like it will close with a solid dose of Sierra snow — and a potentially significant rainstorm in Southern California. A trio of spring storms is sweeping into California this week. More than 30 inches of snow fell in parts of the Sierra Nevada over the weekend. A second system, moving through Northern California on Wednesday and Thursday, could drop up to 2 feet at the highest peaks, along with low-elevation rains. The strongest storm in the series, however, is forecast for Easter weekend. The active spring weather caps an El Niño winter that has been volatile at times, with torrential downpours, localized flooding and frequent thunderstorms. … ” Read more from the Washington Post (gift article).
SEE ALSO:
- Colder system will bring widespread CA rain this weekend, with modest flood risk SoCal, Dr. Daniel Swain at Weather West
- California Snow Map Shows Which Areas Will Have ‘Major Impact’, from Newsweek
Just how wet has California’s rainy season been?
“On Sunday, California’s rainy season officially comes to an end. As a feature of its Mediterranean-type climate, California receives the vast majority of its annual precipitation between Nov. 1 and March 31. So by the time we’re entering April, we typically know how much water we’ll have to carry us through the rest of the year. So how did this wet season stack up? As of Tuesday, California had received slightly more rain than usual this winter — 104 percent of the average, according to state data. The state’s snowpack, which accumulates in the Sierra Nevada and typically provides 30 percent of the state’s water supply for the year, is at 101 percent of normal for this time of year. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
SEE ALSO: Tracking California’s water supplies, from the LA Times
‘Finally the year:’ Lake Shasta expected to fill by the end of April
“For the past month, the water level in Lake Shasta has been slowly filling ― a half a foot, a whole foot each day. Since March 1, the lake level had risen 12 feet, as of Tuesday, bringing the reservoir to within 17 feet of full. But the lake isn’t done filling yet, said Don Bader, area manager for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages Shasta Dam. “We’re expecting it to creep right up to the top,” Bader said. This week the bureau significantly reduced the amount of water being released from Shasta Dam, so the lake could begin to fill. On March 13, the bureau was releasing more than 14,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) from the dam. That is about 377 million gallons an hour, according to the California Department of Water Resources. … ” Read more from the Redding Record-Searchlight.
California mountains face weather whiplash
“In late February 2024, residents of California and Nevada communities surrounding Lake Tahoe were starting to wonder whether winter would ever come. Warm temperatures and rain had left shovels and snowblowers untouched, local skiers discouraged, and water and disaster managers wondering what the year’s water supply and fire hazard would look like. Then, on the last day of February, the storm of the year blew in, dumping more than 10 feet (3 meters) of snow in some places and bringing fierce winds, making national headlines. “A quarter of the seasonal snowpack fell on northern Sierra Nevada in a matter of a couple of days,” said Michael Anderson, California’s state climatologist. “It’s a huge boost,” he said. “And our snowpack needed a huge boost.” … ” Read more from EOS.
Water district urges Senate support for PFAS liability protection
“In a compelling plea for support, Catherine Cerri, General Manager of Lake Arrowhead Community Services District (LACSD), addressed a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Tom Carper, and Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito. The letter, dated March 7, 2024, underscores the urgent need for PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) liability protections for water and wastewater agencies under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). LACSD finds itself grappling with PFAS contamination despite lacking any industrial sites. The pristine lake, serving as the primary source of drinking water for the community, has been tainted by PFAS, with the source remaining elusive despite extensive efforts. The district faces the daunting prospect of shouldering a $25 million burden to install treatment systems to address the contamination. … ” Read more from the Mountain News.
Biden-Harris Administration announces $35 Million from Investing in America agenda for small storage projects in California and Utah
“The Department of the Interior today announced a $35 million investment from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda for six small surface and groundwater storage projects in California and Utah. The projects, each receiving funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will increase water supply reliability, improve operational flexibility community and landscape resilience to the effects of climate change. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton announced the funding while in Toquerville, Utah. She participated in a tour of the construction of Chief Toquer Reservoir in southern Utah, where the Washington County Water Conservancy District’s Ash Creek Project is receiving approximately $7 million to construct a new pipeline to run from the Ash Creek Reservoir to the Chief Toquer Reservoir. At full capacity, the new reservoir will hold 3,638 acre-feet of water, and is expected to provide approximately 1,760 acre-feet annually. The funding announced today builds on $4.7 million announced for the project last year. … ” Read more from the Bureau of Reclamation.
Legal Alert: Planning and Conservation League v. Department of Water Resources (3rd App. Dist., Jan. 2024)
“This consolidated appeal centered on the Department of Water Resources’ approval of amendments to long-term contracts with local government agencies that receive water through the State Water Project. The original contracts were executed in the 1960s, with 75-year terms ending between 2035 and 2042. The amendments extended the contract terms to 2085 and made other changes to the contracts’ financial provisions, including expanding the facilities listed as eligible for revenue bond financing. The department reviewed the amendments under CEQA and determined they would not have an environmental impact because they would not create new water management measures, alter existing authority to build or modify State Water Project facilities, or change water allocation provisions in the contracts. … ” Read more from JD Supra.
Light at the end of the tunnel
“Every year, hundreds of muscular, sea-bright fish—chum salmon, chinook, coho, steelhead—push into the Columbia River from the Pacific Ocean, swim over 200 kilometers upstream, and turn left into Hardy Creek. They wend through rocky shallows shaded by alder and willow, cold water passing over flared gills. Plump with milt and eggs, they pump their tails furiously, striving for the graveled spawning grounds in southern Washington State where they’ll complete their life’s final, fatal mission. And then they hit the railroad. … “It’s an obvious barrier,” says Peter Barber, manager of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe’s habitat restoration program. “A fish would be hard-pressed to navigate through that culvert.” The strangulation of Hardy Creek is an archetypal story. Culverts, the unassuming concrete and metal pipes that convey streams beneath human-made infrastructure, are everywhere, undergirding our planet’s sprawling road networks and rail lines. Researchers estimate that more than 200,000 culverts lie beneath state highways in California alone … ” Read more from Hakai Magazine.
On the horizon: A booming eDNA marketplace
“Two thousand dollars in prize money helped Wilson-Rich launch The Best Bees Company. Now, more than a decade later, Best Bees offers corporate and residential beekeeping services near two dozen U.S. cities. The company also charges up to $450 for a “HoneyDNA” kit, which uses environmental DNA, or eDNA — genetic information deposited by a wide range of organisms in the surrounding environment — to test a hive’s health, or simply provide information about the “terroir” of the honey, said Wilson-Rich. … Best Bees is one of the many companies carving out a niche in a commercial landscape increasingly focused on advertising environmental responsibility, pushed by both customer demand and regulatory requirements. Testing environmental DNA, which allows data to be gathered from the tiny pieces of skin, scales, and slime that species shed as they move through the world, has been framed as a cheap and efficient way to understand a corporation’s impact. … ” Read more from Undark.
NASA data shows how drought changes wildfire recovery in the West
“A new study using NASA satellite data reveals how drought affects the recovery of western ecosystems from fire, a result that could provide meaningful information for conservation efforts. The West has been witnessing a trend of increasing number and intensity of wildland fires. Historically a natural part of the region’s ecology, fires have been exacerbated by climate change—including more frequent and intense droughts—and past efforts to suppress fires, which can lead to the accumulation of combustible material like fallen branches and leaves. But quantifying how fire and drought jointly affect ecosystems has proven difficult. … ” Read more from NASA.
In commentary today …
California has to conserve water. Why is Sacramento dragging its heels?
Robert Hertzberg and Laura Friedman write, “On the heels of two wet winters, it’s easy to forget how close some parts of California came to running out of water a few short years ago. But this climate amnesia will not help us prepare for the next inevitable drought. … The robust water supply of the 20th century is no longer reliable. California recently agreed to cut water imports from the Colorado River by 10% not out of altruism, but because we must. The Department of Water Resources projects that the Sierra snowpack — a major source of water for farms and cities — could be reduced by as much as 65% by the end of the century. More immediately, California’s water supply is projected to decrease by 10% as early as 2040. Now is the time to prepare for a drier, less predictable future.That’s why we spent nearly two years crafting legislation designed to do just that. … ” Read the full commentary at the LA Times. | Read via AOL News.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors declare a state of emergency after the removal of the Klamath Dam
“A state of emergency was declared amid concerns about the nation’s largest dam removal project. After a six-hour meeting, the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors voted to pass the motion. Water quality, an increase in sediment and impacts on wildlife are still top concerns for people who live along the river. Community members shared their concerns with the board and the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, which is leading the dam removal project. “It is incumbent upon you as supervisors of this county to bring state and national attention to this disaster by declaring a state of emergency so proper funding can be made available for cleanup and secondarily to ensure that a pre-planned disaster of this nature never happens again,” a community member said at the meeting. … ” Read more from Action News Now.
SEE ALSO: Siskiyou Co. Board Declares State of Emergency over Klamath River Dam Removal Project, from the California Globe
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
The remarkable return of Sandhill Cranes
“As spring returns to Lake Tahoe, a story of resilience and resurgence is also unfolding. It’s the migration of the Sandhill Cranes – magnificent birds that once upon a time had all but vanished from the Tahoe region. “March is a big month for Sandhill Crane migration over and through the Tahoe Region, as thousands of nocturnally migrating cranes will pass overhead,” says TINS co-founder and executive director Will Richardson, “but more and more, these cranes are stopping to spend the summer here.” Formerly a popular game bird, only an estimated 3-4 pairs were believed to nest in the entire state of California in 1944. In 1970, lawmakers in the state took decisive action granting Sandhill Cranes “fully protected” status. Six years later, nests were documented in the Sierra Valley, but it was still many decades before they started to reach the Tahoe region. In 2015, a milestone was reached when a breeding pair with a colt was discovered at Teichert Ponds in Truckee. In 2018, a pair began nesting at Grass Lake near Luther Pass, the first documented breeders in the Lake Tahoe basin. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
SEE ALSO: Sandhill Cranes make historic return to Lake Tahoe, from Fox 40
NAPA/SONOMA
Napa County supervisors pass sustainability plans to trim groundwater pumping by 10%
“The Napa County Board of Supervisors has approved work plans for implementing the county’s groundwater sustainability plan. The work plans — prepared by water consultants Luhdorff & Scalmanini Consulting Engineers, ERA Economics and Stillwater Sciences — aim to help the county meet its goal to reduce pumping from the subbasin by 10 percent. They offer guidance on conserving water at vineyards, wineries and other places where water is used throughout the county; reducing groundwater pumping, and protecting and supporting terrestrial and aquatic groundwater dependent ecosystems.The work plans are designed to help roll out the Napa Valley Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan, a 20-year roadmap to ensure that groundwater is managed sustainably within a groundwater basin. … ” Read more from Local News Matters.
2023 rains boosted Napa County groundwater, but conservation stressed
“Napa Valley groundwater that is the lifeblood of rural vineyards, wineries and homes is recovering from drought, though the long-term annual pumping average exceeds what Napa County considers a sustainable yield. The county had a wet rainy season measured from October 2022 through June 2023. Napa State Hospital received more than 32 inches of rain, compared to an annual average of about 25 inches for the 131 years that records have been kept there. That made for a generally upbeat 2022-23 annual groundwater report presented to Napa County supervisors on Tuesday. Mainly rural water users outside of cities last year pumped a total of 15,270 acre-feet of groundwater from under the Napa Valley floor, according to the county. That’s close to the sustainable yield of 15,000 acre-feet. … ” Read more from the Napa Register.
BAY AREA
Video: Marin County allocates over $500K to tackle sea-level rise
“Marin County leaders recently approved spending more than half a million dollars on a countywide approach to stemming sea-level rise. The county is surrounded by water on three sides, making it one of the most vulnerable places in the Bay Area to rising seas. Officials estimate that by 2100, about 7,000 acres, 10,000 buildings and 120 miles of roads throughout Marin County will be exposed to sea-level rise and severe storms. The recently approved $519,000 will be a contract with an infrastructure consulting firm.” Watch video from NBC Bay Area.
CENTRAL COAST
A new challenge to the state water board rules alleges civil rights violations
“How to regulate the agriculture industry’s runoff is a complicated and politically charged matter. Will overregulation kill the industry? How much regulation is enough to protect the integrity of drinking water? These questions, along with many far more technical questions have been the subject of 20 years’ worth of evolving regulations from California’s nine regional water boards, including the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. Those technical questions are now in litigation; both farming interests and environmental interests have sued. Some community groups are now asking a broader question of who has a right to clean water, and in an administrative complaint filed on March 18 with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, they say the ongoing problem of nitrate-contaminated water is a civil rights violation. … ” Read the full story at Monterey Weekly.
EASTERN SIERRA
Endangered species protections sought for a Mono Lake favorite: Wilson’s Phalaropes
“Today, the Center for Biological Diversity led a diverse coalition of scientists and conservation groups, including the Mono Lake Committee, in filing a legal petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) seeking protections for the Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor) under the Endangered Species Act. Wilson’s Phalaropes are ever-popular visitors to Mono Lake, swooping in synchronized formations among Mono Lake’s tufa towers and feasting on the lake’s flies and shrimp in preparation for hemispheric migrations. The phalaropes inspire the Mono Lake Committee’s work to restore Mono Lake to health and renew our commitment to ensuring that the decade-overdue management lake level of 6,392 feet is achieved. … ” Read more from the Mono Lake Committee.
SEE ALSO: The science behind the petition: Mono Lake and the Wilson’s Phalarope under the Endangered Species Act, from the Mono Lake Committee
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Surfside-Sunset sand replenishment project complete, but short of goal
“A Sunset Beach-Surfside sand replenishment project aimed at providing a needed supply to north Orange County’s eroding beaches came up short, providing about a third less sand than expected. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project that kicked off in mid-December was able to deliver only 811,000 cubic yards of the 1.1 million cubic yards of expected sand, U.S Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson Dena O’Dell said in an email. The $23 million project was spearheaded by the federal government, which provided 67%, or $15.5 million, of the cost of the project, but was also a collaboration between local cities, the county, the state and the Surfside Storm Water Tax District, which combined funds to pay for the rest. … ” Read more from the OC Register.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Endangered desert pupfish delays Colorado River conservation plans for Imperial Valley
“Plans to scale back water usage from the imperiled Colorado River have been hindered by a tiny fish no bigger than an index finger. The Imperial Irrigation District in far Southern California had been gearing up to begin a water conservation program next month that would pay farmers to temporarily stop watering crops such as alfalfa and wheat in an effort to save supplies. But those plans were put on hold after environmentalists raised concerns that dry irrigation drains could threaten desert pupfish, an endangered species that calls the region home. Jamie Asbury, the water district’s general manager, told the Associated Press the program has been delayed until at least June so that officials can determine a way to protect the fish while also reducing water use. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
SAN DIEGO
Imperial Beach residents seek solutions to Tijuana River sewage pollution
“Looking for answers about the sewage-polluted, foul-smelling river they say has made them sick, residents packed a San Diego County school auditorium on Wednesday night. City Council members from Imperial Beach, a city 5 miles north of Tijuana, joined researchers and a government minister from Baja California to offer information and plans. “We have a right to clean air as humans, and water,” said Augustina Gil, a local who spoke during the public comment section at Imperial Beach’s special meeting on the raw sewage and industrial chemicals polluting the Tijuana River. She not only loses sleep because of the river’s horrible odor, but she also believes living near the waterway has caused her gastrointestinal and other health problems. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
Multiple agencies meeting to discuss Imperial Beach sewage crisis
“A Special Council Workshop will be held Wednesday evening in Imperial Beach to discuss the impacts the ongoing sewage crisis is having on Imperial Beach. The 6 p.m. meeting will be in the Burress Auditorium at the South Bay Union School District headquarters (601 Elm Ave.) and there will be five agencies presenting — the International Boundary Water Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the SDSU School of Public Health. … ” Read more from KPBS.
Along the Colorado River …
Cattle are drinking the Colorado River dry
” … While golf courses, turf and booming desert cities gulp up a lot of water, the lion’s share of the West’s water still goes to growing crops and turning rural valleys green. Richter got to wondering: Precisely where was all that water going, and how were the different uses affecting various ecosystems? So he set out with a team of researchers to deconstruct the drivers of Western water consumption. They found that 86% of the water consumed in the Western U.S. is used to irrigate crops. Everything else — from energy development to swimming pools to Las Vegas’ elaborate casino fountains — gets by on the remaining 14%. In the Colorado River Basin itself, things are marginally more balanced, with agriculture consuming about 79% of the water. Most of that, however, is used to grow food for cattle — alfalfa, hay and grass. … ” Read the full story at High Country News.
SEE ALSO:
- New study offers first complete accounting of Colorado River water use, from KNAU
- Colorado River uses fully mapped out for the first time, from the Salt Lake Tribune
Colorado River Basin tribes take harder stance on negotiations about the river’s future
“If federal officials want tribal support for Colorado River deals, they need to pay tribes to conserve, protect their future water use and include them in negotiations, tribal leaders said Wednesday at a conference in southwestern Colorado. Basin states and the federal government are negotiating a new set of operating rules to replace existing drought-response agreements that expire in 2026. Tribes weren’t included when the agreements were originally negotiated in 2007. Basin officials should not make the same mistake again, tribes say. “It’s our job as leaders to champion for our people and to ensure that our water is sustainable for the long term,” Lorelei Cloud, vice chairman of the Southern Ute Indian Tribal Council, said Wednesday during the Southwestern Water Conservation District’s annual seminar on the Southern Ute Reservation. “For us to be left out is not acceptable any longer.” … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun.
New report warns of threats to metro Phoenix groundwater
“A new report from Arizona State University’s Kyl Center for Water Policy warns the groundwater supply in the Phoenix area faces some major threats in the years ahead. Water portfolios vary widely city-by-city, but about a third of water used across the Valley is groundwater. Other water comes from the Colorado River, the Salt and Verde Rivers, and reclaimed water. The Groundwater Protection in the Valley of the Sun Past, Present, and Future report notes Arizona’s water laws have been successful in protecting the Valley’s finite underground water supply from the worst outcomes. “Because of the 1980 Arizona Groundwater Management Act, the Valley is one of the few highly populated arid or semi-arid areas in the world where groundwater stocks are not currently in steep decline,” the report’s authors write. … ” Read more from KJZZ.
Column: Why Arizona lost the ‘little guy’ in commercial farming long ago
“You may have seen stories lamenting that corporate agriculture is squeezing out the little guy. Family farms are disappearing, the headlines tell us, leaving “factory farms” to produce the bulk of our food. This perception is driving the public policy debate, with everyone from U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to lawmakers to farm groups weighing in on how to fix it. The reality is more complicated. … ” Read more from Arizona Central.
Hobbs signs bill extending time to claim grandfathered water rights in Douglas AMA
“Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a bill on Monday allowing those who use the Douglas Active Management Area groundwater another six months to apply for grandfathered rights. House Bill 2016 is an emergency measure backed by Rep. Gail Griffin, R-Hereford, in hopes to give people more time to adjust to the fact that the basin became an AMA in December 2022. An AMA means it is under more regulations involving the “withdrawal and use of groundwater,” according to an Arizona Department of Water Resources document. … ” Read more from the Center Square.
Republican bill allows developers to challenge AZ’s water determinations
“The Arizona Legislature passed a bill that would allow people to challenge models used by the Arizona Department of Water Resources to determine whether new developments can be built. Arizona law requires that most new developments in the state’s five Active Management Areas — areas where “significant groundwater depletion has occurred” — must prove they have a 100-year supply of water before construction can begin. House Bill 2019, which passed out of the Arizona Senate along party lines on Wednesday, would require the Department of Water Resources to allow the public to inspect groundwater modeling the department uses to make that determination. And it would require the department’s director to create a new process for a person to challenge that model. … ” Read more from KJZZ.
In national water news today …
National Weather Service launches new website for water prediction and products
“NOAA’s National Weather Service launched a new website today: The National Water Prediction Service. This new hub for water data, products and services combines local and regional forecasts with water data and new national level capabilities, such as flood inundation maps and the National Water Model. “This online water hub is modern and flexible — providing information to help our partners and the public make sound decisions for water safety and management,” said Ed Clark, director of NOAA’s National Water Center. “The new site leverages modern software, geospatial technology and cloud infrastructure, vastly improving the customer experience before, during and after extreme water events such as floods and droughts.” … ” Read more from NOAA.
