WEEKLY WATER NEWS DIGEST for March 24-29: DWR says court ruling won’t impede Delta tunnel; Kings County farmers suffer sticker shock over proposed fees even as state takeover looms; Water project allocations increase; and more …

A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week …

Note to readers: Sign up for weekly email service and you will receive notification of this post on Friday mornings.  Readers on daily email service can add weekly email service by updating their subscription preferences. Click here to sign up!

In California water news this week …

Court ruling against bond financing for controversial Delta tunnel won’t impede project, state says

“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.

Mid-Kings River GSA holds meeting ahead of state probationary hearing

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.

Forecasted State Water Project water supply allocation doubles following February storms

“The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today announced a second increase in the State Water Project (SWP) allocation forecast for 2024. The forecasted allocation is now 30 percent of requested supplies, up from the 15 percent allocation update announced last month. The State Water Project is a critical water source for 29 public water agencies that serve 27 million Californians.  The revised allocation forecast is based on snow survey measurements and data up until March 1 and spring runoff forecasts outlined in the latest Bulletin 120, which was released on March 8. The next possible allocation update would come after the next round of snow surveys around April 1. Currently, the statewide snowpack is 98 percent of average for this date. … ”  Read more from Maven’s Notebook.

Reclamation increases 2024 Central Valley Project water supply allocations

“Today, the Bureau of Reclamation announced an increase in Central Valley Project 2024 water supply allocations. After below average precipitation in January, Reclamation announced an initial water supply allocation for the CVP on Feb. 21. Mid to late February storms have since improved hydrological conditions particularly for Northern California, allowing for a more robust water supply allocation.  “Thanks to the improved hydrology, we are pleased to announce a bump in water supply allocations for the Central Valley Project,” said California-Great Basin Regional Director Karl Stock. “While the series of storms in Northern California improved the water supply outlook, a number of factors, particularly anticipated regulatory constraints throughout the spring, continue to limit the water supply allocation for south-of-Delta agriculture.” … ”  Read more from Maven’s Notebook.

Fresno Co. farmers disappointed after water allocation results

“Fresno County farmers are disappointed following the announcement of the Bureau of Reclamation regarding an update to the water allocations for the Central Valley Project water users.  Officials say the initial allocation for South of Delta agricultural contractors, including Westlands Water District, was set at 15 percent of the total water contract. Friday’s announcement revises the previous allocation to 35 percent for South of Delta agricultural contractors.  “Inadequate and unpredictable water supplies have a direct impact on the communities and farms in the San Joaquin Valley and their ability to feed the nation and the world,” said Allison Febbo, General Manager, of Westlands Water District. … ”  Read more from Your Central Valley.

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.

Legislation to safeguard salmon and steelhead trout from lethal storm water contaminant authored by Assemblymember Papan approved by committee

“Today, legislation to protect California’s iconic salmon and steelhead trout authored by Assemblymember Diane Papan (D-San Mateo) was approved by the Assembly Committee on Transportation with a bipartisan vote. The S.A.L.M.O.N Act (Stormwater Anti-Lethal Measures for Our Natives Act), would mandate the development and implementation of a regional strategy by the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to eliminate 6PPD from stormwater discharges into specified salmon and steelhead trout-bearing surface waters of the state.  “The S.A.L.M.O.N Act will begin the process of safeguarding California’s native salmon species and the $500 million fishing industry that relies upon it,” said Papan. “The threat posed by 6PPD is significant and this legislation provides the first step to protect our environment, economy, and cultural heritage.” … ”  Read more from Assemblymember Diane Papan.

Reclamation announces $3.4 million to improve the safety of Sisk Dam

“Reclamation today announced a $5.5 million investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to repair the Willow Creek Dam in Montana and the B.F. Sisk Dam in California as part of the Investing in America agenda.  B.F. Sisk Dam in California will use $3.4 million to modify the Phase 1 contract, to adapt to delays caused by high precipitation levels in 2023. Reclamation worked with the contractor to adapt to these difficult conditions by modifying the contract to allow for the utilization of construction methods that could be safely executed at higher reservoir elevations. The project previously received a $100 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.   “Through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, Reclamation is able to fund vital dam repairs, safeguarding local water supplies and paving the way for sustainable, reliable infrastructure for generations to come,” said Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. “Reclamation’s dam safety program has been improving the safety of dams for decades, and these new investments are vital to ensure the maintenance and advancement of this essential program.” … ”  Read more from the Bureau of Reclamation.

Small changes can yield big savings in agricultural water use

“While Hollywood and Silicon Valley love the limelight, California is an agricultural powerhouse, too. Agricultural products sold in the Golden State totaled $59 billion in 2022. But rising temperatures, declining precipitation and decades of over pumping may require drastic changes to farming. Legislation to address the problem could even see fields taken out of cultivation.  Fortunately, a study out of UC Santa Barbara suggests less extreme measures could help address California’s water issues. Researchers combined remote sensing, big data and machine learning to estimate how much water crops use in the state’s Central Valley. The results, published in Nature Communications, suggest that variation in efficiency due to farming practices could save as much water as switching crops or fallowing fields.  “There’s an opportunity for less obtrusive methods of saving water to be more important than we originally thought,” said lead author Anna Boser, a doctoral student at UCSB’s Bren School of Environmental Science & Management. “So we might not have to make as many changes in land use as we originally thought.” … ”  Read more from UC Santa Barbara.

Return to top

In commentary this week …

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.

Desert Water Agency board president: California’s new regulation makes water future more secure

Paul Ortega writes, “One thing is clear: California is facing more severe swings between drought and flood. We should not think of water conservation as an emergency response. Instead, we should work to conserve water as part of our everyday lives.  As a lifelong conservationist, an efficient landscape designer and a local official, protecting our water future is very important to me. I pushed myself deeper into community involvement and planning when I joined Desert Water Agency’s board of directors in 2020.  In 2009, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made 2020 the deadline for water agencies to reduce their per capita water use by 20%. This was overwhelmingly successful. Despite significant population gains, Desert Water Agency, like many of its counterparts throughout the state, saved more water than required. In fact, in 2023 our customers used about 37% less water per person than in 2009. … ”  Read more from the Desert Sun.

Drain the reservoirs, return California’s stolen land

Edward Ring, Director, Water and Energy Policy at the California Policy Center, writes, “The logical extension of California’s environmentalist policies is to end civilization as we know it. But California’s progressive elites are not crazy or stupid. So what is their actual motivation?  The destruction of dams on the Klamath River provides an encouraging precedent for progressives throughout California. As was breathlessly reported in the San Francisco Chronicle and elsewhere, indigenous tribes are now able to recover their sacred land and revive their ancestral villages and way of life. It is time for California’s progressive supermajority to do the right thing and return all stolen land to the first peoples. They can start by draining the rest of California’s reservoirs.  Not only is demolishing California’s dams, draining all of its reservoirs, and returning the restored riverfront property to their rightful claimants an appropriate reparatory gesture, but it will also set the rivers themselves free. Unshackled, they will again be welcoming habitats for salmon and other aquatic life, able to send torrents of nurturing fresh water into California’s Central Valley and ultimately into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. … ”  Continue reading at the California Policy Center.

Editorial: L.A. may not get another wet winter for a while. We should prepare for drier times

The LA Times editorial board writes, “It’s the second straight year of above-average rain and snow in California, amid the state’s driest period in 1,200 years. The respite from drought is certainly welcome, despite flooding, mudslides and associated miseries. Now meteorologists and oceanographers are watching possible La Niña conditions develop in the Pacific, perhaps signaling a return to drier times.  It’s an appropriate time to take stock — of how we weathered the last two winters, what we’ve learned and what’s ahead. … ”  Read more from the LA Times.

Stark Reality: Unpacking the 35% water allocation’s impact on Calif. agriculture

William Bourdeau, executive vice president of Harris Farms, director of the Westlands Water District, and more writes, “The recent announcement from the federal authorities allocating only 35% water to Central Valley Project users is not just disappointing; it’s a stark misjudgment that threatens the lifeline of California’s agriculture and, by extension, the nation’s food supply.  As a voice from the San Joaquin Valley, I must express not only our collective disappointment but also our grave concern for the future this decision foretells.Last year, in a show of foresight and commitment, our westside community stored nearly 400,000 acre-feet of water, a buffer against the hard years, a testament to our stewardship, and a pledge to our nation’s food security. … ”  Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun.

Return to top

In regional water news this week …

The Klamath River’s dams are being removed. Inside the effort to restore a scarred watershed

“Near the California-Oregon border, reservoirs that once submerged valleys have been drained, revealing a stark landscape that had been underwater for generations.  A thick layer of muddy sediment covers the sloping ground, where workers have been scattering seeds and leaving meandering trails of footprints. In the cracked mud, seeds are sprouting and tiny green shoots are appearing.  With water passing freely through tunnels in three dams, the Klamath River has returned to its ancient channel and is flowing unhindered for the first time in more than a century through miles of waterlogged lands.  Using explosives and machinery, crews began blasting and tearing into the concrete of one of the three dams earlier this month. While the massive dismantling project advances, a parallel effort to restore the river to a natural state is just beginning. “It’s a beautiful thing, and a beautiful feeling, that that process of healing has begun,” said Leaf Hillman, a member of the Karuk Tribe who spent more than two decades campaigning for the removal of dams, and who said he’s overjoyed to see the process finally underway. … ”  Read more from the LA Times. | Read via Yahoo News.

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.

Judge hears testimony in Monterey Peninsula water battle

“A critical set of oral testimonies will help a state regulator determine whether or not the Monterey Peninsula needs a desalination project to generate water supply over the next few decades, or whether the Pure Water Monterey Expansion project will get the job done.  The recent evidentiary hearing was set up much like a virtual courtroom. The testimonies and cross examinations lasted five days, ending March 15. The testimonies were heard by California Public Utilities Commission Administrative Law Judge Robert Haga.  Many of the testimonies were highly technical, but came down to which contrary estimates of water supply and future demand Judge Haga will believe. Once he’s reached a decision it will then be taken up by the five-member CPUC commissioners. The transcript of the March 14 hearing, the fifth day, alone runs 142 pages. The total transcript of the hearings runs 688 pages. … ”  Read more from the Monterey Herald.

Racial discrimination complaint names State Water Board as partly to blame for fertilizer contamination in Central Coast drinking wells

“This week, Latino community groups were joined by Monterey Waterkeeper and the Environmental Justice and Common Good Initiative at Santa Clara University in filing a Civil Rights Complaint with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) against the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board). The complaint addressed the racially disproportionate impacts caused by the State Water Board’s failure to regulate water pollution from nitrogen fertilizers used by the agricultural industry in California’s Central Coast region.  According to an analysis of census and well monitoring data completed by Santa Clara University scientists, groundwater in the Central Coast region is 4.4 times more likely to contain nitrate levels above state drinking water standards in Latino communities as compared to non-Latino communities. Further, nitrate levels in Latino communities are likely to be almost 150% higher than those in mostly white communities. … ”  Continue reading this press release at Maven’s Notebook.

Future of Fresno’s largest pond, the ‘crown jewel of the San Joaquin River,’ is murky

Columnist Marek Warszawski writes, “Fresno’s largest body of water — and likely its most diverse wildlife habitat — shimmers in silence on a sunny spring afternoon.  The quiet is interrupted only by the chirp of songbirds and the hum coming from the electric trolling motor mounted to Louis Moosios’ fishing boat.  “I tell everyone I know this is the crown jewel of the whole San Joaquin River system,” says Moosios, who grew up along the river and owns a fishing guide service.  “I don’t think there’s anywhere else in California that’s a more unique spot than where we’re at.”  Where we’re at is Milburn Pond, a reclaimed gravel mining pit that belongs to the San Joaquin River Ecological Reserve and is managed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. … ”  Read more from AOL News.

Return to top

Announcements, notices, and funding opportunities …

NOTICE: Regulation Rulemaking on the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO): Comments due by April 3

Return to top