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On the calendar today …
- OFFICE HOURS: Groundwater Recharge with Sustainable Conservation from 12pm to 1pm. Groundwater recharge is crucial for replenishing aquifers and a key tool for sustainable groundwater management. Sustainable Conservation has been a leader in finding innovative solutions for groundwater recharge and floodplain restoration, implementing numerous projects in California. Join us for Office Hours where experts from Sustainable Conservation will be on hand to answer your questions about groundwater recharge. Click here to register.
- IN-PERSON PUBLIC WORKSHOP: Designation of Tule Subbasin as a probationary basin from 5:30pm to 8:3opm in Porterville. The State Water Resources Control Board will hold a public hearing in September at which it will consider designating the Tule Subbasin as a probationary basin pursuant to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). State Water Board staff have developed a draft recommendation for the Board to consider, which describes the actions staff recommends the Board should take. Board staff will hold a public staff workshop to explain the draft staff report and share more about how to participate in the State Water Board’s state intervention process. Staff will also accept verbal public comments on the draft staff report at the workshop. Staff presentation will start at 5:30 PM. Staff will begin accepting public comments at 7:00 PM. Click here for the full meeting notice.
In California water news today …
California water agencies broke own rules, possibly killing thousands of endangered fish
“Pumping plants in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta severely harmed or killed almost double the legal amount of Chinook salmon and Steelhead trout in recent months, dealing yet another blow to the struggling endangered species. An estimated 3,030 winter-run Chinook and 2,919 Steelhead were caught by water pumps that capture supplies for farms and cities from the delta between December and March, according to state and federal water agencies. That’s well beyond the agencies’ own ceilings for permissible fish harm under the Endangered Species Act — referred to as “take.” Those numbers are 1,776 Chinook and 1,571 for Steelhead annually, per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “I continue to be shocked by the lawlessness and neglect of federal and state management agencies with regard to species that are on the brink of extinction,” said Jon Rosenfield, science director at San Francisco Baykeeeper. “You expect regulators to regulate and follow their own regulations.” … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee. | Read via AOL News.
As fish deaths increase at pumps, critics urge California agencies to improve protections
“Powerful pumps that supply much of California’s population with water have killed several thousand threatened and endangered fish this year, prompting a coalition of environmental groups to demand that state and federal agencies take immediate steps to limit “alarming levels” of deaths. In a letter to state and federal water managers, leaders of five fishing and environmental groups said the estimated losses of threatened steelhead trout and endangered winter-run Chinook salmon have exceeded maximum annual limits for water intakes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. “Given that these and other species in the Bay-Delta are at grave risk of extinction, we want to emphasize the need for urgent action,” the environmental advocates wrote. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
New National Academies study tackles the wickedest of problems: Can California have its water and save its fish too?
“The San Francisco Bay-Delta is already among the most intensively studied ecosystems in the world. Now 18 experts are scrutinizing this system afresh in a committee convened by the National Academies at the request of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The stakes are high. The Bay-Delta system drains about half of California’s surface water. Even so, there’s still not enough to meet the demands of water users―including farmers and hydroelectric power agencies―and the needs of salmon, Delta smelt, and other fish protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. “Species aren’t doing well, and water deliveries and power generation aren’t doing well,” Mario Manzo, deputy manager of the Bureau of Reclamation’s Bay-Delta Office, told the National Academies committee at its first public meeting in January 2024. … ” Read more from Maven’s Notebook.
Delta Tunnel supporters, opponents respond to Newsom’s updated water plan
“Gov. Gavin Newsom last week announced the release of the state’s updated water plan, which garnered both support and criticism. As he stood in the snow-packed Sierra Nevada for a press conference during the April snow survey at Phillips Station, Newsom said the new reality of climate extremes requires a new approach and elevated sophistication in terms of managing the water system. “The water system in California was designed for a world that no longer exists,” he said, referring to the drastic weather events that have occurred over the last decade, compared to 50 or 60 years ago. “California is the size of 21 state populations combined. And as a consequence, there’s no one size that fits all … However, many felt that the state’s updated water plan supports problematic infrastructure projects that will harm the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary. … ” Continue reading at Pleasanton Weekly.
Farm Bureau ‘encouraged’ by water plan
“The president of the California Farm Bureau says she’s “encouraged” by some details in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s updated water plan, which the state Department of Water Resources unveiled last week. Among the seven points in the update finalized April 2 is to improve the “backbone” of state, federal and regional water infrastructure as well as natural infrastructure such as lakes, rivers and groundwater basins. … ” Continue reading at the Western Farm Press.
Black market cannabis thrives in California despite legalization
“A funny thing happened on the way to cannabis legalization: illegal pot is still big business. In the decade since the first states legalized recreational marijuana, about half the country has moved to allow adults to buy regulated pot from authorized sources. But in some states, that’s been more theory than practice. … And in California, where voters approved recreational pot in 2016, state officials readily acknowledge the industry still operates mostly in the shadows. “The black market is very pervasive and it’s definitely larger than the legal market,” says Bill Jones, the head of enforcement for the state’s Department of Cannabis Control. California is the biggest example of the unfulfilled promise of a legitimate cannabis market. … ” Read more from CapRadio.
Stranger in a strange river: The genetics of hatchery steelhead in California
“Genes are the blueprints that inform development and behavior, and over time they are molded by evolution into adaptations that allow species to persist in an ever-changing world. However, animals adapted to one environment sometimes find themselves suddenly dropped in another. Such is the case for certain hatchery-raised steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in California’s Central Valley. The genes of steelhead play an important role in determining their life history, and may influence the timing of migration and maturation. To evaluate how such genes may be impacted by hatchery practices, researchers from UC Santa Cruz and the National Marine Fisheries Service dove into the genetics of steelhead from four hatcheries in the Sacramento River Basin (Goetz et al. 2024). The findings of their investigation show just how influential genes are in determining the path that a steelhead’s life will take. … ” Read more from FishBio.
Spinning salmon in the classroom
“Salmon face many stressors that significantly reduce their survival. Persistent challenges include habitat degradation, predation, pollution, and climate change that threaten already at-risk populations. Conservation efforts in California engage with the complexity of these stressors, yet in recent years, a new threat has emerged to salmon restoration in the Central Valley. The absence of a seemingly inconspicuous nutrient, vitamin B1 or thiamine, has been impeding restoration. The gravity of this situation becomes apparent when considering the analogous struggles of salmon populations in the Baltic Sea and Great Lakes regions, emphasizing the global ramifications of this emerging threat (Balk et al., 2016). … ” Read more from the California Water Blog.
California moves to ban the use of paraquat, a powerful weedkiller
“New California legislation seeks to permanently ban paraquat, a powerful and widely used weedkiller that has been linked to Parkinson’s disease and other serious health issues. Assembly Bill 1963, introduced recently by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), would sunset the use of paraquat beginning in January 2026. The herbicide, which is described by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as highly toxic, is regularly sprayed on almonds, grapes, cotton and other crops in the state. … California is the nation’s top user of paraquat, spraying millions of pounds annually, she said. Environmental and public health groups have said exposure to the product is associated with Parkinson’s disease, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, childhood leukemia and other ailments. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
SCOTUS’ pass on cases sets up continued fight over tribal water rights cases in coming year
“In this edition, our litigation team examines two cases involving tribal water rights and state permitting authority over mining and mineral development that the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review. In light of the Court’s declinations, tribal water rights disputes could continue to increase, and states’ permitting authority and mineral development rights remain in question. … In 2019, two irrigation districts in Oregon and other water users sought to enjoin a Bureau of Reclamation plan to use stored water in the Upper Klamath Lake to augment instream flows in the Klamath River to benefit endangered species and tribes in southern Oregon and northern California and to limit the amount of water available to the irrigation districts. The districts argued that the federal government only had the right to store water in the Upper Klamath Lake, not use it. … ” Read the full post at Lexology.
Coastal wetlands can’t keep pace with sea-level rise, and infrastructure is leaving them nowhere to go
“Wetlands have flourished along the world’s coastlines for thousands of years, playing valuable roles in the lives of people and wildlife. They protect the land from storm surge, stop seawater from contaminating drinking water supplies, and create habitat for birds, fish and threatened species. Much of that may be gone in a matter of decades. As the planet warms, sea level rises at an ever-faster rate. Wetlands have generally kept pace by building upward and creeping inland a few meters per year. But raised roadbeds, cities, farms and increasing land elevation can leave wetlands with nowhere to go. Sea-level rise projections for midcentury suggest the waterline will be shifting 15 to 100 times faster than wetland migration has been clocked. … ” Read more from The Conversation.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Controversial Mendocino water project approved despite skepticism
“The county Planning Commission approved a coastal development use permit for a controversial water project in the town of Mendocino at its regular meeting on April 4th. The project, a joint venture between the Mendocino Unified School District and the Mendocino City Community Services District, includes up to ten new wells and two large storage tanks that are supposed to meet the community’s needs in drought or fire emergencies. The new infrastructure will be located on school district property on Little Lake Road, just east of the intersection with Gurley Lane and a mile outside the center of town. The permit includes the demolition and replacement of two existing water tanks and chlorination and control building with its related infrastructure and the improvement of three existing wells. … ” Read more from Mendo Fever.
BAY AREA
Marin Municipal Water District narrows Sonoma-to-Marin pipeline options
“Aiming to boost the county’s water supply, the Marin Municipal Water District is exploring the idea of connecting pipelines in Petaluma and Cotati to its reservoirs. District staff presented three main potential projects — narrowed from 13 — at Tuesday’s board of directors meeting. “It’s getting exciting every time we whittle that list down,” board member Matt Samson said. The pipelines would transport water from the Russian River into Marin reservoirs. Treated Russian River water is transported to Marin through a 9-mile aqueduct along the Highway 101 corridor from Petaluma to North Marin Water District in Novato. The district then sends the water directly to the Marin Municipal Water District’s water distribution system. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal (gift article).
Marin water reservoirs spilling as summer nears
“A rainy winter and early spring have replenished reservoirs in Marin County, but water suppliers remain cautious heading into the dry months. Despite wet weather recently, April signals the waning of state’s rainy season, providing a clear picture of how much water the region has to work with until the rain returns in the fall. Since October, Mount Tamalpais has received 41.47 inches of rain, according to Nicole Sarment, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Sarment said the number does not account for the recent snowfall reported on the peak on Thursday. Marin Municipal Water District reservoirs, which serve most of the county, were at 100% capacity on March 31; the average storage capacity for that date is 91.49%. The district’s reservoirs have been full and spilling since Jan. 22, according to spokesperson Adriane Mertens. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
Point Reyes National Seashore ranchers in talks with The Nature Conservancy amid fight over their private leases
“One of the world’s largest land conservation groups has stepped into the battle between environmentalists and local ranchers over the future of private cattle and dairy ranching in Point Reyes National Seashore. A closely guarded secret until now, The Nature Conservancy is mediating between ranchers who have been part of the North Bay economy for generations and environmental groups who say the cattle and dairy operations harm wildlife, contaminate waterways with fecal bacteria and otherwise degrade the environment. The Nature Conservancy’s involvement is a new twist in contentious negotiations that could reshape life on the scenic 71,000-acre peninsula, where, in an unusual arrangement, tule elk graze on some of the same grass as dairy cows and cattle on federally protected land. … ” Continue reading at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
New wetland monitoring guidelines in San Francisco Bay leverage data to improve science and restoration
“Conservation partners, including NOAA Fisheries, have created new guidelines for monitoring fish and habitat in wetlands throughout the San Francisco Bay Estuary. They will improve scientific understanding and apply lessons learned to make future restoration even more successful and cost-effective. The guidelines were developed for the San Francisco Wetlands Regional Monitoring Program, San Francisco Bay includes the sprawling estuaries of numerous rivers that provide nursery habitat for salmon and many other species that depend on the Estuary for habitat, food, and much more. About 85 percent of the Bay’s original vegetated tidal wetlands have disappeared. The remaining wetlands face further development pressures as well as rising sea levels and other impacts of climate change. … ” Read more from NOAA Fisheries.
CENTRAL COAST
Monterey: Discovery, protection of ancient coral gardens in our backyard
“Having an extra day for exploration at sea is a rare event; however, the weather was perfect, the equipment worked flawlessly, and a team from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) finished their research at a lost shipping container a day earlier than expected. These conditions led the team in December 2013 to decide to search for corals on Sur Ridge. This unique geological feature is 30 miles offshore of Point Sur, 11 miles long, 3 miles wide and ranges in depth from 2,700 to 5,100 feet. It’s one of the best decisions ever made. “I wasn’t expecting to see corals until the end of the dive, along the peak of the ridge, but they were dazzling us all day. We’d clearly discovered a unique coral garden, and the excitement in the control room was palpable,” said Jim Barry, senior scientist at MBARI. …Since then, the exploratory work has led to developing Sur Ridge into a singular deep-sea coral observatory … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Pasadena Water and Power launches “The Ripple Effect” water conservation campaign
“Pasadena Water and Power (PWP) has launched a new multi-year campaign called “The Ripple Effect” aimed at promoting water sustainability and resilience in the community. Acting General Manager David Reyes urged all PWP customers to become local water stewards for Pasadena and the region by participating in the campaign. “We invite every member of our community to embrace their role as local water stewards,” said Reyes. “Each one of us holds a vital place in shaping Pasadena’s water future.” … ” Read more from Pasadena Now.
Claremont residents sue cities, agencies over groundwater seep flooding
“A group of Claremont residents have taken legal action against multiple cities, local water agencies and Los Angeles County, alleging all share liability for groundwater seepage that damaged their homes after the heavy 2023 rain season. Victor Asemoto and his family are among the plaintiffs in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit who are suing such entities as the cities of Claremont, La Verne, Pomona and Upland as well as the Pomona Valley Protective Assn., Six Basins Watermaster and Pomona College. The suit alleges negligence, trespass, inverse condemnation and both public and private nuisance. … ” Read more from My News LA.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
NAF sailors take charge in wetland cleanup
“Petty Officer Second Class Randon Bradford, a native of Diboll, TX, has been stationed at the NAF for several years and takes his community service and environmental stewardship seriously. Last year, he and several other sailors participated in a project tracking and tagging endangered species native to the area. “I’ve always been an outdoor man and I noticed how trashy the Imperial Wetlands were,” said Bradford at the April 2 Imperial Irrigation District regular meeting. “I saw families and kids walking among the broken glass, abandoned refrigerators, and I thought that wasn’t right.” He told the IID board that he was pleasantly surprised by how easy his offer to gather sailors from the base to organize a clean-up day at the wetlands were. He was assisted by 16 members of Strike Fighter Wing Pacific Maintenance Unit Detachment El Centro, a tenant command onboard Naval Air Facility El Centro. … ” Read more from the Desert Review.
SAN DIEGO
East County Advanced Water Purification Program makes significant construction progress
“The East County Advanced Water Purification Program (East County AWP) has made significant progress since breaking ground on construction nearly two years ago. The Program will create a local, clean, safe and drought-proof drinking water supply using state-of-the-art technology to purify East San Diego County’s recycled water. It will produce up to 30 percent of East County’s drinking water supply once the Program goes online in 2026. “Construction to build the East County AWP is well underway and the Program is poised to finish construction and deliver water to Lake Jennings by 2026 which will meet or exceed all federal and state drinking water standards,” said Mark Niemiec, director of the East County Advanced Water Purification Program. “The Program also received some great news last month. The State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water conditionally accepted the Program’s Title 22 Engineering Report which explains the project’s plan for safely treating recycled water and placing it into Lake Jennings to comply with state regulations.” … ” Read more from San Diego News.
Water supplies are plentiful in San Diego County for 2024
“In possibly the most anti-climactic announcement of the year, the San Diego County Water Authority noted that due to a wet winter and full reservoirs, “water supplies are plentiful for 2024.” Smaller water agencies, such as cities and water districts, buy water from this larger supplier. Consecutive wet winters combined with regional investments and conservation by residents and businesses mean that San Diego County has enough water to meet the region’s needs for 2024 and the foreseeable future. That’s good news for the region’s economy, which runs on water. The California Department of Water Resources performed its fourth snowpack survey of the year today, confirming that the early winter’s “snow drought” gave way to a slightly above normal snowpack following a series of storms. DWR’s early April survey marks what is considered the peak snowpack for the year in the Sierra Nevada. The Colorado River Basin – the main source of water for San Diego County – also reports more snow than average for this time of year. … ” Read more from the Times Advocate.
Along the Colorado River …
Colorado River states get a wet winter, but Lake Powell will get below-average runoff, forecast says
“Spring storms brought more snow to mountains across the Western U.S., bringing water for struggling Lake Powell with them. The National Weather Service Colorado Basin River Forecast Center on Friday estimated that Lake Powell will receive 5.7 million acre-feet of water between April and July as snow melts off the mountains. An acre-foot is roughly enough water to sustain two houses for a year. That volume is 89% of the normal runoff for that time period recorded between 1991 and 2020. Facing extreme drought and climate change since the turn of the century, Lake Powell dropped to a historic low of 22% full in Feb. 2023. The reservoir currently stands at about 32% full. … ” Read more from the Salt Lake Tribune.
Lithium companies fight over water in the arid Great Basin
“Over the past few decades, the United States has imported most of its lithium from Chile and Argentina, but there’s one major domestic source of the mineral—Nevada. Clayton Valley, a remote basin in the nation’s driest state, is home to the Silver Peak mine, where lithium is extracted in gridded ponds that turn neon blue as they recover one of Earth’s lightest elements through solar evaporation. Albemarle, a North Carolina-based company, runs Silver Peak as the only active lithium mine in the U.S. But over the past decade, amid a growing demand for electric vehicles and batteries to store electricity from intermittent renewable sources, dozens of mining companies have rushed to the area, vying for the element critical to the energy transition and the water that’s key to extracting it from the Earth. Mining operators across the West have faced major barriers in the global race for lithium. Mines come with large footprints that can disrupt wildlife habitat, harm cultural sites and put pressures on communities. On top of all that is another major challenge posing a barrier for lithium projects in the western U.S. and Clayton Valley: Competition for limited water supplies. … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
This epic slice of Arizona feeds their souls but lacks a basic necessity: Water
“Gilarya Begaye looks out across the brush-blanketed pastures, red-dirt plains and flat-topped mesas that surround her home in the Navajo Nation. “Everywhere I’ve ever moved, it never felt like home,” says Begaye, 36. “My heart’s always been here.” But for all the ways that living on the reservation feeds the soul, one basic necessity has been sorely lacking for Begaye, her six children and other Navajos: Water. With the absence of pipes connecting homes in this isolated corner of the reservation to a water source, many Navajos must spend hours each week driving to a community center in the tribal settlement of Dennehotso to refill portable tanks. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via Yahoo News.
Crucial Glen Canyon Dam tubes damaged, face uncertain future
“Arizona water officials are concerned that a series of important steel tubes buried well underneath Glen Canyon Dam were damaged from an experiment in releasing extra water and sediment through the dam to restore long-eroded beaches in the Grand Canyon. The reason for the concern is that what’s known as the dam’s outlet tubes may someday have to carry all water through the dam into the Grand Canyon and beyond to Lake Mead, should Lake Powell’s levels fall low enough. At such low levels, the water couldn’t run through the dam’s turbines that generate electricity. … ” Read more from the Arizona Daily Star.
In national water news today …
With final PFAS rule expected soon, where do utility legal settlements stand?
“As the nation anticipates EPA finalizing its proposed drinking water PFAS limits, the recently announced 3M and DuPont settlements, stemming from the ongoing Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) Multi-District Litigation (MDL) promise access to billions of dollars to cover PFAS treatment and monitoring expenses for water systems across the county. Faced with significant costs of treatment for PFAS contamination, over the past few years many water systems have filed lawsuits against PFAS manufacturers, seeking to hold the companies responsible for water pollution. These lawsuits have been grouped into the AFFF MDL that eventually led to the proposed PFAS class action settlements. … ” Read more from Water Finance & Management.
Nearly half of US prisons draw water likely contaminated with toxic PFAS – report
“Nearly half of US prisons draw water from sources likely contaminated with toxic PFAS “forever chemicals”, new research finds. At least around 1m people incarcerated in the US, including 13,000 juveniles, are estimated to be housed in the prisons, and they are especially vulnerable to the dangerous chemicals because there is little they can do to protect themselves, said Nicholas Shapiro, a study co-author at the University of California in Los Angeles. “We need to think about who is exposed and who has the least agency to mitigate their exposure – that’s why this is such a unique population,” he said. “We see the dehumanization of incarcerated people across the country, and these exposures are symptoms of that larger problem.” … ” Read more from The Guardian.
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
In California water news this weekend …
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A tree filters morning light among wildflowers and grass along Cherokee Road near North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve in Butte County, California. Photo taken March 25, 2024. Xavier Mascareñas / DWR State hears from the public on potential take over of groundwater pumping in the Tule subbasin
- New canal project expands on UC Merced solar research
- PRESS RELEASE: California adopts health-protective goals for forever chemicals in drinking water
- California’s salmon fishing season could face second year of total closure
- Federal funding allocated for California 2023 salmon fishery disaster; CDFW seeks public input on spending plan
- Groundwater plays a critical role in ecosystem health
- Despite legalization, California battles illegal marijuana farms
- As messy side effects of Klamath River dam removal continue, officials stress that short-term pain will yield long-term gainMarin Municipal Water District approves plan to hit goals
- A big year for wildflowers in Southern California — just not poppies. Why?
- Late-winter storms lift Upper Colorado Basin out of drought, Lower Basin not so fortunate
- And more …
Click here for the weekend digest.
