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: Hydroclimate: Bridging Science and Action from 2pm to 3:30pm. This webinar is the second in the series, co-convened with the California Department of Water Resources and the State Water Resources Control Board. It will address the impacts of climate change on California’s water resources, and efforts underway to address them. Register on Zoom to join the webinar.
In California water news today …
California sets nation’s first water standard for cancer-causing contaminant
“The State Water Resources Control Board unanimously approved the nation’s first drinking water standard for hexavalent chromium, which is found naturally in some California groundwater as well as water contaminated by industries. Now water suppliers will be forced to install costly treatment to limit the chemical in water to no more than 10 parts per billion — equivalent to about 10 drops in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. California water systems are expected to spend $180 million a year to comply, including testing and treatment. The water board said the average cost for most people would be less than $20 per month, with 87% paying about $8 per month. The cost rises an average of $135 per month for people served by water agencies with fewer than 100 connections. Water suppliers warned officials that the costs of complying would hit low-income customers especially hard. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
SEE ALSO:
- California adopts new cap on cancer-causing chemical in drinking water, from the Courthouse News Service
- State Water Board Adopts Rulemaking for Chromium-6 MCL, from ACWA
- California Water Service Districts Already Treating for Chromium-6, Will Meet New State Water Quality Standard, from Business Insider
Unraveling the mysteries of consecutive atmospheric river events
On the heels of an atmospheric river that brought destructive flooding to California, another is on the way. This view shows the system developing over the Pacific. Credit: CSU/CIRA & NOAA
“In California’s 2022-2023 winter season, the state faced nine atmospheric rivers (ARs) that led to extreme flooding, landslides, and power outages – the longest duration of continuous AR conditions in the past 70 years. Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) recently conducted a study using machine learning to better understand these complex weather systems, finding that more intense atmospheric rivers are more likely to occur in succession within a short period of time. A recent paper published in Communications Earth and Environment details their findings. California’s winter climate is largely defined by these atmospheric rivers – long, narrow regions in the atmosphere that transfer water vapor from the tropics, most commonly associated with the West Coast coming from the Pacific Ocean. When they make landfall (i.e. pass over land), they can release massive amounts of rain and snow. The catastrophic environmental and economic effects of AR’s highlight the urgency of studying them, especially as Earth’s climate changes. … ” Continue reading from the Berkeley Lab.
West Coast soaked by astounding 51 atmospheric rivers this winter
“The West Coast was drenched this winter by an astounding 51 atmospheric rivers from fall 2023 to spring 2024, according to the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes. The tally was more than twice the average. On average, 24 atmospheric rivers (AR) make landfall on the West Coast each winter, according to Department of Energy research. California usually sees just four or five a year, said a California Department of Resources official. This winter, four soaked Southern California alone. And the Southern California drenching was an oddity considering the El Niño climate pattern in control. The ARs were also warmer, meaning they delivered more rain and less snow. “What’s different about this year is that they’re coming in warm, lots of activity in Southern California, which isn’t traditional for an El Niño year,” explained California Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth in a February interview. … ” Read more from Fox Weather.
US lawmakers Elizabeth Warren and Ro Khanna seek to ban trade in water rights
“With private investors poised to profit from water scarcity in the west, US senator Elizabeth Warren and representative Ro Khanna are pursuing a bill to prohibit the trading of water as a commodity. The lawmakers will introduce the bill on Thursday afternoon, the Guardian has learned. “Water is not a commodity for the rich and powerful to profit off of,” said Warren, the progressive Democrat from Massachusetts. “Representative Khanna and I are standing up to protect water from Wall Street speculation and ensure one of our most essential resources isn’t auctioned off to the highest bidder.” Water-futures trading allows investors – including hedge funds, farmers and municipalities – to trade water and water rights as a commodity, similar to oil or gold. The practice is currently limited to California, where the world’s first water futures market was launched. So far, the market hasn’t taken off, dampened by the reality that the physical trade of water in the state has been limited. After a couple of wet years in California, the price of water futures has also plummeted. … ” Read more from The Guardian.
NCWA partners with State Water Contractors to release video about the voluntary agreements
“With the State Water Board hosting a workshop next week on the Agreements to Support Healthy Rivers and Landscapes, we have joined with the State Water Contractors to help describe the Agreements and the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes program. We encourage you to watch the new whiteboard video to learn more. The Agreements are a transformational approach to managing California’s water, which is important to address our new climate reality by implementing innovative approaches and forging partnerships to navigate the complexities of our shifting water landscape and safeguard the future of our state’s natural resources. … ” Read more and watch video at the Northern California Water Association.
California State Water Resources Control Board will hold a multiday workshop to discuss voluntary agreements
“The California State Water Resources Control Board will hold a multiday public workshop to discuss voluntary agreements (VAs) proposed by water users and state and federal agencies. The VAs proposed are to update the Sacramento River and Delta components of the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacamento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary (Bay-Delta Plan). The purpose for the planned workshop is for the VA parties to provide a detailed overview of the VA proposal. It is also planned to receive input and answer questions from board members and receive input from the public. … ” Read more from Water World.
Sites Reservoir project northwest of Sacramento gains momentum
“The conversation surrounding California’s water continues. The Sites Reservoir project northwest of Sacramento has a price tag of $4 billion and is funded by local, state and federal dollars. The 1.5 million-acre project would divert water from the Sacramento River into a valley near Maxwell, California, and use it for storage. California water rights are a bit tricky – and strict – and that’s the phase the Sites Project Authority is in. They say things are ramping up, however. A hearing officer has put forth a schedule for the hearings surrounding water rights to conclude by the end of this year and a decision could be made in early 2025. … ” Continue reading at CBS Sacramento.
Lawsuit demands Water Board action on outdated DWR water rights before Delta Tunnel approval
“After waiting 14 years, water rights protestants to a 2009 proceeding have filed a complaint against the State Water Resources Control Board alleging it has given preferential treatment to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) regarding antiquated water rights claims. They also said the board failed to implement state laws requiring the reasonable and equitable development of water diversions and the protection of water resources in the State. “DWR is still relying on water rights permits for the development of the controversial Delta Conveyance Project that were issued in 1955 and 1972, despite dramatic changes in the population size of California and in the hydrological cycle due to climate change,” according to a press release from Central Delta Water Agency, California Water Impact Network (C-WIN), California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, and AquAlliance. … ” Read more from the Daily Kos.
Water Wrights coverage of Tulare Basin probationary hearing
“The State Water Resources Control Board met at the Cal EPA Building in Sacramento on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 and online. This is actually a two day meeting but the first day is focused on the Tulare Lake Subbasin probationary hearing. Board Chairman Joaquin Esquivel called the meeting to order at 9:00am. There is a draft resolution linked to the probationary hearing and the board will vote on whether or not to place the Tulare Lake Subbasin (TLS) into probationary status at the end of the meeting. TLS is located primarily in Kings County. If the State Board finds the TLS’s Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) inadequate there is a draft resolution to follow staff recommendations to place the subbasin in probation. Under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act certain hydrologic subbasins have to prepare a GSP that shows how the subbasin will avoid six undesirable groundwater conditions in its aquifer by 2040. State Board staff maintains the TLS’ GSP isn’t complete. The GSAs in the subbasin say they have yet another revision to the GSP and are asking the Board to delay placing the TLS in probation, until they can submit the latest version. This hearing includes lots of public and staff comments, board questions and procedural process. The meeting lasted a little over 11 hours. At the end of the day the State Board voted to send the Tulare Lake Subbasin into probation. If you want the full version and I mean the 13 page, 8,000 plus word long report go here. What follows is a condensed report. … ” Read the full post at Water Wrights.
In a first, California cracks down on farms guzzling groundwater
“In much of the United States, groundwater extraction is unregulated and unlimited. There are few rules governing who can pump water from underground aquifers or how much they can take. This lack of regulation has allowed farmers nationwide to empty aquifers of trillions of gallons of water for irrigation and livestock. Droughts fueled by climate change have exacerbated this trend by depleting rivers and reservoirs, increasing reliance on this dwindling groundwater. In many places, such as California’s Central Valley, the results have been devastating. As aquifers decline, residential wells start to yield contaminated water or else dry up altogether, forcing families to rely on emergency deliveries of bottled water. Large-scale groundwater pumping has also caused land to sink and form fissures, threatening to collapse key infrastructure like roads, bridges, and canals. These local impacts have been the price of an economic model that provides big farmers with unlimited access to cheap water. … ” Read more from The Grist.
SEE ALSO:
- State Water Board takes action to protect groundwater in Kings and Tulare counties, press release from the State Water Resources Control Board
- State places California farming land on probation as land become susceptible to collapse, from KTLA
- California’s most waterproof water fight, from Politico
Biden-Harris Administration provides $13.3M in grants to enhance water management and forecast tools in the West as part of Investing in America agenda
“The Bureau of Reclamation is investing $13.3 million in grants for 51 applied science projects in 12 states for the development of tools and information to support water management for multiple uses as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The projects selected include the development of modeling and forecasting tools, hydrologic data platforms and new data sets to inform decision-making. The projects are being funded with $8.1 million from Reclamation’s Basin Study Program and $5.1 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for projects that improve nature-based features. Applications for Applied Science Grants were accepted from June to October 2023. Proposals were submitted by a diverse range of applicants including tribes, universities, special districts, cities, counties, and non-profits. … ” Continue reading this press release.
SEE ALSO: Here is the list of funded projects, which include several projects across the state.
After massive Dubai flooding, some blame cloud seeding for California storms. Why that’s not true
“When more than a year’s worth of average rainfall occurred in the desert nation of the United Arab Emirates, many began to speculate how so much rain fell in over a day. The state-run WAM news agency called the rain Tuesday “a historic weather event” that surpassed “anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949,” The Associated Press reported. From the span of late Monday into the end of Tuesday, more than 5.59 inches of rainfall soaked Dubai. The average yearly amount for Dubai International Airport is 3.73 inches. Some are suggesting that cloud seeding could have been a factor for flooding in UAE, which relies on that process and desalination to supplement a scarce groundwater supply. The topic has also prompted some to blame cloud seeding for heavy storms and flooding in California. … ” Read more from KCRA.
Startup of the Month: Soar Optics targets microplastics in water with high-tech microscopes
“Since the 1950s, plastic has been a staple due to its durability, but an unseen byproduct of this material is microplastics. These microscopic particles can be found everywhere, from Antarctica to Mt. Everest to breast milk. “The volume of plastics has increased every year,” says Steve Barnett, co-founder and CEO of Soar Optics, an Elk Grove company developing technology to identify microplastics in water. “Plastics are great because they don’t degrade, but they are also a problem since the microplastics produced from these products do not degrade either.” In 2018, the California Legislature tasked the California State Water Resources Control Board to come up with methods to detect microplastics in drinking water and other environmental areas. This led to a state-funded study with about 30 research groups. Barnett, who was a part of this cohort, says the recommended methods were better than nothing but limited in their scope, speed and cost. … ” Read more from Comstock’s.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Tribes celebrate release of hatchery-bred coho and Chinook into Klamath River
“By the end of the week, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will have released 90,000 yearling coho as well as 400,000 Chinook salmon fry into the Klamath River. Deconstruction of three dams on the Klamath River is just weeks away, and this Tuesday, a small crowd gathered just below Iron Gate dam to celebrate another milestone: the first release of threatened coho salmon since three massive reservoirs were drained in January. A truck containing several thousand yearling fish idled quietly while representatives from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Quartz Valley Indian Tribe, Shasta Indian Nation, Karuk Tribe, and Yurok Tribe offered remarks. “This is a great day,” said Arron “Troy” Hockaday, who serves on the Karuk Tribal Council. “It’s been a long time coming. I’m a fifth-generation fishermen; I started watching the decline of salmon in my early teens, in the 1980s.” … ” Read more from Jefferson Public Radio.
Merkley, Wyden announce drought relief funding coming to Klamath Basin
“Oregon’s U.S. senators, Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, have announced water allocation for the Klamath Project as well as $8.5 million in communities. According to a news release from the senators, $5 million will also be provided in technical assistance for Klamath Basin tribes impacted by prolonged drought. Below is their full statement about this funding. … ” Continue reading at Channel 12.
Siskiyou Co. Supervisors call for more transparency on Klamath Dam Removal
“Siskiyou County Supervisors are sending a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). During Tuesday’s meeting, board members unanimously voted to approve the letter which outlines several of their concerns over the Klamath Dam Removal Project. Those concerns center around what they say is a lack of communication from administrators to potential claimants, the perimeters of what will be compensated, who is eligible, as well as the deadlines for claimants to seek funding which Siskiyou County officials say may have already passed. Supervisors are now calling on FERC to resolve these issues, many of which the county has been unable to resolve with the dam removal entities. … ” Read more from KOBI 5.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Plumas County review casts doubt on mining rights for Engels-Superior mines
“Plumas County recently commissioned an independent review of vested mining rights for the Engels-Superior Mines, situated in the county. Best Best & Krieger LLP (BBK), a prominent law firm, undertook this investigation, posting its findings in a detailed memorandum on April 15, 2024. The memorandum addresses a request by California-Engels Mining Company (owner) and US Copper Corp (applicant). This request pertains to the Engels Mine and Superior Mine located in Indian Valley on the Feather River watershed. The memorandum, accessible on the Plumas County Zoning Administrator website, illuminates the historical context and legal intricacies surrounding the mining operations. It discusses five determinations sought by the applicant, including the mining history, vesting date, extent of mining, continuity of mining rights, and intent to continue mining. … ” Read more from the Sierra Daily News.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Questions abound in case of contamination of Sacramento River tributary
“A federal judge denied summary judgment to a California nonprofit that accuses a solid waste facility in Butte County of allowing contaminants to seep out of its facility and into a wetland preserve that leads to a Sacramento River tributary during a major rainstorm. Nonprofit California Open Lands maintains a wetland preserve in Butte County that sits near the Neal Road Recycling and Waste Facility, operated by the Butte County Department of Public Works. The devastating Camp Fire damaged the facility in November 2018, and in February 2019 a rainstorm inundated the area. The plaintiffs claim the storm caused leachate from the facility to seep into a stormwater basin and into a ditch that flowed to the plaintiff’s wetland preserve. The stormwater then flowed out of the preserve into an unnamed creek, then into Hamlin Slough — a tributary of Butte Creek which is itself a tributary of the Sacramento River and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
EPA, Grindstone Indian Rancheria enters bad water settlement
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last week a settlement with the Grindstone Indian Rancheria of Wintun-Wailaki Indians (Tribe) in Glenn County, requiring the Tribe take immediate action to address issues with its drinking water system and comply with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Grindstone Indian Rancheria owns and operates the Grindstone Rancheria public water system, which is designed to provide treated surface water from Stony Creek to 150 residents. “This settlement is critical to protecting public health at the Grindstone Indian Rancheria, so people there have access to clean and safe drinking water,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “Ensuring that small community water systems like this one provide safe drinking water is a national priority for EPA, especially in communities that face environmental justice concerns.” … ” Read more from the Appeal Democrat.
Sacramento water providers plan to meet new federal limits for ‘forever chemicals’
“Sacramento water providers are planning how they will meet and cover the costs of complying with new federal limits on “forever chemicals.” One local water agency estimates it will cost $45 million to remove the chemicals, also known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, from contaminated groundwater wells. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced new drinking water standards last week in an effort to reduce exposure to the chemicals, which are used in a variety of products, take a long time to break down and may cause health issues. Public water systems must test for the chemicals and have five years to reduce them if they exceed the new limits. About six of the Sacramento County Water Agency’s 70 wells wouldn’t meet the new standards, county spokesperson Matt Robinson said Tuesday. But those wells are among the 15 the agency stopped operating over a couple years after detecting forever chemicals in them, Robinson said. … ” Read more from Capital Public Radio.
Commentary: Taming the American River means losing some trees. We caused this by living here
Opinion writer Tom Philp writes, “Since the founding of Sacramento, residents have treasured the beauty of the American River while living in fear of its destructive power. Were the American to defy its man-made banks in a series of historic storms, hundreds of thousands of residents would face a flood disaster modern-day Sacramento has never seen. Opinion The more we try to tame the river — as when the Folsom Dam was constructed in 1955 to deny the river its floodplain — the more we disfigure it. This ugly trade-off has marked the passage of time in Sacramento and is as central to the essence of this community as the state Capitol or the Tower Bridge. A proposal to shore up some erosion spots along the lower American River is the most recent flashpoint in the trade-off between public safety and nature. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee. | Read via AOL News.
BAY AREA
‘Forever chemicals’: Marin water districts remain vigilant amid new rules
“Marin County’s main water districts have not detected hazardous chemicals in the water supply, but will continue testing following new federal regulations. The Biden administration this month set strict limits on specific “forever chemicals” — such as toxic PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances that make items resistant to stains, heat and water — in drinking water. The new rules were expected, said representatives with Marin Municipal Water District and the North Marin Water District. Both utilities said they will continue to testing and remain unconcerned about future contamination. The new regulation requires utilities that supply drinking water to reduce two common PFAS to no more than 4 parts per trillion. The rules, set by the Environmental Protection Agency, state that utilities will have three years to test for the chemicals, and two additional years to filter them out, if found. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
Rising waters bring new toxics threat to Hunters Point
““Caution. No trespassing,” reads a sign lashed to the chain link fence separating Parcel E-2 of San Francisco’s Hunters Point Naval Shipyard from the surrounding residential neighborhood. At that spot during last year’s storms, Shirletha Boxx-Holmes watched the shipyard flood. “Mother nature did not read the signs,” says Boxx-Holmes, a Bayview native and community organizer with Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice. She watched soil from the shipyard run into neighborhood streets with the floodwater. Her stomach sank. The 638-acre shipyard, the site of Navy radiation experiments and ship decontamination in the 1940s, is a federal Superfund site contaminated with radioactive waste and a litany of other toxic substances, including arsenic and lead. … ” Read more from Knee Deep Times.
Burying canal is next step in widening heavily used East Bay road that is community’s only major exit
“This city has crossed one of the final hurdles to expand a rural two-lane road that has often become congested during emergencies and is the only way out for some residents. After an agreement to bury a Contra Costa Water District canal that stood in its way, a stretch of East Cypress Road can now be widened. For residents in the growing far eastern Oakley and Bethel Island area, where thousands of homes are planned, it has served as a thoroughfare, with the only other escape through narrow private roads during a catastrophe, such as the wind-swept fires that led to evacuations several years ago. To remedy the situation, the city plans to widen a portion of the road from two to six lanes, but first it needs to bury the canal now in its path. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
Harmful blooms spur more wastewater upgrades
“Palo Alto’s bioreactor towers are aging out, like a lot of the clean water infrastructure constructed around the Bay Area in the 1950s-1970s. Recent wind gusts, swirling around the edges of February’s atmospheric river storms, have not been friendly to the towers either. On a March visit to the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant, which treats 18 million gallons of wastewater every day, I could see a big chunk missing from the wall of one rusty cauldron and tumbleweeds caught in the metalwork. Elsewhere on the 25-acre site, the plant’s facilities are visibly undergoing a $193 million overhaul. The overhaul will help the plant meet increasing regulatory limits on the amount of nitrogen that dischargers can pipe into the shallows of San Francisco Bay. “The harmful algal blooms and fish kills of 2022 were a game-changer for us,” says the SF Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board’s Assistant Executive Officer Tom Mumley. The board is preparing a draft watershed-wide permit for Bay dischargers, due for release this April for board consideration in June, that would require them to reduce nitrogen loads by 40%. … ” Read more from Knee Deep Times.
Silicon Valley water supplier plans rate hikes
“Santa Clara County residents could see higher water bills in the upcoming year, as one water agency looks for ways to cover costs. Valley Water, the region’s main water supplier, is proposing raising groundwater production charges on cities and private water retailers. The increase will be passed on to household ratepayers through local water companies such as San Jose Water. This could add $8.78 a month to customers’ bills in the upcoming fiscal year. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Ag community opposes GSA’s proposed fees
“Newly proposed groundwater fees have mostly been rejected by local governments and landowners. The Mid-Kings River Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) is proposing a $25 per acre special benefit assessment, and a $95 per acre-foot groundwater extraction fee applicable to the 84,352 acres of land within the GSA boundary to cover costs associated with Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) compliance. Local GSAs implementing fees to recover costs from the forthcoming Tulare Lake Subbasin probation regulation and the ongoing Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) development are highly scrutinized by the local ag community. … ” Read more from the Hanford Sentinel.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
9th Circuit upholds SCV Water judgment for remediation of groundwater contamination against the Whittaker Corporation
“On April 15, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit affirmed a $68.5 million judgment for SCV Water for the cleanup of local groundwater contamination in its case against the Whittaker Corporation (“Whittaker”). The judgment was originally awarded on June 28, 2022, by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California following a combined jury and bench trial. “Today’s ruling by the 9th Circuit is an important step in a lengthy process to ensure SCV Water finally recovers funding to address groundwater contamination caused by the Whittaker Corporation,” said SCV Water General Manager Matt Stone. “Water quality remains our top priority, and this ruling ensures that SCV Water customers remain protected and will continue to receive drinking water that meets all standards set by Federal and State regulatory agencies. … ” Read more from SCV Water.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Imperial Valley & Calexico: A nexus of potential and promise
“Imperial Valley’s landscape is rich with history, cultural diversity, and potential. The Imperial Valley and Calexico, stand as gateways to a future marked by innovation, economic growth, and community empowerment. A recent report by Cushman & Wakefield sheds light on the multifaceted opportunities that abound in this near-forgotten region. The report, titled “Imperial Valley & Calexico: A Nexus of Potential and Promise,” delves into the socioeconomic landscape, infrastructure, and industries that define these areas. Commissioned by local authorities and conducted by a team of experts, the findings unveil strengths and challenges that paint a compelling picture of the region’s trajectory. At the core of the report lies the agricultural sector, a cornerstone of the Imperial Valley’s economy. … ” Continue reading from the Desert Review.
SAN DIEGO
Cemetery proposed for Pine Valley opposed over groundwater contamination concerns
“Neighbors have secured nearly 1,800 signatures on a petition opposing plans to build a cemetery on 38 acres of land about 2.5 miles east of La Posta Ranch, just south of Interstate 8 and Old Highway 80. The cemetery proposed by SD Crescentwood Services would provide burial space for Muslims in San Diego County, which currently has no Muslim cemetery. Residents’ primary concern is over potential groundwater contamination, since the graveyard would be over the EPA-designated sole-source aquifer that residents in several backcountry communities rely upon for well water. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported on cemeteries’ potential impacts on public health, when close to aquifers or other water sources. … ” Read more from the East County Magazine.
Along the Colorado River …
Hand wringing aside, alfalfa is here to stay
“The mainstream media continues its obsession with the amount of water that goes to producing alfalfa and other important forage crops in the West. The Colorado River right now is understandably a favorite topic of environmental journalists, as state, federal and tribal decision-makers are scrambling to negotiate a long-term river operating agreement to replace the current one that expires in 2026. Those arguments were teed up again last month when the Los Angeles Times broadcast a recent study showing that agriculture is the “dominant” user of Colorado River water, “about three times the combined usage of all the cities that depend on the river”. Unfortunately, not a single Colorado River farmer or water manager was mentioned in that story. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press.
Feds update Lake Powell projections; Upper Basin to receive nearly $30M in new funds
“Nearly $30 million in federal funds is going to the Upper Colorado River Basin states, including Utah, for projects to improve drought planning in the region, Department of Interior officials announced Tuesday. The measure comes a day after the Bureau of Reclamation, an agency within the Interior, released new projections estimating Lake Powell levels will rise about another 17 to 52 feet in the next few months, as the region’s snowpack melts. About 7.10 to 11.33 million acre-feet of water will flow into Lake Powell in April, according to officials, which would be between 74% and 118% of average. But the “most probable” scenario is 8.39 million acre-feet, about 87% of average. … ” Read more from KSL.
In national water news today …
Climate change’s ‘physical risks’ are catching up with banks
“As the world veers further off course from its goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, banks are increasingly having to pay attention to the financial implications of a rapidly-warming planet. The economic shocks inherent to the current trajectory of global warming may leave banks facing loan losses and impaired balance sheets. The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision has said climate change has the potential to affect “the safety and soundness of banks and the stability of the broader banking system.” … ” Continue reading at Bloomberg.
