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On the calendar today …
- MEETING: Central Valley Water Board beginning at 9am in Fresno. The main agenda item is an informational hearing on CV-SALTS Nitrate Control Program Priority 1 Management Zone Implementation Plans. This meeting will be held in Fresno. Click here for the full agenda and remote access instructions.
- WEBINAR: A Special Conversation with Adina Merenlender Author, “Climate Stewardship” from 12pm to 1pm. In celebration of Earth Day, join us for a special conversation with author Adina Merenlender to discuss her book Climate Stewardship: Taking Collective Action to Protect California. We will discuss insights and inspirations that Adina gained through her research for this pathbreaking book on local climate action. We will also meet and talk to grassroots climate champions she profiled in her book. As we confront the global climate crisis, this uplifting conversation will remind us of the importance of our individual actions and leadership. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
First-of-its-kind watershed study highlights how innovative tools help build climate resilience in the San Joaquin Valley
“California’s changing climate brings new challenges each year for water managers as they navigate extreme shifts from drought to flood while working to ensure safe, reliable water supplies for California’s 39 million residents. Water managers address these challenges in their local watersheds, which are often at the forefront of the impacts of climate change. The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is working with local and regional water agencies such as the Merced Irrigation District to conduct cutting-edge climate vulnerability assessments of watersheds in the San Joaquin Valley and evaluating how flood protection and groundwater recharge strategies can be used to adapt to climate vulnerabilities. … ” Read more from DWR News.
ACWA members share thoughts on SGMA at 10-year milestone
“Aaron Fukuda keeps wondering when he’ll see Porsches and Ferraris driving past his office in rural Tulare County. But so far, it’s the same stream of old beat-up Ford F-150s driven by farmers and their workers. The people driving those trucks keep the Tulare Irrigation District (TID) General Manager awake at night. They are family farmers and people who depend on Central Valley agriculture for a living, as opposed to the wealthy captains of the agri-business industry so often depicted in news media. And while those people certainly exist, they are not the ones most directly impacted by SGMA, pronounced sigma, which has long since become verbal shorthand for the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Marking its 10th year this September, the landmark trifecta of legislation signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2014 is today moving from planning into implementation. … ” Read more from ACWA Water News.
SEE ALSO: Local Control Remains Key to SGMA’s Success as Act Notches 10th Year, commentary by ACWA Executive Director Dave Eggerton
Biologist squares off again with Army Corps of Engineers over endangered salmon protections
“The Army Corps of Engineers argued for the second time Thursday that a Northern California fisheries biologist had no concrete evidence that Coyote Valley Dam harms endangered chinook and steelhead salmon. The dam guards the city of Ukiah from flooding from nearby Lake Mendocino, but Sean White, a fisheries biologist, claims that the dam’s flood control operations violate the Endangered Species Act and jeopardizes salmon populations. White says that sediment stirred up by water rushing in from the dam can increases the turbidity of the water, resulting in abrading and clogging of gills, and indirectly causes reduced feeding, avoidance reactions, destruction of food supplies, reduced egg and alevin survival and changed rearing habitat in the fish. In October 2023, U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley denied summary judgment to White. The judges said he had failed to show that the dam was harming the fish or that any injunction could remedy any hypothetical harm. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
Column: The salmon industry faces extinction — not because of drought, but government policies and politics
Columnist Michael Hiltzik writes, “Snapshots from an environmental and economic disaster: Kenneth Brown, the owner of Bodega Tackle in Petaluma, reckons he has lost almost $450,000 in the last year. “I haven’t taken a paycheck in seven or eight months,” he says. He has had to lay off all but one employee, leaving himself, his son and the one remaining worker to run the business. James Stone, board president of the Nor-Cal Guides & Sportsmen’s Assn., says more than 120 guides who serve recreational fishing customers in and around the Sacramento River and San Francisco Bay have been all but put out of business, costing the economy as much as $3.5 million a year. Sarah Bates, the owner of a commercial fishing boat in San Francisco, has seen 90% of her income washed away. She has watched a commercial fleet capacity of nearly 500 boats reduced nearly to zero. The circumstance affecting all three is the shutdown of the crucial fall-run salmon fishing in California, which the Pacific Fishery Management Council, a governmental body, recently extended for 2024, the second year in a row. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
500,000 Juvenile Salmon released into Klamath River
“The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) this week successfully released approximately 500,000 juvenile salmon into the Klamath River just below the Iron Gate Dam. On Tuesday, April 16, joined by leaders from the Karuk, Yurok, Shasta Indian Nation and the Quartz Valley Indian tribes, CDFW released about 90,000 yearling coho salmon. It was the first major release of coho salmon, a state and federally listed threatened species, into the Klamath River since dam removal began in earnest late last year. The fish were trucked about 7 miles from CDFW’s new, state-of-the-art Fall Creek Fish Hatchery in Siskiyou County and released following remarks and a Tribal blessing. “We’re all here for the same reason. We’re all here to pray for these fish to make it and to see justice for our people down river,” said Kenneth Brink, Vice Chairman of the Karuk Tribe. “It’s a different time we are living in now. Our kids no longer have to see our river die. We are watching our river heal now. It’s a great time.” … ” Read more from the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
SEE ALSO: CDFW successfully releases salmon into Klamath River as Central Valley salmon near extinction, from Dan Bacher at the Daily Kos
LETTER: Trinity County citizens file conflict of interest complaint with Interior Department Inspector General office alleging violation of state and federal laws
A group of landowners, business owners and residents of Trinity County have sent a letter to the Office of the Inspector General at the US Department of the Interior, saying that while they support funding restoration programs for the Trinity River’s salmon and steelhead runs, they do not support the current restoration efforts as set forth by the Trinity Management Council (TMC) and administered by the Bureau of Reclamation (USBR). “The managing entities of this program – the Department of Interior (DOI), TMC and USBR – are the problem, not part of the solution. They have failed to respond to recommendations and make changes to the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) that would allow it to achieve its avowed goals. … To date, more than $300 million in public funds have been spent under the TRRP. Meanwhile, the fishery has declined precipitously during the 23 years that have passed since the 2000 Trinity Record of Decision was signed. … ” Read the letter here.
Senator Warren and Rep. Khanna reintroduce bill to stop Wall Street from profiting off water and water rights
“Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) have re-introduced the Future of Water Act to amend the Commodity Exchange Act to prohibit the trading of water and water rights in commodity futures contracts. Under current law, water prices are vulnerable to manipulation and speculation from futures markets. Without limitations on these markets, passive investors are incentivized to purchase acres of farmland purely for the commoditized water rights that accompany the land, giving control of the water futures market to individuals with no personal or commercial stake in it. This regime could lead to physical water hoarding and price increases, harming American families and farmers and incentivizing further farmland consolidation. … ” Read more from Food & Water Watch.
Atmospheric rivers ‘likely to become worse’, warn scientists
“Atmospheric rivers are likely to become worse and arrive in closer succession, scientists predict. The phenomenon—defined as warm corridors of tropical moisture that travel through the atmosphere—battered the state of California nine times through the 2022 and 2023 winter. The storms caused extreme flooding, power outages and landslides across the state. This is the longest period that atmospheric rivers have continuously dumped on the state in 70 years, a new study from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory reported. … ” Read moire from Newsweek.
California sets nation-leading limit for carcinogenic chromium-6 in drinking water
“After years of analysis and debate, California regulators have adopted a nation-leading drinking water standard for hexavalent chromium, a carcinogen found in water supplies across the state. The dangers of the toxic heavy metal, also known as chromium-6, became widely known in the 1990s after a court case that then-legal clerk Erin Brockovich helped develop against Pacific Gas & Electric for contaminating water in the town of Hinkley in the Mojave Desert. The story of tainted water in that case, which led to a $330-million settlement, inspired an Oscar-winning movie starring Julia Roberts. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
SEE ALSO: State Water Board adopts new drinking water regulatory standard to improve protections from hexavalent chromium, press release from the State Water Resources Control Board
Senator Portantino bill requiring robust study of microplastics in drinking water passes Senate committee
“SB 1147, authored by Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank) that would require the study of the health impacts of microplastics in drinking water, passed the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. “SB 1147 is an important public health measure that will increase the safety of our drinking water,” stated Senator Portantino. “Microplastics have been identified in rain, drinking water, soil, and air. That’s why more research and action is necessary to understand how to deal with their impact on our health.” In 2018, there was an average of 325 pieces of microplastics identified in a liter of bottled water. Currently, California’s water bottling facilities do not test for microplastics, nor do they have a method to test for microplastics. SB 1147 requires all water-bottling plants that produces bottled water for sale must provide an annual report the State Department of Public Health’s Food and Drug branch on the levels of microplastics found in the source water. The bill requires the report to be included with the annual water-bottling plant report and, upon request, be made available to consumers. … ” Read more from Senator Portantino.
California bill to eliminate plastic ‘reusable’ shopping bags advances
“A state bill to close a loophole in California’s single-use plastic bag ban that allows for stores to distribute a “recyclable” alternative passed through its first hurdle. Senate Bill 1053, introduced by Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas) and Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), was approved by the State Environmental Quality Committee in a 5-2 vote on Wednesday. The bill would remove a provision from the ban allowing stores to use thicker, “reusable” bags made out of recycled plastic film. It would also revise the requirement for stores to only provide paper bags made out of 100 percent recycled material, an increase from the previous 40 percent. … ” Read more from Fox 5.
SEE ALSO: Earth Day: A look at what’s being done to decrease plastic use, from the San Jose Mercury News
Earth’s record hot streak might be a sign of a new climate era
“The heat fell upon Mali’s capital like a thick, smothering blanket — chasing people from the streets, stifling them inside their homes. For nearly a week at the beginning of April, the temperature in Bamako hovered above 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The cost of ice spiked to ten times its normal price, an overtaxed electrical grid sputtered and shut down.With much of the majority-Muslim country fasting for the holy month of Ramadan, dehydration and heat stroke became epidemic. As their body temperatures climbed, people’s blood pressure lowered. Their vision went fuzzy, their kidneys and livers malfunctioned, their brains began to swell. At the city’s main hospital, doctors recorded a month’s worth of deaths in just four days. Local cemeteries were overwhelmed. The historic heat wave that besieged Mali and other parts of West Africa this month — which scientists say would have been “virtually impossible” in a world without human-caused climate change — is just the latest manifestation of a sudden and worrying surge in global temperatures. … ” Continue reading at the Washington Post (gift article).
In commentary today …
California’s MCL for hexavalent chromium is based on a flawed process and outdated science that will undermine state and local water affordability initiatives
The American Chemistry Council writes, “Today, the American Chemistry Council, the California Chamber of Commerce, the California League of Food Producers, the California Manufacturers & Technology Association, the Partnership for Sound Science in Environmental Policy, and Western Wood Preservers Institute issued the following statement on the State Water Resources Control Board’s action to adopt a final rule to lower the maximum contaminant level for hexavalent chromium: “The State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWRCB) maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 parts per billion (ppb) for hexavalent chromium was not developed in the manner intended, and required, by the California Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Among the fundamental requirements of the SDWA is that a drinking water standard be adopted through a transparent, multi-step process that starts with a risk assessment based on the best available science, includes external peer review of the scientific portions of the proposed standard, meaningfully engages the public, and results in a drinking water standard that is protective of public health without imposing unnecessary costs on water system operators or rate payers. … ” Continue reading at the American Chemistry Council.
In regional water news and commentary today …
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
‘Plastics are not the Tahoe way’
“The City of South Lake Tahoe’s single-use water bottle ban goes into effect for commercial vendors on Earth Day, April 22. The League to Save Lake Tahoe, known for its slogan, Keep Tahoe Blue, has supported the ordinance and hopes the change inspires sustainable thinking. “I think when we put the best foot forward in Tahoe by not offering single-use plastic water bottles for sale,” says the league’s Marilee Movius, “it really shows to the people in our community and that are visiting, that plastics are not the Tahoe way.” The Tahoe way, the Senior Community Engagement Manager says, is using alternatives to single-use plastic, choosing reusables, drinking Tahoe tap, leaving places better than when they were found, and picking up litter. “All of these actions,” she says, “really help keep Tahoe blue and protect the lake for future generations.” … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
PG&E powerhouse failure on the Yuba — CPUC to decide on PG&E’s proposal to transfer hydroelectric projects
“On March 6th and 7th , a significant leak was found at the PG&E Spaulding Powerhouse. About two weeks later, the community learned that there was significant additional damage — columns in the powerhouse had crumbled. Pipes that divert water to the South Yuba and Bear River were also damaged in an earlier storm, leading to a significant cut-off to water flow. These events have raised concerns about the reliability of this aging infrastructure and highlighted the urgent need to address these vulnerabilities. … ” Continue reading from the South Yuba River Citizens League.
SEE ALSO: Spaulding update: One of four issues restored to half capacity by mid-June, from Yuba Net
Harm from striped bass at the Daguerre Point Dam Nature-Like Fishway Project
“SYRCL, along with American Rivers, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, California Dam Removal, Gold Country Fly Fishers, and Northern California Council of Fly Fishers International recently signed on to a letter to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, National Marine Fisheries Service, and Yuba Water Agency. The letter, dated April 11, raises concerns about the potential harm from striped bass at the Daguerre Point Dam Nature-Like Fishway Project. … ” Read more from the South Yuba Citizens League.
Upper Long Bar Restoration Pre-Project Monitoring has wrapped up
“In late 2021, SYRCL was awarded a grant from the Wildlife Conservation Board to begin planning, permitting, and collecting base-line data for a salmonid rearing habitat restoration project at Upper Long Bar on the lower Yuba River. The team for this project is made up of Cramer Fish Sciences, cbec eco engineering, Silica Resources Inc., Yuba Water Agency, and it is being led by SYRCL. These are the same partners who worked together to implement the Lower Long Bar and Rose Bar projects. The Upper Long Bar Habitat Restoration Project’s goal is to improve the productivity, complexity, and diversity of anadromous salmonid rearing habitat within the Upper Long Bar area. These actions prioritize increased quantity and quality of juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) rearing and over-summer habitat. … ” Read more from the South Yuba River Citizens League.
NAPA/SONOMA
Supervisors ask for closer look at possible impacts of restrictive animal ag ballot measure
“This week, Sonoma County Supervisors took a first look at a ballot initiative that would ban so-called factory farms in unincorporated areas of Sonoma County. The ballot text alleges that large CAFO’s – concentrated animal feeding operations – are a leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions, along with a host of other detriments to people, animals and the environment. With the initiative collecting the needed signatures to qualify for the ballot, county supervisors were given three options on how to proceed, as Wendy Hudson, Sonoma County’s chief deputy registrar of voters explained. … ” Read more from Northern California Public Media.
BAY AREA
Editorial: Marin’s plan to address sea level rise must strive for social, economic equity
The Marin Independent Journal editorial board writes, “In recent years, there has been a lot of talk, worrying and planning about the threat of sea level rise. For good reason. The county has added another concern, one that compounds the threat of increased flooding, if not the loss of property. The county has released a “vulnerability” dashboard that adds social factors to the threat, identifying low-lying areas where there are vulnerable communities – seniors and minorities – where flooding can increase problems of getting help to those stranded. As Dr. Matthew Willis, the county’s public health officer, puts it, in any disaster those who suffer the worst consequences “are people who have social vulnerability.” … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
Alameda County grants of up to $6K available for stormwater pollution prevention projects
“Alameda County residents can now apply for thousands of dollars in grants for projects to prevent stormwater pollution and protect the health of local creeks and streams and the San Francisco Bay. The Alameda Countywide Clean Water Program is inviting organizations to apply for up to $6,000 per project. … ” Read more from Pleasanton Weekly.
CENTRAL COAST
Community workshops exploring region’s water use underway in Salinas Valley
“Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SVBGSA) is hosting multiple workshops this spring to provide residents and businesses of the Salinas Valley with an opportunity to learn about water use and management in the region. The “Our Water Future in the Salinas Valley: Planning for Uncertainty” workshops will provide valuable information for the community about how water is managed in the Valley, the efforts residents and businesses have taken toward more efficient water use, and the wide range of options for residents and businesses to consider for minimizing water waste, improving efficiencies and reallocating resources to ensure continued availability of water for the Salinas Valley Basin. … ” Read more from The Rustler.
A dispute over a Cambria CSD well on school district property leads to eminent domain threat
“For more than two decades, a well on Coast Union High School’s property has produced water for the residents of Cambria—up to 20 percent of the town’s water supply annually, according to the Cambria Community Services District (CSD). But a disagreement over renewing the contract for a long-standing easement put the CSD at odds with Coast Unified School District. Recently, the CSD threatened to take the well, its associated infrastructure, 2.39 acres of Coast Unified School District property, and a school district irrigation well through eminent domain. “Our ultimate goal has always been to go to mediation to settle this outside of the aspect of condemnation,” CSD General Manager Matthew McElhenie said during the April 11 CSD board meeting. “This is just part of the process as a last resort and [to] have it ready.” … ” Read more from New Times SLO.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Water allocation for Friant Division increase to 100 percent
“It was just a matter of time before the Friant Division’s water allocation for Class 1 contractors was increased to 100 percent. The Bureau of Reclamation took that step on Thursday, increasing the water allocation for the Friant Division’s Class 1 contractors through the Central Valley Project to 100 percent. In addition the allocation for Friant Division Class 2 contractors was increased from 0 to 5 percent. The Bureau had initially provided a 65 percent allocation and then increased that to a 95 percent allocation. … ” Read more from the Porterville Recorder.
Replacement Central Valley canal threatened by groundwater extraction
“The land had been sinking so fast for so long that the canal was failing, so they built an entire new canal, but now that’s sinking as well. It’s a dramatic reminder that after two good years, California’s water challenges still run deep. The Friant-Kern Canal, which runs along the east side of the San Joaquin Valley, and it is the lifeline for many farmers and communities in that region. The system starts at Millerton Lake, and from there, it runs 152 miles to the south, powered entirely by gravity. But gravity means going downhill and that has gotten complicated. Decades of groundwater pumping have caused the valley floor to sink, and the canal with it. KPIX first toured the site back in August of 2022, The fix is a duplicate canal built right along side the old one, only higher, so the water can still flow downhill. That new canal will go into service in the next few weeks, and it already faces the very same problem as the last one. … ” Read more from CBS San Francisco.
Probation for Tulare Lake subbasin brings increasing fees for pumping water
“A major change is coming for many groundwater users in the South Valley. The State Water Board has placed the Tulare Lake Subbasin on probation, meaning you’ll have to pay to pump groundwater. It’s now the first basin to receive that designation since California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act passed in 2014. Skyview 30 from earlier this year shows the water that remained in Tulare Lake after last winter’s powerful storms. While recent wet weather has helped replenish some of underground water storage for the area, scientists say it’s not enough to be fully sustainable for the future. … ” Read more from KFSN.
EASTERN SIERRA
Groundwater Authority discusses using grant funds to consolidate shallow wells into Water District system
“At the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority board meeting on April 10, Stetson Engineers presented a project to the IWVGA board about consolidating shallow wells around the Indian Wells Valley into the public water system managed by the Indian Wells Valley Water District. Consolidation will happen on a voluntary basis from shallow well owners who want to take part in the program. Much of the funding for the program will come from a $3.3 million grant IWVGA secured for the purpose of helping shallow well owners mitigate the impact of declining groundwater levels. … ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Letting the rain run through our (future) drought fingers
“Capturing rainwater has been a hot topic recently, now that California actually has measurable rainfall to capture, but for the Crescenta Valley Water District (CVWD) grabbing the rainwater before it goes out to sea has been something it has been planning for years. This project was started by Dave Gould, former director of engineering and operations for CVWD. Regulatory and Public Affairs Manager Patrick Atwater has taken up that mantel. The Crescenta Valley County Park Stormwater Recharge Facility Study Project was completed in 2017. “The Crescenta Valley County Park Stormwater Recharge Facility Study (Project) is a grant-funded project to evaluate the feasibility of capturing stormwater and infiltrating it into the ground to augment local groundwater supplies. … ” Continue reading from the Crescenta Valley Weekly.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
California’s new water standards affect Coachella Valley
“California’s Water Resources Control Board unanimously approved the nation’s first drinking water standard for Hexavalent Chromium otherwise known as Chrome Six. This chemical is found naturally in some California groundwater. The new standard requires less than ten parts per billion of the chemical, which according to Coachella City Councilmember, Frank Figueroa, would cost the city $90 million to install. With this cost, comes a spike in monthly bills for residents. Raising an average monthly bill from about eight to twenty dollars, now to $135 a month. For cities like Coachella, this huge price tag could be an issue. … ” Read more from NBC Palm Springs.
Along the Colorado River …
Ancient farmers dug canals that shaped Phoenix’s modern water system
“Just south of the intersection of North Horne and East McKellips Road in Mesa sits the Park of the Canals. It’s one of just a few places where you can still see remnants of canals dug by the ancestral Sonoran Desert people who occupied the Salt River Valley before the time of Christ. Those ancient farmers have been referred to as the “Hohokam” but it’s not the name of a tribe or a people, and their O’Odham, Hopi, and Zuni descendants do not call them that. Early archaeologists believe the culture developed in Mexico and moved into what is now Arizona. In order to flourish, they built an extensive canal system to bring water to villages and irrigate thousands of acres of agricultural fields. … ” Read more from Arizona Public Media.
Snow pillows and laser planes offer better data for Colorado water providers facing uncertainty
“As Colorado’s snowpack starts to melt, Nathan Elder of Denver Water is looking for one thing: numbers. “The better data we have, the better decisions we can make. That’s pretty much the bottom line,” said Elder, a water resource engineer for the Front Range water provider, which serves 1.5 million customers. In Colorado, water watchers spend the year looking at numbers that tell how dense snow is or that describe its reflectivity — which ties to how fast it melts. Reservoir managers seek out estimates of how much liquid water is in the state’s thick mountain snowpack, which currently sits at 101% of normal, to decide how much water to release to avoid floods. Farmers watch snow reports to gauge how much snow-produced irrigation water will flow into their fields. … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun.
In national water news today …
EPA designates 2 forever chemicals as hazardous substances, eligible for Superfund cleanup
“The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday designated two forever chemicals that have been used in cookware, carpets and firefighting foams as hazardous substances, an action intended to ensure quicker cleanup of the toxic compounds and require industries and others responsible for contamination to pay for its removal. Designation as a hazardous substance under the Superfund law doesn’t ban the chemicals, known as PFOA and PFOS. But it requires that releases of the chemicals into soil or water be reported to federal, state or tribal officials if they meet or exceed certain levels. The EPA then may require cleanups to protect public health and recover costs that can reach tens of millions of dollars. … ” Read more from the AP News.
SEE ALSO: Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes Critical Rule to Clean up PFAS Contamination to Protect Public Health, press release from the EPA
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
ANNOUNCEMENT: Protest Deadline Extended for the Department of Water Resources’ Water Rights Change Petition for the Delta Conveyance Project to May 13, 2024
