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: Annual Water Supply and Demand Assessment Informational Webinar from 10am to 12pm. The Department of Water Resources (DWR) Water Use Efficiency Branch will host a meeting to inform all on the next round of the Annual Water Supply and Demand Assessment. During the meeting, DWR staff will give presentations on enhancements / improvements to the WUEdata submittal portal, conducting AWSDAs and submitting an Annual Shortage Report, and teview of submitted assessments and DWR Summary Report to the Board. Register @ https://csus.zoom.us/webinar/
register/WN_ UaiwjX93TV2TCPFiywczCQ
In California water news today …
California water managers advise multipronged approach in face of climate change
“State water management officials must work more closely with local agencies to properly prepare California for the effects of climate change, water scientists say. Golden State officials said in the newly revised California Water Plan that as the nation’s most populous state, California is too diverse and complex for a singular approach to manage a vast water network. On Monday, they recommended expanding the work to better manage the state’s precious water resources — including building better partnerships with communities most at risk during extreme drought and floods and improving critical infrastructure for water storage, treatment and distribution among different regions and watersheds. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
SEE ALSO: ‘Snow deluge’ years on the decline across the US West, thanks to climate change: Study, from The Hill
California’s 2023 snow deluge was a freak event, study says
“Last year’s snow deluge in California, which quickly erased a two-decadelong megadrought, was essentially a once-in-a-lifetime rescue from above, a new study found. Don’t get used to it because with climate change, the 2023 California snow bonanza —a record for snow on the ground on April 1 — will be less likely in the future, said the study in Monday’s journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study authors coined the term “snow deluge” for one-in-20-year heavy snowfalls when it’s cold and wet enough to maintain a deep snowpack through April 1. But even among these rare snow deluges, last year’s stood out as the snowiest, edging out 1922 in snow water equivalent, said study lead author Adrienne Marshall, a hydrologist at the Colorado School of Mines. Its timing couldn’t be better. … ” Read more from KQED.
An El Niño-less summer is coming. Here’s what that could mean for the US
“It may be spring, but it’s not too soon to look ahead to summer weather, especially when El Niño – a player in last year’s especially brutal summer – is rapidly weakening and will all but vanish by the time the season kicks into gear. El Niño’s disappearing act doesn’t mean relief from the heat. Not when the world is heating up due to human-driven climate change. In fact, forecasters think it could mean the opposite. El Niño is a natural climate pattern marked by warmer than average ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. When the water gets cooler than average, it’s a La Niña. Either phase can have an effect on weather around the globe. By June, forecasters expect those ocean temperatures to hover close to normal, marking a so-called neutral phase, before La Niña builds in early summer, according to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. But the strength of El Niño or La Niña’s influence on US weather isn’t uniform and varies greatly based on the strength of the phenomena and the season itself. … ” Read more from CNN.
California to see ‘unsettled pattern’ in early May with rain and thunderstorm chances
“A storm system is expected to push into California this weekend, bringing a cool, wet start to May in the Golden State, especially in the northern half. Long-term predictions show there’s a chance pattern with cooler temperatures, and rain chances could continue into the second week of May, especially in Northern and Central California, but confidence is low in the forecast. Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA who writes about California weather on his blog, said in an April 23 post that “relatively cool weather appears likely to continue across California for the next couple of weeks at least.” The “slightly unsettled pattern of weak but possibly colder low pressure systems passing through at times” will bring periodic chances of showers across the state, as well as thunderstorms, particularly over the mountains and in the Central Valley, Swain said. “Brief Sierra snow accumulations” will be possible, and general temperatures across the state are likely to be a bit chillier than they have been in recent decades. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
DAN WALTERS: As California cracks down on groundwater, what will happen to fallowed farmland?
“A couple of weeks ago, the California Water Resources Control Board put five agricultural water agencies in Kings County on probation for failing to adequately manage underground water supplies in the Tulare Lake Basin that have been seriously depleted due to overpumping. It was the state’s first major enforcement action under the State Groundwater Management Act, passed a decade ago to protect the aquifers that farmers have used to supplement or replace water from reservoirs that’s curtailed during periods of drought. In some areas, so much groundwater has been pumped that the land above it has collapsed, a phenomenon known as subsidence. The board’s action on April 16 not only subjects the Kings County agencies to fees and tighter monitoring but sends a message to irrigators throughout the state that they must get serious about eliminating overdrafts after having a decade to adopt aquifer management plans. … ” Read more from Dan Walters.
Disappointment in Central Valley Project water allocation update
“The Bureau of Reclamation announced a slight increase in the Central Valley Project (CVP) 2024 water supply allocation for south-of-Delta contractors and those in the Friant Division. South-of-Delta agricultural contractors will see their allocation rise from 35 percent to 40 percent, while the Friant Division Class 1 allocation increased from 95 percent to 100 percent. The Class 2 allocation increased from zero percent to five percent. Despite improvements in hydrologic conditions, allocations remain conservative due to long-term uncertainty and regulatory constraints. … ” Continue reading from Ag Net West.
State Board’s proposed order set to expedite and strengthen water quality certifications for hydroelectric projects
“On April 9, 2024, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) and other fishing and environmental advocacy groups submitted a response to the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) supporting its recent decision to set aside water quality certifications for five hydroelectric projects. These projects are the Merced Irrigation District’s (Merced ID) Merced River Hydroelectric Project and Merced Falls Hydroelectric Project, Nevada Irrigation’s District’s (NID) Yuba-Bear Hydroelectric Project, and Modesto Irrigation District (MID) and Turlock Irrigation District’s (TID) Don Pedro Hydroelectric Project and La Grange Hydroelectric Project. The State Board proposed this order in response to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA’s) issuance of the final Clean Water Act, Section 401 Water Quality Certification Improvement Rule that took effect in November 2023. The State Board has put the proposed order on the agenda for its meeting on May 7, 2024. … ” Read more from the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance.
In commentary today …
California should look to ocean for municipal water, not our pastures
Don Metzler, vice president of the Holy Cross Cattlemen Association, writes, “Colorado and other Upper Basin states must pay particular attention to recently published scientific studies detailing the improved water budget on the Colorado River Basin. On April 4, 2024, The Colorado Sun published a story with the headline “Cherish that hamburger. It cost a quarter of the Colorado River, according to researchers.” The story cites a study by 12 researchers from universities around the country. The study’s purpose was to make advances in accounting for the Colorado River Basin water. In essence, it was a more detailed water budget on the Colorado River’s inflows and outflows than previously accepted models. … My conclusion based on the recent scientific study and economic model is to keep the alfalfa fields, the hay pastures, and the beef and dairy cows. The Western Slope agricultural community and culture is healthy and sustainable. What needs to change is where and how southern California sources its municipal water. I propose California’s farmers continue to use their senior Colorado River water rights farming in the Palo Verde area and Imperial Valley. Tailwater from the Palo Verde Valley irrigation makes its way back to the Colorado River. Tailwater from the irrigated farming in the Imperial Valley flows to the Salton Sea which supports wildlife and air quality goals. These practices should be continued. We should also meet our Colorado River treaty obligations to Mexico. … ” Read the full commentary at the Grand Junction Sentinel.
Statewide water supply target supports California’s manufacturers
Lance Hastings, the President and CEO of the California Manufacturers & Technology Association, writes, “Water use in California is typically thought of in three parts: water for the environment (50%), water for agriculture (40%), and water for communities (10%) per the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). As a result, “ag” is the sector of the economy that comes to mind first when we talk about the state’s water supply. But the rest of California’s economy also requires water. California’s manufacturers – one of the state’s largest industry sectors, accounting for 11.8% of state GDP – need water. Manufacturers use water for many processes, including fabrication, processing, washing, diluting, cooling, and transporting goods. Water is also a key component of products themselves, such as in the production of food, paper, and chemicals, and in petroleum refinement. “On an elementary level,” explains the company Jenco, a manufacturer of water quality meters, “the process of refining and producing raw materials… demands water.” … ” Read more from Capitol Weekly.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Audio: As Klamath flows free, Trinity River makes list of most endangered
“The Klamath River of 2024 is remarkably different from the Klamath River of last year, because of the massive dam removal project now well underway. When the project is finished, there will be no dams on the Klamath anywhere in California. The story is a bit different on one of the major tributaries of the Klamath, the Trinity River. The Trinity just showed up on American Rivers list of Most Endangered Rivers for 2024, because of water diversions (into the Sacramento River system) and remaining dams that raise water temperatures. Regina Chichizola, Executive Director of Save California Salmon, provides a conservation view of the issues facing the Trinity.” Show airs at 9:40am this morning. Listen at Jefferson Public Radio.
Trout Unlimited wins award for California partnership uniting landowners to save coho salmon
“A novel Trout Unlimited partnership to help save California’s southernmost coho salmon from extinction has won national recognition from NOAA Fisheries. NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Janet Coit presented the Partnership in the Spotlight Award to Trout Unlimited’s North Coast Coho Project on the banks of a salmon stream just north of San Francisco. “From developing and implementing projects to improve stream complexity to your work removing fish barriers, it is all making a big difference,” she told Anna Halligan, director of the project. “It’s also wonderful to see how your work is significantly benefitting local economies,” Coit said, citing new jobs in restoration and monitoring. … ” Read more from NOAA Fisheries.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Sierra Club Tahoe Area Group and California Sportfishing Protection Alliance announce Lake Tahoe lawsuit victory
“The Sierra Club Tahoe Area Group and the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) are thrilled to announce victory in their lawsuit against herbicide discharges into the Tahoe Keys lagoons connected to Lake Tahoe. In January 2022, the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board issued a permit allowing the first ever discharge of herbicides into Lake Tahoe’s waters. The Sierra Club and CSPA filed suit in El Dorado County Superior Court in June 2022 asking the Court to rule against the dangerous precedent set by the Board’s permit. The judge agreed with the Sierra Club and CSPA and vacated the permit to use herbicides in the Tahoe Keys. Jason Flanders and Kenya Rothstein of the Aqua Terra Aeris Law Group represented the Sierra Club and CSPA in this matter. … ” Continue reading this press release.
Advocates work to safeguard critical lake for decades to come: ‘Without these projects it wouldn’t be the same’
“Lake Tahoe is known for its sparkling blue, clear water, and advocates and lawmakers are pushing to ensure it stays that way. The Sacramento Bee reported that a bipartisan group is working toward securing an extension of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, or LTRA, which was first implemented in 2000 and is set to expire on Sept. 30. “Since its previous reauthorization 20 years ago, funds have gone to more than 700 projects in the Tahoe Basin, and waters are the clearest they’ve been in decades. Without these projects it wouldn’t be the same,” said Kevin Kiley, a Republican representative from California. Legislative efforts to extend the LTRA began last year, when several proposals were introduced to add another 10 years to the lake’s protection. … ” Read more from The Cool Down.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Sacramento wants to expand its famous tree canopy to more neighborhoods. It needs your help
“Sacramento wants to expand the urban canopy that gave the City of Trees its nickname — and it needs residents’ help. The city is seeking public comment on its draft Sacramento Urban Forest Plan, which aims to maintain and expand the city’s urban forest. It’s asking locals to “share your thoughts on why trees are important and how we can make the (plan) stronger to support the vision of Sacramento as a healthy, vibrant, City of Trees in every neighborhood.” Public comments on the draft plan will be accepted until June 21 via an community website. The site details the current conditions of the city’s tree canopy, the framework of the Sacramento Urban Forest Plan and its proposed implementation. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
BAY AREA
San Rafael pump station project delayed
“A rebuild of a key pump station that prevents flooding around Interstate 580 in San Rafael has hit a roadblock. Crucial electrical components needed to operate the new San Quentin pump station are unavailable at least until October because of supply chain shortages. Now the station, which was expected to be operational this spring, won’t go online for at least another year. The cost has climbed to an estimated $8.04 million after adding $290,000 for ongoing project management and design services that were approved in January, officials said. “The city takes flood control seriously and has invested in our local pump stations for decades,” Mayor Kate Colin said. “In spite of the delay, the existing pump station is fully operational and will continue to provide flood protection until the city switches over to the new station.” … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
CENTRAL COAST
2 Central Coast cities receive funds for water infrastructure
“In Salinas, U.S. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren presented checks appropriated by Congress for two community projects totaling nearly $2 million. This federal funding is for water infrastructure in Salinas and Watsonville. More specifically going toward local wastewater treatment projects. Representative Lofgren secured the funding for the two cities. She presented a check of nearly $1 million to representatives of each city. … ” Read more from KSBY.
Drought-stricken Calif. reservoir fills for the first time since 1998
“For the first time in over 25 years, a California reservoir plagued by drought has finally reached full capacity once again.Lake Casitas, a Ventura County reservoir created in 1958, has faced decades of challenges from drought, storms and wildfires. At its peak the reservoir — considered vital to tens of thousands of area homes and farms — holds 254,000 acre-feet of water, though it hasn’t been as full as it is now since the turn of the century.The wild water swings inside this vital reservoir have taken a toll. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Editorial: Even with the coming tax and rate hikes, water in SoCal is pretty cheap
“It’s the most frustrating part of conservation. To save water, you rip out your lawn, shorten your shower time, collect rainwater for the flowers and stop washing the car. Your water use plummets. And for all that trouble, your water supplier raises your rates. Why? Because everyone is using so much less that the agency is losing money. That’s the dynamic in play with Southern California’s massive wholesaler, the Metropolitan Water District, despite full reservoirs after two of history’s wettest winters. The Met, as it is known, acquires and stores water to sell to 12 districts and 14 cities that serve about 19 million people in Southern California. It has one additional revenue hammer that its member agencies, which resell the water to consumers, lack: It can raise property taxes without getting approval from voters. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Delayed wildfire season expected across California as brush clearance inspections begin in LA
“Heavy rain and snow brought on by an El Niño weather pattern well into the spring has meteorologists forecasting another below-normal wildfire season for California. Accuweather’s lead long-range forecaster, meteorologist Paul Pastelok, warned: Don’t let your guard down. The opposite extreme, La Niña, is approaching, expected to hit late this summer and bringing with her Santa Ana winds. “It does look like another below-normal season here in California. The soil moisture is rich. We don’t have any drought,” Pastelok said. “It could get abnormally dry during the course of the summer season, and we could have some smaller fires kicking up during the course of the summer season.” … ” Read more from KABC.
OC’s largest recycled water reservoir nears capacity
“Recycled water has been pouring into Orange County’s largest recycled water reservoir this winter and spring, bringing Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD) to a significant milestone this week. Trampas Canyon Reservoir has reached an unprecedented 90% capacity, edging closer to full capacity for the first time since its construction was completed in the summer of 2020. “Trampas Canyon Reservoir is operating just as we envisioned,” said President Saundra Jacobs, SMWD. Think of it as a savings account—not for a rainy day, but for a sunny one. By storing this water now, we can utilize it for irrigation purposes instead of tapping into our drinking water reserves during the hot, dry summer months.” … ” Read more from the Santa Margarita Water District.
Along the Colorado River …
Costa, Western colleagues push Biden Administration to support American West amid historic drought
“Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21) and 27 lawmakers representing Western states are calling on the Biden administration to make further investments to address long-term drought caused by climate change. “Drought remains a severe risk for American farmers and ranchers and threatens farmland and local economies that rely on dwindling water resources, especially in states West of the 100th meridian,” wrote the lawmakers. “[T]here is more work to do as the places and people we represent are on the frontlines of climate change. We ask the Department to bring all resources to bear in helping address long-term drought and aridification in the Western United States.” The lawmakers applaud the administration’s ongoing efforts to support the American West as it faces a 1,200-year drought and the effects of climate change, including through the Western Water and Working Lands Framework and by opening up Inflation Reduction Act funding for additional climate-smart agriculture practices. However, lawmakers are calling for further action to address Western drought through investments in upstream watershed-scale projects, water forecasting, water conservation, and watershed restoration. … ” Continue reading this press release.
Nevada joins six western states demanding more water investments
“Nevada’s senators joined federal lawmakers from six other western states Monday to demand additional funding to address the region’s long-term drought, worsened by climate change. The Colorado River remains in an unfolding and worsening crisis. Water demand on the river far exceeds supply, meaning less water is available to refill the river’s large reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell. Such a scenario could risk water supply and hydro power to millions of westerners. Congress has moved to address the historic drought in the west by funding Colorado River management and conservation efforts. In 2022, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which provided $4 billion for projects that mitigate drought in the 17 western states served by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation. However, that funding is only available through 2026. … ” Read more from The Current.
40 million people share the shrinking Colorado River. Here’s how that water gets divvied up.
“The Colorado River provides water for millions of people, including Coloradans from the Western Slope to the Eastern Plains. But much of the river system is overallocated, its waters are overused and its flows are shrinking. “It’s not a rosy picture. We’ve been in a drought for a very long time,” said Kevin Reidy, senior state water efficiency specialist with the Colorado Water Conservation Board, the state’s top water agency. “Really, what we’re looking at is aridification across the state, across the Southwest.” How long is the Colorado River? The Colorado River starts as snowmelt north of Grand Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park and flows more than 1,400 miles — longer than the drive from San Diego to Seattle. … ” Read more from the Montrose Press.
Commentary: California should look to ocean for municipal water, not our pastures
Don Metzler, vice president of the Holy Cross Cattlemen Association, writes, “Colorado and other Upper Basin states must pay particular attention to recently published scientific studies detailing the improved water budget on the Colorado River Basin. On April 4, 2024, The Colorado Sun published a story with the headline “Cherish that hamburger. It cost a quarter of the Colorado River, according to researchers.” The story cites a study by 12 researchers from universities around the country. The study’s purpose was to make advances in accounting for the Colorado River Basin water. In essence, it was a more detailed water budget on the Colorado River’s inflows and outflows than previously accepted models. … My conclusion based on the recent scientific study and economic model is to keep the alfalfa fields, the hay pastures, and the beef and dairy cows. The Western Slope agricultural community and culture is healthy and sustainable. What needs to change is where and how southern California sources its municipal water. I propose California’s farmers continue to use their senior Colorado River water rights farming in the Palo Verde area and Imperial Valley. Tailwater from the Palo Verde Valley irrigation makes its way back to the Colorado River. Tailwater from the irrigated farming in the Imperial Valley flows to the Salton Sea which supports wildlife and air quality goals. These practices should be continued. We should also meet our Colorado River treaty obligations to Mexico. … ” Read the full commentary at the Grand Junction Sentinel.
How one company is buying up rural Arizona farmland to sell the water
“On this edition of Your Call’s One Planet Series, we discuss an unprecedented deal: a private company purchased land in a tiny Arizona town and sold its water rights to a suburb 200 miles away. According to the Guardian, Greenstone Resource Partners LLC, a private company backed by global investors, bought almost 500 acres of agricultural land in Cibola roughly one decade ago. In a first-of-its-kind deal, the company recently sold the water rights tied to the land to the town of Queen Creek, a suburb of Phoenix, for a $14 million gross profit. More than 2,000 acre-feet of water from the Colorado River that was once used to irrigate farmland is now flowing through a canal system to the taps of homes more than 200 miles away. Guest: Maanvi Singh, West Coast reporter for Guardian US.” Listen at KALW.
Going with the flow: conserving water for ranchers and a river
“Rancher Mike Camblin is no stranger to change. When severe drought hit his ranch in Maybell, Colo., in 2020 and 2021, he found himself facing what he calls “one of the toughest decisions I ever made.” His wife’s family had been running a cow-calf operation on the 30,000-acre ranch since 1917. The Camblins, like other local ranchers, depend on an 18-mile irrigation ditch that draws its water from the Yampa River. But during the drought, the ditch’s flows ran so low in late summer and early fall that there wasn’t enough water to grow the grass their cattle needed. The family decided to sell off the entire herd, save for the kids’ three show cows, which “we just didn’t have the heart to let go,” Camblin says. For Camblin, who’s been the board president of the Maybell Irrigation District since 1999, this tragedy underscored the need to better manage his community’s water. … ” Read more from The Nature Conservancy.
Six Upper Basin tribes gain permanent foothold in Colorado River discussions at key interstate commission
“Six tribes in the Upper Colorado River Basin, including two in Colorado, have gained long-awaited access to discussions about the basin’s water issues — talks that were formerly limited to states and the federal government. Under an agreement finalized this month, the tribes will meet every two months to discuss Colorado River issues with an interstate water policy commission, the Upper Colorado River Commission, or UCRC. It’s the first time in the commission’s 76-year history that tribes have been formally included, and the timing is key as negotiations about the river’s future intensify. “The tribes’ participation in the UCRC really didn’t start until a couple of years ago,” said Peter Ortego, general counsel for the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe. “But Ute Mountain has always been in favor of having a robust tribal role in the UCRC, so we were glad to see the (agreement) come about.” … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun.
In national water news today …
US reservoirs hold billions of pounds of fish
“After nearly a century of people building dams on most of the world’s major rivers, artificial reservoirs now represent an immense freshwater footprint across the landscape. Yet, these reservoirs are understudied and overlooked for their fisheries production and management potential, indicates a study from the University of California, Davis. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, estimates that U.S. reservoirs hold 3.5 billion kilograms (7.7 billion pounds) of fish. Properly managed, these existing reservoir ecosystems could play major roles in food security and fisheries conservation. “There is a large amount of fish mass in U.S. reservoirs that are being overlooked, despite the value being comparable to fish harvest from fisheries around the world,” said lead author Christine Parisek, a Ph.D. candidate in the UC Davis Ecology Graduate Group and the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology. … ” Read more from UC Davis.
NRDC grades equity in state water infrastructure policies, finds disadvantaged communities face funding challenges
“The Biden Administration increased federal funding for water infrastructure projects, yet even with more money available, disadvantaged communities face challenges accessing funds to maintain drinking water and wastewater treatment systems, according to new NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) equity report cards for all 50 states released today. The report – Will Funds Flow Fairly? State Water Infrastructure Report Cards – is based on the degree to which states incorporate equity into water programs. NRDC issued every state a water funding equity grade considering policies that govern State Revolving Fund (SRF) award decisions for Clean Water SRFs and Drinking Water SRFs, as well as policies for lead service line replacement projects. Only two states earned an overall A grade, with another ten receiving a B. Most states received a C or D, with two states receiving failing grades. … ” Read more from NRDC.
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
NOW AVAILABLE: Final Fish & Aquatic Effects Analysis Independent Peer Review for U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
