A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week …
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In California water news this week …
Winterlike storm to drench California, help delay summer fire risk
“A strong and cold storm — by May standards — is set to swing through the West Coast this weekend, bringing mountain snow and soaking rains to parts of California and the Pacific Northwest. The storm, which is arriving on the cusp of the summer dry season, will also spread fierce winds across the interior West.The storm will provide welcome moisture before precipitation shuts off for months in many areas, and it could push back the threat of fires, probably until late in the summer or fall. … ” Read more from the Washington Post (gift article).
SEE ALSO: Winter weather advisory issued for Sierra Nevada ahead of late-season storm, from the San Francisco Chronicle
How a ‘death trap’ for fish in California’s water system is limiting the pumping of supplies
“Giant pumps hum inside a warehouse-like building, pushing water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta into the California Aqueduct, where it travels more than 400 miles south to the taps of over half the state’s population. But lately the powerful motors at the Harvey O. Banks Pumping Plant have been running at reduced capacity, despite a second year of drought-busting snow and rain. The reason: So many threatened fish have died at the plant’s intake reservoir and pumps that it has triggered federal protections and forced the state to pump less water. The spike in fish deaths has angered environmentalists and fishing advocates, who argue the state draws too much water from the delta while failing to safeguard fish. Conversely, the reduced pumping has vexed Central Valley growers and water districts, who have complained that they need more water from the estuary and that deliveries are being unduly limited by regulatory constraints and outdated infrastructure. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via Yahoo News.
Why no one won in this year’s water wars
“California had (is still having, amazingly) a really good water year. But all the rain and snow is doing almost nothing to lubricate the state’s perpetual conflicts between fish and farms. Neither farmers, cities nor environmentalists feel like they’re getting enough water from the State Water Project and the federally run Central Valley Project, a semi-coordinated labyrinth of reservoirs, canals and pumping stations that together irrigates nearly 4 million acres. Farmers and cities are arguing that the storms mean they should get more than the 40 percent of their contractual deliveries that they’ve been promised so far (they get about 63 percent on average). They’d have more of an argument if endangered fish weren’t also getting massacred at the pumps: The water projects have already exceeded their take limit for the season for steelhead trout, meaning they’re violating the Endangered Species Act. … ” Read more from Politico.
State Board completes three-day workshop regarding proposed Bay-Delta voluntary agreements
“The State Water Resources Control Board’s(State Board) three-day workshop to evaluate the proposed Voluntary Agreements, held from April 24 through 26, was the latest step in the State Board’s process to update the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary (Bay-Delta Plan). Specifically, the agreements discussed relate to the Sacramento, Feather, American, Yuba, Tuolumne and Mokelumne Rivers, Putah Creek, and the Delta. The Voluntary Agreements are proposed by a group of water users, California Natural Resources Agency, California Environmental Protection Agency, and United States Bureau of Reclamation (Proponents). The workshop was immediately preceded by the release of critical draft components of the proposal, including Global, Implementing, and Enforcement Agreements that address accountability and enforceability. Proponents also circulated proposed protocols for flow and non-flow accounting. … ” Read more from Somach Simmons & Dunn.
A tech giant is helping restore these Sacramento Valley rice fields to a floodplain. Here’s why
“A thousand years ago, native fish and birds rested in a fertile floodplain at the intersection of the Sacramento and Feather rivers and Butte creek along their migratory routes. Since the turn of the 20th century, the area has been engulfed in rice fields. But in the next decade, the bygone natural floodplain is coming back. That’s after California conservation nonprofit River Partners secured millions for restoration work on 750 acres from state wildlife agencies and Apple Inc., the multinational tech company. It’s all part of the state’s effort to conserve important wild lands for their myriad climate benefits and Apple’s support for clean energy and conservation projects to counterbalance pollution and water consumption from its operations. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee. | Read via Yahoo News.
Agencies race to fix plans to sustain groundwater levels
“Seeking to prevent the California State Water Resources Control Board from stepping in to regulate groundwater in critically overdrafted subbasins, local agencies are working to correct deficiencies in their plans to protect groundwater. With groundwater sustainability agencies formed and groundwater sustainability plans evaluated, the state water board has moved to implement the 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA. Last month, the Tulare Lake Subbasin became the first subbasin in the state to be placed under probation. Other critically overdrafted subbasins with inadequate plans include the Tule, Kaweah, Kern County, Delta-Mendota and Chowchilla subbasins. Local agencies overseeing the subbasins are scheduled to appear before the state water board later this year and early next year to learn if the board will place them under probationary status. … ” Read more from Ag Alert.
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.
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.
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.
Regulators took aim at two water contaminants recently. But do regs go far enough or target the right players?
“Water systems will need to comply with new rules on contaminants at the state and federal levels after two regulations were approved this month. That could bring challenging costs to water providers. And still, advocates say protections aren’t good enough. On April 17, the state Water Resources Control Board passed a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for hexavalent chromium, a heavy metal that can occur naturally and through improper industrial site disposal. Hexavalent chromium was made famous in the 2000 Oscar-winning movie “Erin Brockovich,” starring Julia Roberts. The MCL is 10 parts per billion and took seven years to establish. On April 18, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as hazardous substances. Collectively, the contaminants are known as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS.) The contaminants come from non-stick and stain-resistant products. Long-term exposure can cause serious health impacts. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Leading the way: USGBC California’s vision for sustainable water management
“USGBC California (USGBC-CA) has embarked on a groundbreaking initiative, the 50 Liter Home Coalition pilot project, aimed at significantly reducing water usage in California residences. Ben Stapleton, Executive Director of USGBC-CA, discusses the organization’s expansion to engage all of California, highlighting the opportunity to share impactful programming and advocate for green building practices statewide. … TPR spoke with Ben Stapleton, Executive Director of the new USGBC California (USGBC-CA), about the organization’s 50 Liter Home Coalition pilot project centered on how California residents can drastically reduce their water use. Ben walks readers through how a whole-home approach to water management can change usage behaviors. … ” Read more from The Planning Report.
La Niña expected to return. What does that mean for California?
“As California’s wet season comes to a close, forecasters are already starting to talk about next winter: A La Niña weather pattern is expected to develop. La Niña — the inverse of El Niño — impacts weather around the world and is often associated with wetter conditions in Northern California and drier weather in Central and Southern California. That said, Jan Null, a meteorologist and former lead forecaster for the National Weather Service, wouldn’t bet money out of his own wallet on the “typical” scenario playing out. “We’ve really seen a mixed bag with La Niña,” he said. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
Weatherwatch: What’s driving California’s extreme weather?
“Changing weather patterns might not have been foremost in Bob Dylan’s mind when he wrote The Times They Are A-Changin’, but his lyrics seem apt now. Rising greenhouse gases are altering the world’s weather patterns and new research demonstrates how increased emissions have shifted atmospheric circulation patterns, resulting in more frequent extreme weather events around the world. California in North America has ended up being at the frontline of the climate crisis in recent years, lurching between extreme drought and excessive rain. To understand what might have triggered these extremes, researchers modelled the interplay between the three major drivers of the weather in this region and the impact that greenhouse warming has had on these drivers. Their results, published in Nature Climate and Atmospheric Science, showed that the warming climate has shifted the path of the jet stream, increasing the likelihood of weather patterns getting jammed in place for a month or longer over western North America. … ” Read more from The Guardian.
Atmospheric rivers in California’s ancient past exceeded modern storms
“Clarke Knight studies just how far back in history, massive atmospheric river storms wreaked havoc on California. As she reviewed her recent findings on a computer at her then-home in Menlo Park, the power went out. The cause? An atmospheric river in February of last year. “It was kind of an ironic moment to be thwarted by the very thing I’m trying to understand,” said Knight, a USGS research geographer who studies paleoclimatology — the effects of weather on Earth in the past. By looking 3,200 years into the past, Knight extended atmospheric river knowledge significantly: twice in three millennia, atmospheric river activity exceeded anything in modern instrumental record keeping, deluging the state with widespread rainfall beyond what current Californians have ever experienced. … ” Read more from KQED.
Ten visuals that show how climate change is transforming the West’s snow and water supply
“A recent federal synthesis of climate change research paints a grim portrait of snow’s future in the American West and warns that the fast-growing region’s water supply is vulnerable. “Climate change will continue to cause profound changes in the water cycle, increasing the risk of flooding, drought, and degraded water supplies for both people and ecosystems,” according to the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) released in November. The congressionally mandated report concludes there is “widespread consensus” that warming will “decrease the proportion of US precipitation that falls as snow, decrease snow extents, advance the timing of snowmelt rates and pulses, increase the prevalence of rain-on-snow events,” and transform the runoff that is vital for farms, cities and ecosystems. Climate change has already diminished the West’s snowpack, with warming global temperatures leading to earlier peaks and shorter seasons, especially at lower elevations and in areas closer to the coast. … ” Continue reading from the Water Desk.
Planet Vs. Plastics: How CalEPA is tackling the plastic pollution problem
“Did you know packaging, most of it plastic, makes up more than 50% of what California dumps in landfills? That’s about 290 Olympic-sized swimming pools per day of trash that will take hundreds of years or more to decompose. For decades, producers have falsely advertised single-use plastic products as recyclable when they were designed to be thrown away. Single-use plastics accumulate in landfills and break down into microplastics that pollute air, food, water and our bodies. Plastic production is also a significant source of emissions; greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the plastic industry are expected to surpass those from coal-fired power in the United States by 2030. Plastic production undermines California’s emissions reduction goals and our commitment to transition away from fossil fuels. We must address plastic production and emissions at the source. … ” Read more from Cal EPA.
In commentary this week …
State water regulators are listening to and learning how to promote conservation
Ellen Hanak, economist and senior fellow with the PPIC Water Policy Center, and David Mitchell, an adjunct fellow at the PPIC Water Policy Center and a consulting economist with the firm M.Cubed, write, “The state legislature has mandated that water conservation become “a California way of life.” This may sound simple, but converting these words into reality — with tailored local reduction targets for over 400 water agencies that deliver water to most Californians each and every year — is proving to be hard work for regulators. Getting this right, even if it takes some extra time, is what matters. Centralizing water conservation in California falls to our guardian of water rights: the State Water Resources Control Board. Late last year, the board released their draft “Making Conservation a California Way of Life” regulations, intended to further limit urban water use. As designed, however, our analysis showed that the water savings would be modest while the costs would be high. And, most troubling, we found that the proposed regulations would hit low-income, inland communities the hardest. That’s why we suggested that the State Water Board revisit these rules. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
Californians have a right to safe water, yet many don’t have it. Is help on the way?
“Twelve years after California became the first state in the nation to declare a “human right to water,” achieving this basic societal goal of securing clean water for all 39 million state residents is more daunting than ever. This is a moral imperative for one of the largest economies in the world. There is no good reason for clean, safe water to be elusive to an estimated 1.2 million Californians who get their water from failing water systems beset with financial problems and safety concerns. But there is an undeniable reason: The state’s water system was in far worse shape than previously thought. California needs to drill more than 55,000 new wells and fix nearly 400 failing public water systems. The initial estimate in 2021 put the cost at about $4.6 billion. The new preliminary estimate is more than double that, at $10.6 billion. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee. | Read via Yahoo News.
CA salmon, Delta fish populations are in worst-ever crisis as pumps keep exporting water to Big Ag
Dan Bacher writes, “Central Valley salmon and Delta fish populations are in their worst-ever crisis ever as California Governor Newsom forges ahead with the Delta Tunnel and Sites Reservoir projects and the Big Ag voluntary agreements while fish populations get closer and closer to extinction. California salmon fishing was closed in 2023 and will be closed this year also. The 2024 stock abundance forecast for Sacramento River Fall Chinook, often the most abundant stock in the ocean fishery, is only 213,600 adults. The return to Coleman Fish Hatchery was an absolute disaster. Meanwhile, abundance of Klamath River Fall Chinook is forecast at 180,700 adults. … ” Read more from Dan Bacher at the Daily Kos.
It’s time for a grand bargain to end California’s solar squabbling
Sammy Roth writes, ” … Massive solar projects in the desert, small rooftop systems — all of the above, please. In a state still heavily dependent on planet-warming natural gas for electricity, there are plenty of climate-friendly electrons — and plenty of jobs — to go around. In theory, anyway. In practice, unfortunately, many suppliers and supporters of large-scale and rooftop solar have done hardly anything to help each other politically. And some of them have torn each other to shreds. Especially in California, this solar infighting is exasperating and increasingly embarrassing. With time running short to stop burning most if not all fossil fuels, it needs to end. We could use a grand bargain — a political masterstroke to end the solar squabbling. … ” Continue reading at the LA Times.
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.
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.
Addressing the myths that Republicans and President Trump are soft on the environment
Attorney Mike Stoker writes, “The mainstream media loves the narrative that it is only Democrats who care about protecting our environment. A review of the facts shows just the opposite. Republican presidents, not Democrat presidents created and supported landmark legislation that gave us our national parks and the Environmental Protection Agency. Yellowstone, the first National Park, was created by legislation signed by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872. In 1901 President Theodore Roosevelt greatly expanded the National Park system. President Richard Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970, by Executive Order, and shortly thereafter advocated the passage of both the Clean Air Act of 1970 and the Clean Water Act of 1972. As for the Donald Trump Administration, one natural place to start to see whether his administration was softer or tougher concerning the environment is to review whether enforcement actions by the EPA increased or decreased. … ” Read more from the Riverside Press-Enterprise.
In regional water news this week …
The Klamath River’s Iron Gate comes down, one scoop at a time
“Deconstruction of Iron Gate dam, the lowest of the four dams along the Oregon-California border, has begun. The day began clear and chilly. By 8:00 a.m., the temperature hovered around freezing. Leaf Hillman and Lisa Morehead-Hillman, Karuk Tribal members who have spent decades advocating for dam removal, stood on the rocky overlook below the dam, waiting for the first ceremonial scoop to be removed from the 173-foot-tall earthen dam. “There were many times that no, I didn’t think I would live to see this day, but I knew this day was coming,” said Hillman. “That I’m still alive to see it is pretty awesome.” The Klamath River Renewal Corporation received authorization on Friday from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to remove the first 13 feet of the dam, starting from the top down. … ” Read more from Jefferson Public Radio.
County of Lake receives $700,000 grant to study Scott Dam decommissioning scenarios
“The county of Lake said it has received a state grant to help it study the potential impacts of Pacific Gas and Electric’s proposed decommissioning of the Scott Dam. County officials said that the California Department of Water Resources has committed $700,000 in Water Shortage Management Program funding to support the “Lake County Resource Assessment, Impact Analysis, and Adaptation Strategy Evaluation Project.” This project will provide for analysis of the potential effects of PG&E’s proposed decommissioning of Scott Dam and impacts on Lake Pillsbury, including recreation, wildfire suppression, ecosystem, power, sediment, water supply and infrastructure such as roads. The Lake County Board of Supervisors has been steadfast in affirming that the Scott Dam remains in place as a significant matter of priority. … ” Read more from the Lake County News.
Feds sue San Francisco over shoddy stormwater-sewage system
“The federal government sued the city and county of San Francisco on Wednesday over “its repeated and widespread failures to operate its two combined stormwater-sewer systems and sewage treatment plants in compliance with the law and its permits, and in a manner that keeps untreated sewage off the streets and beaches of San Francisco.” Sewage treatment systems are designed to filter wastewater so it can be discharged into rivers, lakes and the ocean without pollution. But during heavy rains, those systems can easily overflow, especially in urban areas filled with concrete. When the system overflows, untreated water — including human waste — is sent directly into the ocean. According to the federal complaint, the overflow of San Francisco’s sewer system “discharges of billions of gallons of combined sewage each year onto the beaches of San Francisco and into San Francisco Bay and its tributaries.” A spokesperson for the San Francisco Public Utility Commission, which runs the sewer system, called the lawsuit “unfortunate.” … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
Here’s how horizontal levees protect shoreline projects in San Francisco Bay
“If you live around the San Francisco Bay, you’re probably familiar with cement sea walls and sturdy levees. But, increasingly, a nature-based design is providing an alternative — one with significant benefits in the face of sea level rise. When we first met Jessie Olson, she was in the middle of a multiyear project, to create what’s known as a horizontal levee, alongside a newly opened tidal marsh in Menlo Park. Joined by volunteers and colleagues from Save the Bay, the team installed hundreds of plants that will help clean the bay waters as the tides surge in and out. “A horizontal levee is not what you think of when you think of a traditional levee, something created out of concrete or riprap or human-made structures. A horizontal levee is a green space. It’s a gently sloping levee that comes out into the bay. It provides green habitat, it provides wave attenuation, shoreline protection, erosion control, many more benefits than what you would get from a traditional hardened levee structure,” Olson said. … ” Read more from KGO.
Dual-use solar: An exploration of potential in the San Joaquin Valley
“Dual-use solar — the co-location of solar with one or more other land use — has the potential to provide added environmental, social, and economic benefits compared to traditional solar development. Previous blog posts provided a primer on the range of uses, benefits, and applicability of three forms of dual-use solar — agrivoltaics, ecosystem services-based solar, and floatovoltaics — and an overview of policy considerations. We concluded that, while dual-use solar is not a silver-bullet solution to barriers facing utility-scale solar deployment, it can complement traditional projects and provide opportunities to increase local benefits of solar development. This blog investigates the potential of dual-use solar in a particular region — California’s San Joaquin Valley (“the Valley”) — informed by expert insights and background interviews with local stakeholders, including county-level officials, advocacy organizations, developers, and experts on dual-use configurations. … ” Read more from the Clean Air Task Force.
Levee issues prompt flooding concerns along San Joaquin River
“According to the San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency, the area’s current levees do not meet state requirements for 200-year flood protection and soon may not meet the federal requirements. “In that case, properties would be mapped into a special flood hazard area, and any property owner with a federally backed mortgage would be required to purchase flood insurance,” said Kim Floyd, public outreach manager for San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency. Premiums in those special flood hazard areas average about $1,700 yearly, but if the project is approved, those same property owners would have to pay, on average, about $85. … ” Read more from KCRA.
Los Angeles: a proving ground for effective stormwater management
“Though many associate Los Angeles with its idyllic weather and think of it as far removed from the risk of hurricanes and other dramatic weather events, this region in fact presents significant – and in many ways, unique – water management challenges. Here, the juxtaposition of drought and sudden, extreme rainfall highlights the problem of how to maintain a safe and reliable water infrastructure in the face of changing weather patterns. What is resilient water infrastructure? Resilient water infrastructure refers to systems and processes designed to effectively manage water resources in a manner that ensures sustainability, reliability and durability under a wide range of conditions, including climate change impacts, population growth and urbanization pressures. This concept encompasses the capacity to plan for, recover from, and successfully adapt to adverse events such as droughts, floods and other environmental stressors. … ” Read the full story at Storm Water Solutions.
Announcements, notices, and funding opportunities …
NOW AVAILABLE: Draft Sacramento River Temperature Plan
NEW RESOURCES: Water Right and Reporting Requirement Fact Sheets Available from the Water Board
NOW AVAILABLE: Update 2023 draft resource management strategies posted
NOTICE: Public Comment Period Opens for Six Resubmitted Groundwater Sustainability Plans Given ‘Incomplete’ Determinations in October 2023
NOTICE: San Joaquin River Restoration Program to release pulse flow for salmon
NOW AVAILABLE: Final Fish & Aquatic Effects Analysis Independent Peer Review for U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
YOUR INPUT WANTED: Delta ISB Review of Food Webs in the Delta
APPLY NOW: 2025 Delta Science Fellows Program
