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On the calendar today …
- MEETING: CA Water Commission beginning at 9:30am. Agenda items include MWELO regulations, Water Storage Investment Program update, CA Water Commission strategic plan, SGMA implementation and groundwater trading, and California Water Plan 2023. Click here for the meeting agenda and remote access instructions.
- WEBINAR: Building Capacity for Assessment and Prediction of Post-wildfire Water Availability from 10am to 11am. Wildfires can have both short- and long-term impacts on water supplies, such as higher constituent concentrations in surface waters, greater treatment costs, and diminished reservoir capacity. Water providers and land managers have a need to effectively plan for and minimize impacts on water supplies. The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting a multi-phase study in the western United States to monitor post-wildfire water quality using discrete storm samples and continuous in-situ measurements. These data provide the foundation to generate new post-fire assessment and prediction approaches. This presentation will describe recent advances in understanding critical drivers of post-fire water quality gleaned from analyses of prior and current data and synthesis of existing concepts. Click here for more information and to register.
- WEBINAR: Climate Resilience Through Regeneration: Healthy Soils from Coast to Valley from 10am to 11am. As we build a more climate-resilient California, it’s important we look at the solutions living beneath our feet. Healthy soils lay the groundwork for sustainable agriculture, thriving ecosystems, and resilient communities. By championing practices and policies that nurture soil health and promote regenerative outcomes, we pave the way for a stronger, more sustainable future. Join Sustainable Conservation as expert panelists explore soil health practices from the Central Coast to the Central Valley, highlighting their role in enhancing agriculture, safeguarding against drought, and boosting climate resilience statewide. Click here to register.
- HYBRID EVENT: EWRI Chapter Meeting: The Flood Managed Aquifer Recharge Strategy: Report on the Merced River Flood-MAR Reconnaissance Study from 5pm to 7pm. In the past decade, California has witnessed highly fluctuating and unprecedented climatic conditions. Within the San Joaquin region, water and flood managers have grappled with both extremes – two record-setting wet years alongside the driest three- and four-year droughts on record. These extreme climate conditions are hallmarks of the effects of climate change and significantly stress our natural and managed water systems. Many of California’s water management challenges are clearly manifested in the San Joaquin Valley — flood risk is among the highest in the nation; water supplies are unreliable with groundwater managed unsustainably in many locations; and ecosystem habitats and species are in decline. Flood managed aquifer recharge (Flood-MAR) is an integrated and voluntary water management strategy that can, at scale, benefit these multiple water sectors while reducing climate vulnerability. California needs innovative and integrated water solutions, implemented with multi-sector co-management, to reduce flood risk and replenish its depleted aquifers. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
Revised state budget cuts $500 million for water storage, Sites Reservoir slowly inching forward
“Governor Gavin Newsom’s May Revision of the state budget plan released on May 10, aims to address a “sizable deficit” of roughly $56 billion into 2026. The multi-billion-dollar deficit is in stark contrast to the $97.5 billion budget surplus that Newsom projected in the 2022-23 state budget. Several budget cuts, amounting to over $30 billion were announced, including a $500 million cut to water storage projects. These discretionary spending cuts delay certain funding sources for water-storage projects such as the planned Sites Reservoir north of Sacramento. While funding awarded under Proposition 1 — a voter-approved 2014 ballot initiative to support various water projects — will not be affected by the budget crisis, the California Farm Bureau explained in a press release that $500 million in discretionary funding to support the project would be cut. … ” Read more from Valley Ag Voice.
Governor paints a dire picture for state budget; Relief is needed through solutions like a Climate Bond
“Governor Newsom released the revised California State Budget for 2024-2025 as the State prepares for clawbacks, hiring freezes, and deficits in back to back years. Critically, the May Revise maintains $200 million in State drinking water and wastewater spending, that funding was originally appropriated 3 years ago and is already spoken for, preventing communities from losing access to water and wastewater. Unfortunately, funding for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure has dried up, leaving a critical gap and delaying progress on shovel-ready projects across the state. “Safe drinking water doesn’t take time off for budget cuts,” says Jennifer Clary, California Director for Clean Water Action. “Hundreds of small systems are waiting for infrastructure dollars so they can provide safe drinking water to their customers.” California has a drinking water crisis where nearly one million people across the state are exposed to illegal levels of harmful contaminants in their tap water. According to the 2023 Drinking Water Needs Assessment, over $10 billion is needed to address the barriers to safe and affordable drinking water statewide. The more legislators wait to invest in water, the higher the cost will be. … ” Read more from the Community Water Center.
Colorado River: Bill would allow killing of rare pupfish, desert birds to get deal done
“Imperial Irrigation District officials have figured out how to surmount a key hurdle to complete a Colorado River conservation deal worth nearly $800 million: pushing to have California legislators quickly pass a bill that would immediately give them the power to kill endangered fish and birds. District staff, the bill’s sponsor and environmentalists say that likely wouldn’t occur, thanks to funding to create habitat elsewhere, and due to backstop federal species protections that are actually stronger than the state’s. But it is a counter-intuitive piece of lawmaking that has upset one longtime critic. What’s driving the legislation are a tiny desert pupfish and two types of birds, all nearing extinction, which have found unlikely refuge in the Imperial Valley’s concrete drainage channels and marshy areas by the fast-drying Salton Sea. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun.
Have San Francisco water policies led to salmon collapse?
“As California’s native Chinook salmon populations dwindle, prompting a shutdown of the fishing industry, environmentalists are pleading with water supply managers for a change of course that they say could save the keystone fish. On Earth Day, several dozen people gathered on the sidewalk outside San Francisco City Hall to demand that the city’s water provider revise its system for capturing flows from the Tuolumne River, a San Joaquin River tributary and a major source of peninsula water supplies. “Their terrible water policies don’t just harm the environment, but they harm people and communities,” said Peter Drekmeier, policy director with the Tuolumne River Trust, an environmental advocate. Drekmeier’s beef with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission goes back years and rests on the premise that the agency stores far more water than it needs in Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, on the upper Tuolumne, at the expense of the river downstream. … ” Read more from the Pacific Sun.
Press release: C-WIN challenges the Delta Conveyance Project – It violates both the public interest and the law
“The California Water Impact Network (C-WIN) has filed a protest to the State Water Resources Control Board confirming the Newsom Administration’s Delta Conveyance Project (DCP)—a massive and costly water tunnel—ignores the public interest, violates the law, would hurt ratepayers and damage the environment. The DCP would shunt Sacramento River water under the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta to Southern California farms and cities, wreaking havoc on already beleaguered fisheries, spiking water rates for consumers, and burdening California ratepayers with unauthorized debt likely to be over $20 billion. C-WIN’s filing lays the foundation for anticipated evidentiary hearings on the project; opposing a Department of Water Resources (DWR) petition for a change in the State Water Project’s (SWP) point of diversion, which is necessary for the construction of the DCP. DWR concedes the Board must approve its petition for the project to move forward. … ” Continue reading this press release.
Downsizing local news contributes to crumbling infrastructure
“Reading strong local journalism is tied to greater support for funding dams, sewers and other basic infrastructure vital to climate resilience, according to new research from UCLA and Duke University. The study, published this month in the journal Political Behavior, found that reading fictionalized samples of news coverage with specific local details about infrastructure maintenance requirements led to as much as 10% more electoral support for infrastructure spending compared to reading bare-bones reporting. Just a few extra paragraphs of context in the mock news stories not only increased support for spending, but also increased voters’ willingness to hold politicians accountable for infrastructure neglect by voting them out of office. “Local news reporting builds public support for infrastructure investments,” said UCLA political scientist Megan Mullin, a co-author of the study whose research focuses on environmental politics. … ” Read more from UCLA.
JPL scientists detect early signs of flash droughts, offering potential for mitigation
“In a recent study, a team led by Nicholas Parazoo, an Earth scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, was able to detect signs of flash droughts up to three months before onset, potentially aiding future mitigation efforts. Flash droughts, which can develop rapidly within weeks and are difficult to predict, have caused widespread crop failure and economic losses in the United States. The 2012 flash drought, in particular, led to losses costing more than $30 billion. The JPL researchers compared years of plant fluorescence data from NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite, launched in 2014, to an inventory of flash droughts that struck the U.S. between May and July from 2015 to 2020. They found that in the weeks and months leading up to a flash drought, vegetation initially thrived as conditions turned warm and dry, emitting an unusually strong fluorescence signal. … ” Read more from Pasadena Now.
Stanford study shows wildfires impact soil, future plant growth
“Wildfires are causing changes in our earth’s soil chemistry, according to a new study released by scientists at Stanford and Colorado State universities. The study shows wildfires, especially high-severity blazes, have a direct influence on transforming soil properties, ranging from landscape-scale changes to molecular changes. Those soil changes ultimately also impact air quality and plant growth, the study says. Researchers also found that better techniques are needed to monitor changes in the soil. They say monitoring is likely the key to informing professionals on how to treat drinking water sourced from burned areas, support reforestation and protect workers against toxins during cleanup. … ” Read more from NBC Bay Area.
Wildfire weather is increasing in California and much of the U.S., report finds
“Wildfire weather has become more frequent in the Western United States over the past five decades, with some of the largest jumps in California, according to a new report by Climate Central, a nonprofit news outlet that reports on climate change. The report looks at three key weather conditions — heat, dryness and wind — that, when combined, load the dice for wildfires to spread quickly and grow large, said Kaitlyn Trudeau, senior research associate with Climate Central. “We’re really talking about days when the stage is set for prime wildfire growth,” she said. “All three conditions are working together to make for really dangerous meteorological conditions.” … ” Read more from the LA Times.
In regional water news and commentary today …
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Lake County to study impact of PG&E’s plan to remove Scott Dam
“Lake County plans to spend $700,000 to study the potential consequences of removing the Potter Valley Scott Dam after getting a grant from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The county’s study seeks to determine how decommissioning Scott Dam could affect the surrounding ecosystem, the Lake Pillsbury water supply, infrastructure, power, sediment and the county’s ability to fight fire. “The grant was part of a conversation with CDFW we’ve been having for a while,” said Lake County Board of Supervisors chair Bruno Sabatier. The county on May 2 put out its call for a company to do the study in response to Pacific Gas & Electric’s efforts to decommission its powerhouse in Potter Valley, which includes Scott and Cape Horn dams. The power company detailed its plans to tear down the dams, located on the Eel River, in November 2023. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Rice planting ramps up after slower start
“After a storm dumped more than an inch of water on parts of Northern California earlier this month, effectively halting fieldwork, rice farmers have since been going full throttle. Throughout the Sacramento Valley, aerial applicators can be seen crisscrossing the skies raining rice seed onto flooded fields while tractors prepare neighboring plots for planting. Strong winds grounded planes for a day last week, but farmers say the gusts and subsequent higher temperatures have helped to dry out fields to allow tractor work. With the region receiving full water allocations, most rice farmers say they intend to plant all their acreage, weather permitting. Knowing the final acreage count will influence market prices, which have fallen after the 2023 harvest brought decent yields from increased plantings, said Yuba County grower Charley Mathews Jr. “We’re going to have a reduction (in acreage) definitely, but you never know until everybody’s planted,” he said. … ” Read more from Ag Alert.
BAY AREA
San Mateo County celebrates sewer conveyance
“While the words Regional Environmental Sewer Conveyance Upgrade wouldn’t typically elicit tremendous enthusiasm by the average person, the 16-year effort by Silicon Valley Clean Water has reached a major milestone in making sure everything goes where it is supposed to once it leaves your house. “It really goes a long way to ensure the environmental and the public health of our ratepayers,” SVCW Manager Teresa Herrera said. “The previous conveyance system was over 60 years old, we anticipate this system of what we’ve put in place will be 100 years in its useful life.” … ” Continue reading at the San Mateo Daily Journal.
Palo Alto moves ahead with plant to purify wastewater
“Seeking to squeeze more value out of wastewater, the Palo Alto City Council approved on May 13 the construction of a $63-million salt-removing plant in the Baylands. Known as the Local Advanced Water Purification System, the plant will go up at the periphery of the Regional Water Quality Control Plant, the industrial facility at 2501 Embarcadero Way that serves Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford University and the East Palo Alto Sanitary District. It will consist of three structures: a 30-foot-tall storage tank, an open-air building and a prefabricated building. They would go up at the northwest side of the regional plant, next to Embarcadero Road. … ” Read more from Palo Alto Online.
South Bay water agency to vote on rate increases
“Hundreds of thousands of South Bay residents on Tuesday are poised to find out whether or not they will have to pay more for water after the local water agency votes on a proposed rate hike. Valley Water’s board of directors is expected to vote on a 12.9% rate increase for residents in the northern part of Santa Clara County that would add an extra $9 a month on average to water bills. Residents in the southern part of the county could see monthly increases of $1 to $3.20 on average. Valley Water told NBC Bay Area the extra money is needed to pay for big projects like the seismic retrofit of Anderson Dam in Morgan Hill, which has ballooned in cost to $2.3 billion. … ” Read more from NBC Bay Area.
A look inside: Anderson Reservoir diversion tunnel
“Crews for Valley Water and various construction contractors later this month will finish digging a new 1,736-foot diversion tunnel for Anderson Reservoir—which has been about 80% complete since February. In late May, crews will dig out the final 350 feet of the tunnel by opening it up into the bottom of the east Morgan HIll reservoir, through a delicate process using a “micro tunnel boring machine” to push through the final stretch of rock and into the water body, according to Valley Water staff. The purpose of the new tunnel—which is part of the broader $2.3 billion Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project—is to enable the water district to move much larger volumes of water out of the reservoir than the current facilities allow. … ” Read more from the Gilroy Dispatch.
California’s fight to stop a billionaire from blocking public beach access to head to trial
“The seemingly endless battle over public access to Martins Beach in San Mateo County will continue after a Superior Court judge decided last week that the California State Lands Commission has cause to sue and set a trial date for next year. But before then, on Sept. 9, the court will consider a motion to throw the case out, said Sheri Pemberton, a Lands Commission spokesperson. The case pits surfers, beach lovers and the state against billionaire tech executive Vinod Khosla, who bought the land adjoining the crescent shaped beach south of Half Moon Bay in 2008. … ” Continue reading from the San Francisco Chronicle.
CENTRAL COAST
Six-year sewer saga continues in Los Olivos
“Los Olivos district residents will vote on whether the town needs a sewer system. In 2018, the Los Olivos Community Services District was formed. Five board members were elected to address the perceived need to replace aging septic systems. Many neighbors share concerns over escalating assessment fees and expenditures for professional services and planning, which already total approximately one million taxpayer dollars. Concerns remain that a sewer system will lead to unchecked sprawl that will overwhelm our bucolic town. At the same time, the town’s commercial core needs more restrooms. Prioritizing a plan to address the aging systems struggling to serve the downtown businesses has obvious advantages. … ” Read more from the Santa Barbara Independent.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Manteca Unified School District owns 39 parcels in 200-year floodplain
“Lathrop High opened in August 2008. It was built next to the San Joaquin River east of Interstate 5. The area was ready to be sacrificed in January of 1997 when a series of boils signaled the high possibility the levees along the river were in danger of failing. Crews worked the boils while Caltrans workers plugged the Louise Avenue underpass of Interstate 5 with dirt and had piles of dirt and a skip loader along with plastic sheeting on standby to do the same at the Lathrop Road underpass. Interstate 5 — when it was built — had been elevated out of the floodplain after the disastrous 1950-1951 flood inundated the area where Lathrop High is located. It was why the state required the high school campus to be elevated out of the 100-year floodplain by bringing more dirt to the site. … ” Continue reading at the Manteca Bulletin.
Legal issues between Tehachapi, water district remain unresolved
“As of Tuesday morning, there was no news from Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Stephen Acquisto on a dispute over the city’s approval of the proposed Sage Ranch subdivision. The issue is whether the city of Tehachapi violated state law when it approved a 995-unit residential project on 138 acres near Tehachapi High School in September 2021. The long-awaited hearing on the first through third causes of action of the case, Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District vs. City of Tehachapi, took about three hours on May 3, with Acquisto questioning attorneys about case law and water. … ” Read more from the Tehachapi News.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
LA City Council confirms PG&E executive as new LADWP general manager — with $750,000 salary
“The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday confirmed longtime Pacific Gas and Electric executive Janisse Quiñones as the next general manager of the Department of Water and Power, at an annual salary of $750,000 — nearly twice as much as her predecessor. The council voted unanimously to approve Mayor Karen Bass‘ nominee after a nationwide search for a new leader was prompted by general manager Martin Adams’ announcement that he would be retiring. “This council will be considering many important appointments that the mayor will be making, but very few will be as consequential as this one,” Council President Paul Krekorian said prior to the vote. “Leadership of the DWP is absolutely vital to this city.” … ” Read more from the Daily News.
L.A. City Council backs plan to double sewer fees
“Many Los Angeles residents will see their sewer fees double over the next four years, with the City Council approving the increases Tuesday over the objections of business groups concerned that landlords will be disproportionately affected. The council voted 11 to 4 for the rate hikes, with Councilmembers Monica Rodriguez, Kevin de León, Imelda Padilla and Heather Hutt dissenting. The increases are needed to fund the rising cost of construction and materials, officials with the Bureau of Sanitation said. The officials said that labor costs will rise 24% over the next five years because of a recent salary package for city workers backed by Mayor Karen Bass and the council. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
A rare songbird’s epic journey from the edge of extinction back to the L.A. River
“As visitors to a bustling park in northeast Los Angeles shot hoops, scrambled up play equipment and lounged in manicured grass, an endangered songbird covertly — but not quietly — did his part to stave off extinction. The least Bell’s vireo, a small, mostly gray songbird, was on the verge of nesting in Rio de Los Angeles State Park, a green respite that supplanted an abandoned railyard along the L.A. River. The bird with a wingspan of just seven inches was singing passionately, an act that marked its territory as breeding season picked up in mid-March. Its song rings out like a clinking question-and-answer: “Cheedle-cheedle-chee? Cheedle-cheedle-chew!” “It’s persistent. It’s a survivor,” said Nicolas Gonzalez, senior communications manager for migration science at the National Audubon Society, an avian conservation nonprofit, who helped identify the bird as it flitted between trees, blending into the muted spring sky. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
SAN DIEGO
Wetland expansion prevails at San Diego city council
“San Diego’s City Council unanimously agreed to remove some Mission Bay campsites in exchange for restored wetland Tuesday afternoon. The changes to De Anza Cove are a result of eight years of negotiating how to move or remove recreational uses in the northeast corner of the bay to make way for natural habitats. But adding new acres of wetland is in line with the city’s Climate Action Plan, despite some dismayed golfers and frequenters of Campland by the Bay which would lose space to wetlands. “When it comes to the (Climate Action Plan), quite frankly, we’re not moving anywhere near the speed we should be to see those goals reached,” said Council President Sean Elo-Rivera. … ” Read more from the Voice of San Diego.
SEE ALSO: City Council unanimously approves De Anza Natural amendment, from Fox 5
Along the Colorado River …
Will users of the Colorado River reach a deal before it’s too late?
“In the cooler winter months, we tend to forget about the biggest issue facing Nevada. But it’ll come back, because summer’s coming fast. And that’s when our minds turn to water. The most basic question for everyone: With new businesses and homes, thousands move to the state each month. So do we, will we have enough? And maybe most importantly, will the seven states who share the river water come to a new agreement on how they want to divide that all-valuable water? Alex Hager, Colorado River reporter for KUNC in Northern Colorado, and Kyle Roerink, executive director of the Great Basin Water Network, joined State of Nevada host Joe Schoenmann to talk about the river’s ongoing issues. … ” Read more and listen at the Nevada Independent.
Podcast: Gen Z water dealmaker, part 3: Colorado River negotiations stall
“In Part 3, negotiations break down along geographic lines. JB Hamby realizes the existential threat that climate change poses to his hometown. And he’s forced to confront opposition from some of his long-time neighbors and allies: farmers in the Imperial Valley. ..,. ” Read more and listen at the LAist.
Tribes could lease their water to dry states. Why is it so hard?
“The Colorado River Indian Tribes now have the ability to lease their water rights off-reservation, a move that could ease pressures on communities facing the effects of climate change through drought. The option may prove to be financially beneficial for the Colorado River Indian Tribes, also known as CRIT, but experts say the ability of the tribe to enter the water market is an outlier: For Indigenous Nations in the Southwest with a desire to sell their water, the process is so convoluted, it may take years before tribes, or non-tribal communities to see any financial benefit or much needed water. This month, CRIT leadership, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, and Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed a historic agreement on the banks of the Colorado River, allowing their water to be leased to off-reservation parties like government entities and corporations. “This is a significant event in the history of CRIT. These agreements clear the path for CRIT to be finally recognized as a central party in all future decisions regarding the Colorado River,” Chairwoman Amelia Flores wrote in a press release. … ” Continue reading at Grist.
In national water news today …
In seawater, researchers see an untapped bounty of critical metals
“Can metals that naturally occur in seawater be mined, and can they be mined sustainably? A company in Oakland, California, says yes. And not only is it extracting magnesium from ocean water — and from waste brine generated by industry — it is doing it in a carbon-neutral way. Magrathea Metals has produced small amounts of magnesium in pilot projects, and with financial support from the U.S. Defense Department, it is building a larger-scale facility to produce about 200 tons of the metal a year. By 2028, it says it plans to be operating a facility that will annually produce more than 11,000 tons. … ” Read more from Yale e360.
Summer 2023 was the Northern Hemisphere’s hottest in 2,000 years, study finds
“The summer of 2023 was exceptionally hot. Scientists have already established that it was the warmest Northern Hemisphere summer since around 1850, when people started systematically measuring and recording temperatures. Now, researchers say it was the hottest in 2,000 years, according to a new study published in the journal Nature that compares 2023 with a longer temperature record across most of the Northern Hemisphere. The study goes back before the advent of thermometers and weather stations, to the year A.D. 1, using evidence from tree rings. “That gives us the full picture of natural climate variability,” said Jan Esper, a climatologist at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany and lead author of the paper. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
ANNOUNCEMENT: Just Transitions in the Delta: Reimagine what’s possible at a June 11th workshop
NOTICE: Materials for Annual Salton Sea Board Workshop Posted
