A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week …
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In Delta Conveyance Project news this week …
$20 billion: The Delta tunnel’s new price tag
“California’s contentious and long-debated plan to replumb the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and pump more water south finally has a price tag: about $20 billion. The new estimate for the Delta tunnel project — which would transform the massive water system that sends Northern California water south to farms and cities — is $4 billion higher than a 2020 estimate, largely because of inflation. Included is almost $1.2 billion to offset local harms and environmental damage, such as impacts on salmon and rare fish that state officials have called “potentially significant.” The goal of the project is to collect and deliver more water to two-thirds of California’s population and 750,000 acres of farmland during wet periods, shore up supplies against the threats of climate change and protect the system from earthquakes. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
California officials say Delta tunnel project is worth the costs and risks
“State water officials say a controversial plan to build a tunnel to take water from the north end of California to its southern regions is worth the costs, risks and protests from environmental organizations. Staff with the California Department of Water Resources said in a briefing Thursday that the “Delta Conveyance Project” to take water from the Sacramento River-San Joaquin Delta will now cost $20 billion, up from a $16 billion estimate reported in 2020. A new cost-benefit analysis found the tunnel will improve future water collection as the effects of climate change worsen, despite the high price tag. The project already passed two key thresholds — the release of an environmental impact report and approval from the department. David Sunding, an emeritus professor at University of California, Berkeley, who wrote the new cost analysis, said: “The project enables ongoing demands to be satisfied and water supply reliability to be maintained.” … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
DWR analysis claims ‘benefits’ of Delta tunnel will outweigh costs; critics strongly disagree
“The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today released a controversial benefit-cost analysis for the Delta Conveyance Project, AKA Delta Tunnel, that claims the embattled project would create billions of dollars in benefits for California communities. … DWR cited “reliable water supplies, climate change adaptation, earthquake preparedness and improved water quality” among the “benefits.” Delta Tunnel project critics weren’t impressed by DWR’s analysis. Restore the Delta noted that with annual inflation costs for construction rising to 10.7% since 2020, costs will continue to rise significantly during the extended permitting period prior to DCP construction, “making the $20.1 billion figure obsolete before construction begins.” … ” Read more from the Daily Kos.
Coalition files protest against Delta Conveyance water diversion application that would cause irreversible harm to Delta ecosystem and its people
“A broad coalition of California tribes, nonprofits, environmental organizations, and commercial fishing groups have filed a protest with the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), calling on the denial of the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP) Change in Point of Diversion (CPOD) Petition. For sixty years, California politicians have proposed to divert water from the Bay-Delta and pump, tunnel, or transport it for other uses in other places throughout the state. And for sixty years, the science has demonstrated that such plans will harm fish and wildlife, communities, and people. The current Delta Conveyance Project (“DCP,” “Tunnel,” or “Project”) proposal is no different. Pushed forward by politicians in plain contravention of the best available science, the continued drive to take more and more from the Delta—more of its water, more of its history, more of its culture—must be rejected by the State Water Resources Control Board (“State Water Board” or “Board”), so that the fate of Tribes, communities, and ecosystems are not left to the whims of political power brokers. … ” Read more from Restore the Delta.
CSPA protests water right petition for proposed Delta tunnel
“CSPA, AquAlliance, and the San Joaquin Audubon Society filed a protest on May 13, 2024 opposing the Department of Water Resources’ (DWR’s) petition to change its water rights. The change in water rights would allow DWR to construct and operate a proposed tunnel under the eastern side of the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta estuary. If constructed and operated, the tunnel would divert and move massive amounts of Sacramento River water to the San Joaquin Valley and southern California each year. The tunnel would harm fish, birds, and land animals. It would worsen water quality in the Delta and San Francisco Bay. … ” Read more from the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance.
In other California water news …
How is this year’s water year is shaping up? Where does the state’s water supply stand?
“We’ve been fortunate this season to pick up a beneficial amount of rain and snow across Northern California. Of course, our current season does not near the 2022-2023 season, which had a record 33.56 inches of precipitation, but two back-to-back wet seasons never hurt a drought-prone Golden State. The El Niño climate pattern may be responsible for yet another productive winter, but how are we shaping up this water year as we get closer to summer? … ” Read more from CBS Sacramento.
Like water sloshing in a giant bathtub, El Niño begins an inevitable retreat
“A few weeks ago, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology declared that the Pacific Ocean is no longer in an El Niño state and has returned to “neutral.” American scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have been more hesitant, but they estimate that there is an 85% chance that the Pacific will enter a neutral state in the next two months and a 60% chance that a La Niña event will begin by August. After an El Niño that was one of the three strongest in the last 40 years and that brought a wet winter to the U.S. — and California, in particular — this transition could mean a dramatic shift in weather as we enter the summer. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via AOL News.
SEE ALSO: La Nina to return by late summer, from the Western Farm Press
As salmon populations struggle, California bans fishing on rivers for a second year
“California regulators have decided to ban fishing for chinook salmon on the state’s rivers for a second year in a row, in effort to help the species recover from major population declines. The unanimous vote by the California Fish and Game Commission on Wednesday follows a similar decision last month to prohibit salmon fishing along the California coast this year. The decision will shut down the recreational salmon fishing season along the Sacramento, American, Feather, Mokulumne, Klamath and Trinity rivers, among others. State officials have said salmon are struggling because of factors such as reduced river flows during the severe drought from 2020-2022, the effects of climate change, harmful algae blooms, and shifts in the species’ ocean diet. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via AOL News.
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.
Lights, sound…bubbles! New virtual barrier deters baby salmon from Delta death trap
“If you visit the Delta town of Walnut Grove during winter or spring, look for a surprise in the Sacramento River just before it meets Georgiana Slough. A steady stream of bubbles rises from the river bottom, accompanied by flashes of bright yellow strobe lights and low whooshing sounds. It looks like an art installation, especially at night. But this barrage of light, noise and bubbles is actually there to protect imperiled baby salmon. Formally called a bioacoustic fish fence and dubbed a bubble barrier, the system was installed in 2023 to keep the little fish from going the wrong way in the Delta. “It’s working great,” says bubble barrier project manager Shahid Anwar, an engineer at the state Department of Water Resources. … ” Read more from Maven’s Notebook.
Williamson Act bill ignites property-rights debate
“Two leading California farm groups – Western Growers and the state’s Farm Bureau — are on opposite sides of legislation that would make it easier for growers to get out of their Williamson Act contracts if they don’t have access to enough water. The Williamson Act provides property tax relief to farmers and owners of open space in exchange for a 10-year agreement not to develop it or convert it to another use. Assembly Bill 2528 by Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula, D-Fresno, would allow landowners in areas with critically impacted aquifers to cancel their contracts without paying the mandated fees of 12.5% of land values. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press.
Column: California farmers are low on water. Why not help them go solar?
Columnist Ian James writes, “It sounds like a climate solution everyone should be able to support: Let’s make it easier and cheaper for farmers with dwindling water supplies to convert their lands from crop production to solar energy generation, if that’s what those farmers want. So what’s stopping such a bill from sailing through the California Legislature? “Change can be difficult,” said Shannon Eddy, executive director of the Large-scale Solar Assn. Tell me about it. Even as coal, oil and gas combustion fuel an ever-deadlier rise in global temperatures, finding a spot to build a solar or wind farm where no one will object is damn near impossible. Some concerns are legitimate, such as safeguarding wildlife habitat and sacred Indigenous sites. Others, not so much. Take, for example, false claims that living near renewable energy projects can cause health problems — claims that have been spread by groups with ties to the fossil fuel industry, and by former President Trump. … ” Continue reading at the LA Times.
Water rights enforcement: Looking back on where we’ve come from, charting what comes next
“In August 2022, amidst a severe drought, the State Water Board ordered ranchers and farmers in Siskiyou County to cease irrigation. Initially facing fines starting at $500 per day, escalating to $10,000 after 20 days or a hearing, they chose to continue irrigating due to economic pressures. This decision led to a significant reduction in the Shasta River’s flow, endangering local salmon populations. The incident underscored the State Water Board’s limited enforcement capabilities and the minor penalties for water rights violations compared to water quality infringements. As a result, there is now proposed legislation aimed at empowering the State Water Board to enforce water rights more effectively and impose deterrent fines for violations. Navigating California’s complex water rights landscape has always been contentious. At the recent California Water Law Symposium, a panel explored the controversy, delving into the State Water Board’s enforcement powers and the proposed legislative measures designed to strengthen regulation in this area. … ” Read more from Maven’s Notebook.
Multi-disciplinary committee jointly publishes report on the intersection of SGMA and cover crop use in the Central Valley
“A multi-disciplinary authorship group of over 30 individuals has published a report comprised of literature review, policy analysis, and recommendations pertaining to the water impacts of cover crop practices in California’s Central Valley under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The report, entitled “Cover Cropping in the SGMA Era,” is the product of a convening process jointly developed by the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD), California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), Natural Resources Conservation Service of California (NRCS-CA), and University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) and assembled by Sustainable Conservation. Cover crops are non-income generating crops that are used to protect and improve the soil between regular annual crop production (such as tomatoes), or between rows of perennial tree and vine crops. The benefits of cover cropping include improved pollinator habitat, infiltration, water storage, carbon capture, and soil health, as well as decreased runoff and erosion – all vital factors in California’s changing agricultural context…. ” Continue reading from Sustainable Conservation.
Federal study shows vast amount of forest lost in California after wildfires, drought
“California landscapes are not recovering from wildfires as quickly as they did in past decades, a new study reports. “Forests are having a hard time regenerating after these big fires,” said author Christopher Potter, an earth scientist at NASA Ames Research Center, at Moffett Field in Santa Clara County. “They’re just not coming back the way we expect them to.” One reason could be severe drought, like what the western United States faced in recent years, according to the study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. Experts predict that such droughts will become more frequent and more severe in California in the future as the toll from climate change mounts. … ” Continue reading at the San Francisco Chronicle (gift article).
Peak water: Do we have enough groundwater to meet future need?
“A new study finds that, by mid-century, nearly half the global population could live in areas where groundwater will become so costly as to raise regional food prices and significantly alter the geography of trade and crop production. Nine percent of the world’s water basins appear to have already reached such a state of near depletion. The new research, led by scientists at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, suggests an additional 11.5 percent could reach this point by 2030, with another 22 percent joining by mid-century. The authors of the new work sought to identify when and where water withdrawals from many of the world’s aquifers could “peak,” as in, when external forces could drive groundwater extraction to reach its maximum. Similar peaks have been observed in other resources, like fossil fuels or minerals. But, until now, no study has observed and quantified the same behavior in groundwater. This new work marks the first time anyone has projected the peak and decline of water withdrawals in relation to demand from human-driven systems. It represents “the most extensive, large ensemble experiment focused on future global groundwater extraction to date,” said lead author and Earth scientist Hassan Niazi. … ” Read more from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
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.
In commentary this week …
The cost of the boondoggle Delta Conveyance Project to burden taxpayers during a budget deficit
Maven note: There is no money in the Governor’s budget for the Delta Conveyance Project. Barbara Barrigan-Parilla with Restore the Delta writes, “Despite a Superior Court ruling that sets limits on the Department of Water Resources’ ability to sell water bonds, a potential $27.6 billion budget deficit that will impact workers, healthcare, and education, and reversals to land-water restoration investments to mitigate climate change impacts, the Department of Water Resources will be releasing a Delta Conveyance finance planning documents in the near future. Although Governor Newsom stated in his press conference on the budget that there would be no impact on advancing the Delta Conveyance Project, what he described as the state’s “number one climate resiliency program,” the potential financial impacts on future state bond repayments should not be ignored, as well as the Governor’s climate resiliency claims. … ” Read more from Restore the Delta.
California’s weather was made for demagogues
Susan Shelley writes, “California’s weather was made for demagogues. For as long as records have been kept, the state has typically experienced a series of dry years followed by a series of wet years. The weather lines up conveniently with election cycles. A few years of drought will prompt an excitable politician to declare that projections clearly show the end of the world is upon us unless California takes immediate action. Depending on the circumstances, that action can be the election of that politician to office, or re-election to office, or an oppressive law that takes effect after the perpetrators are out of office, or voter approval of borrowed money for an overpriced project that might be a state-of-the-art boondoggle. In 2018, as Gov. Jerry Brown prepared to head into the sunset of his colorful political career, he signed two new laws that imposed permanent drought-emergency restrictions on the people of California. He did this despite the end of a drought emergency a year earlier. In Brown’s philosophy, Californians must live as if the end of the world is constantly imminent. … ” Read more from the Daily News.
California Public Utilities Commission denies PG&E application for transfer of assets: A big win for CSPA
Sarah Vardaro writes, “On May 9, 2024, the California Public Utilities Commission (Commission) denied an application for transfer of assets filed by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and its subsidiary, Pacific Generation. This decision is a win for the California Hydropower Reform Coalition (CHRC) of which California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) is an active member. CHRC challenged PG&E’s application throughout regulatory hearings conducted by the Commission on the grounds that the transfer of assets was not in the public interest. In its decision the commission agreed stating that PG&E was required to “demonstrate, among other things, that their requests are adequately justified, reasonable, and in the public interest.” The Commission found that PG&E’s proposed transaction failed to meet “even the minimal public interest standard.” … ” Read more from the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance.
Climate change won’t wait for better budget years. Californians need climate bonds now
“In the face of increasing pressures from both accelerating climate change and the contracting annual state budget, California needs a climate resilience bond on the November ballot, so that voters can voice their support for consistent, continued funding of essential state programs that provide clean drinking water, wildfire mitigation, wildlife protection and clean air. Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella, and state Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, have each drafted vital climate bond proposals — Assembly Bill 1567 and Senate Bill 867, respectively — that promise an investment of $15 billion to support the climate resilience of our state that is not subject to the cycles of annual general state funding. … If there were ever a time to intensify our resolve to protect our natural resources and communities, safeguard water and air quality, and build wildfire resilience, it is now. Last year was Earth’s warmest on record, marked by record flooding in the Bay Area and elsewhere, extreme wildfires and debilitating heatwaves. … ” Read the full commentary at the San Jose Mercury News.
In regional water news this week …
Last Klamath River dam starts to come down as nation’s largest removal project proceeds
“The removal of the last of four dams scheduled to be taken down on the Klamath River began Monday as work crews descended on Oregon’s 68-foot J.C. Boyle Dam. Located about 12 miles north of the California border, the earthen dam with two turbines and a power-generation plant produced hydroelectricity from 1958 to earlier this year, when the reservoir behind the dam was drained for the historic dismantling work. The dam is being removed, like the others downstream in California, in a monumental effort to help rewild the 250-mile Klamath River, where fish, notably salmon, have been shut out of the river’s remote upper watershed since the early 1900s because of the power project. The $500 million demolition is the largest dam removal in U.S. history. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
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.
Rise Gold files lawsuit against Nevada County
“Rise Grass Valley has filed a petition for a peremptory writ of mandate against the County of Nevada, the Board of Supervisors and DOES 1-50 in the Superior Court of Nevada County. The writ seeks to overturn either the denial of vested rights for the historic Idaho-Maryland mine, or the decision to deny the application and use permit for the mine. Both decisions by the Board of Supervisors were unanimous. Rise Gold Corp, incorporated in Nevada, has their principal offices in Vancouver, British Columbia. Rise Grass Valley lists their offices as being in Grass Valley, Calif. According to a release on Rise Gold’s website (the risegrassvalley.com website was unreachable at publication time) should the lawsuit be unsuccessful: … Rise’s mineral estate will lose all value, which will allow Rise to bring a takings action against the County under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. … ” Read more from YubaNet.
Lake Tahoe expected to fill for the first time in years
“Lake Tahoe is expected to fill this spring for the first time in nearly five years, thanks to the lingering effects of two particularly wet winters. The last time the lake filled up was in June 2019, but research published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in a recent water supply outlook report predicts that this year’s snowmelt will be enough to fill the lake once more. “The water year continues through September, but it is already a safe bet to pencil in a win on this year’s report card especially for northern Nevada,” the report states. … ” Read more from SF Gate. | Similar story from the SF Chronicle | Similar story from the Sacramento Bee
Is the death rate of Tahoe trees getting better or worse?
“Earlier this year, the USDA/USFS Aerial Detection Monitoring sector released the R5 ADS Final Report (aka the 2023 Aerial Detection Survey Results for Region 5) highlighting the tree mortality rate in California. Since insects and disease play a critical role in shaping forest ecosystems, the USFS annually performs aerial surveys over tree-dense lands to create maps that track areas having recent defoliation, conifer/hardwood mortality, and other damage. In its 2023 Report, they found an overall increase in mortality in Eldorado and Tahoe National Forests and in the area managed by Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
Nearly completed Anderson Reservoir tunnel will protect South Bay during droughts, earthquakes
“The multi-billion dollar Anderson Dam Seismic retrofit project is approaching a major milestone. The tunnel that will reduce flood risk and allow for water to be diverted out and around the dam is nearly complete – 80 % overall. And we got a look at what the tunnel looks like from the inside. It’s part of the bigger upgrade to make Santa Clara County’s biggest reservoir safer and more efficient. “It’s a much larger amount of water that we are able to release, that we would only have to do in an emergency — such as an earthquake or another flood event or something like that — where we could quickly lower the reservoir if needed,” said Valley Water Project Manager Ryan McCarter. … ” Read more from Channel 7.
A comprehensive study of unsustainable groundwater pumping in Monterey County is cause for alarm.
“On May 9, staff from the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency presented its board a long-awaited study about the so-called Deep Aquifers, which have been increasingly mined in recent years as seawater intrusion marches inland toward the city of Salinas. The problem is, those aquifers – which in the report are defined as being below a layer of clay separating them from the 400-foot deep aquifer – aren’t recharging. The report states: “Isotopic analysis indicates the areas sampled have received no recharge [from surface] water since at least 1953.” Taken as a whole, the nearly 150-page report is a bombshell. … ” Read more from Monterey County Now.
Merced and San Joaquin rivers remain closed in Merced County
“As more signs go up informing people about the closure of the Merced and San Joaquin rivers in Merced County, Sheriff Vern Warnke says he just wants to keep people safe. “Stay out of the water. It’s that simple, stay out of the water,” said Warnke. “I’m not trying to be a meanie. I’m just trying to protect people and prevent families from going through these tragic events which can be prevented. The closures come after a 17-year-old boy drowned in the Merced River Saturday evening. … ” Read more from KFSN.
Corcoran has sunk nearly 5 feet
“Land subsidence remains the biggest issue in the new state regulation of groundwater. The state Water Board reports that subsidence measured as much as 7 feet just east of Corcoran between June 2015 and January 2024. Groundwater pumping west of Highway 99 has caused the land to sink at least 4 to 5 feet according to a DWR database. The worry here is the collapse of water delivering infrastructure. Tulare Lake farmers have been asked to install metering on their pumps 90 days after the decision to put the GSA on probation which was made April 16. That means by mid-July pumpers must install metering as well as begin reporting how much water they are extracting. … ” Read more from the Hanford Sentinel.
Kern agencies prepare to submit third groundwater plan in hopes it’s the charm that wards off state pumping takeover
“In an effort to avoid the fate of their neighbors to the north, Kern County water managers are putting the finishing touches on a new groundwater plan they hope will stave off probation in order to keep state bureaucrats from taking over local pumping. The county’s 20 groundwater agency boards began approving final changes to the plan, which is actually six identical plans, last week in expectation of submitting them to the state Water Resources Control Board by May 28. The goal is to stay out of probation, which is where the Tulare Lake subbasin ended up after a hearing before the Water Board on April 16. Tulare Lake covers almost all of Kings County. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
New LADWP head to be paid $750K salary, steep increase from predecessor
“The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday confirmed the hiring of a longtime PG&E executive to head the Department of Water and Power at an annual salary of $750,000 – a sharp increase from her predecessor. Janisse Quiñones replaces current general manager Martin Adams, who is retiring. He was paid a salary of $435,000. “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. “Leadership of the DWP is absolutely vital to this city.” … ” Read more from KABC.
Where Colorado River negotiations stand right now
“Lees Ferry, 15 miles downstream of the Glen Canyon Dam on Lake Powell, divides the Upper Colorado River Basin from the Lower Basin. But they are divided by more than just geography. In March, the Upper Basin states (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) and the Lower Basin states (Arizona, California and Nevada) submitted competing proposals to the federal Bureau of Reclamation for managing the Colorado River after current guidelines expire in 2026. The states had to consider the overwhelming demand for the river’s water, contend with future effects of climate change and confront decades of overuse. … “When the initial proposals were submitted, the desire to work together probably waned a bit,” said Gene Shawcroft, Utah’s Colorado River commissioner.But the states have found common ground, and Shawcroft said that they are “committed” to developing a unified seven-state proposal. “In the last few meetings, we’ve made much progress in recognizing that we have to come up with a solution,” he continued. … ” Read more from the Salt Lake Tribune.
Announcements, notices, and funding opportunities …
ANNOUNCEMENT: Just Transitions in the Delta: Reimagine what’s possible at a June 11th workshop
NOTICE: Deadline extended for the 2025 Delta Research Awards
YOUR INPUT WANTED on the 2024 Climate Adaptation Strategy
NOTICE: Materials for Annual Salton Sea Board Workshop Posted
NOTICE of public meetings on watershed selection for water supply and demand assessment program
