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On the calendar today …
- MEETING: Delta Stewardship Council beginning at 9am. Councilmembers will hear from staff regarding the results of their risk reduction analysis developed using data from the California Department of Water Resources’ 2023 Delta Levee Investment Strategy report to the Council, Delta Watermaster Jay Ziegler on his office’s activities related to the implementation of the Delta Plan, and proponents of the Pacific Flyway Center Project on the progress and status of the project to date. Click here for the agenda and remote access instructions.
- ONLINE EVENT: Financing Coordinating Committee Funding Fair from 9am to 12pm. The California Financing Coordinating Committee (CFCC) conducts free funding fairs statewide each year to educate the public and offer potential customers the opportunity to meet with financial representatives from each agency to learn more about their available funding. CFCC members facilitate and expedite the completion of various types of infrastructure projects by helping customers combine the resources of different agencies. Project information is shared between members so additional resources can be identified. Presentations will be held from 9 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and participants can visit virtual booths from 11:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. to meet with representatives. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
Delta pumps likely killed over half a million fish in two decades. This year was extra deadly
“Just east of the San Francisco Bay, a steel bucket holding 90 gallons of water is strained to rescue precious cargo. The metal roars as it spins, dispelling more and more water, to reveal, finally, a wriggling pair of juvenile Chinook salmon. These young, 2-inch long fish were drawn into danger by giant pumps that push water south to millions of Californians and farms. Saving them from likely peril has been the core purpose since 1968 of the John E. Skinner Delta Fish Protective Facility. But the facility been the subject of considerable attention recently for a spike in fish deaths, drawing the ire of environmentalists and anglers. That’s not to say farmers are happy either, as pumps deliver less water despite a second year of drought-busting storms. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee. | Read via AOL News.
Nestle/BlueTriton Brands: Petition filed to protect Strawberry Creek from water withdrawal
“On May 13th, a petition was filed with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to protect the public trust resources of Strawberry Creek in the San Bernardino National Forest. The petition, backed by Save Our Forest Association, Sierra Club, Story of Stuff, Center for Biological Diversity, and local residents, urges CDFW to intervene where the US Forest Service has failed. The goal is to uphold the Public Trust Doctrine, which mandates California to protect the state’s water, wildlife, and other trust resources. The San Bernardino National Forest (SBNF), established in 1893 to safeguard the watershed, has faced significant environmental degradation since the 1930s. … “The streambed in Strawberry Canyon was once a thriving riparian habitat with wildlife, including trout that were caught by hardy anglers; the CA Dept of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has responsibilities requiring Nestle/BlueTriton Brands to comply with state regulations and apply for a permit,” confirmed by President of Save of Forest Association (SOFA) Dr. Hugh Bialecki. “This has not yet happened. Arrowhead Mountain Spring water is found only in bottles since their water diversions have dried up Strawberry Creek. We are asking CDFW to become engaged protecting our few mountain streams and the life they support.” … ” Read more from the Mountain News.
SEE ALSO: Retired Forest Service Employees Raise Alarm Over Nestlé’s Water Exploitation Amid Historic Drought, from the Mountain News
1950s-era ocean linker sinking into Delta, leaking oil and fuel
“A sinking ship in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta waterway in San Joaquin County was leaking fuel and oil into the body of water Wednesday, sheriff’s officials said. Aurora, a 293-foot ocean liner made in 1955, suffered a hole and began taking on water, causing it to leak diesel fuel and oil into the Delta at Empire Tract and Eight Mile roads in an area known as Little Potato Slough. The sheriff’s boating safety unit and ground units were at the scene attempting to contain the spill Wednesday afternoon. … ” Read more from the Mercury News.
Historic MOU signed recently between the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint and Metropolitan
“A historic memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed recently between the Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley (Blueprint) and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan). The purpose of the MOU is to establish collaboration to identify, develop, and implement projects in the San Joaquin Valley (Valley) for managing water supplies, including storage and recovery. The MOU was signed by Blueprint Executive Director Austin Ewell and Metropolitan General Manager Adel Hagekhalil at the Association of California Water Agencies Conference on May 8 in Sacramento. Many areas in the Valley suffer from water shortages and lack funds for infrastructure. Metropolitan, however, has been successfully banking water in Kern County for decades and is interested in pursuing opportunities to improve water supply reliability during California’s increasingly volatile wet and dry cycles. … ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint
Using science to protect and track salmon and steelhead
“Department of Water Resources (DWR) scientists wanted to understand why high numbers of Chinook salmon and steelhead were migrating and collected at the State Water Project’s Skinner Fish Facility this season. Thanks to DWR’s use of the best available science in advanced fish tracking technology and genetic tools, they now have some answers. The mystery started this spring, when higher than expected numbers of winter-run Chinook salmon and steelhead were being collected at DWR’s Skinner Fish Facility, resulting in significant water export reductions. Winter-run Chinook salmon and steelhead are both “listed species,” which are species classified as either threatened or endangered on federal or state Endangered Species Act lists. The DWR team started by examining hatchery salmon marked with coded wire tags. Coded wire tags are the size of the tip of mechanical pencil lead and are each laser-etched with a code, which indicates the fish’s hatchery of origin and when they were released. Coded wire tags are inserted into the nasal cavity of approximately one quarter of hatchery-produced juvenile Chinook salmon in California. … ” Read more from DWR News.
SCIENCE SPOTLIGHT: Making a mountain out of molehills: Synthesizing eight datasets yields Delta food web insights
“The April Delta Lead Scientist’s Report included a presentation by Dr. Denise Colombano on a synthesis project that used eight different datasets from 40 years of monitoring data to explore the importance of various drivers of food web dynamics throughout the Delta. The study is just one of the products from the Delta Science Program’s partnership with the National Center for Ecological Synthesis and Analysis, or NCEAS. Synthesis is the process of combining disparate sources of information or data to see the bigger picture and gain new insights. “Synthesis has allowed us to advance informed decision-making and ecosystem-based management in support of the coequal goals,” said Dr. Colombano. “And it’s cost-effective. New insights gained from synthesis have the power to transform our understanding of the Delta, but it only counts for about 4% of the science funding expenditures, making it a good bang for your buck.” … ” Read more from Maven’s Notebook.
Study reveals 70% of CA blanketed in smoke during record wildfire seasons: Impacts on state’s lakes examined
“As much as 70% of California was covered by wildfire smoke during parts of 2020 and 2021, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. The study, published today in the journal Communications: Earth & Environment, combined lake-based sensors with satellite imagery to find that maximum smoke cover has increased by about 116,000 square miles since 2006. The study measured lake responses to wildfire smoke in 2018, 2020 and 2021 — the three largest fire seasons on record in California. It found the lakes were exposed on average to 33 days of high-density smoke between July and October, with August and September having the highest number of smoky days. The extent of wildfire in California has quintupled since the 1970s, the study notes. Yet little is known about the impact of smoke on lake ecosystems. … ” Read more from UC Davis.
SEE ALSO:
- Wildfire smoke is sticking around for longer in California, impacting lake ecosystems, from Capital Public Radio
- Health of California’s best-known lakes may have been hurt by back-to-back years of wildfire smoke, from the Sacramento Bee
California airports stand to benefit from lawmakers and scientists’ attempts to disrupt ‘forever chemicals’
“UC Riverside professor Jinyong Liu embarked on a scientific challenge as an undergraduate chemistry student when he heard people dub per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as “forever chemicals.” “I just have very strong interest in destroying these chemicals,” the associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering told New Times. “When most of the people said … the carbon fluorine bond is so stable and very hard to cut, I just had my interest to understand why they’re so difficult and what are easier and what are more difficult to treat … and that’s a great joy for my scientific exploration.” … ” Continue reading from New Times SLO.
Updated draft urban conservation regulation retains feasibility and flexibility provisions
“On Monday, the State Water Board released the third version of draft water efficiency regulations as part of a 15-day comment period. The update maintains changes Cal Cities previously advocated for, including five more years to implement water savings programs and alternative compliance pathways for under-resourced communities and urban water suppliers with significant water reductions. Cities would have two years to demonstrate compliance once the agency adopts the final regulations. The proposed regulations aim to reduce water usage in urban areas over the long term to lessen the need for mandatory water reductions during the next drought. Cities represent about half of the nearly 400 affected urban suppliers. … ” Read more from the League of California Cities.
Governor’s budget cuts prompt water worries
“A handful of days back, Gov. Gavin Newsom presented his revised state budget plan, including spending cuts to address California’s historic budget deficit. As you can imagine, there’s been some reaction including a retort from the California Farm Bureau Federation when it comes to water. Here’s what’s going on… The governor’s budget proposal includes discretionary spending cuts that stand to delay some funding sources for water-storage projects, including the planned Sites Reservoir north of Sacramento. Funding awarded to the project under the Proposition 1 ballot initiative, approved by voters in 2014, is not affected by the current budget crisis. But $500 million in discretionary funding to support the project would be cut under the governor’s spending plan. … ” Read more from Ag Info.
Senate Committee advances California water infrastructure and ecosystem restoration priorities
“Today, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) advanced several top water infrastructure priorities for Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chair of the EPW Subcommittee on Water, Fisheries, and Wildlife. The Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024, which advanced out of committee today, authorizes environmental infrastructure projects that Padilla fought for to improve California’s drought resiliency and flood and dam safety. The legislation includes funding to address the Tijuana River transboundary sewage crisis, investments for salmon recovery and habitat restoration around the Sacramento River Basin, and language to bolster the Army Corps of Civil Engineers’ drought and flood control authorities. … ” Read more from Senator Alex Padilla.
California climate programs would lose billions in Newsom’s budget
“Democratic lawmakers and environmental advocates are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to support a bond measure to help pay for billions of dollars in climate programs endangered by the state’s record deficit and deepening budget cuts. The lobbying comes as an array of key climate programs — including efforts to combat rising seas and help low-income Californians buy electric cars — face significant cuts and delays as California seeks to close a $56 billion deficit over the next two fiscal years. The governor and the Legislature two years ago approved a $54.3 billion spending package for what he called his “California Climate Commitment.” After a round of trims last year, Newsom in January proposed an additional $2.8 billion in cuts, or 7%, this year. Then, earlier this month, he proposed more than doubling that amount by adding another $3.3 billion in funding cuts. In all, that is a 17% reduction, or $9.4 billion, from the 2022 peak. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
Coalition presses lawmakers to put climate bond on CA November ballot
“A huge coalition of 170 groups rallied in Sacramento on Wednesday, pressing lawmakers to put a climate bond measure on California’s November ballot. The bond measure would authorize the state to borrow $10 billion for projects to mitigate the effects of climate change. Abraham Mendoza III, policy manager with the nonprofit Community Water Center in Sacramento, noted that California has suffered 46 extreme weather events – which each caused at least $1 billion in damage since 1980. “We’ve had record wildfires in back-to-back years, followed by weather whiplash where we’re seeing flooding in areas that previously had drought,” said Mendoza. “And we know that this isn’t an anomaly. This is, unfortunately, the new reality and the future we need to prepare for.” … ” Read more from the Public News Service.
In commentary today …
It’s time to rethink Calif.’s poor water supplies
William Bourdeau, executive vice president of Harris Farms, owner of Bourdeau Farms, and director of the Westlands Water District, writes, “California’s agricultural sector is at a crossroads, facing significant challenges but also unprecedented opportunities. As a state that provides a substantial portion of the nation’s food supply, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Water mismanagement and resulting scarcity remains the most pressing issue. Despite improved hydrology and reservoir levels, water allocations are insufficient and irresponsible. California needs robust infrastructure investments to capture and store water during wet years and adaptive management, ensuring availability during droughts. Collaborative efforts between farmers, policymakers, and environmentalists are essential to develop water management strategies that balance ecological demands with agricultural needs. … ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun.
In regional water news and commentary today …
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
PG&E expects above-normal summer water levels at Lake Almanor, Bucks Lake
“PG&E announced that water levels for Lake Almanor and Bucks Lake are projected to be higher than normal this summer due to high carryover storage combined with average precipitation and snowpack this season. Rapid spring snow melt also contributed to reservoir levels rising faster than normal. The company reported the lake level projections on Wednesday at a virtual meeting to review and discuss PG&E’s planned water operations for Lake Almanor and Bucks Lake for the remainder of the year. … ” Read more from PG&E.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Here’s the ultimate guide to 17 cool California waterfalls near Redding. Search our map.
“To Julie Lorenzen, there is more to waterfalls than meets the eye. As someone who likes to photograph waterfalls, she appreciates their visual beauty. But she also gets something that she says her camera can’t capture through its lens. She describes enjoying waterfalls as a full-body experience. “I was shooting photos of Burney Falls at night, trying to get the Milky Way over the falls, and it was just really cool because you couldn’t see the waterfall itself, but you could feel it,” Lorenzen said. “And then the whole thermocline, going from the top of the trail down to the bottom. It must have been like a 10- to 15-degree difference in temperature. So just being able to be in the presence of that really big waterfall and not being able to see it, but just being able to feel it.” … ” Read more from the Redding Record Searchlight.
Improving Sacramento’s urban forest: The plan to combat climate change one tree at a time
“Sacramento is sometimes known as the City of Trees, but data shows the city’s tree canopy lacks that of a healthy urban forest. Anita Maya with missingTrees.org said the Sacramento region is in what’s called a nature deficit. A healthy tree canopy in a city would have a minimum coverage area of 30%. One estimate by Google Environmental Insights Explorer has the Sacramento tree canopy as low as 14%. The City of Sacramento has that number closer to 19%. Maya said her organization is hoping to change that by building partnerships focused on planting more trees — specifically, planting trees on every sidewalk. She said their first step is taking inventory where there are missing trees and then collaborating with sponsors and other non-profits. … ” Read more from Channel 10.
BAY AREA
100+ easements for one flood wall?
“Gina Solomon bought her house in part for what lies just outside the back door. The property in northern San Rafael includes a small private dock extending out over marshland into Gallinas Creek, a winding tidal slough that meets San Pablo Bay about a mile and a half away. … There’s a lot to like about Santa Venetia: the closeness to nature, the quiet, the modest ranch homes with an artistic flair. But for Solomon and many of her neighbors, Santa Venetia’s greatest asset is also its greatest threat. All that protects her home and hundreds of others from Gallinas Creek waters that rise and fall twice a day – and by extension the whole of San Pablo Bay – is a short, timber-reinforced earthen berm constructed in 1983. Already well past its useful life and failing in numerous spots, the berm is also increasingly threatened by storm surge and sea level rise. … ” Read more from Knee Deep Times.
CENTRAL COAST
Cal Am wants references to desal struck from CPUC hearing
“In the ongoing battle over estimates of how much water the Monterey Peninsula will have and will need, for the next few decades, California American Water Co. is asking a state regulator to strike language in a motion by Marina Coast Water District and the city of Marina relating to the company’s hoped-for desalination project. The motions are part of a hearing before the California Public Utilities Commission, or CPUC, that could decide the fate of Cal Am’s long-sought plan to build a sizable desalination plant in Marina. Cal Am, Marina Coast, the city of Marina, Monterey One Water, Public Water Now and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District filed briefs with the CPUC late last month declaring what the estimated supply of water from all sources would be by 2050, and what the peninsula’s demand will be by that time. The outcome of the current CPUC hearing is key to whether the desal plant will be needed, and consequently will be permitted. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald.
Monterey One Water is changing how it bills customers.
“Soon, Monterey One Water customers will no longer receive a bill in the mail every other month. Beginning July 1, wastewater fees will show up on a parcel’s annual property tax bill for the year, eliminating the bimonthly bill. M1W spokesperson Mike McCullough says once the transition is fully implemented, the agency estimates it will save about $400,000 annually. “The bulk of the savings will be reinvested back into replacing and renewing many of the agency’s aging infrastructure assets,” he says. Monterey One Water operates the regional treatment plant in Marina, where wastewater transported from 30 miles of underground pipes connected to Salinas, parts of North County and the Monterey Peninsula is cleaned. Some of that is used to replenish local drinking water basins, via Pure Water Monterey. Non-potable recycled water is distributed to irrigate agricultural fields. … ” Read more from Monterey County Now.
EPA finalizes order with California Department of Corrections regarding San Luis Obispo Treatment Plant
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has entered into an Administrative Order on Consent with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for claims of Clean Water Act violations at the California Men’s Colony drinking water treatment facility in San Luis Obispo, California. The order addresses the plant’s unauthorized discharges of filter backwash water to Chorro Reservoir in violation of the Clean Water Act. “This order ensures that the California Men’s Colony treatment plant will take action to prevent further unauthorized discharges into Chorro Reservoir and protect against the contamination of the state’s water resources,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “With our state partners we will continue to enforce compliance with the Clean Water Act, thereby protecting our public health and environment.” This is the second Administrative Order on Consent entered into between the EPA and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation within the past year. … ” Read more from the US EPA.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
MEETING NOTES: North Kern concerned the subbasin’s revamped groundwater plan – now seven plans – won’t pass muster with the state
“Two previous groundwater plans for the Kern subbasin were rejected by the state as inadequate to protect the region’s water table. One of the main criticisms of those previous plans was the region’s groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) were fragmented in how they defined, monitored and responded to groundwater issues. The subbasin must be coordinated, according to earlier state feedback. The Water Board has scheduled a probationary hearing for the region in January 2025. Probation is the first step toward a possible state takeover of local pumping. Kern groundwater managers have recrafted the region’s plan in hopes of staving off a probationary hearing. The goal is to have the plan approved by all 20 groundwater sustainability agencies in Kern and submit it by the end of this month. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Public advised to stay off of several LA county beaches ahead of holiday weekend
“Health officials in Los Angeles County are asking people to avoid the water at six popular beaches after recording high bacteria levels ahead of the Memorial Day holiday weekend. … “It’s such a bummer,” said Julia Ruscio, a beachgoer at Mother’s Beach. “Not even necessarily swimming, but just splashing around a little bit. It just sucks not being able to use it.” A beach closure is declared when a sewage spill has impacted ocean waters or when a significant potential health hazard has occurred or is suspected to have occurred. … ” Read more from Fox 11.
Evaluating Los Angeles’ flood control measures following historic winter rainfall
“Downtown Los Angeles experienced one of its historically wettest months February, hitting a record 12.56 inches of rain three weeks into the month, according to the LA Daily News. Amid this downpour, businesses, homeowners and students raised concerns with the effectiveness of LA’s current flood infrastructure system and its capacity to manage significant rainfall events. According to The Guardian, historic rainstorms triggered severe mudslides and flash floods as mud and debris flows necessitated multiple evacuations in the Hollywood Hills and Santa Monica area. The extreme rain caused power outages in around 300,000 homes and businesses across California and prompted the release of flood advisories for the county’s nearly 10 million residents. … ” Read more from the Daily Bruin.
City of Pico Rivera sues Pico Water District over 5-year, 110% rate hike
“The city of Pico Rivera has filed a lawsuit against the Pico Water District looking to stop a 110% rise in water rates over the next five years, which the city contends is unnecessary and unconstitutional. The lawsuit comes after the Pico Water District Board of Directors approved the rate increase at their Feb. 15 meeting, which amounted to a 25% rate increase effective March 1, 2024, another 20% increase on Jan. 1, 2025, and additional 12% increases for years 2026 through 2028. Pico Water District officials said the rate hike was needed mainly for infrastructure and capital improvements needs, including to treat PFAS or “forever chemicals” in the system’s potable water, as well as to increase its “cash on hand’ reserves. … ” Read more from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
Santa Ana to shut off supply to households that don’t pay water bills
“Santa Ana officials are gearing up to start turning off what could be thousands of residents’ water supply who are behind on their water bills. Officials on Tuesday night took a key step by amending their local ordinance on shut-offs because a state law requires more public notice and twice as long a period before a supplier can turn off a household’s water supply and allows for appeals. The previous city law only required 30 days’ notice before officials could shut off water services for families not currently on their water bill. … ” Read more from the Voice of the OC.
Southern California coastal living will be 5 times more expensive by 2050 – here’s why
“If you think living in Southern California is expensive now, can you imagine what it will be like in 25 or 30 years? Factor in rising sea levels and urban developments that are fast-tracking coastal erosion and things aren’t looking great. A new USC study reveals those factors are accelerating at “an alarming rate” in the region, resulting in “significant ripple effects on the region’s economy.” The study, published in “Communications Earth & Environment,” predicts that Southern California’s coastal living costs will be a whopping five times more expensive by 2025 as a “direct result” of beach erosion. … ” Read more from Fox 11.
Along the Colorado River …
Colorado River flowing in its delta again, but restoration hangs in the balance
“The Colorado River is flowing again in its delta. While this is welcome news for birds and people, the long-term progress to keep the Colorado River alive in Mexico with habitat restoration and water deliveries depends on high stakes negotiations currently underway. For the third time since 2021, the United States and Mexico are collaborating to deliver water to improve conditions in the long-desiccated delta. Environmental water deliveries began mid-March and will continue into October, ensuring the river flows through the summer’s heat, making restored riverside forests and wetlands more hospitable to birds like Abert’s Towhees and Crissal Thrashers and other wildlife including beavers and lynxes. We know that birds rely on water in the Delta as they migrate to locations all over the United States. … ” Read more from Audubon.
What are projections for drought in the West?
“Utah has been flirting with hope because a couple of good winters may mean conditions are looking up in terms of water availability, but it does not mean the state has escaped a hatchet move when it comes to a relentless drought that has held residents in defensive mode for more than two decades. There is good news and bad news. Much of the state, as of mid-May, is escaping the immediate drought conditions. But according to a briefing Tuesday in a webinar called the Intermountain West Drought and Climate Outlook, Utah can look forward to hotter than normal summer temperatures from June through August. … ” Read more from the Deseret News.
Water is for fighting: Partisanship increases in Arizona politics as groundwater drops
“In Arizona, water used to be a bipartisan area of politics, albeit a contentious one. But partisanship and tension have increased as water has drained away. Kathleen Ferris is a water policy expert of more than 40 years who helped craft Arizona’s monumental 1980 Groundwater Management Act. “Everybody keeps saying that water is bipartisan, and in fact it’s not. It’s not anymore, let’s put it that way. It used to be. You could say that back in 1980, when we passed the Groundwater Management Act, but you can’t say that anymore,” she said. Ferris believes Arizona’s prospects have darkened over the years, largely due to rural communities resisting conservation efforts. “Willcox, for example, did not want any part of the Groundwater Management Act. And yet here they are today, desperate for help,” Ferris said. … ” Read more from KJZZ.
Wildfire weather, fueled by climate change, is increasing across the Mountain West, study finds
“When high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds combine, it’s known as fire weather. Climate Central, a nonprofit research group, compared days with those conditions in 1973 and 2023. According to the report, some of the biggest increases over that 51-year period were in the Mountain West. New Mexico’s Northern Mountains had 61 more fire weather days, which tied California’s Southeast Desert Basin. Not far behind were New Mexico’s Northeastern Plains (60 more days) and Northwestern Plateau (59 more days). Other notable surges in fire weather days were in South-Central Nevada (50 more days); Colorado’s Arkansas Basin (45) and Rio Grande Basin (44); Wyoming’s Upper Platte (37); Western Utah (35), and Idaho’s Southwestern Valleys (24). Climate Central’s Kaitlyn Trudeau said human-caused climate change is fueling the fire weather trends. … ” Read more from Wyoming Public Radio.
Climate change causing increase in metals concentrations in streams, study finds
“Colorado’s mountains are pockmarked with orange tailings piles, adits, tunnels and rusted tramways, the remnants of a historic mining industry often blamed for fouling the state’s waterways. But a recent study points the finger at a different culprit as the cause of increasing metals concentrations in Colorado’s high mountain streams: climate change. And these findings have implications for local ecosystems and the water supplies of mountain communities. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Colorado Boulder analyzed water chemistry data over the past 40 years for 22 stream sites throughout Colorado’s mountains. They found that concentrations of zinc and copper have doubled over the past 30 years, with melting of previously frozen ground being a likely major cause. … ” Read more from Aspen Journalism.
