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In California water news this weekend …
California is finally awash in water, but its farmers can’t get it
“California is awash in water after record-breaking rains vanquished years of crippling drought. That sounds like great news for farmers. But Ron McIlroy, whose shop here sells equipment for plowing fields, knows otherwise. “I’ll be lucky if I survive this year,” he said. Illustrating how broken California’s vast water-delivery system is, many farmers in Central Valley, America’s fruit and vegetable basket, will get just 40% of the federal water they are supposed to this year. Why? Endangered fish. … The decision by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and California officials, to curtail water to farmers for the silvery fish has ignited an uproar in the southern Central Valley, and threatens to upend this important agriculture region just as it was recovering. … ” Read more from the Wall Street Journal (unlocked article).
CDFW releases 1 million chinook salmon into San Pablo Bay from Cal Maritime Campus
“As the sun set over the San Pablo Bay June 10, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), joined by faculty, staff and students from the California State University Maritime Academy (Cal Maritime), released approximately 1 million fall-run Chinook salmon smolts from the Cal Maritime campus in Vallejo. It was the first release of Chinook salmon from this location in almost four decades and among the final releases of hatchery fall-run Chinook salmon taking place in San Francisco and San Pablo bays this spring and summer. “Expanding our partnerships with organizations like the California State University Maritime Academy is critical in ensuring fall-run Chinook salmon populations continue to rebuild from the recent drought years and other stressors such as thiamine deficiency,” said CDFW Senior Environmental Scientist Jason Julienne. “Our hope is for these fish to contribute to harvest and inland spawning returns over the next several years.” … ” Read more from the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
El Niño makes an exit, but La Niña could bring dry conditions back to California
“After a year of dominance, El Niño’s wrath has come to end — but it’s climate-churning counterpart, La Niña, is hot on its heels and could signal a return to dryness for California. El Niño is the warm phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation, sometimes referred to as ENSO. The climate pattern in the tropical Pacific is the single largest driver of weather conditions worldwide, and has been actively disrupting global temperatures and precipitation patterns since its arrival last summer. Among other effects, the El Niño event contributed to months of record-high global ocean temperatures, extreme heat stress to coral reefs, drought in the Amazon and Central America, and record-setting atmospheric rivers on the U.S. West Coast, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its latest ENSO update. … ” Read more from LA Times. | Read via Yahoo News.
Metropolitan board chair issues statement in response to narrative in media reports
Chair Adan Ortega released this statement Saturday afternoon: ““The board’s decision to place General Manager Hagekhalil on paid administrative leave was made to allow time to investigate various personnel matters. To be clear, the matters under investigation are not exclusively based on the issues raised by one individual. A false narrative has emerged, and been reported in media coverage and online, suggesting the decision to place Mr. Hagekhalil on leave is based on an attempt to reverse, change course or subvert Metropolitan’s policy work to ensure a reliable water supply for Southern California. This narrative is not only untrue, it’s unhelpful and undermines the due process protections of all involved, including Mr. Hagekhalil. It is an overt external attempt to leverage personnel matters to influence district policy. The district’s goal during this interim period is to continue making progress on our Climate Adaptation Master Plan for Water and all our work to sustainably bring water to the communities we serve. This is a personnel issue involving multiple matters, and the investigation into these matters is confidential. It is essential to protect the rights of all parties. Conspiracy theories and speculation about allegations are harmful to the investigative process and any individuals involved.”
As California water agency investigates top manager, some worry progress could be stymied
“In the three years that Adel Hagekhalil has led California’s largest urban water supplier, the general manager has sought to focus on adaptation to climate change — in part by reducing reliance on water supplies from distant sources and investing in local water supplies. His efforts to help shift priorities at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which has traditionally focused largely on delivering imported water to the region, have won praise among environmental advocates who hope to reduce dependence on supplies from the Colorado River and Northern California. However, now that Hagekhalil is under investigation for harassment allegations and has been placed on leave by the MWD board, some of his supporters say they’re concerned that his sidelining might interfere with the policies he has helped advance. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via AOL News.
LA’s top water chief on leave after harassment claims — and environmentalists see a conspiracy
“When the board of the Metropolitan Water District placed its general manager on administrative leave Thursday amid claims of harassment and a hostile work culture, some environmentalists saw a campaign to topple a conservationist at the helm of one of California’s largest water agencies. “You start to see the biggest reformer that we’ve had at Met in a long, long time, if not ever, getting axed,” Bruce Reznik, the executive director of LA Waterkeeper, an environmental group, said in an interview Friday. “I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I’d be crazy if I didn’t say it raised serious concerns.” Katano Kasaine, Met’s CFO, said in the 13-page letter to board Chair Adán Ortega that she didn’t take her accusations against Met’s general manager, Adel Hagekhalil, lightly. … ” Read more from Politico.
SEE ALSO:
- Inside the meltdown at Met, from Politico
- Water District Board Puts General Manager on Administrative Leave Over ‘Various Allegations’, from the Daily Kos
Proposed state cuts would sever water lifeline for tens of thousands of disadvantaged San Joaquin Valley residents
“More than 20,000 San Joaquin Valley residents could be left high and dry, literally, by Sacramento politicians intent on using $17.5 million that had paid for water trucked to their homes to help fill California’s gaping two-year $56 billion deficit. A local nonprofit that has been hauling water to those residents sent a letter recently to Governor Gavin Newsom and top leaders in the Legislature begging them to reinstate the money in the ongoing budget negotiations. “Cutting funding for such a crucial program would have devastating effects on rural and disadvantaged communties by immediately cutting them off from their sole source of water supply, and doing so with no warning,” states the June 11 letter from Self-Help Enterprises, a Visalia-based nonprofit that helps low-income valley residents with housing and water needs. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Newest California state park saved this tiny town from disaster
“Under a shaded refuge adjacent to a still pond in the Central Valley, dozens of California State Parks officials and nonprofit leaders assembled Wednesday to laud the first state park to open in a decade. Among the beaming faces was Lilia Lomeli-Gil, a community leader representing the tiny town 5 miles away that, thanks to the park’s debut, is being transformed. If Merced is the “Gateway to Yosemite,” then Grayson is the gateway to Dos Rios State Park. The 1,600-acre property lies within the floodplains outside Modesto and features the intersection of the San Joaquin and Tuolumne rivers. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
What happens if California Forever can’t build its new Bay Area city? The group has a ‘plan B’
“Despite lousy polling numbers and near unanimous opposition from Solano County’s political establishment, California Forever CEO Jan Sramek insists he is optimistic that voters in November will approve a new walkable city in the county’s rural southeast corner that could eventually reach a population of 400,000. But just in case he’s wrong, Sramek has a backup plan. In addition to the more than 50,000 acres of agricultural land California Forever affiliates have purchased in unincorporated Solano County, the group owns the Esperson parcel, an 800-acre piece of land that includes 505 acres within the limits of Rio Vista — a small city along the Sacramento River. Those 505 acres are zoned for housing — a mix of single-family homes, duplexes and triplexes — which means the developer could breeze through the approval process. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Ocean Protection Council adopts updated guidance to help California prepare for and adapt to rising seas
“The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) has adopted the State of California Sea Level Rise Guidance: 2024 Science and Policy Update (2024 Guidance), providing updated science and policy recommendations that will help California coastal communities and ecosystems build resilience to the impacts of sea level rise. The latest update builds on a previous draft released in 2018. Since then, there have been significant advancements in scientific understanding and abilities to project future sea level rise levels—and this latest guidance document provides communities and the public the latest up-to-date information. The latest 2024 Guidance includes updated sea level rise scenarios and a precautionary stepwise process for incorporating the impacts of rising seas into planning and projects for a range of communities. One overarching reality informing the document: climate change is altering California’s coastline. Rising seas, colliding with more frequent and extreme storms, are drowning beaches, eroding bluffs, flooding homes and businesses, and damaging roads and other essential public infrastructure. … ” Read more from the Ocean Protection Council.
California officials, environmentalists split over plans to harvest biomass from Sierra forests
“Across California, proposals are trickling in for new biomass facilities that seek to convert wood pellets gathered from overcrowded forests into precious energy. While some tout the proposed plants as good for the economy and environment, others are concerned about impacts from the new facilities. It’s the latest chapter in a decades-long fight over forestry practices, as California tries to balance conservation and climate goals against economic development. In Lassen and Tuolumne counties in the north of the state, Golden State Natural Resources, a coalition of rural counties, aims to build two new biomass plants. Under the proposal, the counties would work with U.K.-based Drax electrical company to ship wood to Stockton, where it would then be converted into electricity. But some conservationists oppose the project, fearing impacts the plants could have in communities where the material is harvested, converted into energy or transported. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
In commentary this weekend …
Democrats vs. democracy
Columnist Susan Shelley writes, ““Hypocrisy,” said a French aristocrat back in the 1600s, “is the tribute that vice pays to virtue.” The “tributes” are pouring in from Democratic political leaders in California. They pose as defenders of democracy while they work full-time to destroy it. Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders are trying to assassinate three initiatives that the people of California put on the ballot using the powers of direct democracy. They are attacking two initiatives that are set to be on this November’s ballot, and one that was long ago approved by voters and now is being hollowed out. That initiative is Proposition 218 from 1996. It amended the state constitution to put some limits and controls on property-related fees and charges. For example, public agencies planning a new or increased “assessment,” such as higher rates for water service, have to comply with certain procedures. … ” Read more from the OC Register.
A Climate Resilience Bond must invest in California’s water future
Rick Callender, Chief Executive Officer of Valley Water, and Dave Eggerton, Executive Director of the Association of California Water Agencies, writes, “The evidence is overwhelming. We are experiencing the impacts of climate change now. Our wet years are becoming warmer and wetter. Our dry years are becoming drier, warmer, and more frequent. This extreme weather creates dangerous and costly consequences in the Bay Area and across California. In the past 12 years, California has endured two multi-year droughts, including a stretch from 2020 to 2022 that was the state’s driest three-year period on record. California also experienced two of the wettest winters on record, fueled by a parade of atmospheric rivers that caused flooding in Santa Clara County and across the state. If we fail to invest in infrastructure now, we all will face serious challenges with disadvantaged communities bearing the worst through unaffordable water and increased flooding. … ” Read more from ACWA News.
Editorial: The nation’s filthiest beach is here. Blame Biden, Newsom.
The San Diego Union-Tribune editorial board writes, “By any objective standard, the southern coast of San Diego County is enduring a long-running environmental nightmare. Decades of billions of gallons of untreated human waste flowing north from broken sewage infrastructure in Tijuana have sickened a vast number of surfers and swimmers and many Navy SEALs training at Coronado. Especially because of ailments reported by border agents, some doctors worry that the health threat goes far beyond active ocean users to include those who spend extended time in coastal areas and breathe air that often smells like a filthy portable toilet. Now there is fresh confirmation of how uniquely awful this problem is. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
In people news this weekend …
Promotions, passings, profiles – submit people news items to maven@mavensnotebook.com.
Ryan Endean, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Director of Communications at the California Department of Water Resources.
Endean has been Acting Deputy Director of Communications at the California Department of Water Resources since 2024 and has served in several roles there since 2018, including Assistant Deputy Director of Communications, Acting Deputy Assistant Director of the Public Affairs Office and Media and Public Information Supervisor of the Public Affairs Office. Endean was Statewide Media Relations Director for the American Lung Association in California from 2016 to 2018. He held multiple roles at Blanning & Baker Associates from 2009 to 2016, including Communications Director and Media Specialist. Endean was a News Producer for KCRA-TV from 2001 to 2009. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from California State University, Sacramento. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $145,728. Endean is a Democrat.
Podcasts …
WE GROW CALIFORNIA: A Water Blueprint
Jason Phillips, Chief Executive Officer of Friant Water Authority, and Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Board Member joins Darcy and Darcy this week for an interesting and thought-provoking conversation. Jason covers what the Blueprint is, who is part of it, why it is needed, new partnerships, and top priorities. He also explains how the Blueprint works with the Central Valley’s Groundwater Sustainability Agencies. Darcy and Darcy learn why Temperance Flats is not a priority project and you will too. They also learn the sobering statistic of what an annual 2-4 million-acre-foot water deficit looks like. Spoiler alert – it’s not sad, it’s devastating.
WATER & POWER LEADERSHIP: Why long-term water supply targets are vital for the future
Guests: Craig Miller, general manager of Western Municipal Water District, and Heather Dyer, CEO/general manager of San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District. The two leaders are part of a broad coalition called California Water for All that is advocating for the passage of CMUA co-sponsored Senate Bill 366. Miller and Dyer delve into a range of topics, including the importance of long-term planning, how the changing climate is altering California’s water regime, new academic research that estimates the amount of water California will need in the coming decades to maintain its world-leading economy and environmental resources, and much more.
ECONEWS REPORT: Wiyot Tribe and BLM partner for stewardship of headwaters
The Wiyot Tribe has entered into a special partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to help manage Headwaters Forest Reserve, part of the Tribe’s ancestral territory. Headwaters Forest needs some help. The majority of the forest is in rough shape from a history of industrial logging, resulting in poor forest health and impaired watersheds. Together, the Wiyot Tribe and the BLM are working to restore the forest through ecological forestry and watershed restoration. The partnership between the two governments allows the Wiyot Tribe to utilize its traditional ecological knowledge in the furtherance of good land stewardship of its ancestral territory for the benefit of the general public.
TERRA VERDE: Digging into California’s Carbon Capture Plans
Carbon capture and storage, often referred to by insiders as CCS, isn’t exactly a new concept — the first carbon capture plan was proposed back in the 1930s. But recently, as the stark reality of the climate crisis has set in, interest in the idea has ticked up considerably, particularly among government and industry actors. Many frontline activists, environmental groups, and scientists say that’s a problem, pointing to the ways in which carbon capture and storage throws a lifeline to the fossil fuel industry, perpetuates environmental injustices, and diverts attention and resources from true climate solutions. Maricruz Ramiriz, a Community Organizer with the Center on Race Poverty and the Environment in California’s Central Valley, and Victoria Bogdan Tejeda, a Staff Attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law program, join Terra Verde host and Earth Island Journal Managing Editor Zoe Loftus-Farren to discuss carbon capture and storage in California, and the ways in which its deployment could pose a risk to both people and planet.
WATER IS A MANY SPLENDOR’ED THING PODCAST: Lock Tender
Don Zeiler is the Locks Master and Emsworth Locks and Dams located six miles below Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He maintains traffic across the dam that separates the different parts of the Ohio River. If you take away the locks there would be no traffic between sections of the Ohio River. We can comfortably say that the landscape and lifestyles of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania could not exist without locks. Water is a Many Splendor’ed Thing brings you another water relationship that has a personally significant impact to your life. Produced by Steven Baker, Bringing People Together to Solve Water Problems, water@operationunite.co 530-205-6388
In regional water news this weekend …
NORTH COAST
Spend water like money: OSU research investigates economic impacts of decreased water allocations
“A study of the economic impacts from reduced water allocations to irrigators forecasted substantial economic detriment to agriculture and county tax earnings throughout the Klamath Basin. The tri-counties group — Modoc, Siskiyou and Klamath — released a summary statement last week detailing the results of a study which analyzed the economic impact of reduced federal water allocations to local ag. Funded by Klamath County and Oregon State University Extension, Highland Economics, an economic analysis firm, reported “Economic Analysis of Agricultre in the Klamath Basin.” Analysis listed the tri-county Klamath Basin annual crops and livestock value at $367.8 million. Of that total, 68% came from Klamath County. … ” Read more from the Herald & News.
Federal Irrigation Interests go to court in an attempt to block flows needed for a healthy Klamath River
Felice Pace writes, “Klamath Basin Irrigators continue to challenge the right of the federal government to use water stored in Upper Klamath Lake to benefit threatened Klamath River salmon (see this link). They will likely take their challenge to the Supreme Court. Upper Klamath Lake is the Klamath River’s source. As shown on the map below, the River begins at Upper Klamath Lake’s outlet. The ongoing irrigator challenge to the rights of Salmon and the Tribes and fishermen who depend on them is a clear sign that the campaign to provide Klamath River flows adequate for a healthy River will continue to be fiercely opposed by Irrigation interests. The same will prove true in the Scott and Shasta River Basins. … ” Continue reading at the Klam Blog.
Commercial salmon fishermen eye Klamath dam removal with cautious hope
“Dave Bitts can bring in over 100 salmon by himself. “That’s an exceptionally good day. If I catch 20 fish it’s worth the trip,” says Bitts. At 76, he still fishes for salmon alone. Standing in the cockpit on the stern deck of his wooden trawler, Elmarue, he can keep an eye on all six wires; when one of the lines starts to dance, he brings the fish in, stunning it with his gaff while it’s still in the water. … In April, for the second year in a row, the Pacific Fishery Management Council voted unanimously to close California’s commercial and recreational ocean salmon fishery. The closure was based on woefully low numbers of adult salmon expected to return to several California rivers. The east end of the marina is stocked with sailboats and pleasure craft, but on the west end you can spot several commercial boats—Inua, Joy Ann, and My Lady, her deck piled high with crab pots. “There’s not that many anymore, because there’s not much salmon season anymore,” says Bitts. … ” Read more from the Jefferson Public Radio.
Saving Coho Salmon: Could the Ten Mile River be the key?
“When creating optimal habitat for salmon, it helps to first picture what would be the optimal highway lane, then build the exact opposite. Because while the best roads for cars are boring – think flat, wide and straight – salmon require complexity, thriving only in water routes that offer plenty of curves, off-ramps and even obstacles. Take a downed tree. On a highway full of traffic, such debris would create life-threatening chaos. But in a river full of salmon, a downed tree instead supports life by creating a welcome source of food and shelter for many species, especially if its gnarled roots are still intact. “Logs are great, but they are simple, whereas root wads are complex,” The Nature Conservancy’s Peter Van de Burgt told the Peregrine Chapter of the Audubon Society in Ukiah recently while describing how he and his co-workers on the North Coast Restoration Project are improving habitat for salmon in three Mendocino County watersheds: the Garcia, the Navarro and the Ten Mile. … ” Read more from the Mendocino Beacon.
A visit to an old dam yields a glimpse of the new future for the Eel River
“Poised atop a high concrete structure that will no longer exist in a few short years, a group of public officials surveyed the Eel River on a recent Friday as it tumbled down the face of Cape Horn Dam. There, they contemplated the river’s future. It is a future without the two dams that impede its flows. A future that will once again allow declining salmon and steelhead trout to once again swim upstream. And a future that will maintain water supplies critical to more than 600,000 Russian River water consumers at the same time. The 51-foot-high, sloping dam they stood on that day — and the enormous boulders that now slow the water so some can be redirected into the Russian River — would be shaved away, freeing the Eel to flow more naturally. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
BAY AREA
The city drained a famous San Francisco fountain and found it full of junk
“San Francisco’s sprawling, brutalist Vaillancourt Fountain in Embarcadero Plaza is now dry. Tamara Aparton, a spokesperson with the city’s Recreation and Park Department, told SFGATE in an email that the fountain’s pumps recently failed and that its electrical system has “quite a few issues.” She said the city decided to drain and clean the fountain while assessing whether its mechanical and electrical systems need to be replaced. Aparton expects that the fountain will remain off and dry while department staff members determine what fixes are needed. “I think it’s a safe bet that it won’t be refilled in the immediate future while that’s underway,” she wrote. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
CENTRAL COAST
Captured excess water boosts Monterey Peninsula water supply
“Excess flow down the Carmel River during the recent winter storms provided the third best year ever for capturing and storing water into the Seaside Basin, an important part of ensuring Monterey Peninsula water needs are met. California American Water Co. and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District worked in tandem to capture 495 million gallons and inject that water into the Seaside Underground Basin as a type of water savings account for future dry years. Called the Aquifer Storage and Recovery project, it captures heavy winter flows from the Carmel Valley Basin that underlies the Carmel River and pumps the water up and over the hill to the Seaside Basin where it is pumped down into the aquifers through a pair of injection wells. Dave Stoldt, the general manager of the water district, said the captured water is enough for 8,000 homes for a year. Cal Am and the water district have now stored 3,677 acre-feet that can be used in a future dry period. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald.
Seaside approves agreement amendment for 90-inch outfall pipe in Sand City
“The Seaside City Council approved an amendment of a professional service agreement for the study of the 90-inch storm drain outfall pipe that backed up in January and apparently caused flooding in Sand City. “Since this went to the council and was approved, it will go forward with the investigation,” said Nisha Patel, Seaside Public Works engineer. The investigation will include a survey of pipes and storm drains within the system to assess the existing conditions, said Patel. The data collected will help model what options for improvements exist for the system. “We’re just wanting to make sure we’re on top of it,” said Patel. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald.
California lawsuit challenges Seaside’s destructive general plan
“The Center for Biological Diversity and LandWatch Monterey County sued the city of Seaside on Thursday for approving a general plan update that failed to fully consider the environmental harms of future development. The lawsuit, filed in Monterey County Superior Court, says that the city violated the California Environmental Quality Act by planning a development on sensitive wildlife habitat and without considering available water supply and the climate crisis. “No city in California should make long-term development plans without first factoring in the environmental consequences but Seaside has done exactly that,” said Aruna Prabhala, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The climate and extinction crises we face today are serious and worsening. This isn’t the time to flout the environmental protection laws that compel decisionmakers to carefully weigh the harms of their land-use plans.” … ” Read more from the Center for Biological Diversity.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
River Roulette: Just say no & those in floodplain will ultimately have to buy costly flood insurance
“Want to play River Roulette? It’s as easy as one, two, three. First, you need to own property in the 200-year floodplain in Lathrop, west Manteca, or southwest Stockton. Second, you need to either not return the flood assessment ballot you received in the mail or else send it back marked “no.” Third, just sit back and wait. Sooner or later you’re going to take the proverbial bullet. That’s because without the $472.9 million San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency project designed to enhance 15 miles of levee there will be a flood. This is not climate change scare tactics. It is reality given we live on land of earthen material filling in what was once a vast inland sea where two major drainage basins meet to flow into the ocean. … ” Read more from the Manteca Bulletin.
CV-SALTS: Salt and nitrate control programs 2nd quarter 2024 update
“As we head into summer, both the Salt and Nitrate Control Programs have made notable advancements. Within the Nitrate Control Program, Priority 1 Management Zones (MZs) continue their free drinking water testing and delivery services, while developing longer-term nitrate contamination solutions. Concurrently, Priority 2 MZs are getting organized and beginning to work with new members and starting to work on their Early Action Plans. On the Salt Control Program front, the recent approval and release of the Baseline Characterization Report (BCR) was a significant milestone, providing the most comprehensive snapshot of the Central Valley salt situation ever produced. With this document in place, the program intensifies its focus on evaluating potential long-term solutions to salt buildup in the Valley. … ” Continue reading from CV-SALTS.
Along the Colorado River …
Calif., other states still grabbing for Wyoming’s share of Colorado River water
“Every snowflake or drop of rain that falls in Wyoming’s Wind River Mountains eventually plays a part in quenching the water needs of 20 million Californians, and the demand only seems to be rising. Meanwhile, the amount of water available from the Colorado River, which is partly fed by the Green River flowing out of the Wind River range, is at best barely holding steady. That means that as a headwaters state, Wyoming could start feeling pressure from those downriver to give up more. Specifically, Cheyenne gets more than half of its water supply from the Colorado River system. Along the river’s 1,450-mile course between the Rockies and Mexico, perhaps the most important spot to watch is Lake Powell, said Jason Robison, a University of Wyoming law professor and an expert on the 1922 Colorado River Compact. … ” Read more from Cowboy State Daily.
‘Let’s get this river fixed up’: Colorado River to benefit from restoration efforts proposed as part of land exchange in Summit and Grand counties
“Along the Blue River, just miles from its confluence with the Colorado River, there is a piece of public land where rafters pull their boats out below the Green Mountain Reservoir. From beneath the brim of a cowboy hat, hydrologist Dave Rosgen of Wildland Hydrology Consultants pointed out over the Blue River, Wednesday, May 29, to the bank across from the boat takeout. Like the takeout itself, the opposite bank was heavily eroded. “The bank erosion in this reach I’ve studied is 580 tons in ¾ of a mile per year,” Rosgen said. “So that’s a lot of truckloads of sediment that adversely affects habitat, but it also adds to land loss. So part of the restoration is to rebuild natural banks, making a low-bank height instead of that high-terraced bank that is eroding.” … ” Read more from Ski Hi News.
Arizona is reneging on a promise to fund our water future. Big mistake
Columnist Joanna Allhands writes, “It’s disappointing — but not at all surprising — that lawmakers and the governor want to completely sweep money that had previously been earmarked for the Water Infrastructure Financing Authority. State leaders radically expanded the authority in 2022 and promised to seed it with $1 billion, mostly to bring Arizona water from elsewhere. But they insisted on breaking the investment over three fiscal years. I said then that the likelihood of seeing the full billion was slim. Sure enough, lawmakers failed to fully fund a second $333 million installment in 2023, even though they had the cash, preferring to fund pet water projects instead. … ” Read more from Arizona Central.
Also on Maven’s Notebook this weekend …
NOTICE of changes to the proposed ‘Making Conservation a California Way of Life’ Regulation
