DAILY DIGEST, weekend edition: In an era of dam removal, California is building more; Billions of gallons of water from Lake Shasta disappearing into thin air; How bad is warming? La Niña may reveal; How much longer can Glen Canyon dam last?; and more …

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On the calendar today …

• EVENT: Science for Delta Communities Workshop from 10am to 4pm.  The hybrid workshop will showcase projects created through partnerships between scientists, community-based organizations, and members of the public. The goal is to conduct research that addresses social-environmental issues in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.  Attendees will be able to build relationships, promote knowledge-sharing, learn about internship opportunities and results from ongoing research projects, and much more. In-person networking will be an integral part of the event, and a space will be available for interaction with presenters and others.  The workshop is free, but registration is required to attend in-person or via Zoom.

In California water news this weekend …

In an era of dam removal, California is building more

“When the largest dam removal in U.S. history began on the Klamath River this year, it seemed as if the era of dam building was over in the West. Just a month later, however, the federal government finalized $216 million dollars in funding for a controversial dam project south of the Klamath, adding to the $1 billion in direct grants already pledged to the project known as Sites Reservoir. Rights for the water are being distributed this summer.  This would be California’s first major new reservoir in half a century. The project will require building two main dams on a pair of streams that typically only run during big winter rains. Most of the water would come from much farther away, however: Filling the reservoir means piping water from the Sacramento River uphill, away from the Central Valley. If it’s built, the reservoir will inundate Antelope Valley, 14,000 acres of hilly grassland in the California Coast Range, northwest of Sacramento. … ”  Read more from High Country News.

Billions of gallons of water from Lake Shasta disappearing into thin air

“Hundreds of millions of gallons of water in Lake Shasta and other major reservoirs in the North State have been disappearing into thin air.  Considering the region has suffered recently through some of the most extreme heat ever recorded, water evaporating off the lakes in vast quantities hasn’t surprised water managers.  On July 3, 288.8 million gallons of water evaporated off Lake Shasta. And during the first nine days of July, 3,392 cubic-feet per second of water — or about 2.2 billion gallons — turned into vapor and floated away into the atmosphere.  That is a substantial amount of water, said Don Bader, area manager for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages Shasta Dam. For comparison, he said that is more than the amount of water flowing down Clear Creek south of Redding. … ”  Read more from the Redding Record-Searchlight.

C-WIN PRESS RELEASE: While fish go extinct, DWR claims no environmental impact from SWP operations

“A recently released draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) purports to analyze the long-term operations of the State Water Project, which diverts massive quantities of water from the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta to San Joaquin Valley farms and Southern California cities.  The DEIR comes about nine months after the State Water Resources Control Board issued a comprehensive environmental review that found conditions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed are dire and that significantly higher river flows are needed to restore and maintain ecosystem health. However, DWR’s DEIR ignores the Water Board’s assessment and instead concludes that its operations plan – which is driving native aquatic species toward extinction – will not cause additional environmental damage. … ”  Read more from the California Water Impact Network.

Zooming out: Rethinking Bay-Delta fish trends by combining multiple surveys

“This week’s Flashback Friday breaks down the way scientists can stitch together the discontinuous collection of fisheries data from the San Francisco Bay-Delta.  The San Francisco Bay-Delta is among the most intensively studied ecosystems in the world. Numerous long-term fisheries monitoring programs have been conducted there since the late 1950s, but differences in the methods, scope, spatial coverage, and timing of these surveys make it difficult to compare and combine the data collected. As a result, researchers often rely on data from only one or a few of these surveys to identify patterns and draw conclusions about species trends. This fragmented approach provides an incomplete picture, which in turn can lead to incorrect inferences. To attempt a more holistic use of available information, a recent study by researchers from the University of California, Davis combined data from numerous surveys into multi-survey indices (Stompe et al. 2020). … ”  Continue reading at FishBio.

Harnessing desalination: California’s bid for a sustainable water future

“As California grapples with the multifaceted challenges of a changing climate, the state finds itself at a critical juncture, facing a convergence of environmental, demographic, and climatic challenges that are reshaping its landscape and testing the resilience of its communities. Amid these challenges, water desalination is emerging as a promising solution to the state’s enduring drought and water supply issues. This process, which involves removing salts and minerals from seawater or brackish water, offers a dependable source of potable water without further straining traditional freshwater resources. If done with proper planning and collaboration across the public and private sectors, then desalination technology has the potential to redefine our relationship with one of our most precious resources. … ”  Read more from Water World (free registration required).

U.S. cities are sinking. Here’s what that means for homeowners

“The land below many U.S. cities is sinking, including New Orleans, New York City, Miami and south San Francisco.  This phenomenon, known as land subsidence, can severely affect the integrity of buildings and infrastructure. When coupled with a sea-level rise, it can greatly increase the incidence of flooding.  Problems associated with land subsidence can cost U.S. homeowners 6% of their home value. In areas with high subsidence, that number can jump to 8.1%, according to forthcoming research done by assistant professor of public policy Mehdi Nemati at the University of California, Riverside, and his colleagues. Their research focused on the Central Valley of California, but Nemati said the findings could be extrapolated nationwide. … ”  Read more from Channel 4.

Heat waves are growing hotter and more prolonged. What’s driving extreme temperatures?

“If you looked at a temperature map this week — it doesn’t much matter which day it was — you would have seen bright red stretching from Baja California all the way to Canada’s Northwest Territories.  Sweltering heat enveloped the West Coast for an entire week in places more than a thousand miles apart, and set an all-time temperature record of 124 degrees in Palm Springs. Death Valley, home of the world’s hottest recorded temperature, was flirting with its own record as thermometers recorded a temperature of 128 degrees for multiple days in a row.  And all this comes barely a month after a previous heat wave sent temperatures in the Central Valley into the triple digits before summer had officially begun, prompting the question: what is causing all this extreme heat? … ”  Read more from the LA Times.

This part of California just returned to drought conditions

“For the first time since October 2023, parts of California are now classified under a moderate drought by the U.S. Drought Monitor. This marks the end of a nine-month period without drought conditions in the state, the longest such stretch since the end of 2011.  In its weekly update delivered on Thursday, the U.S. Drought Monitor listed a portion of Siskiyou County as being under moderate drought conditions. This designation signals early damage to crops and pastures, lowered water levels in streams and creeks, and the potential for water shortages.  Meanwhile, 20% of the state from Northern California to the Sierra Nevada, including the Tahoe Basin, is now registering abnormally dry conditions.  “Abnormally dry conditions were expanded over a large area of northern California, western Nevada, and Oregon as well as in central Idaho,” the U.S. Drought Monitor wrote in its weekly update.  … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.

California to see dry lightning this weekend, bringing extreme fire risk to mountains

“A historic early July heat wave has left California’s landscape parched, contributing to a fast start to the fire season. But fire conditions are likely to deteriorate even further this weekend with dry lightning in the forecast, especially across the Sierra Nevada, including Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Valley.  Thunderstorm chances increase in the higher elevations of Central and Southern California on Friday as a surge of monsoon moisture pushes into the state. Saturday will likely feature the most widespread thunder and lightning across the Sierra. The threat is expected to continue Sunday before waning Monday.  The thunderstorms will likely be of the dry variety, producing little to no precipitation. … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Why is California so dry during the summer? It’s all about pressure

“California is known for its hot and dry summers. The rainy season is usually over by May, and skies can stay relatively dry through October, which can make for up to six months without any significant rain.  Why is California so dry during the summer? Well, it’s all about pressure.  There is a semi-permanent area of high pressure that resides in the northeastern portion of the Pacific Ocean.  The North Pacific High helps to steer the Polar Jet Stream, which is a river of air that carries storms into North America.  During the winter months, the North Pacific High shifts south, allowing the jet stream to drop over Northern California, bringing much-needed moisture to the state. … ”  Read more from KCRA.

How bad is warming? La Niña may reveal

“The Pacific is set to shift from its warmer El Niño phase to its cooler La Niña phase in late summer or early fall, U.S. officials say, likely bringing an end to a long stretch of unprecedented warmth. The world has seen 13 consecutive months of record-breaking heat, according to the EU Copernicus Climate Change Service. The last 12 of those months have measured 1.5 degrees C warmer than the preindustrial era, meaning the world has at least temporarily surpassed the temperature target set forth in the Paris Agreement.  “This is more than a statistical oddity and it highlights a large and continuing shift in our climate,” said Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo. How much of a shift is not entirely certain, however, as the record heat is being driven both by warming and by El Niño. Scientists say the end of El Niño, which was pronounced over in June, will help clarify the role of climate change. … ”  Read more from Yale e360.

How bad are wildfires going to be in California this summer?

“After brutal wildfire seasons in 2020 and 2021, California has enjoyed two mild years in a row. The good fortune was driven largely by rain and snow that ended three years of drought.  What’s on tap for this summer and fall? Nobody knows for sure. But three points are key, experts say. First, California had a wet winter this year, with rainfall since Oct. 1 in San Francisco at 113% of normal, 157% in Los Angeles, and 92% in Fresno. The Sierra Nevada snowpack was 111% of normal on April 1.  Second, California has a Mediterranean climate, and wildfires are part of the state’s natural landscape. Third, wildfires have generally been getting worse across the West in recent decades. Climate change is raising temperatures and drying out vegetation more than in the past. Forests in many areas are unnaturally dense after generations of fire suppression by state and federal agencies. And more people are moving to fire-prone areas, increasing fire risk from power lines, vehicles and other human causes. … ”  Read more from the Mercury News (gift article).

‘A fire year’: California wildfires have burned more than 20 times as much land as last year

“After a wet winter and hot summer, this year’s fire season is off to a fierce start. Here’s the latest to date, including the largest fires burning in California.  So far, more than 3,500 wildfires have eaten up at least 219,247 acres across the state, according to California fire officials. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated, dozens of structures have been damaged or destroyed, and officials say at least one person has died.  “We are not just in a fire season, but we are in a fire year,” Joe Tyler, the head of Cal Fire, told reporters this week at a news conference. … ”  Read more from the LA Times.

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In regional water news this weekend …

SACRAMENTO VALLEY

New state water conservation rules go easy on Sacramento but small cities nearby feel the pinch

“With California expecting its water supply to dwindle, new state conservation rules will encourage water suppliers to conserve 500,000 acre-feet, or 162.9 billion gallons, annually by 2040 — enough for roughly 1.4 million households. The highly detailed rules by the state water regulators vary widely. Under new targets, many urban water districts including Sacramento are under little to no obligation to conserve while smaller ones nearby are required to cut as much as 30% in a few years. The sweeping new regulations were adopted by the state Water Resources Control Board last week after years of deliberation. “The arc of conservation in this state has been an incredible one. Californians know conservation is critical,” said board chair Joaquin Esquivel of the new rules. “What this creates is really a floor. … This regulation has taken a decade worth of work.” … ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee.

Two unhoused men die during heatwave after county stops delivering water

“Sacramento has experienced temperatures well over 100 degrees every day since July 1, the same day Sacramento County stopped delivering water to homeless camps.  In that time two unhoused Black men have died due to heat-related symptoms, said Crystal Sanchez, President of the Sacramento Homeless Union.  Steven Easley, 62, was found dead at his encampment on July 4th and the other, whose name has not been released by the coroner, was found two days ago.  The coroner has yet to confirm why Easley died.  “It’s really bad out here, it needs to be deemed a public health crisis at this point,” Sanchez told The OBSERVER. … ”  Read more from the Sacramento Observer.

BAY AREA

Marin Commentary: Don’t let memory of recent drought emergency fade

Kristi Denton Cohen, co-founder of the Marin Coalition for Water Solutions, writes, “Two years of life-affirming, transformational rains have filled the reservoirs. No more unflushed toilets sacrificed to the cause of conservation. The lush green hills of the last few months are turning a dignified brown. We’ve got so much water, any memory of dried, cracked lawns are buried in the past.  It’s not a very distant past. Even in normal years, the seven reservoirs from which we get 75% of our water barely holds a two-year supply. But in 2021, they were shriveling up. That year, a surprise atmospheric river event in October kept the wolf from the door. It wasn’t the first time.  Since 1976, Marin has had 24 years of drought. Drought has accelerated in this century, with 17 out of the last 24 years in drought. Drought may have taken some time off the last couple of years, but it will come back. It always does. … ”  Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.

Regional Water Board adopts permit requiring critical investments to protect San Francisco Bay

“To help protect water quality and aquatic life in San Francisco Bay for generations to come, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted a permit today that will for the first time require nutrient reductions for all wastewater treatment plants discharging into the bay.  The new permit, adopted under the Clean Water Act after years of monitoring and research, will go into effect Oct. 1. It requires that 40 sewage treatment plants must collectively reduce nitrogen discharges by 40% compared to 2022, when a “red tide” harmful algal bloom (HAB) triggered a massive fish kill in the San Francisco Bay. Nutrients are discharged into the bay from sewage treatment plants’ wastewater. Excessive nutrients are a major contributor to HABs, which cause a dramatic depletion in dissolved oxygen levels, killing aquatic species. … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board.

SEE ALSO: New wastewater regulations will upgrade Bay Area treatment plants, help battle algae blooms, from ABC 7

A Richmond Creek gets spruced up, for fish and people alike

“Wildcat Creek undergoes about as radical a transformation as a stream can, from its start in the Berkeley Hills to the tidal lowlands of Richmond, where it flows to San Pablo Bay. Beginning as an unassuming little stream near the 1,900-foot summit of Vollmer Peak, in most places it is no more than 10 or 15 feet wide as it cuts through laurel- and oak-shaded, steep-sided canyons in Tilden and Wildcat Canyon Regional Parks. In its protected upper sections, Wildcat still has excellent spawning and rearing habitat, and is said to harbor some rainbow trout transplanted from Oakland’s Redwood Creek in the 1980s.  But if you are a salmonid in the Bay—a steelhead, or a coho or chinook salmon—looking to swim up the creek like your ancestors once did, good luck getting there. Where Wildcat flows into its former estuary, the creek has been remade, like so many Bay Area waterways, to conform to the urban and industrial terrain around it—buried under freeways and parking lots and routed into culverts and concrete channels. This is not to mention the heaps of trash that blight large portions of the creek, flushed out by way of storm drains or dumped illegally. … ”  Read more from Bay Nature.

Summer returns, but so does toxic blue-green algae in Delta

“Warm temperatures bring people and boats out on the Delta. But they also bring toxic blue-green algae blooms, turning the water green.  One local man is working to clear the Delta waters of harmful algae and give Discovery Bay homeowners their Delta playground back. Jim Mattison of the Discovery Bay Community Foundation (DBCF) said every home on the water can have issues with blue- green algae, but those on the lake and farther from the main channels have more serious problems than deep water homes. “They are battling some real blue-green algae issues,” Mattison said. “We have experienced (blue-green algae) in Discovery Bay for over 15 years, and to date, no state or local agency has stepped up and tried any existing product or treatment to help mitigate our concerns.” … ”  Read more from The Press.

CENTRAL COAST

State cleans up 2,000 pounds of illegal cannabis waste in park

“California State Parks conducted a clean-up operation that resulted in the removal of over 2,000 pounds of waste from illegal cannabis grow sites in Northern California’s largest state park.  The operation was conducted at Henry W Coe State Park, which covers 87,000 acres.  The Cannabis Watershed Protection Program (CWPP) removed the waste from the park, specifically from the areas of Coyote Creek and Pajaro Watersheds, which are remote and rugged locations requiring helicopters for waste removal. … ”  Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun.

California lake’s mysterious fish die-off kills hundreds of thousands

“Hundreds of thousands of lifeless fish have washed up on the shores of California’s Lake San Antonio in an unprecedented mass die-off affecting a wide variety of species.  The deaths began last week, when smaller baitfish were found at the water’s edge on Friday, but in the days since, larger and larger species of fish have also washed up on the lake’s beaches.  “It seems like every fish species in the lake is being impacted. We have never seen this type of multispecies die-off, especially on this scale,” Bryan Flores, Monterey County chief of parks, told SFGATE.  The plague has prompted closure of the popular lake area, while officials test the water and clean up the shores, the County of Monterey said on Wednesday. … ”  Read more from Newsweek.

Pismo Beach is the only agency left on the Central Coast Blue water project

“The Central Coast Blue water recycling project was hit with some major roadblocks after two of the three agencies funding it pulled out. Now, Pismo Beach is the last agency standing and has to rethink the scope of its plans.  Pismo Beach City Manager Jorge Garcia told New Times that the city is actively looking for additional partners to join them.  “While we didn’t anticipate that Arroyo Grande and Grover Beach would both be leaving the project, we do continue to believe that water resiliency is an important and worthwhile endeavor,” he said. “So, what we’re doing is we’re recommending a modification to the Central Coast Blue Joint Powers Authority (JPA) to allow the Public Financing Agency of the city of Pismo Beach to join it so that we can continue to preserve the option of Central Coast Blue into the future.” … ”  Read more from New Times SLO.

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY

Authors advocate generational thinking to manage water in the southern San Joaquin Valley

“Two college buddies who spent a day fly fishing on the Sacramento River came home with more than fish tales.  For retired city planners Greg Collins and James Holloway, it prompted a new book, “Seven Generations: The Past, Present and Future of the Tulare Lake Basin,” published in May.  This might beg the question, what does the Tulare Lake Basin have to do with the Sacramento River?   On that fishing trip, Collins and Holloway wondered if the four rivers that feed Tulare Lake — the Kings, Kaweah, Tule and Kern — ever resembled the Sacramento with its lush green banks, abundant birdlife, and currents full of fish such as salmon and sturgeon. … ”  Read more SJV Water.

MEETING NOTES: Fish discos, magic water murals and subbasin updates

“At the Rosedale Rio-Bravo Water District meeting, water resources manager Trent Taylor acknowledged the work that the Department of Water Resources (DWR) has been doing with the Fish Friendly Diversion projects to try and keep endangered species away from export pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.  ”They are doing a lot more work behind the scenes, it was good to hear that from DWR themselves,” said Taylor.  He said DWR is trying to divert fish by using non-physical barriers of lights and sounds to scare fish away from certain parts of the delta, something they’re calling the “fish disco.” He said DWR reported only about 5% of fish go around that barrier. … ”  Read more from SJV Water.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

EPA announces $14 million WIFIA loan to develop drought solutions in Palmdale

“Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a $14.8 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to Palmdale Water District (PWD) in southern California. This WIFIA loan will assist the district’s regional advanced water augmentation program to expand the water supply by establishing a drought-proof drinking water supply for over 125,000 residents.  “California is no stranger to drought impacts, and we are seeing a need for communities to invest in drought resilient water supply as they prepare for future climate stress,” said EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Water Bruno Pigott. “We are thrilled to help the Palmdale Water District advance their project ensuring a plentiful and resilient water supply through EPA’s low-cost financing. The Biden-Harris Administration has been prioritizing critical water infrastructure projects across the country through the investing in America agenda.” … ”  Read more from the US EPA.

SEE ALSO:  Palmdale Water District gets loan for water treatment demonstration, from the Antelope Valley Press

SAN DIEGO

Column: San Diego faces minimal water cutbacks under state conservation plan

Michael Smolens writes, “San Diego County’s water world hasn’t had much good news lately, with looming budget problems and whopping rate increases.  Well, here’s some: The state’s new mandatory water conservation plan won’t require big reductions locally.  That’s due mostly to decades of spending on recycling, desalination, storage, conservation and imported supplies.  Just four of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 23 member agencies face any cutbacks at all — and they have many years to reach their goals.  The San Dieguito Water District faces the largest reduction of 6.9 percent. That’s followed by the Olivenhain Municipal Water District (6.4 percent), Carlsbad Municipal Water District (6 percent) and the Santa Fe Irrigation District (3.6 percent). … ”  Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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Along the Colorado River …

See the Great Basin’s rapid groundwater loss from the sky

“The water that Nevada pumps from the ground has always been hard for scientists to track. It turns out all they had to do was measure it from outer space.  Using measures of gravity from NASA satellites, scientists have shown that the Great Basin is losing its precious water resources rapidly — and snowpack isn’t replenishing them fast enough.   The study, published this year, reveals that since 2002, total water storage — including surface water, soil moisture and groundwater — has been reduced by the equivalent of the current volume of Lake Mead, multiplied by six. Water depletion has picked up since 2012, an explanation for which Hall said would require further study.  “As people tap into their groundwater, it’s diminishing,” said Dorothy Hall, a University of Maryland researcher who led the study. “It’s being replenished every year by snowfall, but not enough to keep it from declining.” … ”  Read more from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Water rights settlement on Arizona side for Navajo Nation closer to becoming reality

“Navajo Nation officials who’ve been at the helm to finalize a deal that would secure the tribe’s water rights forever, say they won’t stop fighting until the settlement is ratified by the federal government.  Even as the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2024, which will ratify and fund the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement, was being celebrated, Speaker Crystalyne Curley said the tribe was planning to launch another public campaign across the reservation.  Since January, the Navajo Nation Water Rights Commission, with legal and technical assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Justice and the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources, provided 31 public presentations on the Navajo Nation’s Arizona water rights claims and related litigation and settlement efforts, hosted seven forums on radio and social media platforms, resulting in reaching and engaging with more than 33,000 Navajo people. … ”  Read more from the Navajo Times.

How much longer can Glen Canyon dam last?

“This spring, the Bureau of Reclamation revealed damage to the river outlet works system of Glen Canyon Dam. While there is no structural risk to the huge dam on the Colorado River, the incident drew attention to the dam’s antiquated infrastructure and brought into question its ability to sustain water releases from Lake Powell at lower elevations. At risk are both the lower Colorado River Basin’s ecosystems—including the Grand Canyon—and the 30 million people who rely on the Colorado’s water.  The damage was caused by a High Flow Experiment Release in April, 2023, by cavitation, a process that happens when water passing through pipes at high velocity creates air bubbles that cause erosion. During the 2023 release, 3,500 CFS (cubic feet per second) of water was released through the outlet works pipes for 72 hours. The aim was to distribute sediment throughout the Grand Canyon to maintain healthy beaches and riparian habitats. … ”  Read more from Sierra Magazine.

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