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On the calendar today …
- WEBINAR: California-Nevada January 2024 Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar from 11am to 12pm. The California-Nevada Drought Early Warning System Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar is part of a series of regular webinars designed to provide stakeholders and other interested parties in the region with timely information on current drought status and impacts, as well as a preview of current and developing climatic events (i.e., El Niño and La Niña). Click here to register.
In California water news today …
Californians’ water usage is down 9% and other takeaways from The Times’ updated water tracker
“California residents are using about 8 fewer gallons of water per day than they did during the last drought emergency, according to newly released state data. Between April 2023 and last April, urban water users consumed an average of 77 gallons per person per day. That comes out to a 9% decrease since the drought emergency ended in March 2023. This period includes the effects of two consecutive wet winters, the first of which relieved the years-long historic drought that had gripped the western United States since 2021. In July 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom called for Californians to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15%, a move that would have brought statewide water use down to about 79 gallons per person per day. While residents fell short of the goal, they still cut back by about 7% — or 85 gallons per person per day. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via AOL News.
More inland heat before late July reprieve amid record-hot summer to date & escalating Western wildfires
Dr. Daniel Swain writes, “Well, here we are…again. The past 30 days has already been the warmest such period on record across most of California (away from the immediate coast) and much of the Southwestern U.S. If that sounds uncomfortably familiar, well…perhaps it should: most of the very same regions have broken all-time summer temperature records 2, 3, or even more times in the past decade. … Well, if you’re at higher elevations or well inland from the coast, it’s already hot again and going to get hotter over the next 48 hours. That’s the bad news. The good news is that this week’s heat will be nowhere near as extreme or persistent as the last round. The even better news? It appears that the end of July will actually feature a brief break in the anomalously strong ridge across the West Coast and a brief interlude of (weak) summer troughing! … ” Read the full post at Weather West.
SEE ALSO:
- California weather: Excessive heat warnings and advisories return this week, from the San Francisco Chronicle
- Another heat wave is hitting California this week. When will it end?, from the San Francisco Chronicle
California Congressman Josh Harder introduces bill to keep destructive giant rodent invasion out of Central Valley
“Representative Josh Harder (CA-9) and a bipartisan group of his colleagues have introduced legislation to continue funding nutria eradication efforts in California and across the country. Nutria are a semi-aquatic invasive species of rodent from South America – these giant swamp rats have large “nacho cheese” teeth that they use to chew through vegetation and water management systems, wreaking havoc on their non-native environment and causing millions of dollars in damage. Rep. Harder introduced this bill alongside Rep. Garret Graves (LA-6) and they were joined by Reps. John Garamendi (CA-8), David Valadao (CA-22), and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19). Affectionately nicknamed “swamp rats”, nutria can weigh upwards of 40 pounds, eat 25% of their body weight in vegetation every day, and one female nutria can reproduce 200 offspring in a year. Rep. Harder’s bill to expand the Nutria Eradication and Control Act to include California was signed into law in 2020. … ” Read more from The Sierra Sun.
Court bars Calif. from action on Kings farmers
“A California Superior Court judge temporarily banned the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) from taking probationary action against water users in parts of Kings County. The Kings County Farm Bureau and others sued the SWRCB earlier this year after the state placed the Tulare Lake Subbasin on probation for its plan to sustainably manage groundwater pumping. The decision by California to place the groundwater subbasin on probation is one step in a process under the California Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) for state control of groundwater pumping. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press.
Millions of Californians live near oil and gas wells that are in the path of wildfires
“As firefighters continue to battle more than two dozen active wildfires in California, new research has found that millions of people are living in close proximity to oil and gas wells that are in the potential path of flames. More than 100,000 wells in 19 states west of the Mississippi River are in areas that have burned in recent decades and face a high risk of burning in the future, with the vast majority in California, according to a study published recently in the journal One Earth. What’s more, nearly 3 million Americans live within 3,200 feet of those wells, putting them at heightened risk of explosions, air and water pollution, infrastructure damage and other hazards. “One of the things that surprised me was just the extent of how many oil wells had been in wildfire burn areas in the past, and how much this was impacting people in California — and is likely to in the coming century,” said David J.X. González, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at UC Berkeley. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via Yahoo News.
In commentary today …
Fighting wildfire with ‘good fire’: California must return to prescribed burns
Dave Daley, a commercial cattle producer in Oroville and animal science professor, writes, “It has become second nature to scan the horizon for smoke as soon as you leave the house. All ranchers do that almost subconsciously. They fear fire. Uncontrolled fire with high winds. The acrid smell of smoke that begins to grip your nose as you search for the source. There used to be such a thing as “good fire” on the land. Fire has always been part of nature’s regimen of regeneration and rejuvenation of the landscape. We have moved so far away from that model that fuel loads now make fire almost impossible to control. Now panic seems to be the theme of the general public for any and all fires. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
High cyanotoxin levels prompts guidance for residents using private intakes from Clear Lake
“The Lake County Water Resources and Environmental Health departments, in partnership with Big Valley Rancheria, have issued guidance to community members who draw their drinking water from Clear Lake in light of high cyanotoxin levels in the lake. This year, due to persistent heat, the partners monitoring water quality conditions are witnessing elevated levels of cyanotoxins in some areas of Clear Lake. For Lake County residents with individual water systems that draw water directly from the lake using a private intake, drinking water may become unsafe when high levels of toxins are present. … ” Read more from the Lake County News.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
California wildfires pull resources from PG&E water infrastructure project
“Completion of a crucial Pacific Gas and Electric water infrastructure project in Nevada County has been delayed as aerial assets are needed to fight fires in California and nationwide. On Friday, the Nevada Irrigation District shared that heavy-lift helicopters that were needed to continue repairs along the South Yuba Pipe were reassigned to assist firefighting efforts. The South Yuba Pipe was damaged in a rockslide in February, causing flows to not reach Scotts Flats Reservoir. … ” Read more from Fox 40.
Team Tahoe battling aquatic invasive species
Julie Regan, Executive Director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, writes, “As beautiful and majestic as Lake Tahoe is, it is also fragile. Even slight changes in the ecosystem can have domino effects, such as the cross-cutting threats of aquatic invasive species, algae growth, and damage to native habitat. And global forces are affecting our treasured lake. Scientists report that Lake Tahoe’s average temperature has risen 1.4 degrees in just the last 50 years. Longer periods of drought and low water levels are expected to exacerbate water quality concerns and increase threats to Lake Tahoe’s pristine ecosystem. Reports on social media over the Fourth of July weekend of possible harmful algal blooms in Lake Tahoe raised concerns about this very issue. Water quality agencies announced earlier this week that all tests for harmful algae in the lake have come back negative, with one test from a backwater pond at Nevada Beach showing low levels of toxins. Site managers are taking appropriate steps to cordon off the area and the concerns have been largely diffused, but the stories raised the specter of unhealthy, unnatural conditions in Lake Tahoe. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
BAY AREA
Pacific Flyway Center takes wing: Nature site aims to bring public closer to migratory birds
“Last summer, shovels began turning on a future landscape interpretation center at the edge of the Suisun Marsh, one of the four North American flyways and a stopping point for millions of birds on their 10,000-mile migratory path from Alaska to Patagonia. Three miles of publicly accessible trails will weave through 15 newly constructed wetland ponds that will serve as habitat for the resting, nesting and feeding of migratory or native birds. “We are inviting the birds to land,” said Veronica Cornett, project manager for the future Pacific Flyway Center. “That is the first and most important part of the project.” … ” Read more from Local News Matters.
San Jose water rate hikes could drop
“The for-profit company feeding water to six Santa Clara County cities may agree to walk back its plan for a 22% water rate hike over three years. State officials are in the process of developing a settlement with the San Jose Water Company that would adjust its controversial January proposal, after residents during hearings this summer questioned how working families or seniors on fixed incomes could absorb the increases. “(The settlement) would see the rate increases more aligned with anticipated inflation,” Richard Rauschmeier, program manager of the California Public Utilities Commission’s Public Advocates Office, told San José Spotlight. … ” Read more from the San Jose Spotlight.
CENTRAL COAST
Weather dampens ‘23 Monterey County crop value
“Gross crop values in Monterey County, California were down in 2023, due largely to weather events that destroyed or delayed crops. Planting schedules were hampered as major storms in January and March caused significant flooding along the Salinas River. Wine grape harvest got a later start but ended on a positive note. Though some strawberries were destroyed by the floods, they remained the county’s No. 1 crop by value, with gross sales of over $900 million. Despite the weather challenges, farmers still managed to produce over $4.35 billion worth of diversified specialty crops, which was 6.1% down from the previous year, according to the annual Monterey County Crop and Livestock Report. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Wildfires threatened but didn’t damage water pumping facilities
“Recent wildfires threatened but did not damage pumping facilities of Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District and the State Water Project. General Manager Tom Neisler told members of the district’s board of directors on July 17 that the Thompson Fire started on July 2 near Lake Oroville. The lake is an integral part of the State Water Project that provides water to many areas of California, including Tehachapi. Neisler said the fire burned 3,789 acres before it was contained. When it burned through the SWP’s Oroville operations area, a hydroelectric plant had to be shut down for two days. … Locally, water district facilities were recently threatened by the Orchard Incident and Rancho Fire. The first of those wildfires, the Orchard Incident, was reported July 3. … ” Read more from the Tehachapi News.
EASTERN SIERRA
Officials see progress after resurgence of iconic US lake system, but concerns remain: ‘It’s sort of counterintuitive’
“Southern California’s increasing demand for water has long wreaked havoc on the regions from where that water flows. As conservation progresses, though, there is still a long way to go. Joint projects by Inyo County and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power have helped partially restore the barren Owens Valley, but “if these efforts are to survive in the long term, Southern California needs to rethink its water sourcing,” as the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club reported in March. The LADWP has been diverting water from Mono Lake tributaries since 1941, after extending the Los Angeles Aqueduct. The original channel was completed in 1913 to feed the growing metropolis from Owens Lake, but it sucked that water dry in less than a decade. … ” Read more from The Cool Down.
Celebrating three decades of unique watershed education in the Mono Basin
“Thirty years ago Madres del Este de Los Angeles Santa Isabel (MELASI), an environmental and social justice group participating in a city-sponsored ultra-low-flush toilet distribution program, made the 350-mile journey north to join the Mono Lake Committee in seeing the benefit of their water conservation work and learn more about the source of their water at Mono Lake. Now in its thirtieth year, the Mono Basin Outdoor Education Center (OEC) program is hosting more than 25 community and school groups this summer. Participants primarily from Los Angeles will visit Mono Lake to connect with the source of their water through multi-day trips full of watershed education through hands-on learning and stewardship activities. … ” Read more from the Mono Lake Committee.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
SCV Water to develop water use efficiency strategic plan
“SCV Water, with the help of consultant A&N Technical Services, is set to develop SCV Water’s first Water Use Efficiency Strategic Plan (WUESP). It is a critical planning component that will provide the Agency with strategic objectives and effective conservation program elements to comply with the State’s new Conservation Long-Term Framework and performance measures as well as measures and programs to service the community’s water conservation goals. “We’re excited to start this venture,” said SCV Water Sustainability Manager Matt Dickens. “Successful development of the Water Use Efficiency Strategic Plan will help the Agency to achieve several of its strategic plan goals including advancing demand management in the valley and achieving state mandated water use efficiency targets.” … ” Read more from Santa Clarita Magazine.
How to best filter your L.A. tap water based on your ZIP Code
“Nearly a year ago, I scribbled “Replace Brita filter” on my to-do list. But the errand perpetually fell by the wayside. There were so many more pressing tasks to complete. “Oh, it’s fine,” I thought. “How bad can it be?” Let’s just say that a day into reporting this story, I ran out to the market and bought a three-pack. We reach for our water taps more than almost any other object in our homes — to brush our teeth, wash our faces, make coffee or tea in the morning. To cook meals, rinse dishes and wipe countertops. To water the plants, do laundry and fill our pets’ bowls. To shower and shave. And most often for a drink. But how much do you really know about what’s in your tap water? And if you filter it, are you using the right technology? … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Parts of Venice Beach, Dockweiler State Beach off-limits due to sewage discharge
“The water and wet sand from Dockweiler State Beach and Venice Beach are off-limits to swimmers and other beach visitors after about 15,000 gallons of sewage was discharged into Ballona Creek on Saturday. The discharge occurred around 4 p.m. Saturday near 2700 S. Cresta Place, when a water main break pushed sand into the sewer and caused a blockage, LA City Sanitation reported. People are urged to avoid the water and wet sand on beaches one mile north and a mile south of Ballona Creek for at least 48 hours, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Two water quality tests must show that bacterial levels meet health standards before the beaches will reopen. Samples will start Monday. … ” Read more from NBC 4.
Along the Colorado River …
10 Lessons from a Collaborative Modeling Approach to discussing more adaptive Lake Powell and Lake Mead operations
“Water models serve a variety of purposes. Stakeholders and managers use models to simulate the effects of new possible management operations decades into the future. Models can quantify tradeoffs between stakeholder’s conflicting objectives. Models can also help stakeholders understand how their system works. In a recent study, I created a new collaborative modeling approach to spur discussion of a combined Lake Powell-Lake Mead water bank as one possibility to adapt to the ongoing crisis on the Colorado River. Within the collaborative modeling environment, basin partners immersed in and personified the role of water users in the basin. They devised, examined, discussed, and improved strategies for water management. This blog post explains the process used in the study. I also share 10 lessons from the new modeling approach. … ” Continue reading at the California Water Blog.
Wave goodbye to 19 feet of water as Lake Mead begins 6-month drop
“Lake Mead has begun its slow decline, the start of an expected 19-foot drop over the next six months. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s website shows that Lake Mead has dropped every day since hitting 1,076.62 feet above sea level on Monday, March 4. It’s not a noticeable change right now — only about 3 inches of water by noon on Friday. The most recent projections show the level will drop to 1,057.50 feet in September. That drop could once again expose boat wreckages and force changes in operations at marinas and boat ramps to adjust to the water level. … ” Read more from MSN News.
