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In California water news today …
Federal government declares San Francisco Bay longfin smelt “endangered”
“The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) today listed the San Francisco Bay’s population of longfin smelt as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The ruling responds to a 2007 petition and follows years of advocacy and legal action by Baykeeper and allied organizations, including a 2024 lawsuit to compel the Service to comply with required ESA deadlines. Longfin smelt were once one of the most abundant fishes in the San Francisco Bay estuary, but populations have declined more than 99% from 1980’s levels. This crash was caused by unsustainable diversion of Central Valley tributary rivers that slash annual freshwater flow into the Bay by 53% on average, and by more than 70% in the critical winter-spring period in some recent years. To thrive, longfin smelt need relatively high levels of freshwater flow into the Bay’s estuary. The extreme overuse of limited freshwater resources, which are mostly diverted to industrial agribusiness, causes perpetual drought-like conditions for longfin smelt and other native fish. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Baykeeper.
Do California farmers respond to electricity prices?
“Farmers consume nearly 7% of California’s electricity. The vast majority of this electricity is used to power groundwater pumps, which farmers rely on for irrigating thirsty, high-value crops such as grapes, almonds, and pistachios. Groundwater is especially important during drought years, when farmers need to make up for surface water shortages by pulling water out of the Central Valley’s underground aquifers. In a new Energy Institute working paper, Energy Institute alums Fiona Burlig, Louis Preonas, and Matt Woerman measure the extent to which higher electricity prices cause farmers to reduce their groundwater use. The paper comes at a big moment in California policy—during the initial implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), the state’s first comprehensive groundwater regulation. Historically, groundwater in California had been treated like the wild west, with no pricing and no monitoring of groundwater usage leading to “a whole mess.” … ” Read more from The Energy Institute Blog.
When rivers run dry
“As we move into the full swing of summer, water managers are paying close attention to the remaining snowpack in the Sierra Nevada. Each year, water from melting snow flows into rivers, creating important environmental cues for native freshwater species and filling reservoirs, just as agricultural water demands peak during the growing season. But as California gets hotter with global climate change, our snowpack is shrinking and melting earlier in the year (Stewart et al. 2009), profoundly changing snow-dependent river ecosystems (Leathers et al. 2024), and leaving us with less water when people need it most. The loss of snow isn’t the only effect that climate change is having on our rivers. Two recent papers from the Berkeley Freshwater group investigated how flow regimes – the natural seasonal patterns of flowing water – are shifting in the state’s rivers. … ” Read more from the California Water Blog.
Unraveling the genetics of life-history traits: how diverse inheritance shapes steelhead trout
“Part of what makes salmon and steelhead so unique is their ability to straddle two distinct worlds – the rivers where they are born and the oceans where they grow to adulthood. The factors that drive the timing of their development and migratory behavior are somewhat of a puzzle, and one that fisheries scientists are intent on solving. In particular, there is a growing interest in determining how life-history traits in steelhead – such as size, age at maturity, spawn date, and patterns of migration – are influenced by individual genes, as well as the ecological conditions a fish encounters. Steelhead (the migratory, sea-faring form of Oncorhynchus mykiss) are exceptional in their diversity and are known to have dozens of unique life-history pathways essential for their survival. In an effort to unravel the genetic roots of this diversity, a recent study published in Molecular Ecology used large-scale genetic pedigree reconstruction (tracing family relationships using genetic data) to study sex-specific patterns and the heritability of life-history traits in steelhead (Beulke et al. 2023). … ” Read more from FishBio.
Fires in the West are becoming ever bigger, consuming. Why and what can be done?
“Decades of snuffing out fires at the first sign of smoke combined with climate change have laid the groundwork for a massive wildfire in northern California and scores of smaller ones across the western U.S. and Canada, experts say. These fires are moving faster and are harder to fight than those in the past. The only way to stop future wildfires from becoming so ferocious is to use smaller controlled fires, as indigenous people did for centuries, experts say. But they acknowledge that change won’t be easy. Here are some things to know about the latest fires and why they are so savage … ” Read more from Capital Public Radio.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
A fix for flooding and fish passage on the Klamath River
“This December marks the 60th anniversary of an historic and deadly event that occurred in northern California, impacting thousands of people, and forever changing several communities. It’s an event that Kathy Dowd, a member of the Pulikla Tribe of Yurok People (formerly the Resighini Rancheria in Del Norte County) distinctly remembers because of what happened when the rains began. … The flooding left a huge swath of destruction across several North Coast counties, killing 29, causing millions in damage and isolating entire communities such as the Pulikla from the outside world for months. After the water receded and damages were assessed, most residents found their homes were completely destroyed in what became known as a record-breaking 1,000-year flood event. … ” Read more from the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Harvest Water Program: Long-term solution for future droughts
“California’s largest agricultural water recycling scheme, Harvest Water, with an estimated cost of $597 million, is now in the construction phase. A significant part of SacSewer’s goal to increase recycled water delivery, the program will facilitate natural groundwater recovery, support sustainable agriculture, and enhance existing local habitats. In southern Sacramento County, decreasing groundwater levels are affecting water sustainability and ecosystem health. The idea of the Harvest Water Program dates back to 2004, with a long-term goal to increase recycled water deliveries that can be used instead of pumped groundwater for irrigation. The program has attracted key partners along the way to harness groundwater improvements and become a comprehensive program to strengthen and protect local habitats. We speak with Heidi Oriol, the program coordinator of the Harvest Water Program, about the details of this unique recycled water scheme. … ” Read more from Water Finance & Management.
San Francisco has a sewage problem. Climate change is making it worse
“San Francisco is one of several major cities with a sewage system which can get overwhelmed during storms. A case concerning the city’s water quality violations is headed to the Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court’s taking up a legal fight between San Francisco and the federal Environmental Protective Agency – Protection Agency. At issue is the city’s sewer system and what it does when it gets overwhelmed. Member station KQED’s Katherine Monahan takes it from there. … ” Read transcript or listen to podcast from NPR.
Coalition of public utilities file brief in San Francisco’s Supreme Court Clean Water Act case
“Last week, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) filed an amicus brief in support of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s (SFPUC) appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court for regulatory certainty in the Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program. The Court is expected to hear arguments in the case, City and County of San Francisco v. Environmental Protection Agency, this fall. Nineteen utilities representing major U.S. cities and eight state and regional clean water associations joined NACWA in asking the Court to strike down vague language in Clean Water Act permits that hinders the ability of municipalities to efficiently invest in critical infrastructure improvements and keep wastewater bills affordable. … ” Read more from Water Finance & Management.
Operators of former oil recycling facilities in Compton agree to pay $9.8 million for site cleanup
“Operators of two former oil recycling facilities in Compton, an area historically overburdened by the impacts of pollution, agreed to pay $9.8 million to resolve litigation regarding their failure to comply with cleanup orders issued by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. Leach Oil Company, Inc., Mouren-Laurens Oil Company, Inc., and related parties, deposited the funds in a trust for soil and groundwater cleanup and remediation at the sites they formerly operated. Between 1950 and 1998, the companies managed adjacent oil recycling, blending and packaging facilities near the intersection of Avalon and East Compton Boulevard. As part of the operations, bulk oil was stored in underground and aboveground tanks. Additionally, an underground pipeline was used to transport oil between the facilities. Investigations by Los Angeles Water Board staff detected contaminants in soil and groundwater across both sites due to oil and chemical releases from the tanks and pipeline. … ” Read more from the State Water Resources Control Board.
Along the Colorado River …
Invasive mussels’ larvae in Colorado could eventually cause problems in Nevada
“Evidence of invasive, destructive zebra mussels in the Colorado River could mean trouble for wildlife, boaters and water companies alike, but it’s not yet clear if the thumbnail-sized mollusk will appear in Southern Nevada as a result. Colorado Parks and Wildlife this month found zebra mussels’ microscopic larvae, called veligers, in the Colorado River and Government Highline Canal near Grand Junction, Colo. They will take more samples and increase testing for veligers to determine if the species has gained a foothold in Colorado’s waters, officials said. “They are prolific breeders, they change ecosystems over time,” said Kelly Stockton, a biologist who works in invasive mussel remediation. “If they find a good spot, they will proliferate and take over an area.” … ” Read more from the Las Vegas Sun.
Colorado water officials dream big, team up after feds drop $450 million for water projects
“The federal government has planned since 2022 to spend $450 million on water projects in four Western states, including Colorado. Last week, water officials finally learned which projects are eligible — and they’re planning to dream big. The funding is part of the federal government’s plan to address the impacts of drought in the overstretched Colorado River Basin. It will, in part, be used for projects that restore habitats and ecosystems or offer other environmental benefits, according to an announcement from the Bureau of Reclamation July 22. A second application period, which opens later this year, will focus on long-term water conservation efforts using the same bucket of funds. … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun.
New data enters Colorado River negotiations
“Two prominent water researchers and the state of Colorado disagree on the significance of new water use data published by the federal government in June. The state claims the data confirms its argument that headwaters states use less Colorado River water during dry years. Meanwhile, former Colorado River Water Conservation District general manager Eric Kuhn and Utah State University professor Jack Schmidt say the data paints a more complex picture. “Reclamation has worked extremely hard to bring the best cutting-edge science they can to a better and more accurate estimate of agricultural water use,” Schmidt said. “It’s just that the relationships that arise from better data are just as murky.” … ” Read more from Aspen Daily News.
In national water news today …
House reauthorizes Water Resources Development Act
“The U.S. House of Representatives last week passed legislation to reauthorize the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), a biennial bill that authorizes U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects. The bill, H.R. 8812, passed by a vote of 359 to 13. WRDA authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Civil Works Program for projects to improve the nation’s ports and harbors, inland waterway navigation, flood and storm protection, and other aspects of our water resources infrastructure. These are locally-driven projects that also deliver regional and national benefits for strengthening the nation’s global competitiveness and supply chain, growing the economy, moving goods throughout the country, protecting communities from flooding, and more. … ” Read more from Water Finance & Management.
Generative AI requires massive amounts of power and water, and the aging U.S. grid can’t handle the load
“Thanks to the artificial intelligence boom, new data centers are springing up as quickly as companies can build them. This has translated into huge demand for power to run and cool the servers inside. Now concerns are mounting about whether the U.S. can generate enough electricity for the widespread adoption of AI, and whether our aging grid will be able to handle the load. “If we don’t start thinking about this power problem differently now, we’re never going to see this dream we have,” said Dipti Vachani, head of automotive at Arm. The chip company’s low-power processors have become increasingly popular with hyperscalers like Google, Microsoft , Oracle and Amazon — precisely because they can reduce power use by up to 15% in data centers. … ” Read more from NBC 4.
