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On the calendar today …
- WEBINAR: Indicators of Climate Change: Bridging Science and Action from 10am to 11:30am. This webinar is the fourth in a six-part series hosted by the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) as part of its efforts to track and report on climate change and its impacts on California. Co-convened with the California Ocean Protection Council, the webinar will address the impacts of climate change on California’s oceans and coasts, and efforts underway to address them. More information is posted on the webinar webpage. Register on Zoom to join the webinar.
- WEBINAR: Beaver Restoration and Management on Tribal Land from 12pm to 1:30pm. Presenting are Allison Warner, The Tulalip Tribes and Skip Lisle, Beaver Deceivers International. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
Park Fire jeopardizing one of California’s most iconic species: ‘This species could blink out’
“California’s fifth largest wildfire is encroaching on some of the last strongholds for imperiled salmon, with potentially devastating consequences for a species already on the brink. The explosive Park Fire has spread into the Mill and Deer Creek watersheds in Tehama County, which are two of the three remaining creeks where wild, independent populations of spring-run Chinook, a threatened species, still spawn in the Central Valley. If the Park Fire climbs to higher altitudes, federal and state officials said it could strike the final deathblow to the region’s spring-run salmon, which are already at risk of extinction. “It’s really concerning. It’s really sad. Spring-run Chinook populations have taken such a hit over the past few years, and they’re just at a critically low point,” said Howard Brown, senior policy advisor with the Central Valley office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s West Coast fisheries region. “The emotional toll of seeing a fire like this hit such an important place, with (critically at-risk) populations that are suffering so bad, it just feels like the cards are stacked up deeply.” … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
California weather: More heat, monsoon thunderstorms to raise fire risk
“After a brief absence, hot weather and monsoon thunderstorms are set to return to California as August arrives. An area of high pressure will expand across the western U.S. on Wednesday and continue strengthening through Friday. The axis of the high-pressure system over the Rocky Mountains will spare California from the most extreme heat. However, its position will put parts of the Golden State in the path of increased monsoon moisture and associated thunderstorms. Rising temperatures and thunderstorms will also challenge firefighting efforts as wildfires continue to burn across the state. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
SEE ALSO: U.S. faces prolonged, coast-to-coast heat wave. Here’s a forecast for 12 cities., from the Washington Post
Rising from the ashes: Groundwater agency blamed for Kings County probationary woes relaunches
“After several rounds of musical chairs in front of a standing-room only audience, a groundwater agency that had been blamed for putting Kings County into probationary status with the state was reconstituted and launched anew Monday night. “Tonight’s the night we come together,” said Kings County Supervisor Doug Verboon, who, along with his fellow supervisors and the vice mayor of Hanford make up the new six-member board of the Mid-Kings River Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA). Chuck Kinney, director of the Kings County Community Development Agency, will act as the GSA’s General Manager. “One thing I want to get across is how extremely hard it was to get these three entities in one room in one night,” Verboon told SJV Water, referring to the Board of Supervisors, City of Hanford and the Kings County Water District. “If we hadn’t done this, the state would have been there at midnight. This had to get done.” … ” Read more from SJV Water.
CA Supreme Court decision paves the way for water rate decoupling
“On July 8, 2024, the California Supreme Court issued its opinion in Golden State Water Company v. Public Utilities Commission. The petitioners, California Water Association, California-American Water Company, California Water Service Company, Golden State Water Company, Liberty Utilities (Park Water) Corporation and Liberty Utilities (Apple Valley Ranchos Water) Corporation, sought review of a 2020 California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) decision that prohibited regulated water utilities from continuing to employ a decoupling ratesetting mechanism known as the Water Revenue Adjustment Mechanism. The CPUC regulates investor-owned water service providers. The Court set aside portions of the CPUC decision that prohibited continuation of the decoupling mechanism. A Nossaman team led by Lori Anne Dolqueist, Willis Hon, Martin Mattes and Alex Van Roekel represented three of the petitioners. … ” Read more from Nossaman.
Alliance for Water Efficiency study shows California Water Service’s conservation efforts save customers money
“Water conservation efforts have reduced California Water Service (Cal Water) customers’ bills by as much as 20.5 percent over the last 15 years compared to what they would have been without those efforts, according to a new study released by the Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE). Cal Water’s water efficiency and conservation measures during that time decreased operating costs, which in turn saved customers money. Water conservation has been shown to be the lowest-cost source of supply, because when less water is used, some costly investments required to produce additional water supplies can be deferred and potentially avoided. This study, “The Economic Value of Efficiency for California Water Service: Lower Water Bills,” details the impact of Cal Water’s water conservation efforts on affordability. … ” Read more from Markets Insider.
A five-year journey over 5,000 miles: MWDOC’s landmark leak detection program
“In 2015, the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) embarked on an ambitious journey to combat water loss across the county. This initiative aimed to ensure compliance with Assembly Bill 1440 and Senate Bill 555, mandating strict water loss control measures for local water suppliers. Fast forward to today, and the results speak volumes about the program’s effectiveness and the impact of proactive water management. Since August 2019, MWDOC’s dedicated leak detection crew have been diligently working in the field, surveying over 5,100 miles of water mains. Acting as leak detectives, MWDOC’s highly skilled technicians use tried-and-true acoustic equipment—a method that has been around for centuries—combined with modern digital filtering and geographic information systems (GIS) to pinpoint underground leaks. … ” Read more from ACWA’s Water News.
State Water Board adopts permanent water restrictions
“Just before a national holiday, the California State Water Resources Control Board adopted a proposed regulation, placing permanent water restrictions on residents and urban water suppliers. The policy, “Making Conservation a California Way of Life” was approved on July 3, and requires urban water suppliers to reduce the amount of water provided to customers over the next 15 years. If suppliers and customers fail to reduce water use, the districts would face fines of up to $10,000 a day. As such, districts can implement mandatory restrictions and raise rates on high-volume water users. The SWB’s approval marks the first time it has moved to introduce permanent water cuts. The policy is awaiting approval from the Office of Administrative Law and, if approved, the regulation will take effect on Jan. 1, 2025. … ” Read more from Valley Ag Voice.
Irrigation tax could steer farmers from water-intensive crops
“Your post-workout almond milk and fruit smoothie might one day leave your pocketbook significantly slimmer too, as water shortages in western U.S. states threaten to alter the price and availability of some types of produce. A new University of Maryland-led study found that water conservation policies that raise the cost of irrigation for California farmers could result in them leaving agriculture or switching from perennial crops like fruit trees to annual crops like tomatoes. The study reveals potential wide-ranging effects of controversial water taxes proposed under California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which is designed to achieve groundwater sustainability by 2042. … ” Read more from PhysOrg.
California legislators spin words to drive ag policy
“California’s agriculture industry is no stranger to regulatory challenges, with the latest wave of proposed mandates set to crest on Aug. 5 when state legislators return from July recess. In the months leading up to recess, several bills — if passed — will have a substantial effect on agriculture. With so much at stake, understanding the language behind the policies is crucial. After all, every bill, from the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act to the federal Farm Bill, hinges on the authority of the way words are framed on a page. Beyond the need for bill phrasing to accurately reflect a lawmaker’s intentions, certain phrases or terms are often included to garner political support — the inclusion or exclusion of certain language can be a strategic move to push legislation forward. … ” Read more from Valley Ag Voice.
Project using farm waste to fuel bioeconomy
“In California’s Northern San Joaquin Valley, crop leftovers such as almond shells, fruit peels and orchard trimmings can potentially be converted into sustainable bioproducts and biofuels – with the right technology. The philanthropy Schmidt Sciences’ Virtual Institute on Feedstocks of the Future, which supports replacing fossil feedstocks with renewable biomass sources, has awarded new funding to a group investigating how to make better use of the diverse agricultural waste in the region. “This is an important project for California as it quantifies the diverse ‘ingredients’ in the North San Joaquin Valley available to fuel the emerging biomanufacturing industry in the state,” said Gabe Youtsey, chief innovation officer for the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources…. ” Read more from Farm Progress.
Report from Stanford Law School Policy Lab and Stanford Doerr School makes recommendations to advance nature-based solutions
“Nature-based solutions can play a significant role in combating climate change by removing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; yet, investments in reforestation and other nature-based projects are lagging due, in large part, to inadequate quantification and confirmation of carbon removals and other ecosystem benefits that typically flow from nature-based investments—including increased resilience to climate impacts, according to a new report from Stanford Law School’s Law and Policy Lab, the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, and the Bezos Earth Fund, published today. Stanford Law’s Policy Labs provide students with hands-on experience influencing and advising individuals, government agencies, and non-profit organizations about cutting-edge issues in real time. … ” Read more from Stanford University.
50,000 tires, 12,000 mattresses, and mountains of trash hauled away: Clean California marks three years of progress
“Governor Gavin Newsom’s historic Clean California initiative celebrated three years of service today in statewide beautification and cleanup projects. Launched in July 2021, the sweeping $1.2 billion initiative has – and continues to – beautify the state’s highway system and local communities by hauling away mountains of trash and investing in hundreds of transformative local projects. “For decades, trash piled up on California’s highways and in our communities without a concerted, comprehensive effort to clean it up,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “Three years ago, Clean California became our answer. Countless neighborhoods in every corner of our state are cleaner and healthier thanks to Clean California.” … ” Read more from the Office of the Governor.
California wildfires have already charred 30 times as many acres as all of last year — and it’s still summer
“Summer isn’t even half over in California, and wildfires have already scorched more than 751,000 acres, straining firefighting resources, forcing evacuations and destroying homes. The total dwarfs the average amount burned over the last five years. As of Tuesday, 4,613 fires have charred through more than a dozen counties spanning from Siskiyou to San Diego. The most recent, the Nixon fire in Riverside County, continues to burn out of control. Last year’s wildfire season was unusually tame, but there were still 3,746 infernos that burned 25,763 acres — an area nearly the size of San Francisco. In 2022, 7,477 wildfires burned 331,358 acres, according to data from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via Yahoo News.
Supercharged by climate change, Western megafires explode simultaneously
“In western North America, wildfire season is in full swing—and well on its way toward setting records. Over the past two weeks, infernos have been tearing through parts of California, Oregon and Canada, leaving scorched trails in their wake. Though these regions are no strangers to fire, experts say the pace at which some of the blazes have intensified is shocking. As thousands flee under evacuation orders, firefighters are flooding in to help, but they’re struggling to contain the fires amidst a unique climate-fueled cocktail of conditions. … ” Continue reading from Inside Climate News.
In regional water news and commentary today …
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Why Tahoe’s famously clear water is seeing huge swings in clarity
“Lake Tahoe’s famous clarity, considered a gauge of the lake’s overall health, experienced historic swings back and forth last year, according to a report released Tuesday. During winter months in 2023, researchers documented water visibility at 91.8 feet across the lake on average, “the clearest observation since 1983 and the 10th best on record,” according to the report. But in summer months when water temperatures rise, visibility shrank to 53.5 feet on average, which researchers say is the fifth murkiest observed in 56 years. Researchers attribute the near-40-foot difference in clarity primarily to a springtime surge of silt and sediment carried into the lake with the melting of the Sierra’s historic snowpack that accumulated in the winter of 2022-2023. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle (gift article).
SEE ALSO:
- Lake Tahoe’s clarity sees improvement in winter but seasonal shifts widened in 2023 report, from the San Francisco Chronicle
- Lake Tahoe 2023 winter clarity was best in 40 years, UC Davis report finds, from CBS Sacramento
Educational tour highlights Tahoe’s role in the California watershed
“The Water Education Foundation’s “Sierra Headwaters Tour” concluded on Friday, July 26, wrapping up multiple days of educational seminars about Tahoe Basin water issues. The tour visited Eldorado National Forest, the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, and Lake Tahoe (among other locations) to highlight the work each does in the California watershed. The Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources are both major sponsors of the multi-day event. “We do public water education, not just for professionals. We want everyone’s opinion to be as informed as possible,” says Nick Gray, the organization’s Programs Director. “Part of that is emphasizing that the water story doesn’t start at the reservoirs.”The tour tied wildfire and forest health to water issues in California. The event’s description highlighted that California’s “water supply is largely dependent on the health of our Sierra forests, which are suffering from ecosystem degradation, drought, wildfires and widespread tree mortality.” … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
NAPA/SONOMA
Is the Russian River safe for swimming?
“Summer is here, and the Russian River is a favorite spot for cooling off. But is it really safe to take a dip? The answer is complicated. Recent water quality tests reveal a mixed picture. Coliform bacteria are a group of microorganisms commonly found in the environment, including human and animal feces. The US EPA recommends that fresh recreational water for body contact have fewer than 126 colonies per 100 milliliters (mL). … ” Read more from the Sonoma Gazette.
Russian River Redwoods destined for long-term preservation
“224 acres of redwood forest near Guerneville won’t be logged. That’s after a small group of local activists filed a lawsuit against CalFire. KRCB’s Amaray Alvarez headed west to check out the forest known as the Russian River Redwoods and files this report. [the sound of cars going by] That’s traffic from State Route 116 between Guerneville and Monte Rio. The mostly second-growth redwood forest in question is right in the middle of a busy residential and recreational area. … ” Read more from Northern California Public Radio.
BAY AREA
CSPA submits scoping comments on water rights application 29835 – Mokelumne River Conjunctive Use Program
On July 30, 2024, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) and The Center for Biological Diversity (The Center) submitted public scoping comments on Water Rights Application 29835 (Application 29835) and the associated Mokelumne River Conjunctive Use Program (MICUP). Public scoping comments are intended to inform project leaders on what should be included in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR), in this case for a water development project. Application 29835 seeks to appropriate up to 110,000 acre-feet (AF) of Mokelumne River water per year. This water would be diverted at a rate of up to 620 cubic feet per second (cfs) between December 1 and June 30 during wetter years. Most of this water would be stored in aquifers that are currently overdrafted. Up to 48,000 AF of this water would also possibly be stored in Camanche and/or Pardee reservoirs. … ” Read more from the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance.
New wastewater treatment plant keeps sunnyvale on course to meet sustainability goals
““Essential infrastructure that everybody needs and nobody thinks about.” That’s how Sunnyvale Environmental Services director Ramana Chinnakotla described the city’s new $102 million wastewater headworks and primary treatment facility at June’s ribbon-cutting. The event honored the small army of city employees and past and present city council members whose dedicated leadership and focus “made this project possible,” said Chinnakotla. The new primary treatment plant is one of the largest projects in Sunnyvale’s Cleanwater Program, a $1.3 billion multi-year effort to rebuild the city’s 70-year-old sewage treatment system. The new plant is the first step in cleaning wastewater so it’s clean enough to safely discharge into San Francisco Bay or recycle for non-potable uses — about 300 million gallons a year. … ” Read more from the Silicon Valley Voice.
Low fluoride levels in Los Altos water cause dental concern
“Arthur Bobrove and wife Helen lived in Palo Alto for almost 40 years before he and Helen moved to Los Altos in 2018. Helen never had issues with her teeth, he said, but after living in Los Altos for six years, she was encouraged by her dentist to receive fluoride treatments. “She noted she had more cavities, two which needed to be extracted and (needed) implants,” he said in a phone call. Arthur was surprised when he saw, unlike Palo Alto, Los Altos postal codes are receiving barely fluoridated water. According to Santa Clara Valley Water, which provides water to various water suppliers in Santa Clara County, buildings in 94022 and 94024 zip codes are provided sub-optimally or partially fluoridated water. Water fluoridation numbers in Los Altos vary from 0 to .18 parts per liter, the number averaging out to .11 parts per liter. … ” Read more from the Los Altos Town Crier.
CENTRAL COAST
Soledad asks residents to cut back on water due to lack of supply
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Visalia-based nonprofit swamped by requests for help from San Joaquin Valley groundwater agencies
“Self-Help Enterprises, a nonprofit that works with rural valley residents whose wells go dry, may need a little help of its own as more and more groundwater agencies are hoping to use it as a pillar in their plans to reach sustainability. The nonprofit already has a $5.8 million annual contract with groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) in the Kaweah subbasin, a one-time $90,000 contract with the Eastern Tule GSA and a $90,300-per-domestic well in the Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District GSA, both in the Tule subbasin. And it’s in talks to provide services to GSAs in the vast Kern subbasin. “They’ve definitely made it clear that they are evaluating their capacity,” Delano-Earlimart General Manager Eric R. Quinley said. “They are driven by staffing and funding like all of us.” … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Del Oro: Treatment plant passes important testing
“On Monday Del Oro Water Company reported its recently completed water treatment plant passed important testing, providing what can be seen as another step to providing reliable water for River Island area residents in the district. Del Oro announced as a result of the water treatment plant the district’s water passed bacteriological and nitrate testing. As a result for customers in River Island Territory 1 a do not drink notice was lifted. “As of July 29, 2024, Del Oro Water is pleased to report that the water being distributed throughout the system passed bacteriological and nitrate testing and that it is no longer necessary to use bottled water for drinking and cooking,” Del Oro stated in a released statement. … ” Read more from the Porterville Recorder.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Reviving the Los Angeles River: Engineering alongside nature and society
“Much of the Los Angeles River is currently a concrete channel. Angelenos often joke that it is hardly a river, given that it is frequently dry and perhaps better known as the location for motorcycle and car chases in Hollywood blockbusters. Yet, the concrete channel serves an important purpose. The channel and multiple dams were put in place as flood control measures by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after a series of devastating storms in the early 1900s (Gumprecht 2001). The concrete channel fixed in place a river that was previously a dynamic landscape that frequently flooded and changed course. The denuded and straightened channel also reduced flow resistance, easing the passage of high flows towards San Pedro Bay. … ” Read more from the National Academies.
Rescued trout are ‘trapped’ in Upper Arroyo Seco. New study advocates removing barriers
“Removing man-made barriers in a major tributary of the Los Angeles River could provide a lifeline for native trout — most, if not all, of which were rescued from a destructive 2020 fire — according to a new report. A presentation of the findings last week by environmental consultant Stillwater Sciences called for taking out three impediments in a stretch of the Arroyo Seco that restrict the movement of the trout, potentially cutting them off from spawning areas or refuge from drought. The nonprofit Arroyo Seco Foundation commissioned the research as part of a multiyear project to improve the flow of the winding creek and benefit an endangered species of trout. “We want to maintain biodiversity and try to use nature-based solutions where we can,” said Robert Kurkjian, president of the Arroyo Seco Foundation. “So the idea is to remove some of these barriers so the fish can move up and down the stream as necessary to survive.” … ” Read more from the LA Times.
It’s oil that makes LA boil
“The weird thing about growing up in oil country was that I had no idea I was growing up in oil country. I thought we lived in Hollywood. Sure, Culver City didn’t have the glitz and glamor of the parts of town where the movie stars lived and partied; it was a film-industrial suburb, where they went to work. But it was still Los Angeles after all, not West Texas or Saudi Arabia, where one expects to find pumpjacks bobbing in the sun. But before LA became Tinseltown, it was an oil town. And though the oil wells that loom even today atop the nearby Baldwin Hills should have been a clue, it never really dawned on me that LA still is. Throughout my childhood, over the years I lived elsewhere, and today now that I’ve moved back, those pumps have been extracting oil 24 hours a day, every day of the year, some less than half a mile from my home. Though the city’s grandees no longer gather to drink and sing “Yes it’s oil, oil, oil / that makes LA boil,” the industry remains. For now. … ” Read more from Noema.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
This stinks: Salton Sea now emitting bad smells year round. Here’s why
“It assailed Jessica Perez on Friday evening as she left her job as receptionist for the Desert Recreation District at the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club by the Salton Sea. She hurried to her car to escape. The next day, she walked out the door to take her 2-year-old son to the neighborhood park in Mecca. It hit her again. The smell. … Humidity, hot winds and the decaying Salton Sea have long been been a recipe for nostril and stomach misery during the summer across large swaths of the eastern Coachella Valley. But now, an analysis of 20 years worth of records by a UC Riverside laboratory shows a disturbing new trend: The noxious odor is hanging around at detectable lower levels year-round. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun.
Company extracts lithium without traditional mining: ‘We want to tap into this resource and create a sustainable source’
“The mining of lithium, a material used in most rechargeable batteries, is essential in the age of electrification, but the process has notable environmental downsides. Now, as Interesting Engineering reports, a “greener” method of harvesting it has surfaced. In order to support our renewable energy infrastructure and growing adoption of electric vehicles, we’ll need more lithium. Currently, around half of the world’s supply comes from South America and places such as Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. Miners drill holes in salt flats and pump a mineral-rich brine to the surface, per the article. Unfortunately, that process uses massive amounts of water. Around 500,000 gallons are used for each ton of lithium obtained, a valuable resource in those arid locations. Additionally, sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide are commonly used in the extraction, which are harmful to ecosystems and local wildlife. … ” Read more from The Cool Down.
Water Board settles with City of Calexico over illegal water shutoffs, misuse of state funding
“The State Water Resources Control Board and California Attorney General Rob Bonta have entered into a settlement with the City of Calexico in connection with alleged violations of the Water Shutoff Protection Act and the Water and Wastewater System Payments under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. As part of the settlement, the city will pay an administrative penalty of $350,000, consisting of a $150,000 payment to the State Water Board and $200,000 to fund a water conservation program to benefit residential customers. The city will also implement terms of the settlement that will increase consumer protections and pay up to $150,000 in restitution to customers impacted by the city’s past violations. “The right to access water is fundamental, and no family should have to endure the hardships of living without this basic necessity,” said State Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Yet, during the height of the pandemic, many families were devastatingly impacted by illegal water shutoffs. This is simply unacceptable. This settlement will provide both monetary relief for affected families and solutions to ensure that critical water services remain protected against illegal shutoffs.” … ” Read more from the State Water Resources Control Board.
Along the Colorado River …
New collaborative research generates lessons for more adaptive lake management
““Sometimes the crazy ideas lead to watershed improvements.” That was a key takeaway from new research conducted by Utah State University, published in the American Society of Civil Engineers Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management. Using online spreadsheets during video calls, 26 Colorado River Basin managers and experts took on water user roles to discuss consuming, banking and trading Colorado River water. As Western states face aridity and reservoir levels depleting, more of the water available for consumption and conservation comes from reservoir inflow, not storage. Water banking gives users more flexibility to respond to variable inflow and declining storage. Banking contrasts with current river management that requires California, Arizona, Nevada and Mexico to reduce their consumption as Lake Mead levels decline. … ” Read more from Utah State University.
Advancing Water Management: Installation of eddy covariance stations in the Upper Colorado Basin
“Federal funding for Drought Contingency Plan-related activities in the Upper Colorado Basin is coming to fruition. The initial $8.7 million investment announced under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in July 2023 was earmarked for the purchase and installation of 10 new eddy covariance (EC) stations in the upper basin and installation of those stations will soon be complete. Eddy covariance stations play a crucial role in measuring evapotranspiration rates within the basin. Evapotranspiration is defined as the combined process of water loss through soil evaporation and plant transpiration, and is influenced by factors such as solar radiation, atmospheric vapor pressure, temperature, and wind and soil moisture levels. Reclamation and the Upper Basin states, along with other partners, studied evapotranspiration in the basin from 2018 through 2020, using the basin’s four original EC stations. The ground-truth data that was collected and analyzed provided critical insight and demonstrated the need and value of expanding the methodology. … ” Read more from the Bureau of Reclamation.
Is Lake Powell doomed? And if so, what comes next?
“Lake Powell is up. If you’re a houseboat or Jet Ski lover, that’s the good news. Two wet winters in the Rocky Mountains buoyed the reservoir to 3,585 feet above sea level or 40% full, up from just 22% in 2022. But long term, the outlook is bleak. Climate change and overallocation of the Colorado River mean that Powell and its downstream cousin Lake Mead, might never be full again. A few more dry years and the reservoir could again drop to the elevation where it no longer generates power (3,490 feet above sea level) or below the outlets and the dam can’t release water into the Grand Canyon (3,370 feet above sea level). Maybe Powell will live on, but if it does go the way of the Utah grizzly bear, it will leave behind a changed landscape. … ” Read more from the Salt Lake Tribune.
In national water news today …
The role of big data in water resource management: Predicting and preventing crises
“Imagine a world that is not plagued by water crises, where everyone — regardless of location, regardless of socio-economic status, regardless of race or religion — has all the water they need. For many of us who have grown up in areas where access to clean, fresh water is not guaranteed, such a world is difficult to conceive. Yet, thanks to rapidly advancing technology, a world without water scarcity might become a reality. In particular, the widespread adoption of Big Data has the potential to revolutionize water resource management, expanding the possibilities of water-related work and altering the development of water systems to improve sustainability in both agriculture and metropolitan areas. … ” Read more from Water Online.
US farmers want to adapt to climate change, but crop insurance won’t let them
“In Kansas, where a prolonged drought has killed crops and eroded the soil, Gail Fuller’s farm is like an oasis. Sheep, cows and chickens graze freely on crops and vegetation in a paradisiacal mess.But if Fuller’s farm were to be hit by a tornado or flood, or be seriously impacted by the drought, he would be alone in footing the bill. That’s because his farming practices aren’t protected by federal crop insurance, a nearly century-old safety net that hasn’t adapted to the climate change era.Fuller is one of a growing number of farmers who are uninsured or under-insured because the industry doesn’t support switching from traditional to regenerative farming, an approach that has the potential to sequester enough carbon to halve agricultural emissions by 2030. That shift is becoming more urgent both to slow climate change and insulate farmers from its impacts, yet the insurance industry continues to stand in the way. … ” Read more from Bloomberg via PhysOrg.
Fall forecast: Warm autumn to fuel ‘second summer’ across most of the US
“As autumn leaves begin to transform the landscape into hues of red and gold, the weather patterns across the United States will also start to shift. However, for many eagerly awaiting the arrival of sweater weather and cool, cozy evenings, it may feel like summer is overstaying its welcome. Meteorological autumn begins on Sunday, Sept. 1, followed by the arrival of astronomical fall at 5:43 a.m. PDT on Sunday, Sept. 22. Regardless of which date you consider the start of the new season, AccuWeather’s team of long-range forecasters has one word for the upcoming season: Warm. When will cool air replace the summer heat and humidity? Will this year’s tornado count continue to rise well above the historical average? Is there a chance for some snowflakes to fall later in the season? Find out the answers to these questions and more with AccuWeather’s 2024 U.S. fall forecast. … ” Continue reading at AccuWeather.
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
NOTICE OF PREPARATION and Public Meetings for Tides End Multibenefit Restoration Project
