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In California water news today …
California cities now have mandatory water budgets. Here’s how to get ready
“In drought-prone California, pioneering water-saving initiatives have become indispensable to a sustainable future. Yet although water use has plateaued in some regions — even as the population has grown — a warming climate means all cities will need to conserve more. As a result, the state passed new water standards, Making Conservation a California Way of Life, which become effective Jan. 1, 2025. This new rule shifts away from a one-size-fits-all approach to community-specific conservation management. Historically, state-enacted emergency orders required all urban water suppliers to reduce their water use — no matter their water supply source or water use conditions. It’s much more difficult (and expensive) to squeeze 25% savings out of an already efficient community than it is to get those same savings from a community that has never invested in conservation. To better level the playing field and bring all communities to a baseline of efficiency, urban water suppliers now have a unique water budget they must achieve. … ” Read more from Western City.
Caltech earthquake tech reveals underground water levels using traffic noise
“Researchers at Caltech have developed an innovative technique to gauge soil moisture in the vadose zone, the shallow region between the surface and underground aquifers where plants and crops access water through their roots. This method employs seismic technology, typically used to measure ground shaking during earthquakes, but it can also detect vibrations from human activities such as traffic. As these vibrations travel through the ground, their speed is reduced by the presence of water; the more moisture, the slower the vibrations move. The new study leverages seismic vibrations from everyday traffic to measure the water content in the vadose zone. … ” Read more from Interesting Engineering.
Tough fish in a harsh place: Red hills roach
“Red Hills Roach are small (adults are 60-70 mm in total length) bronzy minnows that live in a challenging environment. They survive in a few small streams that start as seeps in a hot dry landscape, the serpentine outcrops of the Red Hills, at about 1200 ft in elevation (Tuolumne County). The streams flow through a hot landscape in summer, only lightly shaded, and a pool with more than a foot of water is regarded as deep. The water of the streams is likely laced with magnesium, iron, and other minerals leached from the serpentine deposits. Because the land through which the streams flow is of low value, in the past it had been mined, heavily grazed, and run-over by off-road vehicles. The region is now managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as the Red Hills Recreation Management Area. Of the 11 varieties of fish that are labeled as roach (Hesperoleucus), the Red Hills roach has the most restricted distribution, so is the most vulnerable to extinction (see California water blog for February 10, 2019; Baumsteiger and Moyle 2019). … ” Continue reading at the California Water Blog.
Climate scientists hope this new mapping tool could help drive the point home
“The consequences of climate change are right there in the name. But despite the ever-growing scientific evidence, the ongoing media coverage (from The Times and elsewhere) and an international treaty aimed at mitigating its effects, the scope of the crisis can be difficult to fathom on a personal level. Researchers at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science created a mapping tool they hope will bring the point home for people by allowing them to see how their local climate is projected to change in 60 years — and which city or region mirrors those conditions right now. The new tool was built using modeling from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and other research groups and presents its findings under two scenarios: high emissions, a future in which we failed to meaningfully cut emissions and mostly let global warming continue unabated; or reduced emissions, which assumes we collectively took meaningful action to curb emissions, though still shy of the goals of the Paris climate agreement. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
SEE ALSO:
- S.F. weather could end up feeling like Southern California’s. Maps show possible climate scenarios, from the San Francisco Chronicle
- Will global warming turn L.A. into San Bernardino? Map models climate change in 60 years, from the LA Times | Read via Yahoo News
Cooler weather helps firefighters corral a third of massive California blaze
“Fire crews battling California’s largest wildfire this year have corralled a third of the blaze aided in part by cooler weather, but a return of triple-digit temperatures could allow it to grow, fire officials said Sunday. Cooler temperatures and increased humidity gave firefighters “a great opportunity to make some good advances” on the fire in the Sierra Nevada foothills, said Chris Vestal, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Park Fire has scorched 627 square miles (1,623 square kilometers) since igniting July 24 when authorities said a man pushed a burning car into a gully in Chico and then fled. The blaze was 30% contained as of Sunday. The massive fire has scorched an area bigger than the city of Los Angeles, which covers about 503 square miles (1,302 square kilometers). It continues to burn through rugged, inaccessible, and steep terrain with dense vegetation. … ” Read more from the Associated Press.
Wildfires are increasing concentrations of mercury in Pacific Northwest headwater streams
“New research from the U.S. Geological Survey links wildfires to increased mercury concentrations in Pacific Northwest headwater streams. The findings document increases in total mercury mobilization and conversion to the more toxic form, methylmercury. The scientists also found increased methylmercury bioaccumulation in some aquatic insect species. These increased levels of mercury in headwater streams can pose risks to downstream ecosystems and human health. “These results indicate that, with increasing wildfire frequency and severity, we may expect to see increases in mercury transport, methylation, and bioaccumulation in headwater streams and potentially downstream lakes and reservoirs,” said Austin Baldwin, USGS research hydrologist who led the study. … ” Read more from the USGS.
The California Legislature returns this week. Here are 3 things you should know
“California legislators will return to Sacramento this Monday after spending almost all of July on summer break. Though they have wrapped up a difficult budget negotiation, lawmakers must still debate and vote on hundreds of bills before their work is done for the year. Lawmakers will tackle bills touching on a wide variety of issues from the tech industry to retail and grocery stores, higher education to election interference when they resume work. Here are three things to know as legislative work resumes Monday. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
In commentary today …
Jay Famiglietti: Will we have to pump the Great Lakes to California to feed the nation?
Jay Famiglietti writes, “Driving north through California’s Tejon Pass on Interstate 5, you spill down out of the mountains onto a breathtaking expanse of farm fields like few others in the world. Rows of almond, pistachio and citrus trees stretch as far as the eye can see, dotted by fields of grapes. Truckloads of produce zoom by, heading for markets around the country. The Central Valley of California supplies a quarter of the food on the nation’s dinner tables. But beneath this image of plenty and abundance, a crisis is brewing — an invisible one, under our feet — and it is not limited to California. Coast to coast, our food producing regions, especially those stretching from the southern Great Plains across the sunny, dry Southwest, rely heavily and sometimes exclusively on groundwater for irrigation. And it’s disappearing — fast. What happens to the nation’s food production if the groundwater runs out altogether? … ” Read more from the New York Times (gift article).
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
USGS: Surface water extend in the Klamath Basin
“The study documents a decades-long decline in the seasonal open-water area in Klamath Marsh using the Landsat imagery archive and a wetland classification algorithm. Between 2003 and 2021, the maximum annual open-water area of the marsh declined by about 50 percent. The decline in open-water area of the Klamath Marsh was determined to be due to declining streamflow into the marsh and declining groundwater level beneath and surrounding the marsh. The changes in streamflow and groundwater level could not be attributed to human water use and management, nor to changes in precipitation. Declines in the marsh open-water area, groundwater level, and streamflow were concurrent with an increase in the annual mean air temperature across the region and indicate that climate-related changes in evapotranspiration processes may be responsible. The study highlights the need to factor the impact of rising temperatures into decision making processes involving water management and forecasting in the Klamath Basin.” Check out the project page from the USGS.
Arcata group files third lawsuit against McKinleyville’s Kernen Construction over water pollution
“A local group filed a third lawsuit against a construction company in July for stormwater runoff violations under the Clean Water Act at a facility near McKinleyville. “We’ve never sued anybody twice, and we’ve never — ever — brought a third lawsuit against anyone,” said Patty Clary, executive director of Arcata-based Californians for Alternatives to Toxics, also known as CATs. The lawsuit, a civil suit against Kernen Construction Co., alleges similar issues in CATs’ previous lawsuits — the company is discharging stormwater illegally from parts of the industrial property. Filed July 5, the lawsuit alleges the company is operating in areas without a permit to discharge water, failing to monitor and report water contaminants, not capturing water from the industrial yard, and building unpermitted ponds to capture stormwater. The water off the property flows into Noisy and Hall creeks, which in turn flow into the Mad River, when it rains. … ” Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
‘Just crummy’: Why California’s Butte County keeps getting hit by big wildfires
“Wildfire smoke blocked out the sun in Chico on Friday, and Doug Laurie was once again holed up at home with windows closed tight against the noxious air. The Park Fire, burning across the Sierra foothills north of Chico, had exploded into the second-largest single wildfire to have burned in California history. The city was socked in. Its county fairgrounds were again transformed into mission control for a massive firefight. Since 2020, three of the 15 largest wildfires in state history have ignited in Butte County, and then burned across vast swaths of the Sierra and southern Cascades, collectively scorching nearly 1.7 million acres. “It’s just crummy — it’s Groundhog Day,” said Laurie, who lost his Paradise home and narrowly escaped death during the 2018 Camp Fire. “It could be like this clear now past Halloween. We’re only at the front door of fire season.” … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
NAPA/SONOMA
Sonoma County ballot measure would ban large livestock farms
“This November, voters in Sonoma County will decide on a first-of-its-kind proposal, known as “Measure J,” to ban large concentrated animal feeding operations. The industrial farms primarily raise chickens, ducks and cattle. Kristina Garfinkel, a Santa Rosa resident and an organizer with the Coalition to End Factory Farming, said the large operations tend to have poor records when it comes to animal welfare and spark environmental concerns with the odor and runoff from the lagoons of animal waste. “They pollute water with nitrates, phosphates,” Garfinkel outlined. “They also pollute the air through greenhouse gas emissions and they’re also just perfect vectors to spread very contagious diseases, such as avian flu and things like that.” … ” Read more from the Public News Service.
BAY AREA
S.F. weather could end up feeling like Southern California’s. Maps show possible climate scenarios
“San Francisco’s climate is expected to radically change by the 2080s: New research finds it could resemble that of a small town in San Diego County, Jamul, where summer temperatures regularly reach the 80s and 90s. Other California cities are also projected to face present-day conditions of distant locations. Sacramento could have weather more like Garnet, located just outside Palm Springs. Los Angeles is forecast to feel like the Inland Empire’s Rialto, located about 50 miles to the east. This interactive map shows climate analogs for the biggest U.S. cities, based on projections of future temperature and precipitation. The analysis comes from Matt Fitzpatrick, an ecologist at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. … ” Read more from the SF Chronicle.
See which Bay Area schools are at risk from rising seas
“Fifty-two Bay Area public schools sit so close to the bay’s high-tide line that they’re already at risk of being inundated with ocean and ground water, and their risk will grow as seas continue to rise, according to an analysis by KQED and Climate Central. Some schools already cope with routine floods, like Marin County’s Redwood High School, which has installed a pump to keep its parking lot dry during high tides, and Mill Valley Middle School, where the drop-off zone floods multiple times a year. “The biggest risk to these schools is that they’re in areas with high groundwater, and they get flooding when it’s a combination of a high tide and a heavy rain,” said Kristina Hill, director of UC Berkeley’s Institute of Urban and Regional Development. … ” Read more from KQED.
Marin Municipal Water District resumes work on water storage project near Fairfax
“A $25 million water storage project in the Ross Valley area is resuming this month after a pause due to environmental and weather restrictions, the Marin Municipal Water District said. The project, which began last summer, will decommission the century-old Pine Mountain Tunnel used as a water storage tank, and replace it with two 2-million-gallon storage tanks for treated water. The tanks will be on the western side of Concrete Pipe Road near Bolinas and Sky Oaks roads on the outskirts of Fairfax. The 9,000-foot-long Pine Mountain Tunnel was built in 1919 to transport raw water from the Alpine Lake reservoir to Cascade Canyon for drinking water. After new water treatment standards were implemented in the late 1960s, the tunnel was disconnected from Alpine Lake and repurposed in 1971 to store up to 3 million gallons of treated water. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
Novato utility considers new options for pump station
“The North Marin Water District has new options to consider in its plan to replace an aging water pump station in Novato, a project that has generated community opposition. Four sites have entered the mix as potential places where the pump station could be built, allowing the district to retire the nearly 60-year-old station near Lynwood Elementary School. The district identified the new sites because its stated preference — a spot called “Site 2” on a city-owned greenway — was protested by neighbors. The greenway runs along Arroyo San Jose Creek near Ignacio Boulevard and Palmer Drive. The new options were presented to the board at a meeting on July 16. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
New habitat for fish and farmers in Pescadero
“Down a gravel road in Pescadero, in a field bordered by Butano Creek, construction is underway on a 5-million-gallon pond about the size of 7.5 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The pond’s not for swimming though, but rather to ensure there is enough supply for farmers and that Butano Creek will have a healthy enough flow so it will remain a habitat for endangered coho salmon. The county’s south coast relies primarily on local creeks like Butano for water, and some local farms had to scale back or stop production during recent droughts, Jarrad Fisher, the San Mateo Resource Conservation District Water Resources program manager, said. When completed, the pond will pump in water from the creek during the rainy winter and hold it through the dry season, when it will be used for farming at Fifth Crow Farm, which leases land from the Peninsula Open Space Trust. It will also capture stormwater flowing down the hillside behind it. … ” Read more from the Daily Journal.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Commentary: What’s more environmentally irresponsible than a thirsty L.A. lawn? A fake plastic one
Charles Miller, chair of the Los Angeles chapter of the Climate Reality Project and its Biodiversity Committee, writes, “Let’s start with some common sense: Covering the Earth with plastic carpet is a terrible idea. And yet we continue to cover an ever-growing swath of our public and private open spaces with artificial turf in a way that will surely leave future generations scratching their heads in confusion. It’s time to embrace healthier, cheaper and more environmentally responsible alternatives, and Los Angeles can help lead the way. The artificial turf industry has had a great deal of success convincing millions of people that its short-lived, nonrecyclable, fossil-fuel-derived product is somehow good for the environment. Were there a greenwashing hall of fame, this would be in it. In fact, it’s clear that artificial turf is bad for our ecosystems as well as our health. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Topanga Lagoon Restoration Project presents a virtual community meeting and survey for residents
“The Topanga Lagoon Restoration Park project is making headway, with a proposed final environmental impact report now available for public comment and an online community meeting planned for Aug. 5. The proposed FEIR identifies a number of closely related alternatives considered for the project, as well as the preferred alternative. Located on the eastern edge of the Santa Monica Mountains, the project site includes Topanga State Park, which is managed by California State Parks; Topanga Beach, which is owned by the county and managed by the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors; and a Caltrans Right-of-Way along Pacific Coast Highway and Topanga Canyon Boulevard. The Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains manages the grant for the project. … ” Read more from the Malibu Times.
Will global warming turn L.A. into San Bernardino? Map models climate change in 60 years
“Imagine it’s a Saturday morning in Santa Monica in the year 2080. You brew your coffee, open your front door and breathe in the hot, dry air of … San Bernardino? That’s the potential future if climate change continues unabated, according to a new mapping tool from researchers at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. The tool draws direct lines between an area’s projected climate in 60 years and the places that are experiencing that climate today. The map is a “really interesting way to communicate to people the magnitude of climate change that we’re expecting,” said Matt Fitzpatrick, the tool’s creator and a professor of global change ecology. … ” Read more from the LA Times.| Read via Yahoo News
City, Water District reach settlement on ‘Foothill Dip’
“The La Cañada Flintridge City Council at its July 16 meeting approved a settlement agreement with the Foothill Municipal Water District related to a ruptured 24-inch high-pressure water line causing damage to the road and sinking of Foothill Boulevard in April 2019. In the settlement, the city will be responsible for all the construction operations, which includes the installation of the new water line. The incident, known as the “Foothill Dip,” was noticed by the city and its residents, and prompted LCF officials to file a complaint against FMWD in Los Angeles County Superior Court in August 2019. The complaint cited “negligent failure to maintain public property resulting in property damage” and “negligent repair resulting in property damage, public nuisance and inverse condemnation.” A month later, FMWD filed a cross-complaint against the city, and eventually both parties agreed to mediation and reached a settlement in September 2023. … ” Read more from the Outlook.
Along the Colorado River …
The Buzz: How the largest Indian water rights settlement in U.S. history aims to rectify historic wrongs
“Considered the largest Indian Water Rights settlement in U.S. history, the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2024 may right historic wrongs. In 1922, when governments allocated Colorado River waters, tribal nations were notably excluded from the conversation. After decades of disputes, this $5 billion act would build the necessary infrastructure for tribal nations, like the Navajo, to bring water to their people. “A water right is a piece of paper; a settlement creates a water right in which the water gets actually put to use and turns that piece of paper into wet water for the tribal members and for their businesses,” said Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources. “That is the linchpin trade-off that is made, and often the tribes take a little bit less water than they think they might have legally in return for some very expensive infrastructure.” … ” Read more from Arizona Public Media.
Reclamation’s cool water releases sound fishy to these scientists
“In an effort to prevent smallmouth bass — an invasive, voracious predator that feasts on native fish, including the threatened humpback chub — from establishing populations below Glen Canyon Dam, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in early July began releasing colder water from Lake Powell via the river outlet works (which are 100 feet lower in a cooler part of the water column) in addition to the hydropower penstocks. Known as the “Cool Mix Alternative,” Reclamation chose this option with the goal of keeping water temperatures below the dam under 15.5 degrees Celsius (60 degrees Fahrenheit), which is too cold for smallmouth bass to thrive. But a report by a group of scientists at the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University says that factors other than temperature should be taken into consideration when trying to manage the nonnative species. The Western Area Power Administration, which sells the hydropower generated by Glen Canyon Dam, funded the participation of two of the four scientists who authored the report. … ” Read more from Aspen Journalism.
Commentary: Rapid growth, water: ‘Not just concerning; it’s alarming’
Louis Meyer, a civil/water engineer, writes, “Colorado and the other six states that share the Colorado River will not solve the current water crisis without implementing intelligent land use. We can address our disconnect between water use and growth locally. We don’t need to wait for the state and federal agencies to solve it for us. Initiatives at the state and federal levels have not reduced our water demand. Yet growth, one of the critical drivers of water overuse, is not even on the table for discussion. Our top water policy officials said, “We can’t develop the state over the next 100 years as we grew over the last 100 years.” We have ignored that advice for too long. … ” Read more from The Journal.
