A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week …
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In California water news this week …
California’s prenup with the feds on water
“California is making moves to keep control of its water — and protect the state’s endangered species from a potential second Trump administration. With federal and state officials in the midst of renegotiating how they manage a 400-mile system of reservoirs, pumps and canals that moves water out of the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta to deliver it to taps and farms across the state, California water officials are taking steps to adopt guidelines from the state’s own wildlife officials rather than federal ones. Lenny Grimaldo, the Department of Water Resources’ State Water Project environmental director, said in an email the decision to seek a separate state permit to operate the system, rather than a joint state-federal one, was “to ensure [California Endangered Species Act] coverage remains in place even if there is a future change in federal law.” … ” Read more from Politico.
Hearing officer pauses Delta tunnel deadlines amid tribal and community concerns
“Restore the Delta, alongside the Delta Tribal Environmental Coalition Partners — including Buena Vista Rancheria, Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Little Manila Rising, and the Environmental Justice Law and Advocacy Clinic at Yale Law School — joined forces with partner environmental groups, Delta water districts, commercial fishing organizations, and Delta counties to present a compelling case at the recent pre-hearing conference concerning the Delta Conveyance Project. The conference, held at the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), highlighted numerous conflicts that hinder the ability of protestants to respond effectively and prepare a case for the formal hearings. … ” Continue reading from Restore the Delta.
A rare August storm may bring snow to California’s High Sierra. What to know.
“California could see rare August snow this weekend, as a Pacific storm that is unusually strong and cold for this time of year hits the West Coast. There’s a chance of accumulating snow in the high Sierra above 8,000 feet — including the higher terrain in Yosemite National Park — an area that hasn’t seen August snow in at least 20 years, according to the National Weather Service in Hanford, Calif. … “While these are relatively low snowfall numbers, any chance for snow in August is quite rare and has the potential to increase impacts for travelers and hikers Friday night [and] Saturday,” the Weather Service wrote. … ” Read more from the Washington Post.
Park Fire burn scar in Northern California will be under flash flood warning this weekend
“A flash flood warning will be in effect this weekend for the Park Fire burn scar area as wet weather is expected to roll through Northern California. The National Weather Service (NWS) Sacramento said the warning will be in place from 11 a.m. Friday to 11 a.m. Saturday where the fire burned through Butte and Tehama counties. The fire ignited last month in the Chico area and burned north through Tehama County near the Shasta County line. Nearly 430,000 acres have been burned and, as of Wednesday, it was 57% contained. All evacuations due to the fire have been lifted, however, officials in Butte County and with the NWS said residents should be prepared to evacuate this weekend if incoming wet weather causes a need to do so. … ” Read more from CBS Sacramento.
Oroville Dam spillway undamaged by Thompson Fire, DWR says
“From almost any vista point around the southern portion of Lake Oroville, scorched earth from the Thompson Fire in July is clearly visible. While the charred landscape surrounds the main spillway, the California Department of Water Resources said the structure itself did not sustain damage. “Thompson Fire damage was limited to vegetation and minor structures such as fencing and trail structures like wooden footbridges,” said Tracy Hinojosa, DWR Water Operations Manager with the State Water Project. “DWR and State Parks are coordinating to remove hazard vegetation near trails and replace footbridges. Several trails within the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area remain closed including those around the diversion pool, Potter’s Ravine and the North Fork Trail area.” … “ Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record.
SJV WATER: Kings County judge extends restraining order giving growers more time as they fight state pumping restrictions
“Kings County farmers will have more time to fight requirements from the State Water Resources Control Board to meter their wells and pay extraction fees. A temporary restraining order blocking those measures was extended to Sept. 13 by Kings County Superior Court Judge Kathy Ciuffini during a hearing Aug. 20. The meters and other measures were handed down by the Water Board after it placed the Tulare Lake subbasin, which covers most of Kings County, on probation April 16 for lacking an adequate plan to replenish and maintain the region’s groundwater as required by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). … “ Continue reading from SJV Water.
Two sides attempt mediation to settle lawsuit over sinking Friant-Kern Canal
“Attorneys for the Friant Water Authority and Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency agreed to mediation on Friday in an attempt to resolve a dispute over how quickly payment for repairs to the sinking Friant-Kern Canal should be handed over. During a status conference in Visalia, both parties told Tulare County Superior Court Judge Bret Hillman via Zoom that they will work with Gail Andler, a mediator with JAMS, Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc., to find common ground in a breach of contract lawsuit filed in February against Eastern Tule by Friant Water Authority and Arvin-Edison Water Storage District. When the mediation will occur is a sticking point, though. Gina Nicholls, who represents Eastern Tule, said the GSA prefers mediation as soon as possible. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Restoring California’s depleted groundwater: Collaborative research effort leverages nature for groundwater replenishment
“Groundwater is California’s hidden lifeline, supporting agriculture, drinking water, and ecosystems. Yet, over the past century and a half, unsustainable water use has led to depleted aquifers, land subsidence, damage to infrastructure, streamflow depletion, and dry wells, threatening both human and environmental health. In fact, rates of groundwater decline in California are some of the highest in the world. Four groundwater basins in the San Joaquin Valley rank among the world’s most rapidly declining aquifers, according to research published this year. “Groundwater depletion is a landscape-sized problem,” says River Partners President Julie Rentner. “We need landscape-scale correction.” … ” Read more from River Partners.
Hurtado links state struggles to data abuse
Senator Melissa Hurtado said she believes the problems facing the Central Valley and California, while myriad and complex, have a common denominator: data manipulation. And that is restricting Valley residents from living the American dream. … In May 2022, Hurtado wrote a letter to the U.S. Attorney General, Merrick Garland. In her letter, Hurtado expressed concern that non-ag entities, including hedge funds, have engaged in anti-competitive prices with respect to purchasing water rights. She said these same entities potentially profit from the drought affecting Western states. In August 2022, Hurtado again wrote Garland. In this letter, she asked him to take urgent action “to address potential fraud and market manipulation practices that result in less water availability in the Western states.” … “ Read more from the Foothills Sun-Gazette.
REPORT SUMMARY: The Economic Value of Efficiency for California Water Service: Lower Water Bills
“Often in droughts, as customers cut back their water use, water bills rise, leading some to blame water conservation for the increases. However, a new report finds that tiered rates and conservation programs can actually save ratepayers money in the long run. Before 2009, California Water Service Company (Cal Water) did not meter all its water customers, lacked conservation rates, or offer a comprehensive set of conservation programs, and per capita water use was either stagnant or increasing. In 2009, Cal Water introduced conservation rate designs, specifically increasing block rates (IBRs), tripled their expenditure on conservation programs, and accelerated the transition of unmetered customers to metered water service. Since then, per capita water demand has steadily declined. … ” Continue reading this report summary.
Deadly bacteria is a growing threat to beach vacations across the US
“Beating the heat in the US is a little harder this summer than it used to be: E. coli and cyanobacteria are causing widespread beach closures at lakes and rivers. It’s a problem exacerbated by climate change-fueled warmer waters and more prolific downpours, which are creating perfect conditions for bacteria to flourish. Bacteria tend to grow in warm conditions and between 1985 and 2009, lakes and ponds warmed at a rate of roughly 0.6F (0.3C) per decade. That shift is increasing the risk of blooms in historically cold places. The bacteria can cause a host of symptoms, including blisters, rashes, diarrhea, muscle weakness, and liver damage, to name a few. Outbreaks can also tax ecosystems. … Even Lake Tahoe, famous for its pristine waters, showed signs warning of toxic algal blooms earlier this summer. While those concerns were a false alarm, the risk of a real outbreak hangs over the lake. Algal blooms have become a growing issue in recent years, and dangerous toxins were detected in a pond on Lake Tahoe’s Nevada shores, though it wasn’t connected to the lake. … ” Read the full story from BNN Bloomberg.
As the world heats up, so does the debate around artificial turf
“Artificial turf carpets athletic fields, playgrounds, and residential lawns across the US, offering a low-maintenance alternative to natural grass that always looks lush and doesn’t require heavy watering. But while this popular synthetic material is marketed as eco-friendly, it has also long attracted controversy – for decades, environmental and health advocates have expressed concern about the chemical byproducts of the turf’s plastic fibers. Now, as climate change drives global temperatures to searing new records and cities scramble for ways to cool down, the old debate around artificial turf has taken on a new intensity. Along with concerns about toxic chemicals, some have begun to sound the alarm that artificial turf simply gets too hot in a world of ever-harsher heatwaves, exacerbating the health risks of the climate crisis. … “ Read more from The New Lede.
In commentary this week …
Sites Reservoir: The Time is Now
“This week marked the beginning of a pivotal series of public hearings conducted by the State Water Resources Control Board’s Administrative Hearings Office regarding the Sites Reservoir Project. These hearings are crucial for the State Water Board to approve the Sites Project Authority’s petition for water rights and the construction of a new reservoir west of Maxwell. The project proposes diverting up to 1.5 million acre-feet of water annually from the Sacramento River and its tributaries, which would be stored in the planned Sites Reservoir. This water would serve various purposes, including agricultural use, municipal supply, and environmental protection across Northern and Southern California. The hearings, which will continue through October, provide a forum for the Sites Project Authority and others to present evidence and share their perspectives on water availability and this significant water infrastructure project. … “ Read more from the Northern California Water Association.
Adaptively managing extinction
Chris Shutes with the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance writes, “In the never-ending saga of calling a skunk an adorable striped kitten, the proponents of the Voluntary Agreements released, on August 16, 2024, their latest defense of the scheme to undermine the flows needed for San Francisco Bay and the Delta to once again thrive. A flood of water agencies, headed by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), frame the new defense of the indefensible as “Common Responses” to criticisms of the Voluntary Agreements (VAs). The proponents know that the VAs do virtually nothing to improve conditions in “Critically Dry” water years. These are the driest years that have decimated fish and water quality in the last decade. To fill the void, DWR et al. tell us (on pdf p. 49) that they plan to continue the failed Critically-Dry-year policies of the last decade as part of a strategy of “adaptive management.” … “ Read more from the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance.
In regional water news this week …
Lights out for PacifiCorp on the Klamath River as Keno Dam transferred to federal ownership
“On July 30, 2024, ownership of Keno Dam changed, with PacifiCorp transferring the title to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. There was no fanfare, no media event, no press release. But the event is highly notable. Over 110 years, PacifiCorp (and its predecessors) built and operated six dams on the Klamath River. As the summer of 2024 comes to an end, four dams are gone, and Reclamation operates the remaining two. Keno Dam has an unusual history. It does not store water and is not used for hydropower generation. Yet it has been part of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license for PacifiCorp’s hydropower developments, and unlike the other licensed dams on the river, it will remain in place. … “ Read more from the Herald and News.
Sonoma Court issues landmark ruling to protect the Russian River
“This week the Sonoma Superior Court held that the County of Sonoma failed to meet its obligations under the Public Trust Doctrine and violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) when it adopted a Well Ordinance that was not protective of Sonoma County creeks and rivers. The Court ordered the County to fulfill its obligations under the Public Trust Doctrine and CEQA to ensure that groundwater extraction does not harm salmon, steelhead, and other public trust resources of the County’s waterways. The County must now conduct the analysis it has failed to do to date before issuing additional groundwater pumping permits. … ” Continue reading at YubaNet.
Climate concerns inspire innovation in wine vineyards
“As he does most mornings, Bernat Sort Costa walked through 160 acres of grapevines in American Canyon, checking on the largest of five vineyards cultivated by Napa Valley wine producer Grgich Hills Estate. Growers in the wine region are embracing innovations to monitor vineyard conditions amid California’s hotter, drier climate. But Costa said he still employs a hands-on and “boots-on-the-ground” approach for evaluating grapevine health, as well as soil and moisture conditions in the vineyard of chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. Costa, a winemaker and biologist who serves as Grgich’s regenerative organic research manager, pointed to the soil and described how it cracked beneath his feet due to high deposits of clay. He explained how that is a challenge for retaining water, while noting that the no-till and “super low-tech” farming operation uses mulch to boost soil moisture. But things are changing in this vineyard and others in the Napa and Sonoma Valley wine regions, where growers are employing sustainable farming practices and technology to adapt to climate change. … “ Read more from Ag Alert.
Water at 22 Oakland schools tested high for lead. It’s no surprise, parents and teachers say
“As staff welcomed students back to Frick United Academy of Language in Oakland on Monday, they received concerning information — five water sources at their school contained unsafe levels of lead. Ella Every-Wortman, who teaches eighth-grade English at Frick, said they were confused and frustrated. Their two immediate concerns were “first, our safety, and second, how this lapse in communication and complete systems failure had happened,” Every-Wortman said. “The testing was done in April. The information was released in April. So why, as a school site, were we not receiving this information until August?” Twenty-two campuses in the Oakland Unified School District were contacted this week regarding elevated lead levels, according to district spokesperson John Sasaki. … ” Read more from KQED.
Delivering BART muck to south bay marshes?
“Sometime in 2025, an enormous cylindrical machine, built especially for the purpose, will begin burrowing deep beneath the streets of San Jose, creating a five-mile-long tunnel for the Valley Transportation Agency’s planned BART extension into downtown. A rotating cutter-head will dig through soil and rock; as the machine advances along its underground route, a conveyor system inside the machine will remove the excavated material and carry it back to the surface. If an innovative plan by the Valley Transportation Authority, the Coastal Conservancy and others comes to fruition, that material may help several marsh restoration projects along the South Bay shore stay ahead of climate-driven sea level rise. “This opportunity is just huge,” says the Coastal Conservancy’s Evyan Sloane. The conservancy manages the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, which is restoring more than 15,000 acres of former industrial salt ponds to tidal wetlands and other habitats. The conservancy hopes excavated material can help restore the salt ponds to tidal marsh much more quickly than is normally possible. … “ Read more from Knee Deep Times.
Trash-collecting scuba divers just cleaned up this Eastern Sierra lake. Here’s what they found
“The underwater trash-collecting scuba crew that has pulled tens of thousands of pounds of litter and junk out of lakes across the Sierra in recent years just completed its first cleanup of Mammoth Lakes. For nearly two weeks in July, volunteers and staffers with Clean Up The Lake, a Tahoe nonprofit, removed 1,865 pounds of litter from Lake Mary, the most prominent of Mammoth’s namesake bodies of water that is a major draw for trout fishers, campers and hikers. Divers scoured the shore of the 140-acre lake down to a depth of about 25 feet, scooping up bits of trash and hauling them to a raft waiting at the surface. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Tap water in LA’s Watts neighborhood is contaminated with lead, report finds
“A new report has found elevated lead levels in tap water across Watts, a south Los Angeles community that has faced decades of environmental racism, including in the drinking water of multiple public housing developments. Researchers working with the Better Watts Initiative, a community environmental group, tested tap water at sites across the neighbourhood, and found lead, a neurotoxic metal, at or above US government limits. The elevated concentrations were most often found in housing developments that have been plagued for decades by toxic contamination from lead and other pollution. Researchers relied on community leaders to recruit residents to participate in the study, collecting water samples from across homes and apartments in the area. … ” Read more from The Guardian.
Springtime rain crucial for getting wintertime snowmelt to the Colorado River, study finds
“The Never Summer Mountains tower almost 13,000 feet above sea level on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park, the regal headwaters of the Colorado River. Snowmelt and rainfall trickle southwest from the peaks through jumbles of scree and colorful deposits of silicic rock, formed some 27 to 29 million years ago, then plunge into Gore Canyon. There, the river gallops downstream, absorbing other tributaries from Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming on its way to California. More than 40 million people from seven states and Mexico depend on water from the Colorado River Basin to drink, irrigate crops, generate electricity and recreate, a demand that is greater than the river system can bear. Historically, variations in snowpack would correlate with the amount of available water in the river come summertime. But since 2000, less and less snowmelt has been making its way into the Colorado River, and water levels in the river have not tracked as closely with variations in precipitation. A new study from the University of Washington, published today in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, offers a clue as to why this may be: increased evaporation and decreased springtime rainfall is leading parched plants and trees to suck up much of the snow melt before it ever reaches the river. … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
Announcements, notices, and funding opportunities …
NOTICE of commencement of 2024 review of state water quality control plans and state policies for water quality control
