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On the calendar today …
- AG SUMMIT: Exploring the Coexistence of Water Users in California from 8:30am to 3pm in Fresno. The Maddy Institute in partnership with the California Water Institute are hosting a one-day ag summit focused on how water users coexist in California. This event will bring together stakeholders from across the state to discuss pressing issues and foster collaborative solutions. This is an in-person and virtual event. Click here to register.
- WEBINAR: Recharging California – In Conversation with Dr. Daniel Swain from 11am to 12pm. Join us for Sustainable Conservation’s fall 2024 webinar series, Recharging California. We’ll be joined by climate and water experts to demystify climate change impacts in California and explain how we can better understand and prepare for our weather whiplash of drought and deluge. The series kicks off with a conversation between Sustainable Conservation CEO Ashley Boren and climate scientist Dr. Daniel Swain. Daniel will bring his climate expertise to explain how climate change is reshaping California, and together with Ashley, they will discuss its effects on water management and strategies to enhance drought and flood resilience. Click here to register.
- MEETING: Drought Resilience Interagency & Partners (DRIP) Collaborative from 1pm to 3pm. Join the Department of Water Resources for the Drought Resilience Interagency & Partners (DRIP) Collaborative for a workgroup meeting discussing Drought Preparedness for Domestic Wells to review and provide feedback on the draft recommendations. This meeting will focus on three recommendations: SB 552 Language Update (REC 3), Roles and Responsibilities (REC 5), and Community Well Monitoring Program (REC 4). Click here for more information and to register.
In California water news today …
Delta Tribal Environmental Coalition challenges legality of Delta Conveyance Project in new petition
“Yesterday, the Environmental Justice Law and Advocacy Clinic at Yale Law School, on behalf of the Delta Tribal Environmental Coalition (DTEC), (Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians, Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Winnemem Wintu Tribe, Little Manila Rising, and Restore the Delta), submitted a formal letter to the State Water Resources Control Board concerning the Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) latest attempt to modify expired water permits for the controversial Delta Conveyance Project (DCP). The Coalition’s letter highlights significant jurisdictional and procedural flaws in DWR’s petition, calling for the Board to reject the Department’s request for a so-called “Minor Change” to extend the expiration date of its permits by over fifty years. The letter was sent in response to the filing by DWR for what it styled as this “minor change” to its permits and the scheduling of a closed session meeting for 1 pm today for State Water Resources Control Board Members to consider simultaneously petitions for the Delta Conveyance Project and Sites Reservoir. … ” Continue reading this press release.
Calif. backs EPA’s High Court fight to keep SF water limits
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s water quality standards for San Francisco are legal and should be upheld in the face of a challenge from the city, California and various green groups told the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday. San Francisco is challenging a Clean Water Act permit for its Oceanside combined sewer system and wastewater treatment facility issued by the EPA, which includes narrative standards that the city said are too vague to comply with. The California Department of Justice said in an amicus brief in support of the EPA that narrative standards are not only permissible but sometimes “indispensable” for ensuring compliance with water quality standards. The state said that often, state water quality standards are expressed in narrative terms. … ” Continue reading at Law 360 (free registration required).
Planning for resilience: Understanding the connections between forests, fire, water, and drought
“You may know Yosemite National Park for its spectacular scenery, waterfalls, granite rock faces, or ancient sequoias. But do you know about the park’s rich fire-management history and distinction as one of the first national parks to allow lightning-ignited fires to burn when conditions are right? Yosemite National Park, at nearly 748,000 acres in size (~1,200 square miles), includes the 40,000-acre Illilouette Creek Basin. In 1972, park managers decided to allow lightning-ignited fires to burn within the basin when the fires were benefiting the ecosystem and as long as park visitors and infrastructure were safe. Managers realized fire’s vital role in the maintenance and health of park ecosystems and began a prescribed-fire and managed-wildfire program. Because of this decision, the Illilouette Creek Basin experienced frequent fires of varying intensity over the past 50 years that led to reductions in the severity and extent of individual fires (Collins et al. 2009) and numerous ecological benefits (Stephens et al. 2021). … ” Continue reading from the National Park Service.
Three ways San José leads in water resiliency and adaptation
“Cities across the nation are looking for ways to keep their water supplies reliable even during droughts. This is especially true in California, where almost every city will need to conserve more as the state continually experiences drought conditions. For cities or water districts with big, bold infrastructure goals, look no further than San José. The city has focused on adaptation and water resiliency for over a decade. San José’s wastewater treatment and municipal water system infrastructure are stronger than ever and can serve as a model for other cities. … ” Read more from Western City.
Final state report doesn’t bode well for Tule Subbasin
“A final report from State Water Resources Control Board staff on Friday doesn’t bode well as far as virtually the entire Tule Subbasin being placed on probation. The Tule Subbasin essentially covers Tulare County. The Easter Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency, which essentially covers Southeastern Tulare County, is a part of the Tule Subbasin. The water resources control board staff did recommend two districts within the Tule Subbasin, the Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District and the Kern-Tulare Water District not be placed on probation. The Tule Subbasin has six agencies, including ETGSA, that are effectively submitting a revised Groundwater Sustainability Plan. The Tule Subbasin’s original GSP was deemed to be insufficient as far as meeting the requirements of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. … ” Read more from the Porterville Recorder.
Californians to face increased penalties for unlawful water diversion
“New legislation headed to the governor’s desk will increase daily fines for water rights holders who defy state orders. In August of 2022, a group of ranchers in Siskiyou County defied a state water order. They pumped water from the drought-plagued Shasta River for eight days. The river provides habitat for salmon, and California was experiencing its driest three-year stretch on record. According to our friends at CalMatters, state officials levied the maximum fine allowed: $4,000, or roughly $50 per rancher. Now, the new law will double daily fines for water rights holders who commit minor violations across the state. … ” Read more from KALW.
Community expertise is key to effective, equitable water management
“Rosanai Paniagua admits that she felt a sense of hopelessness after joining the Richgrove Community Services District board, eager to help manage her unincorporated community’s water. “I’ve been at it for three years with no official training from experts who have been in the water world, and it has been really hard,” she says. This spring, that all changed for Rosanai. Together with 20 other community leaders, she spent four full Saturdays over four months at The Bird Ranch in Gustine, California, as part of the 2024 Water Leadership Institute (WLI), co-hosted by EDF and the Rural Community Assistance Corporation, in partnership with local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies. The bilingual program brought together leaders from disadvantaged and underrepresented communities across the Delta-Mendota Subbasin, an area on the frontlines of California’s water crisis, with the goal of lifting up and reinforcing participants’ expertise, developing their leadership skills, sharing foundational information and resources, and, critically, providing a safe space for connection. … ” Read more from On the Water Front.
Panel sets field hearing on California water concerns
“A House Natural Resources subcommittee will hold a field hearing Friday in California to discuss the future of the state’s water supplies. The Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will meet in Santa Nella, about 70 miles northwest of Fresno, to discuss “Water Abundance: Opportunities and Challenges in California.” Oregon Republican Rep. Cliff Bentz, the subcommittee’s chair, will host the panel along with California GOP Rep. John Duarte, whose 13th District seat is home to the hearing location. “The hearing will examine California’s water supply, including the challenges faced through federal regulations, and connection to our nation’s food security,” according to a subcommittee memorandum. … ” Read more from Greenwire (sorry, subscription required, but you can watch the subcommittee hearing at 10:30am on Friday at this link).
California continues to prioritize water and climate programs despite budget cuts
“Thanks to California’s extraordinary budget surpluses in 2021 and 2022, the Newsom administration invested the historic sum of $16.3 billion in water and climate projects through various budget packages. In the last two years however, decreased tax revenues necessitated significant cuts to the state budget, and water and climate projects experienced a 21% reduction, resulting in a final FY25 budget of $12.9 billion. But even after these cutbacks, the General Fund budget allocated to climate and natural resources investments since 2021 remains significant—larger than any general obligation bond that’s ever been on the ballot. The use of the General Fund for these projects marks a departure from how California typically funds water and climate projects, which is usually through general obligation bonds passed by a simple majority vote in elections. The following provides more detail on the program areas currently supported through the General Fund. … ” Read more from the PPIC.
California’s drought cycles raise threat of dangerous airborne fungus
“Weather patterns in California that have been exacerbated by climate change could be fueling more cases of a dangerous fungal infection, scientists warn. The Coccidioides fungus lives in soil, where it can be picked up by rodents and transmitted to people who breathe in airborne spores. It is not transmitted between people. Coccidioides triggers a disease called Valley Fever, which is rising sharply in numbers in the Western United States. The illness can include flu-like symptoms that, in some cases, can even prove fatal. Reporting in the October issue of The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, a team led by Alexandra Heaney, of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), tracked all California cases of Valley Fever from 2000 to 2021. The team found unexpected aberrations in when and where cases were occurring. … ” Read more from the US News & World Report.
In commentary today …
Securing California’s future water supply is critical
Joseph Cruz, Executive Director of the California State Council of Laborers, and Craig Miller, General Manager of Western Water, write, “Unless a new bill to grow California’s essential water supply, SB 366 (Caballero), is signed into law, our only progress on water supply this year – as this summer’s record temperatures foreshadow potential droughts to come – will be another, dubious conservation mandate, which is a multi-billion-dollar effort for a miniscule volume of water. SB 366 is where state policy should start: With an overall target for a sustainable, statewide water supply, and a timeline to achieve that target. Our legislators agree: The legislature has done the right thing with the bill passing both the Assembly and Senate without receiving a single “no” vote and now needs only Gov. Newsom’s signature by Sept. 30 to become law. Without it, we are left only with “Making Conservation a California Way of Life” —new rules to reduce residential water use across the state and save 200,000 acre-feet a year by 2040. … ” Read more from Capitol Weekly.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Tribal leaders and politicians call for national monument in Medicine Lake Highlands
“On Wednesday, tribal leaders and state representatives urged President Biden to designate three new national monuments in California. One of those plans is located in the state’s northeast. The proposed Sáttítla National Monument would span some 200,000 acres in Shasta-Trinity, Klamath and Modoc National Forests, about 30 miles from Mt. Shasta. Local tribes and conservation groups have long fought against geothermal projects in the area, also known as the Medicine Lake Highlands. “These lands and the waters beneath them are not just a part of our history. It is central to our identity, our spirituality and our future,” said Pit River Tribe chairman Yatch Bamford at a press conference in Sacramento on Wednesday. … ” Read more from Jefferson Public Radio.
NAPA/SONOMA
Monte Rio’s commitment to a cleaner Russian River
“Monte Rio, as the name suggests, is a place deeply intertwined with the Russian River. For those of us who live along the lower river, it’s a vital part of our daily lives. The river provides not just beauty but also sustenance, recreation and a sense of community. It’s ours, and we take pride in taking care of it. That’s why the 38th Annual Russian River Watershed Cleanup on Sept. 21 is such an important event for Monte Rio residents. From 9 to 11 a.m., locals will gather at the Monte Rio Parks and Recreation District to preserve the health of the river by removing the trash accumulates over the busy summer months. This cleanup is part of a broader effort organized by Russian Riverkeeper, a non-profit dedicated to protecting the river and its surrounding environment. The event spans the entire watershed, from Ukiah in Mendocino County to Monte Rio and beyond. You would be amazed at how much trash volunteers pull out of the river every year. … ” Read more from the Sonoma County Gazette.
BAY AREA
San Francisco could see hottest day of the year amid intense heat wave
“Tuesday brought San Francisco’s warmest day of the year, with temperatures reaching the mid-70s along the coast and climbing to the mid- to upper 80s downtown. The city’s official weather station recorded a high of 85 degrees. The heat is expected to continue and intensify slightly on Wednesday, leading the National Weather Service to issue a heat advisory for the city for the second consecutive day and setting up the chance for Wednesday to beat out Tuesday’s high for the hottest day of the year so far in San Francisco. A separate heat advisory will go into effect for the rest of the interior Bay Area on Wednesday morning and will last through the evening, with temperatures expected to rise into the 90s and 100s. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Students scramble to study the Kern River as Bakersfield cuts off flows leaving fish to die en masse
“The City of Bakersfield announced Tuesday it was cutting back Kern River flows for a maintenance project. But the hundreds of dead and dying fish found Friday near the Stockdale Highway bridge suggest water had already been ratcheted back. It’s unknown when flows through Bakersfield might return. The rapidity of the river’s dewatering and breadth of the ensuing carnage elicited gasps from California State University, Bakersfield Biology Professor Rae McNeish, PhD, and two students early Friday morning as they clambered over sand bars that had been under water just two days prior. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
City reduces Kern River water flow, not all enthused about decision
“Flowing water, an essential resource, which is often overlooked. Now reduced from Stockdale Highway to the east by the city to address maintenance and infrastructure needs. “We are taking too much water out and we are wasting too much water so if we would waste less water then we would not have the problem,” said Dr. Antje Lauer. Biologist Dr. Antje Lauer of CSUB said the city’s need to reduce river flow shows flaws in its water management. And if this goes on for too long it could have grave effects as fish are dying all along the river. “If you have to do that you have to rescue as many animals as you can before you do that,” said Lauer. … ” Read more from KGET.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Extreme heat wave slams Southern California. How bad will it get?
“A broiling heat wave is headed to Southern California this week, bringing what is expected to be the hottest temperatures of the summer to a region that has already endured stifling weather. After a generally mild August across much of California, forecasters say a high pressure ridge is expected to usher in temperatures between 5 and 10 degrees higher than normal along the coast and as much as 20 degrees above in inland communities. The most sweltering temperatures are anticipated to hit between Wednesday and Friday, said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “We’re talking about a solid four days of heat,” Wofford said. “We’ve had three or four days of hot weather before but this one is hotter and longer than most of the other heat waves we’ve had.” … ” Read more from the LA Times.
SEE ALSO: Southern California to get blasted by warmest heat wave in years, from KTLA
Seven Oaks dam agreement secures more help for Southern California fish, endangered mammal
“Conservation groups have reached an agreement with three Southern California counties and the federal government to help promote the recovery of the San Bernardino kangaroo rat and the Santa Ana sucker fish. The two species are found only in Southern California. The agreement secures 400 acres of habitat rehabilitation for the imperiled species, who rely on federally designated critical habitat in the Santa Ana River Wash near the Seven Oaks Dam in San Bernardino County. Endangered plants such as the Santa Ana woolly-star will share in the benefits. “Finally there’s good news for the San Bernardino kangaroo rat and the Santa Ana sucker, unique and imperiled species struggling because of habitat loss,” said John Buse, a senior counsel at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This agreement shows that with cooperation, we can achieve wildlife protection, water conservation and flood safeguards for Southern California’s largest watershed.” … ” Read more from the Center for Biological Diversity.
Why landslides are suddenly tearing homes apart in Southern California
“The Southern California community of Rancho Palos Verdes has always been as vulnerable as it is scenic. Land beneath the city of 42,000 people has been slowly crumbling since long before multimillion-dollar homes perched over the Pacific Ocean. The Palos Verdes Peninsula, protruding from the flat Los Angeles basin at its southwestern edge, is made up of relatively weak rock and slippery clay, and it is subject to pounding waves. Now, the delayed consequences of two stormy years in a row are demonstrating just how precarious that foundation can be. … ” Read more from the Washington Post.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Legislature approves Salton Sea Conservancy bill
“The California State Senate passed Friday Senate Bill 583, authored by Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego) and co-authored by Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella), with bipartisan support. The bill creates the Salton Sea Conservancy to unify the state’s efforts to protect residents’ health, foster ecological recovery in the area, and to empower local stakeholders in that process, the lawmakers said in a prepared statement. Conservancies in California have had historic and recorded success in remediating and restoring some of the state’s most vulnerable habitats. The Salton Sea Conservancy would be California’s eleventh conservancy and the first established in over 15 years. … ” Read more from the Imperial Valley Press.
Researchers make concerning discovery after modeling phenomenon in dried-up area of massive lake: ‘Historically disadvantaged communities are receiving the brunt of this’
“The Salton Sea in Southern California has been deteriorating for quite some time, and a group of researchers uncovered the detrimental impact of the continued erosion. A study published earlier this summer in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics by researchers from San Diego State University, University of California, Davis, and Arizona State University explained that desert winds can stir up dust created from the drying of the Salton Sea’s exposed lakebed, which leads to increased air pollution in nearby communities. SDSU detailed the process: “The researchers modeled lakebed exposure by dividing the lake’s shoreline into one square kilometer grids and analyzed daily air pollution data from 1998 to 2018.” As the lakebed became more exposed, populations near the sea were more vulnerable to increased dust particles than those farther away. “What we find is that historically disadvantaged communities are receiving the brunt of this air pollution,” co-author Ryan Abman, associate professor of economics at SDSU, said. … ” Read more from The Cool Down.
SAN DIEGO
‘A momentous occasion’: State-funded, innovative wastewater recycling plant opens in Escondido
“The State Water Resources Control Board today joined representatives from the City of Escondido, San Diego North Economic Development Council, Escondido Growers for Agricultural Preservation, and design-builder Filanc and Brown and Caldwell to dedicate an innovative water recycling plant. The new Membrane Filtration Reverse Osmosis Facility was in large part funded by $45 million from the State Water Board. The facility will produce high-quality, low-salinity water for nearby farms, transforming potentially wasted water into a valuable local resource, improving agricultural yield and building water-supply resiliency against increasing climate change impacts. This facility is the first-of-its-kind being used for agriculture in the state of California. These efforts support Gov. Gavin Newsom’s build more, faster agenda to deliver infrastructure upgrades across the state. … ” Read more from the State Water Resources Control Board.
Legislature unanimously approves resolution urging federal government to declare sewage crisis an emergency
“The California Legislature has unanimously approved a resolution urging President Joe Biden and Congress to expedite solutions to the Tijuana sewage crisis. Assembly Joint Resolution 12 urges federal lawmakers to fully fund a multimillion-dollar plan to capture and treat sewage-polluted water that frequently spills over the border from Tijuana into the ocean near South San Diego shorelines. In future budgets, the resolution adds, the federal government must include sufficient ongoing operation and maintenance funding for a San Ysidro-based wastewater plant that treats Tijuana sewage. Additionally, the measure asks that Biden declare a national emergency. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Along the Colorado River …
Arizona commentary: We must solve the long-term Colorado River crisis
“Every year, experts at the Bureau of Reclamation crunch the numbers and produce a 20-page report that lays out what the year ahead will look like for millions of people who depend on the Colorado River. The latest report, published in August, outlines water cuts that are needed in Arizona and Nevada over the next year. It tells a familiar story: Reservoir levels are low, and communities will once again need to tighten their belts and use less water. What is different this time is that we have a historic opportunity to address the long-term problems facing the river. The Bureau of Reclamation is working with the states, Tribes, and stakeholders to develop new guidelines for managing the Colorado River in the decades ahead. Decisions made in the next year will determine whether communities in Arizona, and across the West, will or will not experience a vibrant river. We can’t afford to get this wrong. … ” Read more from the Arizona Daily Star.
Emerging values and institutional reform on the Colorado River
“Lorelei Cloud and John Berggren had a really important piece on Colorado River governance in the Colorado Sun last month that has not received sufficient attention. The challenge, they argue, is the lack of the institutional framework we need to address evolving societal values around the river’s management in a changing world. Cloud is Vice-Chairman of the Southern Ute Tribe and has become a major voice in the effort to rethink the role of indigenous people in management of the Colorado River. Berggren, now at Western Resource Advocates, is the author of one of the most insightful analyses of Colorado River governance we’ve had in recent years. (I hope that link works for folks, this might also.) They catalog the remarkable efforts within the last decade or more to create new frameworks for Tribal involvement in Colorado River governance, notably the Ten Tribes Partnership and the Water and Tribes Initiative. … ” Read more from Inkstain.
Many Mountain West farmers are ready to sell groundwater rights as aquifers shrink
“Decades of drought and overpumping are draining groundwater tables across the West. Now, some states are buying farmers’ water rights to free up supplies – and plenty of farmers are ready to sell. In Nevada’s Walker Basin, overpumping is threatening future crops, and drying up rivers and streams. That’s why the Walker Basin Conservancy is using state funds to pay farmers to cut back. The conservation group recently paid a hay and livestock producer to retire 500 acre-feet of groundwater, which is enough water to fill about 250 Olympic-size swimming pools. … ” Read more from KUNR.
New lithium mining method could save ground water resources in Nevada
“The race for lithium is heating up in Nevada. There are more than 80 lithium projects proposed for the state’s public lands, but our arid environment comes with limitations. Supporters of lithium mining say the elemental salt is necessary to expand the clean energy economy, and it could create thousands of jobs at the same time. It’s a critical component in batteries for everything from smart phones to electric vehicles. But the conventional method for extracting lithium could threaten water supplies, which are already scarce in the driest state in the country. That’s because mines usually pump briny groundwater from below the surface and evaporate it to isolate the lithium. … ” Read more from KUNR.
Water at center of objections to Nevada solar farms as 30-day protest period opens
“Plans for sprawling solar farms in the Mojave Desert northwest of Las Vegas could turn into a war over water needed to build the future power grid. As a 30-day “protest period” opens on the revised Western Solar Plan issued by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Nye County towns of Beatty, Amargosa Valley and Pahrump are at the center of an emerging fight to defend their communities from planned solar development. About 50,000 people live in the Amargosa River watershed, according to Ashley Lee, board president of the Amargosa Conservancy. “The Amargosa River watershed is an irreplaceable gem of the Mojave Desert, and we can’t let it be destroyed for industrial energy development,” Lee said. … ” Read more from KLAS.
In a first, Phoenix hits 100 straight days of 100-degree heat
“Summers in Phoenix are notoriously hot. But after two punishing summers of record-breaking heat, the latest milestone, set Tuesday, may be the most ominous yet. At 11 a.m. local time, temperatures in Phoenix hit 100 degrees for the 100th day in a row. The longest previous 100-degree streak was 76 days in 1993. In other words, this year has seen an uninterrupted stretch of 100-degrees days at least 3½ weeks longer than in any other year since records began in 1896. The relentless heat is testing the will of Phoenix residents. While accustomed to hot summers, many have never endured anything like this. And the heat has proved dangerous for vulnerable groups such as outdoor workers and unhoused populations. … ” Read more from the Washington Post.
Navigating uncharted waters: Arizona State University drives solutions for water resilience
“In the Southwest, water seems to exist in two vastly conflicting states: abundance and scarcity. For some, simply turning on a faucet at work or at home yields a seemingly on-demand supply of one of our planet’s most precious resources. And yet, persisting drought, extreme heat, lessened precipitation and high demand for water have drastically altered our water supply. The Southwest has grappled with an ongoing megadrought since 2000, the driest period in the last 1,200 years. In a place already known for extreme heat and an arid climate, a secure water supply is especially crucial in order for humanity to thrive. The Arizona Water Innovation Initiative at ASU — aimed at providing immediate, actionable and evidence-based solutions to strengthen Arizona’s water security — has already seen great success in patenting technologies, empowering communities and better understanding our state’s water challenges. … ” Read more from Arizona State University.
Arizona: In a hot and dry summer, state and nonprofit agencies provide water and care for wildlife
“On the opposite side of Lake Roosevelt, coming from the west, a herd of big-antlered mule deer emerged from the hills with their brown coats and white rumps glistening in the harsh sunlight. Thirsty, they were looking for a place to rest and get some water when they encountered State Route 188, separating them from the reservoir. Years ago, accustomed to traveling on any terrain, they would have tried to cross the road to get to the water and quench their thirst. In doing so, a passing vehicle could have struck them. Now they no longer need to take that dangerous gamble but can return to the hills and drink from a water catchment maintained by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. … ” Read more from the Arizona Republic.
Glen Canyon Dam begins relining project as part of the President’s Investing in America agenda
“The Bureau of Reclamation today announced that relining of the river outlet works at Glen Canyon Dam is underway. This project is being funded through a $8.9 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, as part of the President’s Investing in America agenda. The project will reline all four outlets and take about one year to complete, ensuring efficient and reliable water deliveries for future generations. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Bureau of Reclamation is investing a total of $8.3 billion over five years for water infrastructure projects, including rural water, water storage, conservation and conveyance, nature-based solutions, dam safety, water purification and reuse, and desalination. Since the President signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in November 2021, Reclamation has announced $4.2 billion for 575 projects to date. … ” Continue reading from the Bureau of Reclamation.
In national water news today …
Coastal flooding is getting more common, even on sunny days
“Coastal flooding from high tides is getting more common in most parts of the United States, as climate change causes sea levels to rise. Millions of people are affected by so-called sunny day flooding each year, according to a new report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). On average, the U.S. now experiences five extra days of high-tide flooding each year compared to the year 2000. “Over the past year we’ve seen record coastal flooding,” says Nicole LeBoeuf, the director of the NOAA National Ocean Service. … ” Read more from KALW.
