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On the calendar today …
- WEBINAR: Our Progress on 30×30: Creative Conservation across California that is Leading a Global Movement from 12pm to 1:30pm. Join us during California Biodiversity Week for a special update on our progress over the last year toward 30×30, California’s landmark commitment to conserve 30 percent of our lands and coastal waters in California by 2030. We’ll share the latest news, key milestones, and introduce leaders from key sectors that are driving transformational conservation outcomes. As global climate change and biodiversity loss accelerate, new innovative strategies to protect nature are more critical than ever. California is rising to the challenge, setting the standard with groundbreaking solutions through new partnerships and multi-benefit approaches. We’ll hear more about these success stories, lessons learned, and unpack what we’ve achieved together so far. Join us for an energizing, forward-looking conversation! Click here to register.
In California water news today …
Drought and climate change make agave an appealing California crop. Now, distillers look to turn it into spirits
“For years, California farmers have seen some of their crops struggle amid the impacts of drought and climate change. Many have sought out more resilient plants that don’t need a lot of water — like agave. And as more growers cultivate the plant here, distillers interested in making their own California agave spirits have been drawn to it as well. This gained enough traction that in 2022, California solidified the use of the term “agave spirit” into law. It stated that anything labeled as a “California agave spirit” must be made from 100% California-grown agave without any additives or coloring. … But the process for making an agave spirit in California is still a work in progress. While many distillers base their process off of what they’ve learned from Mexican tequila and mezcal makers, making it here often requires some adaptation. … ” Read more from Capital Public Radio.
During Valley stop, Congressional reps receive an earful from local farmers, water managers
“Without significant changes to how water is managed in California, the state’s future looks grim as it is held hostage by extreme environmentalists. That was one of the major takeaways from a House of Representatives field hearing held in the Central Valley on Friday. The big picture: House Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Chairman Cliff Bentz (R–Oregon) and Rep. John Duarte (R–Modesto) held a field hearing titled “Water Abundance: Opportunities and Challenges in California” in Santa Nella. … ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun.
Exploring equity in California water rights: a historical perspective
“The system of water rights in California is dauntingly complex. It consists of various types of water rights, methods of water distribution, and challenges regarding quality and availability, which are exacerbated by global climate change. From a historical perspective, water rights are even more complicated than they initially appear. Notably, there is a fraught history of systematic exclusion of Asian American immigrants, among many other marginalized groups, from property ownership and, by extension, water rights. … ” Read more from the California Water Blog.
Transforming your water agency’s project pipeline
“As water affordability becomes increasingly important for customers, the ability to develop cost-effective infrastructure solutions to meet customer needs has never been more critical. The good news is, there are funding sources available that can help water agencies advance projects in a cost-effective way. Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD), based in Southern California, has helped create a roadmap for doing so. Over the past two decades, EMWD has secured more than $700 million in funding from federal, state and local agencies that have supported a broad range of infrastructure projects for water, wastewater and recycled water. … ” Read more from Water Finance & Management.
To build back burned forests, California needs a lot more seeds
“A frozen forest, preserved as tiny seeds packed in tall stacks of labeled boxes, holds the future of California‘s scorched woodlands. With wildfires consuming trees at an alarming rate, the role of the sub-zero repository at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Reforestation Center is taking on new urgency. It stores over 42,000 pounds of pristine seed collected from the state’s native conifers, from coastal redwoods to alpine firs. An adjacent facility holds young oaks and other hardwood species. The center’s goal is to help private landowners restore their charred landscapes — rebuilding forests too badly burned to regrow naturally. But much more is needed. After decades of forest mismanagement that created an era of megafires, there’s a critical shortage in quality seed stock, trained personnel, storage and growing space for tiny seedlings. “The demand far exceeds the supply,” said Cal Fire forester James Scheid, who manages the center’s Reforestation Services Program. Three-quarters of requests to the center go unfilled. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
With 25% of state land protected, California nears its ‘30×30’ conservation goal
“Four years after unveiling an ambitious plan to conserve 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030, state officials on Monday announced that they are closing in on that target. Since the start of the so-called 30×30 Initiative, California has added nearly 1.5 million acres — or roughly 2,350 square miles — of conserved lands, according to a progress report from Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Natural Resources Agency. In all, the report shows that California has now conserved 25.2% of its lands and 16.2% of its coastal waters with a little more than five years until the deadline. “In 2020, I signed an executive order to conserve 30% of lands and 30% of coastal waters in California by 2030,” Newsom said in a statement. “And four years into this effort, we’re on track to achieve this target, with over a quarter of our lands protected. We won’t stop working to protect California’s unparalleled natural beauty for generations to come.” … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Our climate challenge
” … June 2024 was the 12th consecutive month in which global warming hit — or climbed higher — than that agreed-upon limit. “At this point, it is really difficult to see a path to keeping warming below 1.5 degrees,” Kristina Dahl, a principal climate scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, told Times reporter Hayley Smith earlier this year. To do so, Dahl said, would necessitate a more than 40% reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, a “pace of emissions reductions that’s really inconsistent with what we see on the planet to date.” But Dahl’s most important message was this: Keep trying. In this issue of “Our Climate Change Challenge,” The Times profiles some of the people who are taking her message to heart. Many of them are young — the youth who will be the stewards of Planet Earth in the decades to come. They are organizers and disruptors, optimists and skeptics, some of them sizing up the current political landscape looking for reasons to hope and others demanding — at the top of their lungs — immediate action. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Ukiah set to manage groundwater sustainability, transition talks underway
“The Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency Board held a special meeting on August 19, 2024, to work out the details of transferring the administration of the UVBGSA from the West Yost consulting agency to the City of Ukiah. This is an effort to save costs and to retain local control of the agency. … The discussion focused on when and how the transition would occur. The West Yost contract expires in March 2025. The fiscal year end is June 2025. The Board wants to keep costs as low as possible. Harry Starkey’s hourly rate is close to $300 per hour, and West Yost bills approximately $4,000 to prepare for and attend each Board meeting. … ” Read more from MendoFever.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Positive results from Clean Up The Lake’s recent pilot study: a promising outlook for the lake’s health
“In a recent update that’s good news for local water bodies, Clean Up The Lake (CUTL), in collaboration with The Martis Fund, has wrapped up a pilot research project with encouraging results. The study, which took place from June 26 to July 3, involved underwater surveys and cleanups in Stampede and Boca Reservoirs. The results show very low levels of litter and no troubling infestations of aquatic invasive species (AIS). During the pilot project, CUTL’s volunteer dive team carried out eight survey dives, assessing 1.76 miles of underwater terrain. The team removed a total of just 20.57 pounds of litter, which consisted of 100 individual items. The results indicate minimal litter accumulation despite potential collection zones influenced by dams, human activity, and wind patterns. The only AIS observed were the signal crayfish, known locally as ‘crawdads,’ with no significant concerns regarding other invasive species commonly seen in the region. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
NAPA/SONOMA
Santa Rosa eyes potential artificial turf ban over health and environmental concerns
“Santa Rosa is mulling a citywide ban on artificial turf as elected officials grapple with environmental and health concerns tied to known pollutants in the synthetic grass blades and turf base. California had for years quashed such local debates about artificial turf, but now is giving jurisdictions more flexibility to police the use of synthetic grass. California regulators also are raising concerns about potential adverse health impacts from athletes’ prolonged exposure to turf fields. The city’s Climate Action Subcommittee, a council group tasked with overseeing climate action work, recommended on Wednesday that staff move forward with a policy proposal to outlaw future use of turf on residential properties and city parks. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Last day of record-breaking heatwave
“It’s been 100 degrees or more these past few days but the good news is that we’re in the last stretch of the heatwave. The excessive heat warnings for most the Southland and red flag warnings for Santa Barbara county ends tonight. Forecasters say that come tomorrow the Southland will begin to cool down between five and 10 degrees. Later this week expect much cooler temperatures — 80s for the valleys and 70s along the coast. Highs at the beaches will be in the 90s and we’re looking at highs in the 100s still for the valleys and inland areas. … ” Read more from the LAist.
Hotter, drier and all-around different: How climate change will alter your life in L.A.
“There is an episode of “The Twilight Zone” in which Earth is getting closer to the sun. Temperatures get hotter by the minute. Paint melts off canvases, thieves break into homes to steal water, and highways are jammed with people seeking cooler destinations they will never find. As the few apartment dwellers who remain in a major city sweat and fret beneath the glaring sun, a radio announcer delivers an unfathomable weather report: Conditions are so hot that people can “fry eggs on sidewalks” and “heat up soup in the ocean.” The temperature he provides in this nightmarish future? 110 degrees. The joke, of course, is that six decades after that episode aired, the prospect of a bone-dry city soaring to 110 degrees is no longer an imaginary horror. In 2020, Los Angeles recorded its all-time hottest temperature, 121 degrees, in Woodland Hills. Over the last decade, thermometers in that neighborhood have climbed to 110 degrees or hotter at least two dozen times. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Why the San Fernando Valley suburbs could be ground zero for the next farming revolution
“The San Fernando Valley is a quintessential Los Angeles suburb. But now that climate change has made the valley’s classic clean-cut lawns more unsustainable, some people have been replacing their green grass with crops. So could this slice of suburbia, with more than 1.8 million people living across 260 square miles, be home to the next farming revolution? Elliott Kuhn, owner of Cottonwood Urban Farm in the San Fernando Valley, told LAist you might not make a living selling boutique microgreens from your front lawn, but it absolutely can work on a smaller scale to help feed your family and build a community with your neighbors. “I think the opportunity here for L.A. specifically … is the idea that we have one of the largest stages in the world,” Kuhn said. “If we can lay out a pathway that’s replicable here for transforming underutilized space to valuable green space that can be used and important to people, holy smokes, man. Holy smokes.” … ” Read more from the LAist.
Landslides are wreaking havoc on this California city. Locals vow to stay
“The land is moving and sinking so fast in parts of the California community of Rancho Palos Verdes that authorities have switched off gas and electricity “indefinitely” to hundreds of homes. The area has long grappled with unstable land but now the landslides causing the problem have accelerated. Some buildings could be swallowed completely. Power company Southern California Edison had to cut power last week “to avoid the risk of utility equipment igniting a wildfire” in the rugged areas where the land is shifting. SoCalGas began to shut off natural gas services to the area in May, and on Friday expanded the outage to 54 more homes after a gas line break last week. … ” Read more from the BBC.
SAN DIEGO
Tijuana River Valley sewage crisis response expansion announced
“The County of San Diego is expanding its ongoing response to South County health concerns around exposure to raw sewage flowing in the Tijuana River Valley. This week the County is expanding the South County public health focused website and finalizing an agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a community assessment. “For years, the communities in the Tijuana River Valley have endured the severe impacts of pollution, creating one of the biggest environmental and social justice crises of our time,” said San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas. “While this is a critical next step in addressing the long-term impacts of cross-border pollution, I remain committed to continuing this fight and finding solutions that truly improve the quality of life for our South County families.” … ” Read more from the Imperial Valley Press.
Along the Colorado River …
Mining for uranium at the Grand Canyon
“The Pinyon Plain uranium mine is a decades-old, but recently activated uranium mine roughly 10 miles from the Grand Canyon National Park. The mine sits is inside the boundaries of the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument but due to a 1872 mining law, it side-steps the monument’s restrictions against damaging activity like mining. The General Mining Act of 1872 protects mining rights as long as the mine is in operation prior to newly passed laws or land protections. Despite outcry from tribal, environmental and health officials, Pinyon Plain is allowed to mine for uranium—a practice that can have drastic health and ecological effects. … ” Read more from Environment America.
Grand Canyon’s main water line has broken dozens of times. Why is it getting a major fix only now?
“On a scorching day in June 2013, the Grand Canyon discouraged hikers from making a long trek to the bottom because there would be no potable water. A set of historic cabins and bunks also would be closed overnight because of a water pipeline break. The incident was one of more than 85 breaks that the 12.5-mile (20-kilometer) long Transcanyon Waterline, which supplies potable water to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim and inner canyon, has experienced since 2010. Finished in 1970, the pipeline has long exceeded its 30-year design life, disrupting operations at one of the most popular U.S. national parks. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
Lake Powell plumbing will be repaired, but some say Glen Canyon Dam needs a long-term fix
“Federal water managers will repair a set of little-used pipes within Glen Canyon Dam after discovering damage earlier this year. The tubes, called river outlet works, have been a focus for Colorado River watchers in recent years. If Lake Powell falls much lower, they could be the only way to pass water from the nation’s second-largest reservoir to the 25 million people downstream of the dam. The Bureau of Reclamation will use $8.9 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to apply a new lining to all four pipes, which were originally coated more than 60 years ago. Conservation groups, however, say Reclamation should turn its attention and finances to bigger, longer-term fixes for the dam. “Duct tape and baling wire won’t work in the long run,” said Kyle Roerink, executive director of the nonprofit Great Basin Water Network. “These short-term efforts are myopic in the grand scheme of things.” … ” Read more from KUNC.
In national water news today …
Water infrastructure legislation would be boost for civil engineers
“In a bitterly divided Congress amid a contentious race for the presidency, one piece of legislation that is beneficial to society and the engineering community stands out for its bipartisanship. Congress reconvenes next week, and the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 is expected to be taken up and likely passed in relatively short order. Its passage would provide a big boost for ports and inland waterways, bolster flood risk management and storm risk reduction programs, and emphasize ecosystem restoration, according to statements from ASCE President Marsia Geldert-Murphey, P.E., F.ASCE. … The legislation is “extremely well supported on a bipartisan level,” said Jennifer Sloan Ziegler, Ph.D., P.E., ENV SP, M.ASCE, an environmental senior project manager in the Jackson, Mississippi, office of Neel-Schaffer Inc. … ” Read more from Civil Engineering Source.
