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On the calendar today …
- WEBINAR: Local Roots, Global Impact: Celebrating Biodiversity Together from 9am to 10am. Join us for a conversation with biodiversity conservation leaders from around the globe who will share how their work connects to 30×30 efforts here and abroad. Click here to register.
- WEBINAR: Discharge Requirements for Winery Process Water – Central Valley region from 10am to 11:30am. State Water Resources Control Board and regional water quality control board staff will hold public webinars on the implementation of the General Waste Discharge Requirements for Winery Process Water, Order No. WQ 2021-0002-DWQ (Winery Order). These webinars will focus on providing the regulated community (e.g., winery owners or operators) and related wine industry professionals information on Winery Order enrollment, technical requirements, specific implementation considerations, and role of the local regional boards. Each webinar will include information presented by the State Water Board and regional board staff. Time will also be included for live questions and answers (Q&A). Read the full notice here.
- C-WIN Press Conference on CVP Draft EIS at 11am. The California Water Impact Network (C-WIN) will host a virtual press conference on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the continued operations of the Central Valley Project (CVP). A finalized EIS is required for the long-term operation of the CVP, but the Bureau’s “preferred alternative” essentially supports the current destructive and unfair status quo. C-WIN’s press conference follows the September 9th closure of the public comment period for the DEIS. Max Gomberg and Tom Stokely to participate. MEETING LINK
- WEBINAR: Modeling sea-level rise vulnerability for tidal wetlands of south San Francisco Bay from 11am to 12pm. Sea-level rise threatens tidal wetland ecosystems if sediment accretion in these areas is unable to keep pace with rising water. The future vulnerability of South Bay tidal wetlands to these threats has been understudied. To remedy this, Kevin Buffington at the U.S. Geological Survey and his team have focused their research and modeling efforts on marshes across the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, which spans the South Bay from Fremont along San Jose to Menlo Park. Buffington will discuss his preliminary modeling projections regarding sediment accretion and elevation change, soil organic carbon stocks, and future research directions. His work will help the Restoration Project understand sea level rise and how it is affecting South Bay tidal marsh and our restoring marsh sites, and help inform the public on potential sea level rise impacts more widely across the South Bay. Link to register
- WEBINAR: Chronicles from Nature’s Phoenix, Episode 3: Birds & Mammals in Severe Fire Environments from 12pm to 1pm. Join us for the third installment of our webinar series where we delve into the ecological insights gained from studying bird and mammal responses to severe fire in conifer forests, covered in chapters 3 and 4 of Nature’s Phoenix, Second Edition. This session will explore how avian and mammalian species adapt to and thrive in post-fire environments, shedding light on the critical role of fire in maintaining biodiversity and ecological balance. Birds are crucial indicators of ecosystem health, and research shows that many of their populations benefit significantly from severe fire, highlighting the need for maintaining natural fire regimes to support biodiversity. Similarly, mammals, from large herbivores like deer and elk to smaller species such as rodents and bats, exhibit varied responses to severe fire. The speakers in this webinar – Dr. Richard Hutto, Dr. Monica Bond, and Maya Khosla, MS – will discuss how historical and contemporary disturbances impact these species and emphasize the importance of understanding natural fire dynamics for informed forest management and conservation practices. Click here to register.
- PUBLIC MEETING: WIIN Act Quarterly Update from 1pm to 3pm. Reclamation will hold a quarterly meeting to provide an update on the development of the Biological Assessment for the 2021 Reinitiation of Consultation on the Long-Term Operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project, pursuant to the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act. Meeting link: Teams Meeting Click here for more information.
In California water news today …
‘I won’t let them drink the water’: The California towns where clean drinking water is out of reach
“In a major milestone, state regulators announced in July that nearly a million more Californians now have safe drinking water than five years ago. But across the state, the problem remains severe: More than 735,000 people are still served by the nearly 400 water systems that fail to meet state requirements for safe and reliable drinking water. Latino farm communities struggling with poverty and pollution are especially hard-hit. About three-quarters of the failing systems in California have violated state or federal standards for contaminants that are linked to serious health problems, such as cancer and effects on developing babies, according to a CalMatters analysis of state data. Among the most pervasive contaminants are arsenic, nitrate and a chemical called 1,2,3-trichloropropane, or 1,2,3-TCP. Combined, elevated levels of these chemicals contaminate more than 220 failing systems serving nearly half a million people. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
Can California’s US$20bn water utility construction curb a climate change catastrophe?
“Most of California’s population is quite literally in between a rock and a hard place. The rock is the Sierra Nevada, the US’ largest mountain range (excluding Alaska), which runs through the state’s central/eastern side and covers about 25% of California’s land area. The hard place is a sea of hard water – salt water, specifically – in the form of the Pacific Ocean along the state’s western coast. Historically, most of Californians’ drinking water has come from the mountains; a complex series of water utility infrastructure including dams, levees, intakes, and outflows routes melted snowpack through the water system to homes, businesses and farms. But California officials said climate change has exacerbated the already fragile water conveyance system, and the existing infrastructure has been delivering less water than prior years. As a result, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and its State Water Project (SWP), are planning a colossal conveyance infrastructure project at a value of more than $20 billion. … ” Read more from Construction Briefing.
State supports projects to bolster drinking water systems and climate
“Leveraging historic state and federal infrastructure investments to build climate resilience and boost water supplies, the State Water Resources Control Board distributed approximately $880 million to water systems and communities during the past fiscal year for projects that will benefit around 12 million Californians. 395 projects across the state have received funding to capture and recycle more water, recharge and protect groundwater, improve stormwater management, expand access to safe drinking water and improve sanitation. Since 2019, nearly 900,000 more Californians now have access to clean drinking water through state efforts including these investments and the Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resiliency (SAFER) program, which is largely funded by cap-and-trade dollars. … ” Read more from the Office of the Governor.
Farming, lifeblood of Central California, has changed since 2002. What acreage shifts mean?
“From one end of the San Joaquin Valley to the other, agriculture and all of its parts is considered the lifeblood of the eight-county region – its largest industry, and the foundation of its economy. The Valley consists of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tulare counties, and includes some of the most productive farmland in the nation — more than 6.8 million acres of agricultural land, including livestock operations, according to the 2022 U.S. Census of Agriculture. … Yet the acreage devoted to different kinds of crops has undergone a major shift over the past 20 years — the result of myriad factors including changes in commodity prices, market demand for various crops, availability of water, among others. Some of the most dramatic changes have come in tree crops including almonds and pistachios, and in field crops including cotton and wheat. … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee. | Read via Yahoo News.
Valadao, Calif. GOP colleagues seek reconsideration of draft impact for water projects
“U.S. Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) led the California Republican Delegation in arguing that a state Bureau of Reclamation draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) inappropriately prioritizes environmental goals at the expense of municipal and agricultural water needs. “Unfortunately, the current proposed operational approach makes delivering water for consumptive uses, including irrigation, subordinate to the use of water for the protection, restoration, and enhancement of protected fish species in the Delta,” the lawmakers wrote in a Sept. 4 letter sent to regional directors of the Reclamation Bureau, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and NOAA Fisheries. … ” Read more from the Ripon Advance.
Six GOP congressmen ask why parts of Valley have water cutbacks in time of relative plenty
“A congressional panel wants to know why water is short in parts of the San Joaquin Valley despite above-average reservoir storage this year. Six Republican lawmakers, and zero Democrats, took part in Friday’s hearing of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries. It happened in a conference room at the Hotel Mission de Oro in tiny Santa Nella, Merced County. The members criticized fish protections that reduce pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to as far south as Kern County. They also urged new and enlarged reservoirs to store more water from wet years for use in dry ones. “We are not going to solve our water shortages until we build more reservoirs,” Rep. Tom McClintock said, “and we won’t build more reservoirs until we fundamentally change our laws and the policymakers who are responsible for them.” … ” Read more from the Modesto Bee.
SEE ALSO: Feds restricting water supplies delivered ripple effect on Valley’s farms, comments given by William Bourdeau is executive vice president of Harris Farms, owner of Bourdeau Farms, director of the Westlands Water District.
Column: Huge San Joaquin Valley reservoir is expanding. Much of the water is headed elsewhere
Marek Warszawski writes, “The federal government and some 10 water districts are ponying up $1.1 billion to expand California’s largest reservoir south of the Delta. Their plan is to raise the dam at San Luis Reservoir outside Los Banos by 10 feet – in addition to the 10-foot raise prescribed by the seismic-strengthening project currently underway – and thus increase storage at the existing 2.04 million acre-foot facility by 130,000 acre feet. That’s enough water to supply “more than 2 million people, a million acres of farmland and 135,000 acres of Pacific Flyway Wetlands,” according to a Bureau of Reclamation media release. What’s not being stated publicly (outside a series of negotiation sessions) is these benefits will be felt to a much greater degree in Silicon Valley than the San Joaquin Valley, where San Luis Reservoir is located. … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee.
The Downstream Dash: Insights into green sturgeon migration strategies
“The thickly scaled sturgeon is one of the most ancient fish alive today, with fossils dating back over 65 million years ago to the late Cretaceous Period. Despite having endured millenia on this planet, sturgeon today face a number of challenges that threaten their survival. Green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris), which are found along the west coast of North America, are particularly vulnerable because they have complex life cycles and spawn in only a few rivers. Green sturgeon are anadromous, meaning that they are born in freshwater and migrate to estuarine and ocean environments to grow into adults before returning to their natal rivers to spawn, a journey that has become all the more perilous with dam development and habitat alteration. Recently, the transitional journey from freshwater to brackish environments was studied in juvenile green sturgeon using acoustic telemetry. Tracking sturgeon movement in the Sacramento River allowed the researchers to better understand what might be influencing the migration of these mysterious fish (Poytress, Polansky, & Gruber, 2024). The data gathered by this study improves understanding of the habitat transitions and migration patterns of juvenile green sturgeon, information that is vital for developing management strategies to best support the recovery of this threatened fish species. … ” Read more from FishBio.
California conserves more than a quarter of its land in historic milestone
“California has officially conserved more than 25% of its land on its march to achieving its ambitious conservation goals. Today, Governor Gavin Newsom kicked off California Biodiversity Week with the release of the 2024 Annual Progress Report for the 30×30 Initiative – California’s commitment to conserve 30% of state lands and coastal waters by the year 2030. The report shows that California is making significant progress toward this goal, with the state now having conserved 25.2% of its lands and 16.2% of its coastal waters. Since the 30×30 effort started in 2022, California has added almost 1.5 million acres of 30×30 Conservation Areas—or roughly 2,350 square miles of conserved lands. And this year alone, 861,000 acres of conserved lands were added to 30×30 in California. … ” Read more from the Office of the Governor.
Can the most popular red wine in the U.S. endure climate change?
“In California’s Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon is king. The bold red wine has made the region world famous, with some bottles retailing at hundreds of dollars. But increasingly severe heat waves are taking a toll on the grape variety, especially in late summer during ripening. As temperatures keep rising, the wine industry is slowly confronting a future where Napa may not be the prime cabernet region it once was. In the face of climate change, wineries around the world are innovating. New technology is being installed to keep the grapes cool during heat spells. A handful of wineries are going a step further. They’re experimenting with new grapes, ripping out high-value cabernet vines to plant varieties from hotter climates. … ” Read more from NPR.
7 takeaways from the seemingly endless fire season
“The Line fire had burned through more than 21,000 acres of Southern California when officials announced Monday morning that it was only 3 percent contained. Amid record temperatures, the blaze quickly ate through dry vegetation, injuring three firefighters and leading to evacuation orders for more than 6,000 people across San Bernardino County. It’s just one of 67 large wildfires currently burning across more than two million acres of the country. While the end of summer has typically meant a slowdown of major wildfires, climate change has upended that seasonal pattern. So what’s different about today’s wildfire weather? … ” Read more from the New York Times.
Prop 4 explained: Borrowing money to fund environmental and climate-related projects
“Proposition 4 asks California voters to allow the state to borrow $10 billion in bonds for water, wildfire prevention, and other environmental projects. It would require yearly audits of the money. The funds would help clean up and protect water supplies, help with wildfire prevention and response, and provide for projects that try to protect beaches, forests and mountains. This is expected to cost taxpayers another $400 million a year for 40 years to repay the bond. Clean Water Action, CalFire Firefighters, National Wildlife Federation and the Nature Conservancy are among those promoting the measure. “California faces increasing threats from wildfires, water pollution, and extreme heat,” the groups wrote in a joint statement. “Investments today can prevent future costs and damage from a changing climate and more frequent natural disasters.” … ” Read more from KCRA.
In commentary today …
California drinking water regulations are putting cost over people’s safety
“Health experts have long warned that pollutants like hexavalent chromium, PFAS and arsenic in drinking water are harmful to human health, even at low levels. While efforts to impose stricter drinking water contaminant limits in California, however, are repeatedly stymied by vested interests like polluters and utility groups, it’s the state’s low-income communities and people of color who bear the brunt of lax standards. Just take the story of public health advocates’ ongoing struggle to protect Californians against the cancer-causing chemical hexavalent chromium, one first brought to the public’s notice by environmental advocate Erin Brockovich. Earlier this year, the California agency responsible for managing and protecting the state’s water resources — including the drinking water flowing out of California’s faucets — formally adopted a maximum level at which hexavalent chromium can be found in the state’s drinking water. On its surface, this sounds like a victory, but there’s a catch — the new rule allows for 500 times more of the chemical than was deemed ideal by the state agency responsible for determining health risks posed by long-term exposures to everyday chemicals. That’s even after a marathon regulatory battle spanning decades. … ” Read more from Truth Out.
Climate costs will only go up if California fails to act. Voters should back a $10 billion bond
Horacio Amezquita, former general manager of the San Jerardo Housing Cooperative and a member of the Community Water Center Board of Directors, writes, “High on the list of things most Californians take for granted is the ability to confidently drink water that comes from their kitchen taps, or to safely bathe in water from their bathroom faucets. Take it from me and the dozens of farmworker families who lived in the housing cooperative that I managed and lived in for years: It’s not something that should ever be taken for granted. To live without a safe, clean water supply is to be constantly aware of its absence. There are the itchy, painful rashes and illnesses caused by showering in contaminated water. There are the constant trips to purchase bottled water. There are the soaring water bills to pay for the drilling of ever-deeper wells that sometimes provide temporary relief. About 1 million Californians live under such circumstances and about a million more are served by water systems the state classifies as at-risk. Given the rising threats to our water supply caused by a changing climate, all Californians should be very concerned. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
California has enough debt. It doesn’t need $10 billion more for a climate bond
State Senator Brian Jones writes, “Imagine using your credit card to buy something, knowing that by the time you finish paying off the debt, you’ll have spent nearly double the original price due to interest. It’s a poor financial decision most of us would avoid. Yet this is precisely what Democrats in the state legislature are asking California taxpayers to do with Proposition 4: add $10 billion in bond debt — with billions more in interest — to pay for ambiguous, short-term, so-called “climate” programs. Let’s be clear about what bonds are: This isn’t free money. They’re Wall Street loans with high interest rates. The real winners with bonds are wealthy investors, and the losers, of course, are taxpayers. In February, California already had $79 billion in bond debt. Earlier this year, Proposition 1 added another $6.4 billion. Now, we’re being asked to shoulder another $10 billion, plus interest, this time for supposed climate programs that are vaguely defined and, in some cases, dubiously labeled. Guess who’s paying for it all? You, the taxpayer. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
The Klamath Dam removals: A story of people and possibility
Ann Willis writes, “As I stood on a bridge and looked upstream along the Klamath River, I felt confused. For over 15 years, I had stood in the same stop and gazed on the earthen face of Iron Gate Dam. But on this day, I saw…space. Framing the edges of that space, I saw canyon walls, river bed, floodplains and terraces, and miles of vista. I lost my dad last year, so I understand having the experience of noticing the absence of someone who had been monumental in my life – both physically and metaphorically. I understand the confusion that results from seeing a space where he used to be and being keenly aware of his absence. I noticed the absence of Iron Gate Dam in the same way – the loss of something that had been monumental in my life and in the lives of thousands of others. But unlike the absence of my dad, seeing the absence of Iron Gate Dam stirred feelings of wonder, joy, hope, and gratitude. … ” Read more from American Rivers.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Nevada County is securing the ‘Future of Ag’ with $500,000 grant for conservation planning
“Nevada County Resource Conservation District (NCRCD) and the County of Nevada have come together to secure a historic $500,000, 3-year planning grant through the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program. This grant is part of the California Strategic Growth Council’s (SGC) more than $116 million in SALC grants approved earlier this year to permanently protect approximately 50,500 acres of croplands and rangelands, as well as lands utilized by California Native American tribes for the cultivation of traditional resources. … ” Read more from YubaNet.
Lake Tahoe officials warn of ‘very high’ fire danger
“Officials in Lake Tahoe are warning the public about an almost imminent threat of new wildfires in the area. Around 2:30 p.m. Monday, the Lake Tahoe United States Forest Service said the risk of wildfires is rated ‘very high’ on the National Fire Danger Adjective Rating System scale. A very high rating means that fires will start easily from most causes. According to the government’s rating model, new fires will “spread rapidly and have a quick increase in intensity, right after ignition.” Small fires can quickly become large, long-lasting, and difficult to control. … ” Read more from Fox 40.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
California mine listed among the most hazardous sites in the country
“An old mine located along a Northern California highway has been dormant for decades, leaking toxins into a creek that flows into the Sacramento River. Following a campaign from regulators to address the contamination, the federal government decided last week that Shasta County’s Afterthought Mine is not an afterthought after all, but a national priority.On Wednesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency added the mine, found about 20 miles east of Redding on Highway 299, to its National Priorities List. The list marks sites that are priorities for investigation and cleanup. Also called Superfund sites, these areas are known to release, or threaten to release, hazardous contaminants into the surrounding environment. … ” … ” Read more from SF Gate.
Controversial Palisades Tahoe development scraps water park, inches toward crucial next vote
“Two and a half hours into a seven-hour, emotionally charged hearing about a proposed development that will reshape Olympic Valley and Palisades Tahoe ski resort, Dee Byrne walked up to the dais to speak before the Placer County Planning Commission. The stakes were high: The day’s meeting was entirely devoted to one item on the agenda. The commission would decide whether to endorse the 93.3-acre development just outside the Tahoe Basin before the development goes to the county Board of Supervisors, who will make the ultimate decision on the project later this fall. … ” Read more from YubaNet.
NAPA/SONOMA
Yields rise as local agriculture continues growth
“Local agriculture continued growing last year, both in volume and value. That’s according to the latest official annual crop report for Sonoma County. Wine grapes showed the most impressive increases, with yields up more than a quarter in 2023 compared to the prior year. The average price paid per ton also rose, pushing the total value of wine grapes up by nearly 31 percent, compared to 2022 to more than $700 million. That was all despite a late spring that delayed harvests. The amount of apples grown and sold rose nearly nineteen percent, but with lower market prices and less demand, the value of apples sold rose just 11 percent. … ” Read more from Northern California Public Media.
BAY AREA
An underwater data center in San Francisco Bay? Regulators say not so fast
“Data centers powering the generative AI boom are gulping water and exhausting electricity at what some researchers view as an unsustainable pace. Two entrepreneurs who met in high school a few years ago want to overcome that crunch with a fresh experiment: sinking the cloud into the sea. Sam Mendel and Eric Kim launched their company, NetworkOcean, out of startup accelerator Y Combinator on August 15 by announcing plans to dunk a small capsule filled with GPU servers into San Francisco Bay within a month. … But scientists who study the hundreds of square miles of brackish water say even the slightest heat or disturbance from NetworkOcean’s submersible could trigger toxic algae blooms and harm wildlife. And WIRED inquiries to several California and US agencies who oversee the bay found that NetworkOcean has been pursuing its initial test of an underwater data center without having sought, much less received, any permits from key regulators. … ” Read more from Wired Magazine.
San Mateo’s winter storm prep efforts improve
“San Mateo’s winter storm preparation efforts seem to be faring better this year than the last couple seasons. The end of 2022 and early 2023 saw severe flooding and storms, affecting neighborhoods not just in San Mateo but throughout the county. The damage set off several community-led efforts aimed at addressing the city’s faltering stormwater infrastructure. “I think that storm got everyone’s attention,” said Rich Kranz, a longtime resident whose house was part of the flooding. The city and residents pinpointed several points of failure leading to flood-induced damage, one culprit being engine failures at the Marina Lagoon pumping station. … ” Read more from the San Mateo Daily Journal.
CENTRAL COAST
Monterey: Board to vote on final environmental assessment for Carmel Lagoon Project
“The Monterey County Board of Supervisors will vote at their Tuesday meeting on moving forward with the next steps of the Carmel Lagoon Project which aims to help prevent flooding in the area. The supervisors will be tasked with approving the final Environmental Impact Report for the project Tuesday, which includes constructing a wall and adding extra protective measures to safeguard the beach. The recommendation also includes seeking funding for the design, construction and ongoing maintenance for the project and continuing to work with other county departments to implement a home elevation project for houses within the floodplains. The controversial project has been met with pushback from homeowners who don’t want views obstructed and financial challenges, as the project in total is likely to cost millions. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald.
Paso Robles: Water infiltration line reduces city’s water rates
“Each Summer, the Nacimiento Water Infiltration line is installed during peak Summer months to reduce the city’s reliance on rain water. Water Resources Manager for the City of Paso Robles, David Athey, explained how the infiltration line improves efficiency, “It keeps those well fields operating at full capacity in the Summer months when the water level in the Salinas River drops naturally, just because we’re not getting any more rain.” For the past five years, the water line has been installed in the Summer and disassembled as the rainy season approaches. Athey explained relying on the infiltration line is more cost-effective for the city and its residents. … ” Read more from KSBY.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Modesto: In triple-digit heat, firefighters in one California city had to battle flames — and bees
“Firefighters in Stanislaus County found themselves battling more than just a wildfire when bees descended on the crew dispatched to battle the morning blaze. The Modesto Fire Department and Cal Fire responded to an incident on a private property where dozens of beehive boxes next to Sonora Road had caught fire Thursday morning as triple-digit heat settled over the region. The fire was believed to have been ignited by a faulty bee smoker, according to Jim Black, a battalion chief with the Modesto Fire Department. The winds pushed the fire to ignite 1.6 acres of nearby grass, Black said, and the road was briefly blocked as firefighters extinguished the fire in 15 minutes. The firefighters weren’t able to save any of the bee boxes, and it’s unclear how many bees died, Black said. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Lindsay wins $9.5M settlement in toxic water lawsuit
“The City of Lindsay has won a $9 million settlement after toxic chemicals were found in the city’s water supply. Officials with the city say the lawsuit with a subsidiary of a Chilean mining company came after they discovered toxic chemicals in the city’s water supply – that they alleged came from the company’s fertilizer. “Protecting the health and safety of Lindsay’s residents is our top priority. This resolution is a significant step in safeguarding the health of our community and ensuring a safe, clean water supply for our residents now and into the future,” said Lindsay City Manager Daymon Qualls. … ” Read more from Your Central Valley.
SEE ALSO: Lindsay receives $9.5 million to clean drinking water, from the Porterville Recorder
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Southern California heat wave summarized in five eye-popping statistics
“A brutal heat wave is cooking Southern California, resulting in numerous temperature records and an uptick in wildfire activity. The National Weather Service extended excessive heat warnings in many inland valleys, as triple-digit temperatures are now expected to continue through Tuesday. While another day of intense heat is still to come, here’s how the hot weather has stacked up to historical records, so far. 108.8 degrees: Burbank was hit especially hard by the heat wave, where the average high temperature Wednesday through Sunday was 108.8 degrees. No other five-day stretch has been as hot at the Hollywood Burbank Airport since records began in 1940. Temperatures peaked Thursday and Friday, when the mercury hit 114. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Skies above Southern California wildfire looked like ‘a nuclear warhead had been set off’
“Megan Vasquez, who lives in the Crestline area, had an overnight bag with her medication and other essentials packed just in case she needed to leave her home quickly as the Line Fire raged through the San Bernardino Mountains. On Saturday, the 59-year-old was driving through town when she saw an orange glow as flames scorched the hills in the distance, and a huge cloud rose above. “It looked exactly like a nuclear warhead had been set off in the mountains,” she said. “It was a giant mushroom with compact billowy clouds and crazy smoke rings around it on the plume coming up.” As mountain residents remained on guard, firefighting crews in Southern California continued to battle out-of-control wildfires Monday that had scorched thousands of acres in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties and forced residents to flee their homes amid record-breaking heat. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Pasadena hosts water agency meeting, spotlighting women leaders
“The Association of California Water Agencies held its Region 8 meeting at Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena last month. The event, titled “Leadership in Times of Climate Uncertainty,” was co-hosted by Women in Water San Gabriel Valley Region. Stacie Takeguchi, Chief Assistant General Manager of Water and Power for Pasadena Water and Power, participated in a panel of women leaders in the water industry. The discussion covered a range of topics crucial to California’s water future. Panelists shared their paths to leadership, offering insights into the challenges and opportunities for women in the water sector. They explored strategies for regional collaboration, emphasizing the importance of working together to address shared water management issues. … ” Read more from Pasadena Now.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Federal funding available for more restoration at the sea. Existing project is expanding.
“The Salton Sea Management Program is utilizing an initial federal investment to add approximately 750 acres to the Species Conservation Habitat (SCH) Project footprint between the New River and end of the causeway. Construction of a new berm will create a new pond, referred as East Pond 1 Expansion. Once the berm is completed, the overall East Pond area of the original SCH project and East Pond 1 Expansion can be filled with water and commissioned, covering nearly 2,000 acres of exposed lakebed. Initial work for the East Pond 1 Expansion is already underway, and construction will continue into 2025. Implementation of the SCH Project, via a design-build contract, was initiated in 2021. The SCH Project aims to restore deep and shallow water habitats lost as a result of the Salton Sea’s increasing salinity and recession. The State of California allocated approximately $206 million in funding to implement 4,100 acres and that area it is nearly complete. … ” Read more from the Salton Sea Management Program.
SAN DIEGO
Escondido: New water reuse treatment plant will help local growers
“Wednesday, August 28, the City held a dedication ceremony for the new $65 million AgX MFRO, a membrane filtration (MF) and reverse osmosis (RO) water reuse treatment facility. This facility will provide a high-quality alternative to potable water for local farmers. The project partners, Filanc Brown and Caldwell (FBC) Joint Venture, and the City completed construction for this new two-million-gallon-per-day facility in November 2023. The AgX MFRO facility takes water redirected from an ocean outfall, which was reaching capacity and would have cost hundreds of millions of dollars to upsize. This facility is the first-of-its-kind being used for agriculture in the state of California. … ” Read more from the Escondido Times-Advocate.
Cross-border sewage: Officials call for state of emergency amid toxic gas concerns
“San Diego’s Congressional contingent on Monday reiterated their call for a declaration of a state of emergency following recent detection of high levels of toxic gasses near the U.S.-Mexico border. According to the Representatives — Juan Vargas, Sara Jacobs, Scott Peters, all D-San Diego, and Mike Levin, D-Dana Point — toxic gasses are impacting the health of South Bay residents. “We write to reiterate our request for a State of Emergency in light of new findings that alarming levels of noxious gas are emanating from the Tijuana River,” they wrote in a joint letter to President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom. “Recent data has made it clear that these fumes are causing an immediate and serious threat to the health and safety of residents of South San Diego, and our community needs additional support.” … ” Read more from KPBS.
SEE ALSO: San Diego County, schools, and air pollution control officers answer to reports of ‘unhealthy levels’ of toxic gas near Tijuana River, from the San Diego Union-Tribune
Along the Colorado River …
Imperial Irrigation District’s water use on track for a record low, as is US Lower Basin use
“The federally funded water use reductions approved last month by the Imperial Irrigation District and the federal government have made their way into the Bureau of Reclamation’s annual forecast model (updated Sept. 6 as I’m writing this), and the numbers are remarkable. Imperial’s projected 2.2 million acre foot take on the Colorado River in 2024 is on track to be the lowest on record, with data going back to 1941. California’s total projected main stem withdrawals are again under 4 million acre feet, the lowest they’ve been since the 1950s. Arizona’s main stem withdrawals remain under 2 million of their nominal 2.8 maf allocation for the second year in a row, basically the lowest they’ve been since the Central Arizona Project was built. Nevada is once again hovering around 200,000 acre feet of its 300,000 acre foot allocation. … ” Read more from Inkstain.
Much of the Colorado River’s water goes to feed cows. How changing your diet could help
“Western states and the federal government face a looming 2026 deadline to divvy up falling water levels in the Colorado River basin. As overuse and climate change stretch the river thin, research suggests relatively small shifts in global eating patterns could save enough water to fend off steeper cuts for cities and agriculture — and help reduce climate pollution. Nearly half — 46% — of all the water drawn from the Colorado River goes to growing feed for beef and dairy cows, according to a recent study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment. It’s the most detailed analysis yet of how the river’s water is used. That’s nearly twice as much water as the combined use of every city that relies on the river — including Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. “We could wipe all of the cities off the map that are using Colorado River water, and we would just barely be balancing the water budget,” said Brian Richter, lead author of the study. That means as states wrestle over how to share the basin’s dwindling water supplies, major cuts will have to come from irrigation for agriculture, Richter said. … ” Read more from the LAist.
Listen: How eating less beef and dairy could help save the Colorado River
“Most Colorado River water is used to grow hay to feed cattle. This story traces the history of how the Imperial Valley became the hub for the cattle feed business, and follow the supply chain all the way to meat and milk we buy at a Southern California grocery store and work to answer the questions — do we need to change our diets to save the CO River? How are farmers thinking about this issue?” Listen at KUNC.
Arizona: Customers sue a water district, amid drought and surging demand
“Nearly two years ago, officials with the Pine-Strawberry Water Improvement District seemed on the verge of finding a solution to their water woes. … if the community was to grow, it needed a new, more reliable source of water. In Pine-Strawberry, the community, like many rural areas around the country, is entirely reliant on groundwater, and the easiest solution would be to drill a new deep well. A hydrologist identified multiple locations they could choose from, but the district’s board members determined they were too expensive and would be too difficult to build on. Instead, the water district bought a house in a subdivision and in the summer of 2023 and began digging a new deep well. Then its customers sued the district. … ” Read more from the Arizona Daily Sun.
Utah has a $276M bet on farms to save Colorado River water. How’s it going?
“South-central Utah is not your typical farm country. To the eye, there appears to be more red rock than green fields. To make a go of it, farms often huddle around the precious few rivers that snake across the sun-baked landscape. That’s the case for rancher Andy Rice, who raises hundreds of hungry goats and sheep in the Garfield County town of Boulder — population 227 — just outside Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. There’s no mistaking how dry it is. The area averages less than 12 inches of annual precipitation. The edges of Rice’s lush green pasture give way to a rugged sandstone ridge. So the grazing smorgasbord depends on irrigation and farming practices that make the most of that moisture. This ranch draws water from Boulder Creek that would otherwise be on its way to Lake Powell. … ” Read more from KUER.
In national water news today …
Big cities disrupt the atmosphere, often generating more rainfall, but can also have a drying effect
“The world’s largest urban areas have an outsized influence on regional weather and climate patterns, often creating “wet islands,” with more rainfall over cities and adjacent downwind areas, according to a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The NASA-funded research used satellite data to measure rainfall in and around the world’s most populated cities 1,056 cities from 2001 to 2020, finding that 63 percent of them received more annual precipitation in and downwind of their urban areas, compared to bordering rural areas. Cities affect regional weather and climate because they change the temperature and texture of the terrain, which affects how air flows over the land, and because they produce clouds of tiny pollution particles called aerosols, which can come from a variety of sources including industrial emissions, car exhaust and even trees, that can produce either more or less rain, depending on their exact chemical makeup. … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
SEE ALSO: Why cities are getting more rainy, from the Washington Post
Bureau of Reclamation joins partnership to address water management challenges
“The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced that the Bureau of Reclamation will be joining the Integrated Water Resources Science and Services to address significant challenges in water management and science. The Integrated Water Resources Science and Services is an innovative partnership of federal agencies that include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USGS, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). “We are always looking to use the latest and best scientific information in our water management decisions,” said Chief Engineer David Raff in a press release. “This memorandum of understanding will enable collaboration as we all seek to adapt to a changing climate and the ever-increasing demands placed upon our flood-risk reduction and water supply.” … ” Read more from Stormwater Solutions.
U.S. sweltered through its 4th-hottest summer on record
“A very warm August wrapped up an extremely hot summer across the U.S., with many cities breaking all-time heat records. The first eight months of 2024 also ranked as the second-warmest year-to-date, according to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. The average temperature for August across the contiguous U.S. was 74.0 degrees F — 1.9 degrees above average — tying with August 1998 as the 15th-warmest August in the 130-year record. Florida had its second-warmest August on record, while Texas and New Mexico both saw their third-warmest August on record. The average precipitation for the contiguous U.S. in August was 2.46 inches (0.16 of an inch below average), ranking in the driest third of the climate record. Precipitation was below average across much of the South, with Alabama and Mississippi seeing their driest August on record, and Tennessee seeing its second-driest August. In contrast, New York saw its fourth-wettest August on record. … ” Read more from NOAA.
