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On the calendar today …
- MEETING: Delta Independent Science Board from 9:00am to 12:300pm. Agenda items include an Overview of the Interagency Ecological Program Food-web Synthesis Effort; Discussion on the food webs review, decision-making under deep uncertainty review, and subsidence review; and discussion of Delta Conveyance Project EIR. Click here for the full agenda and remote access instructions.
- FORUM: Metropoliltan Climate Adaptation for Water from 10am to 1pm. On Sept. 12, Metropolitan will host a hybrid public forum that will bring together a diverse group of residents from across Metropolitan’s service area to explore and discuss regional approaches to climate adaptation for water. This is our first public forum devoted to our Climate Adaptation Master Plan for Water. CAMP4W is our roadmap for navigating an uncertain future in the midst of a changing climate, including exploring how climate change may impact regional population trends, the reliability of our imported water supplies and evolving state and federal regulations that apply to Metropolitan. Join us in-person or via Zoom to take part in this conversation. View the digital invitation or register for the forum.
- STAFF WORKSHOP: Delta Mercury Control Program from 10am to 12pm. The the Central Valley Water Board staff will release a report summarizing the review of the Delta Mercury Control Program and hold a staff workshop. Click here for the agenda and remote access instructions.
- WEBINAR: Discharge Requirements for Winery Process Water – San Diego 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.
- WEBINAR: The Battles Over California’s Groundwater from 12pm to 1pm. Presented by Cal Matters. Ten years ago, as drought and dry wells spread across the Central Valley, lawmakers enacted landmark legislation aimed at protecting one of California’s most precious resources: its rapidly dwindling underground stores of water.
This year, for the first time in California history, state officials have taken steps toward cracking down on groundwater depletion in the state’s agricultural heartland. This conversation will consider the consequences of California’s groundwater law for farms and communities.egister to attend virtually. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
‘Weather whiplash’ helped drive this year’s wildfires
“While many Californians are praying for rain heavy enough to slow the spread of the 6,078 fires that have burned 977,932 acres in the state this summer, firefighters and climatologists recognize that the heavy winter rains are a big part of what have led this fire season to scorch around three times as much total acreage as in 2023. After Northern California’s brutal summer of fire, including the massive Park Fire that is now the fourth largest wildfire in state history, Southern California exploded with fires this month. The Line Fire in San Bernardino County northeast of Los Angeles grew to 35,000 acres in the week since it ignited, threatening tens of thousands of homes and forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents. While there were 5,053 fires that burnt 253,755 acres by September 11 in 2023, by that date this year, about a thousand additional wildfires had collectively burned over 3.85 times more acres. Much of the increase can be attributed to what climatologists are calling “weather whiplash.” … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
Video: California is about to dump 114 billion gallons of water into the ocean
“”The California we know today is really only possible because we move water around—moving water from areas of abundance to areas of need, literally causing the desert to bloom,” says Geoff Vanden Heuvel, Director of Regulatory and Economic Affairs at Milk Producers Council. Siyamak sits down with Geoff Vanden Heuvel, who will explain why this water release may have little impact on the Delta smelt and what it means for the rest of California. “We really cannot afford to waste water in the state. We have to make sure that when we dedicate water to the environment, it does good and protects the environment. We absolutely want to do that and have an obligation to do so, but we must maximize the amount of water we store in wet years so we have it in the dry years,” says Vanden Heuvel.”
The California sand wars: As beaches shrink, neighbors and cities fight for what’s left
“California is a place of magnificent tectonic forces that lift mountains only for them to be constantly eroded by glaciers, wind and rain, ground down to one of the most basic commodities on Earth: sand. Sand covers our deserts, creates our foothills and fills our arroyos. It blankets the shores and piles into towering dunes. It’s everywhere. So why are Californians fighting each other for it? The sand wars are being waged up and down the coast on levels both micro and macro, as beachgoers, neighbors and cities quarrel over their share of a seemingly infinite resource. As beaches shrink, lines are now literally being drawn in the sand. The situation has gained urgency in recent decades, as rising seas and coastal development derailed the normal cycles of sand replenishment. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that California could lose up to 75% of its beaches in the next 75 years. … ” Read more from the LAist.
DAVID SEDLAK: Water for All: Global solutions for a changing climate
“Dr. David Sedlak is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and director of the Berkeley Water Center and chair of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Water Science and Technology board. Dr. Sedlak is the author of Water 4.0: The Past, Present, and Future of the World’s Most Vital Resource. In this Arizona Water Resources Research Center webinar, Dr. Sedlak discusses his latest book, Water for All: Global Solutions for a Changing Climate. … “What I hope to do today is to share with you some of the things that are in the latest book, Water for All, and to put the types of challenges that you’re experiencing in Arizona and the American Southwest into a larger context, so you could understand that the issues being dealt with on the Colorado River and other places are similar to what’s going on in much of the rest of the world, to understand the drivers and solutions that might be relevant to your situation, and the way in which innovations being developed in Arizona might find applications elsewhere in the world.” … ” Read the full post at Maven’s Notebook.
Is the future of farming inside? We visit Compton’s indoor farm to find out
Erin Stone writes, “One of the world’s most high-tech indoor vertical farms is right here in Southern California, in Compton. I headed there to find out more about what role indoor farming may play in the future of food. As increasingly extreme weather driven by human-caused pollution in the atmosphere makes it harder — if not impossible — to farm outside in formerly high-producing regions, could farming indoors be part of the solution? I admit I’m pretty skeptical of this high-tech farming. How practical is it? What are the tradeoffs? And how much does this farm really benefit Compton? Those were the questions I wanted to answer as I pulled into the parking lot of a clean white warehouse in north central Compton. The formerly empty warehouse is across from a neighborhood and next to a larger industrial building and yard full of big-rig trucks. … ” Read more from the LAist.
Senate Committee holds hearing on Padilla bills to support ecological restoration
“Today, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing on three of U.S. Senator Alex Padilla’s (D-Calif.) bipartisan bills to promote ecosystem restoration, water conservation, and drought resiliency across the Colorado, Sacramento, and San Joaquin River watersheds. The Committee considered his legislation to increase funding for the Lower Colorado River Multispecies Conservation and the San Joaquin River Restoration Programs, as well as the Sacramento RIVER Act to support drought resiliency and water conservation in the Sacramento watershed. “California’s rivers provide essential water resources for municipal, agricultural, and environmental use in California, but long-term drought, historic flooding, and rising project costs are threatening these watersheds,” said Senator Padilla. “My bipartisan bills would support ecological restoration across the Sacramento River, San Joaquin River, and Colorado River watersheds to bolster our drought resiliency and water supply for California’s water users.” … ” Read more from Senator Alex Padilla.
California faces ‘profound increased risk for valley fever.’ Here’s how it’s connected to weather
“A potentially deadly fungal infection known as valley fever has dramatically risen in California, with the number of reported cases nearly quadrupling in the last decade, from around 2,300 cases in 2014 to over 9,000 in 2023. A new scientific study describes where and when valley fever took off across the state over the past two decades. Swings between wet and dry conditions, expected to intensify with global warming, were associated with the highest case counts. The state is facing such a scenario this year, said author Alexandra Heaney, a climate and health epidemiologist at UC San Diego. California faced extreme drought from 2020 to 2023, followed by wet winters in 2023 and 2024. “That is sort of the perfect storm … for these huge valley fever years,” Heaney said. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
In commentary today …
AB 460 hands water bureaucrats even more power
Edward Ring, director of water and energy policy for the California Policy Center, writes, “Siskiyou and Modoc counties have a combined population of 52,700 people and combined area of 10,227 miles. That’s less than the population of Yucaipa in a territory the size of Massachusetts. It’s a big place with almost no political clout. That’s why back in August 2022 when a handful of desperate ranchers and farmers along the Shasta River defied the State Water Resources Control Board, hardly anyone noticed. But the people who did notice have inordinate clout in Sacramento. The ranchers and farmers were backed into an impossible position. New regulations issued by the State Water Resources Control Board forbid them from withdrawing water from the Shasta River if summertime flow dropped below 50 cubic feet per second. This ruling came despite the fact that the 90 year average in that river in August has only been 38 CFS. After fruitless efforts to get the bureaucracy to relent, the ranchers and farmers were left with an existential choice: Let their crops and their cattle die, or pump water. For one lifesaving week, they pumped water. What would you have done? … ” Read more from the California Globe.
Editorial: Vote no on fiscally irresponsible Proposition 4
The Santa Cruz Sentinel editorial board writes, “Proposition 4 on California’s November ballot calls for borrowing $10 billion to fund scores of environmental proposals. The Sentinel Editorial Board was divided on the merits of this measure, with some members citing that it is endorsed by the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County and the League of Women Voters of California. The latter’s endorsement reads: “By funding critical projects, Prop. 4 will enhance resilience, protect communities, and ensure California continues to lead in environmental stewardship and innovation. This investment is essential for a sustainable and prosperous future.” But here’s the problem with this measure, and why in the end, we’re recommending voters reject it. After this year’s state budget debacle, elected leaders should not be eyeing new bonds and more debt for an unfocused spending plan. … ” Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
The West should put its straws away. Great Lakes water is not for sale
Dan Pogorzelski, a commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, writes, “It is my hope to put to rest the mistaken belief that Great Lakes water, now, or at any point in the future, will be used to solve the water woes of the western United States. This is not going to happen. Westerners cannot have an honest discussion about their future until we dispel this myth once and for all. Standing anywhere on Chicago’s famous lakefront, it is easy to imagine the freshwater resource in front of you is limitless. I have seen visitors to our city stare in awe at Lake Michigan and say, “You call this a lake? That’s an ocean!” We know our Great Lakes are an enviable resource, one that is becoming more attractive to covetous states in the western U.S. that have been facing long-term drought, a process called aridification by some experts. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
The Klamath River runs free
“For the first time in more than a century, the Klamath River began flowing unobstructed on Aug. 28 from the river’s mouth to Keno Dam, just below Upper Klamath Lake, opening hundreds of miles of salmon habitat and bringing a generational effort to the brink of completion. The moment an excavator broke open the last coffer dam holding the river back at what used to be Iron Gate Dam, letting the Klamath River spill into its natural path, it was met with cheers and tears by more than 100 tribal members, environmentalists and officials watching, many of whom had spent years — if not decades — working to free the river from the dams that had choked it for decades. “It was kind of a magic moment,” says Craig Tucker, a consultant with the Karuk Tribe who has worked for removal of the four dams on the lower Klamath River for more than 20 years. … ” Read more from the North Coast Journal.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
20,000 tons of gravel placed into Sacramento River to provide spawning habitat for endangered salmon
“Efforts to provide spawning habitat for endangered winter-run Chinook salmon in the upper reaches of the Sacramento River continue with the Sacramento River Settlement Contractors, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation placing more than 20,000 tons of gravel downstream of the Keswick Dam in Redding. “This gravel is critical for all four runs of Chinook salmon that utilize the Sacramento River,” said Matt Johnson, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Environmental Scientist. “Water flows will push the gravel downstream over time, providing spawning habitat in a vital stretch of river these fish depend on. We want to ensure these fish have the greatest chance to reproduce and it is projects like this allow us to increase the odds of success.” This gravel augmentation project will add to the more than 50,000 tons of rock placed in the upper reaches of the Sacramento River since 2022. … ” Continue reading this press release.
Breaking bread: Celebrating Sacramento Valley agriculture and the farm-to-fork movement
“Breaking Bread, a three-part interview format documentary exploring the relationship between top Sacramento-area chefs and the region’s farming community, was recently re-released on YouTube. Originally airing last year, the program opens with chefs discussing how local agriculture influences the menus crafted in their restaurants. It also takes the viewer out to local farms to show how the food is cultivated and harvested with care to ensure that it will have the desired quality and flavor. The program shows the significance of all the inputs – water, soil, plant quality and care – to growing quality food. The three episodes in the series are titled “The Land,” “The Chef,” and “The Meal,” which tracks the process of cultivation, harvest, and preparation as food travels from the farm to the table. The documentary provides insight into how the passion, care and love that is infused into each step of the process results in a flavorful meal that is enjoyed by the diner. … ” Read more from the Northern California Water Association.
Reclamation, key partners build a haven for iconic fish species on the American River
“It’s fall on the lower American River, and that means more habitat restoration work to benefit fall-run Chinook salmon and steelhead trout is coming to fruition. This year, the site is River Bend, just a few miles from the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers. It’s a bucolic and peaceful environment; a place where bicyclists zoom by on the American River Bike Trail and pedestrians wander under the canopy of oaks and other native trees. Just below the Harold Richey Memorial Bridge, crews are building habitat features that will improve the productivity of fall-run Chinook salmon and steelhead, two species that make the journey from the river to the Pacific Ocean and back again. The work, funded by the Central Valley Project Improvement Act and the Sacramento Water Forum, is a both a surgical and holistic approach to helping the fish reproduce and thrive. … ” Read more from the Bureau of Reclamation.
NAPA/SONOMA
Judge tosses Napa winemaker’s fight over water wells
“A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit brought by a lauded California winemaker after Napa County refused to issue permits for water wells on land he owns. Plaintiff Jayson Woodbridge, founder and owner of Hundred Acre Wine Group and Double Vee Properties, says in his 2023 lawsuit that Napa County overstepped its authority and violated state water rights law by refusing to issue permits for water wells unless Woodbridge agrees to a strict limit on the water that could be drawn annually from each well. Woodbridge says this restriction does not apply to existing wells, even though Woodbridge has the same legal right to use the water beneath his land as property owners with existing wells. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
Three miles of scenic Northern California coastline preserved in major redwoods deal
“Before the Gold Rush changed California forever, and before California became a state, Fort Ross was a windswept outpost where Russian settlers and fur traders built a rugged community along the Sonoma Coast from 1812 to 1841. On Thursday, a Bay Area environmental group announced the latest chapter at the venerable landscape: a $15 million deal to purchase 1,624 acres of redwoods and picturesque coastal meadows adjacent to what is now Fort Ross State Historic Park, expanding the protected lands around the site by 50%. The redwoods property, larger than Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, includes 3.2 miles along Highway 1 that could have been developed into luxury homes. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
CENTRAL COAST
County airport secures federal grant to tackle water, soil contamination
“The San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport (SBP) has received a $3.5 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to support demonstration testing of three PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) remediation technologies. The grant is part of the Biden-Harris administration’s $2 billion airport infrastructure funding. The funding will be used for testing state-of-the-art PFAS treatment systems for both soil and water. PFAS contamination, often resulting from firefighting foams, poses long-term risks to water, soil, and public health, according to a press release from the airport. The project aims to mitigate these environmental and health risks, enhancing the airport’s sustainability and environmental stewardship. … ” Read more from the Paso Robles Daily News.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Fresno receives $3.7 million in EPA funding for water infrastructure
“Fresno will receive nearly millions of dollars in federal funding to improve water infrastructure. Rep. Jim Costa (D–Fresno) announced Wednesday that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding Fresno $3.7 million. The big picture: The $3,700,214 in funding from the EPA will go toward replacing failing water pipes and to protect Fresno’s drinking water system infrastructure from drought. … ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun.
Tulare Lake Basin Water Storage board talks levies, audits and “sloppy” legislative sessions
“The Tulare Lake Basin Water District Board of Directors unanimously voted to hold a hearing to impose a $10-per-acre levy at the next monthly meeting on Oct. 8. The proposed $1.8 million levy would provide operation funds to the district. Assistant General Manager Chantal Ouellet said the funds from the levy would sustain the district’s budget for two years. “There’s no money asked from any landowners at this moment,” Ouellet said. However, she believes the proposed levy could be called as early as December. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
City of Bakersfield pins blame for dry Kern River on ag districts, tells citizens to go ask them for water
“More than 20 people showed up at Bakersfield’s City Council meeting Wednesday night to vent their frustration with a suddenly dry Kern River and ask what more the city can do. The city’s response was hat they should go to the ag districts with river rights. After Council Member Andrae Gonzales led a choreographed Q&A with city staffers to show that Bakersfield had run through its share of river water by the end of August, City Attorney Ginny Gennaro jumped in. “I’ll be even more blunt,” she said. “Go to Kern Delta (Water District) and tell them about why you want water in the river. Go to North Kern (Water Storage District) and be as direct with them as you have been with us.” … ” Read more from SJV Water.
EASTERN SIERRA
Western Growers Association and Calif. Farm Bureau: Current GSP ‘will decimate agriculture’
“The Western Growers Association and the California Farm Bureau Federation voiced its concerns regarding the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority’s draft groundwater sustainability plan in a letter addressed to the IWVGA and its chair, Mick Gleason. “It is shocking that the IWVGA Plan reserves 100 percent of the basin’s sustainable yield to the U.S. Navy — an entity expressly not subject to SGMA or the Plan — and denies overlying landowner farmers any groundwater allocation at all unless they pay the Authority $2,130 per acre-foot,” the letter reads. “This egregious Plan contradicts the express provisions of SGMA and will decimate agriculture in your basin area.” … ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent.
Council bumps Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority rep discussion
“The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority’s basin replenishment fee may have been approved, but groundwater authority representation continues to raise issues. Mayor Pro Tem Lindsey Stephens asked prior to the approval that council consider having the city withdraw from the groundwater authority if the controversial basin replenishment fee were to pass. It did pass, so Stephens’ item was listed on the council agenda this week. The topic — agenda item four — was bumped to a later meeting because Stephens was out sick Wednesday according to Mayor Peggy Breeden. “She is ill and we will wait for her, since [the item] was at her request,” Breeden said. … ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
City of San Fernando ‘turns off the valve’ and returns to water independence
“On the morning of one of the hottest days of the year, the City of San Fernando celebrated returning to its water wells after two years of importing water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). The city purchased water from MWD after nearing unsafe levels of nitrates in the city’s wells, which required them to be shut down. “As we turn off the valve and stand on our own, we’re not just restoring water independence, we are reaffirming our commitment to the health and safety and future of San Fernando,” said City of San Fernando Vice Mayor Mary Mendozaat the “Turn Off the Valve” celebration on Sept. 5 at the MWD Connection Facility in the City of San Fernando. … ” Read more from the San Fernando Valley Sun.
Judge strikes down city of L.A.’s ban on new oil drilling
“A high-profile law intended to phase out oil production within Los Angeles city limits has been struck down by a judge who ruled that the state, not the city, has jurisdiction over many aspects of drilling operations. The ruling by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Curtis A. Kin invalidated a law spearheaded by environmental justice activists and unanimously backed by the L.A. City Council in 2022. The law barred new oil and gas extraction and required that all existing operations stop production within 20 years. However, the ruling could be moot if Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a bill allowing cities and counties to reduce or eliminate oil and gas operations. Assembly Bill 3233 recently passed the state legislature and is on the governor’s desk. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Agreement calls for 400-acre habitat to protect imperiled Santa Ana sucker fish, kangaroo rat
“Two environmental conservation groups have reached an agreement with three Southern California counties and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that will establish 400 acres of habitat along the Santa Ana River for the federally protected Santa Ana sucker fish and the kangaroo rat. The agreement, finalized Aug. 29, ends six years of negotiations between the Center for Biological Diversity, the Endangered Habitat League, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and three county flood control districts — San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange. Two San Bernardino County water districts also were involved in the negotiations. “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, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement. “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 San Bernardino Sun.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Imperial County discusses the benefits of lithium extraction
“Imperial County held a press conference Tuesday, Sept. 10, to discuss the Imperial County Good Neighbor Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) and the New Lithium Extraction Exercise Plan Tax Funding Plan. These proposals are expected to benefit every community in the County. The goals of the Good Neighbor Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) and the New Lithium Extraction Exercise Plan Tax Funding Plan are to diversify the industrial base in the Imperial Valley, lead in green energy, and become a producer of defense applications. The Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) encourages companies operating in Imperial County to commit on advancing the Valley residents’ quality of life. Participation in the CBA is voluntary but serves as a tool to measure industrial benefits in the region and help secure government loans and community agreements. … ” Read more from the Desert Review.
SAN DIEGO
San Diego receives $240 million loans for Lake Hodges dam replacement
“San Diego was selected Wednesday to receive $240.6 million in loans for Lake Hodges dam improvement projects and possible replacement by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers. This funding comes from the Corps Water Infrastructure Financing Program, intended to provide low-cost loans to maintain, repair and upgrade dams not under the federal government’s jurisdiction. The CWIFP is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to pay dividends here in San Diego. I want to thank the Biden-Harris Administration for selecting the city to participate in this program that is going to help build a new dam at the Lake Hodges Reservoir,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said. “The safety of our critical infrastructure, like our city-owned and -operated dams, is essential to public safety and lowering costs for ratepayers across our city,” Gloria said. … ” Read more from KPBS.
Imperial Beach residents file class-action lawsuit against company co-running treatment plant
“Veolia Water North America, the private company hired by the federal government to operate and maintain the wastewater treatment plant at the U.S.-Mexico border, is being sued by Imperial Beach homeowners for failing to fix the malfunctioning facility that repeatedly allows raw sewage to pollute the Tijuana River Valley. Filed Sept. 6 in federal court, the class-action complaint alleges the company’s failure “to remedy or at least ameliorate polluted waters off the coast of Imperial Beach” has resulted in declining property values and residents’ inability to freely enjoy local shorelines. The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $300 million, marking the first time damages are being sought by residents affected by the decadeslong, cross-border sewage crisis that has worsened in recent years, plaintiffs said. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Along the Colorado River …
A major Colorado River water transfer has some asking for more details
“A Front Range water distributor is pushing back on a planned transfer of rights to water from the Colorado River. It has led to a disagreement between two major water agencies — a minor flare-up of longstanding tensions between Eastern Colorado and Western Colorado, which have anxiously monitored each others’ water usage for decades. Northern Water, which serves cities and farms from Fort Collins to Broomfield, is asking for more data about the future of the Shoshone water right. Meanwhile, the Colorado River District, a powerful taxpayer-funded agency founded to keep water flowing to the cities and farms of Western Colorado, says Northern Water may be attempting to stymie its purchase of the water rights. … ” Read more from KUNC.
Saudi-backed farm Fondomonte receives permit for new well on its property
“Documents obtained by AZPM show that in July, an alfalfa farming operation with backing from Saudi Arabia applied for a new well on its property. The move, along with a ‘now hiring’ banner hanging from the sign at its main entrance appear to show the company is growing its Arizona operation despite the loss of state land leases. Fondomonte’s new well is permitted to go 1,000-1,500 feet deep and pump water at a rate of 3,000 gallons per minute. To compare, wells that state regulators dub as exempt–which are typical for domestic use, pump up to 35 gallons per minute. The average depth of an exempt well in La Paz County is about 240 feet. A list of permitted wells in Arizona shows this would be Fondomonte’s 33rd. … ” Read more from Arizona Public Media.
SEE ALSO: Why Arizona can’t stop Saudi-backed farm Fondomonte from getting a new water lease, from KJZZ
Never closer and never farther away: The fight over updating Arizona’s rural groundwater law
“Arizona has no regulations on pumping groundwater in rural areas. The state’s governor is trying to modernize its water laws, and the fight over rural groundwater is in the middle of it. So how did the re-introduction of a water policy council that aimed to solve the problem lead to a pair of bills and division amongst its original members? Seven days into her first term as Governor of Arizona, Katie Hobbs set out to modernize a law that has governed the water under our feet for over forty years… She did that by forming the Governor’s Water Policy Council, which she announced in her 2023 state of the state speech. … ” Continue reading at Arizona Public Media.
Helping to save the Colorado River with virtual fencing
“There are unique ways to help save the ailing Colorado River, and a nonprofit foundation is awarding millions to boost drought resistance in two of the seven basin states. On Thursday, the Foundation for America’s Public Lands, the official congressionally-chartered charitable partner of the Bureau of Land Management, launched the Drought Resilience Fund, a first-of-its-kind grant program to involve locally led partnerships with the federal agency. The goal is to combat the severe drought challenges facing public lands and Western communities with an investment of $2.4 million in a pair of inaugural projects in the Colorado River Basin. … ” Read more from Deseret News.
In national water news today …
EPA denies duty to regulate PFAS in sewage sludge spread on farmland
“US regulators claim they are not legally required to regulate toxic PFAS chemicals in sewage sludge spread on farmland across the country, according to a court filing the government made this week in response to a lawsuit from an environmental watchdog group. In its Sept. 9 filing, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asked the US District Court in Washington, DC to dismiss the lawsuit, which was filed in June by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) on behalf of a group of Texas farmers and ranchers. The lawsuit claims contamination with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from sewage sludge has sickened and killed the farmers’ livestock, “injured their health, threatened their livelihoods, and devalued their property.” … ” Read more from The New Lede.
Utilities must comply with limits on PFAS chemicals by 2029. Some have a head start
“Now that the Environmental Protection Agency is putting limits on some forever chemicals in drinking water, utilities across the country will have to take action. They’ve got five years to comply. Some water authorities have a head start. In California’s Orange County, treatment plants to remove those chemicals, known as PFAS, are already up and running. NPR’s Pien Huang checked it out. Yorba Linda is a small, sunny city southeast of Los Angeles. It’s known for being the birthplace of Richard Nixon. It’s also home to the largest PFAS water treatment plant of its kind … ” Read more from NPR.
