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On the calendar today …
- MEETING: California Advisory Committee on Salmon and Steelhead Trout from 10am to 4pm. Agenda items include an update on California Salmon Strategy: Implementation, Status of salmon disaster relief, a presentation on Why Aren’t Salmon Responding to Habitat Restoration in the Pacific Northwest and a presentation by Dr. Ted Sommer on Climate-smart tools to protect California’s freshwater biodiversity. Click here for the full agenda and remote access instructions.
- WEBINAR: Guide to Community Drinking Water Advocacy from 12pm to 1pm. Learn about the evolution of the Guide to Community Drinking Water Advocacy, how to use a new tool in your respective spaces, and where it can grow from here. The webinar will introduce a website targeted to California communities seeking answers to drinking water issues, the nonprofit and governmental organizations dedicated to supporting them, and academic institutions whose work intersects with the Community Water Center: drinkingwaterguide.org/. Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/
83477705183 Meeting ID: 834 7770 5183 - MEETING: Delta Protection Commission from 5pm to 7pm. Agenda items include a report on Delta Stewardship Council Activities, a report on Delta Protection Advisory Committee (DPAC) Activities, NHA Advisory Committee Appointments; and Delta as Place Presentation: Delta Agriculture – Tom Slater, Board of Directors, North Delta Water Agency. Click here for the full agenda.
In California water news today …
AT&T agrees to settle case over abandoned lead cables beneath Lake Tahoe
“AT&T on Wednesday signaled it will resolve a yearslong legal struggle over abandoned telecommunication cables contaminating Lake Tahoe, and remove the disused lines. The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance filed suit in 2021 over the cables that it said were leaching toxic lead into the lake that bridges California and Nevada. The two cables, about 8 miles long, are at the bottom of the lake and contain over 68 tons of lead. The federal case was advancing through court when both the alliance and AT&T on Wednesday filed documents in support of a consent decree. A hearing on that decree is set for Nov. 7. “This is a monumental win for the environment, the communities who drink Lake Tahoe water, and people with lake-dependent livelihoods, and the millions of annual visitors,” said Chris Shutes, executive director of the alliance, in a statement. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
SEE ALSO:
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- California Sportfishing Protection Alliance secures AT&T’s removal of toxic lead-containing phone cables from Lake Tahoe, press release from the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance
- AT&T will remove 100,000 pounds of lead from Lake Tahoe, from the San Francisco Chronicle
Levee breach marks completion of the Delta’s largest-ever tidal wetland restoration project
“For the first time in 100 years, tidal waters are flowing to 3,400 acres of restored habitat that will support fish and wildlife species and provide new flood capacity in Solano County. Today, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and Ecosystem Investment Partners (EIP) held a levee breaching ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Lookout Slough Tidal Habitat Restoration and Flood Improvement Project (Lookout Slough). This multi-benefit project restores tidal wetland habitat and produces food for Delta smelt and other fish species, while reducing overall flood risk in the Sacramento area. “Lookout Slough is the biggest environmental restoration project in the Delta in decades. And a critical feature of it is the improved flood protection it provides to surrounding communities. Protecting people from flooding doesn’t have to be at odds with the environment – it can actually work with it,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “More intense droughts and floods require these solutions. Congratulations to our local, state, federal, tribal, private, and non-profit partners who made this happen.” … ” Read more from DWR News.
SEE ALSO: Levee Breach at Lookout Slough, from the Northern California Water Association
Tule Basin put on probation while Kings farmers fight back
“Kings County Superior Court judge Kathy Ciuffini handed Kings County farmers a victory in their effort to block the state from enforcing groundwater pumping regulations. The judge slapped the state with an injunction, arguing that the state water board had overstepped its authority. The injunction will stay in place until there is a trial, with no date set as of yet. The lawsuit had been brought by the Kings County Farm Bureau and other farmers, challenging the state’s decision to designate the water basin as “probationary,” and triggering pumping fees and monitoring rules. … ” Read more from the Hanford Sentinel.
Is ‘weather whiplash’ our new normal?
“When Kamie Loeser took over as the director of water and resource conservation in Butte County, in Northern California, she was immediately tasked with navigating a once-in-a-lifetime drought. It was October 2021. California had just seen its second-driest year on record, and Lake Oroville, a major reservoir in Butte County, was at its lowest level ever—just 22 percent of capacity. But by the end of that month, a “bomb cyclone” atmospheric river had dumped so much water that Lake Oroville’s surface level rose by 30 feet in one week. Parts of Northern California experienced their highest single-day rainfall ever recorded. … In less than three years on the job, Loeser has dealt with drought, flooding, and fire in quick and devastating succession. It’s a pattern repeating across California and around the world as climate change intensifies extreme weather and, increasingly, drives the rapid transition from one extreme weather event to another. … ” Read more from National Geographic.
California court slams state water regulators for overstepping authority in key agricultural hub
“A California Superior Court has cracked down on state regulators for penalizing a key agricultural region’s water managers, chastising officials for potentially unlawful behavior. Judge Kathy Ciuffini, of Central California’s Kings County Superior Court, last week issued a preliminary injunction that prevents the State Water Resources Control Board from requiring fees and reports from growers who over-pump the area’s groundwater. In the injunction, Ciuffini affirmed allegations that the State Water Board had issued “underground regulations,” which could cause undue harm to the livelihoods of the region’s growers. … ” Read more from The Hill.
Congress comes to Santa Nella to talk about water
“The Great Valley of California, one of “the more notable structural depressions in the world,” covers an area of 20,000 square miles. More than half of it, about 6.7 million acres, or over 10,000 square miles, is irrigated farmland. If you drive south on the main north-south artery, Interstate 5, orchards and cultivated fields appear as soon as you drop out of the foothills around Red Bluff. For the next 430 miles, until you begin ascending the Tehachapi Mountains far to the south, everywhere you look there is agriculture. About 75 percent of California’s total agricultural production occurs in the Central Valley. According to the Public Policy Research Institute, in 2018, the Central Valley had an estimated 3.5 million acres planted with trees and vines, 2.1 million acres had grains, 1.2 million acres had alfalfa, 750,000 acres had vegetables (including tomatoes which are technically referred to as “non-tree fruits”), and not quite 900,000 acres had corn. Since 2018, roughly 750,000 acres have been taken out of production, with another million at risk. The reason? Not enough water. … ” Read more from The Current.
Supporting California’s underserved farming communities with NRCS partnership
“For more than a year and a half, Harol Gonzalez Gallardo has partnered with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California to support historically underserved farming communities. As American Farmland Trust’s (AFT) California Agricultural Specialist, Harol applies his skills to farmers who might not otherwise get the technical support needed for their climate resilience and business viability. Through the Inflation Reduction Act, NRCS has built capacity by hiring additional staff and building and strengthening partnerships, like the one with AFT. This comes at a critical time as the Inflation Reduction Act provided an additional $19.5 billion over five years for climate smart agriculture through several NRCS conservation programs. These additional funds will help farmers and ranchers implement expanded conservation practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase storage of carbon in their soil and trees. Getting this agricultural specialist to his current job, however, was not typical. Harol was born in Cuba under circumstances that strictly limited his freedom and opportunities. … ” Read more from the USDA NRCS.
How Thirsty Are Your Crops? Researchers use massive scales to study crop water use
“People who grow plants know that potting flowers or putting vegetables in a raised bed can yield great results. But what can you accomplish with containers that hold over 85,000 pounds of soil? For a group of ARS scientists in Bushland, TX, the answer is quite a lot, as they use the enormous metal boxes to directly measure how much water crops are using. With that information, they can produce remarkably accurate recommendations on how much farmers should irrigate, providing a vast improvement over existing estimates. The containers in question are called weighing lysimeters, and today, four of them sit embedded in a 48-acre field at the ARS Conservation and Production Research Laboratory in Bushland. The lysimeters date back to the late 1980s; the original builders planned to use them for 10 years of research to develop regional crop coefficients, which estimate crop water use for different crops using weather data. But today, researchers continue to grow crops inside and in the fields around the lysimeters, allowing them to measure all kinds of climate and agronomic variables for the soil and plants within the containers. The variable of greatest interest is crop water usage. … ” Read more from USDA Agricultural Research Service.
New analysis: High stakes as ‘forever chemicals’ legal and political battles intensify
“At least 40 million Americans served by more than 700 water utilities would lose drinking water protections if the next administration or a court rolls back new federal drinking water standards for the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. And millions more could be at risk, because ongoing utility drinking water tests will likely confirm that a host of other communities are also in danger from undoing the PFAS limits. The Environmental Protection Agency in April set its landmark first-time drinking water standards for six PFAS, estimating that as many as 100 million people will benefit from them. The rulemaking sets a strict limit of 4 parts per trillion, or ppt, on the forever chemicals PFOS and PFOA – two of the most notorious PFAS. … ” Read more from the Environmental Working Group.
State nudges ocean coast planners to be more prepared
“It has been a watershed year and a half for California sea level rise policy. On the heels of new California sea level rise scenarios and the passage of Senate Bill 272 explicitly requiring shoreline communities to plan responses to sea level rise, in August the California Coastal Commission released a draft guidance for how to use all of this new information in coastal plans and development. “Ensuring that our communities are resilient to climate change requires proactive planning,” says Kelsey Ducklow, the Commission’s coastal resilience coordinator who presented the draft guidance to commissioners in early August. “That will mean continuing to update our understanding of sea level rise science and adaptation practices.” … ” Read more from Knee Deep Times.
What happens when a golf course’s most precious resource grows sparse?
“Sustainability and water conservation have become hot topics in recent years, and it’s easy to see why. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), between the years 2000 and 2020, as much as 70 percent of the United States experienced abnormally dry conditions. Coupled with a rise in the Earth’s average temperature, that has created an alarming paradox: the rate of evaporation from soil and transpiration from plants has increased, making more water available in the air for precipitation, but, in some areas, the land continues to get steadily drier. As a result, the EPA predicts that historically wet areas of the country will get wetter, with an increased flood risk, and dry areas will get drier, with an increased risk of drought. Water is an essential element for every life-sustaining activity on the planet, from hydration to agriculture to transportation and energy production. A robust audit of water usage best practices and sustainability efforts is thus a worthy goal for every facet of our society. … ” Read more from Golf.
In commentary today …
Fight the water thief
Rod Diridon, Sr., former chair of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, writes, “Earth’s most valuable asset is potable water. So we store every drop we can capture in massive reservoirs like Shasta, Trinity, Folsom, Hetch Hetchy, Meade and a dozen more. But a thief has been stealing increasingly more amounts of that community wealth every summer for the past half century. That’s like your family income entrusted to a greedy custodian who skims off more each year. That frightening news was broken by Don Bader of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that manages the reservoirs. Bader declares that during the first nine days of July, 2.2 billion gallons disappeared from Shasta Lake while Trinity and Keswick Lakes had nearly 3 billion gallons stolen — by a very angry Mother Nature who is trying to tell us something. … ” Read more from the San Jose Spotlight.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Healthy habitat for hitch Partnerships with tribe, state, others, critical to efforts
“Recovering populations of Clear Lake hitch isn’t just a goal for the Robinson Rancheria Pomo Indians of California; it’s critical to their culture and way of life. Luis Santana, a fish biologist with Robinson Rancheria explains the importance of this species as subsistence to the tribe with his own personal challenge to eat what is genetically good for his body. “My ancestors are from central Mexico, and so when I did my genetic analysis on what I should be eating it came back – venison, a lot of zucchini and a lot of berries, and I do eat that stuff, but not often enough,” he said. While historically a form of subsistence, Santana acknowledged the multiple cultural benefits of the fish to the tribe. “Getting back to more fish would obviously help because it’s a lot healthier and better for the people, but what I’d like to emphasize is how critical our efforts are now and in the future to preserving the hitch for future generations for the mental and spiritual benefits to the tribe.” … ” Read more from the US Fish & Wildlife Service.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
New research finds Lake Tahoe is the third oldest freshwater lake on Earth
“New research conducted by a Western Nevada College professor has found that Lake Tahoe is 2.3 million years old, making it the third oldest freshwater lake in the world. It was previously believed that the lake was created between 10,000 and 2.6 million years ago. Now, using radiometric dating of rocks, and the examination of basalt, Dr. Winnie Kortemeier has determined the lake is actually 2.3 million years old, making it the third oldest such lake on Earth. “Fortunately, basaltic lava flows interacted with the lake water and lake sediments when the lava erupted millions of years ago. We were then able to radiometrically date the basalt to determine the age of Lake Tahoe,” Dr. Kortemeier said. “After looking at the data from other ancient lakes, I was surprised to find that it’s the third-oldest lake in the world.” … ” Read more from KOLO.
Summit gives students a chance to explore, study watershed
“The El Dorado and Georgetown Divide resource conservation districts in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and El Dorado County High Schools will host the 27th annual Watershed Education Summit Sept. 25-28. This one-of-a-kind, four-day summit engages El Dorado County students from each of the five high schools in an interactive watershed education monitoring program in the South Fork American River watershed. WES is an educational outreach program planned and financed through the RCD’s. … ” Read more from the Mountain Democrat.
Critical reforestation efforts underway in Eldorado National Forest
“American Forests is working around the clock to rebuild forests ravaged by fires. On Sept. 5, American Forests, in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service, launched a significant reforestation initiative in Eldorado National Forest, located in Peavine Ridge, California. This effort is part of a broader strategy to address the critical reforestation needs in the Northern Sierras, where American Forests has been intensifying its cone collection activities. The urgency of these efforts cannot be overstated. The 2024 wildfire season in California has already surpassed the five-year average in terms of burned area. According to the U.S. Forest Service, national forests alone require restoration across at least 3.6 million acres. To address the 1.5 million acres in need of reforestation statewide, the U.S. must significantly ramp up its seed collection efforts. Without an adequate seed supply, wildfires will continue to outstrip our replanting capabilities. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
NAPA/SONOMA
Controversial landfill in wine country expected to close
“A landfill in California’s wine country that has drawn scrutiny for its management of toxic chemicals may be poised to close, Napa County officials confirmed this week. Waste Connections, the large national waste management company that owns the Napa Valley-area Clover Flat Landfill, is expected to submit a closure plan to the county’s Local Enforcement Agency (LEA) “near the end of this year,” Holly Dawson, the county’s deputy CEO for communications, said in an email. Based on recent discussions with Waste Connections, the closure process is expected to take about three to four years, and there are no plans for future operations at the site beyond long-term monitoring, said Dawson. … ” Read more from The New Lede.
SEE ALSO:
- Internal communications reveal plans to close controversial Napa Valley waste site involved in federal investigation, from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat
- Napa’s problematic Clover Flat Landfill has potentially caused one issue too many, and may finally be earmarked for closure, from Wine Searcher
BAY AREA
Zone 7 proceeds with test wells
“Zone 7 Water Agency staff responded this month to concerns expressed by some local geologists about new groundwater wells planned for western Pleasanton. The three-well project, slated to begin with small, exploratory test wells this fall, is a joint effort between Zone 7 and the City of Pleasanton. PFAS testing in 2019 revealed elevated levels of the chemicals in Pleasanton’s groundwater, leading the city to shut down all three of its wells, and Zone 7 two of its 11 wells. PFAS, or polyfluoroalkyl substances, are toxic chemicals that have been used for decades in the production of a wide variety of industrial and consumer products, and most recently as a component in firefighting agents. There are thousands of different PFAS compounds, valuable because of their resistance to heat, oil and water, but they also persist in the environment, which is why they have been nicknamed “forever chemicals.” … ” Read more from the Livermore Independent.
CENTRAL COAST
San Lorenzo River levee maintenance to begin
“Routine vegetation management and maintenance of the San Lorenzo River levee in order to help flood conveyance will commence this month and should be completed by mid-October, according to the city of Santa Cruz Public Works Department. The annual maintenance is required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prior to the onset of the rainy season and follows environmental guidelines set by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The city stated that the 2024 maintenance project will include structural inspections and needed repairs in addition to maintaining the vegetation along the levee and that the local habitat restoration firm Ecological Concerns Inc., which focuses on vegetation management for rare and endangered species and habitats, will conduct the San Lorenzo River levee maintenance again this year. … ” Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Environmentalists file lawsuit against Port of Stockton over ‘dirty’ hydrogen project
“California environmental groups are contesting a proposed hydrogen project at the Port of Stockton, citing concerns over potentially harmful environmental impacts in an already heavily polluted area. Their lawsuit filed Wednesday, which calls for a more thorough environmental review, highlights growing criticism from activists who argue that fossil-fuel based hydrogen projects are in conflict with the state’s climate goals despite receiving government support. The groups argue that the planned hydrogen facility would lead to higher greenhouse gas emissions, release air pollutants and threaten imperiled species. Unlike “green hydrogen” produced by renewable energy sources, the project relies on methane, a fossil fuel. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
Popular Modesto fishing spot has been fenced off for 20 years. What is next for Naraghi Lake?
“Remember hearing rumors about piranhas in Modesto’s Naraghi Lake? The 13-acre lake along Oakdale Road north of Floyd Avenue has been fenced off for more than 20 years, leaving locals to wonder what’s next for the once-popular fishing spot. In 1979, Modesto City Council first approved the 293-acre “landmark development” plan for Naraghi Lake, The Modesto Bee reported in 2002. However, the land surrounding the lake has remained undeveloped for more than 40 years. Richard Jones asked The Bee’s Bee Curious — a community-driven series where reporters answer reader questions about the Modesto region: “What plans do our city leaders have for Naraghi Lake?” … ” Read more from the Modesto Bee.
Porterville: Clarifying water subject of Trinity course
“A new adult course on water issues in the region begins on Tuesday, September 24. It’s being offered to members of the community through the Trinity Library/Study Center. Titled “Thirst for Clarity: Water, Land and People in the Tulare Lake Basin,” the course will address some of the critical decisions now facing farmers, cities, water managers and rural residents. It will also clarify some of the history related to how we got here. The recently published book by Visalian Greg Collins, Seven Generations: The Past, Present and Future of the Tulare Lake Basin (2024) will provide a user-friendly format for the course. … ” Read more from the Porterville Recorder.
‘It’s really sad’: River dries up abruptly in Bakersfield, leaving thousands of dead fish
“Over the last three weeks, ecologist Rae McNeish and her students have watched as a flowing river has abruptly dwindled to a dry riverbed. While conducting biological surveys along the Kern River in Bakersfield, they have seen water retreat into stagnant pools and then vanish, leaving stretches of bare sand and cracked mud. They have found some fish flopping helplessly along the banks, and masses of dead fish scattered on the riverbed by the hundreds. “We’re all very surprised at how quickly things changed,” said McNeish, an associate professor of biology at Cal State Bakersfield. “It’s really sad to see.” … ” Read more from the LA Times.
EASTERN SIERRA
Press release: The science is in: far more water can be pumped annually than IWVGA claims
“The Indian Wells Valley Water District (District) and Searles Valley Minerals (SVM), along with others, have released additional data and information showing that the Indian Wells Valley (IWV) Basin has an annual safe yield that is higher than previously calculated. The new details support the findings in the Technical Working Group’s (TWG) Assessment of Safe Yield, released on September 4, 2024, that the Basin can safely supply 14,300 acre-feet of water annually, nearly double the 7,650 acre-feet previously estimated by the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority (IWVGA). The newly-released data and information, included in appendices to the TWG’s new report, explain how experts arrived at this updated estimate and underscore the need for clear and accurate data. The discrepancy between the new estimate of 14,300 acre-feet per year and the previous estimate of 7,650 acre-feet per year raises concerns about the IWVGA’s earlier numbers and calls for greater transparency. … ” Continue reading this press release.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Fifty-one miles: walking the Los Angeles River
“Once a meandering, transient body of water that brought alluvium-rich soils to the Los Angeles Basin, the Los Angeles River has been encased in concrete, severed from its groundwater, and treated as little more than a regional storm drain since the mid-20th century. A multidisciplinary student team with expertise in ecology and mapping, urbanism and access, and heritage conservation and narrative ethnography walked the 51-mile length of the river, encountering and documenting “what has died, survived, and thrived in this industrial and wild landscape.” … ” Continue reading at Landscape Architecture.
San Clemente to cover added costs to repair one beach, buys more sand for another
“A federally-supported Shoreline Protection Project in San Clemente around the city’s pier is set to resume next month at an increased cost. The San Clemente City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to cover new expenses, estimated at $2.6 million, in order to complete the first phase of the half-century sand replenishment plan. “If we don’t continue with this project right now, the 20 years that we’ve invested in this…is gone,” Mayor Victor Cabral said. “We would have to start all over.” With an original $14-million price tag, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers oversaw the beach nourishment work as it initially began dredging sand off the coast of Oceanside late last year to shore up San Clemente’s beaches. … ” Read more from the Daily Pilot.
Southern California Edison: Radioactive isotope detected in water at San Onofre nuclear plant ‘does not pose a risk’
“Southern California Edison held its regular community engagement panel meeting in regard to the decommissioning of the retired San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station on Sept. 5, providing an update to a recent leak from a pressurizer during transportation, information about this year’s liquid “batch” releases, as well as a detection of radiation levels in the groundwater at the plant site. The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) is a nuclear power plant a few miles from San Clemente that was decommissioned in 2013 after defects were found in replacement steam generators. The station is adjacent to the San Onofre State Beach and owned by Southern California Edison. … ” Read more from Picket Fence.
SAN DIEGO
City of San Diego making progress on stormwater channel improvements
“Following the severe impacts of the historic flooding from Jan. 22, City of San Diego maintenance crews have made progress on clearing out stormwater channels in some of the hardest hit neighborhoods. According to a release from the city Wednesday, the city’s Stormwater Department has cleared four channel sections in the past weeks and is now conducting other maintenance work to prepare for the next rainy season. Since January’s flooding, the city has done emergency maintenance on about 18 miles of channels throughout San Diego, including 12 miles in the Chollas Creek watershed and the removal of more than 9,800 tons of debris. … ” Read more from Fox 5.
Peters’ bill to streamline permit renewal for wastewater plant passes in committee
“The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure voted 57-7 on Wednesday to advance Rep. Scott Peters’ bipartisan Ocean Pollution Reduction Act II. The legislation would simplify the city of San Diego’s permitting process to operate the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant, which will allow the city to move forward with its water-recycling project, Pure Water. The program will supply half of San Diego’s drinking water by 2035 and help solidify the region’s water security amidst worsening conditions on the Colorado River. San Diego’s Congressional delegation, Sara Jacobs, Mike Levin and Juan Vargas, all, like Peters, D-San Diego, along with Darrell Issa, R-Escondido, are original co-sponsors of the bill. … ” Read more from the Times of San Diego. … ” Read more from the Times of San Diego.
Along the Colorado River …
This is life in America’s water-inequality capital. It might be about to change
“In the Navajo Nation—a sweeping landscape of red-rock canyons and desert that takes in the Four Corners—water is not taken for granted. Here, more than 1 in 3 Diné, as Navajo people call themselves, must haul water to their homes, often across long distances. The Diné use the least amount of water per person of anyone in the U.S., and pay the most. Eighty miles away, residents of Utah’s Washington County rely on essentially the same water supply, yet pay less for that water than almost anyone else in the U.S. and, until recently, consumed the most. The contrast reflects not only inequities of power and access. It also carries a warning that reaches beyond two arid communities. … ” Read more from Time Magazine.
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
NOTICE: Notification Level Recommendation for Perfluorohexanoic Acid (PFHxA) in Drinking Water, from OEHHA
