A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week …
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In California water news this week …
Chances for La Niña have shifted. Here’s what it means for California
“The odds of La Niña emerging have gone down, according to a monthly update by the Climate Prediction Center on Thursday. The latest discussion calls for a 60% chance that La Niña emerges during the fall, a drop from the 71% probability reported last month. “Now there’s a 2 in 5 chance that La Niña won’t develop during the (September-November) season,” said Michelle L’Heureux, a climate scientist with the Climate Prediction Center. La Niña is defined by cooler-than-average sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, which can affect atmospheric circulation and shift the jet stream northward. This tilts the odds toward drier-than-average conditions in Southern California in the winter. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Drought expands across California, Southwest amid record-shattering heat wave
“An exceptional October heat wave is shattering temperature records and accelerating drought conditions throughout the Southwest. Phoenix broke another temperature record Wednesday, the city’s 16th consecutive day with a new record. The hot weather is causing more evaporation than normal across the desert, which the U.S. Drought Monitor noted in its weekly update. “Drought tends to move slowly this time of year in the West … but the excessive heat has caused drought conditions to intensify at a quicker rate than usual,” the Drought Monitor wrote in its weekly summary. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Atmospheric rivers from research to reconnaissance: A conversation with research meteorologist Marty Ralph
“In the late 1990s, hardly anyone had heard of the storms called atmospheric rivers. That includes Marty Ralph, founding director of Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) and a leading expert on these relatively recently recognized streams of water vapor in the sky. Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow plumes of exceptionally wet air that shoot across the ocean and drop rain or snow when they hit land. These storms deliver much of the precipitation and cause most of the flooding in the Western U.S., with economic damages averaging $1.5 billion a year. Ralph was already investigating the storms now known as atmospheric rivers back in the ‘90s. He just didn’t realize it until he read the paper that coined their name. “The light bulb literally went off: that’s what I’d been studying,” he recalls. “It was published in 1998 and I came across it in 2003, and it changed the course of my work and helped create what we’re doing today at CW3E.” … ” Continue reading at Maven’s Notebook.
How much runoff comes from the West’s snowpack?
“Snow is a cornerstone of the American West’s water supply, but just how important is it to the region’s streams, rivers and reservoirs? In the popular press and academic papers, the sizable share of runoff that originates as snowmelt is often cited as a reason why the West’s snowpack is so crucial to both cities and farms, not to mention the region’s wildlife and very way of life. But when a team of researchers set out to study the question, they found a wide range of estimates cited in 27 scientific papers. They concluded that “a detailed study of the contribution of snow to the runoff over the western U.S. has not been conducted.” To clarify the connection between the snowpack and streamflow—and project how climate change is altering the relationship—the scientists used computer simulations and hydrological modeling in a 2017 paper in Geophysical Research Letters to estimate snow’s significance for runoff across the West. … ” Read more from the Water Desk.
‘Dirty Delta’: California’s largest estuary is in crisis. Is the state discriminating against people who fish there?
“More than two dozen fishing rods were braced against the railing of San Francisco’s Pier 7, their lines dangling into the Bay. People chatted on the benches, shouting in Cantonese and leaping up when one of the rods bent or jiggled. One after another, the men and women at the end of the pier reeled in striped bass as long as an arm, and even thicker. … From the Bay Area to Sacramento and Stockton, from Fresno to north of Redding, Californians — particularly low-income immigrants from Asian countries and other people of color — rely on the San Francisco Bay and the rivers that feed it for food. But the vast watershed is in trouble, plagued by low flows, algal blooms, urban and farm runoff and a legacy of mercury contamination that dates back to the Gold Rush. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is now investigating claims that California’s management of the state’s largest estuary has “discriminated on the basis of race, color and national origin” with “its failure to update Bay-Delta water quality standards,” which involve how much water is diverted to cities and farms. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
California tribes seek to stop plans for state’s largest reservoir in decades
“In the sun-drenched hills of Colusa County, where California leaders are pushing for construction of the state’s largest reservoir in decades, Charlie Wright sees more than a dusty valley destined to hold water. Wright, who is tribal chairman of the Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation, sees pieces of his people’s past on this sparsely populated land on what is today cattle country 70 miles northwest of Sacramento. “You look deep enough and there is a village there. There is a food processing site there,” Wright said. “There are trails and landmarks. This history isn’t known to a lot of nontribal folks who don’t study it, but it is well known by the tribes, and we haven’t forgotten.” The Native American ties to this rural stretch of Northern California have emerged as the latest point of contention in the bid to build the $4.5 billion Sites Reservoir. In recent weeks, a handful of tribes concerned about disturbing a special spot have stepped up efforts to stop the project, even as supporters laud it as one of the state’s best answers to drought. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle (gift article).
DWR releases groundwater conditions update highlighting first decade of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
“On the heels of the 10-year anniversary of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) last month and the start of the new water year, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) today released its Fall Semi-Annual Groundwater Conditions update. The recent update, using the most current data and information on groundwater conditions, describes the accomplishments made towards a sustainable groundwater future under SGMA –including rebounding groundwater levels and fewer dry wells reported – as well as the challenges posed by climate extremes, especially extended periods of drought when groundwater is heavily used. Groundwater is an important resource that helps sustain communities, households, agriculture, ecosystems and businesses across the state. Nearly 85 percent of Californians depend on groundwater for some portion of their water needs, but managing groundwater is difficult because it is out of sight, beneath our feet. Better data improves our understanding and ability to manage groundwater and prepare for extreme weather events such as droughts and floods. DWR’s Semi-Annual Groundwater Conditions Updates include the latest information on statewide groundwater levels, land subsidence, well infrastructure and the status of California’s groundwater basins. … ” Read more from DWR.
New UC Davis clinic hopes to give small valley farmers some legal fire power to defend their groundwater stake
“Nicole Larson is afraid for small farmers. Before enrolling as a law student at University of California, Davis, she served a term on the Turlock City Council where she was appointed to a committee that would decide how to get local farmers to cut back on groundwater pumping. “Everyone agrees that something needs to change,” she said of groundwater over pumping, which has caused drinking water wells to go dry and sunk huge swaths of land in the San Joaquin Valley. But solutions will be painful and expensive for farmers – whether they rely on groundwater exclusively, or as a backup during drought. Larson believes that some farming operations can shoulder new groundwater restrictions and regulations easier than others. “We don’t want to see the generational farmers, the smaller farmers, be forced into bankruptcy or forced to sell their operation.” That is a guiding focus for Larson as she takes part in a new water law clinic at UC Davis. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
State Water Board approves boost in rates for 2024-25
“To meet budgetary shortfalls for water rights and water quality programs that require participation by farmers and ranchers, the California State Water Resources Control Board has approved rate increases, including for groundwater recharge projects. The state water board adopted increases for the new 2024-25 fee schedule at its Sept. 18 meeting. The higher fees come as California water users and local agencies work to balance critically overdrafted aquifers under the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA. Alexandra Biering, senior policy advocate for the California Farm Bureau, and others representing agriculture and water districts emphasized that higher fees for groundwater recharge permits would prevent participation by some water users. “Farm Bureau is concerned that if the fees are too high, this will be a disincentive to doing the exact sort of recharge that the temporary 180-day and five-year, high-flow diversion permits were intended to do,” said Biering, who monitored fee stakeholder meetings during the year. “We want to make sure that as you go through this process, that you are balancing the need to increase fees with increasing recharge.” … ” Read more from Ag Alert.
The shifting landscape of water rate setting
“The landscape for water rate setting in California is quickly evolving, and public agencies face growing challenges adjusting to new and complex standards when establishing or increasing water fees and charges. For example, in Coziahr v. Otay Water District, the San Diego Court of Appeal recently struck down Otay Water District’s tiered water rates, suggesting increased scrutiny on evidence supporting tiered water rates, and further ruled that substantial refunds are available in a Proposition 218 case. The Riverside Court of Appeal is set to hear a similar case concerning San Diego’s water rates. These cases, in addition to other recent and pending opinions, are part of a growing universe of rate cases that continue evolve the rate-setting environment for public agencies in California. Partly in response to these challenges, Governor Newsom recently signed three new bills governing rate-setting under Proposition 218. The laws come at a critical time to bolster the ability of public agencies to establish and defend vital revenue streams for property-related services. … ” Read more from Best Best & Krieger.
In commentary this week …
Feds are operating in shadows on Calif. water as voters render their verdict between Trump, Harris
“It seems that accusing others of the exact things you are guilty of is becoming a customary practice. That is exactly what is happening right now with Central Valley water. It was about four years ago when headline after headline wrongly accused the Federal administration of playing politics with our water in the updating of Biological Opinions regarding Delta Smelt and Chinook Salmon in the San Francisco Bay-Delta. Most don’t find reading a story about Biological Opinions particularly interesting until they realize these rules and guidelines effect the management of water to millions of acres which grow their food and millions of people who live in places only made possible by this very water supply. The effort afoot to secretively complete draft opinions before the election is likely the most actual work these agencies have done in the previous four years. … “ Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun.
To protect our children, California must fix our water quality problem now
Rhonda Smith, Executive Director of the California Black Health Network, writes, “August marked the start of a new academic year as California’s K-12 students headed back to freshly decorated classrooms. While some parents may welcome the fact that summer vacation has ended, not all parents can be certain their children are safe in our public and private schools. According to recent reports, many low-income families and their children may be exposed to dangerously unsafe water in public schools. This month, reports of high levels of lead in the historically Black neighborhoods of South-Central Los Angeles came to light by a local environmental group. No amount of classroom décor can mask the reality of poor water quality in children’s homes and schools. That’s why it’s important for state and local lawmakers to address the underlying infrastructural gaps perpetuating the problem – like old water pipes, dams, and spillways – instead of pursuing ineffective solutions that often impose significant unintended consequences for low-income families, leaving them in the same situation they’ve faced for decades. … “ Continue reading from The Observer.
No show – no dough – no H2O
Charles Carner, Welljet, writes, “On Friday, September 6, 2024, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife & Fisheries held a hearing in Santa Nella, CA on the subject of Water Abundance: Opportunities and Challenges in California. The two-hour hearing focused attention on the disastrous consequences of water mismanagement following California’s most recent drought – but also pointed the way toward common sense solutions. Despite record rainfall last winter, water allocations to Central Valley farmers and cities were astonishingly stingy: initially just 5-percent, finally – belatedly – raised to 50-percent. This is because water policy decision making is both cumbersome and opaque. Increasing regulations have reduced flexibility of water operators to adapt to changing conditions. And recent biological opinions regarding fish species have further restricted water available for human use. … “ Continue reading this commentary at Water Wrights.
How Proposition 4 would prepare California for climate change’s dangers
Angel S. Fernandez-Bou, senior climate scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, writes, “Proposition 4 is a critical water and wildfire bond for California, and all Californians should understand it well to make an informed decision in the November elections. However, there are many people who don’t know about it yet. That’s why, when Radio Bilingüe invited me to talk about the facts surrounding Prop 4, I felt it was a good opportunity to provide Californians, especially Spanish speaking residents of the Central Valley, with information they often don’t receive. … In today’s climate crisis, California is facing unprecedented challenges that affect our infrastructure, natural resources, and communities, especially those already suffering from inequality and underinvestment. California has a Mediterranean climate, which, like other parts of the world, is becoming more extreme: wildfires, unbearable heat waves, and water shortages are just a few of the recurring problems that have worsened due to climate change. Proposition 4 seeks to address these problems through a bond that would fund water and wildfire resilience and environmental justice projects. … ” Read more from the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Endorsement: Prop 4 is a drop in the bucket in the climate change fight. But we need all the drops we can get
The San Francisco Chronicle editorial board writes, “Amid a devastating wildfire season that’s charred more than 1 million acres and a record-breaking heat wave, California’s Proposition 4 has the allure of a tall, cool glass of water. The measure, which the state Legislature placed on the November ballot with a bipartisan vote, would authorize $10 billion in bonds for projects to reduce climate risks and require at least 40% of funds to be spent in ways that directly benefit low-income communities and those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. These funds are merely a drop in the bucket of the staggering costs of protecting ourselves against climate change. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Mountain Counties Water Resources Association urges support for Proposition 4
“Voters in November are encouraged to support Proposition 4 – the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024 – which will devote valuable resources to activities that are essential in California’s rural, mountain counties, with resulting impacts throughout the entire state. In fact, this bond could fund and support activities that have long been neglected by the state; activities like increasing water supply, improving water quality and preventing wildfires, especially through proper forest management. These solutions deeply resonate with our members and communities and we look forward to working with the Legislature to ensure mountain counties get a fair share. … ” Read more from Gold Country Media.
Carbon capture projects pay billions to polluters but aren’t worth much to Californians
Dolores Huerta, president of the Dolores Huerta Foundation and co-founder of the United Farm Workers union with César Chávez, and Nayamin Martinez, executive director of the Central California Environmental Justice Network, write, “Perhaps no other state in the nation has done more to fight climate change than California. We stood up to the powerful auto industry and passed the first U.S. ban on new gasoline-powered car sales. The state is suing the world’s largest oil producers for decades of climate deception. Soon we’ll be stopping all new fracking as part of an historic plan to end oil extraction across the Golden State. Even businesses, municipalities and advocates are uniting around an ambitious goal of achieving 100% clean power by 2045 by investing billions in renewable energy and eliminating the root cause of climate change — burning fossil fuels. Now we appear poised to undermine this progress by opening California’s doors to the fossil fuel industry’s latest greenwashing scheme: carbon capture and storage. Let’s hope our politicians and environmental regulators, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, reconsider. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
On your November ballot: Prop 4 would approve $10 billion for climate action, conserving natural resources
“Prop 4 proposes issuing $10 billion in bonds to fund state and local parks, environmental protection projects, water infrastructure projects, energy projects, and flood protection projects. Additionally, 40% of the bond revenue would be used to fund activities that benefit communities with lower incomes or that are affected by environmental changes or disasters.$3.8 billion would help pay to improve drinking water systems and prepare for droughts and floods. Another $1.5 billion would go to programs focused on wildfire preparedness and $1.2 billion would go to programs combating the rise of the sea level. The remaining funds would be divided up. Supporters of the proposition argue that the threat climate change brings to the state is an immediate one. Issues like wildfires, water pollution, and extreme heat call for funding to be directed towards countering the effects of climate change. Several environmental groups are backing the measure as well. … ” Read more from San Diego Voice & Viewpoint.
In regional water news this week …
California’s massive dam removal has been lauded. But residents miss the lakes
“The first thing you notice at Copco Lake is that there’s no lake here. Yet, in this woodsy Northern California community just miles from the Oregon border, wooden docks sit oddly in grassy backyards. Boats lie idle in dirt lots or on parked trailers. The occasional fishing pole or life vest is strewn about on a side lawn. These fixtures of boating, swimming and angling, no longer in use, serve as witness to the ghost of a reservoir that haunts this rural area. Recently, the community lost its signature Copco Lake when four hydroelectric dams were removed on the Klamath River. In what was celebrated as the largest dam-removal project in U.S. history, the reservoirs behind the dams emptied of water and the popular aquatic activities at Copco saw a quick death. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Salmon make their way back up the Klamath River after dam removal
“For the first time in more than a century, salmon are swimming freely along the Klamath River and its tributaries — a major watershed near the California-Oregon border — just days after the largest dam removal project in U.S. history was completed. Researchers determined that Chinook salmon began migrating Oct. 3 into previously inaccessible habitat above the site of the former Iron Gate dam, one of four towering dams demolished as part of a national movement to let rivers return to their natural flow and to restore ecosystems for fish and other wildlife. “It’s been over one hundred years since a wild salmon last swam through this reach of the Klamath River,” said Damon Goodman, a regional director for the nonprofit conservation group California Trout. “I am incredibly humbled to witness this moment and share this news, standing on the shoulders of decades of work by our Tribal partners, as the salmon return home.” … ” Read more from KGW8.
S.F. is at war over an environmental case headed to the Supreme Court
“As San Francisco prepares to ask the Supreme Court to ease federal restrictions on sewage pollution into the ocean and the bay, the case has divided the city’s all-Democratic leadership, and put the city in the unusual position of siding with oil companies and business groups and against the state and federal governments. The Board of Supervisors will take up a resolution Tuesday urging city officials to settle the case and avoid a ruling that could harm offshore water quality nationwide. San Francisco is siding with “the nation’s biggest polluters” in a lawsuit that “has the potential to seriously destabilize Clean Water Act protections at a time when environmental protections are already under serious threat,” said the resolution by Supervisors Myrna Melgar and Aaron Peskin. … “ Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
San Francisco is suing the EPA over how specific water pollution permits should be
“The U.S. Supreme Court will test how flexible the EPA and states can be in regulating water pollution under the Clean Water Act when it hears oral argument in City and County of San Francisco v. Environmental Protection Agency on Oct. 16, 2024. This case asks the court to decide whether federal regulators can issue permits that are effectively broad orders not to violate water quality standards, or instead may only specify the concentrations of individual pollutants that permit holders can release into water bodies. My research focuses on water issues, including the Clean Water Act. This case involves both federal and state authority to issuing permits, and it will be interesting to see where the court focuses. While justices have been willing to limit the EPA’s authority under the act, they traditionally have allowed states broad authority to protect water quality. Thus, while some fear that this case is yet another occasion for the court to limit the EPA’s authority, California’s involvement may have exactly the opposite effect. … ” Continue reading from The Conversation.
Oil giant Valero, Amports settle SF Baykeeper lawsuit over Bay pollution
“Valero oil refinery and Amports, a shipping company operating at the Port of Benicia, reached an agreement with San Francisco Baykeeper over allegations that the companies had been dumping toxic petroleum coke (petcoke) from the Valero refinery into the Bay. Petcoke is an oil refinery waste product that may contain copper, zinc, nickel, arsenic, mercury, and vanadium, which the US EPA classifies as pollutants and regulates under the Clean Water Act. Baykeeper discovered the polluting activity when a concerned resident contacted the nonprofit via their public pollution hotline. Baykeeper’s investigations staff used drones to document numerous instances of the companies discharging petcoke directly into the Bay during cargo ship loading events between November 2020 and October 2021. The drone footage captured black plumes of petcoke in the water around the ships during and after loading and cleaning. Baykeeper also documented clouds of petcoke dust rising off the port’s conveyor belts, fouling the air and potentially drifting into the Bay and nearby neighborhoods. … ” Read more from the SF Baykeeper.
Whether pumping cuts come from state or locals, cuts are coming to Tulare County farmers
“Water managers in two Tulare County groundwater agencies are scrambling to keep their farmers out of state clutches as much as possible, even knowing the solution will be painful. “As long as we don’t saddle our landowners with another fee and a report to fill out, that’s our goal,” said attorney Alex Peltzer, who represents Lower Tule River Irrigation District and Pixley groundwater sustainability agencies. “That is our attitude and it is doable. It’s going to be unpopular and tough to do, but it’s possible. We think we can help manage landowners into a soft landing.” The only way to get there, though, is to significantly reduce pumping – and fast. The state Water Resources Control Board gave the two GSAs 60 days starting Sept. 17 to come up with a plan that proves to them farmers are making strides to stop subsidence, land sinking, and causing damage to drinking water wells from lowering the water table and worsening water quality. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Santa Barbara court rules against water district in probate case that could impact Golden Hills CSD water rights
“A Santa Barbara Superior Court judge on Thursday overruled an attempt by Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District to stop a matter pertaining to Tehachapi Basin water rights from being decided as part of a probate case. Attorney Robert Kuhs, the water district’s legal counsel, said in an email Thursday afternoon that the court adopted its tentative ruling as an order and denied the district’s motion during the Oct. 3 hearing. The water district’s filing included an assertion that the water rights case belongs in Kern County — not Santa Barbara — because a 1971 judgment in Kern County Superior Court established water rights in Tehachapi Basin and designated the water district as Watermaster. … “ Read more from the Tehachapi News.
La Niña could turn Southern California’s hot summer into a warm, dry winter. What to know
“After one of its hottest and driest summers, Southern California could remain abnormally warm and dry this winter as La Niña conditions develop, a cycle that can trigger irregular weather patterns worldwide. La Niña tends to produce drier weather in Southern California and the Southwest during the winter, a critical time to replenish water resources. Drier vegetation can also worsen the risk of wildfires. Even if this La Niña is weaker, it could still have serious regional implications. Northern California may see a wetter-than-average weather this winter, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While seven of the 10 La Niña events this century resulted in dry years in California, research also suggests that even as the climate grows hotter and drier overall, the precipitation that California does receive will arrive in stronger storms, increasing the risk from flooding, according to the California Department of Water Resources. … “ Read more from the Desert Sun. | Read more from the Visalia Times-Delta.
Announcements, notices, and funding opportunities …
NOTICE: Certification of Consistency filed for Delta Conveyance Project geotechnical activities.
NOTICE of Availability Of Friant-Kern Canal Pump-Back Project Draft Environmental Impact Report.
NOTICE: New SGMA Reporting Requirements for Groundwater Extractors in the Tule Subbasin
NOTICE of assignment of Santa Clara Valley Water District petitions to State Water Board’s Administrative Hearings Office
