A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week …
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In California water news this week …
California’s winter forecast: Likely a ‘year of extremes,’ but predictions still murky
“The official winter forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center dropped Thursday morning, and the agency’s prediction is likely to leave Californians with more questions than answers. NOAA predicts equal chances of above- and below-normal precipitation across much of California, with a slight tilt in the odds toward drier-than-normal conditions in the desert regions of Southern California from December through February. Regarding temperatures, neither cooler- nor warmer-than-normal conditions are favored in Northern California, with equal chances. Above-normal temperatures are favored in Southern California. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Drought status update for California-Nevada
“Much of California and Nevada received near-normal precipitation throughout the 2024 Water Year. After a dry start, the region benefited from late season storms in February and March. Near-record summer temperatures dried out the landscape, increasing the percentage of California-Nevada that is Abnormally Dry (D0) or in drought from 1.96% on June 1 to 85.47% on October 1. Severe Drought (D2) developed in southern Nevada and southeastern California since the start of Water Year 2025, in part due to a lack of summer monsoon activity. Despite recent dryness, reservoir levels throughout the region remain at or above historical averages. The 2024 fire season thus far was higher than 2023, but below recent averages. Elevated risk for significant wildland fire remains along southern coastal California. … ” Read more from NIDIS.
Atmospheric rivers are shifting poleward, reshaping global weather patterns
“Atmospheric rivers – those long, narrow bands of water vapor in the sky that bring heavy rain and storms to the U.S. West Coast and many other regions – are shifting toward higher latitudes, and that’s changing weather patterns around the world. The shift is worsening droughts in some regions, intensifying flooding in others, and putting water resources that many communities rely on at risk. When atmospheric rivers reach far northward into the Arctic, they can also melt sea ice, affecting the global climate. In a new study published in Science Advances, University of California, Santa Barbara, climate scientist Qinghua Ding and I show that atmospheric rivers have shifted about 6 to 10 degrees toward the two poles over the past four decades. … ” Read more from The Conversation.
Justices’ ideologies dump EPA controls on sewage down the drain
“A review of federal wastewater regulations unleashed contentious arguments at the Supreme Court Wednesday where the justices quarreled among themselves as much as against the advocates. For nearly two hours, the justices quibbled over how the Environmental Protection Agency quantified prohibitions on dumping sewer water. “There’s a California water quality standard that says waters shall not contain floating material, and it turns out EPA says that San Francisco has left lots of toilet paper floating in Mission Creek,” Justice Elena Kagan, a Barack Obama appointee said. “I mean, that’s not a ‘we don’t know what to do’ issue. We know you’re not supposed to leave toilet paper floating in Mission Creek.” Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a Donald Trump appointee, who appeared skeptical that the agency’s standards were clear, interjected, “That’s one example. There are plenty of others.” Kagan responded: “There might be examples where they don’t know something, although they haven’t come up with any.” … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
San Francisco takes on the EPA in a case about poop and a $10 billion fine
“The environmental fight that played out inside the Supreme Court on Wednesday was unusual in many ways: It featured poop, a whopping $10 billion fine and one of the nation’s greenest cities — San Francisco — battling the Environmental Protection Agency over water pollution rules in a case that could reverberate beyond the Bay Area. During lively oral arguments, the justices appeared divided along ideological lines over a lawsuit brought by San Francisco arguing that EPA rules regulating how much sewage the city can discharge into the Pacific Ocean are so vague it can’t abide by them. The result: The city has wracked up billions in fines and counting. “We simply want to understand our prohibition limits so we can comply with them,” Tara M. Steeley, the San Francisco deputy city attorney, told the justices. … ” Read more from the Washington Post.
Lack of consensus emerges as courts apply new WOTUS rule to ditches and canals
“The limits to federal jurisdiction over “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) have continued to develop following the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, as federal district courts begin to vary in determining federal Clean Water Act jurisdiction over manmade ditches and canals. A critical question, subject to extensive rulemaking and litigation over past decades, involves the extent to which manmade ditches and canals qualify as waters of the United States subject to federal regulation. In 2001, in Headwaters Inc. v. Talent Irrigation District, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal recognized manmade irrigation canals as WOTUS if water flowed, at least occasionally, through such features into natural streams. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took a consistent view, defining WOTUS to include drainage ditches, even with only intermittent flow, provided that they were tributary to a water of the United States and had perceptible ordinary high water marks. … ” Read more from Somach Simmons & Dunn.
NOTEBOOK FEATURE: Metropolitan committee discusses Delta Conveyance Project ahead of December vote on funding planning costs
“At the October meeting of Metropolitan’s One Water and Stewardship Committee meeting, staff began the first of a series of presentations on the Delta Conveyance Project to prepare for the upcoming vote in December, when the Metropolitan Board will be asked to consider approving more funds to support the continued planning of the project. DWR has indicated that approximately $300 million of additional investment is needed from potential project participants to fund pre-construction efforts, such as the water rights hearing, Delta Plan consistency certification, geotechnical investigations, and advancement of preliminary design through 2027. By securing the last tranche of planning funding, DWR aims to complete the necessary permitting, preliminary design, and engineering work before potential participants make final decisions. … ” Read more from Maven’s Notebook.
Tap dancing through data for Delta drought insights: An interview with Rosemary Hartman
“In today’s climate … let’s be honest, we don’t really know what to expect. Recent years have brought less and less freshwater to the San Francisco Estuary, and then other years, it seems like a nonstop deluge. Our estuary’s watershed provides drinking water to about two thirds of Californians and irrigates millions of acres of farmland in the Delta and Central Valley. But the impacts of the three driest years on record, 2020, 2021, and 2022, are still being felt throughout this ecosystem and beyond. Lots of people are working to tackle the challenges of prolonged drought … including a special group of scientists and resource managers. They’re looking at the past to answer questions that trouble us today. Will the Delta ecosystem survive into the next century? Will the waterways that we’ve come to depend on continue to flow? Will there be enough fresh water to go round? … ” Read more or listen to podcast at Maven’s Notebook.
Changing winters are impacting Lake Tahoe and other freshwater ecosystems
“As temperatures rise, particularly in alpine regions, lakes are feeling the heat. Research published today in the journal Science, led by researchers at the Carnegie Institution for Science, indicates that climate change impacts critical winter processes including lake ice conditions. Changes in lake ice conditions impact the function of ecosystems and the communities that live nearby. With climate affecting this critical winter process one can ask, what other critical changes to freshwaters might occur from changing winters whether at Lake Tahoe, or the small lakes and streams in the mountains of California and Nevada? Sudeep Chandra, a professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, was part of the study and has been studying lake ecosystems for over two decades. “Winter change from a human-altered climate is an important area of focus for scientists and policy makers,” Chandra said. “We need to learn more about how this change in winter, whether from snowpack dropping on to a watershed or the loss of lake or stream-ice, may have lasting ramifications for what we might observe in the ice-free summer season.” … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
Land values plunge as groundwater law dims farm prospects
“The value of farmland in parts of the San Joaquin Valley, California’s agricultural heartland, has fallen rapidly this year as commodity prices lag and implementation of the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act casts a shadow on the future of farming in the region. In 2014, when SGMA was adopted, the value of farmland without reliable surface water access began to decline. But within the past several months, those values have plummeted, according to appraisers, realtors and county assessors. “It’s very dramatic,” said Janie Gatzman, owner of Gatzman Appraisal in Stanislaus County, who until last month served as president of the California chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. Last month, Gatzman presented data based on hundreds of real estate transactions to congressional staff. Her analysis showed San Joaquin Valley vineyards and nut tree orchards had declined in value by 25% to 50% within the previous eight months. … ” Read more from Ag Alert.
Accusations of “extortion” and “bullying” fly in dispute over who should pay for sinking the Friant-Kern Canal
“A last-resort attempt to shore up funding for ongoing Friant-Kern Canal repairs has run into a buzzsaw of opposition from several irrigation districts that were stuck with the bill – up to $295 million. A letter disputing the fees accuses the Friant Water Authority, which operates the canal, of, among other things, extortion. “What would you expect my districts to do?” asked Sean Geivet, general manager of Terra Bella, Porterville and Saucelito irrigation districts. “I’m pulling out all the stops now. There’s no need to play nice in the sandbox because Friant is not playing nice.” The Friant Water Authority is about $90 million shy of the $326 million already spent to rebuild a section of the sinking canal and needs to show the Bureau of Reclamation, which owns the canal, how it will pay for another $250 million in still-needed repairs. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Report: A modernizing water management system in California
“There have been significant efforts over the past several years to update and modernize California’s water rights system to adapt to an uncertain climate and address many of the challenges we have seen as the water rights priority system has been tested over the past decade. Several years ago, we offered Observations on a Modern Water Rights System from our experiences and vantage in the Sacramento River Basin working with water right holders, conservation partners, and the State Water Board to practically implement the water rights system for multiple benefits during challenging and changing times. Since that time, we have been encouraged with the forward progress on implementing the water rights priority system during periods of scarcity–generally in droughts and the summer–when rivers are fully appropriated. As we look forward, we believe opportunities exist to make the water rights system work better for California during periods of availability–generally the fall and winter–for fish and wildlife, groundwater replenishment, and storing water in strategic locations for multiple uses when needed. … ” Continue reading from the Northern California Water Association.
Testimony: Building drought resiliency for California’s water supply systems—the role of permitting reform
“PPIC Water Policy Center senior fellow Ellen Hanak testified at the Assembly Select Committee on Permitting Reform on October 16, 2024. Here are her prepared remarks. Madame Chair and Honorable Members of the Select Committee, Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today about the important topic of reforming permitting to build drought resiliency in California. Drawing on recent and forthcoming work from the PPIC Water Policy Center, I’ll begin with some brief context on how climate change is exacerbating the current challenges facing our urban and rural water supply systems. I’ll then illustrate how permitting processes are hampering effective and timely actions to build resiliency and offer some suggestions for reform. … ” Read more from the PPIC.
Press release: Southern California Water Coalition advocates for streamlined permitting to secure California’s water future
“The Southern California Water Coalition recently joined several other key stakeholders in submitting a coalition letter to the Assembly Select Committee on Permitting Reform. The letter highlights the critical importance of including water supply development, treatment, and distribution in discussions surrounding permitting reform. This inclusion is essential for advancing California’s resilience against climate change and maintaining the state’s water supply infrastructure. The letter emphasizes that water is an inextricable part of California’s future. With the challenges posed by population growth and the increasing impacts of climate change, water and wastewater providers have spent decades planning and implementing solutions to secure water supplies and manage flood risks. These efforts include improving storage, conveyance, and alternative water supplies like desalination and recycled water. However, the current permitting process often creates delays that prevent the timely implementation of these vital projects. … ” Read more from the Southern California Water Coalition.
Report summary: Accelerating Restoration in the Sacramento Valley and Beyond
California’s ambitious restoration plans, which include reactivating floodplains, enhancing species habitats, and fortifying against climate change, are at a critical juncture. With a surge in restoration demands and new funding opportunities, agencies must prepare to handle a growing number of permitting processes. To fully capitalize on these opportunities, a new report from Sustainable Conservation underscores the urgent need for the state to establish efficient and effective restoration permitting processes that align with its habitat and climate goals. The white paper “Accelerating Restoration in the Sacramento Valley and Beyond” evaluates the current regulatory landscape and offers practical suggestions to enhance the use of existing expedited permitting pathways, promote coordinated permitting initiatives, broaden effective programs, and address regulatory and institutional gaps to better meet the needs of ecosystems and stakeholders in restoration efforts. … ” Click here to continue reading this report summary.
California wildfires and weather are changing erosion patterns
“Like many states, California is facing a growing number of climate-related extremes: The annual acreage scorched by wildfires in the state increased fivefold between 1972 and 2018, and burns are also growing more intense. In addition, excessive rain is increasing flooding, landslides, and erosion, which can devastate terrain already reeling from fire damage. Large amounts of soil are prone to eroding after a wildfire, especially if heavy rainfall occurs within a year of the burn. Dow et al. studied 196 fires that occurred between 1984 and 2021 and found that postfire sediment erosion increased statewide during this period. They used a combination of postfire hillslope erosion modeling and measurements of debris flow volume from both real and modeled events. Both Northern and Southern California have been affected by large fires, but the two regions experience differences in climate and resulting fire patterns and postfire erosion patterns. … ” Read more from EOS.
In commentary this week …
Would suing the bureaucracy bring us more water?
Edward Ring, co-founder of the California Policy Center, writes, “There isn’t a major water project in California in the last 30 years or more that hasn’t been subject to relentless litigation. Usually the litigators represent powerful environmentalist organizations, sometimes they represent social justice groups, and sometimes they represent labor. But in every case, they hit water projects from every legal angle imaginable, either completely derailing them, or delaying construction for decades. Although environmentalists, social justice activists, and labor unions all tend to file lawsuits against water projects on environmental grounds, there is no natural alliance between these three groups. For example, labor union leadership must know that the reason there aren’t more jobs on water projects, or on any big infrastructure projects, is because the regulatory burdens and the cost of litigation prevent most projects from ever getting started. And by the time projects finally do begin, half the budget has already been blown on litigation and bureaucratic compliance and finance charges during wasted decades of delay. … ” Read more from What’s Current.
The Supreme Court’s next big chance to wreck the environment is here
Molly Coleman, Executive Director at People’s Parity Project, writes, “Just over three months ago, the Supreme Court ended its 2023-24 term by dealing a crushing blow to the administrative state, issuing a series of rulings that will drastically impede the federal government’s ability to make people’s lives better. As of last week, the justices are back to work for another nine months of service to the Federalist Society’s agenda. This Wednesday, they’ll hear oral argument in San Francisco v. EPA, a challenge to the power of democratically accountable agency experts attempting to fulfill the EPA’s mission of protecting human health and the environment. The basic dispute in San Francisco v. EPA arises from the question of how much junk can be legally dumped into waters protected by the Clean Water Act, which Congress passed in 1972. Most of the time, the answer is none, but there are exceptions: The law empowers the Environmental Protection Agency to issue permits via the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), which allows certain cities or businesses to discharge some amount of pollutants into specified bodies of water, under such conditions as the EPA sets forth. …” Read more from Balls and Strikes.
Does California stand a chance of preserving our precious groundwater?
Ann Hayden, vice president for climate resilient water systems at the Environmental Defense Fund, writes, “One of the most consequential environmental laws in state history turned 10 years old last month. You’d be forgiven if you didn’t notice. The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act remains, like the declining resource it aims to protect, largely invisible to most Californians. Despite this, the first decade of SGMA (“sigma” to those who know it well) has laid the foundation, still somewhat creaky in places, for nothing less than the transformation of our rural landscape and economy. If we allow it to, this law could nurture a genuinely resilient landscape capable of thriving in an era of climate whiplash. On paper, this is a law solely about managing a finite, limited and largely unseen resource. In implementation, it needs to be about revitalizing the very visible land and communities at the heart of the state. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
State Water Resources Control Board’s evolving role: Balancing groundwater sustainability with property rights
Thierry Montoya from Frost Brown Todd writes, “In California, groundwater has long been a critical resource, especially for agricultural landowners. The passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in 2014 marked a turning point in the state’s water management strategy, aiming to address persistent issues of groundwater overdraft. SGMA seeks to ensure sustainable groundwater use, but it has also introduced new regulatory limitations that affect property owners’ rights to extract groundwater beneath their land. The California State Water Resources Control Board plays a central role in enforcing SGMA’s objectives. As local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) work to implement Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs), the SWRCB intervenes when these plans are inadequate or absent. This expanded authority raises significant legal questions about the balance between protecting water resources and respecting property rights. This article explores the SWRCB’s evolving role and how its enforcement actions under SGMA intersect with property owners’ groundwater rights, especially considering potential regulatory takings claims. … ” Read more from Law.com.
Ensuring affordability and climate resilience: The critical role of decoupling in California
Mary Ann Dickinson, founder and past CEO of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, and Tia Fleming, Co-Executive Director of the California Water Efficiency Partnership, write, “As a world leader in environmental stewardship and with aggressive climate goals, California stands at a pivotal moment in addressing its water supply challenges. The climate crisis, intensifying droughts, and a growing population are putting increasing pressure on our water resources. Our state has often turned to temporary conservation measures, but it’s clear that we need sustainable, long-term solutions to secure California’s water future and protect our most vulnerable communities from the rising costs of inaction. Currently, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is considering a flawed proposal that threatens to dismantle a mechanism called decoupling, a proven method of incentivizing water conservation while keeping consumer costs affordable. … ” Read more from Capitol Weekly.
Endorsement: Yes on Proposition 4. California can’t wait to invest in climate resilience
“Proposition 4 defies easy categorization. Is it a water bond? A climate resilience bond? A Christmas tree with environmental gifts to private and public interests across the state? The answer is yes. The $10-million state bond is all of those things. The disparate expenditures in this proposition’s 15,000 words of text are a reflection of the all-encompassing nature of climate change, but also the political deal making in the state Legislature needed to get this measure on the Nov. 5 ballot. Despite some misgivings about the process, we think voters should vote yes on Proposition 4. It will save the state and Californians in the long run to invest now to gird against the growing and inevitable impacts of climate change. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
C-WIN supports November water bond – with reservations
“In November, Californians will vote on the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024, which was approved in July by the California legislature. The California Water Impact Network (C-WIN) supports voter approval of this $10 billion bond, but advises rigorous oversight of its implementation. “First, our state legislators should be commended for supporting a bond that funds the climate change responses needed for an equitable society and sustainable environment,” said Max Gomberg, a water policy expert and C-WIN board member. Gomberg cited the $610 million earmarked for safe drinking water as a particularly important component of the bond. “Safe drinking water is a basic human right and foundational to good public health, but there are many disadvantaged communities in California that don’t have access to it,” Gomberg observed. “This bond is a good step toward correcting these inequalities.” … ” Read more from the California Water Impact Network.
In regional water news this week …
Dried stretch of Napa River in St. Helena renews groundwater pumping concerns
“A stretch of the Napa River that recently dried out in St. Helena has renewed concerns of groundwater pumping among environmental advocates. “A lot of people nowadays, they see the river being dry during the summer and they don’t think too much of it,” said Alyx Howell, a board member of the Institute for Conservation Advocacy Research and Education, a Napa County-based environmental nonprofit, and member of the Mishewal Wappo Tribe. “They see it every year, so they’re used to it.” But it once was home to chinook and coho salmon and more abundant steelhead, all of which he said wouldn’t survive the conditions of a regularly drying riverbed. “If those fish live in that waterway, that tells you right there that river should not be going dry every summer,” Howell said. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
Friant releases draft EIR for pump-back project
“On Wednesday the Friant Water Authority, which oversees the Friant-Kern Canal, issued a notice of availability, releasing its Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Friant-Kern Canal Pump-Back Project. The draft EIR is now available for public review over a 45-day period. The draft EIR is the next step to developing the $10 million Pump-Back project so more flexibility can be provided for Friant Division contractors to rceive and exchange water from the canal. In 2017, Friant began implementation of the Friant-Kern Canal Pump-back Project, which is part of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program that was established in 2006 as part of a settlement. To reverse adverse water supply impacts on Friant contractors, the settlement directed the Bureau of Reclamation to explore the feasibility of reverse flow pump-back facilities on the Friant-Kern Canal with reverse flow capacity of about 500 cubic feet per second. … ” Read more from the Porterville Recorder.
Westlands Water District teams up with democrats on massive solar project
“The powerful, and politically right-leaning Westlands Water District recently teamed up with left-leaning democratic assemblymember Esmeralda Soria on renewable energy. Her bill, AB 2661, was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom last month and will allow Westlands in western Fresno County to oversee the generation, storage and transmission of solar energy. Within Westlands, about 130,000 acres – a little more than one-third the footprint of the City of Los Angeles – has been taken out of agricultural production and is available for solar development under the renewable energy project, called the Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan (VCIP,) said Jose Gutierrez, assistant general manager of Westlands. “What AB 2661 does is it provides us the ability to be the master planner for this solar development, which we’re excited about, because it allows us to be more thoughtful about how the solar goes in and how it’s integrated with the surrounding land use and incorporated into the district,” said Jeff Payne, the other assistant general manager of Westlands. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
State Attorney General, Fish and Wildlife join fight to bring flows back to the Kern River
“Two powerful California agencies have jumped into the legal fight over flows in the lower Kern River. California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a brief Monday “on behalf of the People of the State” as well as the California Department of Fish and Wildlife urging the 5th District Court of Appeals to reinstate a Kern County judge’s order mandating enough water be allowed to run through the river to keep fish alive. “We are super excited about this,” said Kelly Damian, spokesperson for local group Bring Back the Kern, which, along with several other groups, sued the City of Bakersfield in 2022 over its river operations. It then sought and won a preliminary injunction in Oct. 2023 mandating the city keep enough water flowing for fish. She said the firepower brought by Bonta’s amicus, or friend-of-the-court, brief adds significant momentum to Bring Back the Kern’s cause. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Monsanto will pay Los Angeles $35 million to settle lawsuit over contaminated waters
“Monsanto has agreed to pay the city of Los Angeles $35 million to settle a lawsuit claiming that the agrochemical giant’s use of polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs in a range of its products tainted the city’s water supplies. “With this settlement, Monsanto is being held accountable for the damage its dangerous PCBs have inflicted upon Angelenos for decades,” LA City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto said in a written statement on Friday. “This is a significant step towards cleaner, safer waterways and justice for our City’s residents.” The Environmental Protection Agency classifies PCBs as a “probable” human carcinogen, meaning that evidence points to it causing certain kinds of cancer. Although the chemical was banned in the United States in 1979, PCBs have lingered in a variety of older products including paints, sealants and electrical equipment. For nearly 50 years — until 1977 — Monsanto was the United States’ sole producer of PCBs, which it sold under the name “Aroclor.” … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
At 90, this San Gabriel Mountains dam has stood the test of time. Now, it’s a landmark
“For Pasadena native John T. Morris, the practical majesty and history of the Morris Dam runs close to home, as his grandfather was its lead engineer. “He was the founding general manager of the Pasadena Water Department and chief engineer,” Morris said of his grandfather, Samuel Brooks Morris. “He started in the mid-1920s, planning for the Pine Canyon Dam because he knew we would have to have a place to store water.” Dedicated in May of 1934 by former President Herbert Hoover, a personal friend, it became known as the Morris Dam, situated in the San Gabriel Mountains above Azusa. Marking its 90th anniversary, and celebrating its unique role and progressive design, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will officially recognize it as a National Historical Civil Engineering Landmark, Wednesday, Oct. 16. … ” Read more from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
State, federal partners announce new funding to boost cleanup at L.A. County national monument
“Shortly after the 10-year anniversary of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument being established, and just months after it was expanded by President Joe Biden, federal, state, tribal and local partners came together today to celebrate a $3.5 million investment to help improve access and water quality on the East Fork of the San Gabriel River, a key Southern California water source and recreational site within the national monument. The federal funding will help the Watershed Conservation Authority, USDA Forest Service, tribes and community groups conduct trash-removal projects, create new walking trails and install additional restrooms, protecting a watershed that provides Los Angeles County with one-third of its water supply. Through its Nonpoint Source Pollution Management Program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides funding to the State Water Resources Control Board to support California projects that reduce nonpoint source pollution. From this funding, the State Water Board awarded an initial $1.5 million grant for the San Gabriel project and is planning an additional $2 million investment over the next three years. … ” Read more from the State Water Resources Control Board.
Orange County Water District wins legal victory upholding authority over groundwater basin management
“On October 7, 2024, the California Court of Appeal upheld the Orange County Water District’s (OCWD) authority to manage the Orange County Groundwater Basin in the case Irvine Ranch Water District v. Orange County Water District et al. This ruling ensures the continued ability of OCWD to achieve sustainable management of the basin, a vital source that provides 85% of the water for 19 cities and water districts serving 2.5 million Orange County residents. The court’s decision reaffirms OCWD’s groundwater management practices and statutory authority, ensuring the continued equitable distribution of groundwater across north and central Orange County. This legal validation allows OCWD to maintain its proven framework for managing basin resources while protecting water quality and local water supplies. … ” Read more from the Stormwater Solutions.
State, federal officials break ground to Species Conservation Habitat project site
“The Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) announced Tuesday the expansion of a restoration project at the south end of the Salton Sea that will help protect regional air quality and support wildlife. Secretary for Natural Resources, Wade Crowfoot and Deputy Secretary Samantha Arthur alongside state and federal officials held a groundbreaking ceremony at the Species Conservation Habitat (SCH) project site. The expansion of the SCH Project represents a multi-agency collaboration to address the ecological challenges facing the Salton Sea. The commitments made by the federal and state government, as well as from regional agencies, enabled the addition of 750 acres to the project’s footprint. This unprecedented support helps set the current project footprint at nearly 5,000 acres with the potential to expand to around 8,000 acres. … ” Read more from the Imperial Valley Press.
As California farms use less Colorado River water, worries grow over shrinking Salton Sea
“It was 111 degrees when Mark McBroom stepped from his air-conditioned pickup and onto a dry alfalfa field. Remnants of desiccated hay crunched underfoot, and the sun-baked soil was fragmented with deep cracks. McBroom and other Imperial Valley farmers agreed to leave many hay fields unwatered for seven weeks this year in exchange for cash payments from a federally funded program designed to alleviate the water shortage on the Colorado River. Many farmers decided that the payments — $300 per acre-foot of water conserved — would pencil out for them this year, in part because hay prices have recently fallen. “Most of the farming community felt like our water is worth a lot more than that, but we wanted to help,” McBroom said. “We want to be good neighbors.” … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via Yahoo News.
Deb Haaland and Camille Camlimlim Touton: We’re looking at every viable option to sustain the Colorado River
Deb Haaland (Interior Secretary) and Camille Calimlim Touton (Bureau of Reclamation) write, “No one knows better than those in Arizona the critical importance of the Colorado River. The lifeblood of the American West, the Colorado River Basin provides water for more than 40 million people and fuels hydropower resources in seven U.S. states. It is a crucial resource for 30 tribal nations and two states in Mexico, and it supports 5.5 million acres of agriculture and agricultural communities across the West, in addition to important ecosystems and endangered species. In 2021, historic drought along the river brought the communities it serves to a near crisis. … ” Continue reading from Arizona Central.
