A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week …
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In California water news this week …
Amid controversy, California and the Biden administration are preparing new water plans
“The Biden and Newsom administrations will soon adopt new rules for California’s major water delivery systems that will determine how much water may be pumped from rivers while providing protections for imperiled fish species. But California environmental groups, while supportive of efforts to rewrite the rules, are criticizing the proposed changes and warning that the resulting plans would fail to protect fish species that are declining toward extinction in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and San Francisco Bay. As the preferred proposal is laid out in a federal draft environmental review, the new rules “would make things worse,” said Jon Rosenfield, science director for the group San Francisco Baykeeper. “We are deeply concerned that six endangered species in the Bay Delta are on the verge of extinction or headed in that direction,” Rosenfield said. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via AOL News.
‘Immediate threat’: Mussel invades California’s Delta, first time in North America
“From the glittery bling of its name, the golden mussel sounds like it could be California’s state bivalve. Unfortunately, the creature’s only connection to the Golden State is the fact that it is California’s most recently identified invasive species — and it’s a bad one, with the capacity to clog major water supply pipes. On Oct. 17, the tiny freshwater mollusks, which have already laid siege to waterways of southern South America, were found at Rough and Ready Island, near Stockton. Since then, state officials said, it has been in at least one other location, O’Neill Forebay, in Merced County. Its appearance in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is the mussel’s first confirmed detection in North America, according to a news release from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. It’s also very possibly just the beginning of a long battle ahead to slow its spread. The top concerns at the moment include potential impacts to the environment and to the Delta pumping stations that send water to 30 million people and millions of acres of farmland. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
A third straight year with no California salmon fishing? Early fish counts suggest it could happen
“Farmers can estimate the size of a harvest months in advance by counting the blossoms on their trees. Similarly, salmon fishers can cast an eye into the future by counting spawning fish in a river. Fishery managers are doing that now in the Sacramento River and its tributaries, and what they’re seeing could be a bad sign for next year. The low count of returning adult salmon, made by the federally operated Coleman National Fish Hatchery, is preliminary, with several weeks left in the natural spawning period for the Sacramento Valley’s fall-run Chinook, backbone of the state’s salmon fishing economy. There is even some possible good news in the numbers — a large percentage of immature Chinook, called “jacks.” This demographic slice of the salmon population can be a predictive indicator of ocean abundance for the coming season, and it could be a sign there are more fish in the ocean than many expected — though officials say it’s too early to say. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
State Water Board releases draft of possible updates to Bay-Delta Plan for public review
“In its ongoing effort to address an ecosystem in a state of prolonged decline and improve environmental conditions for fish and wildlife in the Sacramento River and Delta watershed, the State Water Resources Control Board today released for public review and comment a draft of potential options for updating the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Bay-Delta Plan) for the Sacramento River and the Delta and associated tributaries (Sacramento/Delta). The Bay-Delta Plan establishes beneficial uses of water in the watershed, water quality and flow objectives to reasonably protect those uses, and an implementation program that includes monitoring and reporting requirements. California law requires the State Water Board to adopt and periodically review water quality control plans for all surface waters; these reviews enable the state to adapt to changing environmental conditions as well as other changes. … “With the release of these possible updates to the Sacramento/Delta portions of the plan, the board would like to hear significant public input, which will be carefully considered as we work toward a comprehensive update that provides for the reasonable protection of beneficial uses of water in the watershed,” said Eric Oppenheimer, the State Water Board’s executive director. … ” Continue reading this press release.
San Joaquin County declares state of emergency due to risk of Delta levee failure
“San Joaquin County declared a state of emergency on Wednesday for a potential levee failure on Victoria Island that could result in extensive damage to agricultural lands, disruptions along Highway 4, and compromised drinking water sources for the region. Reclamation District engineers found slumping along the Old River levee on Victoria Island on Oct. 21. In response, county officials say they have taken “emergency measures” to provide temporary barriers, but the levee remains at risk. “Public safety is a top priority for the county,” said Sierra Brucia, director of the San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services. “By proclaiming a local emergency, the county is provided more authority to better facilitate the response operations and allows the issuance of protective orders as needed to ensure the safety of our community members.” … ” Read more from the Stockton Record.
SEE ALSO: San Joaquin County declares state of emergency due to risk of levee failure in California Delta, from the Sacramento Bee
Delta levees: The backbone of the coequal goals
“From above, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta’s levee system resembles a maze of winding earthen berms stretching for miles. From that perspective, the levees may look small and insignificant, but they play a crucial role in holding back water to protect homes, agriculture, wildlife, and the water supply for millions of Californians. In fact, levees are the backbone of the Delta. They are vital to furthering the coequal goals of water supply reliability and ecosystem health while protecting California’s Delta as an evolving place. Approximately 700,000 acres of land are supported and protected by levees, which also provide multiple benefits … ” Read more from the Delta Stewardship Council.
SEE ALSO: Delta Levees 101, fact sheet from the Delta Stewardship Council
Zone 7: $6.6M set aside for tunnel plan
“The Zone 7 Water Agency committed another $6.6 million through 2027 to the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP), despite concerns that other project partners might still withdraw. The funds will go toward planning, permitting and pre-construction work for the project, which is expected to be completed in 2045. The Zone 7 board voted unanimously on Oct. 16 to provide $6.6 million in funding. Prior to the decision, the agency, which supplies water to the Tri-Valley, had already committed $7.6 million for the DCP. Also known as the Delta Tunnel, the DCP proposes to build a 36-foot-diameter, 45-mile-long tunnel from the Sacramento River near Sacramento to the Bethany Reservoir near Mountain House. … ” Read more from the Livermore Independent.
Elkhorn Slough: How big is that estuary and why that’s important
“Visitors focus on the sloughs and otters and other beautiful things. Then they think about how to preserve them. But we tend to forget what was there in the past, says Moss Landing Marine Laboratories Geographer Charlie Endris, and what has been lost to development. A recent wetland mapping study is helping us remember. Maps can help push back against what ecologists call the “shifting baseline.” “Shifting baseline paradigm is where as you lose coverage of an estuary, that becomes your new normal,” says Endris, lead author of the study. “You forget what was there in the past.“ In Elkhorn Slough, the project found that dikes have reduced the area inundated by the ocean by 60%. Officials are now looking at removing some of the dikes to restore marsh habitat. The study also revealed that sometimes, we do not even realize what is there in the present. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald.
RELATED: Here today, forgotten tomorrow: How shifting baselines transform nature and challenge restoration, from Maven’s Notebook
Trout Unlimited takes down another dam
“If April is the cruelest month, October is the least cruel. The summer heat finally breaks, trees explode in color, big orange caddis bounce around and salmon and steelhead are pushing into rivers. October is also the end of the construction season for many Trout Unlimited restoration projects. Such projects can take years to move from concept through design and planning to construction––which, ironically, may take only a few days. Exhibit A is TU’s Pickell’s Dam removal on Little Arthur Creek, a tributary to the Pajaro River, an important watershed for South-Central Coastal steelhead on the California coast. … ” Read more from Trout Unlimited.
The ‘soft path’ of water for farmers in the Western US
“When Peter Gleick moved to California in the 1970s, the state had more than a million acres of cotton in production and little control over the use of its rapidly depleting groundwater. Today, California grows a tenth the amount of cotton and groundwater use has been brought under control. For Gleick, an author and cofounder of the water-focused Pacific Institute, these are signs that change can happen. But there’s much more to be done, and quickly, especially in the arid western United States, where water use is extremely high—and climate change and drought are increasing pressure on a region that already uses a tremendous amount of water. In his latest book, The Three Ages of Water, Gleick describes what he calls a “soft path” for water conservation, moving beyond the hard infrastructure and rigid policies we’ve relied on in the past. This means rethinking attitudes toward growth, while recognizing water as a fundamental human right and a source of broader ecological health. In the West, that also means reconsidering our approach to agriculture. Civil Eats caught up with Gleick to understand what that means and how we should think about water in the near future. … ” Read more from Civil Eats.
Did San Francisco awaken the ghost of the Chevron doctrine? The Supreme Court weighs in
“During the first week of oral arguments of its new term, the U.S. Supreme Court heard City & County of San Francisco v. Environmental Protection Agency. This case marks the court’s first look at the Clean Water Act following its decimation last term of the Chevron deference doctrine in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, in which the court reversed long-standing precedent to hold that federal courts must exercise independent judgment in deciding whether a federal agency has acted within its statutory authority rather than defer to an agency’s statutory interpretation. The long-ranging effects of San Francisco can be demonstrated alone by those who submitted amicus briefs, and, fascinatingly, in which party’s support. For example, the States of California, Washington, Massachusetts, and other states, along with a group of small business owners, amongst others, were amici curiae on behalf of the Respondent EPA, whereas amici curiae supporting the Appellant San Francisco included national mining entities, home builders, and wastewater & sewage groups. … ” Read more from Golderg Segalla.
Yale Law Journal: The water district and the state
“In much of the American West, water districts dominate water governance. These districts serve vitally important functions in regions challenged by aridity, growing populations, and climate change. These districts also often operate within boundaries developed a century ago, or more, and under governing rules that are undemocratic by design. In many water districts, people who do not own land cannot serve on the governing board. Nor can they vote in water district elections. Not surprisingly, given their composition and power, water districts often thwart efforts to modernize and bring equity to water management. This Article describes these problems. Drawing on original data and mapping, it shows how pervasive these undemocratic governance structures can be and how water districts with these structures are expanding their reach into new policy realms. It also explains continued problems with the geography of water districts. And it shows how some water districts have acted to thwart important state policy interests and why such conflicts are likely to increase. … ” Read the full article at the Yale Law Journal.
New study raises questions about heavy metals in fire retardants
“Over the past decade, about 67 million gallons of fire retardant have been dropped on wildfires across California, according to the U.S. Forest Service. If you’ve ever wondered what’s in the bright red goop that’s used to protect homes and hillsides, a new study out of USC offers clues beyond what the manufacturers show on their official material data sheets. Most concerning is that researchers found heavy metals in products they tested, raising questions about how retardants may contribute to the spread of metals like cadmium and chromium through the environment. After a wildfire burns through an area, it’s not uncommon to see an increase in heavy metals in waterways once rains wash over denuded surfaces. One such instance occurred after the Station Fire in 2009, when high levels of cadmium were detected in runoff when the rainy season finally came along. And while metals can come from natural resources like rocks and soils, or burned vegetation, USC researchers found evidence of heavy metals in the 14 different fire retardants they purchased and tested. … ” Read more from the LAist.
SEE ALSO: Some wildfire suppressants contain heavy metals and could contaminate the environment, from PhysOrg
In commentary this week …
Ways California can have abundant water
Edward Ring, co-founder of the California Policy Center, writes, “A few years ago a group of volunteers, myself included, attempted to qualify a state ballot initiative called “The Water Infrastructure Funding Act.” Those of us involved with this project remain convinced that had it qualified for the ballot and been approved by voters, it would have solved water scarcity in California forever. Included within this 8,071 word magnum opus was a requirement for 2 percent of the State General Fund to be allocated for water supply projects, with annual funding to continue until new (and completed) water supply projects yielded 5 million acre feet of water per year. Writing the initiative took nearly a year, and relied on expert help from attorneys recruited from farming interests, urban water agencies, civil engineering contractors, and construction unions. The measure would have allowed half of the annual 2 percent budget allocation to be used to finance bonds, unlocking billions in funds for immediate construction. It redefined “beneficial use” to include agricultural and urban consumption, it streamlined CEQA requirements, and it included as eligible for funding virtually every type of project that might increase our water supply. The measure, probably because it was being taken seriously by people with the wherewithal to get it onto the ballot, incurred the immediate condemnation of environmental groups. … ” Read more at the California Policy Center.
Is there a better way to manage California’s water?
Charles Carner with WellJet writes, “Everyone knows that California water policies are not working today – and haven’t worked for years. Misplaced priorities, outdated rules, unresponsive bureaucracies… the list of reasons goes on and on. The question is: What can be done about it? With the current control of state and federal government entities, not much. Without changes in the political makeup of decision makers, Californians will continue to be forced to reduce their water use – while millions of acre-feet of that life-sustaining liquid is flushed out to sea. Rip out your lawns, shorten your showers, tear up your walnut groves; reduce your standard of life, fallow your acreage, lower your income; sell your farm; leave the most beautiful state in the union. Regulatory agencies, both state and federal, have assumed control over California’s water. Elected and even appointed officials cower before “staff” who make every call from the same playbook: take water away from people, and give it to… fish? Including species that are now extinct? … ” Continue reading this commentary at Water Wrights.
The Delta tunnel: California’s biggest stranded asset in the making
“The $20+ billion Delta Tunnel pushed by the Newsom administration will not only burden ratepayers and taxpayers with tremendous debt, say water policy analysts – it will end up as a massive “stranded asset” that will never fulfill its promise of reliable water deliveries. “It will be obsolete before it’s even built,” said California Water Impact Network board member and policy expert Max Gomberg. “A Delta conveyance project was a poor idea when it was first proposed more than forty years ago, and it was soundly defeated at the ballot box. Today, the concept is economically absurd and even more out of touch with what California needs for a vibrant and sustainable water future.” … ” Continue reading from the California Water Impact Network.
Often-criticized SGMA is state’s response to ag’s overpumping of groundwater
Tom Holyoke, Laura Ramos, and Cordie Qualle, members of the California Water Institute at Fresno State, write, “It’s the ten-year birthday of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, known as SGMA. While the law doesn’t take full effect with balanced groundwater management until 2040, there is already much to like. Its very enactment in 2014 meant California was finally getting serious about the problem of groundwater over-drafting and all the problems that go along with it, such as dry wells and subsidence. With Gov. Brown’s signature, California joined all the other western states in having some kind of groundwater law. Finally. Why, then, does SGMA (pronounced sigma) strike fear in parts of the state it is intended to help? … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee. | Read via AOL News.
San Francisco uses the ocean as its toilet and wants to flush a key environmental law
Opinion columnist Tom Philp writes, “San Francisco has long used the Pacific Ocean as its toilet. In heavy rains, the city on the hill cannot store all the storm runoff and sewage that flows toward an oceanside treatment plant in a single old pipe, so some heads out to sea. Now, in a case with national implications, San Francisco is hoping that the U.S. Supreme Court will allow it to pollute the ocean on occasion without violating the federal Clean Water Act. Although San Francisco has lived under this regulatory construct for decades, it has now decided to test the limits of federal regulations with a right-leaning high court known for restricting environmental laws. It is beyond ironic that San Francisco is normally the favorite punching bag of America’s right, with Florida’s Ron DeSantis once showing a map of homeless defecation sites in the city while debating California’s Gavin Newsom. Yet now, San Francisco is trying to take advantage of this infamously right-tilted court. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
A giant rodent threatens the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. It’s time for Whac-A-Mole
Tom Philp, opinion columnist for the Sacramento Bee, writes, “Hollywood would have difficulty inventing a rodent as scary as the South American swamp beast that has gained a toehold in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Imagine a rat-looking creature weighing about 20 pounds and dragging a tail up to 18 inches long. Its open mouth would reveal two hideously orange buck teeth. Every day it can eat five pounds of vegetation and destroys 20 pounds in the process. Its ferocious burrowing can threaten the stability of an entire levee. The females are basically either pregnant or giving birth, producing up to 30 offspring in a year. Known by a deceivingly healthy-sounding name —nutria — its eating and burrowing ways can literally destroy natural wetland systems if left unchecked. … ” Continue reading from the Sacramento Bee.
Proposed Sites Reservoir would harm fish: CSPA’s Chris Shutes delivers testimony before the State Water Board
“On October 2nd, 2024, CSPA’s Chris Shutes delivered testimony before the Administrative Hearings Office (AHO) of the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board). Chris’s testimony disputed the talking points of the Sites Project Authority that the proposed Sites Reservoir would divert water only during periods of high flow in the Sacramento River. It also demonstrated how diversions to Sites Reservoir from the Sacramento River would offset the purported flow “additions” of the proposed Voluntary Agreements in many years. Finally, it showed how the claimed benefits to fish from exchanging water between Sites Reservoir and Shasta Reservoir are speculative and, even if they happened, would primarily benefit water supply. … ” Read more from the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance.
In the face of wildfires, water issues, Prop. 4 is the right answer for Central California
Bridget Fithian, Executive Director of the Sierra Foothill Conservancy, and Sharon Weaver, Executive Director of the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust, write, “With each passing year, we see how a changing climate affects our lives. For most Californians, two issues stand out – bigger and more destructive wildfires along with prolonged drought threatening our water supply. There are proven solutions to these challenges. We urge Californians to vote YES on Proposition 4 to deploy them at scale across California. By making smart investments now, we can prevent suffering in the years ahead and protect the California we love for our kids. The longer we wait, the greater the costs and consequences on our health, lives, and jobs. … ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun.
Why California’s Prop. 4 is essential for the Central Valley’s long-term vitality
Ashley Swearengin, president and CEO of the Central Valley Community Foundation, writes, “Having lived and served in this agriculturally-rich region for nearly 25 years, I know how important strategic investment is to our community. The fertile Central Valley is the agricultural epicenter of our nation, producing over 400 different agricultural commodities — more than any other place in the U.S. To preserve the strength of our beloved land and community, we must invest in stronger measures to promote climate resiliency. That means backing Proposition 4. As CEO of the Central Valley Community Foundation and a former mayor of Fresno, I’ve been deeply committed to improving the quality of life and protecting the long-term economic viability of the region for years to come. Our region is not only essential to our state’s economic dynamism as the world’s fifth largest economy, but we also nourish our entire nation. Yet we must do more to meet the needs of our local residents. … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee.
SEE ALSO: What you need to know about Prop 4, California’s climate bond, from KALW
US Forest Service decision to halt prescribed burns in California is history repeating
“Last week, the US Forest Service announced it would stop prescribed burning in California “for the foreseeable future,” stating that the decision was made as a precautionary measure to ensure the availability of staff and equipment in case of potential wildfires. But temps are falling across California, and state, tribal authorities, and prescribed burn associations have commenced with their prescribed burns. If the federal agency doesn’t hold up its end of the work, all that mitigation work can be undone. To grasp the impact of the Forest Service’s decision on California, it’s essential to understand the history of the state and the intricate mosaic of private, state, and federal land that constitutes the forests. Over the past 100 years, the state and federal governments relied on a “paramilitary-like program” that focused on fire suppression by rapidly mobilizing firefighters and equipment. Very little was done regarding fire prevention besides creating the famous Smokey the Bear ad campaign. One of the problems was that colonialist attitudes of fire officials constantly disregarded the valuable knowledge of forest management practices held by California’s Indigenous communities. … ” Continue reading from the Center for Economic Policy and Research.
A new rule requires lead pipes to be gone within a decade. It won’t be easy.
The Washington Post editorial board writes, “It is almost impossible to be against a rule announced by the Environmental Protection Agency this month requiring utilities to replace all lead pipes within a decade. After all, who opposes the swift removal of a deadly toxin from drinking water? But there’s a tricky road ahead, and it’s an expensive one to travel. The 9 million or so service lines across the United States pumping poison through our homes and into our bodies cause all manner of maladies, such as high blood pressure, kidney malfunction, cognitive disability and hyperactivity. The EPA estimates that, in a country without lead pipes, 1,500 fewer people every year would die early of heart disease and about 900,000 fewer infants would suffer from low birth weight. The shift could even prevent 200,000 lost IQ points in children annually. … ” Read more from the Washington Post.
In regional water news this week …
Klamath River Update: Over 100 salmon are now spawning above recently dismantled dams
“More than one hundred salmon and even a few steelhead are now spawning in Klamath River tributaries above the recently dismantled PacifiCorp dams for the first time in 60 and 112 years, according to a statement and video from the Yurok Tribe. Salmon are spawning in the mainstem of the river above the dams also. “It is extremely exciting to see fish begin to recolonize upper river and its tributaries,” the Tribe stated. “Although we are already seeing benefits from dam removal, it will take several years for salmon and steelhead runs to recover from a century of dams. Revegetation and habitat restoration projects are ongoing in the former reservoir footprints.” … ” Read more from the Daily Kos.
Judge rules against Northern California county in water access race discrimination case
“A federal judge on Friday granted in part a preliminary injunction against a Northern California county accused of discriminating against its Asian American population over access to water. The plaintiffs live in parts of the county with no wells or other means of accessing water, and say that a blanket prohibition on transporting water offsite — which isn’t enforced across the board — disproportionately hurts Asian American residents. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Kimberly Mueller ruled that the plaintiffs in the case against Siskiyou County and Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue will be harmed without a preliminary injunction. The judge ordered both sides to provide additional information within two weeks about the appropriate scope of that injunction, as well as a monetary bond. County officials say the ordinance is meant to prevent illegal cannabis growers from taking groundwater and damaging the environment. Commercial cannabis grows are banned in the county. … ” Read more from Courthouse News Service.
Key wildlife returning to Yuba River for the first time in nearly a century
“Standing knee-deep in one of California’s famed Gold Rush rivers, a scientist gingerly held up a cheesecloth sack carrying 5,000 pink salmon eggs, each slightly smaller than a marble, with a big eye incubating within. A series of dams have long arrested the natural flow of water on the North Yuba River in the Tahoe National Forest, blocking the salmon from these spawning grounds for more than 80 years. State officials are trying to bring the threatened spring-run chinook salmon back, starting this week with 300,000 eggs planted in the streambed. “Bye bye, little guys,” said Aimee Braddock, an environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, as she poured the eggs into a wide tube leading down to a hole she’d dug in the gravelly streambed. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle (gift article).
Invasive nutria species spreads further into Delta communities
“The latest push to eradicate nutrias — the large, fur-bearing, aquatic rodents that have become an invasive species in California’s wetlands — has shifted from San Joaquin County to neighboring areas in the Delta. The large rodents, which resemble beavers and are native to South America, were first discovered in the marshes of San Joaquin County in 2017. But the pests have recently been found in Solano, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties, according to reports from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Weighing up to 20 pounds, nutrias thrive in wet environments, but they also can burrow into banks to create dens, causing erosion. The plant-eating animals can carry diseases and gobble up to 25% of their body weight a day. They destroy large swaths of marshland in the pursuit of a good meal, with devastating effects on wetland habitats, agriculture and water conveyance/flood protection infrastructure. … ” Read more from Stocktonia.
A hazardous waste site becomes ‘San Francisco’s next great park’
“Since he moved to Bayview at five years old, Darryl Watkins wondered why a neglected lot, called 900 Innes, was closed off. He often played basketball at India Basin Shoreline Park next to the yard sloping into the Bay, and peeked through the fence to find dirt, trash, neglected buildings, and a dilapidated cottage that housed shipbuilders over a century ago. It was in such disrepair that Watkins never imagined it could be a park. The parks he liked had clean bathrooms, trees, and nature—things found outside of his community. Over $200 million and four years of remediation and construction later, the fences enclosing the yard finally opened on October 19. It’s the first time residents will be able to step foot on the completely transformed property, with two new piers, a floating dock, a food pavilion, and access to some of San Francisco’s last remaining natural shoreline. … ” Read more from Bay Nature.
To avoid state intervention, Stanislaus County OKs plan to reduce groundwater pumping
“County supervisors on Tuesday approved a groundwater pumping reduction plan for an area in Stanislaus’ West Side in hopes of preventing intervention from the state. The Delta-Mendota Groundwater Subbasin is considered to be critically overdrafted, according to the California Department of Water Resources, raising concerns about ground subsidence near the Delta-Mendota Canal and California Aqueduct. Affected parties in the Delta-Mendota groundwater subbasin, in west Stanislaus and Merced counties, developed six coordinated groundwater sustainability plans, which were deemed incomplete by the state after a two-year review and declared inadequate after amendments were submitted to address deficiencies in 2022. Faced with a perceived three-strikes rule, the local agencies decided to work with a consultant on a single plan for reduced pumping, along with well metering and monitoring, which was approved by Stanislaus supervisors Tuesday. … ” Read more from the Modesto Bee.
Governor Newsom visits Tijuana River rehabilitation efforts, assesses impact of sewage crisis
“Governor Gavin Newsom visited wastewater treatment facilities on both sides of the border to assess rehabilitation efforts and the ongoing sewage crisis, a long-standing environmental and public health issue. Working alongside federal, state, and local partners, Governor Newsom has helped secure critical funding and support to address cross-border pollution from the Tijuana River while holding authorities accountable to expedited timelines. With upgrades to facilities on both sides of the border, sewage flows are expected to be reduced by up to 90%. “The Tijuana River sewage crisis has impacted our communities for far too long. Thanks to our partnership with international, federal, and local partners, we are making real progress. But our work is far from over — we need serious, continued action to protect public health and restore our environment.” … ” Read more from Office of the Governor.
Announcements, notices, and funding opportunities …
DWR: 2024 Final EIR for the Long-Term Operation of the State Water Project in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Suisun Marsh, and Suisun Bay
NOTICE of status conference: Santa Clara Valley Water District
INFO SHEET: Delta levees 101
INFO SHEET: California Environmental Flows Framework
