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On the calendar today …
- MEETING: Delta Independent Science Board from 9am to 3pm. The Delta ISB will meet at the Delta Conservancy’s office to discuss its reviews and activities. This will include the public comments received on its draft prospectus on the emerging climate science symposium, along with comments on the Delta Stewardship Council’s draft Tribal and Environmental Justice issue paper and the Delta Adapts draft Adaptation Plan. Andrew Schwarz of the California Department of Water Resources will also provide an overview of the Final State Water Project Delivery Capability Report for 2023, released in July 2024, which included major changes to the data and methods. This change is responsive to recommendations from the Delta ISB’s 2022 water supply reliability estimation review. Click here for the meeting notice.
- MEETING: State Water Resources Control Board beginning at 9am. Agenda items include Current Hydrologic Conditions and Response, State Agency Updates Regarding the Emerging Contaminants 6PPD and 6PPD-Quinone, and Consideration of a proposed Resolution celebrating the 50th anniversary of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and deeming December 16th Safe Drinking Water Act Day. Click here for the full agenda.
- WEBINAR: The race to restore nature: cutting the green tape for California’s environment from 12pm to 1pm. Protecting and restoring California’s natural places is essential to safeguard our biodiversity and protect our water and other natural resources amidst climate change. In the past, environmental restoration projects have been slowed by permitting requirements designed for very different kinds of development. However, in recent years, state leaders have championed improvements to reduce bureaucracy and delays to complete restoration under the banner of “Cutting Green Tape.” Please join us to discuss where we stand in this ambitious effort. Where have we made progress? What big challenges remain? What opportunities should we focus on now? Together, we’ll explore how to build on these efforts and chart an ambitious path forward. Click here to register.
- LUNCH-MAR: Consideration of Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems in the Flood-MAR context from 12:30 to 1:30pm. Presenter: Melissa Rohde, Rohde Environmental Consulting. Flood-MAR projects can provide environmental benefits, but to quantify them an understanding of ecological water requirements is required. This presentation will provide an overview of the latest research on ecological thresholds and how it can be used to quantify environmental benefits. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
EPA urges California to safeguard tribal cultural practices by preserving Delta water flows
“The Environmental Protection Agency urged California water regulators to protect tribal cultural practices in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta, the troubled heart of the state’s water supply. Comments to the State Water Resources Control Board by EPA regional administrator Martha Guzman at a hearing Tuesday marked rare federal intervention into state water politics as regulators weigh options to regulate how much water stays in the estuary. “The EPA strongly supports the proposal in the draft plan to designate tribal cultural uses throughout the Bay Delta watershed,” Guzman said, referring to subsistence fishing. “This proposal recognizes the centrality of vital fish populations to many California tribes.” … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
After stormy November, Northern California’s forecast has turned meek
“A high pressure system has set up over the western U.S. and as far out as the long range computer models can show, each approaching storm system looks to be lifted up and over the Pacific Northwest to Canada. The latest GFS models show the possibility of a Dec. 15 low pressure system approaching the Central Coast, into Southern California. Another storm may look a little more promising. That system moves into northern California on Dec. 18-19. With a forecast 12-15 days out, it’s hard to say with certainty if a storm will hold its shape or even keep its track. If computer models hold true, the next significant rain event could be the second half of the month. So, what does this mean for our water year? … ” Read more from Channel 10.
Groups work to widen SGMA engagement

“Makhan Singh had farmed in California for more than two decades when, in 2017, he bought a 300-acre ranch in Madera County. About half the ranch was planted with almonds. The other half was bare. To qualify for a mortgage, Singh agreed to plant almonds on the rest of the land, taking on more debt to make the long-term investment in the new trees. He had little reason to doubt the business plan. Almond prices were high. And while the land was in a “white area,” entitled to no surface water from an irrigation district, farmers in the San Joaquin Valley had pumped groundwater for generations to sustain the region’s farmland. Singh didn’t know California had adopted a law in 2014 regulating groundwater for the first time. It was only in 2022, when he received a notice about groundwater fees on his property tax bill, that Singh learned of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA. “It was like a hammer to the head,” Singh said of finding out about the law. … ” Continue reading from Ag Alert.
Punjabi growers seek dialogue, answers from state water regulators
“Central Valley growers fed up with reduced water allocations and pumping penalties are seeking answers from state Water Resources Control Board officials at a workshop Thursday in Visalia. The Punjabi American Growers Group, formed in 2020, is sponsoring the event, where the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and its implications for farming operations are on the agenda. All farmers are invited to attend. “We are answering questions on behalf of our members, but this really needs to be done by the state,” said Jasbir Sidhu, co-founder of the Punjabi American Growers Group. “Since SGMA passed, the outreach has not been done and a lot of people have questions and concerns. What we’re trying to do is build a bridge between the government and farmers.” … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Special session brings uncertainty to water policy for California farmers
“California farmers could soon be caught up in a political fight between Sacramento and Washington. State Democrats want $25 million to sue the Trump administration. Water policy is among the issues. “I think you’re going to see the State of California be very vigorous in defending the values that we’ve already implemented into our water policies,” Democratic Assemblymember Steve Bennett of Ventura said. Bennett served on the Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee during the previous legislature. It is unclear what federal water policy will look like under the second Trump Administration, but Bennett is preparing for the possibility of significant changes. … ” Read more from Channel 30.
Kern County Water Agency responds to DWR’s 5% State Water Project allocation
“Yesterday, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced that the State Water Project (SWP) initial water allocation is five percent of contracted amounts. This means fewer than 50,000 acre-feet of water would be delivered to Kern County water users from the SWP in 2025—compared to the contracted amount of about one million acre-feet. “The devastatingly low initial allocation is very concerning for Kern County residents, farms and businesses given the hydrology of the last two years,” said Kern County Water Agency (Agency) Board of Directors President Ted Page. “It’s unfortunate that DWR was so conservative with the initial allocation. While we appreciate the challenges they face, balancing environmental regulations with water operations, we ask that they don’t lose sight of the primary purpose of the SWP, which is to deliver water to its customers.” … ”
Salmon sprint into previously barren waters
“‘Life, uh, finds a way,’ is one of the most memorable lines in the original Jurassic Park movie, and life is finding a way into previously barren streams in northern California and southern Oregon. Despite decades of pollution and the establishment of physical barriers including culverts, concrete channels, and weirs, salmon have been returning in increased numbers to creeks inside of San Francisco Bay and throughout the California Delta. Returning salmon are abundant in the back sloughs of the Mokelumne and the San Joaquin Rivers, and although these fish may have a difficult time finding adequate spawning grounds, their presence provides optimism. The recent atmospheric river along with two years of greater than average rainfall combined with stream restoration and the removal of barriers seem to be paying dividends for unchartered waters. Prior to human impact within the past 150 years, returning salmon were an annual visitor to these streams. Another factor may be the increased releases of salmon close to the Golden Gate keeping the fish from imprinting on their stream of original, allowing them to seek out any available stream. … ” Read more from Western Outdoor News.
CV-SALTS: Nitrate and Salt Control Programs end 2024 with significant progress
“As 2024 ends, the CV-SALTS program continues to make significant progress. The Nitrate Control Program Priority 1 Management Zones (MZs) remain focused on implementation, conducting outreach and offering free well-testing and bottled water delivery services. They are also working with local communities to solve the Central Valley’s long-term nitrate contamination challenges. Permittees in Priority 2 MZs have until February 26, 2025 to file their Notice of Intent with the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board). In addition, Priority 2 MZs have released their draft Preliminary Management Zone Implementation Plans and are soliciting public feedback. As part of the Priority & Optimization Study, the Salt Control Program has been focused on developing an initial case study, known as Archetype #1, and has recently begun working to select the second area for Archetype #2. … ” Read more from the Central Valley Salinity Coalition.
IBank Board approves $4.4 million loan to Alta Irrigation District for water conservation project
” The California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank) board of directors approved $4.4 million in loan financing for the Alta Irrigation District for a project that will help prevent groundwater overdraft, provide flood protection, and help in water conservation efforts by capturing excess surface water to improve the groundwater table and increase the available supply for California farmers. The Alta Irrigation District is a public agency that supplies irrigation services to agricultural customers and recharges the local water supply. The board approved the $4.4 million Infrastructure State Revolving Fund loan for the district’s Traver North Pond, Surface Water Utilization Project. The project includes the purchase and construction of a 40.5-acre water recharge facility in Tulare County. Water will be delivered to the site from the Traver Canal, using surface water supplies, which would primarily include Kings River floodwater. Low lying embankments less than six feet in height will be constructed from onsite soil for two or more basin cells. Existing turnouts on the Traver Canal will be modified to deliver water to the site by gravity methods. … ” Read more from the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank).
Biden-Harris Administration announces over $65 Million for 11 projects in Northern California to modernize water infrastructure and strengthen drought resilience
“The Department of the Interior today announced a total of over $849 million from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to revitalize aging water delivery systems across the West. The funding includes support of 11 projects in Northern California totaling $65.1 million to improve water conveyance and storage, increase safety, improve hydropower generation, provide water treatment, as well as funding for fishery improvements. The funding was announced by Reclamation’s Senior Counselor John Watts during a visit to Shasta Dam in California’s Shasta County this morning. … ” The projects are mostly at Shasta Dam and Keswick Dam. Click here to read the full press release from the Bureau of Reclamation.
SEE ALSO:
- Shasta Dam to receive crucial upgrades as part of $849M Western US water initiative, from KRCR
- Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $850 Million to Revitalize Aging Water Infrastructure, Advance Drought Resilience, from the Bureau of Reclamation
In commentary today …
GUEST COMMENTARY: Resilience and Readiness: Supporting final studies for Delta Conveyance Project while reflecting on our state water system’s past, present and future
Charles Wilson, Executive Director of the Southern California Water Committee, writes, “We can’t escape our history. In 1984, the Southern California Water Coalition (SCWC) was founded in response to the ballot-box defeat of the Peripheral Canal, a predecessor to today’s Delta Conveyance Project. This pivotal moment highlighted the urgent need for a unified effort to address Southern California’s water challenges. The vision back then was clear: bring together water leaders, agriculture, businesses, local governments, and labor to educate Southern Californians on where their water comes from and the need for water infrastructure investment to assure future reliability. Over the past 40 years, SCWC has steadfastly carried out that mission, spreading awareness about the region’s reliance on imported water from the Colorado River and Northern California, as well as the strides we’ve made in using water more efficiently. … ” Continue reading this guest commentary.
Press release: ICYMI: Rev. Jonathan Moseley: It’s Time to Address the Urgent Need for Water Equity with the Delta Conveyance Project
““In California, access to clean water is not only a growing concern—it is a crisis, especially for communities of color. This lack of access to safe, reliable drinking water is more than a matter of infrastructure; it’s a profound environmental injustice that continues to erode the health and livelihoods of millions of residents and California families. With our changing climate and extreme weather patterns growing worse by the year, we must take decisive action to protect water security for all Californians. One solution to shore up California’s water supply and address inequitable access to clean water is the Delta Conveyance Project, which would secure water for millions across the state. As California’s climate continues to warm and droughts become more frequent, this problem is only going to get worse, with many communities being denied access to the clean water they need. … ”
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Helping the Karuk tribe in California prepare for climate challenges
“Danielle Touma is no stranger to drought. The research professor at University of Texas, Austin, was born in Lebanon and grew up in the drought-prone Middle East. Touma’s childhood shaped her career. “When I did my civil engineering undergrad I focused on water resources, and a lot of the things we talked about in class reminded me of the conditions we had growing up,” she says. “So it all came together later on in my life.” Touma, who has a PhD in earth system sciences, has spent her career working to understand how extreme climate events have changed in a warming world. She uses model simulations and statistics to understand the changes in the frequency, duration and geographic areas of wildfires, droughts and heavy rain. But she’s recently taken a different turn and stepped out from the research lab and into the field – into Karuk territory, a tribe in Northern California, to be exact. … ” Read more from The Story Exchange.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
‘This project is 20 years in the making’: Meeks Meadow restoration has begun
“Máyala Wáta, also called Meeks Meadow, is proceeding with lodgepole pine removal through a grant from the California Tahoe Conservancy. The conifer thinning will take place over 200 acres of the area, which will help restore the area’s water levels and culturally significant plants to the Washoe tribe. Meeks Meadow is the center of the Washoe homelands and was identified as a priority habitat for protection in the area. In 1997, the U.S. Forest Service and Washoe tribe signed a memorandum of understanding that expressed a common line of action—protecting and restoring the area. Since then, different restoration efforts have been made in the area, but this promises to be one of the largest thanks to the $600,000 grant received from the California Tahoe Conservancy. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Accelerating permitting for floodplain forward and restoration in the Sacramento Valley
“There are significant efforts underway in the Sacramento Valley to restore habitat in harmony with farming and our local communities. This includes project portfolios like those of the Floodplain Forward Coalition, whose member organizations have planned projects with an estimated need approaching $1 billion for restoration actions benefiting over ½ million acres–the size of 2 Los Angeleses. This presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity and restoration practitioners and regulators must prepare to manage a growing volume of projects to make the most of this moment. We are excited to continue the progress to advance and scale up floodplain reactivation in the Sacramento Valley. The new report by Sustainable Conservation, Accelerating Restoration in the Sacramento Valley and Beyond, will help landowners, conservation organizations, and agencies accelerate the implementation of these fish and wildlife restoration actions by applying restoration-specific regulatory tools. … ” Read more from the Northern California Water Association.
Construction complete, monitoring underway at River Bend Habitat Project
“The Water Forum has completed the construction of its 2024 Habitat Project at River Bend on the Lower American River. Monitoring is now underway to assess the project’s effectiveness in improving spawning and rearing conditions for fall-run Chinook salmon and steelhead trout. “This site is the farthest downstream of our current habitat program sites and it plays a crucial role because it’s one of the first suitable areas our adult salmonids encounter as they migrate upstream to spawn,” said Erica Bishop, Water Forum Program Manager for Habitat and Science. “By enhancing conditions here, we’re diversifying and expanding spawning opportunities across the upper river.” … ” Read more from the Water Forum.
NAPA/SONOMA
November’s atmospheric river caused over $2.6 million in estimated damages across Sonoma County
“The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has passed a local emergency proclamation allowing county officials to pursue state and federal funds to help cover an estimated $2.6 million in damage caused by November’s record-breaking rainstorm. The board on Tuesday unanimously approved the proclamation and also authorized Johannes Hoevertsz, the county’s public infrastructure director, to pursue emergency road repairs outside of the normal contracting and bidding process. Beginning Nov. 20, the four-day category 4 atmospheric river storm dumped over 13 inches of rain in Santa Rosa, as recorded at the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport. Other parts of the county received over 20 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
BAY AREA
West Marin elk fence removal approved by federal park
“Point Reyes National Seashore announced that it has finalized a new management plan for the Tomales Point area that calls for removal of a tule elk enclosure fence. “The benefit of removing this enclosure is to allow elk to access additional habitat, increase the species’ population resilience during drought, and promote a more natural population cycle,” said Anne Altman, the park superintendent. Melanie Gunn, a spokesperson for the park, said its personnel may begin as soon as this week to dismantle sections of the 2-mile-long fence that are not immediately adjacent to agricultural lands. Tomales Point is on the northern tip of the Point Reyes National Seashore peninsula. The announcement Monday was celebrated by advocates for the park’s elk. Members of the county’s agricultural community, however, say the decision is another blow to the viability of Marin’s struggling dairy farms and ranches. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
SEE ALSO:
- Point Reyes elk will soon roam free after major change by National Park Service, from the San Francisco Chronicle
- The Point Reyes tule elk will finally roam free, Park Service announces, from the LA Times
Massive sewage leak has spilled 20 million gallons of waste into East Bay Marsh
“An underground wastewater leak that likely started weeks ago has spilled about 20 million gallons of sewage into a Contra Costa County marsh near the bank of the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, officials said Tuesday. Staffers with the Delta Diablo Sanitation District had been looking for a leak after noticing reduced inflow into their treatment plant, but they weren’t able to visually identify the spillage until around 3:30 p.m. Monday. The leak, coming from a pipe that carries wastewater from a storage center along its Mouse Trap-like journey to the treatment plant, has deposited nearly 1 million gallons of waste into the nearby marsh between Port Chicago and Pittsburg every day since it started. … ” Read more from KQED.4
New Alameda Creek project boosts fish access
“A collective cheer is in the air as many environmentalists, wildlife enthusiasts, Alameda County officials and residents celebrate news that funding to remove the last man-made barrier to fish passage in Alameda Creek has been secured. Claire Buchanan, Bay Area Senior Project Manager for California Trout (CalTrout), a non-profit agency focused on ensuring healthy waters and resilient fish populations in the state, said a new $4.3 million grant will be used to lower a PG&E gas pipeline that spans the creek about 12 miles upstream from the creek’s terminus into the bay. Known as the Sunol Valley Fish Passage Project, it is the last of 16 fish passage projects in the Alameda Creek watershed completed in the last 20 years. … ” Read more from Tri-City Voice.
Lawsuit pushes Pittsburg to reevaluate data center’s environmental harms
“The Center for Biological Diversity sued the city of Pittsburg, California, Monday for approving a development, including a massive data center, without considering and planning for its environmental effects, including greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and harms to wildlife and surrounding wetlands. The project site is on grassland and wetlands habitat with nearby streams and other waterways. The area serves as an important wildlife corridor for the region and is home to red-tailed hawks, Cooper’s hawks, white-tailed kites, and other raptors. “Data centers pretend to be unassuming, but in fact they pose huge risks to the air quality and water supply of our communities,” said Meredith Stevenson, a staff attorney at the Center. “We wouldn’t let a large industrial plant move into town without first analyzing how it’ll affect neighboring residents and wildlife. This is no different. Pittsburg leaders need to go back to the drawing board and give this project the thorough review the community deserves.” … ” Read more from the Center for Biological Diversity.
8,500 feet of floodwalls nearly complete in San Jose
“It is hard to forget the scenes in San Jose in February 2017 when heavy flooding along Coyote Creek forced the evacuations of about 14,000 people. By the end of this year, Valley Water, the main water wholesaler for Santa Clara County, will have completed the first phase of a massive floodwall project to prevent such events from happening again. The Coyote Creek floods were a nearly unimaginable sight of firefighters evacuating residents in boats and rafts from the creek. Heavy storms that month caused Anderson Reservoir, upstream of the flood zone, to overflow its banks and send massive amounts of water down Coyote Creek. At the time, there were no floodwalls and brush and trees grew in the creek only magnifying the damage. “We are designing this project for the same flood event that happened in 2017,” said Robert Yamane, the Valley Water senior engineer on the project. … ” Read more from KTVU.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Salmon rotting in “dead end” Stockton slough for second year in a row; neighbors push for permanent solution
“The sight and smell of dozens, if not hundreds, of dead salmon rotting in the Pixley Slough behind John Muir Elementary School has caused concern for neighbors. These Fall-run Chinook Salmon were not among the record-breaking 30,000+ that made it successfully to the Mokelumne River this season. The salmon are not legal to fish in area rivers for the second season in a row as the state looks to support the long-struggling populations. “I think we need to try harder,” said Tommi, a neighbor who asked CBS13 only publish her first name. … ” Read more from CBS Sacramento.
SEE ALSO: Dozens of salmon rotting in San Joaquin County waterway spark frustration, from KCRA
Tehachapi City Council tables consideration of industrial subdivision after objections from water district
“Further subdivision of two parcels in an industrial area of the city is on hold. The Tehachapi City Council was scheduled to consider approval of Parcel Map 12565 at its meeting Monday night. Instead, Development Services Director Jay Schlosser asked the council to table the matter to allow time to consider a letter the city received late Monday afternoon from an attorney representing Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District. Attorney Andrea A. Matarazzo of the Pioneer Law Group, on behalf of the water district, said the district is concerned that the city’s review of the proposed subdivision fails to account for the need to manage the region’s water resources sustainably. … ” Read more from the Tehachapi News.
EASTERN SIERRA
California’s little civil war
“Put together seven knowledgeable people who have been in the thick of the battles over Owens Valley water and environmental issues for years and you get a list. A long list. A long detailed list of the fights that still need to be fought. Two panels of such folks were convened Nov. 16 and 17 during the Alabama Gates 2024 event in Lone Pine. The occasion marked the 100th anniversary of the famous “occupation” of the Alabama Gates by about 700 outraged Owens Valley residents to protest the land and water gathering shenanigans of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. They stayed for four days. They had a picnic. The county sheriff handed out citations that were ignored while he enjoyed the picnic dinner. They got statewide and national notoriety and glowing press. The occupation was crowned “California’s Little Civil War.” They literally turned the gates and released the flow of the aqueduct into the desert, draining the aqueduct, which was the primary water source for the city of Los Angeles. They eventually left the gates, turned the water back into the aqueduct and went home after “promises” of compromise and change. Those promises never turned into reality. … ” Continue reading from The Sheet.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Jacobs JV wins $160m project to sweeten California’s salty groundwater
“A joint venture of Jacobs and McCarthy has won a $160m contract to improve groundwater desalination capacity in southern California, where over-extraction of groundwater in the first half of the 20th Century led to seawater contamination inland. The client is the Water Replenishment District (WRD), a groundwater agency serving 4 million people in southern Los Angeles County, including part of the City of Los Angeles. Jacobs and McCarthy will expand the Robert W. Goldsworthy Desalter Facility so it can provide up to 9 million more gallons of drinking water a day to the 88,000 residents of the city of Torrance by 2027. … ” Read more from Global Construction Review.
Balfour Beatty to build stormwater treatment system under California school
“UK-headquartered Balfour Beatty has won a contract worth around $60m to build a stormwater capture system under a high school in La Puente, California. As construction manager at-risk, it will build an underground infiltration gallery under Bassett High School to capture and treat stormwater to protect the region’s San Gabriel River watershed. Under the direction of Los Angeles County Department of Public Works and the Bassett Unified School District, the company will install underground storage and storm drain systems, diversion structures, pump stations, and filtration vaults. … ” Read more from Global Construction Review.
SoCal Stormwater Monitoring Coalition investigating effectiveness of street sweeping for reducing runoff pollution
“The SMC has launched a multi-year effort to measure whether routine street sweeping makes a measurable impact in reducing contamination in runoff that enters storm drains and contributes to impaired water quality. The investigation, which is beginning with a three-year pilot study, is working to measure how much bacteria, nutrients, trace metals and other common contaminants are transported from streets into storm drains via runoff, and whether street sweeping can be effective in preventing at least some of this pollution from finding its way into runoff. In addition to monitoring traditional runoff pollutants, the SMC also is investigating if street sweeping reduces the levels of microplastics in runoff; the microplastics investigation is being conducted in partnership with the City of Santa Barbara. … ” Read more from the SoCal Stormwater Monitoring Coalition.
First decade of SoCal Stormwater Monitoring Coalition regional bioassessment program generates key insights about stream condition
“The SMC has built a spatially representative, regional data set reflecting the biological condition of streams across coastal southern California over the past decade – an important milestone for the SMC Regional Watershed Monitoring Program that underscores the value of investing in a long-term monitoring collaboration. A recent analysis of 10 years of bioassessment data from the SMC Regional Watershed Monitoring Program found that the biological integrity of most wadeable streams across coastal southern California has generally been stable over a decade-long span that ended in 2018. About one in four stream-miles across the South Coast region is considered to have biological communities that are “likely intact” – the highest of four possible stream condition categories. The other three-quarters of the region’s stream-miles are considered to have possibly, likely or very likely altered biological communities. … ” Read more from the SoCal Stormwater Monitoring Coalition.
Massive sewage spill prompts water closure near Orange County beach
“A large sewage spill prompted the closure of ocean waters near Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point Tuesday. Approximately 3,375 gallons of sewage were spilled into the ocean due to a breakage in a main lift station sewer line, according to the OC Health Care Agency. The spill forced the closure of the open coastal area spanning 1,500 feet upcoast to 1,500 feet downcoast of the Salt Creek. The ruptured sewer line has since been repaired, but the closure will remain in effect out of caution, health officials said. … ” Read more from KTLA.
SEE ALSO: Sewage spill closes Salt Creek beach in Dana Point, from the OC Register
SAN DIEGO
San Diego seawalls depend on Half Moon Bay case
“A lawsuit that had beachfront property owners feeling hopeful about relying on seawalls to protect their homes is leaning the other way — upholding limits on coastal armor. The fight between homeowners and the California Coastal Commission hinges on whether to allow for seawalls to defend any structure on the beach or only those built before the California Coastal Act took effect on Jan 1, 1977. The case involves ten townhomes in Half Moon Bay (29 miles south of San Francisco), but could affect thousands of private properties and hundreds of public beaches from San Diego to the Oregon border. … The court battle began after a storm in 2016 sent 20 feet of bluffs crashing into the ocean in front of the townhome complex and the owners’ request to build a 257-foot concrete seawall was denied by the Coastal Commission. The homeowners association for the Casa Mira townhomes sued, and won, but the commission appealed. … ” Read more from the Easy Reader.
Along the Colorado River …
Trump’s first climate crisis
“The West is on the precipice of the most high-stakes water war this country has seen. … But it has shrunk dramatically over the past 25 years. Now, the rules that govern water deliveries are about to expire and the seven states that share the waterway, along with the federal government, must agree on new ones that will work in a far drier future. It’s a wrenching task that can only bring political and economic pain. The West’s most important river has lost 20 percent of its flows since the turn of the century, gripped by a megadrought that climate experts say may be just a taste of things to come. The region is warming and drying out far faster than the rest of the U.S., sending water levels at the region’s two main reservoirs so low in recent years that federal engineers have begun worrying about their ability to physically release water from the dam that feeds California, Arizona and Nevada. It’s the country’s first major climate crisis and it’s about to fall on the Trump administration — which has denied the science of climate change and is pledged to roll back Biden’s climate policies. But, as one lead negotiator has put it: “Elections don’t add water to the river.” … ” Read more from Politico.
Commentary: The Colorado River’s future: A call for collaborative solutions
The California Farm Water Coalition writes, “As the Colorado River Basin faces unprecedented challenges, it’s crucial for the seven basin states and tribal nations to come together and forge a consensus-driven solution for the river’s future management. With the current operating guidelines set to expire in 2026, the time is now for stakeholders to redouble their efforts in crafting a balanced, long-term plan that includes equal participation from both the Upper and Lower Basin states. The stark divisions that have emerged among the basin states in recent negotiations underscore the complexity of the issue. However, these differences should not be seen as insurmountable obstacles, but rather as opportunities to find innovative compromises that benefit the entire region. … ” Continue reading at the California Farm Water Coalition.
Las Vegas conference to tackle urgent Colorado River water management issues
“When the Bureau of Reclamation gives stakeholders and states in the Colorado River Basin something to respond to, it pushes conversation in a more tangible and meaningful way, said Taylor Hawes, the Colorado River program director at the Nature Conservancy. One of the focuses of the Colorado River Water Users Association conference starting today at Paris Las Vegas will be discussing paths forward on Colorado River use and management between the seven Upper and Lower Basin states, tribes and Mexico. Legal agreements appropriating the drought-stricken river will expire in 2026, bringing urgency to talks on what’s next and how to manage the effects of climate change. … ” Read more from the Las Vegas Sun.
‘We’re dealing with a crisis’: How the straining of the Colorado River System impacts Nevada
“It’s no secret Lake Mead has seen a decline in recent years — it currently sits at about 32% full capacity — but the larger water system that feeds the reservoir is also strained. How the critical resource will be managed in the years to come is up for debate and will be a topic at the Colorado River Water Users Association Conference this week in Las Vegas. Kyle Roerink is the executive director for the watchdog organization Great Basin Water Network. He told Channel 13: “We’re dealing with an availability crisis. We’re dealing with a crisis where we know that 20% of the Colorado River has been lost in the past 24, 25 years. We know that the best scientists in the world are telling us that we could lose another 20% in the coming decades. So what we’re seeing right now is a conflict between coming to terms, coming to grips with this new availability challenge.” … ” Continue reading from Channel 13.
Curtis bills address Colorado River salinity, critical minerals
“In a time of drought and increasing water scarcity throughout the West, a key step to protect the water supply for more than 40 million residents is to control the salinity of the Colorado River to ensure its continued functionality. Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, pushed forward legislation successfully on Tuesday to boost efforts to combat that challenge and step up states’ and the federal government’s response. “High salinity levels in the Colorado River have far-reaching consequences. They threaten the beauty and integrity of Utah’s national parks, impact our ranchers and farmers, and jeopardize drinking water for millions of Americans,” he said. … ” Read more from Deseret News.
In national water news today …
Supreme Court could narrow the scope of federal environmental reviews, with less consideration of how projects would contribute to climate change
“In the 1993 movie “Jurassic Park,” Dr. Ian Malcolm, a fictional math genius specializing in chaos theory, explains the “butterfly effect,” which holds that tiny actions can lead to big outcomes. “A butterfly flaps its wings in Peking,” Malcolm posits, “and you get rain in Central Park instead of sunshine.” What about when a federal agency flaps its wings? Should bureaucrats be required to think through the extended effects of decisions like funding a highway intersection or approving an offshore wind farm? Congress opened the door to this question in 1969 when it passed the National Environmental Policy Act, known as NEPA. This law requires federal agencies to analyze the environmental effects of major proposed actions before making decisions. … ” Read more from The Conversation.