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On the calendar today …
- HEARING: Delta Conveyance Project water right hearing beginning at 9am. The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board or Board) Administrative Hearings Office (AHO) will hold a public hearing about the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP). The purpose of the hearing is to gather evidence that the State Water Board will consider to determine whether to approve the petitions and, if so, what specific terms and conditions the Board should include in the amended SWP Permits. Interested members of the public who would like to watch this hearing without participating may do so through the Administrative Hearings Office YouTube channel at: bit.ly/aho-youtube. Click here for the hearing notice.
- WEBINAR: Flume Household Water Use Index: 2024 Review from 10am to 11am. During the hour, we will review indoor and outdoor residential water use patterns throughout the United States in 2024 with out special guest, Elizabeth Lovsted, Water Resources Manager for the San Diego County Water Authority. Elizabeth will share insights on regional water management strategies and the webcast will explore how water conditions of 2024 have impacted residential water use. We will also discuss the latest indoor and outdoor water use trends for the top 15 Metropolitan Service Areas including: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Washington DC, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Phoenix, Boston, San Francisco Bay Area, Riverside, Detroit, and Seattle. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
How better water systems can help a city survive the next firestorm
“Santa Rosa. Paradise. Boulder County. Lahaina. Los Angeles. All are places that have shown that American cities and their water systems weren’t built to withstand wildfire, experts say. Hydrants trickled. Pumps and treatment plants lost power. Chemical contaminants were sucked into pipes, requiring extensive and costly work. In Paradise alone, where the 2018 Camp Fire killed at least 85 people and destroyed more than 18,000 structures, rebuilding the drinking water system is expected to cost $125 million and take three-and-a half more years. As wildfires grow more frequent and intense with climate change, and become a greater threat to cities, water utilities are reckoning with the reality that they must build back better. … Better water infrastructure by itself won’t protect neighborhoods from fire, experts say, and many of the ideas are expensive. But there are things that communities can do. … ” Read more from the Associated Press.
‘An unprecedented situation’: EPA plan for LA wildfire cleanup stirs protests over toxic dangers
“This weekend, more than a hundred demonstrators protested against a new plan by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use a local beach as a toxic waste sorting site, to process debris from the Palisades fire. They waved signs saying “Save Our Beaches” and “Sort Toxics at the Burn Site” as they walked up and down the path along Will Rogers state beach in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, just outside Los Angeles. Their message? Wildfire debris isn’t just ash – it’s poison. “Asbestos, heavy metals, dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons will not remain contained,” a petition circulated by a local resident, Ashley Oelsen, says. “Toxic contaminants from the wildfire debris could leach into the soil and the waterways. Onshore winds will undoubtedly carry these hazardous particulates, compromising the air quality where people live, work and play. The risk to our ocean’s health is just as alarming.” … ” Read more from The Guardian.
Sunshine Canyon Landfill faces community backlash over wildfire debris disposal
“A landfill near Sylmar and Granada Hills, long a source of frustration for nearby residents, is once again drawing fierce opposition—this time over its role in wildfire debris disposal. Concerns over potential health and environmental risks have sparked community meetings where more than 100 residents voiced their worries about Sunshine Canyon Landfill. And a Change.org petition had gathered nearly 900 signatures as of Monday afternoon. Under pressure from community opposition, some lawmakers are weighing additional actions to prevent the 363-acre Sylmar dump from accepting potentially hazardous debris as part of phase 2 of the wildfire cleanup. On Friday, Feb. 14, the Los Angeles City Council approved a motion by Councilmember John Lee and seconded by Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, directing the City Attorney to seek a temporary restraining order against Republic Services and Browning-Ferris Industries—the landfill’s operators—to block the acceptance of wildfire-related hazardous soil. … ” Read more from the LA Daily News.
El Niño, La Niña not reliable for California rainfall predictions, study finds
“Conventional knowledge in California about whether residents should prepare for significant rainfall — or drought conditions — in any given year has largely been tied up in the climate patterns of El Niño and La Niña. El Niño periods are typically associated with periods of heavy precipitation for southwestern states in the contiguous U.S., including the Golden State, due to storms charged by warmer waters in the Pacific Ocean along the equator. La Niña describes the opposite effect: The temperature of the Pacific Ocean near the equator drops, often stymieing development of such storms. … ” Read more from Fox 5.
Floodplains at work: Recent floods demonstrate the power of restored riverways
“With powerful storms battering California, the need for bold, nature-based flood solutions is clear. Our state is experiencing more extreme and frequent floods that put communities and our future in harm’s way, and our rivers already hold the key to resilience. By restoring native habitat along rivers and reconnecting historic floodplains, we create natural buffers that absorb floodwaters, reduce levee stress, and protect people—while also recharging groundwater and reviving vital wildlife habitat for endangered species like salmon. This month, we saw those benefits in action. River Partners’ restored riverside forests successfully absorbed floodwaters, demonstrating how reconnected floodplains act as natural shock absorbers. Scientists warn that California’s weather will become even more erratic in the coming years, with worsening cycles of flood and drought known as hydroclimate whiplash. California recently passed $10 billion-Proposition 4, and the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan among other state initiatives call for multi-billion-dollar investments in flood management, especially for large-scale floodplain restoration throughout the Central Valley and beyond. By investing in nature-based solutions, we can safeguard communities, water supplies, wildlife, and build a durable California for generations to come. … ” Read more from River Partners.
Coalition sues Trump regime to list white sturgeon under federal Endangered Species Act
Dan Bacher writes, “The White Sturgeon of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is one of the most treasured fish species among anglers in California. Known for its hard battles and jumps, as well as for its fine table fare, anglers are now restricted into catch and release fishing for these prehistoric giants as the Department of Fish and Wildlife comes up with a sturgeon management plan. I have spent hundreds of hours fishing for these behemoths and have caught dozens of these fish over the decades, but this fishery is now on the decline. The sturgeon populations has had its periods of boom and busts, since the ideal spawning conditions for sturgeon occur only high water years. The population of adult “keeper” size sturgeon rose to a historic height of over 140,000 by the early 2000s, but has declined since then. … ” Read more from the Daily Kos.
California’s woodland and forest change: Drought and wildfire accelerate tree cover loss, studies reveal
The U.S. Geological Survey’s land cover products can be used to monitor changes in forests and woodlands over time. One clear example is in California, where various environmental factors have contributed to significant changes in tree cover over the past few decades. Long-term droughts, extreme heat events and severe wildfires are occurring with greater frequency in California (Westerling 2016). The 2012-2016 multi-year drought was one of the hottest in more than a century (Lund and others 2018). With that in mind, land cover scientists at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center conducted two studies in California, one focused on forests and the other on woodlands, or forests with an open canopy, to assess changes in tree cover over time, especially during the 2012-2016 drought. They used the land cover and land cover change component from the USGS Land Change Monitoring, Assessment and Projection (LCMAP) datasets, which are based on Landsat satellite data (Brown and others 2020; Zhu and Woodcock 2014). … ” Read more from the USGS.
Trump’s musings on ‘very large faucet’ in Canada part of looming water crisis, say researchers
“Water sharing between Canada and the United States has long been a contentious issue. In 2005, former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed warned against sharing Canada’s water supply with the United States, suggesting Alberta’s most important resource was water, not oil and gas. “We should communicate to the United States very quickly how firm we are about it,” Lougheed said. Lougheed’s concern didn’t emerge in a vacuum. It came in the context of a long history of water-sharing proposals, some more radical than others. Take the North American Water and Power Alliance (NAWAPA), a massive, abandoned engineering megaproject that aimed to “replumb” the continent, diverting water from rivers in Alaska through Canada to the United States in northern Montana through the Rocky Mountain Trench. … ” Read more from Yahoo News.
In commentary today …
State’s water decisions impact more than just Californians
Dan Keppen, Executive Director of the Family Farm Alliance, writes, “Steve Schmidt, the veteran GOP strategist who worked in the George W. Bush White House, once said, “Whether they’re for good or bad, all trends in the United States start in California.” Sometimes government decisions made in California can extend impacts to other parts of the West, as well. The deadline for public comments to the California State Water Board on California’s water quality control plan for the Bay-Delta was Jan. 10. The impacts of imposing a 55% unimpaired flow on the Sacramento River and other tributaries to the Bay-Delta — as proposed by State Water Board staff — would have a massive impact on contractors from Redding all the way to San Diego. This will also have an impact on Southern California’s interest in the Colorado River, since State Water Project (SWP) supplies out of the Delta would be significantly impacted. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Klamath Tribes push to restore wetlands and wocus in Southern Oregon
“The summer sun was sinking in the sky and casting a warm glow over the marsh as Klamath tribal member Garin Riddle and his family paddled their kayaks through the browning patches of wocus plants floating in the water near Southern Oregon’s Upper Klamath Lake. “I see one!” 9-year-old Knala Riddle cried out. She plunged her hand under the surface of the water and pulled out a green bulb about the size of a plum. “Dad, is this good?” she asked, holding it up for him to see. “That’s decent size,” he said, pulling a bulb of his own from a thicket of plants underwater. In August of 2023, the Riddle family invited “Oregon Field Guide” to film their annual wocus harvest in one of the few remaining wetlands where they can still safely gather this first food, along the Rocky Point canoe trail. … ” Read more from the Herald & News.
Benefits flow quickly as historic dam removal restores Klamath River
“The Klamath River dam removal project – the largest such effort in U.S. history – produced positive results almost immediately. The $500 million project dismantled four hydroelectric dams along the 257-mile Klamath River, which originates near Klamath Falls, Oregon, and flows to California’s North Coast, where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. The dams, built between 1911 and 1962, significantly altered the river’s natural flow for more than a century, preventing threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead trout from reaching their spawning grounds. Within 10 days of completing the final in-water work at Iron Gate Dam – an earthfill structure farthest downstream – more than 6,000 Chinook salmon were observed migrating upstream into newly accessible habitat over a two-week period, according to Mark Bransom, Ph.D., CEO of the Klamath River Renewal Corp., the nonprofit established to oversee the removal. … ” Read more from the Civil Engineering Source.
Trinity River summer flow cuts ill-advised
“On Aug. 28, 2024, Trinity River Restoration Program hydrologist Dr. Todd Buxton presented his findings on pool stratification in the Trinity River. Though indicating more studies are in order, he proposed significantly reducing summer flows on the Trinity to allow pool stratification that mimics the pre-dam era. Dr. Buxton maintained lower flows (down to 70 cfs from the current base flow of 450 cfs) would result in pool stratification and provide adequate temperatures for holding adult spring chinook salmon while reducing water velocities, allowing fish to reduce energy expenditures. He appeared to blame low spring chinook numbers on high summer flows. However, his logic is seriously flawed. Cutting summer flows would significantly impact both spring chinook and the communities that depend on the Trinity River. Dr. Buxton also failed to note that some of the highest adult spring chinook runs on record followed nine to 12 years after the 450 cfs minimum summer flow standard was established. Contrary to his claim that the 450 cfs is a relic of the 2000 Trinity Record of Decision (ROD), it began nine years earlier in 1991. … ” Continue reading from C-WIN.
End of an Era: PG&E plans to decommission Potter Valley Hydroelectric Facility
“PG&E held a town hall webinar on February 6 to present key details from its 2,086-page Final Draft Application for Surrender of License for the Potter Valley Project. The document outlines PG&E’s plan to decommission the hydroelectric facility, which has been operating under an annual license since its previous authorization expired in 2022. The plan also includes a proposal for a new seasonal water diversion system, the New Eel Russian Facility (NERF), to be developed by the Eel Russian Project Authority (ERPA). If approved, this facility would continue diverting winter water flows from the Eel River to the Russian River while allowing for fish passage. … ” Read more from MendoFever.
SEE ALSO: Humboldt Approves Agreement as End of Potter Valley Project Nears, from the Redheaded Blackbelt
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Wildfire incinerated a Tahoe ski area. Three years later, it’s unrecognizable.
“Sierra-at-Tahoe was once famous for its trees, tall giants that protected the ski area from the wind on powder days and provided a sense of calm in the middle of a storm. I remember it for its lush forest filled with tall mossy trees. But what I saw as I drove up to the ski area on a recent January morning took my breath away. A moonscape of charred trees, granite and white snow has replaced that formerly green landscape. On the front side of the mountain, few trees remain after the destruction of the 2021 Caldor Fire, which burned over 221,000 acres of the Sierra Nevada and ran straight through the heart of this beloved Tahoe ski area. The Caldor Fire burned with such intensity that it incinerated the entire landscape, destroying anything in its path. It caused millions of dollars of damage and forced the resort to close for an entire season, a penalty that can shutter a ski area permanently. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
Martis Valley Groundwater Basin: A vital resource for the region
“The Martis Valley Groundwater Basin stands as one of the region’s most valuable natural resources, providing mountain-filtered water to local communities. Recognizing its importance, the Truckee Donner Public Utility District (TDPUD) is moving forward with an update to the Martis Valley Groundwater Management Plan (GMP), ensuring the long-term sustainability and quality of this critical water supply. During a recent discussion, Steven Poncelet, TDPUD’s public information and strategic affairs director, emphasized the significance of the Martis Valley Groundwater Basin, describing it as “an incredible natural resource” with substantial reserves and high water quality. “It’s large, it’s abundant, it’s very pristine, and mountain-filtered,” Poncelet said. The water requires minimal treatment, with only a small amount of chlorine added as required by law. … ” Read more from the Sierra Sun.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Sacramento River reopens for recreation as dam releases decrease, caution still advised
“Releases from the Shasta and Keswick dams have decreased, allowing the Sacramento River to re-open to recreational boaters after a 10-day closure. The closure of the Sacramento River followed almost a week of heavy rains that washed the Northstate. At its most, the Keswick Dam released up to 60,000 cubic feet per second of water from the dam, leading to flooding along the river and lower-lying areas. Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson rescinded the 10-day closure at 8 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 17. Although the closure has been rescinded, the water levels remain higher than normal. The public is urged to remain cautious when on or near the river and its tributaries. … ” Read more from KRCR.
Another week of high water in Sac River, Sutter Bypass
“High water in the Sacramento River will continue to run for another week as the amount of water released from Lake Shasta gradually falls over the course of the next several days. The rain is not quite over. Flows from Keswick Dam, which controls the releases from Lake Shasta, reached 60,000 cubic feet per second last week but were scaled back to 40,000 cfs last Thursday, and were scheduled to be reduced to 30,000 cfs on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the facility. By Thursday, flows will be reduced to 20,000 cfs. … ” Read more from the Appeal Democrat.
Placer County Water Agency approves project to increase storage at Hell Hole Reservoir
“At its Thursday Feb. 13 meeting, the Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) Board of Directors approved a $5.8 million contract for the Hell Hole seasonal storage increase project, adding to the capacity of the Hell Hole Reservoir so it can store more water during wetter winters. “This is a crucial and timely adaptation of local resources for Placer County residents, in the near and long-term future,” said PCWA Board Chair Robert Dugan. “By increasing the size of an existing reservoir, more water during wet winters can be saved for summer use without the cost of building a new reservoir.” Storage at Hell Hole Reservoir will increase by approximately 7,600 acre-feet, enough water to supply more than 10,000 households in Placer County. The contract was awarded to K.W. Emerson, Inc. of San Andreas. … ” Read more from the Placer Sentinel.
NAPA/SONOMA
Those working to preserve the Russian River watershed’s native coho salmon offer hope for a flourishing future
“Santa Rosa photographer Kaare Iverson was on a photo assignment for a winery along Dry Creek outside Healdsburg when a colossal construction project caught his eye. “I found these mysterious wooden pillars sprouting from the edge of the creek,” he remembers. Iverson later learned the pillars were part of a project to create habitat for endangered salmon. “I felt such an immense sense of pride in my community, that we would exert such enormous effort at such expense for conservation.” Iverson grew up in a commercial fishing family in the Prince Rupert region of northern British Columbia, where a healthy salmon population makes annual returns in prodigious numbers. After moving to Sonoma County, Iverson became curious about the natural history of the Russian River watershed and, he says, “a bit obsessed with the idea that it once held, and could again hold, enormous runs of coho and chinook.” … ” Read more from the Sonoma Sun.
‘Ancient magical forest’ in Sonoma County to quadruple in size with new trails
“A small regional park in the lush redwoods of the lower Russian River basin, described by one local as an “ancient magical forest,” is set to quadruple in size. San Francisco-based Save the Redwoods League announced Tuesday that it has agreed to pay $24 million for 1,517 acres of wooded lands near Guerneville, which it plans to transfer to the adjacent Monte Rio Redwoods Regional Park and Open Space Preserve. This area of Sonoma County is renowned for its sparsely developed hills and forests, much of it managed by state and local parks. The pending acquisition was pursued to halt logging, and potential housing development, on seven parcels at the center of this quiet, fog-shrouded landscape. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Sonoma County launches survey for residents’ feedback following atmospheric river
“The Sonoma County Administrator’s Office launched a survey to collect feedback on storm preparedness after the county was hit by an intense “atmospheric river” event in early February that caused major flooding, road closures, power failures and landslides. The survey results, the county said in a Friday news release, will be used to shape the county’s emergency response efforts in the future. The county invites all residents in Sonoma County to participate in the survey but said the “widespread disruptions” were particularly bad for residents living near the lower Russian River. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
BAY AREA
Marin Municipal Water District boosts incentives to remove grass
“After growing tired of looking at her thirsty backyard lawn languishing during the prolonged drought of 2021, Marty Blum of San Anselmo decided it was time to ditch the grass. Blum applied for the Marin Municipal Water District’s cash-for-grass program, which offers rebates to customers for qualifying projects that install low-water-use gardens in place of lawns. Blum traded her 200-square-foot lawn for a pollinator garden. Since the program launched in 2021, more than 12.7 acres of lawn have been replaced through 631 projects, including Blum’s. That saves about 235 acre-feet of water a year, according to estimates by the Marin Municipal Water District. With a goal of replacing 170,000 square feet of grass this year, the district has increased its rebates to draw new applicants. Rebates have increased 68 cents to $2.18 per square foot of lawn replaced for the base-level incentive, and to $3.68 for “best practices” sustainable landscapes. Thanks to a boost in funding, residents can also earn an extra $1 bonus rebate per square foot for qualifying rain garden installations. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
Four Bay Area locations are sinking at an alarming rate, with implications for sea level rise
“Land is sinking at an alarming rate in some parts of the Bay Area, exposing shorelines to worse threats from sea level rise than was previously projected, a new study has found. Several places along the San Francisco Bay — in San Rafael, Corte Madera, Foster City and Bay Farm Island next to the Oakland Airport — are sinking at a rate of more than 0.4 of an inch per year, the study from National Aeronautics and Space Administration found, based on satellite imagery. In those places, the sea level could rise by as much as 17 inches by 2050, more than double the regional average of 7.4 inches, compared to 2000 levels. “If the land goes down and the sea goes up, we are going to have a much higher impact of the rising seas,” said Marin Govorcin, the lead author of the study and a remote sensing scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
CEMEX must be stopped from blasting 600-foot deep pit near San Joaquin River. Here’s how
Columnist Marek Warszawski writes, “A multinational mining company with a litany of environmental violations seeks Fresno County’s blessing to blast a 600-foot deep pit near the San Joaquin River, 3 miles before California’s second-longest waterway flows into its fifth-largest city. What could possibly go wrong? CEMEX’s proposal is an atrocity against Fresno’s greatest natural resource, already scarred by a century of gravel mining the company previously agreed to wind down, and should have been rejected point blank. Undeterred, county planners and hired guns spent five years preparing a draft Environmental Impact Report for the so-called Rockfield Quarry Modification Project. Modification? They want to dynamite hundreds of feet below ground in close proximity to one of the country’s most endangered rivers. … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Three Altadena water companies face “significant damage” following wildfires
“Three mutual water agencies serving the Altadena area – Rubio, Lincoln, and Los Flores Water Companies – sustained significant infrastructure damage during January’s Eaton Fire, County officials said during Monday’s Altadena community meeting. The damage affects the companies’ drinking water supply and fire suppression capabilities are affected. “We’ve had formal discussions with all three mutual water Districts and have come to learn that they have significant damage to their systems,” reported Mark Pestrella, Director of Los Angeles County Public Works during the meeting. “Currently they are assessing those systems and they are governed by the State of California. [The] State Water Board has been notified and the State Water Board is working with all three agencies to understand what it will take to get them back up and running.” … ” Read more from Pasadena Now.
US Army Corps of Engineers launches real-time viewer for wildfire debris removal
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has launched an interactive viewer for fire victims to track live updates on the Phase 2 of debris-removal process in Los Angeles following the January wildfires. The ACE is executing Phase 2 of the debris removal project under the direction of FEMA and in coordination with the state of California and the county of Los Angeles, in properties with right-of-entry forms submitted by owners. The viewer is available at the top of the Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District Wildfire Debris Removal Mission page, allowing property owners to track the progress of cleanup operations at their parcels. A color-coded system displays all assigned parcels, active cleanup and completed work. … ” Read more from the LA Daily News.
Scientists are racing to discover the depth of ocean damage sparked by the LA wildfires
“On a recent Sunday, Tracy Quinn drove down the Pacific Coast Highway to assess damage wrought upon the coastline by the Palisades Fire. The water line was darkened by ash. Burnt remnants of washing machines and dryers and metal appliances were strewn about the shoreline. Sludge carpeted the water’s edge. Waves during high tide lapped onto charred homes, pulling debris and potentially toxic ash into the ocean as they receded. “It was just heartbreaking,” said Quinn, president and CEO of the environmental group Heal the Bay, whose team has reported ash and debris some 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of the Palisades burn area west of Los Angeles. As crews work to remove potentially hundreds of thousands of tons of hazardous materials from the Los Angeles wildfires, researchers and officials are trying to understand how the fires on land have impacted the sea. The Palisades and Eaton fires scorched thousands of homes, businesses, cars and electronics, turning everyday items into hazardous ash made of pesticides, asbestos, plastics, lead, heavy metals and more. … ” Read more from KTNV.
Chino Hills brings recycled water to high-use areas
“Ranch owners and high-water users on English Road and English Place will be able to irrigate with recycled water by the end of the year as the City of Chino Hills continues to expand its recycled water system. The new recycled waterline will traverse English Road, English Place, and a portion of Village Center Drive. The project will establish a direct recycled water connection to Ayala High, and the school district will extend the recycled waterline onto Litel Elementary School, according to Chino Hills Public Works Director Daniel Bobadilla. The line will also provide irrigation to English Springs Park, Country Springs Elementary School, and open space areas. … ” Read more from the Chino Hills Champion.
Along the Colorado River …
Commentary: We need an innovative approach to secure more water in the West
Brett Sutton writes, “Bold and ambitious solutions to the American West’s water woes seem to be even more scarce than the water itself. With the recent fires in Los Angeles and a continued stalemate in the negotiations over reworking the Colorado River Compact, there’s now a renewed focus on ensuring the most arid portions of the West don’t soon dry up completely. The challenges facing the region are immense. Structurally, water rights throughout the area have been overallocated for generations, and with a growing population things aren’t going to get any better. The Colorado River Compact, for example, was negotiated at a time when river inflows were at historical highs and there were far fewer communities to sustain. When those rights were allocated, technologies such as large-scale desalination of ocean water, did not exist. Moreover, unending droughts and water mismanagement on the local level have further strained our already limited supplies with devastating consequences. … ” Read more from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Salt River flow at 20% of historic norms
“Arizona’s stubbornly dry winter is resulting in weak runoff levels at major waterways. Water flow at the upper Salt River was measured at a paltry 130 cubic feet per second on Monday, a total that is just 20% of the average on this date. “We’re measuring some of the lowest flows we’ve ever seen,” said Bo Svoma, a meteorologist with SRP, the state’s second largest water utility. The river flows into Roosevelt Reservoir, which is at 70% capacity. Arizona is on pace for the second driest winter ever recorded. “The story’s not finished yet in terms of how dry we will be. We have about a month and a half left,” Svoma said. … ” Read more from Channel 12.
SEE ALSO: Salt River Project measures runoff at Roosevelt Lake during record-dry winter, from Arizona Family
In national water news today …
Water chlorination levels in US and EU likely increase cancer risk, study finds
“Chlorinating drinking water at levels common in the United States and European Union probably increases the risk of several cancers, a new analysis of recent research from across the globe finds. The process of disinfecting water with chlorine creates trihalomethane (THM) byproducts, which are found in virtually all public drinking water systems across the US and EU – nearly 300 million people in the US have concerning levels in their water, by one estimate. While the chlorination process is a “cheap, effective, and readily available” method for killing organisms and infectious disease, it comes with trade-offs, the study’s authors wrote, including a 33% increased risk of bladder cancer and 15% increased risk of colorectal cancer. “What we see is alarming and we need some more high quality studies,” Emilie Helte, a lead author with Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, said. … ” Read more from The Guardian.
Water sector lauds bipartisan PFAS legislation
“The Water Coalition Against PFAS, a coalition of water sector associations whose membership represents all facets of clean and safe water delivery, is strongly supporting the reintroduction legislation that would protect utilities and ratepayers from having to bear the costs of PFAS cleanup. The Water Systems PFAS Liability Protection Act would provide statutory liability protections for water utilities under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), ensuring that polluters, not the public, pay for PFAS remediation. Last year, the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) formally designated two of the most common PFAS — perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) — as hazardous substances under CERCLA. … ” Read more from Water Finance & Management.
Report: U.S. water, sewer bills have increased 24% in five years
“According to a new comprehensive analysis of drinking water and sewer rates, the combined water and sewer bill for a typical U.S. household has increased by 4.6% from 2023 to 2024 and about 24% in the past five years. Bluefield Research, which analyzes and provides global water market data and insights, recently released its annual U.S. Municipal Utility Water Rates Index 2024: Drinking Water & Sewer report, an analysis of rates in 50 of the largest U.S. cities and 61 utilities serving approximately 20% of the U.S. population. This is the ninth consecutive year Bluefield has conducted the research. According to the report, the increases are being fueled by mounting operational costs, inflation and necessary capital investments. … ” Read more from Water Finance & Management.
Trump takes ‘giant wrecking ball’ to US research
“Scientists across the country are in turmoil as President Donald Trump wages an assault on U.S. research. They’re worried about their funding and job security. They’re censoring their language around topics like climate change and diversity. And they’re wondering what kinds of science they’ll be allowed to conduct in a rapidly shifting U.S. research landscape. The Trump administration has frozen billions of dollars in funding, paused grant reviews, cut critical support for institutional science and released sweeping executive orders to reshape the federal government. Much of the uncertainty in the research world stems from Trump’s executive order on DEI, which calls for the federal government to eliminate programs and grants related to diversity, equity and inclusion. The order’s language is so broad that universities and research institutions still don’t understand its full scope, leaving researchers worried that projects involving any mention of gender, race or equity — even in the name of science — might be on the chopping block. At least one university is advising researchers to not use words like biodiversity to avoid being flagged by AI-based grant review systems. … ” Read more from E&E News.
