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In California water news this weekend …
Three wet winters in a row for the first time in 25 years? Sierra Nevada snowpack 85% of normal, with more storms forecast
“It’s been a hydrological roller coaster ride this winter — big storms followed by weeks of dry weather. But the water outlook across Northern California remains healthy for the summer, experts said Friday, with reservoirs brimming and summer water restrictions for Bay Area residents unlikely for the third year in a row. The statewide Sierra Nevada snowpack, which provides nearly one-third of California’s water supply, was at 85% of its historical average Friday. That’s up from 69% a month ago. And more storms are forecast for the next 10 days. “We have gained over the month of February,” said Andy Reising, manager of the Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit at the state Department of Water Resources. “That’s good news. We had a bunch of good storms. They didn’t accumulate as much as we had hoped, but nonetheless we’ll take what we can get.” … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News (gift article).
February storms help snowpack, but regional disparities remain
“The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today conducted the third snow survey of the season at Phillips Station. The manual survey recorded 34 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 13.5 inches, which is 58 percent of average for this location. The snow water equivalent measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack and is a key component of DWR’s water supply forecast. Statewide, the snowpack is 85 percent of average for this date. This winter has been marked by a series of extremes, as unseasonably dry and warm conditions have been interrupted by powerful storms that temporarily boosted the snowpack to near normal. That was certainly the case in February where multiple rounds of atmospheric rivers earlier in the month brought the statewide snowpack to near average only to have dry conditions return. Following the storms in the middle of February, the statewide snowpack was 97 percent of average and has since fallen to 85 percent. For every day that it’s not snowing, the averages will continue to drop. … ” Read more from the Department of Water Resources.
SEE ALSO:
California pins hopes on March to bolster snowpack
“A month ago, heavy snow fell as California water officials performed their regular snow survey at a spot in the Sierra Nevada Mountains close to South Lake Tahoe. On Friday, when workers with the state Department of Water Resources took their measurements, the sun shone brightly. It wasn’t the weather they’d wanted. “Every day it’s not actively snowing or raining, we’re likely losing ground,” said Andy Reising, manager of the snow surveys and water forecasting unit at the department. “We’re quickly running out of time.” California relies on winter storms to build its snowpack each year. Similar to a reservoir, the snowpack holds water for future use. It begins to melt as temperatures climb, and feeds the state’s streams and rivers. Measuring the snowpack is an essential tool in guiding how the state manages its water supply. The information collected helps with supply and snowmelt runoff forecasts, letting water managers know how much water will reach reservoirs later this year. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
Storm to deliver showers, mountain snow in California this weekend
“A series of storms will bring some impacts to California through the first week of March, including cooler air and some moisture, AccuWeather meteorologists say. The first storm arrived on Friday and brought some clouds, lower temperatures and even very spotty showers. This storm, which mainly occupies the middle layer of the atmosphere will push well inland by Sunday. A more organized storm with more moisture will come in from the Pacific this weekend to early next week. Because the first storm has moistened the atmosphere a bit, rainfall should be a bit more generous across the state, including some snow for the higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada as the second storm spins in. Enough rain should fall in the northern and central parts of the state to create mild-mannered runoff and some puddles. In coastal areas of Southern California, enough rain may fall to wet the ground at times from Sunday afternoon to early Monday. … ” Read more from AccuWeather.
DOGE is hobbling Trump’s plan to unleash California’s water
“DOGE-ordered firings at the federal agency responsible for delivering water to farms and cities across California are getting in the way of President Donald Trump’s order to maximize the state’s water supplies. The Bureau of Reclamation’s California office has lost 10 percent of its staff due to buyouts and orders by Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency to fire short-tenured employees, according to three people close to the office who were granted anonymity because they feared retaliation. DOGE’s cuts are already hurting Reclamation’s ability to move water through a sprawling system of pumps, canals and reservoirs to roughly a third of the state’s farmland — and impeding the agency’s ability to ratchet up deliveries in line with Trump’s demand, the people said. … ” Read more from Politico.
DELTA CONVEYANCE PROJECT: Third amended notice of public hearing and procedural ruling
“The State Water Resources Control Board Administrative Hearings Office (AHO) is conducting a public hearing about the Delta Conveyance Project. The purpose of the hearing is to gather evidence that the State Water Board will consider to determine whether to approve change petitions filed by the Department of Water Resources (DWR or Petitioner) to add two new points of diversion and rediversion to water right Permits 16478, 16479, 16481, and 16482 (Applications 5630, 14443, 14445A, and 17512, respectively) (SWP Permits) and, if so, terms and conditions the Board should include in the amended permits. This ruling addresses the request for supplemental information from DWR, the joint motion for cancellation and related requests, and other procedural matters.” Read the ruling.
How Executive Order N-16-25 enables recharge during floods
The Newsom Administration has taken an important step toward improving California’s flood safety and water resilience by issuing Executive Order (EO) N-16-25, which waives the requirement for local planning documents to include flood threshold definitions that indicate when groundwater recharge diversions can occur. This temporary waiver allows recharge diversion efforts to begin when local agencies determine there is a flooding emergency, rather than being delayed by the need to finalize and follow these specific planning documents. By removing this administrative hurdle, the directive enables faster flood responses while ensuring diverted water helps sustain California’s long-term water supply. … ” Read more from Sustainable Conservation.
Madera County groundwater agency can collect fees and legal action will continue, judge rules
“A lawsuit over whether the Madera County Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) improperly conducted an election to assess fees on more than 900 parcels of land to pay for groundwater projects will continue, according to a judge’s ruling issued Thursday. However, an injunction that had prevented those fees from being collected for nearly three years was also lifted by Madera County Superior Court Judge Eric LiCalsi. LiCalsi did not prevent the fees from being assessed retroactively, which would be a huge financial hit to farmers. In the Madera subbasin, fees are $246 per acre, per year. In the Delta-Mendota subbasin, the fees are $183. “That’s $20 million a year spread out over 900 property owners,” said Attorney Patrick Gorman, who represents the Valley Groundwater Coalition, which was formed by growers who alleged that an election to establish the fees under Proposition 218 rules was done improperly. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
SGMA remains a top concern for Tulare Lake Subbasin growers
Dusty Ference, Executive Director of the Kings County Farm Bureau, writes, “Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSA) in the Tulare Lake Subbasin (TLSB) remain focused on complying with SGMA as KCFB’s lawsuit against the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) works to address concerns regarding SGMA oversight by state regulators. Local GSAs are committed to creating groundwater management plans (GSP) that comply with the law while protecting landowners in the subbasin. The Mid-Kings River GSA (MKRGSA) has appointed its Stakeholder Advisory Committee, which the board of directors has tasked to review the GSA’s current GSP and suggest updates to the plan. The committee met for the first time on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. At that meeting, Garrett Gilcrease and Kevin Ruble were appointed Chair and Vice Chair of the committee. … ” Read more from the Hanford Sentinel.
California salmon fisheries in 2025
Tom Cannon writes, “The government forecast for adult fall-run salmon available along the coast to target for harvest in 2025 is 165,655 (black dot is number for 2025 in above Figure 1). That number is only slightly higher than the 122,000 target minimum to allow some harvest. The fishery was closed in 09, 10, 23, and 24. The model used for the estimate is crude at best – based primarily on two-year-old escapement the prior year. I have my own model based on the number of spawners (escapement) three years earlier (Figure 2). The model did pretty well predicting 2023 and 2024. For 2025 I guessed as best I could and came out with similar numbers as the government. There are probably between 150 and 250 thousand salmon out there this summer available for salmon fisheries. … ” Read more from the California Fisheries blog.
The American weather forecast is in trouble
” … Project 2025—the compendium of policy proposals published by the Heritage Foundation prior to the 2024 elections, several authors of which are now serving under President Donald Trump—stated that an incoming administration should all but dissolve the NOAA. Among its other duties, NOAA employs thousands of people to help accurately predict the weather through the National Weather Service; privatizing federal weather data has long been a project of some conservative lawmakers too. Trump’s pick for commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, said in his confirmation hearing that he would keep NOAA intact, but this first cut of NOAA staff is similar to those recently made to other federal agencies. NOAA was also one of the agencies that DOGE employees marched into earlier this month, and it is now bracing for further staff and budget cuts. It costs the public roughly $4 per year per person to keep the National Weather Service functioning. In return, the NWS provides its own raw weather data to anyone who wants the information, and publishes its own public-facing weather reports; virtually every private forecast relies on freely available NOAA data as the basis for its weather reports. … ” Read more from The Atlantic (gift article).
SEE ALSO:
- Experts Say Attempted Mass Firing of NOAA Workers May be Illegal and Threatens Public Safety, from Inside Climate News
- Meteorologists warn Trump’s firing of NOAA workers could cause ‘catastrophic’ impact, from the Sacramento Bee
With growing fire risk, Governor Newsom proclaims state of emergency to fast-track critical wildfire prevention projects statewide
“Following the devastation of the Los Angeles firestorms and with the risk of wildfire increasing statewide, Governor Gavin Newsom today proclaimed a state of emergency to fast-track critical projects protecting communities from wildfire, ahead of peak fire season. Today’s emergency proclamation will cut bureaucratic red tape – including suspending CEQA and the Coastal Act – that is slowing down critical forest management projects. Text of the proclamation is available here. “This year has already seen some of the most destructive wildfires in California history, and we’re only in March. Building on unprecedented work cutting red tape and making historic investments – we’re taking action with a state of emergency to fast-track critical wildfire projects even more. These are the forest management projects we need to protect our communities most vulnerable to wildfire, and we’re going to get them done,” said Governor Newsom. … ” Read more from the Office of the Governor.
President Trump to sign executive order unleashing forest management after LA wildfires
“President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order Saturday that looks to unleash forest management efforts following this year’s devastating Los Angeles wildfires, according to a White House official. The order takes steps for quicker federal permitting approvals of forestry projects under the Endangered Species Act so that clearing brush, timber removals and other projects aren’t delayed by environmental and other regulatory reviews, according to a White House summary of the order reviewed by USA TODAY. Trump has long blamed California’s environmental polices for forest mismanagement contributing to the state’s wildfires including January’s destructive wildfires in Los Angeles that killed at least 29 people. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has defended his state’s forest and land management efforts, pointing to $2.5 billion in state investments on this front. … ” Read more from USA Today via MSN News.
In commentary this weekend …
Political stunts worsen Western water woes
Juliet Christian-Smith, Western States Regional Director for the Union of Concerned Scientists, writes,”It’s almost the end of California’s wet season. California is in a Mediterranean climate zone, characterized by long, dry summers and short, wet winters. Snow is a crucial part of our year-round water supply, serving as a natural reservoir and providing up to a third of our water supply. Today, the California Department of Water Resources conducted a snow survey to determine how much snow we have stockpiled to date. Today’s survey shows we are at 85% of average levels, statewide. That could spell trouble given above average temperatures that the state is currently experiencing. In addition, significant regional differences reveal some of the ways climate change is shifting our water supplies. … ” Read more from the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Wrecking ball report, California water edition
John Fleck writes, “We’re starting to see dimly the outlines of what it means for the federal government to no longer be a reliable partner in western water management. Here’s Annie Snider and Camille Von Kaenel on what’s happening in California’s Reclamation operations: “DOGE’s cuts are already hurting Reclamation’s ability to move water through a sprawling system of pumps, canals and reservoirs to roughly a third of the state’s farmland — and impeding the agency’s ability to ratchet up deliveries in line with Trump’s demand, the people said.” … ” Read more from Inkstain.
In people news this weekend …
Promotions, passings, profiles – submit people news items to maven@mavensnotebook.com.
Dan Ray, veteran of Delta public service, named interim executive director of Delta Protection Commission
“The Delta Protection Commission has named Dan Ray of Davis as its Interim Executive Director, effective Feb. 27. Ray will oversee the agency’s day-to-day operations and manage its staff of eight. Ray retired as Chief Deputy Executive Officer of the Delta Stewardship Council in 2017 and subsequently worked as a retired annuitant for the Commission. Previously, he served in the Department of Water Resources Delta Levees Program, the California Bay Delta Authority, and the CalFed Bay Delta Program. He also served as Chief of California State Parks’ Planning Division, where he represented State Parks on the Delta Protection Commission. Earlier in his career Dan developed management programs on the Mississippi River, the Great Lakes, and California’s coast. “Dan brings a wealth of experience to this role,” said Commission Chair and Contra Costa County Supervisor Diane Burgis. “We are grateful that Dan has agreed to come out of retirement to take on this role temporarily. The Commission will also be moving forthwith to recruit and select a new permanent Executive Director.”
California Water Institute names Linda Ramos as director
“The California Water Institute at Fresno State announced Laura Ramos has been appointed director, after serving in an interim role since January 2023. Since that time, Ramos guided the institute through significant advancements in research, educational partnerships and community outreach. “Laura Ramos brings a wealth of leadership experience in water resource management,” said Fresno State Provost Dr. Xuanning Fu. “She is a recognized leader through her active membership in various statewide advisory boards such as the Drought Resilience Interagency and Partners and the Collaborative and Updating Water Rights Data for California Advisory Group.” Fu said Ramos has been instrumental in raising the profile of the institute through numerous events, the creation of a newsletter, a weekly radio water segment and the blog California Water Collaborations. … ” Read more from the California Water Institute.
Podcasts …
WE GROW CALIFORNIA: Westlands Water works harder
Darcy and Darcy welcome back Westlands Water District’s Assistant General Manager, Jose Gutierrez and for the first time, welcome Kitty Campbell, Supervisor of Resources. Westlands has been doing some innovative groundwater sustainability efforts and in this episode, Jose and Kitty talk about their Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Program. This program works with Westlands growers to use their existing wells and convert them to dual purpose, meaning they recharge the deep aquifer beneath Corcoran clay layer when surface water is available as well as pump when groundwater extraction is permitted. Growers receive groundwater credits for each acre foot of water they store. Westlands has nine of these wells located throughout the District and over 70 have been installed by growers. Darcy and Darcy discuss the benefits for Westlands, the growers, and possibly for Southern California agencies looking for places to park water.
NOAA Fisheries: Could the LA wildfires harm marine life in California?
“In January, wildfires devastated Los Angeles County, becoming some of the most destructive in California history. The fires were fueled by severe drought conditions and strong Santa Ana winds, leaving dramatic and massive devastation in their wake. Unfortunately, the impacts of the fires were not confined to the communities on the ground. On this episode, we’ll hear from Dr. Noelle Bowlin of NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center, a larval fish ecologist and the director of the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations, or CalCOFI, monitoring program.
WATER IS A MANY SPLENDOR’ED THING PODCAST: Glacier National Park
Looming layoffs that are now impacting many of our federal government employees are finding their way into our National Parks. This podcast is a reminder that the qualities of our watery National Parks are important to our nation’s health and wellbeing. Critical Park needs can be dealt with in many ways. Let us figure this one out!!!! Water is a Many Splendor ’ed Thing brings you another water relationship that has a personally significant impact to your life. Produced by Stephen Baker, Bringing People Together to Solve Water Problems, water@operationunite.co 530-205-6388
RIPPLE EFFECT: PFAS Update
Sarah Page, Drinking Water Treatment Lead for the Utah Division of Drinking Water, joins us to provide a great PFAS update. We discuss EPA’s final, but not yet implemented PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation, what monitoring and remediating PFAS will look like for various water systems, and the role of Guns and Roses in engaging water communication. Super practical information about a critical topic that will be with us a long, long time.
Sunday video …
It’s Not Easy Being a Salmon in the Central Valley
We look at the geography of Chinook Salmon and steelhead trout in California’s Central Valley, with a focus on the Spring Run on Butte Creek. We talk about obstacles the fish face in returning to much of their historic habitats, and about work which has been done to prevent their extinction. We look at the effects of recent wildfires in the headwaters of salmon streams in the Northern Sacramento Valley, and at the larger-scale losses of mature forest across the Northern Sierra Nevada. We talk about historic disturbances in the Butte Creek Watershed including hydraulic mining in the 1860s and major gold dredging of the floodplain of Butte Creek Canyon in the 1940s and 1950s. We also talk about why we are building a large sculpture which celebrates the ongoing survival and resilience of Butte Creek Spring Run Chinook Salmon.
Sunday read …
BOOK REVIEW: Planet Aqua: Rethinking Our Home in the Universe
The concept of our planet being misnamed “Earth,” when in fact 75% of its surface is covered by water, is not original. Robinson Jeffers, in his mid-century poem “The Eye,” likens human conflicts on the Pacific’s “Eye of the earth” spanning “half the planet” to “a speck of dust on the great scale-pan.” However, Jeremy Rifkin, in his new book Planet Aqua: Rethinking Our Home in the Universe (Polity, 2024), takes this concept to an existential level, claiming that the very survival of humanity requires us to change how we live on “Aqua.”
Rifkin’s book is a comprehensive and vociferous critique of civilization and progress resting on his fundamental challenge to the development of hydraulic infrastructure which is now destroying our biosphere. Marshalling ripped-from-the-headlines findings from every field of research, Rifkin describes our current climate crisis as sourced in a deep and general alienation between humanity and a “rewilding” planetary hydrosphere. … ” Continue reading this book review at the Water Shelf.
In regional water news this weekend …
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Chinook salmon are swimming in this California river for the first time in more than 80 years
“Chinook salmon were once abundant in the North Yuba River in California’s Sierra Nevada. But since 1941, they’ve been kept out of the chilly, clear waters by the Englebright Dam. Now, for the first time in more than eight decades, the iridescent, blue-green fish are once again swimming in the northern waterway, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced in a statement this month. The young spring-run Chinook salmon are part of a pilot project that may one day become a full reintroduction program, with the eventual goal of returning the fish to their historic spawning grounds in California’s mountains. The project is a collaboration between the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Yuba Water Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries and the U.S. Forest Service. … ” Read more from the Smithsonian Magazine.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
New updates to Lake Oroville and future plans
“The Department of Water Resources continues to perform its federally required flood control releases from Lake Oroville. The water is being released through the Hyatt Powerplant for energy production as well as the Oroville Dam’s main spillway. The DWR and the California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks) have reopened additional Lake Oroville trails that were damaged by the July 2024 Thompson Fire. State Parks has rebuilt the Potter’s Ravine foot bridge which will allow access to the North Fork trail. The east portion of the Brad Freeman and Dan Beebe trails from the base of Oroville Dam’s main spillway to Canyon Drive have reopened as well. … ” Read more from Action News Now.
BAY AREA
California snowpack dips down, but won’t impact Bay Area water levels, officials say
“The statewide snowpack survey took a turn back towards average after a significant dip from January to February, according to the California Dept. of Water Resources. We currently sit at 85% of average, but experts are not confident we will reach normal levels. Recent weather has given the Bay Area a taste of spring in the past few weeks. But a similar beautiful forecast in Tahoe is less than good news for snow on the ground. For every day it’s not snowing or raining, snow is melting. And the latest Department of Water Resources survey at Phillips Station reflects that. “Our survey today recorded a snow depth of 34 inches and a water content of 13.5 inches,” DWR Snow Surveys and Water Supply forecasting unit manager Andy Reising said. “The snow water content measurement is 58% of average for this date and 55% of the April 1 average at this location.” … ” Read more from Action News Now.
This lovely, secluded Bay Area hike has In-N-Out right nearby
“There is usually nothing good to say about a water bill, except maybe that it’s not as bad as a PG&E bill. But recently, my statement from East Bay Municipal Utility District had a surprise: Among the usual gray water and reservoir updates, an insert with the bill featured local hiking trails. My utility had gone all Lonely Planet and suggested some spots I had never heard of, including one that turned out to be secluded, gorgeous and a quick trip from home in Albany. So off I went, taking the Pinole exit from Interstate 80 and heading east. … My destination was the Pinole Ridge Trail, which is part of EBMUD’s Pinole Valley Watershed. This tract covers 3,681 acres of mostly open grassland that the district purchased in the 1950s as a potential reservoir site. … ” Continue reading from SF Gate.
Marin Municipal Water District votes to advance Sonoma-to-Marin water pipeline
“Marin Municipal Water District officials are throwing their support behind a plan to import more Sonoma water into Marin, setting the stage for one of the larger supply and drought resiliency investments in decades. On a unanimous vote Tuesday, the district board authorized staff to move forward with design and environmental review for a new pipeline that would tap into an existing aqueduct system to get Sonoma water to Marin reservoirs. “This is definitely a milestone for us, but it’s not our destination,” said Paul Sellier, the district’s water resources director. “It’s more of a mile marker on our way, and a significant one at that.” … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
Marin Water pursues project to capture more winter rainfall
“Marin Water is planning a pipeline and pumping station to divert excess winter rainfall into its reservoirs from the Russian River watershed that now flows into the Pacific Ocean. The project would send water from Sonoma County’s Russian River through a 36-inch pipeline, 13.2 miles from the North Marin Aqueduct to Marin Water’s Nicasio Reservoir, the water board said Friday in a press release. Plans for the pipeline and pumping station are a reaction to the district’s 2021 water shortage emergency and would be the largest water supply resiliency project in 40 years, the district said. “During dry years, the new infrastructure could replenish the district’s local water supply with as much as 3,800 acre-feet of stored water,” the district said. An acre-foot is a volume of water that would cover one acre to a depth of one foot. … ” Read more from CBS News.
Fairfax sewer upgrade project nears installation phase
“The Ross Valley Sanitary District is preparing to work on thousands of feet of sewer pipeline in Fairfax. The “capacity and creek crossings” project is intended to address wastewater volume issues and prevent potential sewage flooding in downtown Fairfax. It entails replacing about 3,250 feet of sewer main and installing 2,500 feet of new relief sewer line. The project also includes replacing pipelines at creek crossings around Oak Manor and Westbrae Drive. Steve Moore, general manager for the sanitary district, said the project will replace or improve infrastructure around the creek. “Everyone recognizes our projects benefit the creek and the environment by preventing sewage spills,” Moore said. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
SFSU Estuary and Ocean Science Center appeals to donors for funding as it faces closure
“The future of San Francisco Bay’s only marine lab is in question. San Francisco State’s Estuary and Ocean Science Center in Tiburon is closing due to a lack of funding and budget cuts. Directors say vital research into the Bay’s complex ecosystems is in jeopardy, but they hope a new source of funding will surface to keep the doors open. A lot is happening on a remote stretch of Tiburon’s northern coastline when it comes to understanding how the Bay works beneath the surface. “We’re the only marine lab on San Francisco Bay. It gives us a lot of opportunity to study things that other people can’t,” said Kathryn Boyer, interim executive director of Estuary and Ocean Science Center. … ” Read more from ABC Bay Area.
Valley Water completes pipeline extension project
“While Valley Water rebuilds Anderson Dam, we have ensured that Coyote Creek and the Coyote Percolation Ponds in South San José have enough water to recharge groundwater and support the surrounding habitat and wildlife. In November 2024, our agency completed the Cross Valley Pipeline Extension Project, an important effort to enhance water supply and provide environmental benefits in South County. This pipeline extension allows us to send additional imported water into Coyote Creek and the downstream percolation ponds while we rebuild Anderson Dam. … ” Read more from the Gilroy Dispatch.
CENTRAL COAST
Montecito GSA Groundwater Sustainability Plan approved
“On Thursday, February 27, 2025 California’s Department of Water Resources announced approval of the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP or Plan) for the Montecito Groundwater Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (Montecito GSA or Agency). Locally, groundwater is heavily relied on for local residential, commercial and agricultural use—particularly during periods of drought. The Montecito Groundwater Basin supplies water for numerous public and private wells, and the Montecito GSA’s mission is to ensure a reliable and sustainable groundwater supply for the community through effective basin management pursuant to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). “This is a Plan that our Agency and the entire community can be proud of,” said Brian Goebel, current Director and past Board President of the Montecito GSA. “The approval validates the hard work of all involved and the Agency’s data driven, collaborative methods as an effective approach for maintaining a healthy groundwater basin far into the future.’’ … ” Read more from the Santa Barbara Independent.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Inaction on groundwater levels could leave Lodi-area basin exposed to state control
“The water table below the city of Lodi is being depleted. Some would say it’s being sucked dry. According to a report made to area farmers and city officials by Brandon Nakagawa, water resources coordinator at South San Joaquin Irrigation District, over the past 10 years the basin has pumped out 600,000 acre-feet more than has been put back in. The basin is currently being over-drafted by about 30,000 acre-feet per year, says Steve Schwabauer, general manager of the North San Joaquin Conservation District. However, it will take an estimated 95,000 acre-feet of additional water to make the groundwater basin sustainable, he says. About 150 farmers and other stakeholders gathered on Wednesday at Jackson Hall to hear an update on the area’s groundwater sustainability plan. … ” Read more from the Lodi News-Sentinel.
Modesto-area residents most impacted by contamination get free well testing, bottled water
“Over the last four years, the Valley Water Collaborative has focused its efforts on testing nitrate levels in private wells in the Turlock and Modesto subbasins. The findings are not good and not surprising: Contamination at unhealthy levels was found in 75% of the wells tested. The collaborative offers free water replacement to those who need it. Now, the nonprofit organization is expanding to five more subbasins throughout the Central Valley. People most impacted live in rural, underserved communities not hooked up to a municipal water source. “It is those households that are relatively isolated, that were built maybe 40, 50, 60 years ago, that have a relatively shallow well that are most vulnerable to this contamination,” said Patrick Pulupa, executive officer of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. … ” Read more from the Modesto Bee.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Map: Parts of Southern California remain in extreme drought at end of February
“Despite being just 20 days away from spring, drought conditions, while improved from January, are still in effect for most of Southern and Central California. Extreme drought, the second-most severe category, has maintained its grip on the southern-most end of the state. Pockets of red have sprouted throughout Orange and Los Angeles counties. Severe conditions remain throughout the greater Los Angeles area before tapering off into moderate and abnormally dry ratings north of LA. The report reflects a recent uptick in rain throughout the SoCal area and more rain and snowfall to the north. Powerful rain showers drenched the region earlier this month, prompting flash flood warnings and mudslides in recent fire zones. The most recent storm two weeks ago dropped 1.5 to 3 inches across the city, and another 3 to 6 inches in the coastal foothills and mountains areas. … ” Read more from NBC 4.
A nonprofit buys a piece of land for equestrians, forever linking LA River to Griffith Park
“If you stand on the property next to the historic Mariposa Street Bridge, built over the Los Angeles River in 1939 to let horses and their riders cross the river to explore Griffith Park, the piece of land doesn’t seem like much. Right next to a residential area, the roads are dirt paths, perfect for horses. The land isn’t empty – it has a few businesses including a horse rental – but the land is the final building block to create a permanent and protected link between the 4,210 acre Griffith Park and the communities of horse owners on both sides of the L.A. River. In a long-awaited effort, the nonprofit group River LA purchased the land on January 7 and announced it in February, with the goal of assuring that it will not be further developed. … ” Read more from the LA Daily News.
A look at how Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills’ water recycling solution tackles conservation
“California is no stranger to drought. The worry about water usage is an ongoing concern for homeowners and businesses alike, but at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills, the lush landscaping suggests they don’t have a water worry at all. “We can really plant a full tropical landscape or really whatever we want to do because we don’t have to worry that we are wasting water and taking water away from others,” said David Alagem, VP of technology and sustainability at Alagem Capital Group. The reason for that peace of mind can be found in the basement of the hotel. The Waldorf recently converted its water recapturing system to Epic Cleantec, which allows them to treat and reuse all of the hotel’s shower and sink water to irrigate the landscaping throughout the property. … ” Read more from ABC 7.
EPA’s Superfund designation for Exide cleanup now in jeopardy
“The Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday at a community meeting that a toxin found at the former Exide Technologies battery smelter in Vernon was not generated by the plant, dealing a serious blow to calls from residents and elected leaders to designate the site as a Superfund. Superfund is the informal term used to refer to a law originating in the 1980s that authorizes the EPA to clean polluted industrial sites, as well as force parties at fault for the toxins to clean their properties or pay the government for remediation work. After months of testing and investigating the Exide plant’s toxic chemicals, EPA representatives concluded the presence of the chemical Trichloroethylene (TCE) was not caused by the process of smelting lead batteries. … ” Read more from the Boyle Heights Beat.
Officials urge people to stay out of the water in Malibu due to hazardous debris
“It’s the unfortunate result of a historic wildfire followed by heavy rain: debris from the Palisades Fire floating in patches in the ocean right off the coast of Malibu. Much of it is coming from the Big Rock area, which suffered mudslides during recent storms, carrying debris from burned properties along the shoreline directly into the water. “The ocean has been a buffer for us for decades, you know, taking our stormwater and runoff from wildfires and just our discharge from other human activities. So we are again asking a lot of our ocean right now,” said Annelisa Moe, the associate director of science and policy with the Santa Monica-based nonprofit Heal the Bay. Following the storms, Heal the Bay conducted water sampling in several locations to assess the safety of the water. … ” Read more from NBC 4.
Unusually early toxic algae bloom is sickening and killing sea lions in Southern California
“More than 50 sickened adult sea lions have been found on beaches in Southern California in the last few days, demonstrating symptoms indicating they had ingested food poisoned by a toxic algae bloom off Malibu. Officials said the bloom produced by a species of marine plankton filled with a neurotoxin called domoic acid is considered an anomaly this time of year. “These blooms should not be happening now,” said Dr. Alissa Deming, vice president of conservation and medicine and lead veterinarian at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach. “I don’t know what’s going on in the ocean. Starting in February is unreal.” … ” Read more from the LA Daily News.
Along the Colorado River …
‘Feat of mankind’: Hoover Dam turns 89 and faces an uncertain future
“Saturday commemorates the 89th anniversary of the Hoover Dam’s completed construction, considered by most experts “a modern miracle” and one of the most visited sites in the world. The 726-foot-high arch-gravity dam stretches 1,244 feet across the Black Canyon and was built over five years starting in 1931, helping provide water and hydroelectrical power to the West. The now-second-tallest dam was proposed to prevent flooding from Rocky Mountain snow-melting waters into the Colorado River, stretching south to the Gulf of California for more than 1,000 miles. Constructed along the Colorado River at the border of Nevada and Arizona, more than 21,000 workers helped erect the dam, situated about 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas, during the Great Depression, one of the nation’s most turbulent times in history, said Robert Glennon, a water policy and law expert and emeritus professor at the University of Arizona. … ” Read more from USA Today.
Commentary: Feds throw a monkey wrench into the plan to limp Lake Mead through 2026
Opinion columnist Joanna Allhands writes, “Just three years ago, persistent drought and overuse were rapidly tanking Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir. The federal Bureau of Reclamation had issued an ultimatum to Arizona, California and Nevada: Find a way to stop using least 2 million acre-feet of Colorado River water, or we’ll find one for you. Congress set aside $4 billion to help grease the wheels for this plan, which at that point had ground to a halt. And water users responded, agreeing to leave more water in the lake. Though the influx of water hasn’t fixed Lake Mead, it has helped stabilize it, for now, with water levels at least 30 feet higher than they would have been without it. … ” Read more from Arizona Central.
How artificial intelligence uses a lot of water — and why that’s a concern for states like Arizona
“Artificial intelligence is growing in popularity, with users asking for its assistance with all kinds of tasks. But AI uses a lot of water, which is in increasingly short supply in places like Arizona. Shaolei Ren, an associate professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, Riverside, works on machine learning optimization and sustainability. Ren joined The Show to talk through some of this, starting with a broad question: what exactly is the relationship between AI and water usage?” Listen to podcast or read transcript at KJZZ.
Are data centers depleting the Southwest’s water and energy resources?
“Iron Mountain’s AZP-1 data center is tucked under the curve of Highway 202, just before it meets Highway 143. It’s next to a post office, a laundromat, and a pizza-and-wings joint. Roughly the size of a city block, the data center’s campus appears to consist of a chrome-and-glass office building, several other low, concrete buildings with no windows, a half-full parking lot, rows of electrical boxes, and cooling towers. Signs in English and Spanish warn of high voltage. Security is intense: the property is surrounded by, at various places, a wrought-iron fence, a concrete wall, and barbed wire, punctuated by security booths with guards who will, if you step off the sidewalk, remind you that you are on private property. This data center is one of three that Iron Mountain operates in metropolitan Phoenix. In 2023, Google broke ground on a data center in Mesa, Arizona. Microsoft also operates data centers in El Mirage and Goodyear. All together, Phoenix hosts about 707 megawatts of IT capacity, more than any major city besides Dallas. … ” Read more from APM Research Lab.
