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In California water news today …
California weather: Storm to bring rain from S.F. to L.A. this week
“March is shaping up to be an active month of weather in California, with a moderate storm this week likely to precede several potent rain and snowmakers next week. A system that dropped snow in the Sierra Nevada and sparked thunderstorms in the Central Valley on Sunday is on its way eastward, leaving the state mainly dry Monday. On Tuesday morning, a fizzling front could bring light rain to Northern California, primarily north of San Francisco. The main storm of the week will arrive Wednesday and continue Thursday. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle (gift article).
California rice fields fuel salmon migration
“A record-setting amount of food for endangered fish was produced this winter on California rice fields, scientists say. The nutrient-rich water, laden with bugs, is being funneled into the Sacramento River to fuel the journey of juvenile salmon, according to the Floodplains Forward Coalition. The coalition said 25,000 acres of ricelands are producing 147,500 pounds of much-needed food for endangered fish such as Chinook salmon. Rice fields are flooded in the late fall and winter to break down the remaining rice straw left over after harvest. The conservation group California Trout reports that these fields are teeming with food for tiny juvenile salmon. … ” Read more from Channel 10.
NASA uses new technology to understand California wildfires
“The January wildfires in California devastated local habitats and communities. In an effort to better understand wildfire behavior, NASA scientists and engineers tried to learn from the events by testing new technology. The new instrument, the Compact Fire Infrared Radiance Spectral Tracker (c-FIRST), was tested when NASA’s B200 King Air aircraft flew over the wildfires in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, California. Based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, the aircraft used the c-FIRST instrument to observe the impacts of the fires in near real-time. Due to its small size and ability to efficiently simulate a satellite-based mission, the B200 King Air is uniquely suited for testing c-FIRST. … ” Read more from NASA.
Newsom proclaims state of emergency ahead of wildfire season
“Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency Saturday “to fast-track critical projects protecting communities from wildfire, ahead of peak fire season.” The proclamation will cut bureaucratic red tape, including suspending the California Environmental Quality Act and the Coastal Act, that Newsom said was slowing down critical forest management projects. “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,” Newsom said. “These are the forest management projects we need to protect our communities most vulnerable to wildfire, and we*re going to get them done.” … ” Read more from Channel 8.
SEE ALSO: Newsom declares wildfire emergency, drops CEQA requirements to clear forests, from the San Joaquin Valley Sun
In commentary today …
Trump’s attack on science drowns common sense
Keith Schneider, Circle of Blue’s senior editor and chief correspondent, writes, “Attacking the virtue and validity of research science is nothing new in certain corners of American culture. A century ago, in the famous Scopes trial, a high school teacher in Tennessee was prosecuted for teaching evolutionary biology in violation of state law and religious doctrine. In the 21st century, Christian conservatives are at it again. They’ve united with fossil fuel industry executives to attack the scientific research that projects with astonishing accuracy the pace and damaging consequences of increasing levels of carbon in the atmosphere on water resources, agriculture, and communities. Never before, though, has the United States confronted an attack on science like the one President Trump launched in January 2025. For the first time in U.S. history, raw ideological menace is blocking federal funding that supports scientific advance. Like a coach drawing up a diabolical game plan, Trump launched the assault on January 20, Inauguration Day, when he signed an executive order that directed every federal agency to terminate any reference to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in all programs and activities. … ” Read more from the Circle of Blue.
What does NOAA do for us, and how can we defend it?
Frank Schwing, retired federal scientist, writes, “Project 2025, the far-right’s playbook for systemically reshaping the federal government, specifically calls out the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to be “dismantled,” “downsized,” and “eliminated.” Calling the agency “the source of… climate alarmism,” it recommends the privatization of many of NOAA’s essential functions, some of which are congressionally mandated. Although denying any knowledge of this plan throughout the campaign, the new administration appears ready to follow through. Roughly 10% of NOAA staff have been fired, with more layoffs expected. Confidential and proprietary data have been compromised, budgets are threatened, and scientists censored and ignored. And this is just the beginning. … ” Read more from the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Commentary: We need humans for forest restoration
Nadia Tase writes, “Elon Musk’s U.S. Department of Government Efficiency has been active in its quest to dismantle the federal government under the guise of rooting out corruption, fraud, and waste. Since the inauguration, DOGE emails have taunted federal employees, stating they are unproductive and offering so-called buyouts to resign. Over President’s day weekend, 3,400 U.S. Forest Service (USFS) employees and 1,000 National Park Service employees still in their probationary period of hire were terminated illegally by the Trump administration, including many individuals that accepted the “Fork in the road” Musk buyout offer. While permanent federal employees are easier to fire while in probationary status, there still must be cause. The cause provided? “The [Forest Service] Agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest.” This would be fine if it were true, but it is not. Here on the local forest, the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU), 11 people working in trails, watershed restoration, vegetation management, wildlife biology, fisheries, and public services who had only positive performance reviews were illegally terminated. Individuals who have been with the forest working as temporary seasonal employees without benefits for years, decades even. Nobody can accuse these individuals of being lazy. No. … ” Continue reading at the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Mendocino county supervisors reject ordinance to regulate water extraction and selling
“The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday said insufficient resources were the reason to reject a proposed ordinance that sought to regulate water extraction and commercial sales by water haulers and private companies in the county. The issue has long been disputed among local homeowners, cannabis growers and local environmental organizations and led to an ordinance first sponsored by Supervisors John Haschak and Glenn McGourty in March 2022 and created by an ad hoc group of county residents – about eight to 10 people. … ” Read more from Northern California Public Media.
Mendocino lands $14.96M grant to expand recycled water system
“The Mendocino City Community Services District (MCCSD) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $14.96 million grant to upgrade and expand our recycled water system. The grant will enable us to build the infrastructure to use recycled water for irrigation and reduce the volume of treated wastewater discharged into the Ocean. The project will also provide additional water for fire suppression. As the recent fires in Los Angeles have demonstrated, adequate water for fire suppression is increasingly important and we do not currently have the capacity to adequately supply or deliver water to firefighting teams in the district. Replacing the potable water now used to irrigate athletic fields with clean, recycled water that would otherwise be discharged into the ocean will help conserve our limited groundwater resources and benefit our marine environment. … ” Read more from Mendo Fever.
BAY AREA
Study: Marin’s sinking areas exacerbate sea-rise threat
“Parts of some bayside communities in Marin are sinking at an accelerated pace, making them more vulnerable to threats from the rising sea, according to a federal study. Areas of eastern San Rafael and Corte Madera are subsiding at a rate of more than 0.4 inches per year, largely because of sediment compaction, according to the report by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. In the lowest areas, sea levels could rise more than 17 inches by 2050, more than double the estimated average of 7.4 inches for the region. “In many parts of the world, like the reclaimed ground beneath San Francisco, the land is moving down faster than the sea itself is going up,” said Marin Govorcin, the lead author of the study and a scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
Anderson Dam retrofit construction to start in early 2027
“Valley Water officials shared progress updates and timeline revisions for the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project during a community meeting Feb. 20, announcing the release of the final Environmental Impact Report for the project, as well as giving a general update on the project timeline. “We’ll break ground in early 2027 and work through the construction phase,” Ryan McCarter, Deputy Operating Officer for Valley Water’s Dam Safety and Capital Delivery division, said at the meeting at the Morgan Hill Community & Cultural Center. “The safety of this dam is very crucial for your area.” The project has completed significant preliminary work with their progress on the new bypass tunnel, which must be finished before the main construction phase can start. According to officials, the timeline shift from the original 2026 start date was necessary to coordinate state and federal environmental compliance processes. … ” Read more from the Morgan Hill Times.
CENTRAL COAST
Company pays nearly $30K for illegal dumping in Grimes Canyon Creek near Fillmore
“Advanced Industrial Services, Inc. agreed to pay $29,736 after a driver for the company dumped 150 gallons of petroleum-contaminated wastewater into Grimes Canyon Creek near Fillmore. The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office announced the settlement Friday after the case was investigated by both the DA’s office and California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The company was also ordered to comply with permanent injunctive terms prohibiting the unlawful disposal of petroleum products, the DA’s office said in a news release. The case was opened Nov. 1, 2022, when an employee of California Natural Resources Group discovered petroleum byproduct in a dry creek bed at the Dryden oil lease facility in Fillmore. … ” Read more from the Ventura County Star.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
City of Tehachapi, water district set to be in court Friday
“A hearing on the city of Tehachapi’s objection to allegations by Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District is set for 1:30 p.m. Friday, March 7, in Sacramento Superior Court. On Jan. 13, the city filed a demurrer — the legal term for an objection — challenging allegations by the water district that the city has a “pattern and practice” of inadequate environmental review. The city asked the court to strike the fourth cause of action in the lawsuit filed by the water district after the city approved the proposed Sage Ranch residential development in September 2021. … ” Read more from the Tehachapi News.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
LAFD did not alert DWP to more than 1,000 fire hydrants needing repair
“The Los Angeles Fire Department did not inform the city’s Department of Water and Power until mid-February that more than 1,000 fire hydrants needed repairs, despite being aware of the issues months before. According to city records and officials, the Fire Department discovered the damage to the hydrants during inspections in the months before the Jan. 7 Palisades fire, which destroyed thousands of homes. While firefighters struggled with low water pressure during the blaze, it’s unclear whether the damaged hydrants played a role. The lapse in sharing inspection records came to light Feb. 12, when KCBS-TV reported that the LAFD had compiled a list of 1,350 fire hydrants requiring repairs. Some of those repairs appear to have been flagged as early as January 2024, according to the list, which the station obtained from the LAFD through a public records request. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via Yahoo News.
Study: L.A.’s urban trees remove more C02 than expected
“A new study showed trees in mid-city Los Angeles absorb up to 60% of carbon dioxide emissions during spring and summer when the trees are most active. In 2021, researchers from the University of Southern California placed 12 sensors in central L.A. to monitor carbon dioxide levels. Will Berelson, professor of earth sciences, environmental studies and spatial sciences at the University of Southern California-Dornsife, said trees are surprisingly effective at lowering carbon dioxide levels in the air. “The input of CO2 from cars is predicted to be a certain level,” Berelson explained. “But when we look for CO2, we find much less. This difference is due to uptake of CO2 by trees.” … ” Read more from the Public News Service.
Lead was found in Inland Empire schools’ drinking water
“Lead pipes were banned in the United States in 1986. But dozens of Inland Empire school districts still had lead showing up in their drinking water in the past decade. California published its final report on lead in school drinking water in 2020. At that time, 18 of the Inland Empire’s four dozen districts and other education agencies had lead in campus drinking fountains or sinks, according to the State Water Resources Control Board’s last listing. After testing, all these districts fixed the problems by replacing pipes, shutting off drinking fountains and adding filters to sinks. Still, many Inland students in recent years likely drank water with lead levels higher than the recommended standard. … ” Read more from the San Bernardino Sun.
SAN DIEGO
A scenic California rail line sits on an eroding cliff. Where should the tracks go?
“Perched atop craggy bluffs in a beachside city north of San Diego, a railroad line offers passengers a sweeping view of the Pacific Coast. But the ground beneath it is crumbling. No one denies the problem, but a fight over how to solve it highlights a broader challenge, and a worrisome reality, for California residents: how to adapt to climate change that threatens coastal living, a way of life that has long defined the state’s identity, from its economy to its culture. The segment of track on the bluffs in Del Mar, Calif., connects San Diego to the rest of the state and the country, and is part of one of the busiest intercity passenger rail corridors in the nation. But the bluffs are eroding rapidly, and the track in some places is now only a few yards from the cliff edge. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
Along the Colorado River …
Checking in on Southern Nevada’s water supply as spring arrives in March
“March is here — marking the start of Meteorological Spring — and it’s time to take another look at the state of water in our area. Normally, Las Vegas sees 0.69 inches of rainfall during this season. However, the moisture that really matters for Southern Nevada comes from the Upper Colorado Basin, which is currently at 83% of the 30-year snowpack average. Things don’t look as good downstream, though. The Lower Colorado Basin is only at 21% of average, which isn’t surprising considering we just went 214 days without rain before finally getting 0.57 inches of rainfall on February 13. Lake Mead, our main water storage for Colorado River water, is sitting at just 35% of full capacity. … ” Read more from Channel 13.
Arizona’s drinking water is about to change for the better
Erin Young, president of WaterReuse Arizona, and Rob McCandless, past president of the association, writes, “Climate patterns across the Southwest are trending toward longer and hotter seasons with less snowpack to the north. The result is less runoff to support the Colorado River, which supplies about 36% of Arizona’s water. Arizona has the second largest allocation of Colorado River water, but it receives the lowest priority for this allocation. That means we stand to lose the most if allocations are further reduced. … The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality could earn approval this week for rules to implement Advanced Water Purification (AWP), marking a new era for water reliability in our arid state. AWP presents an opportunity to create a new, safe and reliable source of drinking water to help meet the needs of Arizona residents and businesses. … ” Read more from Arizona Central.
New bill would give Utah’s ‘water agent’ more ‘behind-the-scenes’ power to negotiate outside the state
“As Utah eyes more water to support its growing population, the state’s water agent could soon have more power to look to the Colorado and Bear rivers for answers — with potentially less oversight from the public. HB311, sponsored by state Rep. Casey Snider, R-Paradise, would allow Utah’s water agent — a governor-appointed position created in 2024 with a $1 million budget to look for water outside of Utah’s borders — to seek water supplies from the Bear and Colorado rivers. Before, those rivers were off-limits. Joel Ferry, who is also the director of the state’s Department of Natural Resources, currently serves as Utah’s water agent. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
In national water news today …
Trump admin targeting 65% reduction in EPA spending
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under recently confirmed Administrator Lee Zeldin is targeting a 65% reduction in agency spending, according to a White House spokesperson who clarified a remark by President Donald Trump last week after he seemed to suggest the cuts applied to staff. While the White House is now saying the planned reductions apply to spending and not staff directly, the workforce may still be at risk for cutbacks amid a 65% reduction. As of now, it is unclear which spending programs or funds could be on the chopping block. According to a news brief from the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), a 65% reduction in EPA spending would almost certainly touch the Clean Water and Drinking Water SRF programs in some way, considering the two programs together represent about a third of the EPA’s budget. WIFIA, as well as other water infrastructure grant programs run by EPA could be at risk, AMWA said. … ” Read more from Water Finance & Management.
Thousands gather at national parks across U.S. to protest job cuts
“Thousands of people gathered on Saturday at national parks from California to Maine to protest the Trump administration’s firing of at least 1,000 National Park Service employees last month. A group called Resistance Rangers — consisting of about 700 off-duty rangers, including some who were fired from the National Park Service — tried to organize protests at each of the country’s 433 national park sites on Saturday to stand up against what they see as threats to public lands, including the job cuts. By the afternoon, there were protests at at least 145 sites, according to Nick Graver, a 30-year-old graduate student who helped organize the demonstration at Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
How DOGE threatens the Forest Service and public lands
“How many people were on Matt Ross’ trail team at the U.S. Forest Service? He doesn’t know the number off the top of his head, so he rattles off the names in his tight-knit circle of colleagues: Michael, Scotty, Mark … 19 people altogether. That includes himself as well as the seasonal workers — “the backbone of the workforce,” according to Ross. But when asked how many are left on the team after widespread terminations within federal lands agencies over President’s Day weekend, Ross doesn’t hesitate. The answer is one. Ross worked as a wilderness manager for Washington’s Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, coordinating maintenance for over 600 miles of trails. Thirteen projects had been planned for 2025, among them fixing up what he calls the gnarliest section of the 2,650-mile-long Pacific Crest Trail. The work would have required Forest Service workers to helicopter into the Mica Lake area to clear trails by hand so horses could get through to provide stock support for volunteers to conduct repair work. But the abrupt culling of Ross’ team has sent two years of project planning down the drain. … ” Read more from High Country News.
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
NOTICE: Reclamation announces a 60-day public comment period for Warren Act contract template providing for storage and/or conveyance of Non-Project Water
NOTICE of Proposed Rulemaking – Water Measurement and Reporting Regulations Revisions
YOUR INPUT WANTED: Proposed Rulemaking for Delta Stewardship Council Meetings Regulations
