A collection of top water news from around California and the West compiled each weekday. Send any comments or article submissions to Foundation News & Publications Director Chris Bowman.
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From Sequoia Park to the old Tulare Lake bed, local authorities
recount the same story. A deluge of biblical proportions,
including heavy rain and storm runoff, in the past year in the
Kaweah, Kings and Tule basins has caused hundreds of millions
of dollars in damage to the region’s road and bridge
infrastructure. … Still a year later, government
agencies continue to struggle to repair the extensive damage
requiring federal funding to make it happen.
The U.S. has a long record of extracting resources on Native
lands and ignoring tribal opposition, but a decision by federal
energy regulators to deny permits for seven proposed hydropower
projects suggests that tide may be turning. As the U.S. shifts
from fossil fuels to clean energy, developers are looking for
sites to generate electricity from renewable sources. But in an
unexpected move, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
denied permits on Feb. 15, 2024, for seven proposed hydropower
projects in Arizona and New Mexico. The reason: These projects
were located within the Navajo Nation and were proposed without
first consulting with the tribe. FERC said it was “establishing
a new policy that the Commission will not issue preliminary
permits for projects proposing to use Tribal lands if the Tribe
on whose lands the project is to be located opposes the
permit.” -Written by Emily Benton Hite, Assistant
Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, Saint Louis
University; and Denielle Perry Associate, Professor
at the School of Earth and Sustainability, Northern
Arizona University.
Nutrient (nitrogen [N] and phosphorus [P] chemistry)
downgradient from onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS) was
evaluated with a groundwater study in the area surrounding
Elizabeth Lake, the largest of three sag lakes within the Santa
Clara River watershed of Los Angeles County, California.
Elizabeth Lake is listed on the “303 (d) Impaired Waters List”
for excess nutrients and is downgradient from more than 600
OWTS. The primary objective of this study was to develop a
conceptual hydrogeological model to determine if discharge from
OWTS is transported into shallow groundwater within the
Elizabeth Lake subwatershed and contributes nutrients to
Elizabeth Lake in excess of the total maximum daily load
limit.
After waiting 14 years, water rights protestants to a 2009
proceeding have filed a complaint against the State Water
Resources Control Board alleging it has given preferential
treatment to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) regarding
antiquated water rights claims. They also said the board failed
to implement state laws requiring the reasonable and equitable
development of water diversions and the protection of water
resources in the State. … The complaint alleges that DWR
has failed to comply with state water rights law requiring
water rights be timely put to full beneficial use; the
purpose of this requirement is to safeguard the public
interest.
The current water year, which began Oct. 1, has been wetter
than usual, with the Russian River watershed accumulating 119%
of the yearly average rainfall, totaling 49.38 inches since
October. In the past, we might have celebrated our good fortune
and watched lake levels rise only to watch much of it sent
downriver to the Pacific Ocean as reservoirs reached an
inflexible upper threshold. Today, we get to continue enjoying
that ample rainfall long after summer sunshine arrives. Grant
Davis With almost a decade of data under its belt, the Russian
River Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations program has been
making great strides by demonstrating the viability of this
strategy to operate reservoirs more effectively using modern
technology and forecasting. -Written by Grant Davis, general manager of Sonoma
Water.
Kings County growers will face millions of dollars in fees and
a mandate to report groundwater pumping after California
officials voted unanimously today to put local agencies on
probation for failing to protect the region’s underground water
supply. The unprecedented decision is a first step that could
eventually lead to the state wresting control of a groundwater
basin in a severely depleted part of the San Joaquin
Valley. Before issuing the probation order, the State
Water Resources Control Board had repeatedly warned five
groundwater agencies in Kings County that their management plan
for the Tulare Lake basin is seriously deficient, failing to
rein in the dried-up wells, contaminated water and sinking
earth worsened by overpumping.
One of the largest dams built in the United States in the last
two decades is one year away from completion, a dam that will
help supply water to Northern Coloradans for decades to
come. The Chimney Hollow Reservoir project is
underway in the Foothills west of Loveland, and it’s expected
to be completed and retaining water by summer of 2025.
… Northern Colorado is one of the fastest growing
regions in the state.
The Metropolitan Water District plans to spend up to $250
million on four non-traditional water projects that, combined,
could supply up to 100,000 Southern California households over
the next few years. Wastewater recycling, rainwater reclamation
and transforming ocean water into drinking water are some of
the technologies that could get money in the coming wave of
funding from MWD. The Los Angeles-based wholesaler, which helps
transfer water from Northern California and the Colorado River
to 26 retail water districts in the Los Angeles region, has
spent about $700 million on smaller, non-traditional water
projects since launching its Local Resources Program in 1990.
The amounts announced Monday, April 15, represent some of MWD’s
biggest investments in water innovation to date.
San Francisco has been giving Seattle a run for its money on
the precipitation front. Since Jan. 1, nearly 18 inches of
rain has accumulated in San Francisco. Meanwhile, Seattle sits
at just 13 inches. This year is unusual. San Francisco
has been rainier than Seattle in just 16 of the past 50 years
through mid-April. In a normal year, San Francisco trails
Seattle by about 2.5 inches of precipitation on April
14. Annually, Seattle averages 16.5 inches more rainfall
than San Francisco and may still surpass San Francisco this
year. While 2024’s rainfall may seem topsy-turvy, it
fits expectations with El Niño, a global climate pattern that
has its biggest influence on West Coast storms from January
through April.
The troubled Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic received a new
violation last week from a state water agency for pumping
untreated leachate water from the landfill into local waterways
that empty into the Santa Clara River. A violation letter dated
April 9 was sent to the landfill operators by the Los Angeles
Regional Water Quality Control Board, raising concerns that the
landfill’s wastewater may reach groundwater sources fed by the
river and used for drinking water.
Insurers in California have sounded the alarm: A warming
climate has dramatically raised the risk of devastating
wildfires, and with it the cost of providing coverage. But now
a Peninsula lawmaker says those insurance companies should
credit the state and homeowners for the work done to reduce our
vulnerability to wildfires. State Sen. Josh Becker, a Menlo
Park Democrat, has introduced a bill that would require
insurers to consider the state’s efforts to thin flammable
brush and trees as well as property owners’ steps to make their
homes more fire resistant, such as covering vents and clearing
vegetation. Those efforts would need to be incorporated into
their risk modeling to determine coverage decisions and costs.
The Sonoma County Water Agency —Sonoma Water— Board of
Directors voted Tuesday to increase wholesale water rates to
address the pressing aging infrastructure needs. The adjusted
wholesale water rates are forecasted to have a modest impact on
household budgets of between $2-$3 per month, based on location
and water usage. The cities of Cotati, Petaluma, Rohnert Park,
Santa Rosa and Sonoma; the town of Windsor; and the Marin
Municipal, North Marin and Valley of the Moon water districts,
all purchase their water from Sonoma Water.
Pretty much every time I write about the amount of Colorado
River water that is consumed to irrigate alfalfa and hay,
readers respond with a comment or question about how much of
the alfalfa — and therefore Colorado River water — is shipped
overseas. … It is true that Western farms export alfalfa
to foreign countries. … But there’s a big caveat here: Many
farms in Arizona — and most if not all of the Saudi Arabia
owned ones — irrigate with groundwater, not with water diverted
from the Colorado River.
The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors is asking a federal
agency to monitor the Klamath River dams removal project.
Earlier today, the board approved a written request to the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. It formally outlines
concerns about the four Klamath River dams removal
project. It also requests FERC to address the concerns.
The board’s letter has 11 pages of issues with the
project. Concerns include dead fish, downstream silt and
large mud fields from now-drained lake beds.
El Dorado County is requesting public input while it develops
the Tahoe El Dorado (TED) Area Plan. The TED Area Plan is a
long-term planning document that will update and incorporate
the Meyers Area Plan and other communities in the Tahoe Basin
area of the County. The density, look, and character of a
community are defined by a variety of land use planning
documents. In the Tahoe Basin, land use falls under the El
Dorado County Zoning Ordinance and the Tahoe Regional Planning
Agency’s Regional Plan. Currently, the land use policies and
zoning designations in some areas conflict with each other.
This creates confusion about what is allowed and what can be
built on these properties. Conflicting land use policies
constrain new projects on those sites.
If you’re like us, you’re inspired by the natural world and
eager to see California’s beautiful mountains, forests, and
lakes protected for future generations. You also might be
surprised to hear that the health and survival of these places
depends on one species more than most: beavers. Put simply,
beavers are our partners in protecting and restoring
California. Beavers are known as a “keystone species,” meaning
they create, modify, and maintain critical ecosystems for
insects, birds, mammals, fish, plants, and trees. -Written by Kate Lundquist and Brock Dolman,
Co-Directors of the Watershed Advocacy, Training, Education, &
Research (WATER) Institute and the Bring Back the Beaver
Campaign at the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center.
How Colorado protects wetlands depends on two perspectives: Is
it a water quality issue or a land management issue? Even
assuming it’s a little of both, either answer leads to
different approaches, each to be overseen by a different
agency. And either path offers implications for construction,
permitting and management of habitats. This month,
lawmakers looked at the dueling approaches contained in two
measures seeking to implement a way for the state to manage
“dredge and fill discharge” permits tied to a recent U.S.
Supreme Court decision that redefined how a body of water can
be protected under the Environmental Protection Agency’s
“Waters of the United States” rule.
A major southern Colorado water district voted unanimously last
week to oppose an $80.4 million agricultural water purchase by
Aurora in the Arkansas Valley, saying the deal violates a 2003
agreement that prohibits the fast-growing city from taking more
water out of the valley. Aurora would lease the water back to
Arkansas Valley farmers in most years, using it periodically in
dry periods. During a special meeting April 9, the Southeastern
Colorado Water Conservancy District said it had numerous
concerns with the purchase, which is set to close this month.
Southeastern manages the federally owned Fryingpan-Arkansas
Project, which includes the Pueblo Reservoir.
Ecuador on Tuesday began to ration electricity in the country’s
main cities as a drought linked to the El Niño weather pattern
depletes reservoirs and limits output at hydroelectric plants
that produce about 75% of the nation’s power. The power cuts
were announced on Monday night by the ministry of energy, which
said in a statement that it would review its decision on
Wednesday night. … The power cuts in Ecuador come days after
dry weather forced Colombia’s capital city of Bogotá to ration
water as its reservoirs reached record lows, threatening local
supplies of tap water. In the town of La Calera, on the
outskirts of Bogotá, water trucks visited neighborhoods where
water has been scarce recently because a local stream that
supplies the town with water is drying up.
The sunlight glints off a geometric shape across the glassy
surface of a reservoir in the Golan Heights. This is a solar
array, with panels mounted on floating pontoons, and anchored
to the banks, rising and falling with the water level. The
innovation of “dual use” reservoirs — providing water storage
on the one hand, and “green” energy on the other — is just the
latest advance pioneered by the Jewish National Fund (JNF),
which manages Israel’s forests and farmland. …
California has not seen a major reservoir built since the late
1970s, but Israel built hundreds of small reservoirs from 1990
to 2010, after a water crisis in the 1970s and 1980s prompted
the government to expand the system’s capacity.
