Should the Environment Get Its Own Right to Water, A New Era for Western Water, and Five Don’t-Miss Water Reads
Dear Western Water Readers,
Does California need to revamp the way in which water is dedicated to the environment to better protect fish and ecosystems? In the hypersensitive world of California water, where differences over who gets what can result in epic legislative and legal battles, the idea sparks fear, uncertainty and promise.
The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) shook things up late last year by proposing a redesigned regulatory system featuring what they described as water ecosystem plans and water budgets with allocations set aside for the environment — an interest akin to, and having the same stature as, other water rights.
The PPIC believes its proposal can be accomplished without taking water away from others simply by making better use of water that’s already earmarked for the environment.
That doesn’t allay concerns from farmers and cities, who fear that more water for the environment means less water for them.
Writer Gary Pitzer explores the idea of giving the environment what amounts to its own water right, and examines how the environment has been gaining leverage in water rights matters, in the latest Western Water in-depth article.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A New Era for Western Water
Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Bowles explains the decision to take Western Water online after 40 years as a printed magazine.
“While it’s not easy for veteran journalists like me and others at the Water Education Foundation to give up the familiar printed newspaper or magazine, we’ve known for some time that people are changing the way they get information…. Going online with Western Water allows our longtime readers to access stories easier and gives us the opportunity to produce more articles for them with dynamic features.”
Read Jenn’s column here.
Water Around the West
Here are five don’t-miss articles from the last week:
Snow-Starved California Could Face Another Drought. Bloomberg’s Brian K Sullivan and Mark Chediak report that with snow failing to pile up in the Sierra Nevada, Californians are starting to think about the unthinkable again — another round of drought to shrivel lakes, parch the landscape and roil power markets.
Risk of disastrous heat, floods and fire skyrockets with warming, Stanford prof finds. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Kurtis Alexander reports on new research out of Stanford University that shows extreme weather that brought record floods and ruinous wildfires to the United States in the past year is just a taste of what’s to come.
Study: Cloud Seeding Really Does Work to Artificially Induce Snowfall. Water Deeply’s Matt Weiser interviews Jeffrey French from the University of Wyoming in Laramie, who led a team of scientists that proved how cloud seeding works, from ice formation in the cloud to snow accumulating on the ground as a direct result. There’s still one big question to cloud seeding: How effective is it?
$40 Million Later, A Pioneering Plan To Boost Wild Fish Stocks Shows Little Success. Clare Leschin-Hoar, writing for National Public Radio, reports on how after 35 years a California program to boost stocks of white seabass has little to show for its efforts.
Snow-covered beaches? Chilly iguanas? They are part of a mysterious ‘hole’ in global warming. McClatchy D.C. reporter Stuart Leavenworth delves into new research that finds the recent winters that have delivered the Southeast a bitter chill — reinforcing attitudes among some that global warming is a fraud — is part of an isolated trend, linked to a more wavy pattern in the jet stream that crosses North America.
Water Word
Our Word of the Day: Public trust doctrine. Rooted in Roman law, the public trust doctrine recognizes the public right to many natural resources including “the air, running water, the sea and its shore.” Traditionally, the public trust applied to commerce and fishing in navigable waters, but its uses were expanded in California in 1971 to include fish, wildlife, habitat and recreation. Read more about the public trust doctrine in Aquapedia, our free, vetted online water encyclopedia.
At the Foundation
Our first general water tour of the season, the Central Valley Tour from March 14-16, will take participants deep into the San Joaquin Valley to explore how water is managed and used in one of the most important farming regions in the nation. The tour will take visitors to see federal and state water projects and infrastructure including dams and water banks, hear from farmers, water managers, environmentalists and wildlife specialists, and have a little fun along the way — visiting historic ranches and cultural sites. You can learn more about this educational tour and find out how to sign up here.
Water Academy
The development of California is profoundly linked with the development of water and the law determining its allocation. Our Layperson’s Guide to Water Rights Law explains how more than 150 years of conflict and compromises have led to the system of water rights we have today, and raises interesting questions about where we may be in the future.