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 Vik Jolly.
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… Carlsbad, unlike many other seaside communities facing
gut-wrenching decisions about how to handle coastal erosion,
might just have the time, space and resources to get ahead of
the problem. Plenty of advocates in the region hope the city
can be a model for climate adaptation with its proposal to move
the road inland. But its ambitions depend on its ability to
find outside funding and build public support locally for the
project. Right now, the city is on track to choose the
path of “retreat now,” before an emergency situation, rather
than “retreat later,” the default option for many communities —
especially those facing harder decisions to move homes and
businesses rather than just infrastructure.
If Congress is able to follow through on it, more than 10,000
acres of public land in southwest Utah could change hands. The
sale, though, would essentially trade one government owner for
another. Washington County, the city of St. George and the
Washington County Water Conservancy District would each pick up
acres that could benefit future road and water projects. …
Unlike the Nevada side of the plan — which encompasses
significantly more acreage — hardly any of the land in Utah is
expected to go toward building attainable housing. Instead,
many of the parcels are tied to Washington County’s
water supply. … There are similarities
between some areas marked on an amendment map and plans for the
currently on-hold Lake Powell Pipeline.
An accident of history has left California with two massive,
overlapping water projects: the federally operated Central
Valley Project (CVP) and the State Water Project (SWP) operated
by the California Department of Water Resources. Maintaining
and operating two projects that serve the same purpose is
inefficient. Moreover, the projects are often beset by
controversy and conflict when state and federal administrations
change. … To cope with a changing climate and declining
reliability of water supply, California and the federal
government need to consider fully integrating the two projects.
This would allow for more efficient water storage and
distribution, improved water markets, increased groundwater
banking and recharge, and better and more consistent
environmental protection.
The Agriculture Department will restore information about
climate change that was scrubbed from its website when
President Trump took office, according to court documents filed
on Monday in a lawsuit over the deletion. The deleted data
included pages on federal funding and loans, forest
conservation and rural clean energy projects. It also included
sections of the U.S. Forest Service and Natural Resources
Conservation Service sites, and the U.S. Forest Service’s
“Climate Risk Viewer,” which included detailed maps showing how
climate change might affect national forests and grasslands.
The lawsuit, filed in February, said the purge denied farmers
information to make time-sensitive decisions while facing
business risks linked to climate change, such as heat waves,
droughts, floods and wildfires.
With dwindling water supplies, cities throughout Arizona are
exploring multiple ways to meet residents’ water needs. In
March, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality gave
municipalities a new tool: Wastewater treated by advanced
purification can now flow directly from local water systems
into residents’ taps. For years, cities have used advanced
purified water as an indirect potable source, recharging it
into aquifers or other water supplies, and later extracting it
for purification and human consumption. The new regulations
enable cities to use advanced purified water immediately for
direct consumption. Advanced purified water is wastewater that
has undergone a multi-step process to remove impurities and
meet state drinking water standards. The treatment uses
ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet light
disinfection and advanced oxidation.
The Senate is poised to vote in the coming days on President
Donald Trump’s nominee to be EPA’s top attorney. Senate
Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) took steps Monday to wind
down debate on Sean Donahue’s bid for EPA general counsel.
Democrats have accused Donahue — who served at EPA during
Trump’s first term and also worked at a solar company and a New
York law firm — of not having enough qualifications or
experience for the position. Donahue has practiced law for
less than three years and has supervised only a handful of
attorneys — far fewer than the 200 who work at EPA’s Office of
General Counsel.
The California Department of Water Resources is telling boaters
to expect an invasive mussel inspection program in effect at
Lake Oroville by Memorial Day weekend. DWR said Friday that it
is still finalizing the details of the mandatory inspection
program for Lake Oroville, Thermalito Forebay and Thermalito
Afterbay. But staff have already begun placing concrete blocks
around Thermalito Afterbay to block access to unauthorized
launch areas and direct launching to Monument
Hill. … DWR said it is working with other lake
managers on a reciprocity program to allow boat owners to use
other lakes without the need for reinspection. The agency added
that it is working with Yuba Water Agency to put a similar plan
to Lake Oroville in place at New Bullards Bar in June.
New data suggest that a disappointing snowpack could result in
less water than previously thought for America’s two largest
reservoirs. Lake Mead is a vital water source for millions of
people across Nevada, Arizona, California, and parts of Mexico.
Its declining levels potentially jeopardize municipal water
supplies, agricultural irrigation, and hydroelectric power
generation. Officials previously raised concerns about the
water levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell, following a lacking
winter snowpack that threatened to stall progress made during
last year’s wetter-than-average season. The resulting
water supply is expected to be even lower than earlier
projections. Scientists now forecast runoff into Lake Powell to
reach just 55 percent of the average, down from the previous
estimate of 67 percent.
Millions of kilometres of rivers around the world are carrying
antibiotic pollution at levels high enough to promote drug
resistance and harm aquatic life, a McGill University-led study
warns. Published in PNAS Nexus, the study is the first to
estimate the scale of global river contamination from human
antibiotics use. Researchers calculated that about 8,500 tonnes
of antibiotics – nearly one-third of what people consume
annually – end up in river systems around the world each year
even after in many cases passing through wastewater systems.
… The research team used a global model validated by field
data from nearly 900 river locations. They found that
amoxicillin, the world’s most-used antibiotic, is the most
likely to be present at risky levels.
Groundwater is the only source of water for the city of
Ridgecrest, the U.S. Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, and
the farms and businesses located throughout the Indian Wells
Valley. At current pumping rates, this basin will likely run
out of water within 40 years. That may seem like an issue for
future leaders. Yet the longer the problem is ignored, the more
difficult it will be to solve. And this problem has been
ignored for decades. This situation is not exclusive to the
Valley — aquifers around the world, in places ranging from
Spain and Chile to Iran and China, are among those experiencing
rapidly dropping groundwater levels. But according to recent
research published in the science journal Nature, the Indian
Wells Valley Basin is one of a handful of California regions
experiencing some of the world’s most rapidly declining
aquifers.
The U.S. and Mexico are nearing completion of an agreement that
would address the cross-border sewage crisis that has affected
Southern California’s beaches for years. Authorities from the
Environmental Protection Agency say the proposed deal,
currently under final review, could be implemented as soon as
this summer and would commit both nations to significant
infrastructure improvements. … The statement (by
Environmental Protection Agency chief Lee Zeldin), made to X,
formerly Twitter, said: “This week, EPA transmitted to Mexico a
proposed ‘100% solution’ that would PERMANENTLY END the
decades-old crisis of raw sewage flowing into the U.S. from
Mexico. Next, technical groups from both nations will be
meeting to work through the details necessary to hopefully
reach an urgent agreement.”
California State Sen. Steve Padilla urged community members and
stakeholders to set aside “petty historic differences” during
his keynote speech at the Imperial Valley Salton Sea
Conference, held Friday, May 9, at Imperial Valley College. The
event, co-hosted by Los Amigos de Comunidad Inc., Imperial
Valley College, and the Pacific Institute, marked the first
major conference focusing on the Salton Sea from an Imperial
Valley perspective. The conference brought together regional
leaders, environmental advocates, scientists and state
officials to discuss both the challenges and opportunities
presented by the deteriorating lake. Padilla’s call for unity
came as he reflected on decades of political and community
division that he said have stalled meaningful progress for the
Salton Sea and surrounding communities.
A California regulator on Friday issued a proposed ruling
siding with California American Water Co.’s estimate of water
demand along the Monterey Peninsula by 2050, a ruling that
could have implications for the utility’s desalination project
down the road. The CPUC decision was made by Administrative Law
Judges Robert Haga and Jack Chang. While the ruling didn’t
directly address desalination, Josh Stratton, Cal Am’s external
affairs manager, said Monday that it affirms that the Monterey
Peninsula Water Supply Project, the full title of the desal
project, is needed. He called desal project a “part of a
balanced and resilient supply for California American Water
customers. The proposed decision projects a water supply
deficit … of 2,528 acre-feet per year by 2050.”
After decades of efforts to boost Humboldt County’s threatened
steelhead trout population, the California Department of Fish
and Wildlife is ending operations at the Mad River hatchery.
The property will remain open for public access to the river,
facilities will be repurposed for office space, and trout
stocking in inland waters will continue. Officials state it’s a
combination of aging infrastructure, significantly costly
repairs and maintenance, modernization needs and low fish
production and returns. ”It operates on about $730,000
annual budget, we estimate it needs one million dollars
immediately, and the annual operating cost just to keep the
status quo. We’re looking at 10 million in immediate repairs
that need to be tackled, and long term to make it a reliable
hatchery going forward, we need about $30 million,” said
California Department of Fish and Wildlife information officer,
Peter Tira.
A group of 15 specialists met Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to
evaluate the condition of the levee that runs along the south
side of the Feather River from the Montgomery Street roundabout
to Ophir Road in Oroville. Geotechnical experts from the U.S.
Army Corp of Engineers were joined by representatives from the
California Department of Water Resources, the Sutter Butte
Flood Control Agency and flood-modeling specialist consultants
long with Oroville city engineers, administration and the mayor
conducted “an in-depth evaluation of the levee, which has
safeguarded our community since its original construction in
1913,” said Oroville Mayor Dave Pittman. … The group
conducted the inspection of the levee known as Butte County
Levee 52 by car and on foot. The city expects to receive a full
analysis of the findings in the next 60 to 75 days, according
to Brian Ring, Oroville city administrator.
San Diego’s notoriously bad customer service and billing for
sewer and water customers is dramatically improving thanks to
new software, more employees and shifting priorities.
Hours-long customer-service hold times have shrunk to a
record-low 69 seconds on average, while significantly fewer
customers are getting hit with surprise cumulative bills as
high as $2,000. The remarkable results come less than two years
after city officials made sweeping changes that include a new
billing system, switching customer service software to Amazon
Connect, new call routing and more payment options. The city
also created a new policy requiring employees to alert
customers when their bill is being withheld for a leak
investigation or other irregularities.
… As an environmental scientist, I see big changes in store
for Muir’s Range of Light. … What does climate change mean
for backpackers, tourists, and skiers, for agriculture and
cities? In all cases, water is at the heart of the story. Sixty
percent of all of California’s water supply comes from the
Sierra. That water irrigates the great orchards and crops of
the Central Valley, supports municipal water supplies, and
nurtures the extensive wetlands of the San Francisco Bay area.
Precious water is wasted when a big flush of spring runoff
overwhelms reservoirs. Agriculture and cities depend on
snowpack to gradually release water and maintain reservoirs.
… With climate change, water runoff will occur much
earlier, and flooding will be more severe. California will
suffer even more drought, stimulating more water
projects.
… Contemplated for decades and gaining traction among
Republican lawmakers, the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation’s proposed Shasta Dam and Reservoir
Enlargement Project would boost the capacity of California’s
largest reservoir. Since President Donald Trump took office for
his second term, the federal government has not mounted any
public effort to raise the dam. But Trump has taken several
steps in that direction, including signing executive orders
instructing federal officials to waive environmental rules and
deliver more water to California growers. Last week, the dam
project appeared to get a push in the House Natural Resources
Committee’s budget reconciliation bill, with a designation of
$2 billion “for construction and associated activities that
increase the capacity of existing Bureau of Reclamation surface
water storage facilities.” Though the budget language does not
name Shasta Dam, experts say it’s precisely crafted to
facilitate the project.
… The mountains that feed the Colorado River with snowmelt
are strikingly dry, with many ranges holding less than 50
percent of their average snow for this time of year. The low
totals could spell trouble for the nation’s largest reservoirs,
but those dry conditions don’t seem to be ringing alarm bells
for Colorado River policymakers. Inflows to Lake Powell, the
nation’s second largest reservoir, are expected to be 55
percent of average this year, according to federal
data released this week. … The federal offices that
manage Western water are in disarray amid layoffs and
restructuring since Donald Trump returned to the White House.
The Bureau of Reclamation, the top federal
agency for Colorado River dams and reservoirs, is without a
permanent commissioner. All the while, state and federal
policymakers are spending most of their time and attention on
drawing up new water-sharing rules.
Tap water is now safe to drink in areas served by all nine
water systems where damage from the firestorms in Altadena and
Pacific Palisades had prompted “do not drink” notices, state
regulators said Friday. The last water utility with such a
notice, the Las Flores Water Co. in Altadena, was cleared to
resume delivering drinking water and lifted its “do not drink”
and “do not boil” advisory on Friday, four months after the
notice was issued. Las Flores has recommended to
customers that when they resume using water, they take
various steps to flush the household system, including running
all the faucets for at least five minutes before
using. Officials from the State Water Resources Control
Board said they have been working with utilities to
help assess damage, test for potential contamination and ensure
it’s safe to resume water service.
