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Water news you need to know

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 Interim Director Doug Beeman

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Aquafornia news California Department of Fish and Wildlife

News release: CDFW awards $15 million for salmon and steelhead habitat restoration projects

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) [Jan. 21] announced the selection of 15 projects that will receive funding for the restoration, enhancement and protection of salmon and steelhead (anadromous salmonid) habitat in California watersheds. The total funding for these projects amounts to more than $15 million in grant awards. Among these 15 projects, the Salmon River Restoration Council was awarded $1,888,060 for the Windler Floodplain Habitat Enhancement Project. The project will enhance salmonid rearing habitat at the Windler River bar, on a reach of the North Fork Salmon River, by lowering the floodplain and increasing connectivity. The project also includes riparian revegetation, which will increase shade and diversity along channels and across the river bar.

Aquafornia news American Rivers

Blog: The secret double life of America’s public lands

… People care about and use public lands for many reasons. From hunters and anglers to miners and ranchers, hikers and mountain bikers—there is something for almost everyone on public lands.  But what if you live in a city and never set foot on public lands?  Why care about them then? Not everyone hunts, fishes, mines, ranches, hikes, or bikes; but everyone, truly everyone, depends on clean water. The big secret about public lands is that they are arguably the country’s single biggest clean water provider. According to the US Forest Service, National Forests are the largest source of municipal water supply in the nation, serving over 60 million people in 3,400 communities across 33 states.  Many of the country’s largest urban areas, including Los Angeles, Portland, Denver, and Atlanta receive a significant portion of their water supply from national forests.

Aquafornia news Bay Area News Group

Moss Landing battery fire: Newsom calls for investigation into massive blaze

Five days after a huge fire at one of the world’s largest battery storage plants in Moss Landing, Gov. Gavin Newsom has called for an investigation into the blaze, which has jolted California’s renewable energy industry. … By a vote of 5-0, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors at an emergency meeting decided to ask Vistra, the company whose 750-megawatt facility burned, and PG&E, whose adjacent 182-megawatt facility did not, to cease operations until the causes of the fire at the renewable energy facility “have been determined and addressed.” … The vote came after a tense three-hour-long meeting at which dozens of residents of North Monterey County raised questions about health impacts to their families from the dramatic fire, possible lingering pollution in water and soil, how the facilities were given county permits to open, and how safety will be improved.

Aquafornia news The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.)

Huffman secures $15 million for Eel River Dam removal and Russian River diversion plan

Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, recently announced that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has awarded Round Valley Indian Tribes and the Sonoma County Water Agency $15 million toward implementing the Two-Basin Solution for water diversions from the Eel River to the Russian River. In a press release, Huffman explains that “the funds through the Inflation Reduction Act will fund a major Eel River estuary project supported by the tribes, and put a down payment on construction of a new wintertime diversion to the Russian River following the removal of two salmon-blocking dams on the Eel.”

Other water storage/infrastructure articles:

Aquafornia news The Associated Press

President Trump wants to make showerheads and toilets flow greatly again, but so may utility bills

President Donald Trump once expressed concern with how low showerhead flow affected his “perfect” hair. Now back in the White House, he’s again taking aim at some high-efficiency household items — and that may mean higher water and electric bills in your home. One of Trump’s several dozen first-day executive orders promises to “unleash American energy,” including a pledge to ease efficiency standards for household appliances and fixtures. The standards are intended to make dishwashers, showerheads, refrigerators, laundry machines, toilets and the like use less energy and water. The higher-efficiency appliances can have higher upfront costs, but they save water and electricity.

Aquafornia news Yale Climate Connections

Blog: A high-impact week, from a snowy Gulf Coast to shrieking California winds

The weather pattern that’s dominated the United States for most of January jumped into overdrive this week. Nearly all of the 48 contiguous states are unusually cold, though it’s a pale imitation of the colossal, nationwide Arctic intrusions of decades past. In our warming climate, such 20th-century cold outbreaks may become increasingly tougher to match. Yet winter can still pack a dangerous punch, as folks on the Gulf Coast and in California are finding in two very different ways. Historic, city-snarling snowfall – in some cases, possibly the heaviest in more than a century – was spreading on Tuesday into coastal communities from Texas toward Florida. … Meanwhile, high winds, bone-dry air, and tinder-dry vegetation continue to plague coastal Southern California, just weeks after the area was hit by one of the most catastrophic fire events in modern U.S. history.

Aquafornia news The Petaluma Argus-Courier

Column: The wild origin story of Petaluma’s Adobe Creek

… I’m visiting in early January, after a series of storms in November and December lit up the Petaluma River watershed from top to bottom. Yet the line is still clear – just above the seep, the earth is solid and relatively dry. Then, suddenly, clean water flows, trickling through a broad marshy area of rushes and watercress indicating perennial moisture, and then down, down, down the hill toward Petaluma and possibly all the way to its river, seven-and-a-half miles away. … How else is this upper section of Adobe Creek special? It supports a stable population of steelhead, or perhaps rainbow trout. They’re the same species, Oncorhynchus mykiss, but called steelhead if they swim to the ocean for part of their life before returning to spawn, or rainbow trout if they never leave home. One species, two lifestyles.                 —Written by Nate Seltenrich, freelance science journalist who covers plants and animals, human health, climate change, and more for local and national publications.

Aquafornia news Los Angeles Daily News

Tuesday Top of the Scroll: Here’s what President Trump said about LA wildfires during his inaugural address

Newly inaugurated President Donald Trump called the Los Angeles County wildfires “tragic” during his inaugural address Monday in Washington DC and he vowed to prevent such disasters from happening again. … Trump has been deeply critical of the response to the fires. He declared California Gov. Gavin Newsom “incompetent” and blamed the mammoth fires on the state’s water policies. “Governor Gavin Newscum should immediately go to Northern California and open up the water main, and let the water flow into his dry, starving, burning state, instead of having it go out into the Pacific Ocean,” Trump posted on social media as the fires broke out. Newsom has scoffed at Trump’s salvos, branding them misinformation, and has offered to explain the situation to Trump should he visit the state.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news Vail Daily (Vail, Colorado)

Biden administration awards $40 million toward Colorado River District’s attempt to purchase Shoshone water rights

In the final days of President Joe Biden’s presidency, the Colorado River District locked down the $40 million award from the Bureau of Reclamation it needed to purchase the Shoshone Water Rights from Xcel Energy. The river district struck a deal with Xcel in December 2023, agreeing to a $98.5 million price tag to acquire the water rights tied to the hydroelectric power plant in Glenwood Canyon. Acquiring the rights — which are among the Colorado River’s oldest and largest non-consumptive rights — will ensure that the river’s historic in-stream flows continue in perpetuity, regardless of the plant’s future.  After raising $56.9 million from the state legislature, its board and the various Western Slope municipalities and utilities it serves, in November the Colorado River District submitted for $40 million in federal dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act.

Related Colorado River articles:

Aquafornia news Daily Breeze (Hermosa Beach, Calif.)

Water quality still undergoing daily tests in Pacific Palisades, Pasadena area for drinking safety

Drinking water advisories remained in place as of Monday, Jan. 20, as another red flag wind alert returned and wildfires continued to burn in Los Angeles County. A spokesperson for the L.A. Department of Water and Power said water continues to be tested daily for safe drinking use and that the caution remains in the Pacific Palisades area. And Pasadena Water and Power officials on Monday extended the Do-Not-Drink-Water Notice due to facilities that were affected by the Eaton Fire. … the department’s website also noted that water pressure to the Palisades area is “fully restored and the three, 1-million-gallon tanks serving the higher elevations are refilled and serving the community.”

Related wildfire and water articles:

Aquafornia news San Francisco Chronicle

Climate change is literally impacting time itself

… The Earth’s spinning, however, has recently begun to speed up and the length of the day has started getting shorter, for reasons not fully understood. In fact, research by a geophysicist in California finds that it’s only a matter of years before an extra second will need to be subtracted from universal time, rather than added to it. This possibility is raising concern because many computers, which have been programmed to handle an additional second, aren’t designed to lose a second, threatening to create glitches in systems governing aviation, financial markets, healthcare and more. It’s reminiscent of Y2K, when widespread bugs were feared when the calendar flipped to 2000. The research, published last year in the science journal Nature, also finds that such a negative leap second and its potential problems are being delayed, perhaps surprisingly, by climate change. Ice that is melting around the Earth’s poles is sending water — and mass — toward the equator and consequently slowing the planet’s rotation, counteracting the faster spin.

Aquafornia news Maven's Notebook

Blog: Delta Stewardship Council set to deny appeal of Delta Conveyance Project geotechnical activities

The Delta Stewardship Council released a draft decision last Friday dismissing the appeal from several NGOs, Tribes, and Delta water agencies against DWR’s certification of consistency with the Delta Plan for the Delta Conveyance Project.  The draft decision will be discussed and possibly adopted at the Council’s meeting on Thursday. … The Delta Stewardship Council held a public hearing on December 19 to hear from the appellants, DWR, and the public.  The main issue raised at the hearing was whether DWR filing a consistency determination for the geotechnical activities only and not the entirety of the project is piecemealing under CEQA, and therefore a violation of the Delta Reform Act.

Aquafornia news San Joaquin Valley Sun

San Luis authority signs cost share agreement for Sisk Dam raise 

The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority has signed a cost share agreement with the Bureau of Reclamation for the B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project. The project will create an additional 130,000 acre-feet of storage space in the San Luis Reservoir. Funding for the project includes $125 million from the 2021 infrastructure law that was announced earlier in January.  The project had already received $75 million that was announced last May, $10 million that was announced in 2023 and $25 million announced in 2022. The Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act also authorized $60 million for the project, bringing the total to $295 million. 

Aquafornia news U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

News release: Reclamation funds new pilot program to test farming practices that keep land in production with lower water use

The Bureau of Reclamation is launching the Sustainable Water for Agriculture Pilots (SWAP) Program that will test innovative crops and practices to significantly reduce agricultural water use at low to moderate costs. These projects will keep the farmland in production while conserving water. Reclamation has $6.5 million available this year for this new program through the Inflation Reduction Act. “This innovative program seeks to preserve farming and agricultural activities in water stressed areas,” said Policy Advisor James Langhenry. “If the demonstration projects are successful, the innovative crops or practices can be used over time to ensure families can continue to farm while receiving compensation and strengthening water security in the West.”

Aquafornia news University of Michigan

News release: New water purification technology helps turn seawater into drinking water without tons of chemicals

Water desalination plants could replace expensive chemicals with new carbon cloth electrodes that remove boron from seawater, an important step of turning seawater into safe drinking water. A study describing the new technology has been published in Nature Water by engineers at the University of Michigan and Rice University. Boron is a natural component of seawater that becomes a toxic contaminant in drinking water when it sneaks through conventional filters for removing salts. Seawater’s boron levels are around twice as high as the World Health Organization’s most lenient limits for safe drinking water, and five to 12 times higher than the tolerance of many agricultural plants.

Related article:

Aquafornia news Monterey Herald

Monterey County receives nearly $4.1 million USDA grant to improve Pajaro Sanitation District system

The Pajaro River flood of 2023 brought many devastating impacts to the community of Pajaro, including residents being displaced for weeks, the closure of Pajaro Middle School’s campus for 17 months and damage to infrastructure. To help fund repairs over the next three years, Monterey County received a $4.07 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Thursday, for upgrades to the aging lift station, installation of a new generator, a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system, fixes to the pumps and controls, structural repairs to the wet well and the replacement of sewer lines and laterals. … One piece of infrastructure that sustained damage was the wastewater system, a sewage pipeline that served Pajaro and surrounding communities like Las Lomas. This underscored issues with the Pajaro County Sanitation District’s aging wastewater collection system, something Monterey County officials are working to fix in anticipation of the next major weather event.

Aquafornia news Association of California Water Agencies

News release: From flooded fields to thriving habitats: The role of rice farms in conservation

Winter flooded rice fields in the Sacramento Valley are more than just remnants of America’s sushi rice harvest—they are fields of life. Each winter, these rice fields transform into a critical stopover for snow geese, swans, and countless other birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway. With 95% of California’s historical floodplains now gone, these surrogate wetlands provide vital ecological benefits. The water districts serving agricultural lands in the Sacramento Valley, such as Western Canal Water District, play a critical role in the conservation work happening on many rice farms during the off-season. For Western Canal, the ability to offer affordable water supplies during the fall and winter has made conservation practices popular in their district.

Aquafornia news Noozhawk (Santa Barbara, Calif.)

After 2 wet years, drought conditions resurface in Santa Barbara County

Lake Cachuma’s surface sparkles in the afternoon sunlight, the water lapping gently against the concrete walls of Bradbury Dam. The 193,304-acre-foot reservoir in the Santa Ynez Valley provides water to much of Santa Barbara County. Today, it is mostly full at 88% of capacity. That’s a far cry from the situation about two short years ago, when the reservoir had dropped down to 31% full. However, the bucolic scene at Lake Cachuma today belies the fact that, after two wet years, the county has edged back into drought conditions, raising concerns about water supplies and fire danger. The southeastern half of the county is now listed as being in “moderate drought,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor map. The northwestern portion has been tagged as “abnormally dry.”

Aquafornia news Herald & News (Klamath Falls, Ore.)

Klamath Project organizations to receive $33 million from Bureau of Reclamation for water security programs

The Klamath Project Drought Resilience Agency is set to receive $33 million to fund projects that address ongoing water shortages. A news release from the Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) said the funds were agreed upon in a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the DRA and the Bureau of Reclamation as part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. “We are resolute in our commitment to improve our water supply situation, and we are optimistic that can occur,” said Tracey Liskey, KWUA president, in the release. Liskey said the water users and DRA will continue to do everything in their power to “provide security for producers” and the community.

Other Klamath Basin articles:

Aquafornia news KUNC (Greeley, Colo.)

Snow scientists say cloud seeding has big potential

It sounds like science fiction, but humans have the power to change the weather. What they don’t have, though, is enough data about how well it works. That’s according to a new study from the Government Accountability Office, which recently released a report on cloud seeding – a technology that adds chemical compounds to existing clouds and can cause them to drop more rain or snow. Cloud seeding can seem like an obvious solution for the drought-stricken Colorado River Basin, which gets most of its water from Rocky Mountain snowmelt and has seen a downward trend in annual supplies. Historically, policymakers have been slow to embrace the technology, choosing to focus more money and energy on reducing water demand rather than increasing water supply. Meanwhile, advocates for the practice say increased cloud seeding makes sense now.