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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 Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc.

Accountability in drought regulations

Republican Asm. Juan Alanis of Modesto is pressing for more accountability in the state water board’s drought regulations. His new bill would require the board to perform a comprehensive economic study on the potential impacts of each emergency regulation before renewing it.  Last month the board readopted an emergency drought regulation along California’s northernmost rivers for the fourth year in a row. Local farmers and ranchers have unsuccessfully pleaded with the board for years to carefully consider the broader economic impacts of the regulation.

Aquafornia news Calexico Chronicle

Black Rock Geothermal suspension raises questions

Berkshire Hathaway Energy Renewables has suspended the permitting process for its three proposed geothermal plants near the Salton Sea, citing transmission interconnection challenges, permitting delays and the lack of state-backed offtake agreements. The projects — Black Rock, Morton Bay and Elmore North — would have added 357 megawatts of renewable energy to California’s grid. The decision comes after months of regulatory proceedings with the California Energy Commission and transmission studies with the Imperial Irrigation District. The suspension halts what had been expected to be a significant economic driver for Imperial County.

Aquafornia news Water Talk

Podcast: Advising Calif. tribal policy

A conversation with Anecita Agustinez (state tribal policy advisor, California Department of Water Resources) about water governance and expertise around challenging policy issues. Anecita Agustinez has served as (the DWR’s) tribal policy advisor since August 2013. Agustinez has over 30 years of advocacy experience on behalf of California’s Native American tribes. She provides policy support and recommendations regarding tribal issues to the director and chief deputy director and has been actively engaged with our projects and programs, assisting with tribal consultation and development of the DWR Tribal Consultation Policy. 

Aquafornia news California American Water

News release: California American Water completes $560,000 water tank rehabilitation in Monterey

California American Water announced the completion of a $560,000 water storage tank rehabilitation project in Monterey. This investment in critical infrastructure, a tank with 80,000-gallon capacity, will help ensure continued safe, clean and reliable water service for customers and communities. The Aguajito Tank project included extensive improvements to enhance its long-term performance and resilience. These upgrades included interior and exterior coating to prevent corrosion and leaks, minimizing potential service interruptions. 

Aquafornia news Hatchery International

California’s only native sunfish reintroduced at Granite Regional Park

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is experimenting to see how the state’s only native sunfish fares after being reintroduced in Sacramento ponds. The department recently stocked 3,000 juvenile Sacramento perch – from M4 Aquatics, a Livermore-based hatchery – into a pond at Granite Regional Park for fishing. … Sacramento perch were once abundant within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Clear Lake in northern California. But have been displaced from their historical range due to habitat modification and competition from non-native sunfish that were introduced into California in the early 20th century. 

Aquafornia news The Daily Californian (Berkeley, Calif.)

Opinion: Unequal exposure: PFAS contaminates communities of color

… Once carrying the promise of affordable and durable materials, PFAS are now at the center of a widespread contamination crisis. Developed in the 1940s by private corporate actors, PFAS rapidly became used across industries because of their resistance to heat and water. However, over six decades after their widespread use, hidden research by their developers was brought to light by one of the most famous trials in PFAS in history. Now, there is incontestable evidence collected over decades that links PFAS with the development of over 13 serious conditions, including several types of cancers and neurodevelopmental disorders. More concerningly, the extent of the contamination crisis is so severe that out of every 100 Americans, over 97 have traceable amounts of PFAS in their blood.
–Written by Nathan Sharp, CFO at Environmental Litigation Group, P.C.

Aquafornia news Northwestern Now (Evanston, Ill.)

News release: This sponge soaks up pollutants but saves valuable minerals

As more waterways contend with algae blooms and pollution caused by minerals from agricultural runoff and industrial manufacturing processes, new methods to remove pollutants like phosphate, copper and zinc are emerging. … A specialized sponge created by researchers at Northwestern University that works to slurp up pollutants, and then release them as desired, may present a reusable, low-cost solution. The sponge, coated with nanoparticles that have an affinity for pollutants, can collect metals like zinc and copper, as well as phosphate, and in previous iterations has successfully pulled lead from water, and microplastics and oil from lakes and oceans. It then releases these valuable resources when it is exposed to different pH’s.

Aquafornia news San Francisco Chronicle

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: Large, cold winter storm to hammer California mountains with snow

Several feet of snow is anticipated to blanket California’s mountains this week, prompting the National Weather Service to warn of “the strongest storm of the season” so far in the Sierra Nevada. A powerful low-pressure system will move toward Cape Mendocino on Thursday, farther south than many previous storms this winter. The proximity of the storm means its cold front will remain intact as it moves from Lake Tahoe toward Mammoth Mountain and Yosemite National Park on Thursday afternoon. Heavy snow is expected along this cold front, with hourly accumulations of 2 to 4 inches and intense winds creating periods of “zero visibility,” according to the weather service. 

Other atmospheric river news:

Aquafornia news CalMatters

Deadly boulders and mud: How debris flows endanger LA’s fire-ravaged towns

Nearly 170,000 people live in Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, and many are potentially in the path of debris flows. Heavy rainfall expected on Thursday and Friday has triggered warnings about fire-scarred hillsides unleashing torrents of mud, boulders and debris from the torched slopes. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for late Thursday, with the greatest risks in areas burned by the Eaton, Palisades, Franklin, and Bridge fires. In Santa Barbara, people in the Lake Fire’s burn areas were told to prepare to evacuate as a storm approaches today.

Other debris flow and wildfire impact news:

Aquafornia news Smart Water Magazine

Meta joins AI-powered initiative to address water scarcity in Colorado River Basin

Meta has become the latest global technology company to participate in an innovative water replenishment initiative aimed at addressing water scarcity in the Colorado River Basin. Through a new partnership with FIDO Tech, Meta will provide funding for the deployment of FIDO AI, an advanced leakage detection system, across 300 kilometers of clean water pipeline network in the City of Farmington. This initiative, set to run for ten years, is expected to reduce water loss and enhance local water resilience. The project is part of FIDO Plus, an award-winning partnership model under Water United—a newly established public-private coalition focused on developing watershed-level solutions for water scarcity.

Other Colorado River Basin news:

Aquafornia news SJV Water

State proposes changes to farmland retirement program that some fear could pull rug out from ongoing projects

A proposal to change some of the goals of California’s $90-million farmland retirement program has literally stopped numerous projects in their tracks. … The program always included “benefits to disadvantaged communities” as part of a laundry list of goals, including reducing groundwater use; helping move regions toward groundwater sustainability; increasing long-term repurposing of marginal ag lands; and supporting drought relief; among others. But Dec. 20, the (Department of Conservation) proposed changes stating that each project must include “meaningful” benefits for disadvantaged communities. 

Other groundwater news:

Aquafornia news Lost Coast Outpost (Eureka, Calif.)

Board OKs agreement on Potter Valley Project decommissioning and New Eel-Russian Diversion Facility

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors today seemed content to embrace the philosophy of “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good” as its five members unanimously approved a plan that aims to achieve one of our region’s longest-held goals: the demolition and removal of two dams on the upper Eel River. Specifically, the board approved a memorandum of understanding among a collection of federal, state, tribal and local agencies, who together have crafted a plan for a new Eel-Russian diversion facility associated with the decommissioning of PG&E’s Potter Valley Project, a defunct hydroelectric project comprising those two dams — Cape Horn Dam and Scott Dam — plus a diversion tunnel and power plant.

Related article:

Aquafornia news Nevada Current

Nevada snowpack takes a turn for the worse following warm, dry conditions

Nevada’s water supply outlook is in trouble after snowpack in the state fell below normal for this time of year, following disappointing snowfall and persistently warm temperatures. Most of Nevada’s water supply starts as snowfall that accumulates in the mountains during the winter before melting in the spring, meaning substandard snowpacks can leave the state with a weak water supply. February marks the half-way point of the snow accumulation season in Nevada, but conditions have trended in the wrong direction since New Year’s Day, according to the Department of Agricultural Natural Resources Conservation Service’s water supply outlook report.

Other snowpack news:

Aquafornia news SFGate

2 Calif. beach parks close after spill of 80,000 gallons of sewage

Several Southern California beaches are closed after 80,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the ocean in Ventura County, officials announced. The spill occurred near Perkins Road at Ormond Beach in Oxnard. … The Oxnard Wastewater Treatment Plant notified the Ventura County Environmental Health Division of the spill on Friday, according to the county’s press release. A spill report filed with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services states that the spill occurred on Thursday at around 8:35 p.m. and was caused by an overflow at the plant. The spill has since been “halted and contained,” according to the county. 

Aquafornia news KJZZ (Phoenix, Ariz.)

UA researchers say Yuma County agriculture adds $4.4 billion to Arizona economy

University of Arizona researchers say vegetable farmers are more concentrated in Yuma County than car manufacturing is around Detroit. According to their new study, Yuma agriculture and associated businesses contributed $4.4 billion in economic activity to Arizona in 2022. Professor George Frisvold said perfect climate, water and labor availability make Yuma unique. … Frisvold said Yuma produce generated about $275 million in sales in Arizona alone. He said Yuma uses about two-thirds of an acre foot of water to sell $1,000 worth of vegetables. “The average for the entire Colorado basin, Lower Basin and Upper Basin is more than double what Yuma is using,” Frisvold said.

Aquafornia news Voice of San Diego

South County report: More industrial chemicals found in Sweetwater Reservoir

Sweetwater Authority, which supplies drinking water to roughly 200,000 customers in Chula Vista and surrounding communities, learned last month that its main reservoir contains levels of a toxic industrial chemical that could require expensive treatment or necessitate decommissioning the reservoir entirely.  The elevated chemical finding came as part of a year-long testing process required by the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA. An earlier sample taken late last year found PFAS levels high enough to require public notification. Samples taken last month found even higher levels of one chemical, PFOA, that the EPA has designated a “hazardous substance” posing “a substantial danger to the public health.” 

Aquafornia news Voice of San Diego

Mexico said river border wall broke treaties. The US built it anyway.

… A piece of border wall President Donald Trump started in his first term is almost finished. Built as a bridge over the river for patrolling border agents, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, designed this particular piece of wall like the entrance to a castle. One thousand feet of 30-foot-high steel gates cut across the notoriously polluted river’s concrete channel. Border agents are supposed to raise the gates before it rains. If they fail – say the power goes out, the gates won’t open and border agents can’t lift them manually – the force of billions of gallons of rainwater mixed with Tijuana sludge would smash against the wall-turned-dam, causing the raging river to back up over its levees and consume downtown Tijuana.  

Other U.S./Mexico news: 

Aquafornia news San Francisco Chronicle

‘Magical forest’ in California’s Sonoma County quadruples in size

A small regional park in the lush redwoods of the lower Russian River basin, described by one local as an “ancient magical forest,” is set to quadruple in size. San Francisco-based Save the Redwoods League announced Tuesday that it has agreed to pay $24 million for 1,517 acres of wooded lands near Guerneville, which it plans to transfer to the adjacent Monte Rio Redwoods Regional Park and Open Space Preserve.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news MyMotherLode.com

Invasive mussel forces Lake Tulloch to close recreational boating

Recreational boating has been closed on Lake Tulloch due to an invasive mussel threat. … Due to their rapid reproduction and ability to adhere to submerged surfaces, golden mussels pose a hazard to water sources by blocking conveyance infrastructure and intake pipelines. They have the potential to upset the natural equilibrium by displacing sport fish and native species. They are hard to get rid of once they are out there. The minuscule mussels may live in water for a long time as larvae. On boats or other watercraft, they may be carried with ease in live wells, bilges, ballast tanks, engine systems, plumbing, or any other compartment.

Related article:

Aquafornia news San Francisco Baykeeper

News release: Coalition sues Trump administration to list white sturgeon under Endangered Species Act

San Francisco Baykeeper, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, Restore the Delta, and Friends of the River today filed a lawsuit against the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Secretary of the US Department of the Interior for failing to deliver a legally required initial determination whether or not to list the San Francisco Bay’s population of White Sturgeon as a threatened species. … White Sturgeon are North America’s largest freshwater fish. … (T)he state plans to build new diversions—including Sites Reservoir and the Delta Tunnel—which represent an imminent threat to the White Sturgeon, as well as other native fish, including Central Valley Chinook Salmon that support the state’s coastal salmon fishery.