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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In most parts of California, and indeed the United States, the
idea that the government would largely cede to private
companies management of a natural disaster that could decimate
multiple towns, displace thousands of farmworkers and wreak
destruction across hundreds of square miles would be
unfathomable. But that has long been how things operate in the
Tulare Lake Basin. Land barons, chief among them J.G. Boswell’s
founder, seized control of the basin and its water generations
ago and have since managed it with minimal government
interference. … The flood-prone Tulare Lake Basin is the one
part of the Central Valley that has a special exemption from
state-required flood control plans, leaving the area without a
clear public strategy for managing floodwaters.
A fast-forming and strengthening El Niño climate pattern could
peak this winter as one of the most intense ever observed,
according to an experimental forecast released Tuesday. The new
prediction system suggested it could reach top-tier “super” El
Niño strength, a level that in the past has unleashed deadly
fires, drought, heat waves, floods and mudslides around the
world. This time, El Niño is developing alongside an
unprecedented surge in global temperatures that scientists
say has increased the likelihood of brutal heat
waves and deadly floods of the kind seen in
recent weeks. Will that make El Niño’s typical extremes
even more dramatic in the winter?
For years, conversations about the Sustainable Groundwater
Management Act – known commonly as SGMA – have largely taken a
tone of speculation and even apprehension. The 2014 law, which
aims to slow California’s unlimited tapping of underground
aquifers, gives locally organized groundwater sustainability
agencies until 2042 to overhaul pumping practices for the
spectrum of groundwater users — from cities and rural
communities to dairies, small farms and agricultural
conglomerates. Ultimately, the consequences could be dire: the
non-profit Public Policy Institute of California predicted even
in the best-case scenario, as much as 500,000 acres of farmland
may need to be fallowed in order to adequately reduce
groundwater pumping.
The Water Education Foundation’s 39th annual Water
Summit will be held Wednesday, Oct. 25,
in Sacramento with the theme, Taking On the Improbable in
Western Water. Exclusive sponsorships are available for the
breaks, lunch and evening reception, all of which are prime
networking opportunities for the water professionals in
attendance. You can view details of the various
sponsorship levels and benefits here.
Also, join the team at the Water Education Foundation for
a virtual Q&A session on Oct. 31 to
get an overview of the popular but competitive California Water
Leaders program and tips on how to apply for the 2024
cohort.
A California bill is looking to make oceans cleaner by
requiring new washing machines to filter microfibers from their
emissions, a move designed to stop microfibers from falling off
clothes and harming ecosystems—but the state has faced pushback
from laundromats. AB 1628—which hasn’t yet been approved
by the governor—would require all new residential and
commercial washing machines sold on or before January 1, 2029,
to include a microfiber filtration system to reduce the amount
of microfibers that end up in oceans and freshwater, though
older models without the filter can still be used if they were
bought before the set date.
ExxonMobil lost a court bid Wednesday to truck millions of
gallons of crude oil through central California — a crucial
part of its efforts to restart offshore oil wells that were
shut in 2015 after a pipeline leak caused the worst coastal
spill in 25 years. A federal judge refused to overturn a 2022
decision by the Santa Barbara County Board Supervisors that
denied ExxonMobil’s request to use trucks to carry crude from
the three wells. A request for comment from ExxonMobil about
the decision wasn’t immediately returned. … But county
supervisors voted against issuing a permit amid concerns over
the effect on local traffic and the potential for spills and
accidents.
The Board of Supervisors Wednesday unanimously advanced a
proposed ordinance amendment that would align county
regulations with a court ruling in connection with water rights
in the Borrego Springs community. Supervisors also voted to
find that the amended ordinance complies with state
Environmental Quality Act guidelines. The supervisors will
consider adopting the updated ordinance during a second
reading, at their Oct. 11 meeting. In 2021, a San Diego
Superior Court judge ruled that users in the Borrego Springs
Subbasin have the right to pump groundwater.
Farmers in counties along the California-Oregon border have
reported millions of dollars of losses from a renewed torrent
of grasshoppers and Mormon crickets feeding on rangeland and
irrigated crops this season. “The problem is getting worse,”
said Marc Staunton, who farms in Tulelake. “As the landscape
dries up, they are just continuing to spread. If you thought
last year was disgusting, this year, it was unreal. “It was a
plague-like amount and totally destroyed crops,” he added.
Siskiyou County Agricultural Commissioner James Smith filed a
request last week with the California Office of Emergency
Services seeking a disaster declaration from the secretary of
the state Department of Food and Agriculture. The preliminary
damage to farmers in the county is estimated at $8.6 million in
reported crop losses of pasture, rangeland, alfalfa and small
grain crops.
Wildfires. Sea-level rise. Extreme heat. Drought. California is
already dealing with the consequences of climate change, and
our state’s future will be defined by how we adapt. To better
cover this vital story, the Los Angeles Times is launching a
new Climate California section. You can expect aggressive and
impactful reporting on climate change, the natural world,
health and science — and even more of the sophisticated,
ambitious and approachable coverage that has earned the Los
Angeles Times four Pulitzer Prizes in environmental journalism
in the last two decades. Climate California will include
coverage from our newly formed Environment, Health and Science
department, which includes existing Environment, Science and
Health reporters and several new contributors …
Two highly toxic chemicals polluting a former
NASA research site are also probably contaminating the Los
Angeles River and aquifer from which the region’s agricultural
growers draw their water, watchdog groups and a whistleblower
charge. … The Santa Susana field laboratory about 30
miles north of downtown Los Angeles is already notorious for
its radioactive waste, but the site, which is owned by the
federal government and Boeing, is also now suspected of
leaching polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and per- and
polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) “forever chemicals” into the
water.
The Zone 7 Water Agency recently unveiled its new
state-of-the-art water treatment facility, which will use an
ion exchange treatment process to remove PFAS chemicals from
the Stoneridge groundwater well in Pleasanton. … Nearly 30
Tri-Valley officials, residents and Zone 7 staff members
gathered for the event to celebrate the first-of-its-kind
facility in Northern California. Located on Stoneridge Drive
just west of Mohr Elementary School, the Ion Exchange PFAS
Treatment Facility uses tanks that are filled with small
ion-exchange polymers, which are designed to attract PFAS
chemicals, otherwise known as forever chemicals, in the water.
Here in the Santa Clarita Valley, we are fortunate to enjoy a
high quality of life. We pride ourselves on having created a
wonderful place to live, work and raise a family, which can be
attributed in part to maintaining a reliable supply of
high-quality water. … At SCV Water, we serve over
one-quarter of a million customers throughout the valley, and
up to 50% of our water supply each year is imported from the
State Water Project, which is owned and operated by the
California Department of Water Resources. … [I]f the Delta
Conveyance Project had been operational during the rain events
of January 2023, the improved SWP could have transported an
additional 228,000 acre-feet of water while still meeting
fishery and water quality requirements. -Written by Matt Stone, general manager of SCV
Water
Across Monterey County, there are few topics more talked about
or litigated than water. David Schmalz here, and I’ve
covered water in most corners of the county for the better part
of the last decade, and in my opinion, the topic has never been
more interesting or eventful than it is right now, at least on
the Monterey Peninsula. I’m going to be covering a lot of
ground here—err, water, I mean—but I’ll keep it as tight as I
can. There’s a lot to catch you up on. First, on Sept. 13, the
Monterey Peninsula Water Management District released its draft
“resolution of necessity,” a document that, if approved,
is the first step in the eminent domain process for a public
buyout of Cal Am’s Monterey service area. -Written by columnist David Schmalz.
The state of California’s regulatory agencies, especially the
Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), boast that we have
the toughest network of environmental laws, designed to protect
public health, in the country. Yet over the decades, it has
been devilishly difficult for people with negative health
impacts resulting from pesticide exposures to prove it in
court. … [N]either DPR nor any county ag commissioners
consider the interactions and cumulative impacts of multiple
pesticides over time as required by the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A further CEQA requirement –
considering less toxic alternatives to specific pesticide
applications – is regularly and roundly ignored. -Written by Woody Rehanek, a farmworker for 18
years and a special ed teacher for 18 years for Pajaro Valley
USD. He is a member of SASS (Safe Ag Safe Schools) and CORA
(Campaign for Organic & Regenerative Agriculture).
[On Wednesday] the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
announced a Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act
(WIFIA) loan totaling $13 million to the United Water
Conservation District in Oxnard, California. This funding will
support the planning and design to modernize the district’s
largest surface water source, the Santa Felicia Dam, and expand
the local drinking water supply by 20%. Since its creation,
EPA’s WIFIA program has announced $19 billion in financing to
support over 110 projects that are strengthening drinking
water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure while creating
over 60,000 jobs.
Wildlife officers with the California Department of Fish and
Wildlife’s (CDFW) Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET) spearheaded
several enforcement investigations in August and September.
From Sept. 4-8, MET officers targeted several illegal cannabis
operations on rural private lands in Shasta, Tehama and Sutter
counties. Officers received a tip from a hunter who stumbled on
one of the trespass grow sites and reported it. As a result,
MET officers eradicated more than 5,500 illegal plants,
arrested four suspects, seized several firearms including one
stolen handgun, dismantled several water diversions and removed
thousands of pounds of trash.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has
announced the availability of up to $2 million in grant funding
for non-lethal beaver damage management (PDF)(opens in new
tab), in support of ecosystem restoration and protection under
the Nature-Based Solutions Initiative and CDFW’s beaver
restoration and human-wildlife conflict program objectives. The
North American beaver’s critically important role as an
ecosystem engineer and keystone species, particularly as
climate change, drought and wildfires increase in severity, has
gained rapidly growing recognition in recent years. Because
they are crucial to restoring and maintaining healthy
ecosystems and their functions, CDFW has implemented new
measures to maintain healthy beaver populations in suitable
habitat throughout California.
The Colorado River crosses seven states and Mexico and is 1,450
miles long – the sixth longest in the nation according to river
conservation organization American Rivers. More than a natural
spectacle, the river supplies drinking water for one in 10
Americans and just half of the river water nourishes nearly 90%
of the nation’s winter vegetable crops. But the constant demand
means the river also faces aridification and overconsumption.
Here’s everything you need to know about the river many call
the “lifeline of the Southwest.”
Who’s best suited to manage St. Helena’s financially strained
and politically sensitive water system: the City Council or the
people? A group of citizens is pushing for the council to form
a permanent water and wastewater commission that would serve as
a council-appointed board of directors overseeing water and
wastewater operations, financing and staffing. … WASH
has the council’s attention. On Tuesday the council agreed to
form a temporary working group to identify how citizens can
best support the water and sewer enterprises and make the
recommendation to the council about a potential permanent
advisory body.
More than a decade after California became the first state in
the nation to declare that access to clean, safe and affordable
drinking water was a human right, about a million residents
remain connected to failing water systems — many of which may
increase their risk of cancer, liver and kidney problems, or
other serious health issues. The number of failed water systems
has jumped about 25% since 2021, an increase driven partly by
the collection of more data. … The crisis has cast
a harsh light on the state’s ability to provide clean and
affordable drinking water to all its residents, particularly
those in the Central Valley, where widespread contaminants
afflict communities with substandard infrastructure and where
the heavy use of agricultural fertilizers and fumigants, as
well as the overpumping of aquifers, has worsened water
quality.
