Bay Area

On Sept. 8, an ungainly, 2,000-foot-long contraption will steam under the Golden Gate Bridge in what’s either a brilliant quest or a fool’s errand. Dubbed the Ocean Cleanup Project, this giant sea sieve consists of pipes that float at the surface of the water with netting below, corralling trash in the center of a U-shaped design.

The federal government has declared Novato Creek recovery habitat for threatened steelhead trout. One problem: The North Marin Water District doesn’t think it is suitable because its upper reaches go dry during the summer, the agency says.

The San Pablo Bay comprises the north end of the larger San Francisco Bay and its shores reach three North Bay counties. From the top of a hill near the Sonoma Raceway and overlooking Sonoma Creek, you can get a good look at this vast body of water and what’s left of its surrounding wetlands.

From the San Jose Mercury News:

California’s worsening drought and mandatory new state water rules are prompting Bay Area water agencies to beef up their conservation staffs — the employees sometimes called “water cops.”

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From the San Jose Mercury News, in a commentary by Richard Santos:

In the midst of exceptional drought conditions, a new, locally controlled, drought-proof water source for Silicon Valley could not have come at a better time. The Santa Clara Valley Water District, in partnership with the cities of San Jose and Santa Clara, is celebrating the completion of the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center.

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From the San Jose Mercury News:

When the San Francisco 49ers’ stadium opens next month in Santa Clara, almost all of it will be new except for one thing: the water used to irrigate the field and flush the toilets.

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From the Marin Independent Journal:

With no end to the extreme dry weather in sight, Marin water officials are waiting to see whether state leaders will make the move to allow local authorities to slap water wasters with unprecedented fines of up to $500 a day.

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From the San Francisco Chronicle:

The long-closed Francisco Reservoir on Russian Hill is a step closer to becoming a city park after the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission approved a land transfer Tuesday.

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