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Topic: Ecosystem

Overview April 24, 2014

Ecosystem

An ecosystem includes all of the living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) in a given area, interacting with each other, and also with their non-living environments (air, water and soil).

Ecosystems are dynamic and are impacted by disturbances such as a drought, an extraordinarily freezing  winter, and pests. Longer-term disturbances include climate change effects.

Ecosystems provide a variety of goods and services upon which people depend. Ecosystem management emphasizes managing natural resources at the level of the ecosystem itself and not just managing individual species.

The California Legislature was the first in the country to protect rare plants and animals through passage of the California Endangered Species Act in 1970. Congress followed suit in 1973 by passing the federal Endangered Species Act.

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Aquafornia news January 13, 2021 The Log

CDFW approves restoration project for Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has certified the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for a project aiming to restore the largest coastal wetlands complex in Los Angeles County and increase public access to outdoor recreation and natural spaces in one of the most densely populated areas in the world. The Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve (BWER) project will enhance and establish native coastal wetlands and upland habitat…

Related article: 

  • The Associated Press: Restoration of LA County Wetlands Receives Approval​
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Aquafornia news January 13, 2021 CalMatters

Opinion: 3 critical lessons California offers to improve restoration of land on a global scale

California has lost more than 90% of its wetlands since the arrival of European settlers. Wetlands play an increasingly crucial role in absorbing excess water and protecting coastal and inland communities from flooding. They also provide critical habitat for wildlife, including a variety of species found nowhere else on Earth, some of which are at risk of blinking out of existence…. we’ve identified three critical lessons California has to offer the world to improve restoration on a global scale…
-Written by Julie Rentner, president of River Partners, and Manuel Oliva, CEO of Point Blue Conservation Science.

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Aquafornia news January 12, 2021 Yale Climate Connections

Drought-stricken Colorado River Basin could see additional 20% drop in water flow by 2050

Colorado is no stranger to drought. The current one is closing in on 20 years, and a rainy or snowy season here and there won’t change the trajectory. This is what climate change has brought. “Aridification” is what Bradley Udall formally calls the situation in the western U.S. But perhaps more accurately, he calls it hot drought – heat-induced lack of water due to climate change.

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Aquafornia news January 11, 2021 LA Progressive

Blog: Klamath dam removal historic result of local activism

The Yurok people have lived in the 15,700 square miles Klamath River Basin, in what is now called Northern California, for millennia. They are among the key organizers in a coalition of Indigenous groups, environmentalists, concerned citizens and commercial fishers that have joined forces in a decades-long movement to Un-dam the Klamath. 

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Aquafornia news January 6, 2021 Water Technology

BlueGreen Water Technologies gets approval for Lake Guard Oxy

BlueGreen Water Technologies has secured approval from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation for its algaecide, Lake Guard Oxy, for commercial application in the US state. According to the firm, in the past year, there has been a marked rise in the severity of toxic algal blooms, also called as ‘blue green algae’ and ‘red tide’ in several of the state’s lakes as well as on the coasts.

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Aquafornia news January 6, 2021 Inside Climate News

Harnessing rice fields to resurrect California’s endangered salmon

California’s labyrinthine system of dams and levees cut off once roaring rivers from millions of acres of their floodplains, drastically reducing the habitat and food salmon need to thrive. Climate change may hasten extinctions by raising water temperatures and disrupting flows with bigger floods and more frequent and severe droughts, which also threaten to reignite conflicts over increasingly scarce water. But such dire prospects have inspired a novel alliance in one of the most productive agricultural valleys in the country, which has turned adversaries into allies to offer salmon and other threatened wildlife a lifeline.

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Aquafornia news January 6, 2021 Maven's Notebook

Carbon capture in the Delta is up; recreation in the Delta, not so much

Under Proposition One, passed by the voters in 2014, the Delta Conservancy was allocated $50 million for ecosystem restoration in the Delta. Currently, the Conservancy has awarded funding to 29 projects for about $39 million of that $50 million with a potential ecological benefit on up to 8,000 acres as a result.

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Aquafornia news January 5, 2021 San Diego Union-Tribune

Lake Hodges water levels dry up prospects for grebes

For years, pairs of grebes would zoom across the water at Lake Hodges in a dazzling mating dance, and then build their nests on mats of dried brush suspended above the waterline. This year, some of the birds are still pairing up, but their nesting area near Interstate 15 no longer floods with seasonal rains, and can’t sustain them. The eastern finger of the lake, which long alternated between riparian woodland and seasonal ponds, is permanently drained because of state-ordered changes to the water level.

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Aquafornia news January 5, 2021 California Trout

Blog: What do winter storms mean for fish?

A winter storm is expected to blow through Northern California, bringing much-needed rain to the Valley and snow to the Sierra. Rain coming in waves like it is this week is huge for fish.  To date, we are really behind in precipitation across most of the state.

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Aquafornia news January 5, 2021 San Diego Community News

Port of San Diego, California State Coastal Conservancy collaborate to create a native oyster living shoreline

The Port of San Diego is one step closer to creating a living shoreline to attract and establish native oyster populations while also protecting the shoreline from impacts related to future sea level rise. The first nature-based solution of its kind in San Diego Bay, the native oyster living shoreline pilot project and study is in collaboration with the California State Coastal Conservancy.

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Aquafornia news January 4, 2021 The Sacramento Bee

Why disease is killing California’s wild ducks and shorebirds

A decade ago, a diverse coalition of tribes, farmers and conservationists hashed out water-sharing settlements that would have given the [Klamath basin] refuges a steady supply of water each year, and in the process stopped years of lawsuits, protests and acrimony. But Congress killed their efforts. Now the refuges — and Lower Klamath in particular — are at risk of drying up. And the fighting over water will only continue as the watershed grows increasingly dry from climate change.

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Aquafornia news January 4, 2021 E&E News

Bernhardt’s ‘plan for 1,461 days’ and one remarkable year

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt started off 2020 empowering his most controversial public lands deputy, a move that a federal judge later deemed “unlawful.” He’s ending the year in quarantine, having tested positive for COVID-19. In between these bleak-sounding bookends, the 51-year-old Bernhardt rewrote how the Interior Department works. While the results get mixed reviews, and in some cases may get erased by the incoming Biden administration, 2020 was undeniably consequential for the department.

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Aquafornia news December 21, 2020 California WaterBlog

Picture this research – a photo blog from the Center for Watershed Sciences

Holidays are a natural time of introspection on who we are, what we do, and why. Towards a bit of our own self-reflection, some researchers from UC Davis’ Center for Watershed Sciences (CWS) have each contributed a photo and short description of their work. We hope you enjoy reading about us and learning even more about us. It is hopefully a soft bookend to a wild 2020!

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Aquafornia news December 21, 2020 High Country News

Will California finally fulfill its promise to fix the Salton Sea?

The Salton Sea’s shoreline is receding, exposing a dusty lakebed known as the “playa.”…The problem isn’t new. Yet California, though largely responsible for fixing it, has barely touched the more than 25 square miles of exposed playa. It’s been almost two decades since an agreement was signed in 2003, committing the Imperial Irrigation District, the Colorado River’s largest user, to conserve water that once flowed from farms into the lake and send it to other districts. Knowing the lake would recede, the state committed to mitigating the health and environmental impacts. 

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Aquafornia news December 21, 2020 The Sacramento Bee

Nothing wild: Can California fix wild habitat, save water and stop fires?

There’s an ecological crisis underway in California’s lonely corner of the American West. Invasive grasses are causing fires to explode. Wild horses are trampling fragile habitats. Thousands of water birds are dying miserable deaths. Wolves are settling down in hostile territory. Sacramento Bee reporter Ryan Sabalow examines the hardline politics, romantic notions of the West and intractable idealism that have made these problems harder to solve.

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Aquafornia news December 18, 2020 Audubon Magazine

A struggling California marsh gets an overhaul to prepare for rising seas

The sun shines meekly through a veil of morning fog and wildfire smoke while several figures in orange vests, hard hats, and face masks move slowly through a marsh on the north shore of San Francisco Bay. …It’s early October at the mouth of Sonoma Creek, where an unusual conservation project that broke ground five years ago is nearing the finish line. Audubon California and partner agencies are turning what was once a 400-acre stagnant backwater into a thriving wetland ecosystem that will serve as a refuge from rising seas for decades to come.

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Aquafornia news December 18, 2020 Water Forum

News release: Water Forum names Jessica Law as executive director

The Water Forum is pleased to announce the selection of Jessica Law as its new Executive Director. The Water Forum is a diverse group of local governments, environmentalists, water managers, businesses and others working together to balance the coequal goals of providing reliable water supplies for the Sacramento region and preserving the environment of the Lower American River.

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Aquafornia news December 18, 2020 Northern California Water Association

Blog: Our blessings in the Sacramento Valley: water + land + sunlight

 As we reflect on this tumultuous year, we have much to be thankful and a lot to learn. Along with the truly special people that grace our lives, we are all thankful for the Sacramento Valley’s unique combination of water, land and sun–the essential ingredients for bountiful life and the amazing biodiversity of our region.

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Aquafornia news December 18, 2020 Redding Record Searchlight

California groups seek $1.5B in spending on wildfire prevention

A group of agriculture, timber and environmental organizations is asking the state to commit to spending up to $1.5 billion on wildfire prevention programs in the next year. Representatives from those groups said Wednesday that bureaucratic red tape and funding issues have held up needed fire prevention projects to prevent the types of deadly wildfires California has endured the past five years.

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Aquafornia news December 16, 2020 Public Policy Institute of California

Blog: Droughts aren’t just about water anymore

In recent years, researchers have been learning more about how an increasingly “thirsty atmosphere” in California and the West is influencing drought. We talked to Mike Dettinger—a climate scientist and a member of the PPIC Water Policy Center’s research network—about this phenomenon.

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Aquafornia news December 14, 2020 California WaterBlog

Blog: Making “productive” assessments of California’s ecosystems

Conservation science and restoration ecology are challenging and interdisciplinary fields. Managing for ecological function necessitates focus on multiple scales of ecological organization while simultaneously integrating feedback loops with critical environmental drivers like temperature, flow and habitat change. This means scientists working on these issues can emerge from diverse areas of inquiry including ecology, engineering, hydrological sciences, fisheries, geology, geography, and law.

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Aquafornia news December 14, 2020 Marin Independent Journal

West Marin salmon habitat project hits milestone

A project to remove a major barrier to the recovery of endangered coho salmon was completed Friday in West Marin. The years-long effort led by the Olema-based Salmon Protection and Watershed Network, or SPAWN, removed artificial obstacles on a section of San Geronimo Creek for the first time in 120 years. They had stymied the migration and survival of coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout.

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Aquafornia news December 14, 2020 Klamath Falls Herald and News

Does Klamath dam removal even need an extra $45 million?

After the signatories to the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement officially recommitted to removing four dams on the Klamath River last month, local politicians brought up concerns with Oregon, California and PacifiCorp committing more funds to the project…Much of the skepticism has centered around the ability of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, a dam removal entity created to carry out the KHSA, to complete the project.

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Aquafornia news December 11, 2020 Valley News

Study shows promising solutions for water quality improvements in Lake Elsinore

The Lake Elsinore & San Jacinto Watersheds Authority recently wrapped up a one-year study that evaluated the Lake Elsinore fishery and identified potential solutions to improve the lake’s ecosystem and overall water quality in Lake Elsinore.

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Aquafornia news December 10, 2020 Gold Country Media

Placer Land Trust dedicates expanded Laursen Bear River Preserve

Placer Land Trust has permanently protected a 185-acre addition to the Laursen Bear River Preserve north of Auburn, making the total preserve 546 acres. The expanded Laursen Bear River Preserve, along with other adjacent preserves, creates a block of more than 8,000 contiguous acres of protected lands in the Bear River and Raccoon Creek watersheds.

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Aquafornia news December 10, 2020 The Acorn

Corps report details Rindge Dam removal

The U.S Army Corps of Engineers has approved a report that opens the door for the removal of Rindge Dam on Malibu Creek. The Corps’ signing of the Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Report puts removal of the dam closer to reality. The document still must be approved by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and U.S. Congress before actual demolition work can begin. 

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Aquafornia news December 9, 2020 Northern California Water Association

Advancing water supplies for Gray Lodge Wildlife Area

The Biggs-West Gridley Water District, Ducks Unlimited and the Bureau of Reclamation recently announced the completion of Phase II (of five total phases) of the water supply project for the world-renowned Gray Lodge Wildlife Area. 

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Aquafornia news December 8, 2020 NPR

California’s ancient redwoods face new challenge from wildfires and warming climate

After this year’s historic wildfires, California’s oldest state park — Big Basin Redwoods — looks more like a logging village than an iconic hiking and camping mecca. It’s estimated the wildfire, awkwardly named the CZU Lightning Complex Fire, burned through 97% of Big Basin’s more than 18,000 acres, scorching its 4,400 acres of ancient redwoods and obliterating most of the park’s infrastructure for camping and recreation.

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Aquafornia news December 8, 2020 The Press Enterprise

Fish restocked in Lake Elsinore to improve water quality

Lake Elsinore is being restocked with fish — the latest in continuing efforts to help improve the lake’s water quality and ecosystem. Early Friday, Dec. 4, the lake was stocked with bluegill, black crappie, striped bass and redear sunfish. The species were chosen after a year-long population study found that some types of fish — including channel catfish, largemouth bass, silverside minnows and mosquitofish — were overpopulating the lake.

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Aquafornia news December 7, 2020 Delta Science Program

Survey: Delta Independent Science Board Assessment

The Delta Science Program is conducting a survey to understand perceptions of the Delta Independent Science Board (Delta ISB) and usage of Delta ISB reviews among Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta stakeholders.

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Aquafornia news December 4, 2020 Northern California Water Association

Blog: Celebrating Healthy Soils Week in the Sacramento Valley

The California Department of Food and Agriculture and more than twenty partners are hosting Healthy Soils Week 2020 to highlight the importance and multiple benefits of soil health on the farm to the ecosystem. The leaders in the Sacramento Valley have fully embraced nature-based solutions as called for by Governor Newsom in his October 7 Executive Order and healthy soils are important for population health and multi-benefit water management.

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Aquafornia news December 3, 2020 CBS News

Severe wildfires burning 8 times more area in western U.S., study finds

According to a new study, there’s been an eight-fold increase since the mid-1980s in annual area burned by high-severity wildfires — defined as a fire that kills more than 95% of trees. The transformation in fire behavior has happened fast, with this exponential increase happening in just one generation over the course of 30 years. These more intense fires have a lasting impact on the ecosystem…Five of the six largest fires in California history and three of the four largest in Colorado history all burned this year.

Related article: 

  • Eos: “Thirstier” Atmosphere Will Increase Wildfire Risk out West
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Aquafornia news December 3, 2020 KPBS

San Diego coastal marshes may become important tools to battle climate change

San Diego researchers and environmentalists are taking a close look at a pocket habitat that may become an important tool as the climate changes.

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Aquafornia news December 3, 2020 State Water Resources Control Board

News release: Aquatic toxicity plan will upgrade protections for fish, other aquatic life

The State Water Resources Control Board approved a comprehensive plan to ensure lab testing and analysis for toxicity in waterways are completed using the same protocols and standards statewide. This will help address toxicity in California’s waterways and significantly improve protections for fish and other aquatic life.

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Aquafornia news December 3, 2020 Congressional Research Service

Report: Salton Sea restoration

The federal role in restoring the Salton Sea is limited to a handful of projects that address issues on lands in and around the sea that are managed by federal agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, and Department of Defense. Unlike in areas such as Lake Tahoe, the Everglades, and the Chesapeake Bay, the federal government does not have a comprehensive program to restore the Salton Sea.

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Aquafornia news December 2, 2020 Bay Area Monitor

Cattle ponds double as habitat for threatened amphibians

When ecologist Jackie Charbonneau learned that cattle ponds in the East Bay hills are vital to rare amphibians, it came as a surprise. Stock ponds can be so muddy and trampled that “they can look like a bomb hit them,” said Charbonneau… But the stock ponds dotting East Bay rangelands are in trouble…. Today Charbonneau is part of a multi-agency team that restores these unconventional wildlife habitats.

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Aquafornia news December 1, 2020 Christian Science Monitor

California blazes prompt rethinking of who ‘owns’ wildfire

The West has endured three decades of deepening hardship as ailing forests, climate change, and unrestrained development force a reckoning with wildfires gaining in scale and intensity. Five of the six largest wildfires in California’s history have occurred this year… A national strategy to reform wildland fire management … identifies wildfire and prescribed fire as essential to the resilience of forests, grasslands, and watersheds.

Related article:

  • Science Daily: Area burned by severe fire increased 8-fold in western US over past four decades
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Aquafornia news November 30, 2020 Bay City News Service

Over $10 million granted to preserve salmon in California

Over $10 million in grants was awarded to 27 projects dedicated to benefiting the state’s salmon habitats, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced this week.

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Aquafornia news November 30, 2020 Los Angeles Times

Eroding coast paves way for ‘managed retreat’ in California

With the realities of climate change looming ever closer, California transportation officials are now moving a key stretch of highway more than 350 feet inland — one of the first major efforts by the state to relocate, or “manage retreat,” critical infrastructure far enough from the coast to make room for the next 100 years of sea level rise.

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Aquafornia news November 30, 2020 High Country News

A little fish that’s mighty as a mountain

In early November, the Domestic Names Committee of the U.S. Board of Geographic Names voted unanimously to name a peak in Nevada’s Amargosa Valley, outside of Death Valley National Park, for the endangered Devils Hole and the Ash Meadows Amargosa pupfishes.

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Aquafornia news November 30, 2020 Redding Record-Searchlight

Groups bash Trump administration report on raising height of Shasta Dam

While Republican members of Congress praised the most recent step toward approving raising the height of Shasta Dam, fishing and environmental groups criticized it as the illegal actions of a “lame duck federal agency.”

Related articles:

  • Sierra Nevada Ally: Blog: Raising Shasta Dam – completely erasing the Winnemem Wintu   
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Aquafornia news November 30, 2020 The Desert Sun

Audit of CalGEM says California oil regulators issued improper permits

California oil regulators ignored their own regulations and issued improper permits for hundreds of new wells last year, according to an audit … finalized this week. … The audit was requested after stories in The Desert Sun revealed that CalGEM employees used so-called “dummy” folders to approve new injection wells for several oil companies that do risky steam injection.

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Aquafornia news November 30, 2020 Sierra Sun

Invasive species removal begins in Taylor Creek marsh

Crews began work this month in the marsh system of Taylor and Tallac creeks in the Southwest portion of the Tahoe Basin to remove aquatic invasive plants from an abundant and impacted marsh ecosystem, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency announced.

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Aquafornia news November 25, 2020 Monterey County Weekly

State water penalty kicks in as Cal Am misses deadline on desalination plant construction

A recent exchange of letters between a public utility and a state water authority highlights the continued stalemate in the effort by the Monterey Peninsula to develop a new water supply and end the overdrafting of the Carmel River.

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Aquafornia news November 25, 2020 The Sun-Gazette

Pixley National Wildlife Refuge: A wintertime treasure

While many people look towards the mountains for accessing beautiful nature, the San Joaquin Valley Floor is home to many amazing sights of nature and in particular, birds. Not only is Tulare County home to over 100 types of birds, it is part of the Pacific Flyway – one of the most important bird migration paths in the world.

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Aquafornia news November 25, 2020 California Natural Resources Agency

News release: California partners with NASA to enlist earth-observing satellites in climate change efforts

A new partnership with Pasadena-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA JPL) will help state agencies better understand climate change impacts and identify opportunities to build resilience, conserve biodiversity and use California’s natural and working lands to store and remove carbon from the atmosphere.

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Aquafornia news November 25, 2020 Arizona Republic

Tribes battle agencies, old policies to restore fire practices

By burning and brushing, nurturing important plants and keeping lands around their homes clear of dead brush and debris, Native peoples carefully stewarded the lands to sustain the biodiverse ecologies California is known for. Their work resulted in a richly productive landscape that provided food and habitat for not only humans but many land, air and water animals. That included the salmon, a staple of tribes in the West for millennia. All that changed when California became a U.S. state in 1850.

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Aquafornia news November 25, 2020 California Sportfishing Protection Alliance

Blog: CSPA opposes Turlock and Modesto Irrigation Districts’ petition for waiver of Clean Water Act

Joining a growing list, Turlock and Modesto Irrigation Districts filed a Petition with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission asking that the commission find that the State of California has waived certification under the Clean Water Act. … The Districts are seeking a new FERC license for two hydropower projects on the Tuolumne River, the Don Pedro Project and the La Grange Project.

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Aquafornia news November 25, 2020 KUNC

As Lake Powell recedes, river runners race to document long-hidden rapids

Climate change and overuse are causing one of the Colorado River’s biggest reservoirs, Lake Powell, to drop. While water managers worry about scarcity issues, two Utah river rafters are documenting the changes that come as the massive reservoir hits historic low points.

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Aquafornia news November 25, 2020 Turlock Journal

Environmentalists take aim at the Del Puerto Canyon dam project

The proposed Del Puerto Canyon Reservoir [in western Stanislaus County] would store 82,000 acre-feet of water for downstream agricultural users. The coalition said the dam would flood an “important cultural and recreation site for the surrounding community and destroying valuable wildlife habitat.”

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Aquafornia news November 25, 2020 E&E News

Blue states try again to kill Trump WOTUS rewrite

A coalition of blue states today renewed their efforts to block the Trump administration rule that redefined the scope of the Clean Water Act.

Related articles:

  • California Attorney General: News release: Attorney General Becerra files motion for summary judgment in lawsuit challenging Trump administration assault on Clean Water Act protections
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Aquafornia news November 25, 2020 KRCR TV

10 Humboldt fisheries restoration projects receive nearly $2.8 million in CDFW funding

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Tuesday it’s awarding $10.7 million for fisheries habitat restoration program projects. Ten out of the 27 projects selected by the CDFW are in Humboldt County and will receive a total of nearly $2.7 million of the funding.

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  • California Department of Fish and Wildlife: News release: CDFW awards $10.7 million for fisheries habitat restoration projects
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Aquafornia news November 24, 2020 Bay Nature

Will December bring rain to record-dry California?

All of Northern California is now in some kind of drought, according to the federal Drought Monitor, with the Bay Area in “severe” drought conditions and much of the Coast Range and Central Valley in “extreme” conditions.

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  • Weather West: Blog: Very dry weather across California through mid-December
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Aquafornia news November 24, 2020 City Watch LA

Opinion: What’s in a name?

The history of our city is one of oil, land and water scandals, of genocide and segregation. … Should we change the names of any buildings, streets or charities bearing the names Chandler, Huntington, Mulholland or Hellman?

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Aquafornia news November 24, 2020 Civil Eats

Liquid gold on tribal land

With its Séka Hills olive oil, the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation [in Northern California’s Capay Valley] is reclaiming its ancestral land with a crop for the future. … Wherever possible, the tribe uses sustainable farming practices, and has received several grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service for water and rangeland conservation…

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Aquafornia news November 24, 2020 Bakersfield Californian

Hatchery closes down again following three years of renovations

A Kernville hatchery that has served local anglers for almost a century will soon close down again 20 months after it reopened following three years of renovations. The Kern River Hatchery … must close for repairs Dec. 1 mainly because a 50-year-old pipeline that delivers water to the facility needs to be replaced…

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Aquafornia news November 24, 2020 Orange County Register

Refillable water bottle station to be added at Main Beach to keep plastics out of the ocean

A refillable water station will replace a drinking fountain at Main Beach as part of Laguna Beach’s ongoing effort to reduce single-use plastics from littering beaches and the ocean and ultimately harming marine mammals. The water station – planned for a January installation – is thanks to a collaborative effort by the Laguna Bluebelt Coalition and several other community groups…

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Aquafornia news November 23, 2020 Western Water

Monday Top of the Scroll: Milestone Colorado River management plan mostly worked amid epic drought, review finds

Twenty years ago, the Colorado River’s hydrology began tumbling into a historically bad stretch. … So key players across seven states, including California, came together in 2005 to attack the problem. The result was a set of Interim Guidelines adopted in 2007… Stressing flexibility instead of rigidity, the guidelines stabilized water deliveries in a drought-stressed system and prevented a dreaded shortage declaration by the federal government that would have forced water supply cuts.

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Aquafornia news November 23, 2020 California WaterBlog

Blog: Getting to the bottom of what fuels algal blooms in Clear Lake

Clear Lake continues to struggle with long-lasting impacts of nutrient pollution. High concentrations of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus fuel large algal blooms and contribute to poor water quality in the lake.

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Aquafornia news November 23, 2020 Action News Now

Sacramento River salmon restoration will continue with new $10M federal grant

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has provided a $10 million grant to Chico State and its partners to re-establish juvenile salmon and salmonid habitats along the Sacramento River.

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Aquafornia news November 23, 2020 Valley Voice

Over $1M in grants secured for Kings River improvements

The Kings River Conservation District, along with co-applicant Tulare Lake RCD, received this grant to help remove invasive species and debris from levees and riverbank along the Kings River, improve water flow, strengthen flood protection, increase carbon capture, and improve delivery of clean water to downstream users.

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Aquafornia news November 23, 2020 NBC Bay Area

Klamath tribes team with state to bring fire out of the shadows

Twice each year, Elizabeth Azzuz leads an unusual expedition into the Klamath River forest in Humboldt County, where her tribe has lived for thousands of generations. To set it on fire. “Help us guide our hands as we bring the greatest tool left to us, to the land, which is fire,” Azzuz says, calling on the spirits of the elders.

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  • Chico Enterprise-Record: Chico State professor brings prescribed, cultural burning to Butte County
  • CalMatters: Opinion: After this year’s wildfires, California must spend to manage forest health
  • South Yuba River Citizens League: News release: North Yuba Forest Partnership receives $1.13 million for forest health, wildfire resilience treatments
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Aquafornia news November 23, 2020 The Fresno Bee

Opinion: Tom Birmingham: Why restoring tidal marsh is good for SJ Valley farmers

Why would a public water agency that exists primarily to serve irrigation water to farmers on the west side of Fresno and Kings counties undertake an ecosystem restoration project in the Delta?

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Aquafornia news November 23, 2020 Courthouse News Service

Conservationists challenge ‘destructive’ Central California dam project

A proposed dam in California’s Central Valley is billed as a vital agricultural resource. But conservationists say it would also flood important cultural and recreational sites for surrounding communities and destroy wildlife habitat.

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  • Center for Biological Diversity: News release: Lawsuit challenges destructive dam project in California’s Stanislaus County
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Aquafornia news November 23, 2020 South Yuba River Citizens League

News release: North Yuba Forest Partnership receives $1.13 million for forest health, wildfire resilience treatments

The North Yuba Forest Partnership has entered into an agreement to receive $1.13 million to plan future forest health and wildfire resilience treatments within the North Yuba River watershed. This funding originated from the US Forest Service’s Fireshed Program.

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Aquafornia news November 23, 2020 Capitol Weekly

Podcast: Craig Tucker on Klamath dam agreement

Karuk Tribe natural resources spokesperson Craig Tucker joined John Howard to talk about the historic agreement, its impact on the region’s Salmon fisheries, and the potential for replication in other places where dams are contested.

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  • San Francisco Chronicle: Editorial: A free-flowing Klamath River, at last
  • CalMatters: Opinion: Why are taxpayers footing Klamath River dam removal cost?
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Aquafornia news November 23, 2020 The Fresno Bee

How to comment on sustainable groundwater plans in Madera

After decades of new and deeper wells, degraded water quality and groundwater level declines, residents in the [Madera] area have a chance to influence how local groundwater will be managed and used for decades to come — and the deadline to participate is quickly approaching.

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Aquafornia news November 20, 2020 California Department of Fish and Wildlife

News release: Wildlife Conservation Board funds environmental improvement and acquisition projects

At its Nov. 18 meeting, the Wildlife Conservation Board approved $19 million in grants to help restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat throughout California. Some of the 26 projects will benefit fish and wildlife — including some endangered species — while others will provide public access to important natural resources.

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Aquafornia news November 20, 2020 KCRA TV

What’s that digging in the Delta?

Work crews have been busy this week along Twin Cities Road near Courtland. They are conducting core sampling, the first step in drafting an environmental impact report for a tunnel plan known as the Delta Conveyance Project.

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Aquafornia news November 20, 2020 U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

News release: Trump administration finalizes Shasta Dam raise plan to increase water storage for Californians and the environment

The Trump Administration Thursday released the Shasta Lake Water Resources Investigation Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement to increase water storage capacity in the Shasta Lake reservoir by 634,000 acre-feet,

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Aquafornia news November 20, 2020 Northern California Water Association

Blog: State investing in Sacramento Valley salmon recovery

The California Natural Resources Agency recently announced the investment of almost $50 million in Proposition 68 funding for projects to promote salmon recovery. More than $220 million in Proposition 1 and Proposition 68 funds have also been dedicated for multi-benefit flood protection projects in the past two years that will benefit salmon.

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  • Estuary Magazine: Study: Estimates of salmon lost to Delta pumps outdated
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Aquafornia news November 20, 2020 The Desert Sun

Rep. Ruiz introduces Salton Sea bill in Congress to provide funding

HR 8775, the Salton Sea Public Health and Environmental Protection Act, would create an interagency working group called the Salton Sea Management Council to coordinate projects around the lake’s receding shoreline.

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Aquafornia news November 20, 2020 Phys.org

Climate change and ‘atmospheric thirst’ to increase fire danger and drought in NV and CA

In a new study published in Earth’s Future…climate change projections show consistent future increases in atmospheric evaporative demand (or the “atmospheric thirst”) over California and Nevada. These changes were largely driven by warmer temperatures, and would likely lead to significant on-the-ground environmental impacts.

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  • NOAA Climate Program Office: Blog: Higher atmospheric thirst from climate change to increase fire danger and drought in California and Nevada
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Aquafornia news November 20, 2020 San Francisco Chronicle

First rain of season unveils a new pollution problem: Masks and gloves — pandemic PPE

Early season storms typically sweep a slurry of debris from streets and sidewalks into rivers, creeks and bays. This year, the fall flush not only contains the usual gunk, waste experts say, but a whole lot of discarded PPE — or personal protective equipment, the detritus of the pandemic.

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Aquafornia news November 20, 2020 Bloomberg Law

Federal water rule expected to stay murky through Biden term

A Biden administration won’t be able to untangle the legal and regulatory “mess” under part of the Clean Water Act that determines which streams, wetlands and other waters get federal protection, legal scholars and litigators say.

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Aquafornia news November 20, 2020 Somach Simmons & Dunn

Blog: Is third time the charm for Klamath dam removal project?

On Nov. 17, California, Oregon, PacifiCorp, and the Yurok and Karuk Tribes announced a new agreement with the Klamath River Renewal Corporation to reaffirm KRRC’s status as dam removal entity and provide additional funding for the removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River. The agreement is the latest development in a decade-long effort…

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Aquafornia news November 19, 2020 The Washington Post

U.S. Forest Service finalizes rule that minimizes public say in logging and roadbuilding in forests

The rule change, which goes into effect Thursday, gives Forest Service officials authority to use loopholes called categorical exclusions to bypass NEPA requirements. Categorical exclusions are projects deemed to have no environmental impact, and as the rule is written, they can be applied across the nearly 200 million acres of forest that the Forest Service manages…Forests are a source of drinking water for more than 150 million people.

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  • E&E News: How the Biden admin could upend Trump’s chemical decisions
  • Associated Press: Trump pushes new environmental rollbacks on way out the door
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Aquafornia news November 19, 2020 Arizona Public Radio

USGS report: Climate change will reduce groundwater in Lower Colorado River Basin

The lower Colorado River Basin, which is primarily in Arizona, is projected to have as much as sixteen percent less groundwater infiltration by midcentury compared to the historical record. That’s because warming temperatures will increase evaporation while rain- and snowfall are expected to remain the same or decrease slightly.

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Aquafornia news November 19, 2020 UC Davis News

News release: Grazing and riparian restoration are compatible when you put in the work

Rangeland ecologists at the University of California, Davis, found that when ranchers invest even one week a year in practices that keep cows away from creeks — like herding, fencing and providing supplemental nutrition and water — they can improve riparian health by as much as 53 percent.

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Aquafornia news November 19, 2020 GVWire.com

Zero Delta smelt found in latest search; new habitat hopes to change that

An annual search for a tiny endangered and contentious fish in the sprawling California Delta has once again come up empty. The state’s annual Fall Midwater Trawl found no Delta smelt in September’s sampling of the critical waterway. … Hoping to reverse the trend, Westlands Water District and the California Department of Water Resources announced completion of a Delta habitat restoration project on Wednesday.

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  • Westlands Water District: News release: Westlands Water District and the California Department of Water Resources partnered to complete Delta habitat restoration project
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Aquafornia news November 19, 2020 CBS San Francisco

Thousands of Coho salmon released into Pescadero Creek in restoration project

There really hasn’t been many salmon in Pescadero Creek north of Santa Cruz for years. On Tuesday, that changed. … Ranchers, farmers and all manner of public agencies finally got on the same page and major portions of the creek are now restored.

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Aquafornia news November 19, 2020 E&E News

This is America’s riskiest place for wildfires

Placer County, Calif., is a postcard place of picturesque parks and trails, quaint towns and wineries, high-elevation lakes, and ski resorts in the Sierra Nevada.

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Aquafornia news November 19, 2020 E&E News

Historic deal refreshes plans for major dam removal

America’s largest dam removal project has been brought back to life with a new agreement among California, Oregon, tribes and a utility owned by billionaire Warren Buffett. The decadeslong effort to remove four dams on the Klamath River in Northern California that have had a devastating impact on salmon runs had appeared in danger following an unexpected July regulatory order.

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  • Ducks Unlimited: Blog: Riches to rags: The decline of the Klamath Basin refuges
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Aquafornia news November 19, 2020 SJV Water

Kern farmers tapped for $14 million to study Delta tunnel

The Kern County Water Agency board of directors voted unanimously to approve an agreement with the Department of Water Resources to pay $14 million over 2021 and 2020 as its initial share of the early planning and design phase for what’s now being called the Delta Conveyance Facility.

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Aquafornia news November 19, 2020 Ducks Unlimited

Blog: Riches to rags: The decline of the Klamath Basin refuges

How did two of the most important waterfowl refuges in the United States reach such a sad state? The decline of the Tule Lake and Lower Klamath refuges was a hundred years in the making. There are no villains here; rather it is simply a tale of too little water to go around on an arid landscape.

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Aquafornia news November 19, 2020 Dredging Today

Malibu Creek project one step closer

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District and its partner, the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Angeles District, are one step closer on a project to restore Malibu Creek’s ecosystem after receiving support from the Corps’ top brass.

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Aquafornia news November 18, 2020 The Sacramento Bee

PG&E hires new CEO to confront wildfire risk

PG&E Corp. named a new CEO on Wednesday, hiring a Michigan utility executive to run California’s largest utility as it confronts the state’s mounting wildfire risks following a stint in bankruptcy. Patricia K. “Patti” Poppe, who has been CEO of Michigan-based CME Energy Corp., will take over Jan. 4.

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Aquafornia news November 18, 2020 Central Coast Public Radio

King tides project documenting a rising sea level future

“King tides are about one-to-two feet higher than an average tide, and it turns out that is about what we expect to see in California in the next few decades from sea level rise,” said Annie Cohut Frankel of the California Coastal Commission. “We invite the public to look at how these high tides are impacting our public beaches, our beach access ways, wetlands, roads and other coastal infrastructure.”

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Aquafornia news November 18, 2020 Nevada Today

Blog: Researchers quantify carbon changes in Sierra Nevada meadow soils

Meadows in the Sierra Nevada are critical components of watersheds. In addition to supplying water to over 25 million people in California and Nevada, meadows contain large quantities of carbon belowground. … A new study led by researchers at the University of Nevada Reno demonstrates for the first time that meadows throughout the region are both gaining and losing carbon at high rates.

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Aquafornia news November 18, 2020 E&E News

How Biden could undo Trump’s water regulations

The incoming Biden administration is widely expected to undo President Trump’s regulatory rollbacks on a range of water rules including stream and wetland protections, drinking water contamination, and the permitting of controversial energy and flood projects.

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Aquafornia news November 18, 2020 The Sacramento Bee

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: California, Oregon will take over dams on Klamath River – and tear them down

Gov. Gavin Newsom and his Oregon counterpart signed a landmark deal Tuesday to take control of four aging dams targeted for removal on the Lower Klamath River, an agreement designed to push the controversial $450 million plan over the finish line. … The agreement “ensures that we have sufficient backing” to get the four dams demolished, said Chuck Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

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  • Courthouse News Service: California, Oregon, tribes join plan to restore Klamath River
  • Klamath Falls Herald & News: Klamath dam removal back on track
  • San Francisco Chronicle: Klamath River dams closer to removal after Newsom, Oregon governor sign deal
  • Associated Press: Klamath River deal revives plan for major dam demolition to save salmon
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Aquafornia news November 18, 2020 Patch.com

The battle over protecting Ballona Wetlands — and if they need it

For decades it’s been an environmental jewel wedged between the urban sprawl of Marina Del Rey and Playa Del Rey. But now the Ballona Wetlands State Ecological Reserve, home to diverse plant and animal wildlife, has become a battleground for conservationists and other activists.

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Aquafornia news November 18, 2020 Water Finance & Management

Senators propose level EPA funding for 2021, no WIFIA cuts

The U.S. EPA’s water infrastructure financing programs would be in line for approximately level funding next year under a plan for FY21 appropriations released by Senate Republicans last week. … The Republicans’ proposal would provide EPA with just under $9.1 billion next year, roughly in line with the agency’s FY20 appropriation.

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Aquafornia news November 17, 2020 Deseret News

Why understanding snowpack could help the overworked Colorado River

The U.S. Geological Survey is in the beginning stages of learning more about this river via an expanded and more sophisticated monitoring system that aims to study details about the snowpack that feeds the river basin, droughts and flooding, and how streamflow supports groundwater, or vice versa.

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Aquafornia news November 17, 2020 Chico State Today

Blog: Chico State Enterprises receives $10 million grant to continue salmon habitat restoration projects

A research team from California State University, Chico will continue its exceptional work to re-establish juvenile salmon and salmonid habitats along the Sacramento River, after learning it would continue to be funded by the United States Bureau of Reclamation.

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Aquafornia news November 17, 2020 The Mendocino Voice

Groundwater agency discusses how to manage future of Ukiah Valley Basin

Plans to regulate groundwater for the first time ever in the Ukiah Valley Basin are moving forward. And though the details are wonky and a little esoteric, the results could affect water and ag policy for years to come. Last week, the Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency discussed how their mammoth project of sustainably managing the groundwater is coming along.

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Aquafornia news November 17, 2020 Public Policy Institute of California

Blog: New laws address water affordability and wildfire risks

The COVID-19 pandemic and related economic turbulence forced the state legislature and Governor Newsom to make tough decisions this year about which issues to prioritize and which to sideline. … Despite the challenging circumstances, several high-priority bills covering safe drinking water and wildfire risk reduction were enacted.

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Aquafornia news November 16, 2020 Klamath Falls Herald & News

What a Biden Administration could mean for Klamath water

The last three administrations have been active in Klamath Basin issues regardless of political party. Negotiations for a basin-wide agreement began under the Bush Administration and continued under the Obama Administration until faltering in the House of Representatives — though each president’s approach has varied. Dan Keppen, executive director of the Family Farm Alliance, said Biden’s experience in the Obama Administration could prove an asset, if he brings a similar approach.

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Aquafornia news November 16, 2020 Los Angeles Times

Costa Mesa’s Fairview Park Wetlands, once seen as a boon, is bogged down by deficiencies

Reported deficiencies in the design and construction of the water delivery system have resulted in poor water circulation that has caused algae to overbloom, while cattails and duckweed are growing like wildfire along pond shores, creating conditions ripe for mosquitoes. Fairview Park administrator Cynthia D’Agosta said maintenance costs have ballooned far beyond the annual $40,000 anticipated at the outset of the work.

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Aquafornia news November 16, 2020 Marysville Appeal-Democrat

Yuba Water files lawsuit against State Water Resources Control Board

The Yuba Water Agency is in the process of applying for a new license to continue its hydroelectric operations along the Yuba River, but agency leaders say some requirements issued by the State Water Resources Control Board threaten the effort by making it too costly. The agency filed lawsuits in state and federal court Friday to essentially vacate the state board’s requirements to obtain what is called a water quality certification.

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  • Yuba Water Agency: News release: Yuba Water Agency sues California water board to protect its future, the Yuba River and Yuba County
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Aquafornia news November 16, 2020 Malibu Times

Army Corps of Engineers signs off on Rindge Dam removal

Removal of the 90-year-old Rindge Dam from Malibu Canyon — a long-anticipated, multi-million-dollar project — moved a crucial step closer to reality on Friday, Nov. 13, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced the project’s report was signed and sent to Congress for funding.

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Aquafornia news November 16, 2020 E&E News

Bernhardt order gives states veto authority over Land and Water Conservation Fund

A new order from Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, published Friday afternoon, would, among other things, essentially give state and local jurisdictions veto power over how communities spend and match grants through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which funds access to recreation in states and federal land acquisitions.

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  • E&E News: Lawmakers, advocates blast Bernhardt’s LWCF order
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Aquafornia news November 13, 2020 Circle of Blue

Overlooked Army Corps rulemaking would shrink federal stream protections

The Army Corps of Engineers … is considering another rule change that would also shrink federal protection of small streams, ecologists and lawyers say. The Corps said in its proposal it is acting in response to the president’s order to review regulations that burden energy development. Some of the proposed changes will have essentially the same consequence as the Trump administration’s contraction of the Clean Water Act…

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Aquafornia news November 13, 2020 The Point Reyes Light

New antennas bring better Coho tracking

A new and improved tool that tracks salmon survival in Lagunitas Creek was installed on ranchlands west of Point Reyes Station last month, potentially changing the way the Marin Municipal Water District manages the watershed. Every year, ecologists implant a rice-sized microchip in hundreds of juvenile Coho salmon. Now, antennas anchored at the mouth of the creek will register their passage when they swim to or from the ocean.

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Aquafornia news November 13, 2020 Politico

Friday Top of the Scroll: How California will shape U.S. environmental policy under Biden

“Probably water allocation and climate change would be the two big pivots and increased opportunity for collaboration between California and the federal government after 4 years of conflicts and really outright warfare,” said Rick Frank, a former California chief deputy attorney general. He is now a professor at UC Davis law school.

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Aquafornia news November 13, 2020 Maven's Notebook

What is the state’s role in financing conveyance projects?

On July 28, Gov. Newsom issued the final water resilience portfolio which calls for actions to meet California water needs through the 21st Century. Specifically, Action 19.4 directs the Water Commission to assess the state’s role in financing conveyance projects that could help meet needs in a changing climate. At their October meeting, commissioners began the work set out for them in the portfolio…

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Aquafornia news November 12, 2020 Ensia.com

The surprising connection between West Coast fires and the volatile chemicals tainting America’s drinking water

After fires marred the San Lorenzo Valley near Santa Cruz, in August, the local water district issued a “Do Not Drink Do Not Boil” notice to residents. Volatile organic compounds including benzene, residents were warned, could be seeping into the water system — just as the toxic chemicals did in Santa Rosa and Paradise, California, in the wake of wildfires in 2017 and 2018.

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Aquafornia news November 12, 2020 California Fisheries Blog

Blog: May-September Delta water temperature standard needed

To protect smelt and salmon, there need to be reasonable water temperature standards in the Delta. The existing water temperature standard in the lower Sacramento River above the Delta is 68oF, but managers of the state and federal water projects pay it almost no heed.

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Aquafornia news November 12, 2020 Reuters

Calif. county sues Dow Chemical, Shell over TCP pollution

Dow Chemical Company and Shell Oil Company have been hit with a lawsuit by the central California county of Madera alleging they knowingly polluted Madera’s drinking water wells by manufacturing and selling fumigants, used in agricultural fields, laced with a toxic chemical.

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Aquafornia news November 12, 2020 BBC News

The rebirth of a historic river

For over a century, one of the most important salmon runs in the United States has had to contend with historic dams – and now four of them are set to be taken down….The dams built on the Klamath River have been identified as one cause of the drop in salmon numbers.

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  • The Aggie: A recent massive bird die out calls into question the balance of water management in California
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Aquafornia news November 12, 2020 The Aggie

A recent massive bird die out calls into question the balance of water management in California

On the Oregon border lies Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. For over a century, visitors have flocked to Klamath’s wild tule marshes and open waters to canoe, fish, bird watch and hunt. … But this year, something sinister lies beneath the Klamath Basin’s immense beauty.

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Aquafornia news November 12, 2020 American Rivers

Blog: What the Biden victory means for our rivers and clean water

We’ve identified five priorities for the Biden-Harris administration and Congress in our 2021 Blueprint for Action. While some of these priorities can be accomplished by the new administration itself, many will require congressional action.

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  • The Conversation: On environmental protection, Biden’s election will mean a 180-degree turn from Trump policies
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Aquafornia news November 12, 2020 KUNC

2020 delivers setbacks for some long-planned Western water projects

Proposals to divert water in New Mexico, Nevada and Utah have run up against significant legal, financial and political roadblocks this year. But while environmental groups have cheered the setbacks, it’s still unclear whether these projects have truly hit dead ends or are simply waiting in the wings.

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Aquafornia news November 10, 2020 Fairfield Daily Republic

Seasonal wetlands ‘best success story’ of repurposing rice straw

Burning rice straw after harvest was a traditional and economical practice that was phased out in 2000. … The side effect is it has created millions of acres of seasonal wetlands in the rice-growing region of the state – and with a variety of conservation contracts, provided additional income for growers whose costs rose when straw burning was prohibited.

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  • Fairfield Daily Republic: Pacific Flyway Center planning back on migration path to reality
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Aquafornia news November 10, 2020 Bloomberg Law

Wildfires emerge as threat to water quantity across parched West

How wildfires can affect water quality are well documented. But increasing—and increasingly intense—Western conflagrations are leading to fears they also could constrict the water quantity available in some of the nation’s most water-stressed areas….“It’s absolutely a threat to our water supply—the quantity and quality of the water that’s able to flow across the landscape,” said Dave Eggerton, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies…

Related article:

  • U.S. Geological Survey: How wildfires threaten U.S. water supplies
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Aquafornia news November 10, 2020 U.S. Geological Survey

How wildfires threaten U.S. water supplies

Communities across the United States and the globe rely on clean water flowing from forested watersheds. But these water source areas are impacted by the effects of wildfire. To help water providers and land managers prepare for impacts from wildfire on water supplies, the U.S. Geological Survey is working to measure and predict post-fire water quality and quantity.

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Aquafornia news November 10, 2020 San Francisco Chronicle

California’s climate agenda likely to get big boost from Biden — look for reversal of Trump policies

California’s war with Washington over the environment will soon come to an end. … President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to act quickly to restore and strengthen dozens of protections on public lands, water and wildlife. In addition, California’s efforts to fight climate change will no longer face hurdles put up by the White House, which has downplayed the global threat.

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  • Bloomberg Law: Biden victory to boost DOJ’s environmental agenda, enforcement
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Aquafornia news November 9, 2020 Bloomberg Law

Trump leaves unfinished business in environmental litigation

Clarity on which wetlands and waterways count as “waters of the U.S.” or WOTUS, subject to federal oversight, has been elusive for years. … Trump officials’ narrow definition … is facing lawsuits in a half-dozen federal courts. New litigation is guaranteed if Biden officials attempt to revert to the Obama-era rule or craft their own program.

Related articles:

  • Bloomberg Law: Biden to move fast to strike down Trump’s environmental agenda
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Aquafornia news November 9, 2020 Western Water

A Colorado River leader who brokered key pacts to aid West’s vital water artery assesses his legacy and the river’s future

Managing water resources in the Colorado River Basin is not for the timid or those unaccustomed to big challenges. … For more than 30 years, Terry Fulp, director of the Bureau of Reclamation’s Lower Colorado Basin Region, has been in the thick of it, applying his knowledge, expertise and calm demeanor to inform and broker key decisions that have helped stabilize the Southwest’s major water artery.

Related article:

  • Grand Junction Sentinel: River managers turn eyes to new Powell-Mead deal
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Aquafornia news November 9, 2020 Medford Mail Tribune

Opinion: The message is clear: We must manage our resources better

Why are our food producers, including many century-old family farms with 100-year-old water rights, facing a shortage of water? Because we drain Oregon’s largest lake to artificially increase water supply in California.

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Aquafornia news November 9, 2020 Grand Junction Sentinel

River managers turn eyes to new Powell-Mead deal

A 2007 deal creating guidelines governing how Lake Powell and Lake Mead are operated in coordination isn’t scheduled to expire until 2026. But water officials in Colorado River Basin states are already beginning to talk about the renegotiations that will be undertaken to decide what succeeds the 2007 criteria.

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Aquafornia news November 9, 2020 KNAU

Colorado River bugs spark two unprecedented experiments—with opposite goals

In autumn swarms of flying insects cloud the skies on the lower Colorado River near Bullhead City, Ariz. Caddisflies are a nuisance to recreationists who want to boat, swim or fish on the river. So city officials have started an unprecedented experiment to get rid of them.

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Aquafornia news November 9, 2020 E&E News

Drinking water: Experts distrust the tap, but prefer it to bottles

There could be lead in your tap water. There could be PFAS in your bottled water. Microplastics might be in both. Do you choose neurotoxic heavy metals or carcinogenic “forever chemicals”? That’s the predicament facing Americans every time they take a drink of water. … There are no EPA or FDA standards for microplastics in drinking water, though California decided to start monitoring for microplastics by 2021.

Related articles:

  • Chemical & Engineering News: 1,4-dioxane: Another forever chemical plagues drinking-water utilities
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Aquafornia news November 9, 2020 California WaterBlog

Blog: Small dam, big deal: York Dam removed in Napa Valley

The recent removal of the sediment-filled York Dam in Napa County has reconnected two miles of steelhead trout habitat that has been blocked for over a century. … Thousands of barriers to stream flow and fish passage similar in size and impact to York Dam are scattered throughout California, contributing to population declines in native fishes and other freshwater species.

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Aquafornia news November 9, 2020 Santa Clarita Valley Signal

Opinion: Protect our groundwater recharge

Recently the Santa Clarita Planning Commission approved a project that would qualify as “backward planning”: planning that pays no attention to modern issues, instead using methods long abandoned by others. To me, as a member of the local Groundwater Sustainability Advisory Committee, the worst of these is the plan to concrete a portion of Bouquet Creek along with the groundwater recharge areas on the property.

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Aquafornia news November 9, 2020 FishBio

Blog: In the weeds: Invasive aquatic plants can increase juvenile salmon predation risk

Not only are non-native predators abundant, but predation risk may be compounded by the prevalence of invasive vegetation such as Brazilian waterweed (Egeria densa). These non-native plants may deal a double blow to Chinook salmon by restricting their access to formerly open-water habitat and by providing predators like largemouth bass an edge in a habitat they are well-adapted to.

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Aquafornia news November 6, 2020 California Department of Water Resources

Blog: DWR certifies final EIR for Delta’s largest tidal habitat restoration project

The Department of Water Resources has moved one step closer to starting the Delta’s largest multi-benefit tidal restoration and flood improvement project… Lookout Slough is in unincorporated Solano County, near the border of Yolo County. It is adjacent to additional tidal restoration efforts, including Yolo Flyway Farms and Lower Yolo Ranch, to create a contiguous wetland restoration complex spanning 16,000 acres in the Cache Slough region of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

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Aquafornia news November 6, 2020 Bloomberg CityLab

Fighting fire with fire in California’s forests

In California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, former timber war foes teamed up to show how environmental and industry interests could work together to ward off wildfire disasters.

Related articles:

  • University of California: Blog: Drone surveys reveal fire damage and recovery in UC natural reserves
  • Mountain Democrat: Mitigating wildfires is about more than forestry management
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Aquafornia news November 6, 2020 Livermore Independent

Accusations and denials arise over bond sale plans for Delta Tunnel

A declaration suit filed in Superior Court in Sacramento by attorneys for some of the leading environmental groups in America accuses the California Department of Water Resources of trying to prevent anyone in California from filing a court action challenging … the financing of a single tunnel that would be built under the Delta for 35 miles.

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Aquafornia news November 6, 2020 Maven's Notebook

Update on the San Joaquin River Restoration Program

At the October meeting of the Central Valley Flood Protection Board, Elizabeth Vasquez, Deputy Program Manager for the San Joaquin River Restoration Program for the Bureau of Reclamation and Paul Romero, Supervising Engineer with DWR’s South Central Region Office, updated the board members on the ongoing implementation of the program.

Related articles:

  • San Joaquin River Restoration Program here: Blog: Reach O Levee improvement project begins
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Aquafornia news November 6, 2020 Valley Voice

Opinion: The view from Westlands: Voluntary agreements

Voluntary agreements have been proposed as a collaborative, modern and holistic alternative to the State Water Resources Control Board’s staff proposed update to the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan. … Westlands and other public water agencies are eager to reengage in the process to finalize the voluntary agreements, as they offer the best path forward for California water.

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Aquafornia news November 4, 2020 The Aggie

Opinion: Trump Administration is trying to raise Shasta Dam, again

The Bureau of Reclamation has once again proposed raising Shasta Dam, which is already the largest reservoir in California, after several proposals in the past decade. Each time, it has faced fierce public opposition from state government, environmentalists, locals and Native Americans.

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Aquafornia news November 4, 2020 Greenbiz.com

Opinion: Time, billions of dollars and commitment: Ingredients to restore California’s forests

As California contends with its worst wildfire season in history, it’s more evident than ever that land management practices in the state’s forested mountains need major changes. … Today the U.S. Forest Service estimates that of the 20 million acres it manages in California, 6 million to 9 million acres need to be restored.

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Aquafornia news November 4, 2020 AgAlert

Farms work on nitrate control requirements

Local leaders, farmers and others in the Central Valley report additional progress in addressing salinity in surface water, and salt and nitrates in groundwater, in compliance with a program adopted last fall by the State Water Resources Control Board.

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Aquafornia news November 4, 2020 Santa Clara Valley Water News

Blog: Valley Water builds a new wetland and restores Llagas Creek

A former quarry in south Santa Clara County will be humming with fish and wildlife in the coming months as birds, frogs, turtles and a variety of other species benefit from a newly created wetland habitat and a restored Llagas Creek.

Related articles:

  • Santa Clara Valley Water News: Blog: Committed to keeping waterways clean while working on the challenge of homelessness
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Aquafornia news November 3, 2020 Bay Nature

After another dry October in the Bay Area, is drought back?

Though the monthly average is just over 1 inch, October is a highly variable month, and it’s not unusual to end the month with little or no rain in the Bay Area. It is however exceptionally bad timing to do it twice in a row for only the second time in the last 170 years, as the state reels from fires, heat and smoke, on the heels of a record-breaking dry winter and as most forecasts [for California] call for a drier than normal winter ahead.

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Aquafornia news November 3, 2020 Voices of Monterey Bay

A salamander vanishes

Desertification is dawning on the Central Coast, according to University of California, Santa Cruz ecology professor Barry Sinervo, and the impact can be seen in the disappearance of a uniquely giant and talkative amphibian from a southern Monterey County site: the Pacific giant salamander.

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Aquafornia news November 3, 2020 Los Angeles Times

Rescues underway for rare species marooned by wildfire

Just weeks after the Bobcat fire ravaged the San Gabriel Mountains, state and federal biologists are racing to salvage as many federally endangered species as possible before storms could inundate the animals’ last outposts with mud and debris. … “This may be the last time in my life that I see wild mountain yellow-legged frogs in the last best place for them,” said biologist Robert Fisher…

Related article:

  • Voice of Monterey Bay: A salamander vanishes
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Aquafornia news November 3, 2020 California Department of Water Resources

Blog: DWR water flow experiment successfully increases habitat for endangered Delta smelt

By experimenting with how salty ocean water mixes with fresh water within Suisun Marsh, the California Department of Water Resources has found a way to improve habitat conditions for endangered delta smelt within the upper San Francisco Estuary.

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Aquafornia news November 3, 2020 Voice of San Diego

New snapshot of what’s in the Tijuana River is as gross as you’d expect

What’s in the Tijuana River? Ammonia, a byproduct of raw sewage. Phosphorous, an ingredient in soaps and cleaners that’s banned in the U.S. Metals used in the industrial plating industry. Parasitic worms. And DEHP, a chemical added to plastics. And of course, there’s poo.

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Aquafornia news November 2, 2020 E&E News

Enviros and industry fight feds in Supreme Court FOIA case

Should the public have access to documents that show why the federal government changed its stance on the impact an EPA rule would have on vulnerable species? That’s the question the Supreme Court will set out to answer Monday in the case Fish and Wildlife Service v. Sierra Club, which deals with a Freedom of Information Act request for documents underpinning a 2014 rule for cooling water intake structures at power plants.

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Aquafornia news November 2, 2020 Fairfield Daily Republic

SF estuary flows into restored marsh for first time since 1800s

The first phase of a highly touted tidal marsh recovery plan was completed this week when a levee was breached and the restored marsh area was reconnected to the San Francisco Bay estuary for the first time since the late 1800s. The first phase of the Montezuma Wetlands Restored Tidal Marsh Project was completed Tuesday.

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Aquafornia news November 2, 2020 PBS NOVA

Toxic synthetic “forever chemicals” are in our water and on our plates

Launched in a post-World War II chemical boom, PFAS have slowly made their way into water systems around the country. They flow through reservoirs and faucets and bleed into aquifers and irrigation systems that sustain crops and livestock that end up on our plates.

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Aquafornia news November 2, 2020 Napa Valley Register

The Napa River was an ‘open cesspool’ for a century, then NapaSan came along

Napa Sanitation District is marking a county-transfiguring anniversary—it formed 75 years ago to turn the Napa River from an “open cesspool” with raw sewage into a water recreation draw. Signs of success abound.

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Aquafornia news November 2, 2020 CalMatters

Opinion: Delta tunnel project would secure California’s water future

The Delta Conveyance Project is a necessary investment to secure California’s water future. Let’s face it, our climate is changing rapidly and becoming more unpredictable – wildfires are larger and more frequent, the seas are rising, droughts are lasting longer and storms are fiercer. The need for this project has never been clearer.  

Related articles:

  • Natural Resources Defense Council: Blog: Cost of the Delta tunnel threatens SoCal’s water future
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Aquafornia news November 2, 2020 Santa Cruz Sentinel

‘It’s gone to the ground’: Big Basin Water Co. struggles to recover from fire

If plastic pipes or tanks are melted, or even just heat up, or loose pressure, drinking water can become contaminated. In the case of Big Basin Water Co., the system lost water pressure and much of its infrastructure was destroyed. That triggered the State Water Resources Control Board and the Big Basin Water Co. to put a Do Not Drink, Do Not Boil water advisory into effect.

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Aquafornia news November 2, 2020 E&E News

Ex-official blows whistle on Army Corps’ dam program

Judith Marshall joined the corps’ Portland office in 2011 to manage several projects, including the agency’s 13 dams in the Willamette River Basin. She quickly learned the corps was out of compliance with several major environmental laws for virtually all of them. She got nowhere when she raised her concerns to her supervisors. Then she was harassed and bullied. Now Marshall is blowing the whistle.

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Aquafornia news November 2, 2020 California WaterBlog

Blog: The freezer of horrors

Down the dark corridors of the UC Davis Watershed Sciences building are freezers of dead fish. Frozen Chinook Salmon carcasses and their dissected eyes and muscles in neat vials are stacked next to White Sturgeon fin clips, Striped Bass scales, and tubes of stomach contents. This might sound like the stuff of horror movies, but these freezers are vital to understanding our native California fishes.

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Aquafornia news November 2, 2020 Los Angeles Review of Books

The dark history of Eastern California: A conversation with Kendra Atleework

Kendra Atleework’s new memoir Miracle Country, published in July by Algonquin Books, maps the region of Eastern California where William Mulholland stole the water and terraformed the SoCal landscape into the place we now know.

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Aquafornia news November 2, 2020 San Francisco Chronicle

Nutria — they’re big, buck-toothed and chew up California wetlands. Now feds add money to fight them

The pesky 3-foot-long, buck-toothed nutria is getting the better of California. The large rodent is chewing up rivers and wetlands and threatening to mow down farmland and infrastructure, and the state is struggling to contain it.  Relief may be on the way.

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Aquafornia news November 2, 2020 Capitol Weekly

Opinion: Fight climate change, preserve nature in one stroke

The Protecting America’s Wilderness Act (H.R. 2546) would protect and restore over one million acres of public lands and well over 500 miles of rivers throughout the state, including in Northwest California’s wild lands and along the Central Coast.

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Aquafornia news November 2, 2020 Winters Express

Putah Creek: Tragedy, triage and triumph

Wildlife in the upper Putah Creek watershed was devastated by the LNU Complex Fire, which started on Aug. 17, was finally extinguished on Oct. 2, and grew to be the fourth largest in California history. However, the oak woodlands in this region have evolved with fire, and with natural resiliency and a little support from local agencies, recovery is expected.

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Aquafornia news November 2, 2020 Spectrum 1 News

Environmental groups torn over fight for Ballona Wetlands

Many who oppose the restoration project say it includes a plan to install new infrastructure adjacent to the wetlands. “The last thing we need when we are in a crisis of climate change is to build new fossil fuel infrastructure,” said representatives for The Sierra Club Ballona Wetlands Restoration Committee. And who is investing in fossil fuel use? SoCalGas owns a natural gas facility adjacent to the wetlands.

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Aquafornia news November 2, 2020 Arizona Republic

World’s fish scientists appeal for action to reduce greenhouse gases

In their statement, the scientists laid out the grim picture that has emerged from thousands of peer-reviewed studies: Climate change is inflicting extensive harm to aquatic ecosystems, both in freshwater and the oceans. The degradation of these ecosystems, which are among the most threatened on Earth, is accelerating.

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Aquafornia news October 30, 2020 Santa Clarita Valley Signal

Santa Clarita Valley Water files lawsuit over water contamination

The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging toxic chemicals from products manufactured by those named in the case were discharged into the environment. Raytheon Technologies, Chemours, DuPoint and 3M Co. are among dozens named in the lawsuit “for their roles in introducing PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) into the water supply…

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Aquafornia news October 30, 2020 NOAA Fisheries

Blog: Researchers probe deaths of Central Valley Chinook, with possible ties to ocean changes

Scientists from several fish and wildlife agencies have launched a rapid research and response effort for deficiency of thiamine, or Vitamin B1. This deficiency was recently found to be increasing juvenile mortality among Chinook salmon in California’s Central Valley. The magnitude of its effect is not clear. However, it could be a risk to Chinook stocks, including endangered winter-run Chinook salmon and the fishery for fall-run Chinook salmon.

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Aquafornia news October 30, 2020 Inkstain.net

Blog: Climate change and the water policy funnel

Climate change, as I’ve often heard Brad Udall point out, is water change. By that, Brad means that the effect of a changing climate on people and ecosystems is most clearly felt through changes in how much water there is.

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Aquafornia news October 30, 2020 Courthouse News Service

Friday Top of the Scroll: California slammed over ‘blank check’ for Delta tunnel project

Lobbing another hurdle at California’s $16 billion plan to tunnel underneath the West Coast’s largest estuary, environmentalists on Thursday sued to freeze public funding for the megaproject championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Led by Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity, a familiar coalition of critics claim the cash-strapped state is pursuing a “blank check” for a project that isn’t fully cooked.

Related articles:

  • Bloomberg: California bonds for $16 billion tunnel targeted by suit
  • Fox 40: Five environmental groups sue California Department of Water Resources over Delta tunnel project funding
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Aquafornia news October 30, 2020 Woodland Daily Democrat

Collaboration between rice farmers and environmentalists working out nicely

When driving over the Yolo Bypass in the winter, one can’t help but notice the flooded fields. … Historically, the area used to be wetlands and floodplain habitat, but now, farmers grow rice there. After harvest, the fields are flooded to not only help decompose the leftover rice straw but also, as a surprise to many, recreate a surrogate habitat for many area wildlife, most notably birds.

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Aquafornia news October 30, 2020 Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board

News release: Garden Grove industrial facility penalized $1.14 million for soil, groundwater contamination

Cham-Cal, operator and owner of a facility in Garden Grove that manufactures commercial truck accessories, used and stored tetrachloroethene (PCE) in its vapor degreasing operation, resulting in repeated discharges of the suspected cancer-causing contaminant to soil and groundwater on industrial property owned by Western Avenue Associates.

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Aquafornia news October 30, 2020 Audubon California

Salton Sea project receives $700k for restoration of Bombay Beach wetland

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has awarded a grant of $700,000 to Audubon California towards the stabilization, restoration and enhancement of wetlands near the town of Bombay Beach, on the Salton Sea.

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Aquafornia news October 29, 2020 U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

News release: Reclamation awards $40 million for Sacramento River salmon habitat improvements

The Bureau of Reclamation announces the selection of four funding award recipients to implement $40 million in salmon habitat improvement projects along the Sacramento River. The restoration projects will enhance and improve spawning and rearing habitat for salmon at approximately 25 different locations across 132 river miles.

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Aquafornia news October 29, 2020 The Revelator

Blog: 5 reasons to rethink the future of dams

The future of our existing dams, including 2,500 hydroelectric facilities, is a complicated issue in the age of climate change. Dams have altered river flows, changed aquatic habitat, decimated fish populations, and curtailed cultural and treaty resources for tribes. But does the low-carbon power dams produce have a role in our energy transition?

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Aquafornia news October 29, 2020 Maven's Notebook

Delta watermaster breaks down water use in the Delta, addresses implementation of reduced reliance on the Delta

At the Oct. 22 meeting of the Delta Stewardship Council, Delta Watermaster Michael George gave a detailed presentation on estimating water use in the Delta… He also discussed implementation of the state’s policy of reducing reliance on the Delta and provided updates on the preparations for the next drought…

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Aquafornia news October 28, 2020 The Mountain Democrat

Go with the flow — SMUD’s latest powerhouse nearly operational

Located right below Slab Creek Dam and Reservoir and priced at $16.5 million … the project has two main functions. One includes a recreational flow release on a nine-mile stretch below the reservoir that will improve boating, rafting and kayaking opportunities… The other release feeds water into the powerhouse to drive the turbine.

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Aquafornia news October 28, 2020 National Public Radio

Western wildfires: Experts say time to fight fire with more fire

Vastly increasing the number of these low-intensity, carefully managed fires is key. Experts say it reduces dangerous levels of highly combustible fuel and underbrush built up over more than a century of trying to snuff out most every forest fire. The conditions set by that longstanding federal and state policy are now worsened by climate change, with fires growing larger, more frequent and more destructive.

Related articles:

  • The New Republic: Has the Forest Service been making wildfires worse?
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Aquafornia news October 28, 2020 Heal the Bay

Blog: Changes are coming to the L.A. River

After the river was concretized, Indigenous People, activists, and environmental organizations demanded the restoration of the L.A. River and its tributaries back into a functioning natural river ecosystem. Now with the climate crisis, we can no longer afford to have a concretized river system that solely provides flood control.

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Aquafornia news October 28, 2020 California Fisheries Blog

Blog: Feather River fall-run salmon update – 2019 spawning run

In a review of Feather River fall-run Chinook salmon in September 2019, I described their status through the 2018 run and expressed optimism for the 2019 run. My assessment proved overly optimistic, as the 2019 run numbers came in lower than expected. The lower-than-expected returns appear to be the consequence of the 2017 Oroville Dam spillway failures.

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Aquafornia news October 28, 2020 Pasadena Now

Arroyo Seco Canyon project supporters hope to create local reliance on water supply

The proposed structure will span the width of the existing channel and feature an operable weir crest gate that can be raised for diversion to the intake structure and lowered to bypass diversions. An engineered roughened channel will be constructed in the section of the stream directly downstream of the diversion structure for future fish passage. The new intake will be equipped with a trash rack and fish screens.

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Aquafornia news October 27, 2020 Nevada Today

Nevada researcher part of multi-state team studying Earth’s critical zone

Adrian Harpold and his team are conducting a field study on the impact of wildfire on the Illilouette Creek watershed in the Yosemite wilderness area in California. They’re looking at how much water makes it to streams for people and downstream agriculture after a fire, and how much water stays in the post-fire landscape…

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Aquafornia news October 27, 2020 Public Policy Institute of California

Blog: Setting aside environmental water for the San Joaquin River

Protecting the health of California’s rivers, estuaries, and wetlands has been the grandest—and perhaps thorniest—of the many challenges facing the state’s water managers. The San Joaquin River watershed, the state’s third largest and an important water source for irrigating farmland in the San Joaquin Valley, epitomizes this challenge. Yet California is making progress here, bringing a glimmer of hope.

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Aquafornia news October 27, 2020 Berkeleyside

Jewel Lake is more like a muddy puddle than a lake. What happened?

The lake is particularly small and low right now for a few reasons, said Matt Graul, the East Bay Regional Park District’s chief of stewardship. Wildcat Creek runs dry in the rainless months of summer and early fall, but has been hit harder than ever since the Bay Area received less rainfall than typical last winter. Once the rains start and fill the creek, there should be water again in the lake, he said.

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Aquafornia news October 26, 2020 Action News Now

Crews from state and county work to protect important watersheds

Five California Conservation Corps (CCC) crews are assisting Butte County Public Works and Department of Water Resources in making sure that the watershed is protected from potential rain water run-off from homes burned in the North Complex Fire.

Related articles:

  • KRCR TV: Erosion control starts in Berry Creek to protect Lake Madrone after North Complex Fire
  • Woodland Daily Democrat: Post-fire resiliency and recovery in the Putah Creek watershed
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Aquafornia news October 26, 2020 The Press Democrat

Influential California congressman opposes Sonoma County-backed plan to drain Lake Pillsbury

U.S. Rep. John Garamendi has filed an official objection to a plan backed by Sonoma County and his House Democratic colleague Jared Huffman to remove Scott Dam on the Eel River and drain Lake Pillsbury, a popular recreation spot for nearly a century.

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Aquafornia news October 26, 2020 Los Angeles Times

How the waters off Catalina became a DDT dumping ground

The UC Santa Barbara scientist was supposed to be studying methane seeps that day, but with a deep-sea robot on loan and a few hours to spare, now was the chance to confirm an environmental abuse that others in the past could not. He was chasing a hunch, and sure enough, initial sonar scans pinged back a pattern of dots that popped up on the map like a trail of breadcrumbs.

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Aquafornia news October 26, 2020 California Department of Water Resources

Blog: Wildfires lead to increased flood risks: Be prepared, stay alert

California has experienced record-breaking wildfires in 2020 with more than 4 million acres burned, increasing the risk of flash flooding along with mud and debris flows to communities and homes downslope of burn areas. The impacts caused by wildfires can be drastic when it comes to flood risk.

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Aquafornia news October 26, 2020 Circle of Blue

What has the Trump administration meant for water?

The desire for crystal clean water is one that the president repeats frequently, even dating to his 2016 presidential campaign. Immaculate water, he has also said. Clear water. Beautiful water. But the focus on appearances is superficial, according to a number of water advocates and analysts. Revisions to environmental rules that the administration has pursued during the first term of the Trump presidency will be detrimental to the nation’s waters, they said.

Related article:

  • Slate.com: Where did Trump get the idea that americans have the cleanest water?
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Aquafornia news October 26, 2020 Western Water

Monday Top of the Scroll: Is ecosystem change in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta outpacing the ability of science to keep up?

Radically transformed from its ancient origin as a vast tidal-influenced freshwater marsh, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem is in constant flux, influenced by factors within the estuary itself and the massive watersheds that drain though it into the Pacific Ocean. Lately, however, scientists say the rate of change has kicked into overdrive…

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Aquafornia news October 26, 2020 Eureka Times-Standard

Local tribes, fishermen, conservationists call on Warren Buffet to undam the Klamath

Members of local tribes, fishermen and conservationists are calling on Warren Buffett to undam the Klamath. People across the country joined members of the Karuk, Yurok, Klamath and Hoopa Valley tribes on Friday for a day of action to get the attention of Buffett, the owner of Pacific Power and the Klamath River dams…

Related articles:

  • Indian Country Today: California tribes oppose proposed water tunnel
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Aquafornia news October 26, 2020 The Mendocino Voice

Eel River tributaries decimated by drought

Completely dry riverbeds, record low flows, and diminished fish populations — that’s what staff and volunteers from a local environmental nonprofit found when they surveyed tributaries of the Eel River earlier this month.

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Western Water October 23, 2020 Gary Pitzer Layperson's Guide to the Delta By Gary Pitzer

Is Ecosystem Change in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Outpacing the Ability of Science to Keep Up?
WESTERN WATER IN-DEPTH: Science panel argues for a new approach to make research nimbler and more forward-looking to improve management in the ailing Delta

Floating vegetation such as water hyacinth has expanded in the Delta in recent years, choking waterways like the one in the bottom of this photo.Radically transformed from its ancient origin as a vast tidal-influenced freshwater marsh, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem is in constant flux, influenced by factors within the estuary itself and the massive watersheds that drain though it into the Pacific Ocean.

Lately, however, scientists say the rate of change has kicked into overdrive, fueled in part by climate change, and is limiting the ability of science and Delta water managers to keep up. The rapid pace of upheaval demands a new way of conducting science and managing water in the troubled estuary.

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Aquafornia news October 23, 2020 Resources Magazine

Dismantling dams can help address US infrastructure problems

Dam failure, though rare, can cause catastrophic destruction of property and lives. Repairing hazardous dams can help, but simply removing them can be a better, more cost-effective option with accompanying environmental benefits … a mere five states account for half of all removals: Pennsylvania (343), California (173), Wisconsin (141), Michigan (94), and Ohio (82).

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Aquafornia news October 23, 2020 UC Rangelands

Blog: Riparian conservation in grazed landscapes

In the absence of appropriate management, excessive livestock damage can occur in sensitive habitats such as riparian areas that provide drinking water, forage, and microclimates sought by free-ranging livestock. … Fortunately, conservation-grazing management strategies can reduce the likelihood of livestock damage to riparian areas.

Related articles:

  • AgNet West: Targeted cattle grazing is a ‘win-win-win opportunity’
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Aquafornia news October 23, 2020 Capital Public Radio

Amid the worst wildfire season in California history, wildfire experts call for $2 billion investment in prevention

With California’s worst wildfire season on record still raging, experts from across the state are calling for a $2 billion investment in the next year on prevention tactics like prescribed burns and more year-round forest management jobs. 

Related articles:

  • The New York Times: In the West, lightning grows as a cause of damaging fires
  • The Progressive: The case for restoring California indigenous burning practices
  • UC Riverside News: Blog: Wildfires can cause dangerous debris flows
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Aquafornia news October 22, 2020 Lost Coast Outpost

Klamath residents, Yurok tribal members to participate in ‘day of action’ targeting Pacificorp over dam removal

Virtual rallies will be held Friday at the utility’s headquarters in Portland and in Buffett’s hometown of Omaha, Neb., according to a Save California Salmon news release. A rally will also be held in Seattle, home of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the top shareholder in Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate. Berkshire Hathaway Energy is PacifiCorp’s parent company.

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Aquafornia news October 22, 2020 East Bay Times

Officials update Oakley council on creek flooding concerns

Contra Costa County Flood Control Division officials told the Oakley City Council recently that they’re still assessing the issues of concern caused by beavers that built a dam in an area of Marsh Creek near Creekside Park earlier this year. At the time, the city and county received a lot of backlash from the community and beyond because the county’s answer to the problem was to kill two beavers that built the dam.

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Aquafornia news October 22, 2020 The Modesto Bee

New reservoir in Stanislaus County clears a hurdle

Del Puerto Water District directors approved a final environment study Wednesday on a 82,000 acre-foot reservoir near Patterson. … The reservoir is proposed to increase reliability of water deliveries to thirsty farms and improve management of groundwater. The project in a canyon just west of Patterson has stirred debate. It would inundate part of scenic Del Puerto Canyon and raises fears the dam near Interstate 5 could fail, flooding the city of 23,000.

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Aquafornia news October 22, 2020 The Beach Reporter

Report gives California an ‘A’ grade for coastal protection

Most states are doing a mediocre job – and some even a poor one – of managing shorelines and preparing for sea-level rise, according to a new study by the Surfrider Foundation. California, on the other hand, is a “shining example” and has excelled in responding to changes along the coast, earning the only “A” grade in the nation — but the report found there are still areas that need improvement…

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Aquafornia news October 21, 2020 Marin Independent Journal

Novato bayside levee project nears completion

Working over the last year, construction crews expect to complete a new 2-mile levee near Novato in the coming weeks. It will allow bay waters to eventually reclaim nearly 1,600 acres, or about 2.5 square miles, of former tidal marshes that had been diked and drained for agriculture and development during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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Aquafornia news October 21, 2020 AgAlert

Farmers look to plant more rice acreage in the Delta

Now in its second year, a long-term project intends to learn whether rice farming in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta can succeed economically while helping to preserve the region’s uniquely carbon-rich peat soils.

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Aquafornia news October 21, 2020 The San Diego Union-Tribune

Carlsbad lagoon dredging starts soon

Seawater desalination operator Poseidon is poised to take over the Agua Hedionda Lagoon maintenance dredging that has been done by local power companies since 1954. Permits are being obtained for the work to begin in November or early December with expectations to finish by mid-April…

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Aquafornia news October 21, 2020 CalMatters

Newsom to be sued over fracking permits

A national environmental organization is preparing to sue Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration for issuing new fracking permits, including six approved on Friday, Kassie Siegel, director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute, said Tuesday.

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