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Topic: Salmon

Overview April 24, 2014

Salmon

California’s two primary salmon species, Coho and Chinook, have experienced significant declines from historical populations.

Of particular importance is the Chinook salmon because the species supports commercial fishing and related jobs and economic activities at fish hatcheries.

The decline in salmon numbers is attributed to a variety of manmade and natural factors including drought, habitat destruction, water diversions, migratory obstacles created by local, state and federal water projects, over-fishing, unfavorable ocean conditions, pollution and introduced predator species. Wetlands have also been drained and diked; dams have blocked salmon from reaching historic spawning grounds.

Years of declining populations represent a significant economic loss and have led to federally mandated salmon restoration plans that complicate water diversions and conveyance for agriculture and other uses.

 

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Aquafornia news February 20, 2020 The Sacramento Bee

Thursday Top of the Scroll: Trump OKs more California water for Valley farmers. Gavin Newsom promises to sue

Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a pre-emptive strike against President Donald Trump, said Wednesday he plans to sue Trump’s administration to block a controversial plan to increase water deliveries to the San Joaquin Valley. Newsom’s office said he “will file legal action in the coming days … to protect highly imperiled fish species close to extinction.”

Related articles:

  • Bakersfield Californian: Trump visit unfolds as political rally
  • San Francisco Chronicle: Trump brings more water — and himself — to Central Valley farmers
  • Los Angeles Times: Trump vows more water for Central Valley farmers, less for fish. Can he deliver?
  • Associated Press: Trump delivers on pledge for wealthy California farmers
  • The Hill: Trump signs order diverting water to California farmers against state wishes
  • Redding Record Searchlight: Trump water plan blasted by Northern California tribe
  • SFGate: Trump gives speech in California falsely claiming state ’soon’ to restrict water to 50 gallons
  • Read more
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Aquafornia news February 19, 2020 Associated Press

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: Trump delivers on water pledge for wealthy California farmers

Hoisting the spoils of victories in California’s hard-fought water wars, President Donald Trump is directing more of the state’s precious water to wealthy farmers and other agriculture interests when he visits their Republican Central Valley stronghold Wednesday.

Related articles:

  • Fox 26 News: Interior Secretary Bernhardt unveils plan to stream more water to the Valley
  • Fox 26 News: Video: California water forum in Tulare
  • ABC News Bakersfield: Locals have mixed reactions towards President Donald Trump’s visit to Bakersfield Wednesday
  • Fresno Bee: What happened at Devin Nunes water forum with Interior Secretary? We can’t tell you. Here’s why
  • Bakersfield Californian: Trump’s Bakersfield visit expected to center on increasing water deliveries from Northern California
  • San Joaquin Valley Sun: Bernhardt pitches new era of “common sense” on California’s water
  • KMJ Radio: Interior secretary speaks at California water forum in Tulare
  • Read more
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Aquafornia news February 19, 2020 Eureka Times-Standard

Art exhibit celebrates the Eel River

The Eel River Recovery Project is hosting its first ever art display at the Plaza Grill in Arcata this month and next. “Visions of the Eel River” features photographs of the Eel River and its many branches. Covering 3,600 square miles, much of the Eel River watershed is inaccessible and unknown to many local residents.

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Aquafornia news February 19, 2020 San Francisco Chronicle

On eve of Trump visit, critics ask why Newsom hasn’t fought president’s water moves

During President Trump’s visit to California this week, the commander in chief who campaigned on a pledge of shipping more water to Central Valley farms plans to stop in Bakersfield to boast about a promise kept. … But what confounds some who are worried that Trump’s water plan could undermine the environment is how little the state has done to stop Washington.

Related article:

  • East Bay Express: Some environmentalists are disappointed with Governor Gavin Newsom 
  • Eureka Times-Standard: Is Newsom doing enough to protect the state’s waters?
  • Read more
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Aquafornia news February 18, 2020 Klamath Falls Herald & News

Salmon Cannon company presents in Siskiyou

Though the process leading to removal of the Klamath Dams continues to march forward, numerous citizens in Siskiyou County have continued fighting to keep the dams in place. Many of those dam advocates are members of the Siskiyou County Water Users Association, which in January hosted a presentation about an alternative fish passage technology the association believes could “make it possible” for the dams to remain.

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Aquafornia news February 18, 2020 San Francisco Chronicle

Editorial: It’s time for Gov. Newsom to take a firm stand to protect the Delta

It’s time for Gov. Gavin Newsom to own up on water policy. He can either play nice with a roughshod plan from President Trump to divert crucial water flows or craft his own blueprint that balances both wildlife and California’s economy.

  • Read more
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Aquafornia news February 14, 2020 San Joaquin Valley Sun

Costa, Cox vote to OK subpoenas to probe Valley water boost

Reps. Jim Costa (D–Fresno) and TJ Cox (D–Fresno) joined fellow Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee to grant wide-ranging subpoena power to the committee’s chair, Raul Grijalva (D–Ariz.)… A key inquiry likely to be explored by Grijalva … is to dig into the Trump administration’s issuance of new biological opinions governing the Central Valley Project.

Related article:

  • Politico: Republicans threaten reprisals as House Democratic chairman gets subpoena power
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Aquafornia news February 12, 2020 San Joaquin Valley Sun

Two valley congressmen have a say in whether House Dems probe water boost

Wednesday, the House Natural Resources Committee is scheduled to vote on a resolution granting Committee Chair Raul Grijalva (D–Ariz.) wide-ranging subpoena power over the Interior Department. One inquiry in the hopper: a closer look at the process that yielded the Trump Administration’s freshly-released biological opinions governing the federally-operated Central Valley Project.

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Aquafornia news February 10, 2020 San Jose Mercury News

Opinion: Stop farmers’ poisoning of Bay Area drinking water supply

The Central Valley Regional Water Board has issued a 25-year permit for toxic discharges of agricultural wastewater into the San Joaquin River and Bay-Delta… Fishermen and environmental groups have appealed the water board’s decision to the state of California, leaving the future of this permit uncertain.

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Aquafornia news February 6, 2020 The Sacramento Bee

Thursday Top of the Scroll: Gov. Newsom softens his fight against Trump in California water wars

The governor’s newest proposal signals Newsom may be softening his fight against Trump, but opening another battle. Newsom may have traded a court fight with Trump for a legal battle with the very environmentalists the Democratic administration has seen as allies.

Related articles:

  • News Release: California Natural Resources Agency/Cal EPA: State Agencies Present Framework for Voluntary Agreements to Improve Habitat and Flow in the Delta and Key Watersheds
  • News Release: Tuolumne agencies’ statement on voluntary agreements
  • News Release: Metropolitan Statement on Framework for Voluntary Agreements for Sacramento-San Joaquin River Watersheds, Delta
  • Northern California Water Association Blog: Pointing Positive for Voluntary Agreements
  • News Release: Defenders of Wildlife: Newsom Administration Appears to Backslide on Bay-Delta Conservation
  • News Release: American Rivers: California Governor Gavin Newsom Announces New Framework for Collaborative Approach To Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta Conservation
  • Read more
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Aquafornia news February 5, 2020 Associated Press

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: California governor proposes new plan for managing water

California’s governor revealed a plan on Tuesday that would keep more water in the fragile San Joaquin River Delta while restoring 60,000 acres of habitat for endangered species and generating more than $5 billion in new funding for environmental improvements.

Related articles:

  • CALMatters: Opinion: Gov. Newsom: California must get past differences on water. Voluntary agreements are the path forward
  • Los Angeles Times: Newsom administration trying again for a river flow deal
  • Indian Country Today: Tribal members and youth ask for North State Hearings and river protection at Sacramento Delta Tunnel Hearing
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 3, 2020 California Trout

Blog: The role of estuaries

Current research shows 11 of the remaining 21 anadromous salmonids in California are at critical risk of extinction in the next 50 years under present trends. Estuaries are especially important to the survival of juvenile salmonids given their important role, helping to increase the number of adult salmonids that survive to adulthood and return to spawn.

  • Read more
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Aquafornia news February 3, 2020 California Trout

Blog: Using sonar to count fish on the Eel River

To inform our conservation work on the Eel, CalTrout has teamed up with partners on this new project – The Adult Salmonid Sonar Monitoring Program – to tally the annual spawning run of Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and steelhead on the South Fork Eel River with a Sound Metrics Dual Frequency Identification Sonar camera.

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Aquafornia news January 31, 2020 Healdsburg Tribune

Cal fish and wildlife monitoring effects of Healdsburg wine spill

Despite the spill, California Department of Fish and Wildlife representatives say that there looks to be no immediate negative environmental impact.

  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 31, 2020 Monterey County Weekly

An effort to transform the Carmel River gets a critical stamp of approval

The multi-year, multi-agency effort to transform the lower landscape of the Carmel River into a natural floodplain took a massive step forward Jan. 28 when the Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the project’s final environmental impact report.

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Aquafornia news January 27, 2020 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Russian Riverkeeper works to protect, restore Russian River

Rivers are vital. Like life-giving arteries, they deliver water for drinking and irrigation and fertile soil for vineyards and farms. They support watersheds teeming with life. But humans are hard on rivers. We crowd their banks, dump waste in them and take out water, fish and other resources. … When that happens, who speaks for the river?

  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 24, 2020 Monterey Herald

Monterey requests water for affordable housing

The City Council passed a resolution to make a formal request of the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District that it allocate additional water to develop affordable housing. … Most of the Peninsula is under a moratorium for additional water hook-ups following the cease-and-desist order instituted in 1995 when the State Water Resources Control Board ordered California American Water to stop over-pumping the Carmel River…

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Aquafornia news January 22, 2020 Siskiyou Daily News

Supervisors extend state of emergency for marijuana-related problems

Siskiyou County supervisors last week supported Sheriff Jon Lopey’s assessment that illegal marijuana grows are detrimental to the health and well being of local residents and approved the extension of a local state of emergency through 2020.

  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 22, 2020 Valley Economy

Blog: As water agencies balk at the tunnel’s price tag, DWR turns to a desperate ransom strategy

Since July, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and State Water Contractors have engaged in fruitless negotiations over how to pay for a single-tunnel Delta Conveyance Facility. On December 23, right before the holidays, DWR made their 6th proposal to the State WaterContractors with a major shift in approach.

  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 22, 2020 Maven's Notebook

Reactivating our floodplains: A new way forward

At a panel discussion hosted by California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, the panelists discussed how by spreading out and slowing down water across the landscape can provide multiple benefits year-round by allowing farmers to cultivate the land during the spring and summer, and provide habitat for fish and wildlife in the fall and winter months.

  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 22, 2020 Maven's Notebook

Update on the San Joaquin River Restoration Program

The main focus of the program are the barriers to fish passage for salmon from Friant Dam to the ocean and back again. There are three key barriers: the East Side Bypass Control Structure which is in the flood bypass; Sack Dam, which is the intake for Arroyo Canal for Henry Miller irrigation system; and Mendota Dam which controls Mendota Pool. The program also needs to ensure enough habitat for the fish when they return to complete their life cycle,

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Aquafornia news January 21, 2020 Jefferson Public Radio

NorCal’s Shasta and Scott River salmon runs below sustainable levels

The number of Coho salmon in Northern California’s Shasta and Scott rivers in 2019 was too low to sustain a viable population. That’s according to a just-released report from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The most recent count identified only 334 Coho on the Scott, and 61 on the Shasta.

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Aquafornia news January 21, 2020 The Modesto Bee

State senate candidates can’t escape the water wars. They disagree about high-speed rail

The territory encompassed by the 5th State Senate District has been a battleground for California’s complex water politics. So it’s not surprising the two Democrats and three Republicans running to succeed Sen. Cathleen Galgiani, D-Stockton, who is terming out this year, might tap dance around questions regarding Tuolumne and Stanislaus river flows and water quality in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

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Aquafornia news January 21, 2020 Natural Resources Defense Council

Blog: Why is DWR helping Trump weaken Bay-Delta protections?

Confused? So are we. It’s time for DWR to stop acting like a Trump Administration agency and get on board with the Newsom Administration.

  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 21, 2020 Sonoma Index Tribune

Opinion: Beavers more than cute creatures for Sonoma Creek

The Sonoma Index-Tribune recently published a couple of articles about beavers and otters in Sonoma Creek… It’s a good sign, not just because it’s nice to know that Sonoma Valley’s main waterway is actually clean enough to support wildlife, but also because beavers can actually improve life for other critters, including my favorite, rainbow trout.

  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 21, 2020 CALmatters

Opinion: Gov. Newsom must stand up to Trump on latest attack on Delta

Now Trump’s team is set to impose new environmentally damaging Bay-Delta water diversion and pumping rules. … These new rules would wipe out salmon and other wildlife by allowing wholesale siphoning of water from Northern California rivers to a few agriculture operators in the western San Joaquin Valley. 

Related article:

  • Natural Resources Defense Council: Blog: Why is DWR helping Trump weaken Bay-Delta protections?
  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 20, 2020 Natural Resources Defense Council

Blog: Why is DWR helping Trump weaken Bay-Delta protections?

Confused? So are we. It’s time for DWR to stop acting like a Trump Administration agency and get on board with the Newsom Administration.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 17, 2020 FishBio

Blog: Stream to sea and back again: Modeling the fall-run Chinook salmon lifecycle

The Central Valley fall-run population is a fraction of its historic size and continues to face challenges as a result of factors that range from loss of habitat and changing ocean conditions to pressures from predation and harvest in freshwater and the ocean. Even under good environmental conditions, fall-run Chinook face a slew of challenges over the course of their lives.

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Aquafornia news January 16, 2020 Maven's Notebook

Delta Stewardship Council: Briefing on the 2019 update to the State of the Estuary Report

At the December meeting of the Delta Stewardship Council, Caitlin Sweeney, Director of the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, briefed the Council on the 2019 update to the State of the Estuary report. She began with some background on the Partnership.

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Aquafornia news January 16, 2020 KCET

State-federal water deal takes bite from L.A.’s supply

With virtually no public notice, state officials quietly gave away a significant portion of Southern California’s water supply to farmers in the Central Valley as part of a deal with the Trump administration in December 2018. One year later, it remains unclear why the California Department of Water Resources signed the agreement…

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Aquafornia news January 16, 2020 Associated Press

Thursday Top of the Scroll: California governor restarts giant water tunnel project

California’s governor has restarted a project to build a giant, underground tunnel that would pump billions of gallons of water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the southern part of the state. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration on Wednesday issued a Notice of Preparation for the project, which is the first step in the state’s lengthy environmental review process.

Related articles:

  • San Francisco Chronicle: California moves toward single water tunnel under Delta
  • News release: State initiates environmental review for proposed Delta conveyance project, begins public scoping
  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 16, 2020 Mother Jones

Blog: Energy companies have a great friend at Trump’s Interior Department: Their former lobbyist

Since he took the new post in July 2017, Bernhardt’s former clients have spent a lot of money trying to influence the Department of Interior. Seventeen of them have coughed up a combined $29.9 million to lobby the Trump administration since January 2017, according to a new report from the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen…. Bernhardt’s former client Westlands Water District, which has lobbied to weaken endangered species protections to divert more water for agriculture… has spent more than $1.5 million lobbying Interior and Department of Justice since 2017. 

  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 14, 2020 Chico Enterprise-Record

Kids take part in salmon life cycle at Riverbend Park

As they walked to the river’s edge holding baby salmon in cups, second graders warned the tiny fish of predators before gently setting them free into the water. Two classes from Oakdale Heights Elementary School took part in a salmon study that came to a close Friday at Riverbend Park in Oroville.

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Aquafornia news January 13, 2020 The Fresno Bee

Opinion: Save the San Joaquin? Fresno County should reject Cemex proposal for deeper gravel mine

Yes, aggregate mining on the San Joaquin has been going on for more than a century. But with production tapering off and newer operations opening on the nearby Kings River, it was generally assumed the poor San Joaquin would finally be given a break… Unfortunately, a proposal by Cemex threatens to dash those hopes while ensuring another century of heavy industry on California’s second-longest river…

  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 13, 2020 KRCR TV

Habitat restorations for endangered salmon

Biologists, heavy equipment operators, government agencies, and non-profits all working together. Hopefully, they’re major steps toward restoring the endangered chinook salmon winter run in the Sacramento River.

  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 10, 2020 The Grass Valley Union

Film by Truckee local to be featured at Wild & Scenic Film Festival in Nevada City

What started as a plan for a fun trip down the Sacramento Rver turned into a storytelling mission for Mitch Dion and his friend Tom Bartels, who set out to interview farmers, politicians and others who were impacted by the river.

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Aquafornia news January 10, 2020 The Sacramento Bee

Project to restore American River for native fish leads to surge in salmon nests

The American River is seeing an increase in native fish nests following a fall project carried out by federal, state and local agencies to re-establish natural spawning habitats.

Related article:

  • Association of California Water Agencies: Blog: New habitat restoration project nurtures record number of salmon nests
  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 10, 2020 Siskiyou Daily News

Opinion: Save the Chinook and Coho salmon

Every year since 2014, I have petitioned the State Water Resources Control Board to end the widespread practice of irrigation, especially of cattle pastures, outside the legal irrigation season. So far, however, State Water Board staff have not taken effective action to end the illegal water use and the resulting degradation of Scott River stream ecosystems…

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Aquafornia news January 9, 2020 East Bay Express

California’s salmon barely survived the 20th Century. Will they vanish before the next one?

Since 2015, the state’s commercial fishermen have reported nearly record-low catches. Fish hatcheries produce most of the salmon caught in California today, and with much of their inland habitat badly degraded, truly wild salmon are scarce. But a small circle of biologists and fishermen believe they can revive California’s legendary Chinook to something resembling its historic glory.

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Aquafornia news January 2, 2020 Capital Public Radio

Young salmon defend themselves against climate change by eating more — but there’s a catch

The fish’s growth rates peaked at average water temperatures of 61.8 degrees fahrenheit, and what Lusardi calls an “unheard of” maximum weekly temperature of 70. So, how did the cold-water fish survive the warmer temperatures? There was enough food — aquatic invertebrates like freshwater shrimp or mayflies — in the water to compensate for the rise in temperature.

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Aquafornia news January 2, 2020 KSRO

Audio: New federal guidelines for diverting California water to take effect soon

The new guidelines call for diverting more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to agribusiness and urban areas further south. Barbara Barrigan-Parilla with the group Restore the Delta, says despite Newsom indicating he was going to sue over the new federal guidelines, that hasn’t happened yet.

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Aquafornia news December 19, 2019 Stockton Record

Mokelumne River salmon come back in big numbers

Large numbers of fall-run Chinook salmon have returned to the Mokelumne River in Clements this fall despite challenging salmon fishing on the river and adjacent sloughs this season. A total of over 12,658 salmon have gone over Woodbridge Dam in Lodi as of Dec. 10, according to William Smith, manager of the CDFW’s Mokelumne River Fish Hatchery.

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Aquafornia news December 17, 2019 Oceanographic Magazine

Manipulation of rivers jeopardises resilience of native Chinook salmon

The heavy management of river systems in California is causing a compression in the migration timing of Chinook salmon to the point that they crowd their habitats. As a result, they might miss the best window for entering the ocean to grow into adults.

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Aquafornia news December 16, 2019 KQED Science

Restoration of a San Mateo County creek reopens a gateway for endangered salmon

Lower Butano Creek had been clogged by a mile-and-a-half long plug of sediment where the stream once flowed through the marsh to meet the ocean. … In June, the resource conservation district, in partnership with California State Parks and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, embarked on a $7 million restoration project to remove the sediment dam blocking Butano Creek.

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Aquafornia news December 16, 2019 NOAA Fisheries

Blog: Salmon lose diversity in managed rivers, reducing resilience to environmental change

The manipulation of rivers in California is jeopardizing the resilience of native Chinook salmon. It compresses their migration timing to the point that they crowd their habitats. They may miss the best window for entering the ocean and growing into adults, new research shows. The good news is that even small steps to improve their access to habitat and restore natural flows could boost their survival.

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Aquafornia news December 16, 2019 Monterey Herald

More public water buyout spending to be considered

On Monday, the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District board is set to consider approving $1.24 million on consultants to prepare for a potential vote by the summer on a resolution of necessity to acquire Cal Am’s local system.

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Aquafornia news December 16, 2019 Western Farm Press

Rural development loan aids Sites Reservoir Project in California

In a recent exclusive interview, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told Western Farm Press that the low-interest loan will help fund projects associated with the off-stream storage site in western Colusa County. … “The USDA is putting up almost $500 million in rural development funds,” Perdue said.

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Aquafornia news December 13, 2019 Marin Independent Journal

Editorial: Salmon’s return marks proud day in push for creek restorations

Salmon are swimming back into the Lagunitas Creek watershed. Not only is that a natural phenomena, but it is a sign that hard work at restoring habitat and promoting greater public awareness are paying off.

  • Read more
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Aquafornia news December 13, 2019 New Times San Luis Obispo

Opinion: Don’t go into the tunnel

Votes of support by local jurisdictions bring the project one step closer to reality. Reality is a costly giant tunnel that would divert Sacramento River water bound for the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta and transport the water directly to Central Valley farms and urban users in the Bay Area and Southern California.

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  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news December 13, 2019 Deseret News

How America’s aging dams risk lives and homes

In the United States, many of the structures that were once engineering marvels are nearing the age most humans decide to retire. Despite steadily increased budgets for dam repair and maintenance, over the past four decades more than a 1,000 have failed … Although some dams are having critical maintenance done, states and private entities are also coming up with a different solution: take them down. California, once a bastion of dam building, took down 35 dams just last year, making it the leader in dam removals in 2018.

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Aquafornia news December 12, 2019 San Francisco Chronicle

Major push to save Muir Woods salmon run includes creek, habitat work

An all-out attempt to save the historic coho salmon runs through Muir Woods intensified this year as the National Park Service began a creek restoration and habitat enhancement program in the famous redwood grove.

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Aquafornia news December 12, 2019 MyMotherLode.com

A year later, ‘water grab’ plan settlements still stuck

A year later, issues triggered by a contentious plan by state water regulators to increase unimpaired river flows for the benefit of fish remain firmly mired in red tape.

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Aquafornia news December 11, 2019 LAist.com

California salmon can fight (some) climate change threat by eating more

A new study from UC Davis, published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, offers a glimmer of hope, with a caveat. It found that salmonids can likely thrive in slightly warmer waters, provided they eat like bodybuilders trying to bulk up for a competition.

Related articles:

  • Phys.org: Can salmon eat their way out of climate change?
  • Action News Now: Helping salmon survive: Late fall release from Coleman National Fish Hatchery
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Aquafornia news December 9, 2019 Lake County Record-Bee

Blocked from Potter Valley Project planning group, Lake County interests look ahead

In August, the Lake County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution of intent to join this group, now being called the Two-Basin Partnership. But Lake County was recently denied entry, with the partnership citing “expediency” concerns and saying it would not admit any more members.

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Aquafornia news December 9, 2019 San Francisco Chronicle

Opinion: What we can learn from the saving of a San Mateo County creek

Butano Creek runs through the sleepy little farm town of Pescadero, just down the road from San Francisco and over the hill from the heart of Silicon Valley. This modest creek once connected endangered native salmon and steelhead to their historical spawning and rearing habitats through Pescadero Marsh. But the channel filled with sediment over time, ultimately blocking the connection to the Pacific for many years.

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Aquafornia news December 6, 2019 The Point Reyes Light

Rains make way for Lagunitas Creek coho return

After a dry fall, the first storms of the winter kicked off the annual migration of coho salmon from the Pacific Ocean to the streams where they spawn. Over 10 inches of rain fell on Lake Lagunitas last week… Streamflows are now high enough to allow endangered central California coast coho to migrate.

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Aquafornia news December 6, 2019 Courthouse News Service

Friday Top of the Scroll: California urged to rethink 40 years of ‘piecemeal’ freshwater protections

The bitter drought validated scientists’ warnings that despite longstanding endangered species protections, the state’s outdated and overtaxed water management plans are failing in the face of climate change. … A report released Thursday by the Public Policy Institute of California recommends the state stop prioritizing individual species recovery plans and adopt holistic management methods that improve entire freshwater ecosystems.

Related article:

  • Public Policy Institute of California: A path forward for California’s freshwater ecosystems
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Aquafornia news December 6, 2019 Bloomberg Environment

Supreme Court to consider taking up water permitting case

The Supreme Court today will weigh in a closed-door conference whether to take up a dispute over states’ role in water permitting for pipelines, hydroelectric dams, and other projects. … The question in the case is whether states unlawfully extended their review time for a hydropower project on the Klamath River. It’s an issue that has cropped up in litigation over pipelines and other projects.

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Aquafornia news December 5, 2019 CALmatters

Opinion: California must change its approach to water, become more collaborative

We face an important opportunity to finally put the seemingly permanent conflicts that have defined water and environmental management in California behind us, but not if we let it drift away. This new era of opportunity springs from a common recognition that our ways of doing business have failed to meet the needs of all interests.

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Aquafornia news December 5, 2019 Hakai Magazine

Securing SoCal water to benefit NorCal salmon

Rather than physically move water hundreds of kilometers across earthquake country between Northern California and San Bernardino, the plan involves reallocating water virtually, just as you would electronically transfer funds from one bank account to another. Once the Chino Basin Program is operational, in times of drought the southern region can draw water from the new reserve instead of from the State Water Project… That will mean water impounded by Oroville Dam can be released into the Feather River, benefitting endangered chinook.

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Aquafornia news December 5, 2019 North Coast Journal

Trinity River under siege

While local tribes celebrated a federal appellate court ruling last month upholding their senior water rights on the Klamath River, a trio of threats facing the Trinity River combine to paint a foreboding picture for local salmon populations.

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Aquafornia news December 4, 2019 Bloomberg Environment

U.S. challenge to California water rules belongs in state court

Most of the Trump administration’s lawsuit challenging California water management rules affecting the San Francisco Bay Area has been paused indefinitely so a state court can consider parallel claims the government filed there. Both suits target changes the State Water Resources Control Board made to the “water quality control plan” covering the Bay Area and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary.

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Aquafornia news December 4, 2019 San Francisco Chronicle

Fishing groups sue federal agencies over latest water plan for California

The fracas over California’s scarce water supplies will tumble into a San Francisco courtroom after a lawsuit was filed this week claiming the federal government’s plan to loosen previous restrictions on water deliveries to farmers is a blueprint for wiping out fish.

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Aquafornia news December 3, 2019 The Press Democrat

Future of Potter Valley power project could hinge on options for dam at Lake Pillsbury

CalTrout has identified Scott Dam, which impounds Eel River water in Lake Pillsbury, as one of five aging dams it considers “ripe for removal,” especially in the wake of PG&E’s license surrender. There is, however, a potential middle course backed by Friends of the Eel River, a Eureka-based nonprofit that has long called for the dam’s removal.

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Aquafornia news December 3, 2019 Marin Independent Journal

Muir Woods creek restoration project wraps up

The work, which started in August, focused on restoring natural habitat for the fish by removing boulder walls called ripraps along the creek banks and placing large pieces of trees into the creek. The riprap walls … channeled the water into a swift current during the rainy season, which scoured away salmon eggs and salmon fry that were attempting to survive the long year-and-a-half in freshwater.

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Aquafornia news December 3, 2019 California WaterBlog

Blog: Turbidity and Insights on flow-habitat-fish abundance curves in policy-making

California’s water policy community continues to be embroiled on how best to manage what remains of California’s native aquatic ecosystems, particularly for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and its tributaries. One aspect of this controversy is the dedication and use of habitat and flow resources to support native fishes.

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Aquafornia news December 3, 2019 Courthouse News Service

Conservation groups sue feds over California water project opinions

The complaint says the Trump administration did not fully consider scientific facts or logic, and arbitrarily concluded that the projects would not have a damaging effect on endangered fish species, including salmon and steelhead. … The projects at issue divert water from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers to the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, primarily for agricultural and municipal uses.

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Aquafornia news December 2, 2019 The Fresno Bee

Opinion: It’s time to secure California’s water supply by raising Shasta Dam

Reliable water is critical to every aspect of the economy as more than 40 percent of the nation’s fruits, nuts and vegetables are grown in the Central Valley, much of that using water from the Central Valley Project (CVP) and its largest reservoir — Shasta Lake.

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Aquafornia news December 2, 2019 Monterey County Weekly

With the future of the Monterey Peninsula’s water supply—and water utility—on the line, we take a look back at how we got here

There’s a war over the future of water on the Monterey Peninsula and it’s taking place in the board chambers of half a dozen state and local government entities. It’s also taking place on social media and in the press.

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Aquafornia news December 2, 2019 Orange County Register

Opinion: Newsom picks fish over farms, but still gets brickbats

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration has given environmentalists much of what they presumably want as it released a 610-page draft Delta environmental report recently that calls for $1.5 billion in habitat restoration among other environmental projects. … But as much as they cheered the lawsuit announcement, environmentalists were aghast at the report because the state plan will allow some additional water for farms.

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Aquafornia news November 25, 2019 Comstock's Magazine

Chinook salmon — crucial to California’s fishing industry — return to Rancho Cordova’s Nimbus Fish Hatchery

The annual opening of the hatchery’s ladder provides a window into the wonders of science, but also shows the key role the hatchery system plays in keeping California’s salmon fishery healthy.

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Aquafornia news November 25, 2019 The Fresno Bee

Opinion: San Joaquin Valley’s water solution? Look north to the mighty Columbia River

Central Valley agriculture faces a looming existential water crisis from the interlocking problems of drought, climate change, and falling underground water tables. Yet the potential answer to this problem is incredibly simple and only a lack of political will may defeat it. The solution is to send south to California the abundant waters of the Columbia River.

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Aquafornia news November 25, 2019 Eureka Times-Standard

Opinion: Trinity River under threat — will our county fight back?

Lots of stories circulate about the unethical actions of Bernhardt and Gov. Newsom’s reluctance to fight Trump on water — stories about Bernhardt’s effort to get rid of scientists who concluded the new Trump Water Plan jeopardizes endangered species in the Delta. Then there’s his work to give Westlands a permanent water contract to irrigate poisoned selenium-ridden lands… What’s not being covered: the impact these projects will have on the Trinity and Klamath Rivers, and Newsom’s reluctance to stop them.

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Aquafornia news November 25, 2019 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Opinion: What’s next for Potter Valley Project?

Exactly what the Potter Valley Project will look like in the future is not set in stone. The partnership is committed to identifying solutions that meet the needs of the communities and wildlife affected by the project’s operations.

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Aquafornia news November 25, 2019 San Jose Mercury News

Editorial: Gov. Newsom’s Delta water plan is merely ‘Trump lite’

Join the crowd of California water officials if you are confused by the mixed message Gavin Newsom offered Thursday on the future of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. 

Related article:

  • San Francisco Chronicle: Editorial: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s muddy water policy
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Aquafornia news November 22, 2019 Los Angeles Times

Friday Top of the Scroll: Newsom administration sends mixed signals on Delta endangered species protections

California officials sent mixed signals Thursday when they said they will sue to block a Trump administration rollback of endangered species protections for imperiled fish — while also proposing new water operations that mimic parts of the Trump plan. The state moves reflect political pressure the Newsom administration has been under as it confronts one of California’s most intractable environmental conflicts — the battle over the ailing Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta…

Related articles:

  • Sacramento Bee: Gov. Newsom will sue Trump over environment, Delta water
  • San Francisco Chronicle: California Gov. Newsom makes move to halt Trump water grab
  • Associated Press: California to sue over federal rules governing water
  • Bloomberg Environment: California fights back over proposed Trump water rules
  • CALMatters: Opinion: California rejects federal water proposal, lays out its vision for protecting endangered species and meeting state water needs
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Aquafornia news November 22, 2019 Monterey Herald

Trio of Monterey Peninsula water projects delayed, again

In what has become an all-too-familiar occurrence, three water projects designed to serve the Monterey Peninsula have again experienced delays, including the Pure Water Monterey recycled water project and its proposed expansion, and California American Water’s proposed desalination project.

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Aquafornia news November 22, 2019 Phys.org

Study: Increase in cannabis cultivation or residential development could impact water resources

Researchers in Canada and the U.S. investigated potential reductions in streamflow, caused by groundwater pumping for cannabis irrigation, in the Navarro River in Mendocino County, California… Reporting in the journal Environmental Research Communications, they note the combination of cannabis cultivation and residential use may cause significant streamflow depletion, with the largest impacts in late summer when streams and local fish species depend most on groundwater inflows.

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Aquafornia news November 22, 2019 Corning Observer

Fish habitat project in Tehama County completed

Work on the Rio Vista Side Channel Habitat Project in Red Bluff has been completed, marking another milestone for the Upper Sacramento River Anadromous Fish Habitat Restoration Program, with immediate results observed… Within one week of opening the side channel, endangered winter‐run Chinook juveniles were observed making use of it.

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Aquafornia news November 21, 2019 KQED Food

Wine moguls destroy land and pay small fines as cost of business, say activists

In Napa County, adjacent to Sonoma and the source of perhaps the most expensive cabernet sauvignon outside of Bordeaux, activists are pushing back against a steady conversion of woodland into new vineyards. Kellie Anderson, an independent watchdog who has harried local officials for years to step up enforcement of environmental laws, says the county’s planning department has ignored numerous violations by grape growers.

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Aquafornia news November 21, 2019 CALmatters

Opinion: Newsom must stop the Westlands water grab and save the San Francisco Bay-Delta

Initially, federal scientists wrote a draft report that found increasing water exports would harm California’s native salmon population, a species already imperiled. Those scientists were reassigned. Now, the Trump administration and David Bernhardt have released a new proposal, and guess what? Westlands can grab even more water from the Bay-Delta.

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Aquafornia news November 21, 2019 San Joaquin Valley Sun

Westlands nearing a permanent federal water contract. What does that mean?

Westlands Water District, Fresno-based agricultural water district, is set to convert its temporary, renewable water service agreements with the Federal government into a permanent contract. And while Westlands is the first of its class to make the switch, it certainly won’t be the last water agency to do it.

Related article:

  • CALMatters: Opinion: Newsom must stop the Westlands water grab and save the San Francisco Bay-Delta
  • News release: Statement from Tom Birmingham, general manager of Westlands Water District, in response to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s proposed conversion of the Westlands Water District water service contract to a repayment contract
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Aquafornia news November 20, 2019 Capital Press

Agencies scrap controversial Klamath Project biological opinion

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation spent months working with the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to mitigate potential harm to endangered sucker fish in Upper Klamath Lake, as well as threatened coho salmon in the lower Klamath River. … However, the bureau now says it received “erroneous data” from an outside source during consultation, meaning it must scrap the plans and start over again.

Related article:

  • Klamath Falls Herald & News: Water coalition aims to coordinate conservation efforts
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Aquafornia news November 20, 2019 Klamath Falls Herald & News

Water coalition aims to coordinate conservation efforts

The water coalition has been meeting since 2018 and started under the facilitation of Alan Mikkelsen, senior adviser to Secretary of the Interior on water and western resources. … The coalition aims to address challenges to fisheries, water supply, and waterfowl and forest health.

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Aquafornia news November 20, 2019 Fairfield Daily Republic

Water release to attract salmon into Putah Creek begins

The extra 90 cubic feet per second are designed, in part, to attract salmon up the creek – and the flows start a little later than in recent years due to the failure of state Department of Fish and Wildlife pumps in the Yolo Bypass. Rich Marovich, streamkeeper for the Solano County Water Agency and Lower Putah Creek Coordinating Committee, said because it has been so dry this fall, the later release may be beneficial.

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Aquafornia news November 20, 2019 KCET

Video: Restoring the river with the Yurok, Hupa and Karuk

For the past two centuries, California has relied heavily on the natural resources of the North Coast region, exploiting its pristine watersheds for agriculture and its forests for timber. … Now the Yurok are working with local and state organizations to revitalize the forests, rivers and wildlife, a comprehensive feat requiring collaboration among community leaders up and down the Klamath and Trinity Rivers.

Related articles:

  • KCET: Video: The surprising connection between salmon and redwood forests
  • KCET: Video: What it takes to restore a river for salmon runs
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Aquafornia news November 19, 2019 AgWeb

Blog: California can keep the water flowing

California is in trouble. We can’t keep the lights on, the fires out, or the air clean. Worst of all, from my perspective as a farmer, is that we’ve failed to keep the water flowing. That may change, thanks to the Trump administration.

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Aquafornia news November 18, 2019 Redwood Times

Tribes’ water rights at Klamath River upheld by federal circuit court

Native American tribal water rights are guaranteed by the federal government to the extent that endangered species, like salmon in the Klamath River, aren’t placed in danger, according to a court decision on Thursday.

Related articles:

  • E&E News: Court tosses farmers’ takings claim in Klamath battle
  • Klamath Falls Herald & News: Klamath Tribes agree with court’s ruling
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Aquafornia news November 18, 2019 CALmatters

Opinion: Westlands contract shakes the waterscape

California’s perpetual, uber-complex conflict over water progresses much like the tectonic plates that grind against one another beneath its surface. In much the same way, interest groups constantly rub on each other in political and legal venues, seeking greater shares of the state’s water supply, which itself varies greatly from year to year. And occasionally, there’s a sharp movement that shakes things up.

Related article:

  • Los Angeles Times: Opinion: Interior Secretary Bernhardt’s previous job raises questions about a deal for his ex-client
  • Las Vegas Sun: Editorial: Neighboring water deal reeks of cronyism
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Aquafornia news November 15, 2019 San Jose Mercury News

Editorial: California must help kill sleazy Westlands water deal

The Westlands Water District has engaged in some sleazy maneuvers over the years, but this one, which threatens the Bay Area’s water supply, tops them all.

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Aquafornia news November 15, 2019 FishBio

Blog: Change is hard: The vulnerability of salmon populations to climate change

The novel and rapidly evolving challenges of global climate change will test the adaptability of all species, and some will be hit harder than others. Identifying the species and populations most vulnerable to climate change is critical to target restoration and adaptation efforts for those closest to the brink. With this in mind, climate vulnerability assessments, which are an effective method of evaluating the relative risk faced by different populations, were recently applied to Pacific salmonids

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Aquafornia news November 15, 2019 The Ukiah Daily Journal

Potter Valley Project water coalition makes strides toward two-basin solution

A local coalition formed in the hopes of maintaining the most important aspects of the Potter Valley Project is making progress toward a two-basin solution, Janet Pauli told the Ukiah City Council at its last meeting.

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Aquafornia news November 14, 2019 Maven's Notebook

USFWS regional director Paul Souza explains the biological opinions

Paul Souza is regional director of the Pacific Southwest division of the US Fish and Wildlife Service… At the November meeting of Metropolitan Water District’s Water Planning and Stewardship Committee, Mr. Souza gave a presentation on the recently released biological opinions for the long-term operations of the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project.

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Aquafornia news November 13, 2019 Grist.org

Wind and solar can save the planet — can they save our water supply, too?

Hydropower facilities store water in reservoirs in order to release it in a constant flow and produce energy consistently. If wind turbines and solar panels, paired with battery storage, took the pressure off of these facilities to fill the needs of the grid during a drought, more of that water could be released downstream for agricultural use, preventing further groundwater depletion.

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Aquafornia news November 13, 2019 Chico Enterprise-Record

Feather River Fish Hatchery meets salmon harvest goal; 12 million chinook eggs collected

This fall run, while late, is about average in terms of the number of fish coming up the river. And, in terms of their condition, Crawshaw said the fish are “very healthy” and “good sizes.”

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Aquafornia news November 13, 2019 National Public Radio

Wildlife and water in U.S. forests are being poisoned by illegal pot operations

An unlikely coalition in California — including environmentalists, law enforcement agents, politicians, wildlife ecologists and representatives of the legal cannabis industry — have joined forces to try to reduce these illegal operations and the environmental threat they pose.

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Aquafornia news November 13, 2019 Red Bluff Daily News

Documentary on protecting public lands and water to be released online

After touring film festivals in two dozen cities across the country, the documentary, Visions of the Lost Sierra, will be released online Wednesday for all to view. … Visions is a short film exploring how the Wild and Scenic Middle Fork Feather River has connected communities and inspired outdoor enthusiasts for generations.

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Aquafornia news November 12, 2019 The Press Democrat

Sonoma County drills wells to study groundwater sustainability

The shallow wells Sonoma County’s water agency is drilling near 11 waterways have nothing to do with delivering water to 600,000 residents of Sonoma and Marin counties. Instead, the 21 wells will serve as measuring sticks to determine whether pumping groundwater in the county’s three basins … is curbing the flow in creeks inhabited by federally protected fish and other species.

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Aquafornia news November 12, 2019 Los Angeles Times

Feds set to lock in huge water contract for well-connected Westlands Water District

Westlands has had water service contracts with the Central Valley Project since 1963. But they were subject to renewal, when the reclamation bureau could, at least in theory, renegotiate terms. In contrast, the so-called repayment contract the bureau now proposes to award Westlands would not expire, permanently locking in the terms, including the amount of 1.15 million acre-feet of water.

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Aquafornia news November 12, 2019 Los Angeles Times

Editorial: Trump Delta water policy threatens Stockton as well as salmon

The city’s fate is linked inextricably with the San Joaquin River… Much of the water upstream is diverted for agriculture, although a legal settlement ensures that the river no longer runs dry. Additional diversions at the downriver end … greatly reduce the amount of water that actually makes it through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the San Francisco Bay and then the Pacific. It is as if one of the state’s two great arteries … is detached from its heart.

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Aquafornia news November 12, 2019 Vancouver Sun

Scientists breathe easier as marine heat wave off West Coast weakens

Scientists say a marine heat wave that blanketed a large area of the west coast has weakened, but the potential disruption to ocean life isn’t over yet.

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Aquafornia news November 8, 2019 Associated Press

Interior proposes coveted California water deal to ex-client of agency head

The Interior Department is proposing to award one of the first contracts for federal water in perpetuity to a powerful rural water district that had employed Secretary David Bernhardt as a lawyer and lobbyist. … Environmental groups say a permanent deal would let California’s water contractors forgo future negotiations before the public and environmental groups, further threatening the survival of endangered native fish and other wildlife that also need the water.

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Aquafornia news November 8, 2019 North Bay Bohemian

Saving salmon: Will overhauling Scott Dam save native fish?

Today, annual salmon runs in Eel River that once may have totaled a million or so adults consist of a few thousand. Lamprey eels, too, have dwindled. Now, there is serious talk of removing Scott Dam, owned by PG&E since 1930. For fishery proponents, such a river makeover is the optimal way to revive the Eel’s salmon runs.

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Aquafornia news November 8, 2019 FishBio

Blog: Bustin’ berms: The restoration of Tule Red

On October 15th, an excavator trundled out onto the narrow isthmus of land separating the freshwater Tule Red pond from Suisun Bay and began digging. As the salty water from Grizzly Bay began to pour through the breach, the 460-acre pond felt the push and pull of the tides for the first time in a century, beginning its transition back into marsh habitat.

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Aquafornia news November 6, 2019 Bakersfield Californian

Farmers urged to think big and small to survive groundwater cutbacks

The thinking started small and then grew much bigger at a gathering Tuesday in Bakersfield intended to provide a “survival toolkit” for farmers and water managers facing drastic restrictions on Central Valley groundwater pumping. … By the end of the day, however, isolationism gave way to calls for unity as speakers asserted that the only real solution was to increase the region’s water supply by as much as 10 million acre-feet per year on average by diverting water south from the Sacramento Delta.

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Aquafornia news November 6, 2019 CALmatters

Opinion: Gavin Newsom must stand up to Trump’s water grab

In October, the Trump Administration released politically manipulated “biological opinions” under the federal Endangered Species Act that dramatically weaken protections for the Bay-Delta, endangered fish species and commercially valuable salmon runs. … However, in an uncharacteristically subdued response, the Newsom Administration stated that it “will evaluate the federal government’s proposal, but will continue to push back if it does not reflect our values.”

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Aquafornia news November 6, 2019 East Bay Express

Trump administration plan allows Delta water managers to kill off winter-run Chinook salmon

Eight-hundred pages into the text of a lengthy new report, federal biologists have quietly granted government water managers permission to nearly exterminate an endangered run of Sacramento River salmon so they can send more water south from the river’s delta to farmers in the arid San Joaquin Valley.

Related article:

  • CALMatters: Opinion: Gavin Newsom must stand up to Trump’s water grab
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Aquafornia news November 5, 2019 Associated Press

California seizes $1.5 billion-plus in black market marijuana

Authorities seized more than $1.5 billion worth of illegally grown marijuana plants in California this year — an amount an industry expert said is roughly equal to the state’s entire legal market — as part of an annual eradication program, officials said Monday. … Law enforcement raids often find illegal farms that have dammed or diverted public streams and dumped dangerous pesticides including carbofuran, methyl parathion and aluminum phosphate…

Related articles:

  • Los Angeles Times: Almost 1 million illegal marijuana plants seized in California
  • City News Service: State confiscates nearly 1 million marijuana plants, arrests 148 in 2019 effort to combat illegal grows
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Aquafornia news November 5, 2019 San Joaquin Valley Sun

Opinion: With California’s water at stake, progress finally triumphs regress

Welcome to the Two States of California: one boasts one of the largest economies in the world while another is shamed with water rationing, third-world power outages, uncontrolled wildfires, an ever-expanding homeless population riddled with medieval diseases. This is the tale of the latter California and the continued alarmism about its water.

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Aquafornia news November 1, 2019 California WaterBlog

Blog: Night of the living dead salmon

On a cool and misty morning somewhere south of Redding, California, jet boats roar across the tranquil Sacramento River. Armed with tridents, machetes and poleaxes, it seems akin to a scene from an action movie; except that “California Department of Fish and Wildlife” is painted on the boats.

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Aquafornia news November 1, 2019 Roll Call

Democrats’ Bernhardt probe has California’s Cox in a tough spot

Freshman Democratic Rep. TJ Cox represents some of the farmers who would likely benefit from the additional water. … Facing what could be a tough reelection fight in 2020, Cox’s future in Congress could depend on whether Bernhardt’s former client gets what it wants.

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Aquafornia news October 31, 2019 Livermore Independent

Delta group critical of federal move to change water priorities

An environmental group, highly critical of a federal agency’s newly proposed recommendations to protect endangered species in the Delta, states that they would seriously harm those species and their habitat. The new recommendations, released Oct. 22 by the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation, are to be used as guidelines for operating the federal pumping plant in the Delta.

Related article:

  • San Francisco Chronicle: Opinion: Gov. Newsom must counter President Trump’s attack on bay and delta species protection
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Aquafornia news October 31, 2019 Marin Independent Journal

Documentary a call to action to preserve wild salmon

There are lots of pressing environmental issues to focus on, from water shortages to deforestation to climate change. Fish hatcheries and farms wouldn’t necessarily come immediately to mind. That’s a problem, says Josh “Bones” Murphy. … Which is why “Artifishal,” the documentary he co-wrote, produced and directed for Patagonia, is a call to action. It will air Nov. 5 on Amazon Prime and iTunes.

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Aquafornia news October 30, 2019 Klamath Falls Herald & News

Klamath River Compact Commission boosts visibility

Prior to a commission meeting earlier this year, the Commission hadn’t met since 2010, according to Curtis Anderson, commission member representing the California side of the river. … “We’re seeing if we can be helpful by at least providing information and providing an opportunity for people to raise concerns concerning the Compact itself,” Anderson said.

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Aquafornia news October 30, 2019 San Jose Mercury News

Opinion: Newsom must fight Trump’s Delta fish extinction plan

The Trump administration last week launched an attack on the health of San Francisco Bay and Delta and California’s salmon fishing industry with new rules allowing big increases in water diversions from this teetering, vulnerable ecosystem. … The new Trump administration rules replace prior ones that weren’t strong enough to protect salmon and other wildlife in the last drought. They only make the situation worse.

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Aquafornia news October 25, 2019 The Wall Street Journal

Editorial: Trump’s gift to California

Amid horrific wildfires and rolling blackouts, the Trump Administration this week brought welcome relief to the Golden State by allowing more water to be sent to farmers and folks in the south. Will California liberals accept the deregulatory gift?

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Aquafornia news October 25, 2019 FishBio

Video: Replenishing a river

In today’s Film Friday, we follow the evolution of Honolulu Bar in the Stanislaus River through a restoration and floodplain enhancement project. The project including leveling an intstream island to create more flooded rearing habitat, sorting gravel to create improved spawning habitat, clearing invasive plants and planting native ones. Watch the transformation!

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Aquafornia news October 25, 2019 Ventura County Star

Casitas water district closer to getting permits to fix Lake Casitas diversion issues

An Ojai Valley agency continued its wait this week for permission to start cleaning up a 9-foot pile of silt, sand and gravel that led to costly repairs last winter.

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Aquafornia news October 24, 2019 E&E News

The new weapon in the war over dam removal: Economics

The decadeslong Pacific Northwest salmon war may be nearing the end. But it’s economics, not fish, that could be the demise of four dams at the center of the fight. The dams on the Lower Snake River — besieged by conservationists and biologists for killing fish — are now battered by falling prices for renewable energy, skyrocketing replacement costs for aging turbines and a growing tab for environmental mitigation.

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Aquafornia news October 24, 2019 The Oregonian

Opinion: Klamath dam removal is not a partisan issue

Today’s noisy partisan divide concerns me and makes the thought of meaningful collaboration across parties seem impossible. However, the largest river restoration project in history, spanning the California-Oregon border, tells a hopeful story offering a blueprint for political, conservation and economic progress.

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Aquafornia news October 23, 2019 The Sacramento Bee

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: Trump rewrites Delta rules to pump more California water to Valley. Will Newsom fight him?

President Donald Trump’s administration rolled out an aggressive plan Tuesday to ship more water from the Delta to farmers in the San Joaquin Valley, a move that’s certain to trigger lawsuits by environmentalists concerned about endangered fish species.

Related articles:

  • San Francisco Chronicle: Federal officials rejigger rules on water deliveries — some say at expense of fish
  • NPR: Trump plan weakens protections for California fish, diverts water to farms
  • New York Times: Trump administration moves to lift protections for fish and divert water to farms
  • San Joaquin Valley Sun: Trump administration releases plan to deliver more water to Valley
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Water Project Biological Opinions
  • Read more
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Aquafornia news October 22, 2019 Los Angeles Times

Tuesday Top of the Scroll: Trump team weakens Delta protections for California smelt, salmon

In a move that would boost water deliveries to San Joaquin Valley agriculture and Southern California cities, federal fishery agencies are weakening decade-old endangered species protections for some of the state’s most imperiled native fish populations.

Related articles:

  • San Joaquin Valley Sun: Blog: How much water the Valley receives may change soon. Here’s why
  • CALMatters: Opinion: A new approach for managing California’s water and improving the environment
  • Natural Resources Defense Council: Blog: Bad news for the Bay-Delta tomorrow: Trump admin’s new biops
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Aquafornia news October 22, 2019 Santa Barbara Independent

Steelhead legal battle expands to Santa Maria

Los Padres ForestWatch has sued the Department of Interior, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District, charging that Twitchell Reservoir dam operations are inflicting serious ongoing damage to the steelhead trout, a federally endangered species, that rely on the Santa Maria River.

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Aquafornia news October 21, 2019 Marin Independent Journal

Marin salmon run expected to dwindle this year

A smaller run is expected to return this year because of the lower number of spawning adults recorded a few years ago… Coho salmon spend about a year and a half in freshwater and a year and a half in the ocean before returning to freshwater to spawn and die. What’s encouraging researchers more is how well the newly hatched coho from last season are surviving.

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Aquafornia news October 17, 2019 Santa Maria Sun

State requirements face off with federal law in decision requiring more water from Lake Cachuma for steelhead

For more than 20 years, California pondered what to do about steelhead in the Santa Ynez River. On Sept. 17, the State Water Resources Control Board finally made a decision. It voted to pass an order that will increase water releases from Lake Cachuma.

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Aquafornia news October 16, 2019 The Press Democrat

Tubbs fire zone landowners felling dead trees, thinning brush to protect Santa Rosa-area creek

The project includes improvements along more than 3 miles of dirt roads, repairing culverts and building erosion control features designed to reduce sediment flow into the creek. The aim is to protect gravel nests, called redds, where female salmon and steelhead lay their eggs, suffocating the eggs as well as clogging the gills of adult fish…

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Aquafornia news October 14, 2019 Sacramento News & Review

Governor’s veto of SB1 criticized as playing into hands of anti-environment White House

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s veto of Senate Bill 1 means the honeymoon may be over with environmental groups who saw the bill as a bulwark to protect California’s water quality and endangered species from the Trump administration’s regulatory slashing.

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Aquafornia news October 14, 2019 Fairfield Daily Republic

Agencies release Delta-conveyed water transfer environmental reports

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority announced the environmental reports, which “analyze potential impacts of approving water transfers to increase water reliability for those suffering shortages during dry times.”

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Aquafornia news October 14, 2019 Visalia Times Delta

Opinion: Newsom’s veto of Delta water bill best for California residents, farms

Agriculture is part of what makes our state’s economy strong and helps provide for all our families, which is why it is crucial that we do absolutely everything we can to protect our state’s farms and allow them to operate without the fear of major obstacles. California agriculture nearly faced such an obstacle with Senate Bill 1, which would have placed harsh regulations on water pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

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Aquafornia news October 14, 2019 Action News Now

Work begins on salmon habitat projects

A major fish restoration project is underway on private property near Cottonwood. River Partners shared a video of new side channels that are being built to help the recovery of struggling wild salmon populations in the Sacramento River.

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Aquafornia news October 11, 2019 KSBY

Environmental groups file lawsuit for water releases from Twitchell Dam

A lawsuit has been filed in federal court on behalf of local environment groups to ask for water releases from Twitchell Dam to protect endangered steelhead in the Santa Maria River.

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Aquafornia news October 11, 2019 Voices of Monterey Bay

Opinion: Cal Am looks to the future

While cities on the Monterey Peninsula have been working to address housing needs and the business community is actively looking to create more jobs, there is one component they all need to complete their plans – reliable, drought-proof access to water.

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Tour November 12, 2020 - 2:30pm - 5:30pm Nick Gray Jennifer Bowles Liz McAllister

Northern California Tour 2020
A Virtual Journey - November 12

This event guided attendees on a virtual exploration of the Sacramento River and its tributaries to learn about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.

All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.

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Aquafornia news October 10, 2019 Marin Independent Journal

Opinion: Time for transparency in San Geronimo Creek salmon fight

Fish in San Geronimo Creek are again the source of litigation. … For the average Marinite to know what’s at stake, fish proponents and the county need to answer three obvious but, so far, unanswered questions.

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Aquafornia news October 9, 2019 Courthouse News Service

Chinook salmon flocking to revitalized San Joaquin River

A staggering number of Chinook salmon are returning to a California river that hasn’t sustained salmon for decades due to agricultural and urban demands, giving biologists hope that threatened fish are finally spawning in their native grounds without human help.

Related article:

  • San Joaquin River Restoration Program: Blog: 2019 spring-run redds set record!
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Aquafornia news October 8, 2019 Natural Resources Defense Council

Blog: Beware Trumpian claims that fish don’t need water (Part 1)

Over the past decade, state and federal agencies have continued to publish peer reviewed scientific research that largely strengthens our understanding of how the volume, timing, temperature, and quality of water – and the operations of existing dams and water diversion facilities, including the state and federal water projects – adversely affect salmon and other fish and wildlife.

Related article:

  • Natural Resources Defense Council: Blog: Beware Trumpian claims that fish don’t need water (Part 2)
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Aquafornia news October 8, 2019 Courthouse News Service

Ninth Circuit Court orders feds to reexamine Army Corps’ harm to native fish

The National Marine Fisheries Service owes an explanation for why it decided that two dams on the Yuba River do not adversely affect threatened Chinook salmon, steelhead and green sturgeon, three Ninth Circuit judges ruled Thursday.

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Aquafornia news October 7, 2019 Red Bluff Daily News

Work to start Monday on salmon habitat project

A salmon habitat project will get underway Monday just outside the city of Red Bluff. One of several such projects in the North State, the Rio Vista Side Channel Habitat Project will offer protection for juvenile salmonids, including endangered winter-run Chinook…

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Aquafornia news October 4, 2019 FishBio

Blog: Warm it up: Balancing the needs of sturgeon, salmon, and humans

How does one achieve temperature and flow targets for listed species with such different requirements, while also meeting the needs of human water users? A recent study sought to achieve an equitable solution by using a multi-objective approach to identify trade-offs and model an optimal dam release scenario to meet the needs of salmon, sturgeon, and humans…

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Aquafornia news October 4, 2019 The New York Times

A ‘chilling message’: Trump critics see a deeper agenda in California feud

President Trump’s political feud with California has spread collateral damage across more than a dozen other states, which have seen their regulatory authority curtailed and their autonomy threatened by a Trump administration intent on weakening the environmental statutes of the country’s most populous state.

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Aquafornia news October 4, 2019 Los Angeles Times

Friday Top of the Scroll: The next big California vs. Trump fight is over water and endangered species

Just how far will Gov. Gavin Newsom go in his high-profile fight with the Trump administration over environmental protections? The next few months will provide an answer, as Newsom is forced to take a stand on Trump rollbacks in a long-contested battleground — the Northern California Delta that helps supply more than half the state’s population with drinking water and fills irrigation canals on millions of acres of farmland.

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Aquafornia news October 3, 2019 National Law Review

California water permit warnings for commercial cannabis farmers

Although the Water Board made clear that they are not, at this time, issuing notices of violation, the letters serve as a shot across the bow to an industry that is beginning to appreciate the importance of compliance with environmental regulations and portends more significant enforcement efforts in the near future.

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Aquafornia news October 3, 2019 Capital Press

Appeals court dismisses Klamath groundwater dispute

The Oregon Court of Appeals won’t resolve a dispute over the impact of Klamath basin wells on surface waters due to newly imposed regulations in the area. The appellate court has dismissed the case because it’s moot and unworthy of review after the Oregon water regulators adopted different rules governing surface water interference from wells in the Upper Klamath basin earlier this year.

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Aquafornia news October 2, 2019 Bloomberg Environment

Shasta Dam fight with water district ends in California

The Westlands Water District on Sept. 30 formally stopped its environmental review of a $1.4 billion U.S. Bureau of Reclamation plan to raise the 602-foot dam by another 18.5 feet. It is unclear what Westlands’ decision will mean for the future of the project…

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Aquafornia news October 2, 2019 KRCR TV

Fall salmon return to Coleman Hatchery; tribal concerns over Chinook population continue

Thousands of fall-run salmon have returned to Battle Creek in Shasta County. The Coleman National Fish Hatchery opened the fish ladder Tuesday morning so the salmon will begin to flow into their holding ponds. However, local native American tribes are not exactly praising the return to the hatchery, saying the population is still at risk.

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Aquafornia news October 2, 2019 Ventura County Star

Who gets Ventura River water? Ventura agrees to track usage

To help protect endangered fish and other critters that rely on the Ventura River for habitat, migration and procreation, the city of Ventura has agreed to better monitor and reduce its water draw in dry times. The city will also take steps to remove barriers for steelhead trout to make the journey to and from the sea…

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Aquafornia news October 2, 2019 The Sacramento Bee

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: Trump administration surrenders to California, backs off on Delta water fight

The Trump administration has retreated on a plan to push more water through the Delta this fall after protests from California officials on the harmful impacts on endangered Chinook salmon and other fish.

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Aquafornia news October 1, 2019 National Public Radio

Tribe gives personhood to Klamath River

A Native American tribe has granted personhood to a river in northern California making it the first known River in North America to have the same legal rights as a human, at least under tribal law. The Yurok Tribe based near the southern border of Oregon confirmed the new status on the Klamath River.

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Aquafornia news October 1, 2019 Natural Resources Defense Council

Blog: Newsom administration faces difficult tests on water this fall

While I’m deeply disappointed that Governor Newsom vetoed SB 1, the governor’s veto is also a troubling sign for several big tests on California water coming this fall…

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Aquafornia news October 1, 2019 Redding Record-Searchlight

Tuesday Top of the Scroll: Westlands Water District stops work on Shasta Dam study after court loss

Following losses in court, a Fresno-based irrigation district has backed off its plans to do an environmental study on raising the height of Shasta Dam. The Westlands Water District announced Monday that it has stopped working on the report because it could not meet the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s schedule for the project.

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Aquafornia news September 30, 2019 The New York Times

The Interior secretary wants to enlarge a dam. An old lobbying client would benefit

For years, the Interior Department resisted proposals to raise the height of its towering Shasta Dam in Northern California. The department’s own scientists and researchers concluded that doing so would endanger rare plants and animals in the area… But the project is going forward now, in a big win for a powerful consortium of California farmers that stands to profit substantially…

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Aquafornia news September 30, 2019 Seattle Times

In California, orcas and salmon have become so scarce people have forgotten what once was. Will the Northwest be next?

If there is a hell for salmon, it probably looks like this. There were many more golf balls in the water than salmon this summer, whacked there by enthusiasts at Aqua Golf, a driving range on the bank of the Sacramento River. Below the surface, the gravel salmon need to make their nests had been mined decades ago to build Shasta Dam, 602 feet tall and with no fish passage. The dam cut off access to all of the cold mountain waters where these fish used to spawn.

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Aquafornia news September 30, 2019 KQED News

Marin County sued in fight over protecting endangered Coho salmon

The lawsuit, filed by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Salmon Protection and Watershed Network, or SPAWN, concerns the protection of endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout in streams in Marin’s San Geronimo Valley.

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Aquafornia news September 30, 2019 San Francisco Chronicle

Scientists assess waters off San Francisco and fear a climatic intruder

Jaime Jahncke, a marine biologist with Point Blue Conservation Science, which is headquartered in Petaluma, said the concern is that another long-lasting warm water episode could do serious harm to an already fragile ecosystem. “We’re going into a blob and we don’t know what’s happening next,” said Jahncke…

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Aquafornia news September 27, 2019 Capital Press

Oregon releases plan to reduce water temperature in Klamath Basin

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has issued a new plan to reduce water temperatures for endangered fish in the Upper Klamath and Lost River watersheds, though it could come at a price for farmers and ranchers.

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Aquafornia news September 27, 2019 The Point Reyes Light

Next move in Coho battle may come from the CBD

The Center for Biological Diversity has taken what appears to be a preliminary step toward suing Marin County over its supplemental environmental impact report to the Marin Countywide Plan, which focuses on potential cumulative impacts to salmonids from development in the San Geronimo Valley.

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Aquafornia news September 27, 2019 Chico Enterprise-Record

Editorial: Salmon is a cultural, eco treasure

There are nut festivals. There are fruit and vegetable festivals. Hot sauce and spicy food are cheered in other places. There are wine and beer events. All are fun and bring entertainment to our lives. But for all of that, there is something extraordinary about Saturday’s Salmon Festival in Oroville.

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Aquafornia news September 26, 2019 The Guardian

Revealed: Trump’s Wildlife Service pick has ties to anti-animal protection groups

Aurelia Skipwith, who is already a top official at the interior department, formerly worked at the agrochemical giant Monsanto. New revelations show she also has ties to the Westlands Water District, a political powerhouse with a history of chafing against Endangered Species Act regulations that can interfere with farmers’ demands for water in California.

Related articles:

  • High County News: Trump’s Fish and Wildlife pick is entangled with industry
  • Newsweek: Who Is Aurelia Skipwith? Trump’s nominee to lead Fish and Wildlife Service linked with groups opposed to protecting endangered species
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Aquafornia news September 26, 2019 KQED Science

California leads lawsuit against rollback of endangered species protections

The lawsuit … argues that the changes undertaken by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service are unlawful. Endangered species protections are bedrock environmental law, and California leaders warned that less protection will leave threatened species at risk of extinction. California is leading the suit along with Massachusetts and Maryland. Altogether, 17 states have signed on, along with New York City and the District of Columbia.

Related article:

  • The Hill: 17 states sue Trump administration over weakening of Endangered Species Act
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Aquafornia news September 26, 2019 Siskiyou Daily News

A river runs through them

A plan to remove four dams on the Klamath River – one of the most ambitious river restoration projects ever attempted – is either mocked or praised depending on the audience. It will expand salmon habitat or destroy a fishery. The only certainty is that lives will change forever.

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Aquafornia news September 26, 2019 The Sacramento Bee

California fights Trump over Delta water, fish, environmental rules

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife, in a letter to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, said the federal plan would harm the nearly-extinct Delta smelt and other species. The state said the plan would also hurt the mostly urban water agencies that belong to the State Water Project, which might have to surrender some of its supplies to compensate for the federal plan.

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Aquafornia news September 24, 2019 California Agriculture

Watering the Emerald Triangle: Irrigation sources used by cannabis cultivators in Northern California

An improved understanding of cannabis cultivators’ water use practices is a particularly pressing need. Given the propensity of cannabis growers to establish farms in small, upper watersheds, where streams that support salmonids and other sensitive species are vulnerable to dewatering, significant concerns have been raised over the potential impacts of diverting surface water for cannabis cultivation.

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Aquafornia news September 24, 2019 California WaterBlog

Blog: The long and winding road of salmon trucking in California

Trucking juvenile hatchery salmon downstream is often used in the California Central Valley to reduce mortality during their perilous swim to the ocean. But is it all good? Researchers … published an article in Fisheries this month exploring the history and implications of salmon trucking in a changing climate.

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Aquafornia news September 23, 2019 Courthouse News Service

Concrete jungle: The quest to make the L.A. River wild again

A dozen kayakers paddled down the tree-lined, sandy-bottomed Los Angeles River in late August, running their hands through sycamore and willow leaves and gliding over carp and steelhead trout as traffic noise from the nearby 405 Freeway buzzed overhead.

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Aquafornia news September 23, 2019 East Bay Times

Restoration of Brentwood’s Marsh Creek gets boost from EPA

A project to restore a portion of Brentwood’s Marsh Creek got a big boost with a new $1.4 million U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant. … The Three Creeks Parkway Restoration project aims to improve the creek’s floodplain, provide quality habitat for Chinook salmon and Swainson’s Hawk as well as expand recreational opportunities in the area.

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Aquafornia news September 23, 2019 Santa Barbara Independent

Steelhead win landmark victory

By any reckoning, the steelhead trout won a significant legal victory this week, along with CalTrout and the Environmental Defense Center, which have been arguing the case for two decades. But it remains uncertain exactly how much more water will have to be released downstream from Lake Cachuma to create a habitat wet enough along the main stem of the Santa Ynez River for the federally endangered fish to wage a meaningful comeback.

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Aquafornia news September 23, 2019 CALmatters

Opinion: Newsom should sign SB 1 into law. Without its environmental protections, Californians will suffer

At least 85 different federal laws and regulations affecting California have been weakened or undermined by the Trump administration since January 2017. … That’s why I, along with many proponents, believe that Senate Bill 1 would safeguard our state …

Related article:

  • Bakersfield Californian: Opinion: Vetoing SB 1 will help save the Central Valley way of life
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Aquafornia news September 23, 2019 Fox40

Scientists rebuilding habitat for salmon in American River

All of September, crews have been dumping rocks into the bed of the river to create an ideal habitat for salmon to spawn. Dams along the American River cut off access to the salmon’s natural breeding ground.

Related article:

  • Sacramento Bee: Gravel project aims to replenish critical nursing areas of the American River for fish
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Aquafornia news September 20, 2019 The San Diego Union-Tribune

Opinion: How SB1 defends against Trump environmental rollbacks

Our beaches, bays and waterways are central to who we are as San Diegans and to our unique way of life. But in a heavily urbanized region clean water doesn’t just happen; it takes hard work and stewardship.

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Aquafornia news September 20, 2019 The Sacramento Bee

Opinion: To avoid environmental genocide, Gov. Newsom must sign SB 1

I’m writing to express our tribe’s dismay at Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement that he plans to veto Senate Bill 1. … Vetoing this bill will green-light President Trump’s plan to divert even more water from our struggling rivers for industrial agriculture. Many well-respected fish biologists and environmentalists have concluded Trump’s attempt to ignore the best science and rewrite the rules will essentially be an “extinction plan” for Chinook salmon and other threatened fish.

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Aquafornia news September 20, 2019 Estuary News

Clout and cool science push land-river reconnection

Before all those thousands of miles of levees went in, the Central Valley had one of the West Coast’s largest salmon runs, with a million or more of these mighty fish returning each year. A big reason for the salmon’s suc-cess was that the valley was among the most extensive floodplains in the world.

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Aquafornia news September 19, 2019 CALmatters

Thursday Top of the Scroll: Demise of key environment bill could escalate California’s water wars

Newsom has said he won’t approve Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins’ bid for a legal backstop against environmental rollbacks by the Trump administration. And Washington is poised to reduce protections for endangered fish species in the state’s largest watersheds. The result may be the heightened regulatory uncertainty that opponents of the bill said they hoped to avoid…

Related articles:

  • CALMatters: Opinion: Newsom bucks his party on water
  • San Jose Mercury News: Editorial: Governor Newsom must show commitment to protecting the Delta
  • Los Angeles Times: Editorial: Gavin Newsom just decided to carry Trump’s water by vetoing an endangered species bill
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Aquafornia news September 18, 2019 CALmatters

Opinion: Newsom has a chance to end California’s water battles

Last week, the Legislature acted to thwart President Donald Trump on water matters by passing a bill to essentially pre-empt the execution of federal environmental law. The Metropolitan Water District opposed Senate Bill 1 because it would have unleashed rounds of state-federal litigation, and would have likely brought 13 years of effort to a halt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has signaled he plans to veto the measure.

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Aquafornia news September 18, 2019 Ventura County Star

State to increase flows on Santa Ynez River to protect steelhead

State officials have ordered increased water flows on the Santa Ynez River in Santa Barbara County to protect steelhead trout, which are endangered in Southern California. The State Water Resources Control Board action follows two decades of legal efforts to address long-term declines in native fish populations in the Santa Ynez.

Related article:

  • KTLA: Water flows on Santa Ynez River to be increased to protect endangered trout
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Aquafornia news September 18, 2019 Modesto Bee

Editorial: Newsom must keep his promise on California SB1

Whatever satisfaction might be gained by telling the president to pound sand is nowhere near as important as protecting the water supply of Modesto and thousands of farmers depending on the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced rivers.

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Aquafornia news September 18, 2019 The Sacramento Bee

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: Trump administration threatens jail time for California officials over river project

The threats came in a dispute over reintroducing winter-run Chinook salmon into the McCloud River, a pristine river above Shasta Dam, as part of a federal plan approved under the Obama administration to try to stave off extinction for the critically endangered fish.

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Aquafornia news September 17, 2019 The Sacramento Bee

Opinion: The Klamath River Basin is headed toward disaster. Here’s how we can save it

Salmon and steelhead that were once abundant in this great watershed are now at risk of extinction, a preventable disaster that can be averted by moving forward with the planned removal of four aging hydroelectric dams. While the Klamath River was once the third-largest salmon producer on the west coast, its fish runs have been declining for decades.

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Aquafornia news September 17, 2019 Inside Climate News

Ocean heat wave intensifies in Pacific, with risks for wildlife and wildfires

An intensifying marine heat wave in the northeastern Pacific Ocean has triggered government warnings about harm to salmon and other fisheries along the U.S. West Coast, and it’s raising concerns about hurricane risks to the Hawaiian islands and wildfire risks in California.

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Aquafornia news September 17, 2019 The New York Times

How long before these salmon are gone? ‘Maybe 20 years’

Some 45,000 to 50,000 spring-summer Chinook spawned here in the 1950s. These days, the average is about 1,500 fish, and declining. And not just here: Native fish are in free-fall throughout the Columbia River basin, a situation so dire that many groups are urging the removal of four large dams to keep the fish from being lost.

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Aquafornia news September 17, 2019 The Sacramento Bee

Tuesday Top of the Scroll: A fight with Trump that Gavin Newsom doesn’t want: Why he’s vetoing environmental bill

Newsom saw SB 1 as a mortal threat to something he’s been supporting since shortly before he took office: a tentative truce in California’s longstanding water wars. The truce revolves around the flow of water in and out of the Delta from California’s most important river systems, the Sacramento and San Joaquin.

Related articles:

  • San Francisco Chronicle: Editorial: Newsom on wrong side of environmental bill
  • L.A. Daily News: Opinion: Veto SB1 to embrace progress rather than chaining state to a dysfunctional past
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Aquafornia news September 17, 2019 KEYT

Steelhead trout trapping underway to help the endangered species

Steelhead trout … trapping is taking place in an undisclosed portion of Gaviota Creek in Goleta where the water is drying up. There are more than a dozen barriers that restrict the movement of the fish when they get trapped below them.

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Aquafornia news September 16, 2019 Maven's Notebook

Panel discussion: Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta legal framework: ‘All the acronyms you need to know’

At the Association of California Water Agencies‘ spring conference, a panel of lawyers covered the basics of the legal framework for the Delta. The panel was billed as ‘All the Acronyms You Need to Know”, but no 1.5 hour panel discussion could possibly cover all that. However, the panel did a good job of hitting the main ones and highlighting current issues.

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Aquafornia news September 16, 2019 Monterey Herald

Pure Water Monterey recycled water project delays continue

Completion and operation of the much-anticipated Pure Water Monterey recycled water project have been delayed again and it is now expected to miss another key water delivery deadline set for the end of this year.

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Aquafornia news September 16, 2019 Mt. Shasta Herald

Opinion: Removing dams is key to fish recovery

Removing the four aging hydroelectric dams from the river would significantly improve ecological and geomorphic conditions throughout the Klamath watershed and play a key role in returning salmon to stable population levels.

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Aquafornia news September 16, 2019 Los Angeles Times

Monday Top of the Scroll: Newsom plans to veto bill that would have blocked Trump’s rollback of endangered species protections

Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to veto a bill passed by California lawmakers that would have allowed the state to keep strict Obama-era endangered species protections and water pumping restrictions for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Newsom’s intentions … comes less than 24 hours after state lawmakers passed the sweeping legislation.

Related articles:

  • Sacramento Bee: Gavin Newsom says he’ll veto Trump-defying California environmental bill
  • CALMatters: Newsom breaks with Democrats on environmental ‘Trump insurance’ bill
  • Natural Resources Defense Council: Blog: SB 1 Coalition Responds to Governor Newsom’s Announcement
  • Courthouse News Service: California pushes against Trump administration’s softer environmental rules
  • Read more
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Aquafornia news September 13, 2019 Bay Nature Magazine

Review of the Pacific warm blob sequel: Not yet a phenomena like the original

The new marine heatwave, which started spreading out from the Gulf of Alaska in June and now covers much of the Pacific Ocean, has not yet fully become The Blob 2, particularly in California. Which means the effects, too, might not be as dire as last time.

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Aquafornia news September 13, 2019 CALMatters

Opinion: Newsom and legislators have a choice: side with the environment or with Trump

The Trump administration, under Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, is finalizing plans to rip up restrictions on diverting Northern California water to its friends in the agricultural industry in the dry western San Joaquin Valley.  However, some of the state’s biggest water districts oppose SB 1, hoping Trump administration efforts will translate into increased water diversions.  

Related article:

  • CALMatters: Opinion: Senate Bill 1 will lead to conflict. There is a better way to end California’s water wars
  • Fresno Bee: Opinion: Everyone wants to solve California’s water problems. Senate Bill 1 is not the answer
  • Natural Resource Defense Council: Blog: Silly season has arrived: Will Sacramento stand up to Trump?
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Aquafornia news September 12, 2019 The Sacramento Bee

Thursday Top of the Scroll: California’s Trump-blocking environmental bill may be delayed in fight over water

Facing fierce lobbying from well-financed water districts, the bill’s author, Senate President Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, acknowledged Tuesday that the bill might get pulled from consideration until next year.

Related articles:

  • CALMatters: Water dispute bedevils bill to blunt Trump’s environment aims
  • Modesto Bee: Opinion: Environmentalists can’t have it both ways
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Aquafornia news September 11, 2019 U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

News release: Reclamation and DWR to restore floodplain habitat for endangered salmon in the Yolo Bypass

The Bureau of Reclamation, in coordination with the California Department of Water Resources, today announced its decision to move forward with a restoration project to improve fish passage and increase floodplain fisheries-rearing habitat in the Yolo Bypass.

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Aquafornia news September 11, 2019 Public Policy Institute of California

Blog: The Russian River: Managing at the watershed level

Water managers across the state face new and more extreme challenges as the climate warms—from balancing the sometimes conflicting needs of urban, agricultural, and environmental water users to reducing risks from fires, floods, and droughts. We talked to Grant Davis, general manager of the Sonoma County Water Agency, about how his agency is approaching these challenges comprehensively, at the scale of the entire watershed.

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Aquafornia news September 10, 2019 CALMatters

Opinion: In going after Trump, California is going too far with environmental legislation

We cannot advance the fight for environmental quality by declaring that all science stopped on a specific date. If it’s dumb for the President to close his eyes to science, it’s dumber for us to follow him down that rabbit hole.

Related article:

  • Natural Resources Defense Council: Blog: Why MWD and other water agencies oppose SB 1
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Aquafornia news September 10, 2019 San Francisco Chronicle

Tuesday Top of the Scroll: ‘Blob’ of warm Pacific water is back — could be trouble for marine life and weather

The mass of unusually warm water, known officially as the Northeast Pacific Marine Heatwave of 2019, is the second largest in 40 years. Experts say it is behaving in the same way and is on a trajectory to be as strong as the infamous blob that disrupted the entire West Coast ocean ecosystem from 2014 to 2016.

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