The San Francisco Bay (Bay) drains water from 40 percent of
California. This includes flows originating from the Sierra
Nevada mountain range and the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers
that make their way down through Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta
through the Bay to the Pacific Ocean.
The Bay is the largest harbor on the U.S. Pacific Coast and
covers about 400 square miles with an average depth of 14 feet.
Its deepest point is 360 feet at the Golden Gate.
Every year, more than 67 million tons of cargo pass through the
Golden Gate. The Bay also supports commercial bait shrimp,
herring and Dungeness crab fisheries.
The Bay is a vital estuary and a key link in the Pacific Flyway,
and millions of waterfowl use the shallow portions of the bay as
a refuge each year.
Napa County’s drought-easing ideas include using highly treated
wastewater for drinking, having communities with extra water
help out those in need, and tapping into the planned Sites
Reservoir in Colusa County. There are 22 proposals in all
within the recently released Napa Valley Drought Contingency
Plan. Those three rose to the top for further
exploration. The plan, done for local agencies along with
the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, might not help much with the
current drought, should this winter be dry. Most of the ideas
would take time to become reality. … One idea is to turn
wastewater from the Napa Sanitation District and the city of
American Canyon into drinking water. NapaSan and American
Canyon already clean up wastewater to a degree that
it can be used for irrigation.
Seeking to modernize aged equipment and cut down on the
nitrogen that flows into the San Francisco Bay, Palo Alto and
its partners are embarking on an ambitious makeover of the
Regional Water Quality Control Plant, a project that will cost
$193 million and take about five years to complete. The City
Council is preparing to approve next month a $161 million
contract with Anderson Pacific Engineering Construction to
upgrade the wastewater treatment system at the regional plant
on Embarcadero Road, near the Baylands. … A key goal of
the upgrade is to reduce this outflow of nitrogen, which causes
algae to bloom in the bay, [plant manager] Jamie Allen
said. Over the summer, the a red algae bloom across
the region killed fish throughout the area.
On Friday, November 18, 2022, the Court of Appeal for the Sixth
Appellate District (Sixth District Court) reversed the Santa
Clara County Superior Court’s denial of an attorneys’ fees
award in favor of a group of California irrigation districts
and water agencies (Districts) that successfully challenged the
State Water Resources Control Board’s (State Board) decision to
issue certain water right curtailment notices during the 2015
drought. The Sixth District Court held that the Districts are
entitled to attorneys’ fees incurred prosecuting the Superior
Court litigation against the State Board. The full Opinion is
here.
As the Marin Municipal Water District nears the end of a nearly
yearlong study of potential new water supplies, some district
leaders say more information is needed on the costs and
benefits of bolstering water conservation investments.
… The district has been studying new water supplies
since March after facing the prospect of depleting local
reservoir storage following two years of severe drought. Rains
in late 2021 helped to nearly refill the district’s seven
reservoirs, giving it time to review new sources of
water. The district hired the Jacobs Engineering firm to
conduct the water supply study. The study seeks to compare
estimated costs and water yields for several options, including
desalination, recycled water, enlarging reservoirs and new
connections to outside water agencies.
In an outcome that could change whether Silicon Valley’s
largest water district moves forward with a $2.5 billion plan
to build a new dam at Pacheco Pass, voters have shaken up the
Santa Clara Valley Water District Board. Gary Kremen, a tech
investor who co-founded Match.com and once owned domain names
like sex.com, jobs.com and housing.com, has been defeated in
his effort to seek re-election to a third term by Rebecca
Eisenberg, a Palo Alto attorney. Kremen conceded Wednesday
after county elections officials updated the count and reported
he was trailing 54.8% to 45.2% — or by 7,765 votes with roughly
8,000 ballots left to count.
Fishing for white sturgeon has been relatively productive on
the West Delta and Suisun Bay over the past two weeks, but some
anglers and prominent scientists are supporting changes in
fishing regulations to preserve the prehistoric fish for the
future. Hundreds of white sturgeon and some green sturgeon
perished in San Francisco and San Pablo bays in late August in
a massive fish kill spurred by a red tide algae bloom, but the
exact number of fish killed is unknown. Captain Zack Medinas of
Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures reported “very good” sturgeon
fishing on his latest few trips, but ponders how long this
fishery will last at current rates of harvest.
There are worlds of difference between a rotting structure at
Fisherman’s Wharf, the iconic drama of the Ferry Building and
the shadowed concrete underneath the Bay Bridge where two piers
meet the aged Embarcadero seawall. What they share is a
vulnerability to earthquakes and sea level rise along an
artificial shoreline that’s more than a century old. They also
have a common owner — the Port of San Francisco, which has the
costly job of preparing that shoreline for a host of 21st
century challenges where the learning curve seems to get
steeper each year. Now, nearly four years after voters
approved a $425 million bond to prepare the seawall
and the structures along it for what the future might bring,
the port has selected the first six projects to pursue.
Three of California’s biggest water suppliers, including the
city of San Francisco, have reached a deal with the state that
calls for reducing their immense consumption of river water but
not as much as the state had initially demanded. The
compromise, announced Thursday, is the latest breakthrough in a
years-long effort by state regulators to protect flows in
California’s once-grand but increasingly overdrawn rivers. The
toll on the waterways, where as much as 90% of the water is
pumped to cities and farms, has been exacerbated by drought,
leaving fabled runs of salmon and other plants and animals at
risk of perishing. … But whether Thursday’s deal, known
as “voluntary agreements,” will meaningfully increase river
flows — and protect fish and wildlife — remains uncertain.
A dozen independent fish scientists are calling for urgent
changes to sport fishing rules to save California’s largest
freshwater fish after an unprecedented red tide this summer
left hundreds of them dead in the estuary on Sacramento’s
doorstep. The fish is the white sturgeon — an ancient species
native to the West Coast. … But this summer’s deadly red
tide has independent scientists worried about the future of
this species. They’re calling on the state to change fishing
rules to require anglers release any sturgeon they catch — a
move that would likely be controversial for the state’s 46,000
sturgeon anglers.
The Solano County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to send a
letter to Caltrans supporting the Highway 37 Interim Project
for interim and long-term solutions to congestion and sea rise
issues. One of those solutions, Supervisor Erin Hannigan said,
will eventually be making the highway a toll road, which she
said many of the motorists using Highway 37 have indicated they
support if it means less congestion. “Due to current and
projected traffic congestion and flooding of the (Highway 37)
corridor, the region requires both an interim and long-term
solution to address these pressing concerns, including
balancing a variety of transportation needs with enhancing
recreational opportunities and protecting and enhancing
sensitive marshland habitats,” …
In California, sturgeon populations have persisted through
periods of extreme overfishing, sedimentation and mercury
contamination from hydraulic mining, species invasions, and
alteration of rivers by dams and levees (Zeug et al. 2014,
Gunderson et al. 2017, Blackburn et al. 2019). … Suddenly,
the future of these ancient fish does not seem so secure.
Between late August and early September, 2022, hundreds of
sturgeon perished in the San Francisco Estuary. According to
Jim Hobbs, program manager for the Interagency Ecological
Program at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife
(CDFW) Bay Delta office, “the white sturgeon carcass count
total will be over 400 and the total for green was 15. ”
The Marin Headlands’ unique offering of breathtaking landscapes
mixed with former military bases dating back to World War II
has been a draw for millions of visitors through the decades.
But the combination has not been without downsides. In the
hills overlooking Rodeo Beach, the remnants of former U.S. Army
buildings of Fort Cronkhite have slowly been eroding parts of
the landscape, gouging deep trench-like gullies into the
hillside that have drained natural wetlands. The National Park
Service is now working to reverse the damage and restore more
than an acre of wetlands that can be used as home to species
such as the endangered red-legged frog, said park service
ecologist Darren Fong.
San Francisco-based water reuse technology company Epic
Cleantec announced that a luxury residential building in San
Francisco now hosts the city’s first approved and operational
onsite greywater reuse system. The system can recycle up to
7,500 gallons of greywater per day, or 2.5 million gallons per
year. The building, Fifteen Fifty, is owned by Related
California, an affiliate of Related Companies. … The Fifteen
Fifty installation captures, filters, and disinfects the
greywater from showers, laundry, and rainwater. It then
purifies the water and reuses it for toilet flushing. Greywater
reuse can help reuse up to 95 percent of a building’s water
use. For a state like California, grappling with an extended
drought, this conservation can be key.
As California trudges through its second year of intense
drought, forcing local communities to raid contingency funds to
pay sky-high retail prices for water supplies, Federal
lawmakers are revisiting a deal with the City of San Francisco
deemed to be “too-good-to-be-true.” A new bill, introduced by
Rep. Connie Conway (R-Tulare), seeks to bring some equity back
to one of California’s oldest and biggest water storage deals
between the Federal government and the state’s historic big
city. For a century, Hetch Hetchy, a dammed up valley deep in
Yosemite National Park, has served as a singular lifeline for
San Francisco’s water and energy supplies. … The
law set San Francisco’s rent for the sprawling
valley-turned-dam at $30,000 … Despite decades of
inflation, the cost for renting the space has never inched
beyond that $30,000 sum.
Environmental justice projects in neighborhoods next to some of
the city’s heaviest industrial areas have gotten an injection
of financial support. The state has awarded Richmond $35
million to plan and implement nine different community
initiatives that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and
improve public health, specifically in the Iron Triangle, Santa
Fe and Coronado neighborhoods. Richmond Rising … will work
with the city to provide residents more affordable options to
walk, bike and get around town; renewable energy-powered homes;
gray water systems; urban greening and cooling; and enhanced
food security. … “Bosque del Barrio” is a project
… to plant 1,000 trees and install thousands of square feet
of plants that filter stormwater along walkable corridors.
Laura Díaz Muñoz, winemaker and general manager at Ehlers
Estate in Napa Valley, is passionate about worms. They factor
deeply into the notable focus on sustainability at Ehlers, a
130-year-old, certified-organic, family-owned property. It all
begins with water. … Spread across five acres at the
sprawling Parlier, California, facility of O’Neill
Vineyards, what appear to be 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools
are in fact sunken beds filled with worms. BioFiltro’s largest
winery system to date, unveiled in September 2020, it’s capable
of processing more than a million gallons of wastewater a day,
and up to 80 million gallons a year.
Sausalito is seeking a grant to install refillable water
stations and recycling containers in the city. The City Council
unanimously adopted a resolution on the consent calendar Oct.
25 to pursue the $102,000 grant from CalRecycle for the
installation of seven refillable water stations throughout the
city, community education and the installation of recycling
containers. … The city anticipates that the grant will
fund seven drinking fountains with water filling stations,
educational outreach and beverage recycling bins. The drinking
fountains will be installed in city parks in coordination with
the Parks and Recreation Commission.
The Bay Area and most of California has seen a roller coaster
of active weather patterns over the course of the past few
months, ranging from extreme heat waves to unusual storms and
season swaps. These fluctuations have been largely attributed
to the shifts in two global weather patterns: the Pacific North
American Oscillation (PNA) and La Niña. And it looks like
November will be ruled by the PNA. This means the chances for
low-pressure systems from the Pacific Ocean bringing wet
weather to California will increase over the next thirty days.
… A deep plume of moisture is set to slam the
Pacific Northwest beginning the first day of November, and a
storm off the coast is likely to tap into some of this
moisture. Weather models expect a good soaking in both the
Pacific Northwest and Northern California.
Back-to-back atmospheric rivers are expected to bring 3 to 6
inches of precipitation to parts of the Pacific Northwest
through the middle of next week. But is the storm system going
to make it all the way to California? Not exactly, Newsroom
Meteorologist Gerry Díaz said, but the remnants of the
atmospheric river means the Bay Area will likely see rain next
week. … The amount of precipitation is expected to be
far less in the Bay Area than in the Pacific Northwest.
… The atmospheric rivers set to hit the Pacific
Northwest are right on schedule. … Over the following months,
atmospheric rivers make landfall further south.
The most disputed parkland in Palo Alto isn’t known for its
sports courts, playgrounds or sweeping vistas. Located next to
the Regional Water Quality Control Plant, the 10-acre parcel
commonly known as the “Measure E” site is best known as a place
of opportunity. In 2011, Palo Alto residents voted to
“undedicate” the parkland and make it available for a
waste-to-energy plant that would treat local organic waste, but
that the project never materialized. Now, the city is looking
to rededicate the 10 acres as parkland, a move that is once
again fomenting division within the city’s environmental
community.
A Berkeley Hills homeowner with a job related to environmental
sustainability has been fined for using too much water during
California’s current severe drought. The East Bay
Municipal Utility District voted in April to mandate a 10%
water use reduction from 2020 and instate “excessive use”
penalties for households using more than 1,646 gallons of water
per day — the strictest policy around water conservation in the
Bay Area. The Berkeley homeowner’s name was included in a list
of hundreds of violators across the East Bay that was released
by the district Tuesday in response to a public records request
by Berkeleyside.
On a misty October morning, visitors and old friends gathered
among the wetlands of San Francisco Bay to mark a conservation
triumph. Fifty years ago, Congress authorized what is now the
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge,
protecting thousands of acres of public lands. The refuge now
spans over 30,000 acres and provides crucial habitat for
resident species like the endangered California clapper rail
and salt marsh harvest mouse. Miles of ambling trails welcome
over 800,000 visitors every year. But it wasn’t always this
serene: activists and conservationists spent decades fighting
to protect these wetlands nestled in the heart of Silicon
Valley.
More than 300 East Bay homeowners have been fined for excessive
water use, ignoring repeated warnings to cut back and instead
guzzling at least 8 times as much water every day — and in some
cases 30 or 40 times more — than their neighbors as
California’s drought continues. The list released late
Tuesday by the East Bay Municipal Utility District includes
many wealthy and prominent residents, among them developer Tom
Seeno, former Chevron vice president George Kirkland, and
former Safeway CEO Steven Burd. Most live in large homes
with vast lawns in exclusive parts of Alamo, Danville and
Lafayette. Dozens of the people on the list were similarly
fined during California’s last severe drought in 2015 and 2016.
Standing on the edge of a repurposed marina, at the end of a
long wooden walkway that harked back to more prosperous times,
Brenda Buxton took in the disorienting landscape. Directly
before her were the remnants of an industrialized,
salt-encrusted pond that stretched for what felt like miles.
Here along the southernmost edges of San Francisco Bay, the
water glimmered a strange tinge of red. Its flatness belied the
threat of rising seas. … Saving a vanishing marsh —
while also figuring out what to do with a community that would
drown if its existence continued to be overlooked — takes
decades if not generations, costs hundreds of millions of
dollars and requires the ability to think so long-term and so
large-scale that every step seems unprecedented.
Hundreds of East Bay residents are being fined for using too
much water during dry times, including many of the same people
who snubbed local water limits during last decade’s drought.
Former Chevron Vice Chairman George Kirkland consumed an
average of 5,223 gallons of water per day at his Danville
estate over the summer, making him one of the region’s top 10
biggest water users and subject to an “excessive use” penalty,
according to the East Bay Municipal Utility District.
… Steven Burd, former Safeway CEO and Alamo resident,
was also a repeat offender, using an average of 5,498 gallons
per day over the summer, records show. … “We’ve sent
them courtesy letters, we’ve sent them warnings letters, and
now we’re fining them,” said district spokesperson Andrea
Pook.
With two multiyear droughts in a decade and the pace of
human-caused climate change accelerating each year due to the
burning of fossil fuels, agencies across the [San Francisco
Bay] region are finally grappling with the need for more
recycled water and whether to expand the purple pipe systems
that carry it….But most water agencies in the nine Bay Area
counties are cautiously waiting to invest until the
long-awaited, state-approved regulations for mixing toilet
water and tap water — what officials call “direct potable
reuse” — go into effect.
The destructive algal bloom that struck San Francisco Bay this
summer has researchers looking at both causes and solutions.
But now, several environmental groups are demanding action on a
similar challenge miles upstream from the Bay. … [the
group SF] Baykeeper and other groups have filed an emergency
petition with the State Water Resources Control Board. It’s
asking the board to increase the seasonal flow of water into
the Delta from the San Joaquin River to a 40% level they say
was laid out in an amended Bay-Delta plan.
The Marin Water District has a new plan to deal with
California’s worsening drought. As of Oct. 24, Marin reservoirs
have more water than normal, but the county said they’re not
waiting for things to get worse. Marin’s seven reservoirs hold
80,000 acre feet of water, the new plan would kick in when
levels fall below 70,000 acre feet. The prior conservation plan
didn’t go into effect until levels fell to 50,000. Under
the new proposal, when levels get down to 70,000 acre feet, a
10% voluntary cut would be requested from customers.
Clean drinking water has been the city of Pleasanton’s top
priority these past few months after long-lasting PFAS
chemicals were found in the city’s groundwater wells, which are
also reaching the end of their useful lives and require
rehabilitation or replacement. PFAS, or per- and
polyfluoroalkyl substances, are chemicals with components that
break down very slowly over time, which the city has been
working on addressing since it had to shut down one well due to
PFAS back in 2019. The three city-owned wells account for about
one-fifth of Pleasanton’s potable water supply.
A large buildup of trash clogging a section of Novato Creek for
the second time in a few months has prompted concern for
residents, especially as the county prepares for the rainy
season. City officials say plans are in place to remove the
collection of trash bags, cardboard boxes and other rubbish
from underneath the bridge leading from South Novato Boulevard
to the Novato Fair Shopping Center. But nearby residents such
as Jim Brind’Amour of Nave Court said they have grown
frustrated with the illegal dumping and camping by homeless
people in the creekbed bordering their homes.
The month of October has brought some of California’s most
destructive and deadliest wildfires. In 2017, the Tubbs Fire
destroyed over 5,600 buildings in Napa and Sonoma counties and
killed 22. In 1991, the Tunnel Fire destroyed nearly 3,000
structures in the East Bay hills and killed 25. But wildfire
activity has been relatively quiet across the state this month.
One big reason is the absence of Diablo winds. These strong,
dry winds — named because they rush into the Bay Area from the
direction of Mt. Diablo — can catapult embers and fan flames,
causing wildfires to furiously spread.
In 2020, Albany Hill went bald. Most of its blue gum eucalyptus
trees lost all their leaves. From Interstate 80, roaring below,
the hill looked dead and brown. This bump of urban
forest, popular with joggers and dog-walkers, rises sharply
some 338 feet from the East Bay floodplain, though it looks
taller from afar thanks to its shaggy eucalyptus hairdo.
… For some, eucalyptus trees are dangerous intruders
that must be eradicated. They are, undeniably, pervasive
invasives. They’re messy, leaving curls of peeling bark draping
toward the ground. They guzzle water, dominate landscapes, and
are difficult to remove.
The Sonoma Land Trust restored the 940-acre Sears Point Tidal
Marsh Restoration Project to tidal action on October 25, 2015
and the project is now part of the San Pablo Bay National
Wildlife Refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The constructed design for this subsided diked bayland allows
natural sedimentation to raise site elevations relatively
rapidly from around low tide heights at breach up to intertidal
emergent marsh elevations, drawing upon the known high sediment
loads of northern San Pablo Bay. The design also included a
setback flood protection “habitat” levee with gentle slopes
(10:1 to 20:1) and around 500 “marsh mounds” within the site
interior.
Removing nutrients from the wastewater that flows from San
Francisco sewage plants into the bay — which likely encouraged
the growth of a massive algae bloom this summer — could cost up
to $1.5 billion, according to the San Francisco Public
Utilities Commission. The SFPUC reported its findings to the
San Francisco Board of Supervisors Monday at a hearing to
discuss how the city and county can address the impacts of
wastewater in red tides that are expected to be more frequent
with climate change, such as the algae bloom in August that
killed tens of thousands of fish in the San Francisco Bay.
Water rates will likely rise as a result of challenges
currently facing the Tri-Valley’s Zone 7 water supplier.
Reduced sales during the drought, forever-chemical treatments,
and state infrastructure contributions all loomed over the
agency’s four-year rate study that discussed annual rate
increases between 2.0 and 9.5 percent, with the board favoring
the higher end, at its Sept. 21 board of directors meeting.
… As the Tri-Valley’s water wholesaler, Zone 7 provides
water to local retailers — Pleasanton, Livermore, the
California Water Service, and the Dublin San Ramon Services
District — for final treatment and delivery.
It’s five in the morning, and Don Edwards San Francisco Bay
National Wildlife Refuge remains in the tight velvet grip of
night. All is peaceful and quiet, despite the fact that the
toll plaza of the Dumbarton Bridge is less than a quarter-mile
away. By 5:15, car dome lights and slamming doors have
transformed this lonely spot at the watery edge of Newark into
a hub of activity. … The first survey of the salt marsh
harvest mouse conducted across the rodent’s entire San
Francisco Bay-centered range. In 1970, Reithrodontomys
raviventris became one of the first animals added to the
federal endangered species list. Found along the damp fringes
of San Francisco Bay, the salt marsh harvest mouse is the only
mammal entirely restricted to coastal marshes—specifically,
those found in the San Francisco Estuary.
“Sugar Town” residents have been complaining about an acrid
“rotten egg” smell that’s been clouding the air in the
northwest Contra Costa County town of Crockett this month,
government officials said. The county’s health services
department said that hydrogen sulfide — also known as “sewer
gas,” “swamp gas” and “stink damp” — has been emanating from
the Crockett Wastewater Treatment Plant due to an unspecified
operational issue. The plant, which processes sewage from the
local community and sewage from the California and Hawaiian
Sugar refinery, is owned by C&H and has since been
investigated by local authorities.
This two-mile stretch of levee is the largest segment of the
2,600-acre Hamilton Wetlands Restoration Project on San Pablo
Bay in Marin County. Once complete, the project allowed bay
waters to eventually reclaim nearly 1,600 acres of former tidal
marshes that had been diked and drained for agriculture and
development during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The
project also provided flood control for nearby
communities. To construct the levee, the team excavated
and placed more than 1.4 million cubic-yards of earthwork
utilizing a wide range of equipment including haul trucks and
tractors.
After a weekend of cool temperatures in the Bay Area, a gradual
warming trend is on tap, with summer-like temperatures
returning midweek. A high pressure system will fuel the
warm-up. On Monday, highs will still be on the cool side, but
higher than during the weekend. San Francisco and other cities
closer to the bayshore, like Mill Valley and Oakland, will
reach the upper 60s. … Precipitation has been bleak
so far this month. However, there’s a chance that the Bay Area
could possibly end this month with above normal chances for
precipitation.
One of the missions of Valley Water is to provide a reliable
supply of safe, clean water to everyone in Santa Clara County.
Valley Water has dozens of projects and programs to ensure we
continue providing this critical service to all
communities. Valley Water recently launched a new grant
opportunity designed to increase access to drinking water and
help reduce plastic bottle waste. We offer $5,000 for
purchasing, installing and maintaining water bottle refill
stations in Santa Clara County.
Blasted by sun and beaten by waves,
plastic bottles and bags shed fibers and tiny flecks of
microplastic debris that litter the San Francisco Bay where they
can choke the marine life that inadvertently consumes it.
Estuaries are places where fresh and
salt water mix, usually at the point where a river enters the
ocean. They are the meeting point between riverine environments
and the sea, with a combination of tides, waves, salinity, fresh
water flow and sediment. The constant churning means there are
elevated levels of nutrients, making estuaries highly productive
natural habitats.
Understanding the importance of the Bay-Delta ecosystem and
working to restore it means grasping the scope of what it once
was.
That’s the takeaway message of a report released Nov. 14 by the
San Francisco Estuary Institute.
The report, “A
Delta Renewed,” is the latest in a series sponsored by the
California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW). Written by
several authors, the report says there is “cause for hope” to
achieving large-scale Delta restoration in a way that supports
people, farms and the environment. SFEI calls itself “one of
California’s premier aquatic and ecosystem science institutes.”
Zooplankton, which are floating
aquatic microorganisms too small and weak to swim against
currents, are are important food sources for many fish species in
the Delta such as salmon, sturgeon and Delta smelt.
This 3-day, 2-night tour, which we do every year,
takes participants to the heart of California water policy – the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Bay.
The Pacific Flyway is one of four
major North American migration routes for birds, especially
waterfowl, and extends from Alaska and Canada, through
California, to Mexico and South America. Each year, birds follow
ancestral patterns as they travel the flyway on their annual
north-south migration. Along the way, they need stopover sites
such as wetlands with suitable habitat and food supplies. In
California, 90 percent of historic wetlands have been lost.
This 25-minute documentary-style DVD, developed in partnership
with the California Department of Water Resources, provides an
excellent overview of climate change and how it is already
affecting California. The DVD also explains what scientists
anticipate in the future related to sea level rise and
precipitation/runoff changes and explores the efforts that are
underway to plan and adapt to climate.
15-minute DVD that graphically portrays the potential disaster
should a major earthquake hit the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
“Delta Warning” depicts what would happen in the event of an
earthquake registering 6.5 on the Richter scale: 30 levee breaks,
16 flooded islands and a 300 billion gallon intrusion of salt
water from the Bay – the “big gulp” – which would shut down the
State Water Project and Central Valley Project pumping plants.
Water truly has shaped California into the great state it is
today. And if it is water that made California great, it’s the
fight over – and with – water that also makes it so critically
important. In efforts to remap California’s circulatory system,
there have been some critical events that had a profound impact
on California’s water history. These turning points not only
forced a re-evaluation of water, but continue to impact the lives
of every Californian. This 2005 PBS documentary offers a
historical and current look at the major water issues that shaped
the state we know today. Includes a 12-page viewer’s guide with
background information, historic timeline and a teacher’s lesson.
Water as a renewable resource is depicted in this 18×24 inch
poster. Water is renewed again and again by the natural
hydrologic cycle where water evaporates, transpires from plants,
rises to form clouds, and returns to the earth as precipitation.
Excellent for elementary school classroom use.
This 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, explains how
non-native invasive animals can alter the natural ecosystem,
leading to the demise of native animals. “Unwelcome Visitors”
features photos and information on four such species – including
the zerbra mussel – and explains the environmental and economic
threats posed by these species.
This 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, explains how
non-native invasive plants can alter the natural ecosystem,
leading to the demise of native plants and animals. “Space
Invaders” features photos and information on six non-native
plants that have caused widespread problems in the Bay-Delta
Estuary and elsewhere.
The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the Delta explores the competing
uses and demands on California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Included in the guide are sections on the history of the Delta,
its role in the state’s water system, and its many complex issues
with sections on water quality, levees, salinity and agricultural
drainage, fish and wildlife, and water distribution.
A new look for our most popular product! And it’s the perfect
gift for the water wonk in your life.
Our 24×36 inch California Water Map is widely known for being the
definitive poster that shows the integral role water plays in the
state. On this updated version, it is easier to see California’s
natural waterways and man-made reservoirs and aqueducts
– including federally, state and locally funded
projects – the wild and scenic rivers system, and
natural lakes. The map features beautiful photos of
California’s natural environment, rivers, water projects,
wildlife, and urban and agricultural uses and the
text focuses on key issues: water supply, water use, water
projects, the Delta, wild and scenic rivers and the Colorado
River.
Operated by the U.S. Army Corps of the Engineers, the San
Francisco Bay/Delta Model is a hydraulic model of San Francisco
Bay and the Delta and is housed in a converted World II-era
warehouse in Sausalito in Marin County.
Stretching 320-feet by 400-feet wide, the Bay Model
features a replica of the Bay Delta watershed from the Golden
Gate to the Sacramento-San Joaquin
Delta. Pumping systems move hundreds of gallons of water
throughout the display and create 14-minute tidal ebb and flow.
Invasive species, also known as
exotics, are plants, animals, insects and aquatic species
introduced into non-native habitats.
Often, invasive species travel to non-native areas by ship,
either in ballast water released into harbors or attached to the
sides of boats. From there, introduced species can then spread
and significantly alter ecosystems and the natural food chain as
they go. Another example of non-native species introduction is
the dumping of aquarium fish into waterways.
This issue of Western Water looks at the BDCP and the
Coalition to Support Delta Projects, issues that are aimed at
improving the health and safety of the Delta while solidifying
California’s long-term water supply reliability.
This printed issue of Western Water provides an overview of the
idea of a dual conveyance facility, including questions
surrounding its cost, operation and governance
This printed copy of Western Water examines the Delta through the
many ongoing activities focusing on it, most notably the Delta
Vision process. Many hours of testimony, research, legal
proceedings, public hearings and discussion have occurred and
will continue as the state seeks the ultimate solution to the
problems tied to the Delta.
