The growing leadership of women in water. The Colorado River’s persistent drought and efforts to sign off on a plan to avert worse shortfalls of water from the river. And in California’s Central Valley, promising solutions to vexing water resource challenges.
These were among the topics that Western Water news explored in 2018.
We’re already planning a full slate of stories for 2019. You can sign up here to be alerted when new stories are published. In the meantime, take a look at what we dove into in 2018:
Amy Haas recently became the first non-engineer and the first woman to serve as executive director of the Upper Colorado River Commission in its 70-year history, putting her smack in the center of a host of daunting challenges facing the Upper Colorado River Basin.
Yet those challenges will be quite familiar to Haas, an attorney who for the past year has served as deputy director and general counsel of the commission. (She replaced longtime Executive Director Don Ostler). She has a long history of working within interstate Colorado River governance, including representing New Mexico as its Upper Colorado River commissioner and playing a central role in the negotiation of the recently signed U.S.-Mexico agreement known as Minute 323.
For as long as agriculture has existed in the Central Valley, farmers have pumped water from the ground to sustain their livelihood and grow food consumed by much of the nation. This has caused the ground in certain places to sink, sometimes dramatically, eliminating valuable aquifer storage space that can never be restored.
The California National Guard on Monday joined more than a dozen other agencies to help the Yurok tribe combat rampant marijuana grows that have threatened the reservation’s water supply, harmed its salmon and interfered with cultural ceremonies. …
The breakthrough came in April when governor’s office staff was discussing the drought with tribal officials.
The plan won’t help with the immediate drought crisis, but the document is important in the long run because it states the county’s case for a share of state bond money – not only what’s left of voter-approved Proposition 84, but also whatever funds are available should a new water bond pass in November.
From the H2outlook blog, in a post by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger:
The state/federal effort to improve the reliability of water supplies from Northern California and restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is now in its seventh year, a testament to the time and hard work necessary to come up with a lasting solution. From the outside, it may be difficult to gauge progress of the Bay Delta Conservation Program at any given time.
From The Sacramento Bee, in a commentary by Dan Chu:
The wildlife, clean water and scenery offered by our national forests are crucial to our way of life and our multibillion-dollar outdoor recreation economy – especially in California.
“The Madera County Board of Supervisors agreed Monday to tap water from the city of Madera for the community of Parkwood since the county’s one working well is failing.”
“Stockton could wind up as one of thousands of cities, irrigation districts or landowners to be subjected to what are called ‘curtailments’ for the whole summer. Essentially, they are orders to stop pumping water due to the drought.”
“Merced Irrigation District officials say growers in the district will receive additional surface water, after action taken Tuesday by MID’s board of directors.”
“Milpitas City Council voted unanimously May 20 to accept Santa Clara Valley Water District’s plan to reduce the amount of treated, potable water the city receives from its wholesaler by 20 percent due to the statewide drought.”
“California has ordered more than 2,600 water agencies and users in the Sacramento Valley to stop pumping water from streams, a drastic response to the ongoing drought that hasn’t occurred since 1977.
“The curtailment notice was imposed by the State Water Resources Control Board late Wednesday.”
“State authorities Thursday began notifying hundreds of water rights holders on the upper Russian River to stop diverting water from the drought-stricken watershed because there isn’t enough supply to go around.”
“The State Water Resources Control Board is sending notices to thousands of property owners to stop diverting water from the Sacramento River watershed.”
“For the first time in nearly 40 years, drought-stricken California has ordered more than 2,600 water agencies and users in the Sacramento Valley to stop pumping water from streams.”
“California, supplier of nearly half of all US fruits, veggies, and nuts, is on track to experience the driest year in the past half millennium. Farms use about 80 percent of the state’s ‘developed water,’ or water that’s moved from its natural source to other areas via pipes and aqueducts.”
“The Powerhouse Science Center, a proposed science and environmental museum on the banks of the Sacramento River, received a big financial boost Tuesday night from the Sacramento City Council. …
“A gallery of exhibits will focus on the state’s water supply, and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District is planning an outdoor garden that will promote renewable energy.”
“The Marin Municipal Water District is looking at the idea of putting a $45 million pipeline on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to keep Marin wet in dry years. If that sounds familiar, the water district did just that in the 1970s.”
