California has pioneered some of the
toughest state environmental legislation to address environmental
issues. For example, laws focused attention on “instream uses” of
water to benefit fish and wildlife, recreation, water quality and
aesthetics. Among water-related issues, in general, are
climate change, toxic waste disposal, pollution and loss of
wildlife and habitat.
Also, the California Legislature was the first in the country to
protect rare plants and animals through passage of the California
Endangered Species Act in 1970.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) reported
the Colusa County Superior Court sentenced a Placer County man
May 21 to two years in jail for commercializing state wildlife.
According to the DFW, Justin D. Lewis conspired to
commercialize Pacific lamprey, a jawless fish that is usually
sourced commercially from Alaska and highly regarded as bait
for sturgeon and other fish. The DFW also noted lamprey have
significant food and cultural significance to Yurok tribal
members in Del Norte County and other tribal communities in the
area. Lewis sourced the fish from the Klamath River in Del
Norte County and resold through co-conspirators in Colusa
County and elsewhere, DFW confirmed. “Because of a temporary
downturn in the bait market, Lewis and others created an
illegal commercial market for California lamprey,” the DFW
stated.
Up and down the coast, sea birds, sea lions, dolphins and even
whales have fallen victim to the bloom starting in late
February. One recent Sunday, 16 dead dolphins were collected
from San Diego-area beaches. … This is the fourth year
in a row there’s been significant blooming of Pseudo-nitzschia
off the coast of California. It creates domoic acid, a
neurotoxin that accumulates in small fish, like sardines and
anchovies, which are then eaten by marine mammals and birds.
… Recent algae blooms were fueled by La Niña weather patterns
that brought colder, nutrient-rich waters to the surface. A
“ribbon” of cold water formed in December and was still in
place in April, extending about 30 miles off the shoreline.
Federally declared fishery disasters have risen sharply in the
United States over the past decade, but NOAA hasn’t stepped up
its efforts to get relief dollars to affected communities, a
new report found. NOAA can take a long time — in some cases up
to five years — to hand out financial assistance to fishermen
and others dealing with a fishery collapse or other disaster,
according to a report issued Wednesday by the Government
Accountability Office. The report examined the federal response
to 111 fishery disaster requests since January 2014, finding
that for nearly half of the approved requests, relief money
began flowing at least 12 months after communities were hit by
a disaster.
Dust storms are pervasive across much of inland California and
have many adverse effects. Perhaps most notable are the health
impacts associated with dust, which range from traffic
accidents due to poor visibility, to respiratory disease caused
by direct exposure. Unfortunately, these health impacts are
disproportionately borne by vulnerable groups. However, dust
storms also affect many other aspects of life in the state,
including water resources, solar energy production,
agricultural productivity, and weather and climate. UC Dust is
a new center developed with the goals of developing and
implementing adaptation and mitigation strategies that address
current and likely future dust storms in California. UC Dust is
comprised of faculty, staff and students from 7 UCs who have
expertise in the diverse disciplines relevant to dust storms,
including the atmospheric, soil, health, and climate sciences,
geography, ecology, hydrology, and environmental policy and
justice.
… Colorado College’s annual State of the Rockies Project
Conservation in the West Poll explores opinions on water safety
and security in the West. The findings reinforce Americans’
clear desire for action that will improve the sustainability of
rivers, lakes, streams and other water sources. Voters in
across eight western states reported nearly universal concern
about river levels and the long-term availability of water.
Almost nine-in-ten voters (88%) say inadequate water supply is
a serious problem in their state. Two thirds (66%) say it is an
“extremely” or “very” serious problem. The highest concern was
reported in several southwestern states that rely on the
Colorado River as a source of water, including Utah (95%),
Nevada (92%), New Mexico (91%) and Arizona (90%).
After nearly a century of people building dams on most of the
world’s major rivers, artificial reservoirs now represent an
immense freshwater footprint across the landscape. Yet, these
reservoirs are understudied and overlooked for their fisheries
production and management potential, indicates a study from the
University of California, Davis. The study, published
in the journal Scientific Reports, estimates that U.S.
reservoirs hold 3.5 billion kilograms (7.7 billion pounds) of
fish. Properly managed, these existing reservoir ecosystems
could play major roles in food security and fisheries
conservation.
California has unveiled an ambitious plan to help combat the
worsening climate crisis with one of its invaluable assets: its
land. Over the next 20 years, the state will work to transform
more than half of its 100 million acres into multi-benefit
landscapes that can absorb more carbon than they release,
officials announced Monday. … The plan also calls for
11.9 million acres of forestland to be managed for biodiversity
protection, carbon storage and water supply protection by 2045,
and 2.7 million acres of shrublands and chaparral to be managed
for carbon storage, resilience and habitat connectivity, among
other efforts.
Tiny pieces of plastic waste shed
from food wrappers, grocery bags, clothing, cigarette butts,
tires and paint are invading the environment and every facet of
daily life. Researchers know the plastic particles have even made
it into municipal water supplies, but very little data exists
about the scope of microplastic contamination in drinking
water.
After years of planning, California this year is embarking on a
first-of-its-kind data-gathering mission to illuminate how
prevalent microplastics are in the state’s largest drinking water
sources and help regulators determine whether they are a public
health threat.
Algal blooms are sudden overgrowths
of algae. Their occurrence is increasing in California’s
rivers, creeks and lakes and along the coast, threatening the
lives of people, pets and fisheries.
Only a few types of algae can produce poisons, but even nontoxic
blooms hurt the environment and local economies. When masses
of algae die, the decaying can deplete oxygen in the water to the
point of causing devastating fish kills.
Excess salinity poses a growing
threat to food production, drinking water quality and public
health. Salts increase the cost of urban drinking water and
wastewater treatment, which are paid for by residents and
businesses. Increasing salinity is likely the largest long-term
chronic water quality impairment to surface and groundwater in California’s Central
Valley.
The 28-page Layperson’s Guide to Nevada Water provides an
overview of the history of water development and use in Nevada.
It includes sections on Nevada’s water rights laws, the history
of the Truckee and Carson rivers, water supplies for the Las
Vegas area, groundwater, water quality, environmental issues and
today’s water supply challenges.
Stretching 450 miles long and up to
50 miles wide, the Sierra Nevada makes up more than a quarter of
California’s land area and forms its largest watersheds,
providing more than half of the state’s developed water supply to
residents, agriculture and other businesses.*
The California Environmental Quality
Act, commonly known as CEQA, is foundational to the state’s
environmental protection efforts. The law requires proposed
developments with the potential for “significant” impacts on the
physical environment to undergo an environmental review.
Since its passage in 1970, CEQA (based on the National
Environmental Policy Act) has served as a model for
similar legislation in other states.
This issue of Western Water examines that process. Much
of the information is drawn from discussions that occurred at the
November 2005 Selenium Summit sponsored by the Foundation and the
California Department of Water Resources. At that summit, a
variety of experts presented findings and the latest activities
from areas where selenium is of primary interest.
