A collection of top water news from around California and the West compiled each weekday. Send any comments or article submissions to Foundation News & Publications Director Chris Bowman.
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A roundly castigated proposal to build a holding reservoir
above Isabella Lake in order to pump water up from the lake and
run it back down through turbines for power – known as pumped
energy storage – is back. And it brought friends.
There are now three pumped energy storage proposals in Kern
County, including the old-now-new-again Isabella proposal. That
proposal and another for a project near Rosamond are undergoing
review by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for
preliminary permits. FERC is seeking public comments on both
proposals through Aug 12. A third proposal, for a project in
the mountains above Gorman (though it’s listed as
Tehachapi) has an approved preliminary permit from FERC.
For years, scientists have worried about “forever chemicals,”
substances used to make hundreds of household items that have
been linked by research to a wide range of health problems. In
response, a growing number of companies have pledged not to use
the chemicals, and regulators have increasingly taken aim at
them. But even as work continues to phase out the
substances, scientists are beginning to focus on new types that
are far more widespread than earlier realized — prompting
worries about undetected health risks. A growing body of
research has raised concerns about a forever chemical known as
TFA, which is short for trifluoroacetic acid and has been found
in increasing amounts in rainwater, groundwater and drinking
water. The chemical has a composition that scientists say may
make it especially hard to filter, although scientists lack
consensus on whether it poses a human health risk.
Erosion is happening before our eyes. I took
pictures on June 21 to remember this moment that is now
commonplace worldwide, people meeting extreme weather at home —
in our case, Castle Valley, Utah. Add other pictures of most of
Grand County flooding, including downtown Moab and you have a
more complete picture of the week we had two flash floods
within days of each other. Highway 124, locally known as
the “River Road,” looked like the first day of creation as
dozens and dozens of pink sediment-laden waterfalls were
cascading off red rock cliffs reaching the Colorado River in
seconds. I didn’t know there could be that much free falling
water in the desert in times of drought. San Juan
County also experienced violent flash floods that
reshaped and redistributed sand and land within the Valley of
the Gods that no god of flesh or stone could control.
— By Terry Tempest Williams, writer-in-residence at the
Harvard Divinity School. She divides her time between Utah and
Massachusetts
… In this California WaterBlog post, we summarize a
recent PPIC report that describes innovations that will
help the state protect native biodiversity under climate
change. We propose the adoption of climate-smart conservation
frameworks and tools in all efforts to protect and restore
native species. This includes utilizing a portfolio of
actions—some controversial and experimental—along with a
willingness to take risks. We hope that this report inspires
scientists, engineers, resource managers, decision makers,
watershed groups, and many others to take urgent action before
we lose our legacy of freshwater biodiversity.
California’s $11 billion-dollar almond industry is always under
the spotlight. You might have heard about the sector’s water
consumption or the trucking of bees to pollinate the state’s
1.3 million acres of crops. … Efforts to demonize the
almond simply do not help the industry evolve to meet
environmental goals and address current issues. Instead,
we should be asking questions: How can we increase water use
efficiency? How can we prioritize soil health so that almond
orchards become an important carbon sink to mitigate global
warming? How can almond orchards enable biodiversity and
contribute to the overall ecological health of California’s
Central Valley? And what’s a fair price for almonds that align
with these environmental priorities? —By Lauren Tucker, project coordinator for The Almond
Project and the nonprofit convener White Buffalo Land
Trust.
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto’s (D-Nev.) legislation to extend
the authorization of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act for 10
years passed the Senate today. Cortez Masto’s legislation is
cosponsored by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Laphonza Butler
(D-Calif.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and it would allow
federal funds to continue maintaining the environment,
supporting local jobs, and strengthening the tourism economy
around Lake Tahoe. The legislation now heads to the U.S. House
of Representatives. “Sustainability programs in Tahoe must be
able to keep up their operations so we can continue to keep the
lake clean and support our local communities – not just today,
but for future generations. That was the vision previous Senate
leaders had for Lake Tahoe, and it is what I’ve been fighting
for,” said Cortez Masto. “Passing the reauthorization of the
Lake Tahoe Restoration Act through the Senate is a huge step
forward, and I urge my colleagues in the House to pass this
vital bill into law as soon as possible.”
… The ample gurgling water, the rare outpouring of a
super-rainy winter, has turned a rural corner of Los Angeles
into a popular — and unauthorized — recreational spot this
summer. People lugging canopies, lawn chairs and barbecues are
converging on a stretch of the wash accessible mainly through a
private road. Along the way, they are blocking the narrow
street, illegally parking and leaving behind piles of trash and
waste. Residents in the adjacent Riverwood Ranch, a gated,
37-home enclave, are fed up and are calling for a city
crackdown on scofflaw visitors. Police have begun ticketing.
And although a recent cleanup removed some debris, officials
can’t keep up with the crowds. Signs posted on July 10 warned
that the area is not for recreational use and violators will be
cited for illegal parking. Most of the city’s “no stopping any
time” street signs and “no trespassing” placards have been
knocked down or tagged with spray paint. No dumping signs are
ignored.
We live on a water planet, with vast amounts of water in the
oceans, an extremely dynamic hydrologic cycle that brings
renewable freshwater resources in the form of rain, snow, and
river flows, and large stocks of groundwater. And because the
Earth has pretty much the same amount of water today that it
has had since the time of the very formation of the solar
system more than 4 billion years ago, modern concerns about the
so-called “scarcity” of water reflect not a change in the total
amount of water, but the challenge of meeting the need for
water and water services by growing populations and expanding
economic demands. … The distribution and availability of
water resources around the world are naturally highly variable,
but climate change is making these variations worse. Addressing
these water problems is one of the greatest challenges of our
time. “Water scarcity” means different things to different
communities, but in its simplest form, it can be defined as a
shortage of water required to meet a specific water demand—such
as clean freshwater for drinking, cooking, cleaning, or growing
crops, to name just a few.
Quaternary climate changes are driven in part by variations in
the distribution and strength of insolation due to orbital
parameters. Continental climate variability is well documented
for the most recent glacial-interglacial cycles, yet few
records extend further back in time. Such records are
critically needed to comprehensively assess the entire spectrum
of natural climate variability against the backdrop of
anthropogenic warming. Here, we apply uranium isotope
geochronology to calcite deposits to date groundwater-table
changes in Devils Hole cave, Nevada. The deposits record
multi-meter groundwater-table fluctuations over the last
750,000 years, reflecting the long-term evolution of
hydroclimate in this presently arid region. During periods
between glacial or interglacial extremes, the water table
responded sensitively to variations in 65°N summer insolation,
likely caused by the increasing extent of North American ice
sheets during cold period, which steered moisture-laden
trajectories towards the southwestern USA. These
orbitally-driven hydroclimatic changes are superimposed on a
tectonically-driven long-term decline in the regional
groundwater table observed prior to 438,000 ± 14,000 years ago.
When Bill Keener started working at the Marine Mammal Center as
a field biologist in the 1970s, there were no whales or
dolphins in San Francisco Bay. The waters east of the Golden
Gate Bridge were chock- full of life — sea lions and harbor
seals galore — but not a cetacean to be seen. Starting in the
late 2000s, things began to change. There are now four cetacean
species living in or regularly visiting the busy waters east of
the Golden Gate — harbor porpoises, gray whales, humpback
whales and bottle-nosed dolphins. Yet Keener and other marine
researchers aren’t sure if the animals’ presence is a sign of
ecosystem health and rejuvenation or a portent of planetary
disaster. And in each case, the story is a little
different. Regardless of the cause for their return,
they’re growing increasingly worried that as the numbers of
these charismatic megafauna grow, so too does their risk of
injury and death in these high-traffic waters.
The world’s first hydrogen-powered commercial passenger ferry
will start operating on San Francisco Bay as part of plans to
phase out diesel-powered vessels and reduce planet-warming
carbon emissions, California officials said Friday,
demonstrating the ship. The 70-foot (21-meter) catamaran called
the MV Sea Change will transport up to 75 passengers along the
waterfront between Pier 41 and the downtown San Francisco ferry
terminal starting July 19, officials said. … Sea Change
can travel about 300 nautical miles and operate for 16 hours
before it needs to refuel. The fuel cells produce electricity
by combining oxygen and hydrogen in an electrochemical reaction
that emits water as a byproduct. The technology could help
clean up the shipping industry, which produces nearly 3% of the
world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, officials said. That’s
less than from cars, trucks, rail or aviation but still a lot —
and it’s rising.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is investigating an outbreak of
sores on rainbow trout in Eagle County waterways, with bacteria
and stress the primary suspects. The rainbow trout have been
reported by anglers and guiding companies in recent days, and
CPW has engaged with those parties to collect samples of the
affected fish, which were sent to the state’s Aquatic
Animal Health Lab in Brush. While the results are not yet
in, CPW aquatic biologist Kendall Bakich said she has seen
similar lesions on fish in the Eagle River in the past, as well
as other nearby water bodies. A case in Steamboat Lake showed a
similar pathology in rainbow trout, Bakich said, occurring
directly after the spawning season during warmer water
temperatures.
Intraspecific biodiversity is vital for species persistence in
an increasingly volatile world. By embracing methods that
integrate information at different spatiotemporal scales, we
can directly monitor and reconstruct changes in intraspecific
biodiversity. Here we combined genetics and otolith
biochronologies to describe the genotypic and phenotypic
diversity of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the
Yuba River, California, comparing cohorts that experienced a
range of hydroclimatic conditions. Yuba River salmon have been
heavily impacted by habitat loss and degradation, and large
influxes of unmarked hatchery fish each year have led to
concern about introgression and uncertainty around the
viability of its wild populations, particularly the rarer
spring-run salmon.
… Shorelines are the backbone of any lake, pond, stream, or
coastal zone. They provide the structure around the water and
act as a zone of transition between the land and the water. …
In Clear Lake, because the majority of the lake is a shallow
basin or bordered by shallow-sloped shorelines and the lake
water level can go from very full to very low within a couple
years, the shoreline around the lake and the littoral zone
share a lot of the same physical space and features. Sometimes
the shoreline zone is inundated with water and sometimes it’s
not. When you consider this variability, you realize that
shorelines truly are special. They provide habitat for a unique
and specific range of organisms, flora, and fauna. When
shorelines are removed, converted, or become degraded, we can
see significant species and biodiversity loss because of the
specific niche habitat the shoreline provides. —Written Angela De Palma-Dow, limnologist who lives
and works in Lake County, certified lake manager with
the North American Lake Management Society and
current president/chair of the California chapter of the
Society for Freshwater Science
For the first time since October 2023, parts of California are
now classified under a moderate drought by the U.S. Drought
Monitor. This marks the end of a nine-month period without
drought conditions in the state, the longest such stretch since
the end of 2011. In its weekly update delivered on Thursday,
the U.S. Drought Monitor listed a portion of Siskiyou
County as being under moderate drought conditions. This
designation signals early damage to crops and pastures, lowered
water levels in streams and creeks, and the potential for water
shortages. … The rapid shift underscores how swiftly
California has transitioned from two consecutive years of
abundant precipitation to a period marked by below-average
rainfall. The back-to-back abnormally wet seasons have
kept nearly all of California’s reservoirs at or near full
capacity. The return of drought conditions will increase
the risk of hazardous fire weather conditions over the next
several weeks.
This spring, the Bureau of Reclamation revealed damage to
the river outlet works system of Glen Canyon Dam. While there
is no structural risk to the huge dam on the Colorado River,
the incident drew attention to the dam’s antiquated
infrastructure and brought into question its ability to sustain
water releases from Lake Powell at lower elevations. At risk
are both the lower Colorado River Basin’s ecosystems—including
the Grand Canyon—and the 30 million people who rely on the
Colorado’s water. The damage was caused by a High Flow
Experiment Release in April, 2023, by cavitation, a process
that happens when water passing through pipes at high velocity
creates air bubbles that cause erosion. During the 2023
release, 3,500 CFS (cubic feet per second) of water was
released through the outlet works pipes for 72 hours.
The aim was to distribute sediment throughout the Grand
Canyon to maintain healthy beaches and riparian habitats.
With California expecting its water supply to dwindle, new
state conservation rules will encourage water suppliers to
conserve 500,000 acre-feet, or 162.9 billion gallons, annually
by 2040 — enough for roughly 1.4 million households.
… Stark differences in conservation requirements are on
display in the Sacramento region, where major urban districts
face minimal cuts and some far smaller, more rural communities
nearby face significant reduction targets far sooner. …
Differences in the new regulations will also play out
statewide.
… While some [almond] growers and producers are optimistic
the industry is turning around, others continue
struggling. … In the last few years, state
groundwater legislation known as SGMA began limiting
landowners’ groundwater use, resulting in tough decisions about
how much land growers can irrigate and which crops they can
afford to keep alive. As a result, land prices have been
shifting based on access to other water sources like irrigation
canals. A recent report by land pricing company Acres, which
crunches numbers based on publicly available data from land
sales, shows that land values for almond orchards have been
declining for years, regardless of water access.
The recent rainstorms and subsequent power outages have created
a wave of challenges across multiple regions within the Navajo
Nation. … The disruptions caused by the rainstorms
includes communication system failures, widespread power
outages, interruptions in water support systems, flooded
transportation routes, and minor damage to residential
structures. … To address the severity of the situation, the
DEM activated varying Emergency Operations Center levels,
engaged in collaborative efforts, and swiftly mobilized
resources to distribute crucial supplies and tackle
infrastructure challenges. … Essential supplies such as
water, blankets, first-aid kits, and hygiene kits were
delivered to affected communities to ensure the well-being of
residents.
For 31 straight days last summer, temperatures in Phoenix hit
or topped 110 degrees, the longest such streak ever. That
searing Arizona heat dehydrates crops and evaporates water the
state needs to conserve. Creating shade is one way to combat
the problem. By using solar panels, farmers can simultaneously
protect their plants, save water and lower their energy bills –
and some are doing just that with help from federal programs
designed to encourage this sustainable method of growing.
Photovoltaic panels are placed above the crops, harnessing the
sun’s energy while providing valuable shade.
