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 Vik Jolly.
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… It was only three years ago, at a press conference, that
state and federal lawmakers and business figures were touting
the [Salton Sea] area’s great promise for extracting lithium, a
mineral critical for batteries in electric cars, smartphones
and industrial power systems, from volcanic layers deep in the
ground. … But lithium demand alone cannot solve the
problem of harvesting it. BHE Renewables built a pilot plant in
Calipatria near the Salton Sea, only for dissolved solids in
the brine to gunk up the equipment meant to filter out the
lithium. … Most concerning for residents is that the
plan could result in dirtier air. Nearly a third of the water
for farms in the Lithium Valley region ends up as runoff for
the Salton Sea, so less agriculture would result in its
shrinking — exposing more dusty lake bed.
Plans to raise water levels at Shasta Dam are sparking debate,
with tribal members warning the change would cause spiritual
harm. The proposal would increase water storage capacity, and
state leaders say the additional storage is needed during
drought years. But for the Redding Rancheria, which has members
of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, the issue goes beyond water.
Tribal Chairman Jack Potter said the dam has already disrupted
salmon runs and that raising water levels would submerge sacred
areas that remain, including burial sites and places where they
hold traditional ceremonies.
The Karuk Tribe of California and the city of Yreka will host a
creek cleanup April 25 aimed at restoring Yreka Creek, a
waterway biologists consider the “last stronghold” for coho
salmon in the Shasta River watershed. Though the creek runs
through an urban area, it supports a small but significant
salmon population that many residents may not realize is there.
… The cleanup will focus on removing trash and invasive
Himalayan blackberry, which can grow in dense thickets up to 8
feet tall and crowd out native vegetation. The effort is
especially important for coho salmon, which are listed under
the Endangered Species Act due to declining populations.
Environmental advocates acknowledge there is political will
between Mexico and the United States to address the beach
pollution crisis, but they also recognize funding is lacking to
build sewage-mitigation projects. “If having meetings and
signing agreements resolved the problem, there wouldn’t be any
problem,” said Fay Crevoshay, director of communications and
public policy for WILDCOAST, an environmental group in San
Diego. … Crevoshay says Mexico has committed $59 million
in state and federal funds to launch seven projects, including
the rehabilitation of various collectors and two sewage-pumping
stations, money yet to be delivered.
PG&E got one of the certifications it needed to release
wastewater from the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant for the
next 20 years — but three nonprofit organizations are fighting
to shorten that window. … On Feb. 26, the Central Coast
Regional Water Quality Board issued a five-year permit that
allows the power plant to release that wastewater back into the
Pacific Ocean. Also at that meeting, the board certified that
the 20-year operating license PG&E requested from the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission would comply with the Clean Water
Act. But a group of nonprofit organizations said the 20-year
certification violates state law.
Bruce Howarth’s last day on the job at Alpaugh Irrigation
District is April Fool’s Day, but one thing he doesn’t joke
about is his admiration for the district and its
landowners. “It’s the best job I’ve ever had,” he said. “I
love working with farmers.” Howarth is retiring today after 12
years at the helm of the tiny district, which was founded in
1915 and covers about 10,000 acres on the far southwestern edge
of Tulare County. … Stepping in to fill the
position is Mike Battles, who previously worked at Lower Tule
River and Pixley irrigation districts. … Howarth said he
will never forget the two thorniest issues of his tenure: high
speed rail line; and the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
(SGMA).
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today conducted the
critical April snow survey at Phillips Station and found no
measurable snow, a stark indicator of how record‑hot March
temperatures and high‑elevation rain have erased the Sierra
Nevada snowpack months ahead of schedule. The combination of
warm storms and unusually hot temperatures rapidly melted what
remained of this year’s already sparse snowpack.
Statewide, the snowpack is now just 18 percent of
average for this date, according to the automated snow
sensor network.
California’s snowpack is supposed to reach its peak April 1, so
today, state surveyors hold their final Sierra snow survey of
the year. But instead of peak snow, there’s almost none.
Snow across California’s Sierra Nevada measured just
18% of average Monday — among the smallest in decades.
A month of record-shattering heat thawed the snow and sent
runoff coursing into streams and rivers, leaving only minimal
water in the mountains as the state heads into dry
season. The early melt is a symptom of global warming that
scientists say is becoming more pronounced.
In Park City, Utah, skiers could find patches of grass poking
through the slopes for much of the winter — a striking sign of
a season that never really arrived. Now, after one of the
warmest winters on record, much of the West is entering spring
with snowpack at historic lows and an early
heat wave that pushed temperatures into triple digits. These
woes could be straight out of a climate fiction novel. But the
West’s no good, very bad winter was alarmingly real. And,
experts say, a worrisome combination of low snowpack and a
devastating heat wave could create a summer ripe for climate
disasters.
Other Colorado River Basin snowpack and drought news:
The federal government has complied with the Endangered Species
Act in its activities at two dams on California’s Yuba
River, a judge ruled Tuesday in a decade-old case.
However, U.S. District Judge Daniel Calabretta had one carveout
in his decision. He determined the National Marine Fisheries
Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers improperly excluded
the Brophy Diversion from an analysis. He remanded that aspect
of the case to the service for reassessment. The judge’s
decision on the motions for summary judgement closes the 2016
case that at its heart focused on three fish: Central Valley
spring chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, and North
American green sturgeon.
In north Phoenix, where the landscape is a patchwork of scrubby
desert and master-planned communities, the future of the city’s
water system is taking shape. With climate change and
drought shrinking the amount of water in the rivers
and reservoirs that supply the nation’s fifth-largest
city, Phoenix is betting big on technology that can
turn sewage into clean, safe drinking water. It will allow
water managers to squeeze every last drop out of the supply
they already have at a time when they expect less to be coming
down the pipe from once-dependable sources. … [T]he
[Cave Creek Water Reclamation Plant] project is coming at a
pivotal time, as federal officials are proposing steep cutbacks
to the Central Arizona Project, which delivers Colorado River
water to the Phoenix metro area.
In California’s Sacramento River Valley, a
lush agricultural region known for producing rice and alfalfa,
one tribal group is taking steps to claim a piece of the global
AI boom. Colusa Indian Energy, a power company wholly owned by
the Colusa Indian Community, [announced]
Tuesday that it’s partnering with developer Strata Expanse to
build an AI infrastructure project on land belonging to the
Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians. … Developers have
pushed for more and larger facilities in rural communities,
deserts and downtowns, sparking growing community pushback over
concerns about straining power grids and the supply of
water, among other issues.
The potential collapse of the Central Arizona Project due to
continued low Colorado River flows could be a
game-changer for Arizona’s water use and policies, triggering
vastly increased emphasis on water conservation and possibly
even future growth limits. Or, the state could simply return to
its post-World War II custom of unlimited groundwater pumping,
combined with building massive water augmentation projects such
as desalination plants.
U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) announced Tuesday that more
than $6 million in federal funding has been earmarked for the
Imperial Valley, targeting a critical mix of environmental
restoration and municipal infrastructure in one of California’s
most climate-vulnerable regions. … The lion’s share of
the local funding—more than $4 million—is designated for the
Bombay Beach Wetlands Project. For decades,
the shrinking Salton Sea has exposed thousands
of acres of playa, sending clouds of pesticide-laced dust into
the air of a region that already suffers from some of the
highest childhood asthma rates in the country. The federal
infusion aims to stabilize and expand emerging wetlands, using
water to “cap” the dust while restoring vital habitats for
migratory birds.
William Briggs, deputy administrator of the U.S. Small Business
Administration, traveled to Imperial Beach on Tuesday to hear
directly from small business owners about the economic impact
of the ongoing Tijuana River pollution crisis, framing the
visit as a fact-finding mission ahead of potential federal
action. … Following the roundtable, Briggs joined the
delegation for a visit to pollution sites along the Tijuana
River corridor, including the Saturn Boulevard hotspot — a
stretch of the river on the U.S. side where sewage and
industrial waste is aerosolized into harmful gases, including
hydrogen sulfide, and carried by the wind into surrounding
communities.
… The fertilizers and pesticides that farmers use leave
nitrogen and phosphorus in their fields. Rain or snowmelt then
carries the chemicals into drinking water, which is dangerous.
Ingesting too many nitrates can cause health issues like cancer
or blue baby syndrome, low oxygen levels in infants. As Earth
warms due to human-caused climate change, the ground isn’t
staying frozen as consistently in many places, and snow is
often melting or falling as rain on thawed ground.
… Nitrate pollution is a big problem for low-income,
rural residents across the United States, said Samuel Sandoval
Solis, a professor at the University of California-Davis and an
extension specialist in water resources management.
Today, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is
announcing he secured $2.2 million in federal funding
for South Lake Tahoe projects that support critical
infrastructure development that ensures water sustainability,
and for the development of essential affordable housing. Schiff
delivered $1.2 million to South Lake Tahoe to enhance
water infrastructure resilience by replacing aging water
mains with larger, more resilient pipelines that will improve
system capacity, reduce leaks, and ensure a reliable drinking
water supply. This project will also improve public safety and
wildfire preparedness.
In fall 2023, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) awarded a five‑year, $3 million Monitoring and Event
Response Research Program (MERHAB) grant to improve Harmful
Algal Bloom (HAB) detection in the San Francisco
Estuary. Scientists at the USGS California Water Science
Center (CAWSC) are some of the lead principal investigators on
this project. One of the tasks led by the CAWSC is studying HAB
transport between freshwater and saltwater regions of the
estuary, which includes sampling toxins and HAB cells through
methods such as shellfish testing.
Earthquakes occur when the tectonic plates of the earth’s crust
shift, jolting past each other in a release of built-up
tension. However, other natural forces can also influence
seismic activity: Hydrological dynamics, like changes in
groundwater and snowpacks, in particular, put
pressure on faults. A new study from Caltech finds that a
higher rate of change in groundwater levels leads to a
noticeable increase in seismic
activity. … Utilizing new data analysis methods,
the researchers saw that regions experiencing more dramatic
changes in groundwater levels exhibit a larger seasonal
variation of seismic activity. In Northern California in
particular, groundwater changes correlated with an increase in
seismic activity of up to 10 percent.
A Merced Superior Court judge denied a request earlier this
month to halt the Planada flood recovery program due to
resident complaints about subpar repairs – just months after
Merced County ended its contract with Habitat for Humanity for
repair work. The legal dispute between Merced County residents
and several government agencies centers on the $20 million
Planada flood recovery program launched by the county to repair
homes after the historic 2023 floods ravaged parts of the
region. While the county reports that more than 100
damaged properties have been repaired under the program,
residents’ complaints and the termination of Habitat’s contract
have raised concerns about construction quality and oversight.
