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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The blistering heat across California and the West over the
last several days has been a stark reminder of how weather
extremes are becoming more extreme with the burning of fossil
fuels and how this demands a greater focus on adapting to
rising temperatures not just today but years into the future.
Just as the heat was building last week, California officials
made a major decision that will guide how urban water suppliers
adapt between 2025 and 2040. The State Water Resources Control
Board adopted regulations that will require suppliers in cities
and towns to meet individualized water-use targets and
conservation goals. The targets under the new rules, which
were required under 2018 legislation, will vary widely
depending on each city’s circumstances.
Farmers could be paid not to make hay while the sun shines, per
a new Imperial Irrigation District payment schedule and other
actions authorized Tuesday aimed at shoring up the Colorado
River’s dwindling reservoirs and coping with low forage prices.
If all goes as planned, growers and owners of farm fields could
be paid $300 per acre-foot for not irrigating alfalfa and other
perennial feed crops for between 45 and 60 days. The plants
would be stressed but would survive, and substantial water
supply would instead be left in drought-depleted Lake Mead,
which provides water for millions of people and millions of
acres of farmland in California, Arizona and Nevada.
Members of Arizona’s congressional delegation introduced
legislation Monday that would authorize a water rights
settlement with three Native American tribes in the Southwest,
providing more certainty for the arid region. The proposal
carries a price tag of $5 billion — larger than any such
agreement enacted by Congress. Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly
of Arizona said the legislation marks a historic step forward
in resolving what has been a decades-long dispute with the
Navajo Nation as well as the Hopi and San Juan Southern Paiute
tribes. The legislation would ratify a settlement agreement
that was approved by each of the tribes in May. In all, the
tribes would be guaranteed access to more than 56,000 acre-feet
of Colorado River water along with specific groundwater rights
and protections. The legislation also would establish a
homeland for the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe.
The Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought
Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024 would have the
state borrow $10 billion to pay for climate and environmental
projects — including some that were axed from the budget
because of an unprecedented deficit. California taxpayers would
pay the bond back with interest. A legislative analyst
estimated it would cost the state $650 million a year for the
next 30 years or more than $19 billion.
Those living along the waterways could soon be fined or face
jail time, due to a policy being considered by the largest
water agency in Santa Clara County. Valley Water Board of
Directors will consider the Water Resources Protection Zones
Ordinance on Tuesday. The policy will take effect 30 days after
it passes, unless the board votes to change the timeline. If
passed, homeless individuals who reside on Valley Water-owned
land could be fined up to $500 or face up to 30 days in jail.
… Along with prohibiting encampments, the policy also
bans trash and pollutants related to encampments, activities
that disturb those living nearby and activities that create
potential harm for Valley Water employees or the public by
those living in encampments. In the fiscal year ending in
2023, Valley Water’s encampment cleanup crew removed more
than 2.7 million pounds of trash, debris, and
hazardous pollutants, according to its website.
San Diego plans to pay an engineering firm $100 million over
the next decade to thoroughly evaluate the city’s aging dams
and create a strategy to prioritize and coordinate repairs and
possible rebuild projects. The strategic plan will include
proposals to shore up every dam, including cost estimates and
specific timelines. It will also evaluate safety risks and how
much each dam upgrade would boost reservoir capacity. … The
plan, which city officials call a long-term strategic phasing
plan, will also evaluate the accuracy of a loose city estimate
that the dams require a total of $1 billion in repairs and
upgrades. That $1 billion estimate includes $275 million to
build a new replacement for the Hodges Dam about 100 feet
downstream from the existing dam. … The city’s greater
attention to its dams is part of a statewide trend that began
after the near failure in 2017 of Sacramento’s Oroville Dam.
San Diego’s dams are among the oldest in the state and the
nation, with many nearing or surpassing the end of their useful
service lives, officials said.
A million-dollar program to keep residential wells flowing
across a swath of southern Fresno and northern Kings counties
is getting underway through a program spearheaded by one of the
area’s groundwater sustainability agencies. The plan is being
funded through land assessments of $6 per acre now, maxing out
at $18 per acre in 2027, charged to growers in the North Fork
Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA). … Though
this program will only be available to residents in the North
Kings GSA, it is a key piece of the Kings groundwater
subbasin’s larger plan to bring the area’s groundwater
consumption into compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater
Management Act (SGMA).
… The California Department of Water Resources is required to
restore 8,396 acres of tidal wetlands to offset environmental
impacts of the State Water Project, which exports water for
municipal and agricultural use. About two thirds of this
acreage has been completed, and several more restoration
projects built for other programs also completed… An
exciting aspect of these projects is that all of them have some
level of environmental monitoring and research going on,
ranging from the water quality to the fishes. …So, what have
we learned? Well, because tidal wetlands have a rich and
complex ecology and because hydrology in California is highly
variable, we’re just beginning to understand how restored
wetlands are functioning.
The Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) is proceeding with
the removal of the Copco No. 1 Dam, the second of four to be
removed as a part of the Klamath dam removal project. Following
successful test blasting at the beginning of March 2024,
deconstruction is underway of the dam that was constructed in
1918 for the sole purpose of hydroelectric power generation.
The dam has blocked fish passage for over 100 years and is
expected to be fully removed by the end of August 2024. “We are
excited to get to work,” said Mark Bransom, CEO of KRRC. “The
dam is fully exposed and can be safely disassembled.”
… El Vado has been out of commission for the past three
summers, its structure bulging and disfigured after decades in
operation — and the government doesn’t have a plan to fix
it. The failure of the dam has shaken up the water supply
for the entire region surrounding Albuquerque, forcing the city
and many of the farmers nearby to rely on finite groundwater
and threatening an endangered fish species along the river.
It’s a surprising twist of fate for a region that in recent
years emerged as a model for sustainable water management in
the West. … Los Angeles has lost water from both the Colorado
River and from a series of reservoirs in Northern California,
and Phoenix has seen declines not only from the Colorado but
also from the groundwater aquifers that fuel the state’s cotton
and alfalfa farming. Now, as Albuquerque’s decrepit El Vado dam
goes out of commission, the city is trying to balance multiple
fragile resources.
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. … Three-fourths
of Arizona’s water supply goes to agricultural irrigation,
according to the Arizona Department of Water Resources.
The Colorado River Basin is in a Tier 1 water shortage,
requiring restrictions for agricultural users. As drought
continues, farmers are searching for new sustainable methods of
growing.
Water systems located in nearly every single California county
are at risk of failing, according to a map created
by Newsweek using data from the California State
Water Resources Control Board. The board released its annual
report in June as municipalities around the nation have
considered improving their water-treatment
systems to counteract cyberattacks or to meet
new requirements from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
about the levels of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, known
as PFAS, in the water supply. … A map of the at-risk
drinking water systems shows that they are impacted throughout
the state, with some of the highest concentrations of impacted
systems in Tulare, Kern and Los Angeles Counties. The only
counties without an at-risk water system were Lassen, Modoc and
San Francisco.
San Franciscans: Brace yourselves for skyrocketing utility
rates. Combined water and sewer bills will increase by 8%
annually, tripling over the next 20 years. Hetch Hetchy
customers outside of San Francisco will get hit hard, too, and
the situation is likely to get much worse. The current rate
crisis is the result of decades of deferred maintenance, and
the failure to recognize and adapt to changing water use
patterns. Over many years, utility revenues were used to
subsidize general city services rather than to maintain and
upgrade the Hetch Hetchy Water System and wastewater
infrastructure. At the same time, per capita water use declined
and population growth slowed, reducing revenues. The San
Francisco Public Utilities Commission is now playing catch-up
on a massive infrastructure backlog. —written by Peter Drekmeier, policy director for the
Tuolumne River Trust and former mayor of Palo Alto
Pasadena Water and Power is facing supply chain disruptions
that could affect critical infrastructure projects and
potentially impact service delivery. According to a PWP
memorandum, the Municipal Services Committee will discuss these
challenges in a meeting scheduled for
Tuesday, July 9. … the memorandum said water
supply in Pasadena is not immune from these challenges.
Critical electrical equipment for operating drinking water
wells and booster pump stations is experiencing significant
delays, with lead times increasing from 3-4 months
to 9-18 months. PWP said disinfectant supplies
crucial for treating drinking water have seen price increases
of 27% for chlorine gas, posing a major risk of increased
purchases of imported MWD water or paying premium market prices
for disinfectant. Pipeline and related materials have also been
affected, with delivery lead times increasing from 2
to 6 months.
On a bright morning in early January near the confluence of the
San Joaquin and Tuolumne rivers in Central California, John
Cain looks out over a small, curved lake. The trees are mostly
bare for winter, but Cain, senior director of conservation of
the nonprofit organization River Partners, points out … the
wild landscape in front of him is buzzing. … Until a
little more than a decade ago, this area was productive
farmland … Now it’s set to be California’s next state park
after a restoration project spearheaded by River
Partners converted the ranch into rewilded riverside
habitat. As climate change has doubled the likelihood of
flooding in California, and is projected to increase runoff
from storms by as much as 200 percent to 400 percent, this
restored floodplain is proving to be a promising approach. Not
only does the area help buffer downstream communities from
flood damage, it also maximizes environmental benefits from
high waters. “When we step back from the river, when we give
the river more room, flooding actually is a very productive
process for the ecosystem,” says Cain. “It recharges
groundwater. It filters polluted water. It nourishes riparian
forests that support all kinds of wildlife. It’s alive.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has updated its Flood
Insurance Rate Map, which is used to identify areas that may
require property owners to purchase flood insurance. The maps
will be used to determine which parts of the region are at risk
of flooding. Before the maps are officially adopted, the County
of Santa Barbara is working to inform residents on how the maps
affect them. … Even though the maps are not expected to be
implemented until 2026, the County of Santa Barbara Flood
Control District is holding an open house for residents on July
9.
The Cuyama Valley north of Santa Barbara is one of the areas of
California where groundwater levels have been rapidly dropping,
and where water continues to be heavily pumped to irrigate
thousands of acres of farmland. Like other regions, the
Cuyama Valley has developed a state-mandated plan to address
overpumping under California’s groundwater law, the Sustainable
Groundwater Management Act. But while that plan is just
starting to be implemented, disagreements over addressing the
water deficit have led to a bitter legal fight.
A large fish die-off event hit Lake San Antonio on the Fourth
of July, according to California Department of Fish and
Wildlife biologist Zachary Crum. Biologists are still
investigating the incident, but they suspect that extreme heat
caused algae to bloom in the lake — consuming most of the
oxygen in the water and suffocating the fish. “Algal blooms
produce oxygen through photosynthesis during the day when
sunlight is available, but algae will consume large amounts of
oxygen at night when cellular respiration is occurring in the
absence of sunlight,” Crum wrote in an email to The Tribune.
“This can lead to lethally low dissolved oxygen levels in
reservoirs, which can essentially cause fish to suffocate.”
Aquafornia is off the week of the July 4th holiday and
the following Monday. But we will return with a full slate of
news on Tuesday, July 9.
In the meantime, follow us on Twitter where we post
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LinkedIn,
where we post Foundation-related news.
The team at the Water
Education Foundation wishes everyone a safe and enjoyable
Independence Day!
A Southern California environmental group is suing the U.S.
Forest Service for allowing bottled water company BlueTriton
Brands to pipe water out of the San Bernardino National Forest.
The nonprofit group Save Our Forest Assn. filed the lawsuit in
federal court, arguing the Forest Service violated federal laws
by allowing the company to continue piping water from boreholes
and water tunnels in the San Bernardino Mountains. The
environmental group said the extraction of water, which is
bottled and sold as Arrowhead 100% Mountain Spring Water, has
dramatically reduced the flow of Strawberry Creek and is
causing significant environmental harm.
