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WOTUS Lawsuits Start Long, Muddy Legal Battle

/in , , /by /E&E Newsby Pamela King

Get ready for a surge of lawsuits over the Trump administration’s decision to walk back Obama-era protections for wetlands and streams. Opponents to the administration’s take on which water bodies are considered “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act already launched at least two challenges this week, kicking off the next round of courtroom action. The cases add a new dimension to what could soon be a complicated legal quagmire over the Obama administration’s WOTUS rule and the Trump administration’s efforts to both erase and replace the regulation.

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How Feds New Water Plan Could Affect Customers in SoCal

/in , , /by /89.3 KPCC

The Trump administration on Tuesday unveiled new rules to govern California’s scarce water, committing to send more to farmers in the Central Valley despite warnings from environmental groups that it would imperil endangered species in the fragile San Joaquin Delta. The rules govern management of the federal Central Valley Project and the State Water Project, two complex labyrinths of dams and canals that corral rain and snowmelt to provide water to more than 25 million Californians and millions of acres of farmland. An initial review by the National Marine Fisheries Services in July concluded the plan would threaten the existence of some endangered species, including winter-run chinook salmon, according to the Los Angeles Times.

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OPINION: A Win for Endangered Fish and California Farmers Who Need Water

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Times

To the editor: I would like to highlight the most important information in your recent article about new rules that will govern California water deliveries and environmental protections: “Under the new rules, [U.S Fish and Wildlife Service official Paul Souza] said [Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta] pumping restrictions would be based on real-time monitoring of where smelt and migrating salmon are swimming in the delta, rather than the seasonal prescriptions contained in the current regulations.” The new rules are based on the latest science and real-time monitoring rather than a particular calendar date to determine the needs of fish. This is good news for all Californians.

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Santa Barbara Water Agencies Say No to State Water Tunnel Project

/in , /by /Noozhawkby Giana Magnoli

Local water agencies aren’t buying into the new version of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta “twin tunnels” project, and Santa Barbara County members of the State Water Project voted Thursday to opt out entirely.

The California Department of Water Resources’ Cal Waterfix project, also known as the twin tunnels, aimed to increase State Water Project reliability by building two 40-foot-diameter tunnels to move water under the Delta instead of through it.

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Editorial: California Governor Newsom Must Defend Delta

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicle by Chronicle Editorial Board

Gov. Gavin Newsom hasn’t flinched in fighting President Trump when it comes to loosening pollution rules in a smoggy state or punishing immigrants seeking protection. But he’s oddly noncommittal when it comes to a federal water grab that rewards thirsty farmers and Southern California cities.

Last week, federal rule makers followed White House dictates and issued looser restrictions on diversions from the state’s prime water faucet, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

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Federal Officials Rejigger Rules on Water Deliveries-Some Say at Expense of Fish

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Peter Fimrite

The ongoing fight between environmentalists and agriculture over California’s scarce water supplies was renewed Tuesday after the federal government issued a comprehensive plan to boost water “flexibility” that opponents claim is a giveaway to farmers tantamount to killing off imperiled fish. The proposal, contained in a review, or biological opinion, of the state and federal water distribution systems, loosens restrictions on water deliveries proposed in July by the National Marine Fisheries Service to protect chinook salmon, steelhead trout and delta smelt.

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The New Weapon In The War Over Dam Removal: Economics

/in , /by /E&E News by Jeremy P. Jacobs

The decadeslong Pacific Northwest salmon war may be nearing the end.

But it’s economics, not fish, that could be the demise of four dams at the center of the fight.

The dams on the Lower Snake River — besieged by conservationists and biologists for killing fish — are now battered by falling prices for renewable energy, skyrocketing replacement costs for aging turbines and a growing tab for environmental mitigation.

“The jig is up,” said Daniel Malarkey, a senior fellow at the Sightline Institute, a regional think tank focused on energy, economic and environmental policy. “We had this super-cheap power relative to other resources, and we’ve piled a bunch of extra costs on it.”

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An Environmental Group Found Arsenic And Chromium In Tap Water In All 50 US States. Here’s How To Check What’s In Your Taps.

/in , /by /Business Insider by Aria Bendix

In 2017, the nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG) released a database of all the known contaminants lurking in US drinking water. After compiling data from 50,000 public water utilities across the country from 2010 to 2015, the group found 267 chemicals that they dubbed concerning to human health.

On Wednesday, the group announced an update to those findings: After analyzing the same data set from 2012 to 2017, the EWG found 278 contaminants in US drinking water.

The health risk of each contaminant is “going to vary region by region, state by state, utility by utility,” Tasha Stoiber, a senior scientist at EWG, told Business Insider.

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Central Coast Project Would Raise Water Bills, Endanger Aquifer, Opponents Say

/in , /by /CalMattersby Kate Cimini

Activists and local government officials across Monterey County have banded together to fight a proposed desalination plant that could double the cost of water for some residents and endanger an aquifer that serves low-income communities.

Opponents say the plant could cause saltwater to seep into the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin, the aquifer that provides freshwater to much of Monterey County.

California American Water (CalAm), an investor-owned public utility, however, says the plant is needed to fulfill the Monterey Peninsula’s water needs, and that the effects on other communities will be minimal, if any.

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Commentary: Don’t Take Water for Granted On “Imagine a Day Without Water”

/in , /by /Napa Valley Registerby Joy Eldredge and Pat Costello

Millions of Americans take water service for granted every day. Turn on the tap, and clean water flows out. Flush the toilet, and dirty water goes away. With reliable water service, people don’t have to think twice about the infrastructure that brings water to their homes, and then safely recycles it or returns it to the environment – but everyone should be concerned with the future of those systems. Today, October 23, 2019, is the fifth annual Imagine a Day Without Water, a nationwide day of advocacy about the value of water organized by the U.S. Water Alliance.

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