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Coastal Ecosystems Suffer From Upriver Hydroelectric Dams

/in , /by /Science Daily

The researchers analyzed downstream ecosystems from four rivers, two dammed and two unobstructed, in the Mexican Pacific states of Sinaloa and Nayarit. They found dramatic coastal recession along the mouths of the obstructed rivers, including in vital ecosystems like mangrove forests, which provide protection from storms, commercial fishery habitats, and belowground carbon storage. The rivers that the researchers studied run roughly parallel to each other through similarly-developed land, into large coastal lagoon systems. The Santiago and Fuerte rivers have dams that provide hydroelectric power for the region, but withhold 95% of the flow of these rivers. Meanwhile, the San Pedro and Acaponeta rivers are relatively free-flowing and undammed, with over 75% of the rivers remaining unobstructed.

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Valley Farmers Need Sacramento To Sustain Water Levels

/in , /by /The Sun-Gazette (Exeter, Calif.)by Reggie Ellis

Sacramento law makers have shown little interest in helping the Valley solve its water problems yet the only path forward is to get them to take interest in the area that grows most of the state, and the nation’s food. A panel discussion last Wednesday at the Citrus Showcase, an industry conference for growers hosted by Exeter-based California Citrus Mutual (CCM), discussed the looming deadline for local governments to comply with the Groundwater Sustainability Management Act (SGMA). Often referred to as “sigma,” the 2014 law set a deadline of Jan. 31, 2020 for local agencies to implement plans to become water neutral, meaning they put as much water back into the ground as they take out.

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IWVWD Awards Contract, Talks Safety Milestone At Monthly Meeting Monday

/in , /by /The Siskiyou Daily News (Yreka, Calif.)by John D. Bennett

Awarding of a three-quarter-million-dollar capital projects contract was among the key items tackled during Monday’s regular meeting of the Indian Wells Valley Water District Board of Directors. The board also heard of a significant employee safety milestone and received an update on bulk water system upgrades, among other topics. A Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system contract in the amount of $797,252.93 was awarded to low bidder ATSI, Inc. The contract consists of hardware and software used to communicate with wells and pumps and is part of capital projects in the annual budget. The recommendation from the Plant and Equipment Committee to award the contract passed unanimously.

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President Signs Garamendi Delta Bill Into Law As Part Of Conservation Act

/in , /by /The Daily Democrat (Woodland, Calif.)by Nick Sestanovich

After more than a decade in the making, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area Act by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Solano, was signed into law by President Donald Trump as part of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. The National Heritage Area Act will provide $10 million for community-based efforts to conserve the Delta’s cultural heritage and historical landmarks. Garamendi, who served as deputy secretary to the U.S. Department of the Interior under Bill Clinton, reintroduced the act in January. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, has sponsored a Senate companion bill since 2010.

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Destruction From Sea Level Rise In California Could Exceed Worst Wildfires And Earthquakes, New Research Shows

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Rosanna Xia

In the most extensive study to date on sea level rise in California, researchers say damage by the end of the century could be far more devastating than the worst earthquakes and wildfires in state history. A team of U.S. Geological Survey scientists concluded that even a modest amount of sea level rise — often dismissed as a creeping, slow-moving disaster — could overwhelm communities when a storm hits at the same time.

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President Signs Garamendi Delta Bill Into Law As Part Of Conservation Act

/in , /by /The Vacaville Reporterby Nick Sestanovich

After more than a decade in the making, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area Act by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Solano, was signed into law by President Donald Trump as part of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. The National Heritage Area Act will provide $10 million for community-based efforts to conserve the Delta’s cultural heritage and historical landmarks. Garamendi, who served as deputy secretary to the U.S. Department of the Interior under Bill Clinton, reintroduced the act in January. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, has sponsored a Senate companion bill since 2010.

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Ruling Would Exempt Dams From Standards — Greens

/in , /by /E&E News (Washington, D.C.)

Environmental groups yesterday asked a federal appeals court to reconsider a ruling that struck down part of a high-profile removal plan for four dams in California and Oregon, saying it set a precedent that would exempt dozens of dams nationwide from meeting water quality standards. If the ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit stands, they wrote, “dozens of dams that are undergoing licensing would be exempted from compliance with water quality standards for the next 30- to 50-years.” The complicated case concerns four dams on the lower Klamath River in southern Oregon and Northern California owned by Portland, Ore.-based PacifiCorp.

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Trump Signs Major Public Lands, Conservation Bill Into Law

/in , /by /The Associated Press by Darlene Superville

President Donald Trump signed a wide-ranging public lands bill Tuesday that creates five new national monuments and expands several national parks. The new law also adds 1.3 million acres of new wilderness and permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which supports conservation and outdoor recreation projects nationwide. It’s the largest public lands bill Congress has considered in a decade, and it won large bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate.

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Warming Trend With Above Normal Temperatures Brings Concerns Of A Melting Snowpack

/in , /by /ABC30 (Fresno) by Reuben Contreras

After above average rain and snowfall in February, the sun is starting to shine more in the month of March with warmer temperatures. The spring-like conditions this early are a concern for the Bureau of Reclamation. “We think of the April through the July period as the snowmelt runoff period. At our basin in the upper San Joaquin River we get two-thirds of our run comes during the snowmelt season,” said Michael Jackson, Bureau of Reclamation.

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California Has A Giant Surplus—Of Ideas For New Taxes. What’s Up With That?

/in , /by /CALmatters (Sacramento)by Judy Lin

California is enjoying a projected $21.4 billion surplus. Three-quarters of the state believes any new revenue increase should be for voters to decide. By population and percentage of personal income, this state already has the nation’s 10th highest tax burden. And the leader of the California Senate, Pro Tem Toni Atkins, has pointedly cautioned against any more levies that take cash out of the pockets of working families. In short, California lawmakers needn’t look far for an excuse to avoid raising taxes. Whether Atkins’ fellow Democrats got the memo, however, isn’t clear.

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