TOP STORIES
By California Department of Water Resources, 4/7/22
The California Department of Water Resources signed an agreement to award $3.3 million in funding to the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority to repair segments of the Delta-Mendota Canal (DMC) in the San Joaquin Valley that have been damaged by land subsidence.
WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
By Bakersfield Now, 4/8/22
The fight for clean water continues in Kern County. Every three years, Cal Water submits its Infrastructure Improvement Plan to the California Public Utilities Commission. The most recent plan, filed in July 2021, focuses heavily on replacing aged water main, or pipelines, in both Bakersfield and the Kern River Valley.
WATER SUPPLY & QUALITY
By Courthouse News Service, 4/7/22
A team of California scientists have developed a new method for monitoring underground water levels on a month-to-month basis.
Eight researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena and the Berkeley Lab spent the last few years studying the Tulare Basin in California’s Central Valley, an incredibly productive area of farmland that grows roughly 40% of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts in the United States. That productivity is only possible by extensive groundwater pumping, since the region only receives five to 10 inches of rainfall every year.
By Manteca Bulletin, 4/8/22
Manteca is stepping up its water conservation efforts as California enters its third year of drought. A water conservation worker — whose primary duty would be to drive the city looking for water use violations and issue warnings in a bid to secure compliance — is expected to start on May 1. That will augment efforts of the water division staff that places door hangers listing the city’s watering rules whenever they come across wasteful water usage.
By NBC Bay Area, 4/8/22
As the Bay Area experiences a spring heat wave amid severe drought conditions, an East Bay water district once again is raising concerns over water supply. East Bay Municipal Utility District, which provides water for about 1.4 million customers in Oakland, Berkeley, Walnut Creek and the San Ramon Valley, says the water supply outlook remains "dismal."
By KPBS, 4/7/22
This year’s Sierra Nevada snowpack is just 39% of average. But it’s now more than the amount of snow and rainfall that determines California’s water supply.
Scientists say climate change has created a cycle of drought that is increasingly hard to reverse, and new models are needed to be able to fully meet the West's water management needs.
CLIMATE & WEATHER
By EOS, 4/7/22
Today, our food sources are streamlined: Around 90% of the world’s calories come from about 20 species of plants. Nearly 50% of calories come from rice, maize, and wheat alone. Climate change is pushing these crops to their limits. An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on food security indicated that crops in many regions already have a tough time coping with extreme temperatures, shifting rain patterns, and elevated carbon dioxide levels.
CALIFORNIA WATERSHEDS
By Mammoth Times, 4/7/22
The Bridgeport Reservoir located just north of Bridgeport currently has toxic algae in the water that can harm (and can be fatal at times) people and animals, according to the Mono County Animal Control Department.
By KRON 4, 4/7/22
All commercial Dungeness crab fishery along California’s coast will be closed this month after humpback whales were found entangled in fishing gear, wildlife authorities said.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Wednesday that fishery zones from the Sonoma-Mendocino county life north to the Oregon state line will close at noon on April 20. The closure comes after the department had already announced that commercial crab traps would have to be removed from fishery zones from the Sonoma-Mendocino county line down south to the U.S.-Mexico border by Friday.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES
By Redding Record Searchlight, 4/8/22
Much of California is already in wildfire season after an extremely dry winter left vegetation brittle and water levels low. With winds and hot temperatures in the forecast starting this week, and no rain or snow expected in the near future, conditions aren't likely to improve, fire experts said.
AGENCIES, PROGRAMS, PEOPLE
By Monterey Herald, 4/7/22
The Monterey Peninsula water district has filed a lawsuit against an inter-governmental agency for what it claims was an illegal blocking of the district’s voter-mandated effort to acquire the assets of California American Water Co.
EVENTS
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR), in collaboration with the State Water Board, is hosting a series of stakeholder meetings to inform the development of an abridged Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP) template as part of a comprehensive effort to assist small water systems.
Start: Wed 20 Apr 2022, 2:00 PM
End: Wed 20 Apr 2022, 4:00 PM
Second meeting for the California Water Plan Policy Advisory Committee.
Start: Wed 4 May 2022, 9:00 AM
End: Wed 4 May 2022, 12:00 PM
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