TOP STORIES
NBC News, 6/9/22 - President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are announcing new initiatives Thursday at the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles that aim to combat climate change while creating jobs throughout the hemisphere.
Los Angeles Times, 6/9/22 - Responding to California’s extreme drought, state water regulators have ordered many farmers, agricultural water districts and cities to stop diverting water from rivers and streams along the San Joaquin River.
Starting Wednesday, the State Water Resources Control Board is making “significant, very deep cuts” for water users, primarily in the San Joaquin River watershed, said Erik Ekdahl, deputy director of the state water board’s water rights division.
WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
Scientific American, 6/7/22 - At any moment, a weak spot in the more than 1,000 miles of earthen levees protecting islands in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta could unleash a salty deluge, threatening not just crops, but the drinking water for as many as 27 million Californians.
Maven's Notebook, 6/8/22 - The Delta is an intricate network of waterways, canals, and sloughs connecting the Sierra Nevada watershed with the San Francisco Bay. It is considered the hub of California’s water supply, supplying fresh water to two-thirds of the state’s population and millions of acres of farmland.
KSEE/KGPE, 6/9/22 - Millerton Lake has a presence in both Fresno County and Madera County, just north of the town of Friant. But those new to the area may not know that underneath the waters of Millerton Lake was the original town of Millerton.
According to the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Millerton Lake was created following the construction of the Friant Dam. But to create the lake, the town underneath had to be flooded.
WATER SUPPLY & QUALITY
San Francisco Chronicle, 6/9/22 - Every time a storm hits the Bay Area, trash in the region’s streets and creeks gets swept by rushing water into an underground stormwater system, where much of the litter flows through a network of pipes until it reaches San Francisco Bay.
Manteca Bulletin, 6/8/22 - There was a futile effort underway Tuesday at The Way Church in the 700 block of East North Street. It wasn’t the act of casting ballots in the primary election taking place inside the fellowship hall.
It was what was taking place outside.
NorCal Water Insight, 6/8/22 - As we begin a very dry summer in the Sacramento Valley with limited surface supplies available in many parts of the region, a high priority will be to help ensure safe drinking water for communities as described in A Pathway for the Future: Sustainable Groundwater Management in the Sacramento Valley.
CLIMATE & WEATHER
Courthouse News, 6/9/22 - While the current drought afflicting the Colorado River Basin is the worst since federal scientists began keeping records, a new study using paleoclimatic data discovers it is not the worst drought in the region’s recent geological history.
USA Today, 6/8/22 - People of all ages were swimming, socializing and seeking shade Wednesday morning at the Palm Desert Aquatic Center.
Why so early in the day? It was going to be far too hot later.
NBC San Diego, 6/9/22 - Don't let the early marine layer fool you. Temperatures will start to increase Thursday before really ramping up over the weekend as a heat wave overtakes San Diego County.
An excessive heat warning goes into effect for the deserts at 10 a.m. Thursday and expires at 8 p.m. Sunday with temperatures expected to be around 115 degrees.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES
Sierra Sun Times, 6/7/22 - Human-caused wildfires in California are more ferocious than blazes sparked by lightning, a team led by scientists from the University of California, Irvine reported recently in the journal Nature Communications. The research could help scientists better understand fire severity and how likely a blaze is to kill trees and inflict long-term damage on an ecosystem in its path.
CALIFORNIA WATERSHEDS
San Francisco Chronicle, 6/9/22 - On Tuesday I moderated a panel at Napa Thrives, a wine-industry conference focused on climate change. The subject of my panel was one that's been on many Californians' minds lately: water.
Notwithstanding the 2 inches of rain the North Bay got last weekend, we are still in a severe drought.
Los Angeles Times, 6/9/22 - For decades, thousands of acres of undeveloped public forest on the northern side of Big Bear Lake have been regarded as the cherished “wild side” of the mountain resort, just a two-hour drive from Los Angeles.
But worsening drought, the U.S. Forest Service warns, has turned the bucolic landscape into a tinderbox that poses a direct threat to a San Bernardino Mountains community that hosts 5,500 year-round residents, but swells to more than 100,000 between July 4 and Labor Day.
Los Angeles Times, 6/8/22 - Extreme drought conditions prompted the open-ended closure of a popular hiking trail in Joshua Tree National Park to ensure water access for bighorn sheep.
AGENCIES, PROGRAMS, PEOPLE
Department of Water Resources, 6/9/22 - The Department of Water Resources (DWR) has released the Grant Program Guidelines and Proposal Solicitation Package for approximately $193 million in grant funding to help local agencies advance water infrastructure and resilience projects. This critical statewide funding will support projects such as water desalination, wastewater treatment, water conservation, and groundwater recharge as California plans for a fourth year of drought.
San Francisco Chronicle, 6/8/22 - Tourists and residents flocking to some of San Francisco’s most iconic landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge and Lands End soon won’t have access to disposable plastic items, such as water bottles, straws or shopping bags.
The Biden administration announced Wednesday that the federal government will phase out the sale and distribution of single-use plastic items on all public lands controlled by the Department of the Interior, including national parks, recreation areas and monuments.
EVENTS
By the California Extreme Precipitation Symposium - The American River has been a focus of several past Symposiums due to the potential high flood risk to the Sacramento area located at its confluence with the Sacramento River. It has been 36 years since the February 1986 flood which resulted in the creation of the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency. Also it has been 25 years since the January 1997 flood. We are looking back at past historic floods, examining what has been done to manage flood risk, and thinking about future flood risk in a climate change world.
When: June 21 | 8:30 a.m. - 4:25 p.m.
Where: Lake Natoma Inn, 702 Gold Lake Drive, Folsom, CA & Virtual Option
By the California Water Boards - The California Water Boards' Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) and the California Water Quality Monitoring Council are hosting the Seventh Annual Water Data Science Symposium on June 28-30, 2022. This is a free, annual event that aims to enhance how water quality monitoring generates and uses meaningful data to inform equitable water quality management decisions. This year's event is also the kickoff to the 5 CA Water Data Challenge!
June 28-29 | 9 a.m.
By the California Data Collaborative - This August, the CaDC will return in-person host its 7th Annual CA Water Data Summit! Bringing together individuals from water agencies, research teams, and other areas of the water sector, the CA Water Data Summit aims to encourage collaboration and provide opportunities for members of different organizations to interact and engage with new ideas and approaches to water data.
When: August 17-18, 2022
Where: UC Irvine, CA
Join us for our 30 Year Anniversary to celebrate how GRA was built to last, and "Built for Change". This year’s event will include Individual, Panel and Poster Presentations as well as Technical Workshops that cover the following subject areas: Water Resources Exploration and Development; Groundwater Management; Contaminant Assessment and Remediation; Unique Challenges and New Opportunities
When: Sep. 19 - 21, 2022 | 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Where: Sacramento Convention Center & Hyatt Regency & Virtual Option
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