By DWR, 8/3/22. On a small scale, aquifers — subsurface natural basins — have been recharged with flood waters from extreme storms for decades. Now, a new Department of Water Resources (DWR) assessment shows how Flood Managed Aquifer Recharge, or Flood-MAR, can help reduce flood risk and boost groundwater supplies across large areas of land.
By Maven's Notebook, 8/3/22. The first time a reporter asked public health researcher Gina Solomon if wildfires could contaminate drinking water, she told them it wasn’t a concern. The second time a reporter brought this up, she learned that it was. Tap water collected after the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa, California had just tested positive for toxicants including benzene, a carcinogen, and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The latest evidence links these contaminants with plastic pipes.
By the Pleasanton Weekly, 8/2/22. In order to help residents with household irrigation, the city of Pleasanton, Dublin San Ramon Services District, Zone 7 Water Agency and the city of Livermore proposed to construct a recycled water fill station near the corner of Parkside Drive and Hopyard Road in Pleasanton where the former Zone 7 district headquarters is located. But a growing number of Parkside neighborhood residents said they are not happy with the 5997 Parkside Drive location and that it will congest their streets with unnecessary traffic.
By KQED, 8/4/22. The latest statewide water conservation numbers are improving, having more than doubled from May to June, and the Bay Area is leading the way. In June, statewide water consumption dropped by 7.6% compared to June 2020, whereas in May, Californians reduced water use by just 3.1%, according to a report from the State Water Resources Control Board on Tuesday.
By California Water News Daily, 8/3/22. Thanks in part to a Department of Water Resources (DWR) grant, Rancho California Water District (Rancho Water) and the City of Temecula have converted nearly 330,000 square feet of landscaped area to recycled water, saving the City thousands of gallons of water.
By the New York Times, 7/31/22. The Environmental Protection Agency found that water at a mobile home park that mostly serves agricultural workers contained almost 10 times the allowable limit of arsenic. But housing alternatives are hard to find.
By the Sentinel, 8/4/22. At least four large surf lagoons are proposed for the region around Palm Springs, which is more commonly known for art festivals, mountain hikes and golf, and has no natural waves in sight. But some environmentalists and residents say it isn’t water-wise to build large resorts in one of the driest spots in California during one of its driest periods in recent memory.
By Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 8/3/22. A team led by Kristen Guirguis, a climate researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, found evidence that the risk of hazardous weather is increasing in the Southwest. The researchers investigated the daily relationships among four major modes of weather affecting California. How they interact governs the formation of weather events such as atmospheric rivers capable of bringing torrential rains and Santa Ana winds that can spread devastating wildfires.
By Westside Connect, 8/3/22. The Department of Water Resources is urging the public to avoid contact with water at San Luis Reservoir in Merced County until further notice due to blue-green algae known as cyanobacteria. Boating is allowed, but swimming and other water-contact recreation and sporting activities are not considered safe due to potential adverse health effects. Blue-green algae are a natural part of the ecosystem. Algae can “bloom” or grow rapidly under ideal conditions, which include warm water temperature, calm conditions, and certain nutrients in the water. An algal bloom becomes harmful when it produces toxins.
By the Los Angeles Times, 8/3/22. If you’re heading out to Monterey Bay this summer, you’re going to need a bigger boat. Great white sharks are on the rise in the area, and warming waters caused by climate change are playing a large part, according to a study recently released by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which tracked the migratory patterns of great whites over two decades.
By the Orange County Register, 8/4/22. Despite strong thunderstorms that poured rain over parts of the McKinney Fire Tuesday evening, firefighters in far Northern California are preparing for a renewed, taxing battle against the deadly blaze.
By the Los Angeles Times, 8/3/22. A wildfire south of Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks has burned through 127 acres, but fire officials said they’ve stopped the fire’s movement for now. The Marmot fire was sparked Tuesday afternoon southeast of Three Rivers, a small community in Tulare County that’s near the national parks. The fire threatened homes, but officials have issued only evacuation warnings to residents in the area.
By Associated Press, 8/3/22. A week ago, the scenic Northern California hamlet of Klamath River was home to about 200 people and had a community center, post office and a corner grocery store. Now, after a wildfire raged through the forested region near the Oregon state line, four people are dead and the store is among the few buildings not reduced to ashes.
By the Mercury News, 8/4/22. The Mariposa Grove of giant sequoia trees, one of the most popular and breathtaking landmarks in Yosemite National Park, reopened to the public Wednesday morning, nearly four weeks after a major wildfire broke out nearby.
By the Los Angeles Times, 8/3/22. Outdoor watering will be banned next month in Burbank. The city sent notices to residents Tuesday announcing the upcoming restrictions on sprinklers and automated irrigation because of emergency repairs to the upper feeder pipeline that supplies water to the region from the Colorado River Aqueduct. The ban is expected to be in effect Sept. 6-20.
By SJV Water 8/3/22. Drought cut short a pilot program to bring South Fork Kern River water through Lake Isabella and down 60 miles to farmland northwest of Bakersfield. Now, a raft of lawsuits could upend the environmental impact report in support of the project, which has been a goal of the Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District since it bought the old Onyx Ranch in 2013.
Public Workshop for the 2022 Central Valley Flood Protection Plan Update. This workshop will be held virtually. Topics: Funding and Policy Recommendations, Call to Action
DWR staff will present the JSCS pilot project and take public comments. The project is a 1-2 year pilot study to evaluate the feasibility of collecting juvenile anadromous salmon as they emigrate out of historical habitat upstream of Shasta Dam. No fish will be used in the study, which is integral to efforts to reintroduce salmonids to tributaries of the Upper Sacramento River System.
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.
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
By the Water Education Foundation - This 3-day, 2-night excursion across the Sacramento Valley travels north from Sacramento through Oroville to Redding and Shasta Lake. Experts will talk about the history of the Sacramento River as the tour winds through riparian woodland, rice fields, wildlife refuges and nut orchards across the region.
When: October 12 -14, 2022
DWR is responsible for managing and protecting California’s water resources and works with others to benefit the State’s people and to protect, restore, and enhance the natural and human environments. DWR operates and maintains the State Water Project, oversees dam safety, provides flood protection, helps in emergency response, assists regional and local water agencies, promotes water conservation and safety, and plans integrated watershed management – in all to advance water resource sustainability.
The California Water News is distributed to California Department of Water Resources (DWR) management and staff, for information purposes, by the DWR Public Affairs Office. Inclusion of materials is not to be construed as an endorsement of any program, project, or viewpoint. If a link doesn’t work, entering the headline into Google News should locate the original news story.
