TOP STORIES
ABC 10, 8/25/22 - Nearly 17% of the state remains in exceptional drought conditions with the majority being in the San Joaquin Valley. The weekly drought monitor showed no changes to conditions in California. The past month's monsoonal moisture improved conditions in portions of the Sierra Nevada and desert regions, but the majority of the state slipped further into drought.
WATER SUPPLY & QUALITY
Fortune, 8/25/22 - California lawmakers are ratcheting up calls for “urgent action” by the U.S. Justice Department to investigate potential water crimes as the state battles “dire” supply shortages and drought.
The bipartisan group told U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland that, along with ongoing concern about possible “drought profiteering” and water theft, worry is building that “fraud and market manipulation” is constraining already severely limited water availability.
Voice of San Diego, 8/26/22 - Tijuana is paying California for more water than it has in recent years as the city faces a growing population coupled with blistering drought that’s gripping the entire West. Northern Baja is entitled by treaty to 1.5-million-acre feet of Colorado River water per year, which is Tijuana’s primary water source. But for years the amount that goes to Tijuana hasn’t been enough to quench demand.
CNN, 8/25/22 -With the lack of water entering California, residents are restricted on the amount of water they can consume. The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District is on the lookout for anyone breaking those rules. CNN's Stephanie Elam rides along with the "water police" as they crack down on residents exceeding their water restrictions.
WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
Associated Press, 8/25/22 - The Klamath Irrigation District in southern Oregon has reversed course and now says it has complied with a U.S. government order to stop delivering water to farmers in the drought-stricken area. The district's directors initially defied the federal government’s order to shut off water to the Klamath Project, but the Klamath Irrigation District has since closed a canal after federal officials threatened to withhold millions in drought assistance, the Capital Press reported Wednesday.
CLIMATE & WEATHER
Mother Jones, 8/25/22 - California, the nation’s largest auto market, plans to require that all new cars sold in the state be emissions-free by 2035. Currently, about 16 percent of new cars sold in the state are electric. California’s announcement, in concert with the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act, signals a major milestone in the goal of slashing emissions by 2030 to stave off uncontrollable global heating.
CALIFORNIA WATERSHEDS
Argus-Courier, 8/25/22 - A long-sought permit recently obtained by United Anglers of Casa Grande will allow the organization to rescue fish directly from Petaluma’s watershed, which will help save the dwindling local steelhead trout population and allow its student-run hatchery to operate year-round. The organization, which this year celebrates 40 years of local environmental conservation and fish population restoration, was granted the federal permit this summer following a yearlong review process.
Morning Brew, 10/5/21 - Two of the largest carrot growers in the US, Grimmway Farms and Bolthouse Farms, filed last month for adjudication, or a sort of final legal ruling, on who has what groundwater rights in the Cuyama Valley Basin, where both carrot producers—and many other farmers—are growing crops.
Five other basins have entered an adjudication of this sort in California since the state legislature passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in 2014.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES
Los Angeles Times, 8/26/22 - Nearly a month after the McKinney fire ignited in Siskiyou County and grew to be the state’s largest wildfire of the year, experts say the deaths in this small unincorporated community highlight the growing vulnerability of rural seniors in an age of extreme blazes.
Wildfire Today, 8/25/22 -The spread of the East Fire northeast of Glendora, California has slowed and is mostly holding at the ridges, thanks to the efforts of the firefighters on the ground and in the air. At about 5 p.m. Air Attack estimated the size at approximately 135 acres with about two-thirds of the fire above Shoemaker Canyon Road and one-third below the road. However that size estimate could change.
AGENCIES, PROGRAMS, PEOPLE
The Guardian, 8/26/22 - In the Bay-Delta, the watershed formed by the two mighty rivers at the heart of California’s water system – the Sacramento and the San Joaquin – signs of worsening climate conditions intensify year after year. Now, a coalition of Indigenous nations, frontline communities and environmentalists has come together, hoping to spur state water officials to secure not just their water rights but their civil rights. The two, they say, are inextricably tied.
Siskiyou Daily News, 8/26/22 - The Shasta River Water Association appears to have resumed compliance with water curtailment regulations set by the California State Water Resources Control Board. Flow measurements taken by the U.S. Geological Survey in Yreka on Wednesday, Aug. 24 show a return to normal flow of about 50 cubic-feet-per-second.
EVENTS
This is the second of four webinars to inform and solicit input from stakeholders on the development of a guidebook to support the preparation of County Drought Plans, which focus on state small water systems and domestic wells as required under SB 552. When: August 31, 2022 | 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
By California Natural Resources Agency- Community members and all interested parties to participate in a virtual Community Workshop on September 1. The team will provide updates on the Salton Sea Management Program Long-Range Plan and seeks comments to help develop the Long-Range Plan.
When: September 1, 2022 | 5:30 p.m.
The Salton Sea Management Program will meet to discuss updates and receive feedback on the development of the Long-Range Plan.
When: September 7, 2022 | 9:30 a.m.
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
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
ACWA conferences are the premier destination for water industry professionals to learn and connect. Program offerings include statewide issue forums, roundtable talks, and region discussions along with sessions covering a wide range of topics including water management, innovation, public communication, affordable drinking water, energy, finance, federal forum, and more.
When: Nov. 29 – Dec. 1, 2022
Where: Renaissance Esmeralda and Hyatt Regency in Indian Wells, CA
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