In California water news today, California looks to Australia for ways to manage its groundwater after worst-ever drought; Radio show: Managing Shasta Dam For Cold- and Warm-Water Fish; On California’s Lost Coast: Sea Lions, Surf and Squiggly Roads; Why California is having its mildest fire season in 20 years; Wild Donkey ‘Hilary’ Stranded On Lake McClure Island Rescued; Agreement clears Laguna couple to appeal ruling against seawall, though other efforts are dropped; Cadiz Stock Is Now a Play on Cannabis — Specifically, the U.S. Hemp CBD Market; The Next Urban Water Crisis? Inadequate Data Clouds the Forecast; and more …
On the calendar today …
- Public Meeting for State Water Project Contract Amendment for Delta Conveyance from 10am to 3pm. Agenda and webcast information by clicking here.
- Community Discussion on Groundwater in Dinuba at 5:30pm. Presented by Self Help Enterprises. Click here for more information.
In the news today …
California looks to Australia for ways to manage its groundwater after worst-ever drought: “In the powerhouse food bowl of California, the impact of its most recent drought — which finally ended in 2017 after eight gruelling years — continues to be felt across the sunshine state. Farmers, experts and lawmakers are working to find more sustainable ways to drought-proof farms and address the vexed issue of water allocation. And it turns out many farmers and water experts in California are looking to Australia for answers as they face up to the biggest water reforms in the history of the US. … ” Read more from the Australian Broadcasting Company here: California looks to Australia for ways to manage its groundwater after worst-ever drought
Radio show: Managing Shasta Dam For Cold- and Warm-Water Fish: “Managing a river is no easy feat. Consider the needs for water released at Shasta Dam into the Sacramento River: salmon need cold water, sturgeon need warm water, and irrigators just need water. Recent research shows that all three needs can be met in all but the most drought-stricken years. How? That’s our main question for the researchers, Eric Palkovacs at the University of California-Santa Cruz, and Liam Zari, a doctoral student at Cornell University.” Listen at Jefferson Public Radio here: Radio show: Managing Shasta Dam For Cold- and Warm-Water Fish
On California’s Lost Coast: Sea Lions, Surf and Squiggly Roads: “On a deserted beach in Northern California, I mistook a sea lion for driftwood. The Lost Coast is deceiving that way. Wild things appear tame and tame things, like the paved road my family and I took to get here, wild. In June, seeking immersion in nature, we visited the Lost Coast, the largely roadless shore between the indiscernibly tiny town of Rockport and the Victorian charmer Ferndale, about 100 miles apart by inland roads. Here in Humboldt County, California reaches its westernmost point near a junction of three seismically active tectonic plates. The King Range mountains plunge into the sea, deterring road-builders from continuing State Route 1 along the ocean. … ” Read more from the New York Times here: On California’s Lost Coast: Sea Lions, Surf and Squiggly Roads
Why California is having its mildest fire season in 20 years: “Firefighters and rural residents have been on edge about wildfires all year, after the Camp Fire, the deadliest in the United States in 100 years, obliterated the town of Paradise in Butte County last November, killing 86 people, and the Wine Country fires the year before destroyed more than 6,000 homes in a similar trail of death and destruction across Napa, Sonoma and Lake counties. Yet in a run of much-needed good fortune, California has been spared this year — at least so far. … ” Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel here: Why California is having its mildest fire season in 20 years
Wild Donkey ‘Hilary’ Stranded On Lake McClure Island Rescued: “Hilary the stranded wild donkey has officially been rescued from a small island at Lake McClure. This, after being stuck on the island for more than two years. On Friday, a team from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife successfully tranquilized Hilary after repeated attempts to corral her inside a large pen it set up on the island about a week ago. … ” Read more from CBS 13 here: Wild Donkey ‘Hilary’ Stranded On Lake McClure Island Rescued
Agreement clears Laguna couple to appeal ruling against seawall, though other efforts are dropped: “An agreement reached in court will allow the owners of a Laguna Beach waterfront home to appeal a ruling that upheld the California Coastal Commission’s order that they remove a long-disputed seawall, though the agreement drops the couple’s efforts to make the state pay $25 million for the property and compensate them for lost rental income. “This stipulation allows the case to move to the Court of Appeal without further delay so that we can achieve final resolution of this matter as quickly as possible and hopefully open up the beach once and for all,” Coastal Commission spokeswoman Noaki Schwartz said in a statement. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Agreement clears Laguna couple to appeal ruling against seawall, though other efforts are dropped
Colorado River News is a Mixed Bag: Heavy Snowmelt Can’t Prevent “Tier Zero” Shortage: “Every year, Colorado River water users anxiously wait for the results of the Bureau of Reclamation’s (“BOR”) August 24-Month Study Report. While the report is updated and published monthly, the August report is particularly significant because it sets the operational tier level for coordinated operation of Lakes Mead and Powell for the next calendar year. Snowpack in the Upper Colorado River Basin was 21.273 inches (snow water equivalent) on April 14 of this year, well above the average annual high of 16.073 inches. The high snowpack predictably produced high runoff, reaching a preliminary observed estimate of 145% of normal between April and July at 10.410 Million Acre/Feet (MAF). ... ” Read more from JD Supra here: Colorado River News is a Mixed Bag: Heavy Snowmelt Can’t Prevent “Tier Zero” Shortage
This Water Stock Is Now a Play on Cannabis — Specifically, the U.S. Hemp CBD Market: “Shares of water resource specialist Cadiz (NASDAQ:CDZI) have jumped 19.5% this month through Aug. 23, while the S&P 500, including dividends, is down 4.3%. That brings the stock’s 2019 gain to 25.5%, versus the broader market’s 15.1% return. The catalyst for Cadiz stock’s August pop was the company’s announcement that it has entered the U.S. hemp market. Hemp is a strain of cannabis that contains a negligible concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive substance responsible for giving marijuana users a “high.” … ” Read more from the Motley Fool here: This Water Stock Is Now a Play on Cannabis — Specifically, the U.S. Hemp CBD Market
The Next Urban Water Crisis? Inadequate Data Clouds the Forecast: “In Chennai and Harare today, millions of Indians and Zimbabweans find themselves short of water. History, unfortunately, is repeating. São Paulo, in 2014, nearly drained its main reservoir as officials sluggishly responded to a drought. Cape Town came close to doing the same last year when dry weather exposed the fragility of a water system that relied primarily on rainfall. What is the next center of population and commerce to be roiled by a severely constricted water supply? It’s an urgent question. Climate change is loosening the bounds of the possible, for both flood and drought. Cities are growing at breakneck pace. Dry taps can trigger disease outbreaks and violent confrontations for scarce water. Shortages erode business confidence and economic output, while adding stress to the lives of residents. … ” Read more from the Circle of Blue here: The Next Urban Water Crisis? Inadequate Data Clouds the Forecast
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
https://mavensnotebook.com/2019/08/26/reservoir-and-water-conditions-for-august-26-2/
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About the Daily Digest: The Daily Digest is a collection of selected news articles, commentaries and editorials appearing in the mainstream press. Items are generally selected to follow the focus of the Notebook blog. The Daily Digest is published every weekday with a weekend edition posting on Sundays.
