Thursday’s top of the scroll: California Fish and Game Commission approve tribal gathering exception for MLPA; gathering rights required to be within state law
Posted by: Maven on June 30, 2011 at 8:23 am
From the Eureka Times-Standard:
“The California Department of Fish and Game voted Wednesday to allow traditional tribal gathering to continue in some of the proposed restricted areas recommended by North Coast stakeholders.
The vote, which passed 4 – 1 with Commissioner Daniel Richards dissenting, included provisions that tribal members gathering in restricted areas will need to carry identification from a federally-recognized tribe, a valid fishing license and must be 16 years of age or older. Tribes will need to provide “significant” documentation of current or historical gathering and follow existing state regulations. … “
Continue reading from the Eureka Times-Standard by clicking here.
From the Sacramento Bee:
” … The California Fish and Game Commission, meeting in Stockton on Wednesday, approved the subsistence gathering language as its preferred option for additional environmental study.
Though not yet final, it indicates a major shift in state policy toward coastal protection.
“I hope if one thing comes out of this process, it’s the beginning of long-term trust between sovereign tribal governments and the state of California,” said John Laird, secretary of the state’s Natural Resources Agency. … “
Continue reading from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Photo of California coast just south of Stewarts Point by flickr photographer SP8254.
Press Release: Marine Life Protection Act scores major victory as North Coast tribes gain path to ancient fishing rights
Posted by: Maven on June 30, 2011 at 8:20 amFrom the California Natural Resources Agency, this press release:
“The Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) scored a major victory in the effort to establish Marine Protected Areas on the north coast of California. In a four to one vote, the California Fish and Game Commission today approved an exception for area tribes to continue hundreds of years of subsistence fishing.
“As we promised earlier this year, we have devised a pathway to begin the process to allow tribes on the North Coast to continue ancestral fishing practices in many of the areas most important to them,” said Natural Resources Agency Secretary John Laird. “This is an extremely important decision to move the Marine Life Protection Act forward and to show respect for the sovereign tribal nations.”
The decision will allow tribal gathering to continue in State Marine Conservation Areas (but not State Marine Reserves) by tribal users. The gathering can continue where a factual record can be established that shows ancestral take or tribal gathering practices by a federally-recognized tribe in that specific Marine Protected Area.
“We sincerely appreciate the opportunity to work closely with the sovereign tribes of the North Coast and hope this provides a framework for future efforts on important conservation and environmental issues,” continued Laird.
This option, as approved by the Fish and Game Commission, will be reviewed during an environmental impact study over the next several months. If the commission approves the findings of the study, the newest Marine Protected Areas will be established on the North Coast. “
Letter to Secretary Laird re: Delta Economic Sustainability Plan: “I was greatly disappointed in the Administrative Draft and dismayed to be listed as a key contributor to the study. … the Administrative Draft contains important misstatements about my research on Delta agriculture.”
Posted by: Maven on June 30, 2011 at 8:16 amFrom AgLeader, posted at Scribd, a letter from David Sunding, Principal of The Brattle Group and Professor at UC Berkeley, to Secretary John Laird:
“Dear Secretary Laird:
I am writing in regard to the Administrative Draft of the Delta Protection Council’s Economic Sustainability Plan. I was troubled by the draft report, and would like to clarify my involvement in it. I would also like to correct several of the report’s misstatements about my research findings.
Given the importance of presenting a realistic picture of the Delta economy to the public, I was greatly disappointed in the Administrative Draft and dismayed to be listed as a key contributor to the study. I conducted a discrete piece of research as a subcontractor to UOP on the value of Delta agriculture and the potential impacts of salinity changes on farming in the region. I had no role in the overall design or direction of the study. I was not even provided with a draft of the report prior to its release, as is customary in such circumstances. If I had been I would have insisted that my name be removed from the document. … “
Continue reading this letter at scirbd by clicking here.
Boat inspections help thwart quagga mussels
Posted by: Maven on June 30, 2011 at 8:06 amFrom the Riverside Press-Enterprise:
“Since quagga mussels first appeared in California waters in 2007, the destructive mollusks have left a connect-the-dot trail across the southern part of the state.
They first appeared in Lake Havasu on the Arizona border, then traveled west in the Colorado River Aqueduct. Over the next three years they established indestructible colonies in dams and local drinking water reservoirs, and even appeared in a golf course pond in Orange County that receives Colorado River water. … “
Continue reading from the Riverside Press-Enterprise by clicking here.
Water year long on rain, snow yet flood damage limited
Posted by: Maven on June 30, 2011 at 8:05 amFrom the Modesto Bee:
“Today is new year’s eve if you’re a weather watcher in California — a chance to look back on one very strange 12-month stretch.
Late fall and early winter brought heavy rain and snow, and they kept on coming in the normally warm and dry weeks of late spring.
The weather delighted skiers, who found snow on Thanksgiving and snow on Easter, and filled up water systems that had suffered in the 2007-09 drought.
There were challenges, too — major power disruptions in the Sierra Nevada, slow development of San Joaquin Valley crops and high flows in many rivers as reservoir operators scrambled to maintain flood-control space. … “
Continue reading from the Modesto Bee by clicking here.
Number of beach closures due to pollution rose last year, report says
Posted by: Maven on June 30, 2011 at 8:05 amFrom the Los Angeles Times:
“The number of times the nation’s beaches were closed or posted with warnings because of polluted water jumped last year to its second-highest level in 21 years, in part because of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and heavy rains that swept pollutants into the ocean at an accelerated rate, according to a report released Wednesday.
The Natural Resources Defense Council found that contamination from oil, urban runoff, and human and animal waste continued to take a toll on beaches across the country in 2010, according to the report.
In California, where heavier than normal rainfall greatly increased the amount of water and pollutants being flushed into the ocean, closures and advisories nearly doubled, and the number of beach water tests that exceeded state health standards rose to 11% from 9% the year before. … “
Continue reading from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
Green Blog: Residential runoff still contains banned chemicals
Posted by: Maven on June 30, 2011 at 8:03 amFrom the U.C. Davis Green Blog:
“Pesticides that have not been sold at the retail level for years are still regularly found in residential runoff water, according to research in Sacramento and Orange counties by UC scientists. So called “legacy pesticides” are probably old products that homeowners still have on their garage shelves and are still using to control pests.
An earlier study by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and the UC Integrated Pest Management Program found that 60 percent of pesticides sold to consumers are for ant control. For that reason, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in landscape horticulture Loren Oki of UC Davis and UC Cooperative Extension water resources/water quality advisor Darren Haver focused on ant control pesticides in their residential runoff research project. The scientists collected 830 water samples from the storm drains in four Sacramento County neighborhoods and four Orange County neighborhoods between 2006 and 2010. … “
Continue reading from the U.C. Davis Green Blog by clicking here.
Dr. Peter Gleick: When beliefs conflict with facts: Congressman Jim Costa and the California drought
Posted by: Maven on June 30, 2011 at 8:00 amFrom Dr. Peter Gleick at the City Brights blog:
“Last week, the Pacific Institute released a comprehensive assessment of the actual impacts of the 2007-2009 California drought. There is a lot of myth, misunderstanding, and misrepresentation swirling around about how the drought affected California agriculture, jobs, and the environment. Our report sets the record straight using real data, not political spin.
These data and facts apparently conflict with Representative Jim Costa’s political position or his basic beliefs (needless to say, this isn’t unique to Rep. Costa; many of his colleagues have the same problem with climate change science — a much longer discussion). After our report came out he posted a note to his constituents (the 20th Congressional District) on his House of Representatives webpage, entitled “The Pacific Institute is Wrong.”
As the famous physicist Richard Feynman said “If [your belief] disagrees with experience, it’s wrong. That’s all there is to it.” Congressman Costa’s beliefs about the links between the drought and the economic problems in his district, heartfelt though they may be, simply disagree with experience. Worse, his post makes it clear that he has not read the report or understood the data that it presents. Here are a few examples … “
Continue reading from the City Brights blog by clicking here.
Editorial: Saving the suckers and condors, too
Posted by: Maven on June 30, 2011 at 7:56 amFrom the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, this editorial:
“The Santa Ana sucker, like the Delta smelt, is the kind of fish it’s easy to make fun of when it turns out the endangered critters are also endangering some human endeavor.
In California’s Central Valley, there are those who say that the tiny smelt themselves – or, rather, their protected status under the Endangered Species Act – are the cause of drought whenever California happens to have a drought.
Sure – it’s the fish, not farmers growing crops like rice that require field-flooding in a region with a Mediterranean climate. Not the fact that urban California has to import its water from the Colorado River, or the once-fertile Owens Valley, or fill up a valley that rivaled Yosemite to create the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir hundreds of miles from its benefactors, the people of San Francisco. Not lack of rainfall – it’s the fish that cause drought, so the story goes. … “
Continue reading this editorial from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune by clicking here.
YouTube: Tear down that dam?
Posted by: Maven on June 30, 2011 at 7:54 amFrom Climate One, posted on YouTube:
“Climate One host Greg Dalton discusses whether California should tear down dams to salvage the dwindling salmon population with Salmon Odyssey panelists Phil Isenberg, James Norton, and Jonathan Rosenfield, Conservation Biologist, The Bay Institute. Of the estimated 1,200 dams in the state, Phil Isenberg states that only 200 are of significant size and California has made efforts to scale back its dams to become more local and regional projects. Jonathan Rosenfield of the Bay Institute argues that compared to tearing down dams, the things humans have done to harm the environment and rivers are “draconian” and that the Bay Institute has been engaged in a 20-year battle to protect the San Joaquin River.”
Reading L.A.: Marc Reisner’s ‘Cadillac Desert’
Posted by: Maven on June 30, 2011 at 7:42 amFrom the Los Angeles Times:
“Marc Reisner’s “Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water,” the 11th title in our Reading L.A. series, is not, strictly speaking, a book about Los Angeles or its urban form. It is a book — a monumental, sharply opinionated and terrifically entertaining book — about the role that struggles over water have played in shaping the modern American West.
And yet it is fair to say that Los Angeles — as a city, as a region and as an idea — haunts “Cadillac Desert” from start to finish. For Reisner, L.A. represents everything that has gone wrong in the relationship between man and nature; L.A is what happens when politicians, engineers, hydrologists, architects and urban planners operate, as he puts it, “on the pretension that natural obstacles do not exist.” … “
Continue reading from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
Column: Threats on water rights for Scott Valley
Posted by: Maven on June 30, 2011 at 7:40 amFrom the Siskiyou Daily News, this column by Liz Bowen:
“It is never a dull moment for those of us trying to protect our rights under the U.S. and California constitutions. Budget deficits are turning bureaucrats and government agencies into tyrants. So we will stand our ground and hold another Scott Valley Protect Our Water meeting, because several new threats loom.
On Wednesday night, June 29, at 7 p.m. POW will meet at the Fort Jones Community Center. As president, I will try to keep the meeting as short as possible, but there is important information to share.
First: Threatening letters were sent out by the California Department of Fish & Game last week telling irrigation diverters they must obtain two permits in order to use their legal adjudication of their water right. One is called an Incidental Take Permit or ITP, which protects the irrigator from accidentally harming juvenile coho salmon. … “
Continue reading this column from the Siskiyou Daily News by clicking here.
Calistoga must face reality on Kimball water, says editorial
Posted by: Maven on June 30, 2011 at 7:37 amFrom the Weekly Calistogan, this editorial:
“For those watching City Hall attempt to head off the worst of a public trust lawsuit focused on the use — or misuse, depending on the point of view — of water at the Kimball Reservoir, the recent move to create a Kimball Reservoir Bypass seemed like pending relief for a concern that was long overdue.
In recent years the city and the community of Calistoga have hawked Calistoga as a green city, putting a collective shoulder to the task of improving the environment, becoming green in every way both to preserve and restore a more natural habitat for all.
Then on June 24, two agencies released scathing reports on the city’s draft Kimball Reservoir plan. To summarize both reports into some brief conclusion: City Hall just doesn’t get it. … “
Continue reading this editorial from the Weekly Calistogan by clicking here.
Malakoff Diggins a site of global importance
Posted by: Maven on June 30, 2011 at 7:30 amFrom The Union:
“An enormous monitor — an outsized water cannon — is a menacing artifact that greets visitors at Malakoff Diggins State Park.
It’s a relic of the hydraulic mining era, which saw tons upon tons of earth blown away from Sierra Nevada mountainsides with highly pressurized water pumped through the monitors and flushed down the Yuba River, causing environmental havoc downstream and spurring some of the earliest environmental laws recorded in the United States. Malakoff Diggins State Park was established in 1965. … “
Continue reading from The Union by clicking here.
Mokelumne River may be closed as precaution
Posted by: Maven on June 30, 2011 at 7:28 amFrom the Stockton Record:
“The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office announced late Wednesday the likely closure of the Mokelumne River below Camanche Reservoir for safety reasons.
Heavy, unseasonal rains have led to dangerous conditions in the river, said Deputy Les Garcia, a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office. … “
More from the Stockton Record by clicking here.
NRDC report confirms water quality near Santa Monica Pier improving
Posted by: Maven on June 30, 2011 at 7:17 am
From the Santa Monica Daily Press:
“Water quality around the Santa Monica Pier continues to improve as the beach surrounding the historic landmark was taken off the Natural Resources Defense Council’s “10 Repeat Offenders” list, attorneys in the environmental advocacy group’s Santa Monica office said Wednesday.
This comes on the heels of Heal the Bay’s decision in May to award the pier an A grade on its most recent beach cleanliness report card.
In a report the NRDC publishes each year that ranks beaches nationwide on a scale of zero to five stars, the pier was awarded a three-star rating. These ratings are based not only off of beach water quality, but the frequency with which the water is tested and the availability of water quality reports to the masses, said Noah Garrison, a project attorney for the NRDC’s Water Program. … “
Continue reading from the Santa Monica Daily Press by clicking here.
Photo of the Santa Monica Pier by flickr photographer Derek Lawrence.
Southern California marine protected areas start Oct. 1
Posted by: Maven on June 30, 2011 at 7:12 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“The state’s much-debated map of marine protected areas for Southern California will take effect Oct. 1, the Fish and Game Commission determined Wednesday in a 4-1 vote during a meeting in Stockton.
The size and shape of the marine parks had been approved by the commission in December without a definite start date for implementation. The expanded reserves include sites offshore of La Jolla, Imperial Beach, Point Loma and many other spots where fishing is essentially off-limits. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
Navajo Generating Station key to Arizona’s water supply
Posted by: Maven on June 30, 2011 at 7:05 am
From the Arizona Republic:
“One power plant, the Navajo Generating Station, provides nearly 95 percent of the electricity needed to deliver water from the Colorado River to Arizonans. It keeps the pumps running on the Central Arizona Project Canal from near Lake Havasu to the CAP terminus south of Tucson.
Now, the future of that power plant is uncertain.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is set to release new emission regulations for nitrogen oxides, a haze-forming pollutant, at the Navajo Generating Station this year. … “
Continue reading from the Arizona Republic by clicking here.
Photo of Navajo Generating Station from WikiMedia.
Wednesday’s top of the scroll: U.S. judge acts to help endangered species in California
Posted by: Maven on June 29, 2011 at 8:06 amFrom the Los Angeles Times:
“A U.S. District Court judge Tuesday ordered three federal agencies to “take all necessary measures” to better protect 40 endangered species in four national forests in Southern California. …
… The forest managers will have to develop a comprehensive program to reduce activities threatening the survival of the few steelhead trout left in the Los Padres and Cleveland national forests.
They were also ordered to report on the impacts that suction dredge mining in the San Gabriel River has had on the Santa Ana sucker, and “explain why such mining should not be immediately halted.” … “
Continue reading from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
Feds say coastal fireworks can proceed
Posted by: Maven on June 29, 2011 at 7:56 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“Watch out, marine mammals. Here come the California coastal fireworks.
It might be time to split.
Pitting patriotic displays against species protection, federal regulators on Tuesday gave the green light to July Fourth fireworks shows along the San Luis Obispo, Monterey and Santa Cruz county coasts.
The pyrotechnics are popular among audiences, bothersome for harbor seals and California sea lions and proof of how National Marine Fisheries Service officials can hold the key to coastal use. … “
Continue reading from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Congressman Napolitano: GOP water bill would fail to help economy
Posted by: Maven on June 29, 2011 at 7:50 am
From Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, received via email:
“Today, Rep. Grace F. Napolitano called on House Republicans to abandon H.R. 1837, the San Joaquin Water Reliability Act. H.R. 1837 has sustained a barrage of criticism in recent weeks from editorial boards and concerned citizens across California as a “big gulp” effort to usurp state water laws, roll back environmental protections, and alter water delivery to favor certain agricultural users.
While H.R. 1837 was originally created to boost employment in the San Joaquin Valley, Napolitano cited a recent study from the Pacific Institute verifying that it was not environmental pumping restrictions but the national housing bust and recession which were the cause of the Central Valley’s economic downturn in recent years.
“We no longer have any reason to continue consideration of this misguided and destructive piece of legislation,” Napolitano said. “It overrides our water rights, disrupts our negotiations to improve water supply, damages our environment, and kills our fishing industry. Now we learn again that the economic reasoning behind this bill has been completely false from the beginning. We must abandon this dangerous overreach and help the people of California work out their own water solutions. The next round of water wars triggered by this bill will mean a lot of work for lawyers, but not much for anybody else.”
Continue reading “Congressman Napolitano: GOP water bill would fail to help economy” »
Beach pollution still a problem, NRDC says
Posted by: Maven on June 29, 2011 at 7:47 amFrom Southern California Public Radio:
“With a holiday weekend around the corner, the Natural Resources Defense Council is releasing a report placing California’s beaches 22nd among 30 U.S. coastal states in their ability to meet national health standards.
It’s the 21st time the Natural Resources Defense Council has issued a national report like this. Last year, the group said California’s violations for beach pollution were down – but that wasn’t good news.
“It became a case of we weren’t finding what we weren’t looking for,” NRDC lawyer Noah Garrison says. According to the NRDC, California beaches exceeded pollution standards 11 percent of the time this past beach season. … “
Continue reading from Southern California Public Radio by clicking here.
Dan Bacher: California Fish and Wildlife Strategic Vision holds first public meeting
Posted by: Maven on June 29, 2011 at 7:39 amFrom Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org:
“The California Fish and Wildlife Strategic Vision Executive Committee met today in Sacramento for the first time to begin the implementation of AB 2376 (Huffman).
“The bill requires the California Natural Resources Agency to convene a cabinet-level committee to develop a strategic vision for the Department of Fish and Game and the Fish and Game Commission, and submit it to the governor and Legislature,” according to a news release from the Natural Resources Agency.
The meeting took place as California’s fish populations are in crisis, due to decades of poor management. Central Valley chinook salmon, Delta smelt, longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other fish populations have collapsed to record low populations in recent years, due to massive water exports out of the California Delta, declining water quality and invasive species. The state and federal governments are considering plans to build a peripheral canal/tunnel that is likely to drive imperiled fish species over the edge of extinction. … “
Continue reading from Dan Bacher by clicking here.
On the Public Record blogs on the Scott & Shasta Valleys dispute: That’s some nerve.
Posted by: Maven on June 29, 2011 at 7:37 amFrom the On the Public Record blog:
“This case by, brought by the Siskiyou County Farm Bureau against the Dept. of Fish and Game, is the most outrageous thing I’ve read in quite a while.
If you remember, farmers in the Scott and Shasta Valleys are a bunch of old school growers who all but dewater the rivers in the summer as they send water to their pastures (sometimes they do dewater whole stretches, below their “push-up dams”). Sadly for them, the Scott and Shasta Rivers have one of the best remaining salmon runs in the state, so the Dept of Fish and Game has jurisdiction over them under the Endangered Species Act.
Fish and Game tried to implement a valleywide Take Permit (in which some individual Take was permitted, so long as the whole river was managed to a standard), which I always thought was too permissive anyway, but the growers refused it. Now the Dept of Fish and Game doesn’t know what to. Enforcing against every single diverter is a nightmare, but growers up there keep sucking the river dry, stranding and killing salmon.
The Siskiyou Farm Bureau is now suing DFG, under an astonishing new interpretation … “
Continue reading this post from the On the Public Record blog by clicking here.
Red Bluff’s party show communities’ true values, says editorial
Posted by: Maven on June 29, 2011 at 7:32 amFrom the Record Searchlight:
“As federal court rulings forced the replacement of the Red Bluff Diversion Dam with a screened pump that will be friendlier to the Sacramento River’s salmon, steelhead and sturgeon, the loss of Lake Red Bluff was a bitter blow to the Tehama County city.
The seasonal lake offered both serene relief from the valley’s scorching summers and, during events like the Nitro Nationals Drag Boat Festival, ear-splitting extravaganzas of horsepower that drew thousands of visitors to Red Bluff.
With the new pumps under construction, this is the lake’s last summer — and Red Bluff does know how to throw a good-bye party. … “
Continue reading from the Record Searchlight by clicking here.
Reclamation increases releases to the Lower American River to manage increased runoff into Folsom Reservoir
Posted by: Maven on June 29, 2011 at 7:26 amFrom the Bureau of Reclamation, this press release:
“The Bureau of Reclamation announced today that it will increase releases from Folsom Dam into the lower American River from 8,000 to 11,000 cubic feet per second beginning at 1 p.m. to help manage increasing runoff due to the pending storm. Updates will be announced as conditions warrant.
Flows at 10,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) or higher may result in some low-lying areas of Discovery Park, Campus Commons and segments of the American River Parkway bike trail becoming inundated. People participating in recreation in or along the lower American River, downstream of Nimbus Dam to the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers, should take appropriate safety precautions during periods of high river flows. … “
For more information from the Bureau of Reclamation, click here.
Skaggs Island transferred to U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Posted by: Maven on June 29, 2011 at 7:21 am
From the Vallejo Times-Herald:
“A blue and white flag raised Tuesday atop a tall pole in the midst of endless marshes makes it official: Skaggs Island belongs to the hawks and herons as part of a large wildlife preserve of rare Bay Area wetlands.
Nearly 100 dignitaries braved rainy weather Tuesday morning to mark Skaggs Island’s transfer from naval hands into the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“We honor the men and women who stood watch over our country at Skaggs Island in years past,” said Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma. “At the same time, we return these lands to the shorebirds, waterfowl and other wild creatures with whom we share our future.” … “
Continue reading from the Vallejo Times-Herald by clicking here.
Photo of sunset on Skaggs Island by flickr photographer 707d3k.
Lake Merritt transformation on the horizon
Posted by: Maven on June 29, 2011 at 7:14 amFrom the Contra Costa Times:
“On a sunny June morning, excavation crews dressed in billowy white jumpsuits and masks began breaking open a subterranean warren of chambers under 12th Street, invisible to the joggers and dog walkers passing overhead.
When the sound of backhoes striking cement quieted, light pierced the craggy openings in the viaduct, revealing a series of low-slung dens about as large as a walk-in closet and illuminated only by what electricity the homeless inhabitants could tap from the streetlights above. Most of the squatters had deserted the dens in 2004 when their electrical hot-wiring started a fire, revealing their secret city at the south bend of Lake Merritt. … “
Continue reading from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
Commentary: A pressing need for Monterey to solve water issues
Posted by: Maven on June 29, 2011 at 7:11 amFrom the Monterey County Herald, this commentary by Bob Brower, board chairman for the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District:
“Much has been written about water and water issues in the past number of years. The coverage has become so extensive that the average citizen doesn’t know all the players in the game and what anyone is doing to solve the Peninsula’s water problems.
First, the major players and their roles:
The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (MPWMD) is responsible to manage, augment and protect the Peninsula water resources for the benefit of the community and the environment. This includes new water supply and regulation of the water utility on the Peninsula, namely California American Water. … “
Continue reading this commentary at the Monterey County Herald by clicking here.
Stanislaus County to sue Modesto on dump
Posted by: Maven on June 29, 2011 at 7:05 amFrom the Modesto Bee:
“Stanislaus County will sue Modesto to force the city’s help in cleaning up toxic groundwater under the defunct Geer Road landfill.
The two agencies jointly own the former dump east of town, but the county has a lead role in addressing increasingly costly clean-up efforts. State water officials issued a cease-and-desist order in April, with compliance estimates running to $4.5 million.
County supervisors voted behind closed doors Tuesday to initiate a lawsuit against Modesto and “possibly other potentially responsible parties” that went unnamed, according to a notice to The Bee. The others could include anyone connected with the landfill, including those who generated, brought or arranged refuse, County Counsel John Doering said in an e-mail. … “
Continue reading from the Modesto Bee by clicking here.
Lois Henry: Bakersfield attempts to block water banking project
Posted by: Maven on June 29, 2011 at 6:59 amFrom columnist Lois Henry at the Bakersfield Californian:
“Things are getting heated between the city of Bakersfield and two agricultural water districts over their planned use of the failed McAllister Ranch housing development for groundwater banking.
So heated, in fact, that Bakersfield has already thrown up the first roadblock, opposing a “notice of exemption” filed by the districts for a one-year pilot project. A notice of exemption means they believe the project is exempt from regular environmental reviews.
The notice was filed last week. Almost immediately the city fired back saying groundwater banking was not compatible with planned land uses in the area and wasn’t permitted by zoning.
It doesn’t look like the city is in the mood to work things out, either. … “
Continue reading from the Bakersfield Californian by clicking here.
Ventura County: Comment period extended for proposal to clean up former Texaco site near Fillmore
Posted by: Maven on June 29, 2011 at 6:42 amFrom the Ventura County Star:
“Those who want to comment on the cleanup of benzene, lead and other contaminants from groundwater and soil at the site of a long-gone Texaco Inc. refinery north of Highway 126 on the east side of Fillmore will have more time to make their thoughts known.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has extended the comment period on the cleanup proposal to July 15.
Texaco, since 2002 a subsidiary of Chevron Corp., operated a refinery at the 56-acre site near Pole Creek from 1915 to 1950, producing gasoline, diesel fuel and fuel oil. … “
Continue reading from the Ventura County Star by clicking here.
Tuesday’s top of the scroll: First public meeting set for panel charged with fish and wildlife resource oversight
Posted by: Maven on June 28, 2011 at 8:16 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“A new state committee tasked with improving management of the state’s fish and wildlife resources holds its first public meeting in Sacramento Tuesday morning.
The Fish and Wildlife Strategic Vision Committee was established by a new state law, AB 2376, sponsored last year by Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael. It requires the committee of cabinet-level officials to prepare a plan to help the Fish and Game Commission and the Department of Fish and Game better manage wildlife resources. … “
Continue reading from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Southland storage plan embroiled in legal battle
Posted by: Maven on June 28, 2011 at 8:13 amFrom the Contra Costa Times:
“As local water agencies struggle to ensure that they have enough water not just for now, but for years to come, storage has become key. One initiative, led by the Water Replenishment District, or WRD, would allow local agencies to store extra water underground in wet years and pump it out later.
It seems a simple enough solution, but like anything involving government or a limited supply of an essential resource, things are never that easy. … “
Continue reading from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
Weather update: Unusual late-season rain then summer in high gear
Posted by: Maven on June 28, 2011 at 8:06 amAnd the weather wackiness continues … from the Accu-Weather Western Weather Blog:
“Some wild weather changes over the next week in portions of the West so hang on its going to be a wild roller coaster ride.
First, an unseasonably strong, late-season storm is out west of Oregon around 44 north and 134 west.
This cold storm in the upper atmosphere will be dropping southeast tonight and tomorrow then through northern California late tomorrow night and Wednesday. This is likely to bring rain to areas that rarely ever see rain in late June. Rain is likely to spread into all of western Oregon Monday night and northern California and then spread slowly south during the day tomorrow reaching by late-day to south of the Bay Area to near a Stockton-Yosemite line. … “
And then what? The Western Weather Blog fill us in with the rest of this post.
The real drought has just begun, says commentary
Posted by: Maven on June 28, 2011 at 8:03 amFrom the Environmental Leader, this commentary by Howard Ellman, Attorney, Buchalter Nemer:
“We all know that development, industry and even life itself depends upon a reliable water supply. Most Californians also know that distribution issues constrain the water supplies available to the southern half of the state. Indeed, we have heard so much about the problem that most folks have tuned the issue out. It is a point of no small irony that the threat of supply constraint has become far more acute in a year of bountiful precipitation.
While nature has provided us with water, the California Legislature created new state bureaucracies and directed existing ones to take the water away, applying it to preservation and resurrection of the Sacramento?San Joaquin Delta Ecosystem, at the expense of other stakeholders. Although the legislation pays lip service to the “co?equal” goal of preserving supplies for consumptive use, water dedicated to Delta restoration flows down to the San Francisco Bay and thence to the ocean. That water is not available for “consumptive use” by farmers, homeowners or industry. As much of it has been committed to such uses in the past, there’s no way to sugarcoat the pill—we now must get by with less. … “
Continue reading this commentary at the Environmental Leader by clicking here.
Delta National Park blog: Is this observation wrong or smart?
Posted by: Maven on June 28, 2011 at 8:02 amFrom the Delta National Park blog:
“During the recent panel discussion on the Delta hosted by KVIE, we noted the following comment (at 16:50 in) by Dante Nomellini regarding a peripheral conveyance system:
What is being proposed in contrast to what was proposed in the 1980s is a facility with no outlets to the Delta, which would indicate to us that there is no intention whatsoever of maintaining water quality in the Delta. Whenever there is a crisis, emergency powers are enacted to circumvent environmental protection or other protection for the Delta.
Is this an accurate description of what is being proposed, or is Mr. Nomellini hinting at a future point of negotiation? … “
Continue reading from the Delta National Park blog by clicking here.
Commentary: Why desalination is dead in California
Posted by: Maven on June 28, 2011 at 7:59 amFrom the Surf City Voice, this commentary by Connor Everts of the Desal Response Group:
“Drinking water from the Sea?
Sounds like a great idea. JFK once said that it would be a greater achievement than putting a man on the moon, and most polls have shown a 70 percent acceptance rate of the idea.
So what is the problem?
The corollary to JFK’s statement would be “when economically and environmentally feasible” and therein is the challenge. However, the first question that should be asked is do we need ocean water desalination (often called desal) in California and would it hurt or harm the environment compared to its alternatives? … “
Continue reading this commentary at the Surf City Voice by clicking here.
Zeke Grader: Congress moves to weaken pesticide laws, Senate needs to hold the line
Posted by: Maven on June 28, 2011 at 7:56 amFrom Zeke Grader at the City Brights blog:
“What is it with the current Congress that so endears, or enslaves, them to the wishes of big industries and corporations while turning their backs on the environment we all share and some of us rely on to make a living? One of the starkest reminders of this blind loyalty is in a bill originating with House Republicans that aims to greatly weaken pesticide regulations so agricultural growers can spray pesticides at will near the creeks, rivers and streams that are so vital to our wildlife.
The U.S. Geological Survey has documented the presence of many harmful pesticides in salmon-bearing streams throughout the western states. Armed with this info, fishing and conservation groups won court orders requiring the government to consider the effects on federally-protected fish species when authorizing use of these deadly poisons near rivers, creeks and streams. This upset the pesticide industry and sent them running seeking redress to their wholly-owned subsidiaries that happen to hold Congressional seats.
They’ve had some success judging by legislation recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. … “
Continue reading at the City Brights blog by clicking here.
CalRice blog: Conservation is in the eye of the beholder
Posted by: Maven on June 28, 2011 at 7:42 amFrom the CalRice blog:
“Farmers get painted sometimes as “wasting too much water.” While some entities would have you believe that if agriculture in California would just practice conservation when it comes to water use, we wouldn’t have water shortages. Well, as a third generation California rice farmer, let me tell you that we not only conserve water wherever possible, we also put it to multiple uses as we water our crops with it!
You won’t see giant egrets feeding themselves on the local Walmart parking lot, black tipped pelicans dipping their beaks into the waters being used on the courthouse lawn, or giant garter snakes making their summer home in suburban neighborhoods. But guess what, you will see them feeding and breeding in the rice fields of Northern California’s Sacramento Valley.
So if you think rice wastes water, maybe you need to take a look at who else is benefitting from that water use. … “
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