Sacramento River

Municipal Stormwater Management Spending in California: Data Extraction, Compilation, and Analysis

Environmental Management (Springer) | March 23rd, 2022

Communities in the U.S. fund stormwater management programs to reduce flooding and improve and protect water quality. Few studies have attempted to quantify municipal sto

Communities in the U.S. fund stormwater management programs to reduce flooding and improve and protect water quality. Few studies have attempted to quantify municipal storwmater management expenditures. This task is important given efforts to meet increasing water quality standards and develop new revenue sources. The purpose of this study was to evaluate trends in municipal stormwater management expenditures across the state of California. The study identified and compiled publicly-available data on reported stormwater expenditures (spending) and budgets for local governments in California. Data were extracted from annual reports for over 160 public agencies. A standardized rubric of activities was developed and used to create a first-of-its-kind database of municipal stormwater budgets and expenditures. The results indicated that there is over $700 million in annual municipal stormwater spending, but this total does not represent all spending due to gaps in publicly-available data. Counties and flood control districts often have the largest total expenditures in a region, but in aggregate cities reported more spending statewide. Available data are not sufficient to adequately evaluate whether current spending meets regulatory requirements. Additionally, publicly-available data are inconsistent across geographic regions regulated by different agencies. The analysis offers a template for improved cost reporting of stormwater programs in U.S. municipalities, which can help answer key questions such as the sufficiency of current funding. Future research can use the method to evaluate spending in other states and regions, evaluate trends over time to improve outcomes, and refine the spending categories based on examples from other states. Click here for related post at UC Davis site California WaterBlog

National Marine Fisheries Service Biological Opinion for the Long-Term Operations of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) | June 3rd, 2009

The purpose of this document is to present NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) biological and conference opinion (Opinion), about whether the U.S. Burea

The purpose of this document is to present NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) biological and conference opinion (Opinion), about whether the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s (Reclamation) proposed long-term operations of the Central Valley Project (CVP), operated in coordination with the State Water Project (SWP; hereafter referred to as CVP/SWP operations, the proposed action, or the project), is likely to jeopardize the continued existence of the following species: Endangered Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, hereafter referred to as winter-run) Threatened Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha, hereafter referred to as spring-run) Threatened Central Valley (CV) steelhead (O. mykiss) Threatened Central California Coast (CCC) steelhead (O. mykiss) Threatened Southern Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of North American green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris, hereafter referred to as Southern DPS of green sturgeon) Endangered Southern Resident killer whales (Orcinus orca, hereafter referred to as Southern Residents) or destroy or adversely modify the designated critical habitat of the above salmon and steelhead species, or proposed critical habitat for Southern DPS of green sturgeon. This Opinion is based on the best scientific and commercial information available.

Native and alien fishes in a California estuarine marsh: twenty-one years of changing assemblages

American Fisheries Society (AFS) | September 30th, 2002

We used monthly otter trawling and beach seining to sample the fishes of Suisun Marsh in the San Francisco Estuary from 1979 to 1999. We collected nearly 173,000 fish, mo

We used monthly otter trawling and beach seining to sample the fishes of Suisun Marsh in the San Francisco Estuary from 1979 to 1999. We collected nearly 173,000 fish, mostly young of the year, representing 28 native species and 25 alien species. Catch data were related to temperature, salinity, water transparency, and several measures of freshwater inflow into the marsh. Species abundance and distribution within the marsh were the product of several interacting factors: (1) the timing and place of reproduction of the abundant resident species, (2) past reproductive success, (3) habitat differences among sloughs, and (4) physiological tolerance. We did not find consistent groups of potentially interacting species, although some native species showed weak concordance in abundance. The lack of persistent fish assemblages is related to the naturally fluctuating environmental conditions of the estuary, the overall decline in fish abundance through time, and the frequent invasions of alien fishes and invertebrates. Our results suggest that the fish assemblages in Suisun Marsh will continue to be unpredictable until estuarine processes approach their historic range of variability and alien invasions are halted.

Natural Resources Defense Council v. Kempthorne, Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment

United States District Court, Eastern District of California | May 7th, 2007

This case concerns the effect on a threatened species of fish, the Delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) , of the coordinated operation of the federally managed Central

This case concerns the effect on a threatened species of fish, the Delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) , of the coordinated operation of the federally managed Central Valley Project ("CVP") and the State of California's State Water Project *2 ("SWP"), among the world's largest water diversion projects. Both projects divert large volumes of water from the California Bay (Sacramento - San Joaquin) Delta ("Delta") and use the Delta to store water.

Nearly a Million Californians Lack Access to Safe Drinking Water

State of California | July 26th, 2022

Our audit of the State Water Board’s efforts to help provide Californians with safe drinking water highlighted the following: More than 370 of the State’s water

Our audit of the State Water Board’s efforts to help provide Californians with safe drinking water highlighted the following: More than 370 of the State’s water systems, serving nearly a million Californians, exceed the maximum contaminant levels for substances that are harmful to human health. More than 150 of these systems have been failing for at least five years. Hundreds of additional water systems are currently at risk of failing. The State Water Board has not prioritized the processing of water systems’ funding applications so that the systems can improve their water quality. Over the past five years, the average length of time for water systems to complete their applications and receive funding nearly doubled, from 17 months to 33 months. The State Water Board has not established performance goals or metrics related to its cumbersome application process. Although the State Water Board provides water systems with technical assistance to plan their improvements and apply for funds, it has not adequately monitored the performance of the technical assistance providers with which it contracts. The State Water Board needs to better ensure that its staff and its contracted providers do not duplicate each other’s outreach efforts.

Necessity for Comprehensive Adjudication of Water Rights on the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers in Aid of the Central Valley Project

U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) | November 30th, 1942

Nitrate Implementation Measures Study (NIMS) Final Report

Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-Term Sustainability (CV-SALTS) | March 31st, 2016

This report summarizes the Nitrate Implementation Measures Study (NIMS) which addresses nitrate contamination in the groundwater basins underlying the floor of the Centra

This report summarizes the Nitrate Implementation Measures Study (NIMS) which addresses nitrate contamination in the groundwater basins underlying the floor of the Central Valley and appropriate implementation measures to mitigate nitrate contamination for these areas using a phased approach that includes providing safe drinking water, reducing or eliminating impacts to drinking water sources and implementing managed restoration activities where needed to restore beneficial uses in groundwater. These implementation measures will be incorporated into the SNMP. The findings from both the SSALTS and the NIMS will be used to guide discussions regarding the need for changes to the existing Basin Plan to facilitate salt disposal and mitigation measures for nitrate in a manner that is most beneficial to the region covered by the SNMP. 

Nitrogen Fertilizer Loading to Groundwater in the Central Valley

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | October 31st, 2017

Nitrate‐nitrogen is the most common pollutant found in the Central Valley aquifer system of California. This project provides a long‐term assessment of past and curr

Nitrate‐nitrogen is the most common pollutant found in the Central Valley aquifer system of California. This project provides a long‐term assessment of past and current potential nitrogen loading to groundwater on irrigated and natural lands across the entire Central Valley of California using a nitrogen mass balance approach; assesses the long‐term implications for groundwater quality in the Central Valley (Sacramento Valley, San Joaquin Valley, and Tulare Lake Basin); evaluates potential best management practices to reduce groundwater nitrogen loading from irrigated lands; and provides a planning tool to better understand local and regional groundwater quality response to specific best management practices and policy/regulatory actions. The project complements other work to assess the vulnerability of Central Valley groundwater to nitrate contamination, sources of nitrate in groundwater, and how to reduce source loading.

North American diadromous fishes: Drivers of decline and potential for recovery in the Anthropocene

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) | January 28th, 2022

Diadromous fishes migrate between freshwater and marine habitats to complete their life cycle, a complexity that makes them vulnerable to the adverse effects of current

Diadromous fishes migrate between freshwater and marine habitats to complete their life cycle, a complexity that makes them vulnerable to the adverse effects of current and past human activities on land and in the oceans. Many North American species are critically endangered, and entire populations have been lost. Major factors driving declines include overfishing, pollution, water withdrawals, aquaculture, non-native species, habitat degradation, over-zealous application of hatcheries designed to mitigate effects of other factors, and effects of climate change. Perhaps, the most broadly tractable and effective factors affecting diadromous fishes are removals of the dams that prevent or hinder their migrations, alter their environment, and often favor non-native biotic communities. Future survival of many diadromous fish populations may depend on this.

North American Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Sacramento Groundwater Authority | December 15th, 2021

In 2014, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) was signed by the Governor of the state of California, setting the framework for local agencies to sustainably

In 2014, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) was signed by the Governor of the state of California, setting the framework for local agencies to sustainably manage California’s groundwater basins. To avoid potential State intervention, SGMA requires groundwater basins/subbasins designated by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) as medium- or high-priority to follow four basic steps: 1) form a Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA); 2) develop and adopt a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP or Plan); 3) implement the Plan to achieve a sustainability goal and avoid undesirable results within 20 years; and 4) report the implementation activities to the DWR to document whether the sustainability goal and the avoidance of undesirable results is being achieved. Ultimately, five GSAs were formed to manage groundwater in the North American Subbasin (NASb or Subbasin), completing Step 1. This GSP and adoption by each GSA will complete Step 2. This GSP will be assessed every 5 years, with amendments as needed to ensure the Plan is meeting its sustainability goal. This GSP is a framework to provide for the sustainability of the NASb of the Sacramento Valley Groundwater Basin for the next 20 years. The NASb, designated as subbasin No. 5-021.64 by the DWR, is bounded on the north by the Bear River, on the south by the American River, to the west by the Feather and Sacramento rivers, and on the east by the Sierra Nevada foothills. The NASb was designated by DWR as a high priority subbasin and therefore the formation of GSAs and the completion of a GSP is required to avoid potential State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) intervention. Surrounding subbasins were also designated as medium- or high-priority and are required to comply with SGMA. Groundwater is a critical resource to the Subbasin’s community, economy, and environment by providing an average of 280,000 acre-feet per year (AFY) for public and agricultural supply or just under 50 percent of total water supply. Agencies in the NASb have been actively managing groundwater for decades and have achieved positive groundwater management results. Groundwater levels within the Subbasin have been relatively stable for decades and have shown the ability to recover after periods of prolonged pumping and droughts. The passage of SGMA created an opportunity for a cooperative endeavor to develop a single GSP for the entire NASb. Beginning in January 2017, representatives of local agencies began coordination meetings that ultimately led to agreement to form five GSAs to cover the entirety of the Subbasin, while ensuring broad representation of the various stakeholder interests throughout the parts of the three counties comprising the NASb. Due to size, this file has been divided. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9