Delta-Estuary California's Inland Coast A Public Trust Report

California State Lands Commission (SLC) | May 1st, 1991

Effectiveness and Impacts of Dust Control Measures for Owens Lake

National Academy of Sciences (NAS) | March 3rd, 2020

During the 20th century, the city of Los Angeles diverted surface water flowing into Owens Lake for water supply, transforming the large, closed-basin, saline lake into

During the 20th century, the city of Los Angeles diverted surface water flowing into Owens Lake for water supply, transforming the large, closed-basin, saline lake into a small brine pool surrounded by dry playa. Under high winds, the exposed lakebed produced large amounts of airborne dust, resulting in the highest concentrations of airborne particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 micrometers or less (PM10) in the United States. Since 2000, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), at the direction of the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District (District), has been constructing and implementing dust control measures (DCMs) on the dry lakebed, with the objective of meeting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM10 and the PM10 standards set by the state of California. LADWP reported that it has spent $2.1 billion on dust control efforts as of May 2019 and that many of the DCMs require large amounts of water, energy, and maintenance to sustain their performance.1 Shallow flooding is, by far, the most widespread DCM, by surface area, that is applied at Owens Lake. Other DCMs, such as managed vegetation and gravel, are also applied over several areas on the lakebed, and a few small areas ordered for PM10 management are currently uncontrolled. On average since 2007, water use for dust control required 31 percent of LADWP’s fresh water supplies available at Owens Lake, 2 with a range of 17 to 51 percent. In 2014, a Stipulated Judgment agreed to by LADWP and the District3 ended litigation concerning dust control requirements and acknowledged the need “for additional effective DCMs that do not rely on water that can be substituted in areas currently under control or applied in areas ordered to be controlled.” The Judgment also acknowledged “the need to balance the requirements to control dust emissions and conserve water with the requirements to minimize impacts to cultural and biological resources.” As part of the Judgment, LADWP and the District agreed to contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to establish the Owens Lake Scientific Advisory Panel (OLSAP, or the panel) to provide ongoing advice on the reduction of PM10 in the Owens Valley. In addition, the Judgment intends the panel to foster communication and collaboration between the LADWP and the District within this context. The panel’s first task is to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative DCMs for their dust control and water use. The task includes consideration of the associated energy, environmental, and economic impacts and assessing the durability and reliability of such DCMs. In interpreting its task, the panel was informed by the definition of environment provided in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which encompasses impacts on land, air, water, minerals, flora, fauna, ambient noise, and objects of historical or aesthetic significance. The panel discussed key factors within the broad context of that definition with implications for dust management. The panel assessed 15 DCMs (see Box S-2) that represent a range of mitigation approaches that are either being applied at Owens Lake or at various stages of development. The panel’s evaluation criteria included reported PM10 control efficiency, water use, capital and operating costs, habitat value, protection of cultural resources, durability, reliability, and other factors. OVERALL CONCLUSIONS DCMs applied at Owens Lake during the past 20 years have significantly reduced PM10 concentrations in the Owens Valley, although further progress in controlling dust is needed to meet air quality standards. The panel evaluated 15 DCMs based on their potential effectiveness in reducing PM10 emissions, water use, and environmental impacts. Based on available data, none of the control measures has been documented to achieve mandated levels of dust control while substantially reducing water use (compared to shallow flooding) and consistently providing quality habitat, although some measures show promise with the need for additional research and testing. Progress toward these multiple goals, including protection of environmentally sensitive areas by reducing land disturbance from DCMs, can be more effectively achieved through a systems approach that considers outcomes over a large spatial scale and interactions among control measures. To inform these decisions, additional research is needed on individual and hybrid DCMs and on the landscape-scale effects of dust control configurations. Evaluation of operational performance of DCMs should be based on airborne PM10 measurements rather than surrogate measures, such as the percentage of a control area that must be covered by vegetation or surface water. Using a systems approach and evaluating DCM performance with PM10 measurements would promote innovative and hybrid strategies for dust control.

Facing the Climate Gap: How Environmental Justice Communities are Leading the Way to a More Sustainable and Equitable California

University of Southern California (USC) | October 31st, 2012

California has traditionally led the nation in protecting and preserving the environment – and we have proudly continued the trend with the 2006 passage and ong

California has traditionally led the nation in protecting and preserving the environment – and we have proudly continued the trend with the 2006 passage and ongoing implementation of the California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32). Aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and slowing climate change, AB 32 came under political attack in 2010 when an initiative, funded largely by oil refiners, sought to delay application of the legislation’s rules. Fortunately, voters soundly rejected that effort, but many observers have worried that California’s concerns about climate could wane, particularly since the actual impacts of climate change can seem abstract and far-off. Against this backdrop, a wide range of community-based organizations have been working to “make it real” by connecting the dots between global warming and human impacts, and by helping residents adapt now and not later. In what might be a surprise to some observers, many of these organizations are working with low-income communities of color – those often stereotyped as the least concerned about climate change.

Groundwater Management and Safe Drinking Water in the San Joaquin Valley

Water Foundation | June 2nd, 2020

Petition for 2023 Drought Emergency Regulation or Other Emergency Action to Protect Nesting Birds, Water Quality, and other Public Trust Resources at Mono Lake

Mono Lake Committee | December 16th, 2022

Regional nitrate and pesticide trends in ground water in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California

American Society of Agronomy (ASA) | September 18th, 2008

Protection of ground water for present and future use requires monitoring and understanding of the mechanisms controlling long-term quality of ground water. In this stu

Protection of ground water for present and future use requires monitoring and understanding of the mechanisms controlling long-term quality of ground water. In this study, spatial and temporal trends in concentrations of nitrate and pesticides in ground water in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California, were evaluated to determine the long-term effects of agricultural and urban development on regional ground-water quality. Trends in concentrations of nitrate, the nematocide 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane, and the herbicide simazine during the last two decades are generally consistent with known nitrogen fertilizer and pesticide use and with the position of the well networks in the regional ground-water fl ow system. Concentrations of nitrate and pesticides are higher in the shallow part of the aquifer system where domestic wells are typically screened, whereas concentrations are lower in the deep part of the aquifer system where public-supply wells are typically screened. Attenuation processes do not seem to significantly affect concentrations. Historical data indicate that concentrations of nitrate have increased since the 1950s in the shallow and deep parts of the aquifer system. Concentrations of nitrate and detection of pesticides in the deep part of the aquifer system will likely increase as the proportion of highly affected water contributed to these wells increases with time. Because of the time of travel between the water table and the deep part of the aquifer system, current concentrations in public-supply wells likely reflect the effects of 40- to 50-year-old management practices.

San Francisco Estuary Blueprint 2022

San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) | September 8th, 2022

In the past few years, the San Francisco Estuary region has confronted epic wildfires, historic rainfall intensity and flooding, and chronic drought. The whiplash of thes

In the past few years, the San Francisco Estuary region has confronted epic wildfires, historic rainfall intensity and flooding, and chronic drought. The whiplash of these events has confirmed that climate change has already begun to impact human and wildlife communities from Sacramento to San Francisco, and beyond. Furthermore, a global COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted regional planning and project implementation everywhere, presenting new challenges to traditional processes and creating an unfamiliar working landscape for resource managers. Finally, the pervasive, horrific violence against Black, Brown, and Asian and Asian-American people has amplified long-term calls for racial justice, galvanizing new commitments to address historic and present inequity through every thread of our social fabric. These events have set the context for the multi-stakeholder process that updates the San Francisco Estuary Blueprint.

San Francisco Estuary Blueprint 2022 (Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the San Francisco Estuary)

San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) | March 16th, 2022

Click here for the definition of a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan)

Click here for the definition of a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan)

State and green crimes related to water pollution and ecological disorganization: water pollution from publicly owned treatment works (POTW) facilities across US states

Palgrave Communications | August 1st, 2017

Green criminologists often refer to water pollution as an example of a green crime, but have yet to produce much research on this subject. The current article addresses�

Green criminologists often refer to water pollution as an example of a green crime, but have yet to produce much research on this subject. The current article addresses the need for green criminological analyses of water pollution problems, and draws attention to an overlooked issue: water pollution emissions from state owned public water treatment facilities or POTWs. Legally, POTWs may emit certain quantities and kinds of pollutants to waterways following treatment. This does not mean, however, that those emissions have no adverse ecological or public health impacts, or that those emissions cannot also be employed as examples of green crimes or green-state crimes. Indeed, from the perspective of environmental sociology and ecological Marxism, those emissions generate ecological disorganization. Moreover, POTW emissions contain numerous pollutants that generate different forms of ecological disorganization. The current study uses POTW emissions data drawn from the US EPA’s Discharge Monitoring Report system for 2014 to illustrate the extent of pollution emitted by POTWs in and across US states as one dimension of ecological disorganization. To contextualize the meaning of those data, we review US water pollution regulations, review the health and ecological impacts of chemicals emitted by POTWs, and situate those emissions within green criminological discussions of green crime and greenstate crimes.

Storing Water for the Environment: Operating Reservoirs to Improve California’s Freshwater Ecosystems

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | August 23rd, 2022

Large reservoirs like those that rim the Central Valley are essential for managing water in California’s highly variable climate. They provide multiple benefits includi

Large reservoirs like those that rim the Central Valley are essential for managing water in California’s highly variable climate. They provide multiple benefits including water supply, hydropower, flood management, and recreation. However, construction and operation of these reservoirs have also imposed significant environmental costs, including native fishes’ loss of access to high-quality habitat above dams and degradation of freshwater ecosystems below them. Moreover, regulatory uncertainty for water users is rising as these ecosystems decline. California needs a new approach for managing environmental water in its large reservoirs, particularly as the climate warms and droughts become more intense.