Blog: Pacific Swell | 89.3 KPCC https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment KPCC's Molly Peterson on a Gilligan's Island style tour of environmental stories in and affecting Southern California. Named for the Yvor Winters poem: "The slow Pacific swell stirs on the sand/Sleeping to sink away, withdrawing land..." Follow the blog at @PacificSwell and Molly at @KPCCmolly. With California drought lengthening, city of Los Angeles develops stormwater capture plan https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2015/01/30/17868/with-california-drought-lengthening-city-of-los-an/ https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2015/01/30/17868/with-california-drought-lengthening-city-of-los-an/ Molly Peterson <img src="https://a.scpr.org/i/d290cc783c9cd1d874ae13a58bb5f5e5/99414-small.jpg" width="3854" height="1427" alt="" /> <p><i>What once were orchards and citrus groves now is a dense but sprawling urban area. The city of Los Angeles is considering ways to capture stormwater near where it falls so that water can be made use of throughout the city. ; Credit: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power</i></p> <p><address>Molly Peterson</address></p><p>With a historic drought showing no signs of letting up, the city of Los Angeles is drafting a new plan to use more local water sources by capturing storm water throughout the L.A. basin. At recent <a href="https://www.ladwp.com/cs/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&amp;dDocName=OPLADWPCCB396926&amp;RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased">community meetings</a>, officials from the Department of Water and Power (along with the city's Sanitation Department) <a href="https://www.ladwp.com/ladwp/faces/wcnav_externalId/a-w-stormwatercapturemp?_afrLoop=655077707475587&amp;_afrWindowMode=0&amp;_afrWindowId=15i1r0c7vp_1#%40%3F_afrWindowId%3D15i1r0c7vp_1%26_afrLoop%3D655077707475587%26_afrWindowMode%3D0%26_adf.ctrl-state%3D15i1r0c7vp_29">have been showcasing potential ideas </a>for the final plan, due out this summer.</p> <p><a href="https://www.ladwp.com/ladwp/faces/ladwp/aboutus/a-water/a-w-sourcesofsupply/a-w-sos-stormwatercapture?_afrLoop=655143139408275&amp;_afrWindowMode=0&amp;_afrWindowId=15i1r0c7vp_26#%40%3F_afrWindowId%3D15i1r0c7vp_26%26_afrLoop%3D655143139408275%26_afrWindowMode%3D0%26_adf.ctrl-state%3D15i1r0c7vp_42">This new plan</a> would make storm water about 4 percent of the city's annual water budget. For the first time, LA is talking about making storm water a small but reliable part of the city’s water sources – 25,000 acre-feet, or somewhat over 8 billion gallons of storm water a year. For perspective, a typical one-inch rain event in Los Angeles County produces more than 10 billion gallons of storm water, most of which hits asphalt and concrete, flows into storm drains and goes to the sea.</p> <p>It’s hardly a new idea. But storm water capture has taken on additional urgency because of the drought, because of the increasing <a href="http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/12/12/40860/southern-california-water-agencies-press-ambitious/">price of importing water</a>, and because of l<a href="http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/05/05/43977/supreme-court-says-la-county-is-responsible-for-st/">ocal water quality rules</a>.</p> <p>On top of that, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti <a href="http://www.lamayor.org/executive_directive_5_emergency_drought_response_creating_a_water_wise_city">issued an executive order last October</a>, directing the LADWP to cut its purchase of imported water in half within a decade, in part by cutting water consumption at least 20 percent.</p> <p>Storm water capture projects have captured the energy and attention of environmental groups who’ve demonstrated them in <a href="http://www.scpr.org/programs/offramp/2009/07/25/924/dandelion-wine-rewound/">backyards</a>, <a href="http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/09/03/18931/la-stormwater/">neighborhoods</a>, and <a href="http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/01/26/49432/how-two-south-la-alleys-will-soon-provide-clean-wa/">alleyways</a>.</p> <p>LA could invest in much-larger-scale versions of those ideas. Good places for those bigger projects tend to be in the San Fernando Valley, where the geology is hospitable to rain water capture and the city has clearest rights. </p> <p>Some examples featured in the LADWP’s presentation aren’t yet approved, but are in consideration:</p> <ul> <li>Water capture and storage at the <a href="http://www.kleinfelder.com/index.cfm/resource-library/project-briefs/van-norman-complex-stormwater-capture-master-planpdf/">Van Norman Complex</a>; </li> <li>The Canterbury Power Line Easement, running between the Tujunga Spreading Grounds and the Pacoima Wash, which would capture 1500 acre-feet of water a year; and </li> <li>Converting Strathern Park (near the Hollywood Freeway) from a disused gravel pit/landfill to a wetlands park, in joint operation with L.A. County. </li> </ul> <p>Storing storm water in the ground means protecting some areas from industrial pollution, and means filtering and treating polluted groundwater as it’s pulled from aquifers. Last November’s $7.5 billion dollar water bond earmarked funds for storm water capture and for groundwater cleanup. DWP officials say they’re hoping to bring some of that money to Los Angeles.</p> <p><a href="https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2015/01/30/17868/with-california-drought-lengthening-city-of-los-an/">This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.</a></p> Fri, 30 Jan 2015 12:01:29 -0800 De Leon calls for climate divestment, seeks to pull coal investments from CALPERS, CALSTRS https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/12/15/17685/de-leon-calls-for-climate-divestment-seeks-to-pull/ https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/12/15/17685/de-leon-calls-for-climate-divestment-seeks-to-pull/ Molly Peterson <img src="https://a.scpr.org/i/67b1dd4863cde20186ea5c2e9460f28a/68620-small.jpg" width="1024" height="682" alt="State and local leaders break ground at a Louisville, Ky., coal-burning power plant in November 2012." /> <p><i>State and local leaders break ground at a Louisville, Ky., coal-burning power plant in November 2012.; Credit: Dylan Lovan/AP</i></p> <p><address>Molly Peterson</address></p><p>California State Senator Kevin de Leon says he’ll introduce legislation next month to get the state’s public employees retirement system off of coal.</p> <p>Just back from ho-hum international talks in Lima, where he was a member of California's delegation, de Leon spoke at a conference in Oakland. It was sponsored by NextGen Climate, a nonpartisan group founded by billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer to raise the profile of climate change among issues in the U.S. political debate.</p> <p>“With coal power in retreat, and the value of coal dropping, it’s time for us to lead again in moving our massive state portfolios to lower carbon investments,” De Leon said. “Divestment is about matching your values with your investment strategy — and still seeing positive financial returns… California has prohibited its energy companies from buying or importing coal power, and state funds should match that.”</p> <p>De Leon proposes to divest the nation’s two largest public pension funds from coal. The California Public Employees Retirement System, or CALPERS, is the nation’s largest, controlling about $295 billion as of the end of September.  The California School Teachers Retirement System is a sister fund for pensions of nearly 850,000 California teachers. CALSTRS controls another $187.1 billion dollars in potential investments.</p> <p>Burning coal for energy is a major source of greenhouse gases that are warming the planet. The move would lend momentum to a divestment movement already underway, largely targeted at investment funds belonging to colleges and universities nationwide.</p> <p>Stanford and Pitzer College in Claremont are among a dozen universities that have pulled investments out of the coal industry. But others, including the University of California have refused. </p> <p><a href="https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/12/15/17685/de-leon-calls-for-climate-divestment-seeks-to-pull/">This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.</a></p> Mon, 15 Dec 2014 16:38:56 -0800 Election 2014: Why your vote for Controller matters to California's environment https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/10/28/17488/election-2014-why-your-vote-for-controller-matters/ https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/10/28/17488/election-2014-why-your-vote-for-controller-matters/ Molly Peterson <img src="https://a.scpr.org/i/95b3b5c236678817377c8266a17803ad/94565-small.jpg" width="2924" height="2010" alt="" /> <p><i>On Broad Beach in Malibu, high tide not only wets sand but also retaining walls and broken down rock revetments. What happens next in homeowners' efforts to get sand trucked in here will go to the State Lands Commission - and the next Controller likely will weigh in on the problem. ; Credit: Molly Peterson/KPCC</i></p> <p><address>Molly Peterson</address></p><p>The most common question I’ve been asked about the statewide Controller race this election year is the same question I get every four years. “Wait, we have one?”</p> <p>The inevitable follow-up question: “What does this person do?” Down-ballot races in California’s state election can seem like a tedious part of a the voting process. Most of us just don't take the time to research them. In 2010, <a href="http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2010-general/complete-sov.pdf">the last time we elected statewide executives</a>, 435,308 of those people who voted for Governor just didn’t bother to vote for anybody in the Controller race. </p> <p>But in addition to being <a href="http://www.sco.ca.gov/eo_about.html">the chief fiscal officer of the 8th-largest economy in the world</a>, the Controller sits on something like 80 state commissions and boards. And if you’re interested in California’s environment, a biggie there is the State Lands Commission.</p> <p>The State Lands Commission oversees roughly 4 million acres of submerged land and tidelands, holding them in trust for the public. Right now it's looking at policy alternatives to respond to<a href="http://www.slc.ca.gov/Sea_Level_Rise/index.html"> sea level rise</a>. It manage the state's offshore oil-drilling leases. It even <a href="http://shipwrecks.slc.ca.gov/">gets authority over historical shipwrecks</a>! </p> <p>Three issues coming before to the Lands Commission mean the Controller matters:  </p> <ul> <li> <strong>Coastal Access and Martin’s Beach: </strong>At the end of September, Governor Jerry Brown signed a law requiring the State Lands Commission to negotiate with Vinod Khlosa, a private property owner who <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county-times/ci_26634875/deadline-looms-tuesday-martins-beach-public-access-bill">famously shut down coastal access over his land this yea</a>r. The commission has all of next year to negotiate with Khlosa. If no deal is reached, it can use eminent domain authority to force public access – something that would represent a big break in historical practice, because that authority hasn’t <u>ever</u> been used in the 76 years that the commission has existed.</li> <li> <strong>Malibu’s Broad Beach </strong>has been rapidly eroding under pressure of waves and storms worsened by climate change, and <a href="http://www.malibutimes.com/news/article_2d6984e4-c019-11e3-ba06-001a4bcf887a.html">very rich homeowners there have been seeking to add sand in front of their houses to combat the risk</a> of damage to very expensive properties. Earlier this year, those homeowners successfully completed an application to the State Lands Commission, and the commission was expected to decide on it in October. <a href="http://Broad%20Beach%20http://www.slc.ca.gov/Division_Pages/DEPM/Reports/Broad_Beach/Broad_Beach.html">The decision’s been put over till after the election</a>.</li> <li> <strong>Fracking</strong>: Offshore oil made news late last year and earlier this year when some operators <a href="http://legal-planet.org/2014/02/04/offshore-fracking-battles-brewing-in-the-golden-state/">didn’t report that they were using drilling and production techniques collectively referred to as hydraulic fracturing</a>. The news prompted the EPA to require chemical disclosures for drilling operations it oversees.  The state agencies that should be overseeing these issues – the Coastal Commission and the Lands Commission – are considering their next moves too.</li> </ul> <p>Positions on these issues don’t really come up when it comes to the Controller race, though both <a href="http://blogs.kcrw.com/whichwayla/2014/10/meet-democratic-candidate-for-state-controller-betty-yee">Betty Yee</a> and <a href="http://blogs.kcrw.com/whichwayla/2014/10/fresno-mayor-distances-herself-from-state-republicans-in-controllers-race">Ashley Swearengin</a> have gone on the record to say they’re against fracking. </p> <p><a href="https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/10/28/17488/election-2014-why-your-vote-for-controller-matters/">This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.</a></p> Tue, 28 Oct 2014 17:35:25 -0700 Dirty for the drought: LA Waterkeeper wants you to take the no-car wash pledge https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/09/26/17356/dirty-for-the-drought-la-waterkeeper-wants-you-to/ https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/09/26/17356/dirty-for-the-drought-la-waterkeeper-wants-you-to/ Molly Peterson <img src="https://a.scpr.org/i/99d3c966779b2c768e35252427547a6f/89678-small.jpg" width="1000" height="563" alt="Inside a car wash that recycles water" /> <p><i>When it comes to water usage, not all car washes are created equal. Most car washes don’t recycle water, but more and more newly built car washes are starting to. Santa Ana Express Car Wash opened three years ago and its million-dollar equipment recycles 70 percent of its water.; Credit: Maya Sugarman/KPCC</i></p> <p><address>Molly Peterson</address></p><p>Washing your car with a garden hose can use up to 120 gallons of water. Most corner conveyor belt operations use less, but all that water can add up, <a href="http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/08/15/46006/drought-conundrum-to-wash-or-not-to-wash-the-car/">as we told you in August</a>.</p> <p>That’s why the group LA Waterkeeper <a href="http://lawaterkeeper.org/dirtyforthedrought/">is challenging motorists to drive dirty</a> and pledge to skip car washes for 60 days. </p> <p>"Water conservation is the easiest and most affordable way to quickly reduce water demand and also extend supplies into next year," says Liz Crosson, the group's executive director. </p> <p>This summer Ventura County’s water agency asked people to skip washing their rides for a month; some people got detailing and car washes as a reward. Crosson’s group is hoping bragging rights will be enough of an incentive. (Though there are some as-yet-undisclosed prizes.)</p> <p>People who live in LA are really excited and interested by the cars that they drive," Crosson says. "And frankly, you can have a dirty car and you can have a sticker and have an excuse for having a dirty car so it saves your image too."</p> <p>The campaign’s just kicking off this weekend (at the Abbott-Kinney festival), but Crosson’s already optimistic for success. Early adopters of the pledge are hundreds of people from the online site Reddit and the general manager for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.</p> <p> </p> <blockquote> <p>GO DIRTY FOR THE DROUGHT. Take the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DirtyCarPledge?src=hash">#DirtyCarPledge</a> to not wash your car for 60 days. Ready, Set, Go Dirty! <a href="http://t.co/TsxdvsgpCv">http://t.co/TsxdvsgpCv</a></p> — LAWaterkeeper (@LAWaterkeeper) <a href="https://twitter.com/LAWaterkeeper/status/515209378618552320">September 25, 2014</a> </blockquote> <p>From the ED, I’m Molly Peterson, 89-point-3. KPCC.</p> <p><a href="https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/09/26/17356/dirty-for-the-drought-la-waterkeeper-wants-you-to/">This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.</a></p> Fri, 26 Sep 2014 15:14:01 -0700 Conservation groups seek protection of monarch butterfly https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/08/26/17208/conservation-groups-seek-protection-of-monarch-but/ https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/08/26/17208/conservation-groups-seek-protection-of-monarch-but/ Francine Rios <img src="https://a.scpr.org/i/bd54f2065e7f29bfd821ad4cf6a593ff/2029-small.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="Mercer 1428" /> <p><i>File: Western monarch butterfly in Huntington Beach; Credit: Courtesy of Huntington Beach Tree Society</i></p> <p><address>Francine Rios</address></p><p>A group of conservation organizations teamed up with a leading monarch butterfly scientist on Tuesday to petition for protection of the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act.</p> <p>The monarch butterfly is one of the most iconic butterfly species in the country. But according to conservation group the Xerces Society, the monarch butterfly population is in trouble.</p> <p>“Many scientists estimate that there are about 33 million monarchs. And just for comparison, in the past, researchers have estimated more than 1 billion monarchs,” said Sarina Jepsen, who directs the Endangered Species Program for the Xerces Society.</p> <p>That’s a decline of about 90 percent in just fewer than 20 years, Jepsen said.</p> <p>The main culprit in the monarch’s decline is the weed killer Roundup, Jepsen said. Most monarch caterpillars breed in the Midwest, and feed off of milkweed. While Roundup doesn’t kill genetically modified crops like soy and corn, it does kill milkweed.</p> <p>“So, milkweed growing in a large agricultural landscape has largely disappeared in the last decade-and-a-half to two decades,” said Jepsen.</p> <p>Other contributing factors include climate change and a general loss of habitat, Jepsen said. California’s drought might also play a role.</p> <p>“There’s a real strong relationship between drought severity and the number of monarchs that we see in the winter on the California coast,” said Jepsen. “In years when droughts are worse, there are fewer monarchs.”</p> <p>Thousands of the butterflies gather on California’s coast each winter. Spots locally includeLeo Carrillo Beach in Malibu and Doheny Beach in Dana Point, though the Xerces Society has observed a large decline in the butterflies at these locations in the last several decades.</p> <p>More on the drought’s effect on the monarch population will be known around Thanksgiving, when a group of so-called "citizen scientists" with the Xerces Society perform an annual count of the monarchs.</p> <p>Along with the Xerces Society, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Center for Food and Safety and leading monarch butterfly scientist Dr. Lincoln Brower filed the petition.</p> <p>The Fish and Wildlife Service has 90 days to decide whether to go forward with a further review to potentially classify the monarch butterfly as threatened or endangered. </p> <p><a href="https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/08/26/17208/conservation-groups-seek-protection-of-monarch-but/">This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.</a></p> Tue, 26 Aug 2014 18:13:11 -0700 LA County supervisors criticize 'piecemeal' cleanup around Exide, seek money for lead testing https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/08/12/17139/la-county-supervisors-criticize-piecemeal-cleanup/ https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/08/12/17139/la-county-supervisors-criticize-piecemeal-cleanup/ Molly Peterson <img src="https://a.scpr.org/i/4986539fb3ed263585f1c252b5b37d76/90098-small.jpg" width="2500" height="1666" alt="Exide Soil Digging - 1" /> <p><i>Exide begins to remove lead-polluted soil on Monday morning at a house on the 1200 block of La Puerta Street in Boyle Heights.; Credit: Maya Sugarman/KPCC</i></p> <p><address>Molly Peterson</address></p><p>All five members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors have signed a letter imploring California Gov. Jerry Brown to intervene in the state’s handling of contamination around the Exide Technologies plant in Vernon.</p> <p>The letter criticizing the state’s “piecemeal approach to an urgent environmental hazard” comes as workers paid for by Exide are removing lead-contaminated topsoil from two homes near the intersection of Olympic and Indiana avenues in L.A. </p> <p>Signed Tuesday, the letter asks for “guaranteed state funding to immediately begin testing” at 37 more homes also sampled, but to less specific degrees, during November 2013. In the words of the board, “further testing and remediation of the other 37 homes has not been confirmed and may not begin until at least October 2014 because Exide has not yet agreed to comply with DTSC directives issued last March.”</p> <p>The supervisors also say the state has “reneged” on its commitments to test for lead inside the homes as well as outside.</p> <p>The Department of Toxic Substances Control says that the two homes workers are at this week will be cleaned inside and out — even without indoor testing.  The DTSC’s Rizgar Ghazi said Monday that crews will use HEPA filters, vacuums and shampooing equipment on “basically any flat surface” inside the two residences.</p> <p>Read the L.A. Board of Supervisors’ letter to Gov. Brown here:</p> <p><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/236655733/LA-County-Supervisors-Letter-to-Gov-Brown-8-12-14" title="http://www.scribd.com/doc/236655733/LA-County-Supervisors-Letter-to-Gov-Brown-8-12-14">http://www.scribd.com/doc/236655733/LA-County-Supervisors-Letter-to-Gov-Brown-8-12-14</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/08/12/17139/la-county-supervisors-criticize-piecemeal-cleanup/">This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.</a></p> Tue, 12 Aug 2014 18:24:26 -0700 California Drought News: My burger, my burrito, my poor wallet https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/07/08/16976/california-drought-news-my-burger-my-burrito-my-po/ https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/07/08/16976/california-drought-news-my-burger-my-burrito-my-po/ Jed Kim <img src="https://a.scpr.org/i/5ffa7c6eee14c9660cdad841e7a20e78/65748-small.jpg" width="640" height="360" alt="in-n-out" /> <p><i>; Credit: Kaba/Flickr</i></p> <p><address>Jed Kim</address></p><p>Tuesday's drought news makes you question whether waiting so long in the drive-thru line will continue to be worth it.</p> <p>First, today's dryku:<br> <em>Burger prices rise<br> Will we turn to other foods?<br> Burritos' do too</em></p> <p><strong>Food:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Have you noticed the increased food prices at the grocery store? Well, now you're going to see it at your fast food joints too. <strong>In-N-Out and Chipotle are having to raise prices </strong>on their food. Starbucks has also.</li> </ul> <blockquote>In-N-Out raised the cost of its hamburgers and cheeseburgers by a dime and their famous Double-Double jumped 15 cents to $3.45. French fries were unchanged but soft drinks went up a nickel. (<a href="http://www.sgvtribune.com/general-news/20140707/california-drought-in-n-out-chipotle-raising-prices-due-to-rising-food-costs">San Gabriel Valley Tribune</a>)</blockquote> <p><strong>Oil and Water:</strong></p> <ul> <li>They don't mix, but they separate pretty well. The New York Times looks at how an oil field in the Central Valley also <strong>pumps 760,000 gallons of water each day</strong> that it sells to a local water district. Article goes on to look at the fight over water use in fracking. (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/08/us/california-drought-chevron-oil-field-water-irrigation.html">NY Times</a>)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Looting:</strong></p> <ul> <li>The lowering water levels at Lake Oroville have revealed more prehistoric artifacts. Volunteers are helping rangers by keeping tabs on looters who are digging up the relics. My favorite factoid is about how meth heads are among the many culprits. <strong>Does smoking meth cause an uncontrollable digging impulse?</strong> </li> </ul> <blockquote>Though many who disturb artifacts may not know any better, others can be troublesome. Among them are insomniac "tweakers" high on methamphetamine. "They just dig and dig like little squirrels," Dobis said. (<a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-lake-oroville-artifacts-20140707-story.html#page=1">LA Times</a>)</blockquote> <p><strong>Witches:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Dowsers have been the media darlings of the current drought year. Benjamin Radford pokes at the practice and points out why <strong>we should trust our suspicions about the water-finding trick</strong>. He also gives a history lesson about all the things dowsing has been used to find: water, oil, jewels, murderers... (<a href="http://news.discovery.com/earth/drought-spurs-interest-in-water-dowsing-140708.htm">Discovery</a>)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Maps and charts:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Finally, I leave you with Weather Underground's latest roundup of water statistics. <strong>This year is dry but not the worst on record.</strong> Reservoirs are still holding a decent amount of water, especially Pyramid Lake. What's up with that? I'm going to have to look into that. (<a href="http://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/comment.html?entrynum=288">Weather Underground</a>)</li> </ul> <p><a href="http://a.scpr.org/i/f8bacba294c25a8b240500017c9029a7/87910-eight.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://a.scpr.org/i/f8bacba294c25a8b240500017c9029a7/87910-eight.jpg"></a></p> <p>And how has your community been affected by the drought? Share your story with a photo on Twitter or Instagram. Tag it #mydrought. For more details on our photo project, click <a href="http://audiovision.scpr.org/375/mydrought">here</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/07/08/16976/california-drought-news-my-burger-my-burrito-my-po/">This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.</a></p> Tue, 08 Jul 2014 08:49:49 -0700 California Drought News: Nosy about groundwater drilling, and nudging your neighbor to save https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/07/07/16965/california-drought-news-nosy-about-groundwater-dri/ https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/07/07/16965/california-drought-news-nosy-about-groundwater-dri/ Molly Peterson <img src="https://a.scpr.org/i/a88c2a5c1d5132cf2b2ec84ba4fcf0e9/87850-small.jpg" width="2048" height="1382" alt="" /> <p><i>A 1962 Thousand Oaks survey picture of H.L. Hall Water Well and Test Hole Drilling, and Aitken and Kidder Water Development, by Pat Allen. Water well drilling goes back a century in California, but records are scarce for public viewing.</i></p> <p><address>Molly Peterson</address></p><p>Monday's news is nosy about your neighbor — and your neighbors' groundwater drilling.</p> <ul> <li>More great reporting from the Sacramento Bee on anachronistic problems of transparency in how we manage water in California. Even some well drillers now favor more transparency for groundwater "well logs":</li> </ul> <blockquote>In all other Western states, such records are accessible to whomever wants to see them – from university professors to civil engineers, real estate agents to the media. But in California, well logs are barred from public inspection by a 63-year-old law written to keep data gathered by well-drilling companies from falling into the hands of competitors. “The lack of information about well logs makes no sense, particularly as we are trying hard to manage a diminishing public trust resource,” said Jeffrey Mount, senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonpartisan think tank in San Francisco. “This is another one of those anachronistic statutes that does not belong in a modern water management system,” Mount said. (<a href="http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/06/6534974/as-drought-persists-frustration.html#storylink=cpy">Sacramento Bee</a>)</blockquote> <ul> <li>Nearly 90 percent of the $700 million in "emergency drought relief" money authorized by the governor a few months ago is yet to be spent. But, as our public radio colleague Ben Adler reports, that's not necessarily as bad as it sounds. Grants take time. (<a href="http://www.capradio.org/articles/2014/07/07/emergency-drought-relief-money-still-unspent/">C</a><a href="http://www.capradio.org/articles/2014/07/07/emergency-drought-relief-money-still-unspent/">apital Public Radio</a>)</li> <li>The secret new trend in water district conservation isn't cops, it's guys who make "water-wise house calls":</li> </ul> <blockquote>One out of every four households has a leak of some sort, usually something as simple as a loose toilet flapper, [water district spokeswoman] Figueroa said. "Leaks are common," she added. "Don't be embarrassed." (<a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_26099363/california-drought-water-district-sleuths-help-bay-area">SJ Mercury News</a>)</blockquote> <ul> <li>The New York Times reports on how Californians are tracking their neighbors' usage deep into the drought. Ian Lovett explores Twitter-based shower-shaming (a phenomenon this blog noticed some months ago), ratting your neighbor out for violating restrictions and other guilt-based behavioral nudges. About our region, he writes:</li> </ul> <blockquote>Most homes in Southern California have already been outfitted with efficient shower heads, toilets and garden hoses, making it harder for residents to significantly reduce their water consumption than it was during the last severe drought a quarter-century ago. (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/05/us/californians-keep-up-with-joneses-water-use.html?_r=0">NYT</a>)</blockquote> <p>And how has your community been affected by the drought? Share your story with a photo on Twitter or Instagram. Tag it #mydrought. For more details on our photo project, <a href="http://audiovision.scpr.org/375/mydrought">click here</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/07/07/16965/california-drought-news-nosy-about-groundwater-dri/">This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.</a></p> Mon, 07 Jul 2014 10:17:11 -0700 California Drought News: Food needs higher than anticipated https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/07/03/16953/california-drought-news-food-needs-higher-than-ant/ https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/07/03/16953/california-drought-news-food-needs-higher-than-ant/ Jed Kim <img src="https://a.scpr.org/i/83cfbf2719ff11dced608d5c0602b671/87563-small.jpg" width="788" height="448" alt="Butts Fire" /> <p><i>A screencap from NBCLA of the rapidly spreading, 4,300-acre vegetation fire in the Pope Valley area of Napa County, which by Thursday had destroyed two homes and prompted the mandatory evacuation of hundreds of others.; Credit: NBCLA</i></p> <p><address>Jed Kim</address></p><p>Today's dryku comes from H. Hanson of <a href="http://www.pyrospectaculars.com">Pyro Spectaculars</a>:<br> <br> <em>Because it's so dry<br> Professional fireworks shows<br> Are the way to go</em></p> <p>Hanson actually wrote no less than five excellent drykus about the importance of professional fireworks shows during the drought. His company will be doing the fireworks at the Rose Bowl Friday night. You can get more information about that and other shows at our <a href="http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/07/01/45043/july-fourth-fireworks-faq-what-s-illegal-where-to/">Fireworks FAQ</a>. And remember to keep sending your #drykus to <a href="https://twitter.com/kpccdryku">@kpccdryku</a>.</p> <p><strong>Fire:</strong></p> <ul> <li> <strong>Firefighters continue to battle a wildfire burning near Napa. </strong>Thousands of acres have burned, and more than 200 homes have been evacuated. Fire officials said the intensity is due to the bone-dry conditions. (<a href="http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/07/03/45127/butts-fire-2-homes-destroyed-in-4-300-acre-wildfir/">KPCC</a>)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Hunger:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Tulare County and other areas hit hard by the drought have been providing food assistance to people who've lost work because of the drought. Supplies are running short, because <strong>need is more than anticipated.</strong> </li> </ul> <blockquote>Pickers aren’t the only workers hurt by the drought. Food banks are seeing some truck drivers, too. Less picking means less product to ship.<br> <br> “We think [this] is going to have a devastating effect on our families,” said Wynn, adding that Visalia Emergency Aid passed out more than 500 boxes in about three weeks. “We only have 87 boxes left to last us through the rest of summer, and we serve over 800 families a month.” (<a href="http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/local/2014/07/03/state-falling-short-drought-relief-food-boxes/12125613/">Visalia Times-Delta</a>)</blockquote> <p><strong>Wildlife:</strong></p> <ul> <li>The drought is <strong>driving insects from the desert into more urban areas.</strong> They're coming in search of water and nourishment. The good news is we might see more butterflies. The bad news?</li> </ul> <blockquote>Also, expect to see more roaches, black widows and ants during the summer, when they are most active, according to David Wilcox, owner of the Yucca Valley-based Sahara Pest Control that services the Coachella Valley. (<a href="http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2014/07/02/california-state-drought-insects-urban-areas/12120933/">The Desert Sun</a>)</blockquote> <ul> <li>Lakes and rivers are lower, which means less water to warm, which means warmer water, which means less oxygen in the water, which means <strong>a lot of people worried about fish.</strong> (<a href="http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/07/02/4008238/drought-causes-worries-for-valley.html?sp=/99/330/371/">Fresno Bee</a>)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Wine:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Finally, because we need some good news this morning, some wine growers/makers say that the drought is stressing their vines perfectly. That means <strong>the wine this year should be of good quality, even if there's less of it.</strong> Stock up. (<a href="http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/07/03/better-sierra-wine-a-silver-lining-in-californias-drought/">CBS Sacramento</a>)</li> </ul> <p>How has your community been affected by the drought? Share your story with a photo on Twitter or Instagram. Tag it #mydrought. For more details on our photo project, click <a href="http://audiovision.scpr.org/375/mydrought">here</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/07/03/16953/california-drought-news-food-needs-higher-than-ant/">This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.</a></p> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 07:55:55 -0700 California Drought News: Oregon's big move on our Salad Bowl https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/07/01/16937/california-drought-news-oregon-s-big-move-on-our-s/ https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/07/01/16937/california-drought-news-oregon-s-big-move-on-our-s/ Jed Kim <img src="https://a.scpr.org/i/a89c9266ab52e09b6bd9364a65ca5019/85342-small.jpg" width="978" height="650" alt="Cherries" /> <p><i>California cherries. ; Credit: Flickr Creative Commons/ babi_santander</i></p> <p><address>Jed Kim</address></p><p><strong>Food for thought:</strong></p> <ul> <li>As food production in the California Salad Bowl withers, growers in Oregon are seeing more business come their way. <strong>Many are jumping at the chance</strong>:</li> </ul> <blockquote>That means there is a great opportunity to supply a need to grocery markets. “Growers can take advantage of the crops that can be grown here that they won’t grow there,” Penhallegon said. “This would be the year to increase production. (Farmers) just need to find out what is lacking. Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers; there is an open door there.” (<a href="http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/local/california-drought-sends-business-to-oregon/article_b365df28-fea5-11e3-a70c-0019bb2963f4.html">Corvallis Gazette-Times</a>)</blockquote> <ul> <li>Are you enjoying cherry season? Have you noticed how expensive they are? That may be because the <strong>harvest is down 75 percent this year</strong>. It's because of warm days in the winter. (<a href="http://www.capradio.org/articles/2014/06/30/drought-blamed-for-75-percent-drop-in-cherry-harvest/">Capital Public Radio</a>)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Water fight:</strong></p> <ul> <li>The Wall Street Journal looks at the <strong>fines and citations that more California cities are using </strong>to get people to save water. Sacramento is one of the most aggressive when it comes to policing, but it kind of has to be:</li> </ul> <blockquote>This year, the city cut outdoor watering to three days a week from two. Because only about half its homes have water meters to measure use, Sacramento must rely on inspectors to help enforce the rules. (<a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/california-cities-crack-down-on-water-use-amid-drought-1404170293">Wall Street Journal</a>)</blockquote> <ul> <li>Today's other fight is over those well-drilling men. Everyone wants a piece of these guys. All these new wells and shrinking aquifers puts me in mind of "There Will Be Blood." Perhaps a effective ad campaign would feature Daniel Day-Lewis yelling, <strong>"I ... drink ... your ... MILKSHAKE!"</strong> </li> </ul> <blockquote>We're on a one-way trajectory toward depletion, toward running out of groundwater, says Jay Famiglietti, a University of California hydrologist and a leading expert on groundwater. He points out that California is the only Western state that doesn't really monitor or regulate how much groundwater is pumped.<br> <br> So it's not unlike having several straws in a glass, and everyone drinking at the same time, and no one really watching the level, Famiglietti says. (<a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/06/30/325494399/drought-has-drillers-running-after-shrinking-california-water-supply">NPR</a>)</blockquote> <p><strong>Evaporation:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Here and Now has an interesting story (also interesting sounding - think Radiolab) on the science of stopping water loss from evaporation. Apparently, <strong>reservoirs can lose just as much water to evaporation as it does to use</strong>. (<a href="http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2014/06/30/prevent-evaporation-drought">Here &amp; Now</a>)</li> </ul> <p>How has your community been affected by the drought? Share your story with a photo on Twitter or Instagram. Tag it #mydrought. For more details on our photo project, click <a href="http://audiovision.scpr.org/375/mydrought">here</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/07/01/16937/california-drought-news-oregon-s-big-move-on-our-s/">This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.</a></p> Tue, 01 Jul 2014 11:53:27 -0700 California Drought News: Lots of views about how to save water, as there's little new direction to do it. Also fireworks! https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/06/30/16931/california-drought-news-lots-of-views-about-how-to/ https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/06/30/16931/california-drought-news-lots-of-views-about-how-to/ Molly Peterson <img src="https://a.scpr.org/i/930c7c21a7d55554a4f60188935606a3/87428-small.jpg" width="4000" height="2248" alt="" /> <p><i>Less water in Hoover Dam means less power coming from the Dam's generating units. ; Credit: Dawn Danby/via Flickr</i></p> <p><address>Molly Peterson</address></p><p>Monday's fat stack of news also includes some views about what to do about drought and Western water supplies.</p> <p>The New York Times has <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/06/29/the-water-crisis-in-the-west">published six answers</a> to the questions <strong>"What are the best ways to share the water? And how can we ensure it lasts for the foreseeable future?"</strong> Pat Mulroy, former general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/06/29/the-water-crisis-in-the-west/shared-water-sacrifices-for-cities-and-farms">weighs in</a>, as do several other think tankers:</p> <blockquote>[N]ew energy and fuel production options have become more water intensive. Unconventional oil and gas production methods such as hydraulic fracturing have significant implications for local and regional water quality and quantity. Bioenergy consumes water at various stages of production (including irrigation for crops) and also has impacts on water quality and quantity...<strong>We should be pursuing cleaner energy and streamlined approaches to conserving water in order to truly safeguard our water supply. </strong>(<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/06/29/the-water-crisis-in-the-west/conserve-energy-to-save-water">Newsha Ajami/Stanford University</a>)</blockquote> <blockquote> <strong>An incredible 40 percent of the water consumed by Americans goes into meat and dairy production.</strong> Livestock must drink water and there is some water use at the farm, but most of this water is for the producing animal feed...Is this a wise allocation of the limited supply of freshwater in America? (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/06/29/the-water-crisis-in-the-west/to-save-water-change-your-diet">Arjen Hoekstra/University of Twente, Netherlands</a>)</blockquote> <ul> <li>Closer to home, the Sacramento Bee has an ongoing series about drought solutions. Mariposa County resident Tom DeVries, who lives in forestland at 4,000 feet, offers his take:</li> </ul> <blockquote>Trees take water; a big one can draw 100 gallons a day out of the ground. <strong>All that junk forest in California is sucking up water that should be filling my spring and well and flowing downhill toward the rest of you. </strong>(<a href="http://www.sacbee.com/2014/06/30/6518322/viewpoints-a-win-win-solution.html#storylink=cpy">Sac Bee</a>)</blockquote> <ul> <li>You know who else has good ideas about how to conserve water in drought? <strong>Australians</strong>. (<a href="http://blogs.kqed.org/science/audio/drought-lessons-from-down-under/">KQED</a>)</li> <li>Jay Lund from UC Davis modeled a "mega-drought" with his team and found that the <strong>economic consequences of a big drought event could be mostly managed through smarter water conservation policies</strong>. (<a href="http://californiawaterblog.com/2014/06/29/could-california-weather-a-mega-drought/">California Water Blog</a>)</li> <li> <strong>Falling water levels at Lake Mead are lowering Hoover Dam's energy production</strong>. Generating units have recently been "derated," meaning that they're expected to have a lower capacity for producing electricity now that there's less water to turn turbines. (<a href="http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060002129">EE News</a>)</li> <li>Jason Dearen and Garance Burke report on "senior rights holders," and <strong>how poorly California accounts for water use by people who have rights dating back before 1914</strong> at anytime, and how much that matters now during the drought. (<a href="http://www.rgj.com/story/money/business/2014/06/29/californias-flawed-water-system-track-usage/11590383/">AP</a>)</li> <li>You're gonna see a lot of these stories all week: <strong>it's a terrible year for setting off fireworks.</strong> I bet rural fire chiefs have their teeth on edge already. (<a href="http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2014/06/30/3719797/hot-and-high-flying-why-some-fireworks.html">Merced Sun-Star</a>)</li> <li>And we'll finish up in Southern California. In the first of a duo of Dana Bartholomew stories, the Daily News reports on <strong>Turf Terminators, a company that offers to leverage the recently-raised turf removal incentive and swap out homeowners' lawns for less thirsty landscapes</strong>...essentially for free, since the company's premise is that it can do the work for the price of the rebate. (<a href="http://www.dailynews.com/environment-and-nature/20140629/la-company-saving-water-by-offering-drought-tolerant-lawns-for-free">Daily News</a>)</li> <li>In the second, <strong>Bartholomew profiles a Studio City water-conservation demonstration at homes along Rhodes Avenue</strong>. (<a href="http://www.dailynews.com/environment-and-nature/20140629/the-river-project-saves-one-studio-city-street-water-x2014-and-money">Daily News</a>)</li> <li>And a UCLA project examining water use and conservation potential in territory served by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power <strong>suggests that we're not pricing water well enough to encourage conservation.</strong> Authors of a policy brief with the California Center for Sustainable Communities say dual metering, for inside and outside, would also improve conservation. (<a href="http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/california-news/9616-los-angeles-should-change-water-pricing-structure-to-improve-conservation.html">Imperial Valley News</a>)</li> </ul> <p>How has your community been affected by the drought? Share your story with a photo on Twitter or Instagram. Tag it #mydrought. For more details on our photo project, click <a href="http://audiovision.scpr.org/375/mydrought">here</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/06/30/16931/california-drought-news-lots-of-views-about-how-to/">This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.</a></p> Mon, 30 Jun 2014 11:07:21 -0700 California Drought News: Sex in shower conservation, and freedom in water markets...a summer of love? https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/06/27/16925/california-drought-news-sex-in-shower-conservation/ https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/06/27/16925/california-drought-news-sex-in-shower-conservation/ Molly Peterson <img src="https://a.scpr.org/i/298caba8d210aa948e848145504ec932/87311-small.jpg" width="750" height="413" alt="" /> <p><i>This is a public service campaign suggesting you save water...and suggesting some other things too. ; Credit: SFPUC</i></p> <p><address>Molly Peterson</address></p><p>Friday's news is going to make you wait for it...when it comes to an explanation for the picture above.</p> <p>The Wall Street Journal takes on pricing and other big-think policies that various authors claim are worsening the drought.</p> <ul> <li>Those higher food prices Jed wrote about yesterday? Alyssia Finley, assistant editor of OpinionJournal.com, says they're the fault of environmentalists, and <strong>higher food prices will be the way the rest of the country will pay for California's "green sanctimony."</strong> (<a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/political-diary-will-voters-roll-the-dice-1403799135">WSJ</a>)</li> <li>Economist Edward Lazear argues that <strong>"government-dictated prices, coupled with restrictions on the transfer of water, have made a bad situation much worse."</strong> He takes aim at the state's limitations on water transfers (lifted, he doesn't note; but he argues that pricing distorts the need for transfers anyway). He argues that public agencies that protect environmental conditions with water should pay for the privilege:</li> </ul> <blockquote>Although there may be good reasons to ensure that some fish and wildlife be protected, we should not pretend that this protection is costless. Agencies that divert water for environmental purposes should be required to budget explicitly for the lost revenue associated with the decision to divert it for this purpose, rather than allowing it to be sold at the market price for urban or agricultural use. (<a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/edward-lazear-government-dries-up-californias-water-supply-1403822789">WSJ</a>)</blockquote> <p>...and he argues that farmers, who might have to pay more for water on a more-open market, should get extra money to help them transition to the free market.</p> <ul> <li>Cato loves Lazear's arguments, and offers one amendment. Chris Edwards <strong>wants the federal government to get out of the water business</strong>, and in California, to hand over the Central Valley Project to the state. (<a href="http://www.cato.org/blog/california-drought-water-policy">Cato</a>)</li> <li>In other business news, it's going to be <strong>a mixed bag for boat businesses at California recreation areas this summer</strong>. They're nervous in Tahoe, but overall expect to benefit from Folsom Lake's bad year. (<a href="http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/2014/06/drought-crimps-boating-parts-west/">TradeOnly Today</a>)</li> <li>CNN gets into <strong>the Firehawk, which is a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter with a giant water tank on it</strong>. L.A. County owns a few. They're going to be busy this summer, thanks to the drought. (<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/27/tech/wildfires-firehawk-helicopter/">CNN</a>)</li> <li>And finally, in a move that reminds me of the time I wanted to name this blog "Hot, Wet, Climate Action," <strong>the San Francisco Public Utility Commission has a new, sexy (or is it sexxy?) campaign to conserve water</strong>, with words like "QUICKIE" and "DOING IT" popping out of copy alongside minimalist pictures of pieces of water plumbing. My favorite is "DIRTY HANDS" with its faucet shot to look like a piece of anatomy. (<a href="http://sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=848">SFPUC</a>)</li> </ul> <p><strong>VIDEO: <a href="http://youtu.be/FoSWhaSO6_4" title="Get paid for doing it nice!">Get paid for doing it nice!</a></strong></p> <p>How has your community been affected by the drought (besides getting more suggestive ads about jiggling the toilet handle)? Share your story with a photo on Twitter or Instagram. Tag it #mydrought. For more details on our photo project, click here.</p> <p><a href="https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/06/27/16925/california-drought-news-sex-in-shower-conservation/">This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.</a></p> Fri, 27 Jun 2014 08:52:39 -0700 California toxic regulators sue FedEx over handling of hazardous shipments https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/06/26/16921/california-toxic-regulators-sue-fedex-over-handlin/ https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/06/26/16921/california-toxic-regulators-sue-fedex-over-handlin/ Molly Peterson <img src="https://a.scpr.org/i/dd254cb7c87090b486729c8885ffa7e1/87286-small.jpg" width="2048" height="1231" alt="" /> <p><i>The Department of Toxic Substances Control is claiming that FedEx Ground has mishandled hazardous materials in packages. ; Credit: Thomas Hawk/via Flickr</i></p> <p><address>Molly Peterson</address></p><p>State regulators have sued FedEx Ground, claiming the company mishandled hazardous chemicals at facilities throughout California during the last 5 years.  </p> <p>An investigation into a fire four years ago in San Diego prompted a wider inquiry into how FedEx handles restricted chemicals in statewide shipping at all of its facilities.</p> <p>Regulators claim FedEx didn’t handle thousands of damaged and hazardous packages properly. The state’s complaint claims FedEx would remove damaged packages from shipping and store them for lengthy periods of time in salvage drums, which were moved from hubs to terminals within the company’s network of facilities.  </p> <p>These packages contained goods ranging from insecticides and acids to old batteries and other flammable and toxic materials – pretty small shipments, less than 65 pounds, but investigators say they’ve found problems with more than 20 tons of goods shipped over a 5-year period.</p> <p>Each violation alleged in the state’s lawsuit carries a penalty of up to 25-thousand dollars. In a written statement, FedEx spokeswoman Katie Wassmer says the company "complies with all applicable local, state and federal reporting requirements." </p> <p>The state-court complaint is the latest legal salvo in a dispute among California and local officials and FedEx.</p> <p>Earlier this spring, FedEx sued the DTSC and district attorneys from three cities, including Los Angeles, seeking a declaration that federal law pre-empts California's waste handling laws, and that state officials are incorrectly interpreting laws governing FedEx. </p> <p>"To preserve our rights as a federally-registered motor carrier, FedEx Ground filed suit in federal court" said Wassmer. "We are confident that a thorough review of the regulatory framework through the judicial process will support our position."</p> <p><a href="https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/06/26/16921/california-toxic-regulators-sue-fedex-over-handlin/">This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.</a></p> Thu, 26 Jun 2014 15:34:28 -0700 California Drought News: Snake bites, fireworks and what to do about water jerks https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/06/26/16914/california-drought-news-snake-bites-fireworks-and/ https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/06/26/16914/california-drought-news-snake-bites-fireworks-and/ Jed Kim <img src="https://a.scpr.org/i/c1e5a0be18aef8bc7ac9628f1d31e1ac/87224-small.jpg" width="1024" height="1024" alt="Water jerks button" /> <p><i>; Credit: Beatrice the Biologist / Scientific American</i></p> <p><address>Jed Kim</address></p><p>Today's dryku:<br> <em>Food budgets are tight<br> Droughts do raise vegetables' price<br> But don't make snakes bite</em></p> <p><strong>Food:</strong></p> <ul> <li>The USDA released its monthly food price outlook. Looks like prices are going to be up at least 3.5%. <strong>Fresh fruit could go up by 6%</strong>. Bloomberg has a <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/chart/ignajsCympn4">chart</a> showing how produce is projected to hit its highest price in 18 years. (<a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-fruit-and-vegetable-prices-california-drought-continues-20140625-story.html">LA Times</a>)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Critters:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Southern California seems to be seeing a <strong>higher rate of rattlesnake bites this year.</strong> Despite the article's headline, experts in the story say it's not because of the drought. A shorter winter has brought snakes out of hibernation earlier, meaning a longer active season, meaning more need for anti-venin.</li> </ul> <blockquote>As of June 12, 128 people were admitted to a hospital for a snakebite and of those, 93 received doses of anti-venin, Heard said. In 2013, 269 Californians went to a hospital for a snakebite and of those, 166 received anti-venin, he said. Simply doubling the number of patients needing anti-venin treatment would equal 186, more than 2013. (Some patients get “dry bites” meaning no venom is injected and therefore do not need anti-venin, he said). (<a href="http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_26031545/drought-may-be-causing-higher-rates-snakebites-southern">Contra Costa Times</a>)</blockquote> <ul> <li>It's been a mixed bag for salmon this year. Some have needed to be trucked out to the ocean, because their streams are too dry. In the case of coho salmon, the drought has actually caused <strong>a record number to enter the ocean</strong>. It's not all good news though:</li> </ul> <blockquote>Biologists say that only 206 salmon egg clusters, known as "redds," were counted in the Lagunitas this year, well below the 20-year average of 250 "redds." And the fish that headed off to the ocean may not fare as well. They are smaller than normal and could face more difficult ocean conditions due to the warming pattern known as El Niño, scientists say. (<a href="http://www.chicoer.com/breakingnews/ci_26030197/drought-helps-coho-salmon">Chico Enterprise-Record</a>)</blockquote> <p><strong>Fireworks:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Sacramento cops are out in force, looking for illegal fireworks. T<strong>he sheriff's department will double its number of officers on the hunt</strong>. Starting this week, having the little fire starters can mean jail time. (<a href="http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/06/25/illegal-fireworks-in-spotlight-as-fourth-of-july-draws-near-during-california-drought/">CBS Sacramento</a>)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Water jerks:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Everyone seems to be at a loss on how to get people to start saving water. Beatrice the Biologist may have stumbled onto the answer — <strong>it's a mixture of shame and badges.</strong> I'm going to print out the car one and post it in my window. Maybe then people will stop judging me for my filthy Camry. (<a href="http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/symbiartic/2014/06/24/dont-be-a-water-jerk/">Scientific American</a>)</li> </ul> <p>How has your community been affected by the drought? Share your story with a photo on Twitter or Instagram. Tag it #mydrought. For more details on our photo project, click <a href="http://audiovision.scpr.org/375/mydrought">here</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/06/26/16914/california-drought-news-snake-bites-fireworks-and/">This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.</a></p> Thu, 26 Jun 2014 08:46:51 -0700 California Drought News: Dust in the 'Salad Bowl,' the (property) price of water, SFers get a pat on the head, more https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/06/25/16905/california-drought-news-dust-in-the-salad-bowl-the/ https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/06/25/16905/california-drought-news-dust-in-the-salad-bowl-the/ KPCC Staff <img src="https://a.scpr.org/i/60bc79036d0ad12f73cebcef33efa029/85250-small.jpg" width="3000" height="2001" alt="California drought - generic Farmers Hire Drilling Crew To Search For Water To Irrigate Crops" /> <p><i>Dried and cracked earth is visible on an unplanted field at a farm on April 29, 2014 near Mendota, California. ; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images</i></p> <p><address>KPCC Staff</address></p><ul> <li>Summer is upon us, and KPIX in San Francisco reports three years of drought in the Central Valley has <strong>turned America's salad bowl into a "dust bowl."</strong> (<a href="http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/06/24/california-drought-turning-central-valley-farmland-into-dust-bowl-kcbs-cover-story/">KPIX</a>)</li> <li>Speaking of summer and San Francisco, it appears denizens of the City by the Bay have done such a good job of conserving water, their water agency has already decided <strong>there will be no mandatory restrictions this summer</strong>. (<a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_26019788/bay-areas-largest-water-district-say-no-mandatory">San Jose Mercury News</a>)</li> <li>Meanwhile, SFGate columnist Mark Morford wonders <strong>how water availability will factor into property values for summer get-aways</strong> north of San Francisco:</li> </ul> <blockquote> <p>Wait, what? Right, the water. The Looming Issue. The Unexpected Fear. Water – or rather, the potential lack thereof – is something I didn’t realize I’d be quite so worried about when I started my search. But now? It’s damn near unavoidable. (<a href="http://blog.sfgate.com/morford/2014/06/24/an-inordinate-fear-of-no-water/">SFGate</a>)</p> </blockquote> <ul> <li> <strong>"As the Water Bond Turns" continues in Sacramento.</strong> In the latest episode, Gov. Brown stops playing hard to get and decides to commit, but will he find a willing (political) partner? Stay Tuned. (<a href="http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2014/06/gov-jerry-brown-relays-water-bond-priorities-to-lawmakers.html">Sacramento Bee</a>)</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/06/25/16905/california-drought-news-dust-in-the-salad-bowl-the/">This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.</a></p> Wed, 25 Jun 2014 08:21:33 -0700