Nevada County Water Digest

A coalition of well owners and activists told the county supes of their concerns regarding the Idaho-Maryland gold mine. RISE Gold Corporation of Canada’s proposal will pump over a million gallons daily; residents fear depletion of groundwater.

Stanford scientists have genetically re-programmed plants to grow roots that change how they gather nutrients or water.

The Sierra Nevada Conservancy Governing Board authorized $10 million in Watershed Improvement Program grants for conservation projects; $1 million will be used to acquire 1,000 acres on the Cosumnes River in El Dorado County.

In the fall, rice fields in the Sacramento Valley usually shine golden brown as they await harvesting. This year, however, many fields were left covered with bare dirt.

Drought, human-caused climate change, invasive species and a “legacy” of environmental issues are permanently altering California’s landscape and placing some communities and ecosystems at increasing risk.

A dozen independent fish scientists are calling for urgent changes to sport fishing rules to save California’s largest freshwater fish after an unprecedented red tide this summer left hundreds of them dead.

For eight straight days this summer, farmers in far Northern California drained almost all of the water out of a river in defiance of the state’s drought regulations. The move infuriated environmentalists and salmon-dependent Native American tribes downstream.

Linda and Stewart Resnick have donated $50 million to UC Davis for an agricultural research center—the largest donation in the campus’s history—but the couple’s Wonderful Company is the state’s single biggest water user.

As Lake Tahoe watercraft inspections shift to winter operations, inspectors have reported far fewer vessels with aquatic invasive species onboard.

Wildfires, drought, extreme heat and other effects of climate change are compounding in California, according to a report from state scientists.

As drought drives prices higher, families are facing water bills of more than $200 a month. With 1 in 10 households behind on water payments, calls are mounting for the state to step in and help.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a warm, dry winter is in store for much of California as La Niña conditions are expected to persist through at least January.

After nearly a dozen years with the South Yuba River Citizens League, including five years at its helm, Melinda Booth will step down as executive director following the 21st anniversary of the Wild & Scenic Film Festival in February 2023.

The growth and spread of algae is one reason blue lakes around the world can go green in the summer. Most algae in Lake Tahoe does not pose a health risk to people or animals. Keep Tahoe Blue offers tips on dealing harmful algal blooms.

The Tahoe Fund and EarthViews have created the first “street view” style map of all 72 miles of Lake Tahoe’s shoreline. This new, interactive map offers a 360-degree view of the shoreline, as well as underwater views and water quality data.

A beached vessel has been bobbing in the waters of Lake Tahoe since at least June 2021. Moonshine Ink reporters asked what the deal with the boat was, and also what gives with a giant hole in the earth near downtown Truckee.

A new community of wind enthusiasts from varied water sport backgrounds—windsurfing, kiteboarding, surfing—have taken up a new sport called “wing foiling,” and it is blowing into Tahoe quickly.

The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has issued a new statewide advisory offering fish consumption advice. The Truckee River is included.

The nonprofit group SaveTahoeBeaches.org wants to raise awareness of the growing problem of algae proliferation in Lake Tahoe, which causes foul odors and unkept beaches.

The American River Basin will see increasing temperatures and a declining snowpack through the end of the 21st century, according to a study released by the Bureau of Reclamation. Also, variability of fall and winter precipitation will amplify the severity of droughts and flooding.

Below the Blue, a nonprofit that works to remove debris from bodies of water, came on the scene in 2020. But its founders have a much longer history in Lake Tahoe.

It’s been 10 years since scuba divers Seth Jones and Monique Rydel-Fortner first spotted old, lead-coated AT&T cables in the depths of Lake Tahoe while diving in Emerald Bay. A settlement last fall called for their removal, but they’re still underwater.

The Nevada County Grand Jury released a report on the Nevada Irrigation District titled “Troubled Waters” that investigates complaints regarding water rates and failures to follow policies. It also found fault with the redistricting process.

The Washoe Tribe of California and Nevada and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency will be working at a federally funded level to curb the spread of invasive species in Lake Tahoe. Over $17 million is earmarked to eliminate toxic plants, build inspection stations, and educate others on the preservation of the Tahoe basin.

Even small nonprofits can make a difference in the environment, as has been proven by the South Yuba River Citizens League. For over 20 years, they have monitored the quality of the Yuba watershed without receiving any sort of compensation.

The Nevada Irrigation District drinking water once again exceeded federal public standards, as reported in the latest Annual Water Quality Report. This report summarizes all testing and monitoring programs that were conducted in 2021.

The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is reaching out to both the general community and fellow agencies to seek input on the environmental review of the Meeks Bay Restoration Project. The goal is to return the area into a more natural state while still accommodating recreation.

California faces the prospect of a drought-fueled summer of power shortages, hydroelectric plant shutdowns and rising electricity costs, a new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration warns.

Due to continued low water levels, the Sand Harbor boat ramp will remain closed for the summer. Beginning on May 27, the parking lot will be opened to provide limited parking for vehicles with kayaks and paddleboards.

In a Sierra Nevada forest torched by wildfire, researcher Anne Nolin and her colleague are studying another factor that might make the snow vanish faster: the scorched trees, which no longer provide much shade and are shedding flecks of carbon.

The Nevada Irrigation District will begin managing the South Yuba Canal and the Deer Creek Powerhouse, calling it a “good fit for NID as they are critical conveyance facilities for NID’s water supply,”

Monique Rydel-Fortner and Seth Jones have seen more of what lies underwater at Lake Tahoe than most. In cooperation with the League to Save Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, they are working to stop the illicit practice of using the lake as a construction site dumpster.