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"content": "\u003cp>San Francisco will soon begin requiring new buildings to have solar panels installed on the roof.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It's the first major U.S. city to have such a requirement, \u003ca href=\"https://medium.com/@Scott_Wiener/press-release-board-of-supervisors-unanimously-passes-supervisor-wiener-s-legislation-to-require-693deb9c2369#.3iu2945a0\">according to Scott Weiner\u003c/a>, the city supervisor who introduced the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ordinance, which was passed unanimously by the Board of Supervisors, builds on an existing California law requiring new buildings to set aside 15 percent of the roof as \"solar ready\" -- clear and unshaded. That law applies to residential and commercial buildings 10 stories or shorter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, instead of just preparing the roof for solar panels, such buildings would need to actually install some form of solar energy -- either electricity-generating panels or solar heating units.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It's a step toward San Francisco's goal of meeting the city's electrical demands with 100 percent renewable energy, Wiener notes in his statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Activating underutilized roof space is a smart and efficient way to promote the use of solar energy and improve our environment,\" he says. \"We need to continue to pursue aggressive renewable energy policies to ensure a sustainable future for our city and our region.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://sfgov.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=4399794&GUID=FE220DFF-2C3F-4F0B-8C9B-39F1A61039F2\">legislation itself\u003c/a> is even more explicit about San Francisco's particular interest in finding energy sources that don't contribute to climate change:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\n\u003cp>\"As a coastal city located on the tip of a peninsula, San Francisco is vulnerable to sea level rise, and human activities releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere cause increases in worldwide average temperature, which contribute to melting of glaciers and thermal expansion of ocean water -- resulting in rising sea levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"San Francisco is already experiencing the repercussions of excessive CO2 emissions as rising sea levels threaten the City's shoreline and infrastructure, have caused significant erosion, increased impacts to infrastructure during extreme tides, and have caused the City to expend funds to modify the sewer system.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Reaction to the ordinance has been mixed. Two of San Francisco's former environment commissioners, both advocates for solar power, \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfexaminer.com/leading-way-solar-energy/\">celebrated the news\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://fortune.com/2016/04/20/san-francisco-solar-building-law/\">Fortune magazine notes\u003c/a> that the new requirement is an extra hurdle for development in a city where new construction is already \"notoriously difficult.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But \u003ca href=\"http://www.engadget.com/2016/04/20/san-francisco-solar-panel-mandate/\">Engadget suggests\u003c/a> the impact of the law might not be that dramatic -- San Francisco isn't seeing a ton of new buildings that are under 10 stories tall, the website says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And \u003ca href=\"http://www.vox.com/2016/4/20/11467110/san-francisco-solar-density\">Vox argues\u003c/a> that boosting city density might have an even bigger impact on carbon levels than the solar panel law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new requirement goes into effect at the beginning of 2017. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>San Francisco will soon begin requiring new buildings to have solar panels installed on the roof.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It's the first major U.S. city to have such a requirement, \u003ca href=\"https://medium.com/@Scott_Wiener/press-release-board-of-supervisors-unanimously-passes-supervisor-wiener-s-legislation-to-require-693deb9c2369#.3iu2945a0\">according to Scott Weiner\u003c/a>, the city supervisor who introduced the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ordinance, which was passed unanimously by the Board of Supervisors, builds on an existing California law requiring new buildings to set aside 15 percent of the roof as \"solar ready\" -- clear and unshaded. That law applies to residential and commercial buildings 10 stories or shorter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, instead of just preparing the roof for solar panels, such buildings would need to actually install some form of solar energy -- either electricity-generating panels or solar heating units.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It's a step toward San Francisco's goal of meeting the city's electrical demands with 100 percent renewable energy, Wiener notes in his statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Activating underutilized roof space is a smart and efficient way to promote the use of solar energy and improve our environment,\" he says. \"We need to continue to pursue aggressive renewable energy policies to ensure a sustainable future for our city and our region.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://sfgov.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=4399794&GUID=FE220DFF-2C3F-4F0B-8C9B-39F1A61039F2\">legislation itself\u003c/a> is even more explicit about San Francisco's particular interest in finding energy sources that don't contribute to climate change:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\n\u003cp>\"As a coastal city located on the tip of a peninsula, San Francisco is vulnerable to sea level rise, and human activities releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere cause increases in worldwide average temperature, which contribute to melting of glaciers and thermal expansion of ocean water -- resulting in rising sea levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"San Francisco is already experiencing the repercussions of excessive CO2 emissions as rising sea levels threaten the City's shoreline and infrastructure, have caused significant erosion, increased impacts to infrastructure during extreme tides, and have caused the City to expend funds to modify the sewer system.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Reaction to the ordinance has been mixed. Two of San Francisco's former environment commissioners, both advocates for solar power, \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfexaminer.com/leading-way-solar-energy/\">celebrated the news\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://fortune.com/2016/04/20/san-francisco-solar-building-law/\">Fortune magazine notes\u003c/a> that the new requirement is an extra hurdle for development in a city where new construction is already \"notoriously difficult.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But \u003ca href=\"http://www.engadget.com/2016/04/20/san-francisco-solar-panel-mandate/\">Engadget suggests\u003c/a> the impact of the law might not be that dramatic -- San Francisco isn't seeing a ton of new buildings that are under 10 stories tall, the website says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And \u003ca href=\"http://www.vox.com/2016/4/20/11467110/san-francisco-solar-density\">Vox argues\u003c/a> that boosting city density might have an even bigger impact on carbon levels than the solar panel law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new requirement goes into effect at the beginning of 2017. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Is California’s Water System Really Broken?",
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"content": "\u003cp>Farmers in the western San Joaquin Valley are facing another year with curtailed water allocations, while fish populations are as low as they’ve ever been. Something, clearly, isn’t working, and agriculture industry lobbyists say they know what the problem is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our water delivery system is broken,” says Gayle Holman, spokesperson for Westlands Water District, a large San Joaquin Valley farming region expected to take a hard hit this year from reduced water deliveries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”Gr8fse4v90zRv9sxyPZNSirJ8tLqmkeL”]Holman argues that environmental restrictions against pumping water from the Delta are harming farmers’ livelihoods without doing any good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fish, agriculture, communities – none of them are benefiting from the precautions [against pumping],” Holman claims. “We’re seeing an overall erosion of the productivity of the Delta and the farmland south of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is no doubt that fish species such as winter-run Chinook salmon, delta smelt and several others are slipping toward extinction – but why? Farm lobbyists say removal of water from the Delta has little to do with the declines and that non-native species are a bigger problem. They say striped bass are eating imperiled fishes at unsustainable rates, and over the past few years water users have supported multiple legislative efforts to cull striped bass numbers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Predation [on salmon] is a huge problem we haven’t addressed,” says Mike Wade, the executive director of the California Farm Water Coalition, a group that lobbies for farmers statewide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Research conducted in 2012 on the Tuolumne River by the private research firm FishBio found striped bass stuffed with baby salmon. To many water users, this is clear and damning evidence that striped bass are a lead driver in the decades-long decline of the Central Valley’s native fishes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the problem isn’t so simple, according to numerous fishery scientists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yes, these fish often die in the mouth of a striped bass,” says Jon Rosenfield, a conservation biologist with the Bay Institute, a watchdog environmental group in San Francisco. “But when a person dies in the emergency room, it wasn’t the hospital that killed them. So, the question you have to ask is, what conditions got the fish into the striped bass’s mouth?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The entire ecosystem is collapsing, and striped bass numbers are plunging about as rapidly as those of salmon, smelt and other species. Rosenfield says so much water is now being taken out of the Delta on an annual basis that what was once a thriving estuary functions today more like a large, warm-water swamp, friendly to some non-native fishes, such as black bass, catfish and sunfish, but very hostile to most native fishes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These [farm groups] always want to remove the predators, and that is not the solution,” Rosenfield says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rather, he maintains, restoring the Central Valley’s waterways and their seasonal flow patterns to something resembling their natural state would prompt a response in native fish numbers. It is well known that gushing winter and spring floods can essentially wash juvenile salmon safely out to sea in a protective smokescreen of mud and silt. For this reason, salmon hatcheries often release their smolts immediately after large rain events.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists such as striped bass expert David Ostrach, U.C. Davis’ Peter Moyle and Carson Jeffres, and California Trout’s Jacob Katz, have all argued that the loss of annual flood cycles, as well as riverside floodplain habitat, has made survival for small fish in the Central Valley’s waterways almost impossible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>FishBio’s Doug Demko, who led the Tuolumne River research, says he has observed that young salmon do poorly when river and Delta flows are reduced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In those low-flow and medium-flow water years, juvenile salmon mortality is extremely high,” Demko says. “In high-flow years, we get much higher survival.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Striped bass were introduced to California in the late 1800s. The fish took well to the Bay and Delta. As a species, they established themselves, naturalized and boomed. For about 80 years striped bass thrived. Ostrach says there may have been 4 million adult striped bass in the Bay-Delta system in the 1960s. There may have been even more in the decades prior, before close scientific fish surveys had begun. Meanwhile, Chinook salmon – especially the commercial important fall run – supported by fish hatcheries, remained fairly strong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1951, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Central Valley Project began operating a massive pumping station in the southern Delta. About a decade later, the California Department of Water Resources introduced a similar pumping station to support its own conveyance system, the State Water Project. Pumping rates grew steadily from about 1.5 million acre-feet (1.8 billion cubic meters) in the 1960s to the 4 million acre-foot level by the 1970s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, the decline of the Delta ecosystem began in earnest. This deterioration has been closely tracked by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which started an annual survey called the Fall Midwater Trawl in 1967. The idea was to take a yearly snapshot of fish abundance by dragging the same-sized net over the same parcels of water on about the same days every year. In the survey’s first year, department biologists calculated an abundance index of 19,677 juvenile stripers . That number has dropped steadily since, to anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 through the 1980s and 1990s. Over the same time period, winter-run Chinook salmon, as well as salmon runs in the San Joaquin River, followed a similar downward trajectory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, in the early 2000s – after a rapid increase in water pumping pushed Delta exports to record rates of more than 6 million acre-feet (7.4 billion cubic meters) – the decline accelerated, with the striper index ranging from a few dozen to about 300. Bar graphs showing the survey results for several other species look nearly the same, with abundance of each bottoming out to almost nothing in the early 2000s. Delta smelt are now considered essentially extinct in the wild. The simultaneous crash of multiple Delta fish species has been so dramatic that biologists even have a name for it – the Pelagic Organism Decline .\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Farm lobbyists remain unconvinced. Wade, at the California Farm Water Coalition, says attributing fish declines to water diversions is erroneous and causes needless harm to growers of fruit trees and vegetable crops in the western San Joaquin Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is no science that shows the export pumps at the south end of the Delta are having a long-term impact on salmon or delta smelt,” Wade says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the correlation between water pumping and fish declines grows even stronger when fall-run Chinook salmon are added to the equation: In the early 2000s, as the Pelagic Organism Decline began, the Sacramento’s fall run finally caved, as well. Record low returns of the fish came three years after the record high Delta exports. The entire fishery was closed for the first time in 2008. In a 2009 report , scientists with the National Marine Fisheries Service attributed the decline to a combination of poor ocean conditions as well as inland habitat problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We recognize … that the rapid and likely temporary deterioration in ocean conditions is acting on top of a long-term, steady degradation of the freshwater and estuarine environment,” the authors wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how much water must be left to flow through the estuary? A certain amount is needed just to keep saltwater from entering the Delta and the pumps themselves. Rosenfield says that from October through March, 1.97 million acre-feet (2.43 billion cubic meters) were allowed through the Delta for this essential purpose – or about 12 percent of the water that fell as precipitation in the Central Valley drainage basin in that time. While fish are often blamed by farmers for hindering operation of the Delta pumps, endangered species protections were responsible for only 664,000 acre-feet – or 4 percent of the basin’s total precipitation – that entered the Bay in that time period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an average year, more than half the Central Valley’s winter–spring runoff is captured behind dams or pumped out of the Delta, according to Rosenfield. That’s too much. Scientists have calculated that a healthy Delta ecosystem would need closer to 75 percent of that flow moving through the estuary and into San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But water alone may not be enough to help the fish. Jacob Katz at California Trout says Chinook salmon also need riverside habitat that floods annually. Katz has led research showing that juvenile salmon that are given access to flooded rice fields beside the Sacramento River grow exceptionally fast and, ultimately, have vastly better odds of avoiding predators and reaching the ocean. This habitat has been mostly eliminated from California’s rivers by levees and berms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for the Bay-Delta’s striped bass population, it has been dwindling for years. Ostrach says there may be as few as 250,000 adults today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says there is no doubt striped bass have suffered for the same reasons as salmon and smelt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A combined set of factors has aligned against all of the [Delta’s] fisheries,” Ostrach says. “The major problem is that we no longer have a functioning estuary but have engineered an ecosystem much more similar to an Arkansas lake. It’s no wonder that fish that live in an estuary can’t survive here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decline of multiple estuarine species at once suggests the environment they share in common is under extreme pressure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The delta smelt lived for 20,000 years in the Delta, and they’ve survived earthquakes and floods and drought and every kind of thing nature has thrown at them, but they can’t survive us,” Rosenfield says. “And Chinook salmon have thrived in every major system from here up to Alaska and around to Russia and Japan, but they can’t survive in our rivers anymore. What does this say about our rivers?”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Farmers in the western San Joaquin Valley are facing another year with curtailed water allocations, while fish populations are as low as they’ve ever been. Something, clearly, isn’t working, and agriculture industry lobbyists say they know what the problem is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our water delivery system is broken,” says Gayle Holman, spokesperson for Westlands Water District, a large San Joaquin Valley farming region expected to take a hard hit this year from reduced water deliveries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>Holman argues that environmental restrictions against pumping water from the Delta are harming farmers’ livelihoods without doing any good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fish, agriculture, communities – none of them are benefiting from the precautions [against pumping],” Holman claims. “We’re seeing an overall erosion of the productivity of the Delta and the farmland south of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is no doubt that fish species such as winter-run Chinook salmon, delta smelt and several others are slipping toward extinction – but why? Farm lobbyists say removal of water from the Delta has little to do with the declines and that non-native species are a bigger problem. They say striped bass are eating imperiled fishes at unsustainable rates, and over the past few years water users have supported multiple legislative efforts to cull striped bass numbers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Predation [on salmon] is a huge problem we haven’t addressed,” says Mike Wade, the executive director of the California Farm Water Coalition, a group that lobbies for farmers statewide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Research conducted in 2012 on the Tuolumne River by the private research firm FishBio found striped bass stuffed with baby salmon. To many water users, this is clear and damning evidence that striped bass are a lead driver in the decades-long decline of the Central Valley’s native fishes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the problem isn’t so simple, according to numerous fishery scientists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yes, these fish often die in the mouth of a striped bass,” says Jon Rosenfield, a conservation biologist with the Bay Institute, a watchdog environmental group in San Francisco. “But when a person dies in the emergency room, it wasn’t the hospital that killed them. So, the question you have to ask is, what conditions got the fish into the striped bass’s mouth?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The entire ecosystem is collapsing, and striped bass numbers are plunging about as rapidly as those of salmon, smelt and other species. Rosenfield says so much water is now being taken out of the Delta on an annual basis that what was once a thriving estuary functions today more like a large, warm-water swamp, friendly to some non-native fishes, such as black bass, catfish and sunfish, but very hostile to most native fishes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These [farm groups] always want to remove the predators, and that is not the solution,” Rosenfield says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rather, he maintains, restoring the Central Valley’s waterways and their seasonal flow patterns to something resembling their natural state would prompt a response in native fish numbers. It is well known that gushing winter and spring floods can essentially wash juvenile salmon safely out to sea in a protective smokescreen of mud and silt. For this reason, salmon hatcheries often release their smolts immediately after large rain events.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists such as striped bass expert David Ostrach, U.C. Davis’ Peter Moyle and Carson Jeffres, and California Trout’s Jacob Katz, have all argued that the loss of annual flood cycles, as well as riverside floodplain habitat, has made survival for small fish in the Central Valley’s waterways almost impossible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>FishBio’s Doug Demko, who led the Tuolumne River research, says he has observed that young salmon do poorly when river and Delta flows are reduced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In those low-flow and medium-flow water years, juvenile salmon mortality is extremely high,” Demko says. “In high-flow years, we get much higher survival.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Striped bass were introduced to California in the late 1800s. The fish took well to the Bay and Delta. As a species, they established themselves, naturalized and boomed. For about 80 years striped bass thrived. Ostrach says there may have been 4 million adult striped bass in the Bay-Delta system in the 1960s. There may have been even more in the decades prior, before close scientific fish surveys had begun. Meanwhile, Chinook salmon – especially the commercial important fall run – supported by fish hatcheries, remained fairly strong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1951, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Central Valley Project began operating a massive pumping station in the southern Delta. About a decade later, the California Department of Water Resources introduced a similar pumping station to support its own conveyance system, the State Water Project. Pumping rates grew steadily from about 1.5 million acre-feet (1.8 billion cubic meters) in the 1960s to the 4 million acre-foot level by the 1970s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, the decline of the Delta ecosystem began in earnest. This deterioration has been closely tracked by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which started an annual survey called the Fall Midwater Trawl in 1967. The idea was to take a yearly snapshot of fish abundance by dragging the same-sized net over the same parcels of water on about the same days every year. In the survey’s first year, department biologists calculated an abundance index of 19,677 juvenile stripers . That number has dropped steadily since, to anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 through the 1980s and 1990s. Over the same time period, winter-run Chinook salmon, as well as salmon runs in the San Joaquin River, followed a similar downward trajectory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, in the early 2000s – after a rapid increase in water pumping pushed Delta exports to record rates of more than 6 million acre-feet (7.4 billion cubic meters) – the decline accelerated, with the striper index ranging from a few dozen to about 300. Bar graphs showing the survey results for several other species look nearly the same, with abundance of each bottoming out to almost nothing in the early 2000s. Delta smelt are now considered essentially extinct in the wild. The simultaneous crash of multiple Delta fish species has been so dramatic that biologists even have a name for it – the Pelagic Organism Decline .\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Farm lobbyists remain unconvinced. Wade, at the California Farm Water Coalition, says attributing fish declines to water diversions is erroneous and causes needless harm to growers of fruit trees and vegetable crops in the western San Joaquin Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is no science that shows the export pumps at the south end of the Delta are having a long-term impact on salmon or delta smelt,” Wade says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the correlation between water pumping and fish declines grows even stronger when fall-run Chinook salmon are added to the equation: In the early 2000s, as the Pelagic Organism Decline began, the Sacramento’s fall run finally caved, as well. Record low returns of the fish came three years after the record high Delta exports. The entire fishery was closed for the first time in 2008. In a 2009 report , scientists with the National Marine Fisheries Service attributed the decline to a combination of poor ocean conditions as well as inland habitat problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We recognize … that the rapid and likely temporary deterioration in ocean conditions is acting on top of a long-term, steady degradation of the freshwater and estuarine environment,” the authors wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how much water must be left to flow through the estuary? A certain amount is needed just to keep saltwater from entering the Delta and the pumps themselves. Rosenfield says that from October through March, 1.97 million acre-feet (2.43 billion cubic meters) were allowed through the Delta for this essential purpose – or about 12 percent of the water that fell as precipitation in the Central Valley drainage basin in that time. While fish are often blamed by farmers for hindering operation of the Delta pumps, endangered species protections were responsible for only 664,000 acre-feet – or 4 percent of the basin’s total precipitation – that entered the Bay in that time period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an average year, more than half the Central Valley’s winter–spring runoff is captured behind dams or pumped out of the Delta, according to Rosenfield. That’s too much. Scientists have calculated that a healthy Delta ecosystem would need closer to 75 percent of that flow moving through the estuary and into San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But water alone may not be enough to help the fish. Jacob Katz at California Trout says Chinook salmon also need riverside habitat that floods annually. Katz has led research showing that juvenile salmon that are given access to flooded rice fields beside the Sacramento River grow exceptionally fast and, ultimately, have vastly better odds of avoiding predators and reaching the ocean. This habitat has been mostly eliminated from California’s rivers by levees and berms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for the Bay-Delta’s striped bass population, it has been dwindling for years. Ostrach says there may be as few as 250,000 adults today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says there is no doubt striped bass have suffered for the same reasons as salmon and smelt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A combined set of factors has aligned against all of the [Delta’s] fisheries,” Ostrach says. “The major problem is that we no longer have a functioning estuary but have engineered an ecosystem much more similar to an Arkansas lake. It’s no wonder that fish that live in an estuary can’t survive here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decline of multiple estuarine species at once suggests the environment they share in common is under extreme pressure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The delta smelt lived for 20,000 years in the Delta, and they’ve survived earthquakes and floods and drought and every kind of thing nature has thrown at them, but they can’t survive us,” Rosenfield says. “And Chinook salmon have thrived in every major system from here up to Alaska and around to Russia and Japan, but they can’t survive in our rivers anymore. What does this say about our rivers?”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Opponents Sue to Block L.A. Water District's Purchase of Delta Islands",
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"content": "\u003cp>Two counties, a pair of water agencies and conservation groups have joined together in a lawsuit to block the Metropolitan Water District's \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2016/04/13/metropolitan-water-districts-175-million-land-deal-raises-alarms-in-delta\">$175 million acquisition\u003c/a> of four islands and part of a fifth in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Joaquin County, Contra Costa County, the Contra Costa County Water Agency, the Central Delta Water Agency, Food and Water Watch and the Planning and Conservation League argue in a suit filed last Thursday (\u003ca href=\"#mwdlawsuit\">embedded below\u003c/a>) that the purchase requires further review under the California Environmental Quality Act.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"rLO553hiyafmFhaQ3aWY2WAgXEsx5L2m\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month, Metropolitan filed for a categorical exemption of environmental review related to the purchase, a determination usually made when activity on the land will have no environmental impact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is simply a purchase of land,” says Metropolitan spokesman Bob Muir.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the land Metropolitan hopes to buy holds strategic importance to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.californiawaterfix.com\">California WaterFix\u003c/a>, a plan to replumb the state’s water delivery system sought by Southern California and San Joaquin Valley water interests and boosted by Gov. Jerry Brown. Anchoring the plan are twin tunnels that would carry water supplies around the Delta to points south. Bacon Island and Bouldin Island, two of the five parcels, are on the proposed tunnel route.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Metropolitan’s opponents want the water wholesaler’s executive board to rescind the sale and do a full environmental analysis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Metropolitan’s general manager [Jeff Kightlinger] has blatantly stated that one of the reasons for their purchase was to build giant tunnels that would direct water away from the estuary,” says Jonas Minton, water policy advisor for the Planning and Conservation League.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“San Joaquin County is not going to stand idly by and allow [Metropolitan] to circumvent California environmental laws and make up its own rules in order to bulldoze its way through the Delta,” San Joaquin County counsel Mark Myles said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other legal challenges to Metropolitan’s plans could follow. Neighbors to the five properties had signed an agreement in 2013 with then-owner Zurich American Corp., setting conditions on how the land can be used. Those neighbors, including the Central Delta Water Agency, have said they plan to exercise their rights under that agreement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Planning and Conservation League's Minton says that the purchase could be a bad deal for Metropolitan's ratepayers. If opponents derail the tunnel plan, he says, that would leave the district's customers on the hook for levee maintenance and habitat restoration on the five island properties, hundreds of miles away from their homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Metropolitan’s Muir counters that the district has not decided how to use the properties yet, so a full study of the property would be premature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Once we decide if we plan to change the existing use, we will do the required environmental analysis,” Muir says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Metropolitan’s executive board, which narrowly approved the sale in March, has delayed discussion of the land deal until May. Under the terms of the sales agreement, escrow is expected to close in early June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"mwdlawsuit\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe class=\"scribd_iframe_embed\" src=\"https://www.scribd.com/embeds/309475155/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true\" data-auto-height=\"false\" data-aspect-ratio=\"undefined\" scrolling=\"no\" id=\"doc_31014\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Two counties, a pair of water agencies and conservation groups have joined together in a lawsuit to block the Metropolitan Water District's \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2016/04/13/metropolitan-water-districts-175-million-land-deal-raises-alarms-in-delta\">$175 million acquisition\u003c/a> of four islands and part of a fifth in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Joaquin County, Contra Costa County, the Contra Costa County Water Agency, the Central Delta Water Agency, Food and Water Watch and the Planning and Conservation League argue in a suit filed last Thursday (\u003ca href=\"#mwdlawsuit\">embedded below\u003c/a>) that the purchase requires further review under the California Environmental Quality Act.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month, Metropolitan filed for a categorical exemption of environmental review related to the purchase, a determination usually made when activity on the land will have no environmental impact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is simply a purchase of land,” says Metropolitan spokesman Bob Muir.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the land Metropolitan hopes to buy holds strategic importance to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.californiawaterfix.com\">California WaterFix\u003c/a>, a plan to replumb the state’s water delivery system sought by Southern California and San Joaquin Valley water interests and boosted by Gov. Jerry Brown. Anchoring the plan are twin tunnels that would carry water supplies around the Delta to points south. Bacon Island and Bouldin Island, two of the five parcels, are on the proposed tunnel route.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Metropolitan’s opponents want the water wholesaler’s executive board to rescind the sale and do a full environmental analysis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Metropolitan’s general manager [Jeff Kightlinger] has blatantly stated that one of the reasons for their purchase was to build giant tunnels that would direct water away from the estuary,” says Jonas Minton, water policy advisor for the Planning and Conservation League.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“San Joaquin County is not going to stand idly by and allow [Metropolitan] to circumvent California environmental laws and make up its own rules in order to bulldoze its way through the Delta,” San Joaquin County counsel Mark Myles said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other legal challenges to Metropolitan’s plans could follow. Neighbors to the five properties had signed an agreement in 2013 with then-owner Zurich American Corp., setting conditions on how the land can be used. Those neighbors, including the Central Delta Water Agency, have said they plan to exercise their rights under that agreement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Planning and Conservation League's Minton says that the purchase could be a bad deal for Metropolitan's ratepayers. If opponents derail the tunnel plan, he says, that would leave the district's customers on the hook for levee maintenance and habitat restoration on the five island properties, hundreds of miles away from their homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Metropolitan’s Muir counters that the district has not decided how to use the properties yet, so a full study of the property would be premature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Once we decide if we plan to change the existing use, we will do the required environmental analysis,” Muir says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Metropolitan’s executive board, which narrowly approved the sale in March, has delayed discussion of the land deal until May. Under the terms of the sales agreement, escrow is expected to close in early June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"mwdlawsuit\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe class=\"scribd_iframe_embed\" src=\"https://www.scribd.com/embeds/309475155/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true\" data-auto-height=\"false\" data-aspect-ratio=\"undefined\" scrolling=\"no\" id=\"doc_31014\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "'Chasing the Burn' for Morel Mushrooms in Lake County",
"title": "'Chasing the Burn' for Morel Mushrooms in Lake County",
"headTitle": "California Foodways | The California Report | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>There are the facts: The Valley Fire that hit Lake County last September was one of the most destructive in California history. The reality becomes really clear when I drive through what once was a neighborhood in the town of Cobb. I see stone chimneys standing alone, foundations that outline former houses. The hills above had been thick with pine and fir trees. Now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It looks like a moonscape with trees. The trees have been burned so badly there are no needles left,” Kevin Sadlier says. It’s actually because of this fire that Sadlier drove two hours from his home in Marin to explore Lake County this morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes we call it ‘chasing the burns,’ ” he says, in search of the black morel mushrooms that grow in the springtime after a forest fire. Joining Sadlier is fellow wild mushroom enthusiast Connie Green, who says morels are opportunists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[soundcloud url=\"https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/259317385\" params=\"color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" iframe=\"true\" /]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The spring following a summer or autumn fire is a golden opportunity for morels,” Green says. “It’s as if fire is taking a gigantic eraser, and wiped life out. Where there’s a void, where cleansing fire has made this rather sad, with black sticks in their landscape, morels love this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sadlier runs a garden center in Marin and co-founded the Mycological Society of Marin County. He doesn’t sell most of the wild mushrooms he finds, but instead gives them to chefs -- in exchange for meals. He scouted here, where the Valley Fire hit, a couple weeks back, measuring soil temperature and waiting for the perfect conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10930201\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-10930201 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/ConnieGreen-800x925.jpg\" alt=\"Finding the right conditions doesn’t guarantee success. As Connie Green warns, “Morels make fools of all of us.”\" width=\"800\" height=\"925\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/ConnieGreen-800x925.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/ConnieGreen-400x462.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/ConnieGreen.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/ConnieGreen-1180x1364.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/ConnieGreen-960x1110.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Finding the right conditions doesn’t guarantee success. As Connie Green warns, 'Morels make fools of all of us.' \u003ccite>(Lisa Morehouse/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It rained, it warmed up, we have a bit of canopy left, and we have some needleleaf litter on the ground keeping moisture in the soil. Now all we need is morels,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Connie Green warns, “Morels make fools of all of us.” Finding the right conditions doesn’t guarantee success. It’s easy to mistake tiny burnt stumps or rocks for morels. Their textured caps are long and cone-shaped, like dark honeycomb.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s part of their charm. We find maybe it’s like a bad boyfriend or girlfriend that you keep going out and being shamed by. It’s a bit like that with morels,” she says with a laugh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Green is not just a forager. For decades she’s run a business supplying wild mushrooms to high-end Bay Area restaurants, and she co-authored the book \"\u003ca href=\"http://www.thewildtable.net/\">The Wild Table\u003c/a>.\" She says there’s a long history and appreciation of different types of morels in Europe and in the Midwest. Here, before morels became a fine-dining staple, long before European settlers came, Native Americans collected them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re absolutely delicious and ultimately terribly frustrating, and immensely scream-worthy to find,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the coming weeks, commercial and amateur hunters will chase the burns from Northern California through the Pacific Northwest, Canada and Alaska. Some say that because of the large number of acres burned in the West last summer, this may be a huge “burn” morel season. Lake County’s just the first stop on a morel trail.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10930204\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-10930204\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MorelBowl-800x528.jpg\" alt=\"It’s easy to mistake tiny burnt stumps or rocks for the long, cone-shaped textured caps of morels.\" width=\"800\" height=\"528\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MorelBowl-800x528.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MorelBowl-400x264.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MorelBowl.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MorelBowl-1180x779.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MorelBowl-960x634.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">It’s easy to mistake tiny burnt stumps or rocks for the long, cone-shaped textured caps of morels. \u003ccite>(Lisa Morehouse/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The three of us walk through the forest, heads down, when suddenly Kevin Sadlier spots a black SUV covertly parked off the road and says, “We’ve got company,” likely a fellow mushroom hunter. Sadlier and Green both laugh, knowingly, and plan to head off in a different direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we move to another spot, and come across two other foragers he knows, that’s when we find a cluster of morels poking out of needles covering the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I gasp, and Sadlier says, “We’re in the promised land. They’re everywhere!” I see grown men chase each other to a morel cluster, and we spend hours scanning the hills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We fill a paper grocery bag with morels: a respectable haul but really just for home eating. So, what’s the allure? Adventure, for one. Sadlier says he’s come across rattlesnakes, mountain lions, even bears while hunting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I do really enjoy eating the wild mushrooms, but I enjoy the hunt more,” he says. “There’s something about how it brings out the hunter/gatherer instinct. It’s almost a magical feeling: You go into a wilderness area, you interpret your environment, and you try your luck. If you find wild mushrooms, there’s no better feeling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These foragers believe the real mother lode would be higher up, inside the boundaries of \u003ca href=\"http://www.stateparks.com/boggs_mountain_state_forest_in_california.html\" target=\"_blank\">Boggs Mountain State Forest\u003c/a>, which has been closed to the public since the fire. They’re pretty frustrated that they’re restricted from this public land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"Tr1Td6XwDgec8uaDVElM3VjIluxYWL4q\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Arbitrary and capricious,” Sadlier calls that decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Idiocy,” Green says. “Now, it’ll be fine to go in there and do salvage logging, but to allow outdoors people, taxpaying Americans who pay for the parks, to walk in the woods looking for mushrooms, that’s not OK with them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not surprisingly, Jim Wright, of \u003ca href=\"http://www.allgov.com/usa/ca/departments/natural-resources-agency/department_of_forestry_and_fire_protection?agencyid=149\" target=\"_blank\">California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection\u003c/a>, disagrees. He’s co-managing Boggs Mountain State Forest and asks, “How do you protect people across 3,000 acres of dead trees? It’s almost impossible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says 80 percent of the forest's trees burned, and his top priority is removal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As he drives me around the black and brown hills of the forest, it looks like something out of a dystopic science fiction film. On an active logging site, equipment with mechanized arms and saws fells dead trees, strips off burnt bark and moves as much as 100 truckloads a day out to mills. Even where logging isn’t happening, Wright says, the forest is dangerous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Lots of trees are in danger of coming down,” he says. “The tops will start breaking out of these trees, the limbs will start breaking off and coming down with just the slightest breeze,” and burned-out stumps and roots create holes in the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Wright knows many morel hunters are familiar with forests and are eager to get on the land, he says, “We can’t interview each person to find out if they’re qualified, see if they have a hardhat, if they're familiar with hazards of forest. We’d have to do a site safety plan with each one of them. It’s just not practical.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For now, the forest is closed to all recreational activity, and Wright hopes to have at least some portions of the forest open in the fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve been to many morel fire-burned areas,” says local Joe Guardado, “and there’s areas in Boggs that are beyond anything I ever saw.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10930277\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-10930277 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MushroomJoe-800x543.jpg\" alt=\"'Mushroom' Joe Guardado\" width=\"800\" height=\"543\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MushroomJoe-800x543.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MushroomJoe-400x272.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MushroomJoe.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MushroomJoe-1180x801.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MushroomJoe-960x652.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">'Mushroom Joe' Guardado \u003ccite>(Lisa Morehouse/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Before the fire, Guardado hiked Boggs Forest every day. He’s spent many winters foraging pounds and pounds of porcini mushrooms in the forest and around the town of Loch Lomond, where he lives. It’s a weekend getaway for Northern Californian Italian families, with resorts like Biggi’s Family Club and Italian Village swelling the population in the summer. They revere mushrooms here. Guardado introduces me to a friend, Mike Giusti, who built a shrine in his front yard that, from a distance, looks like it honors the Virgin Mary. Up close, it’s clear that it’s a porcini made of stones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Guardado says he doesn’t forage mushrooms for money. He swaps jars of dried porcinis for hunted pheasant or duck, or wine made by the families who vacation here. Guardado is a caretaker, and he knows them all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People like Flora and Romano Marcucci. He points to Guardado and says, “They call him the King for Mushrooms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yep. In these parts, Guardado is called the King, or Mushroom Joe. He’s showing the Marcuccis where edible wild mushrooms pop out of little mounds of leaves in a yard. They’re coccolis, white mushrooms as big as my hand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10930285\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-10930285\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Coccolis-800x832.jpg\" alt=\"Romano Marcucci shows off the coccolis he unearthed.\" width=\"800\" height=\"832\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Coccolis-800x832.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Coccolis-400x416.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Coccolis.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Coccolis-1180x1227.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Coccolis-960x998.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Coccolis-32x32.jpg 32w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Romano Marcucci shows off the coccolis he unearthed. \u003ccite>(Lisa Morehouse/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Marcuccis ran an Italian restaurant in San Francisco, and know what to do with their haul. Flora says she’ll slice the mushrooms and cook them simply in olive oil with garlic, pepper and salt. “Let it fry, get nice and crunch. Delicious!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also unearth one deadly mushroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oh, that’s a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/02/23/this-mushroom-starts-killing-you-before-you-even-realize-it/\" target=\"_blank\">death cap\u003c/a>,” says Mushroom Joe, looking at its pimply skin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Romano Marcucci draws his finger across his neck, ominously, saying, “No doctor will save you from that.” But all three are lifelong mushroom hunters who know what to avoid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mushroom Joe and I spend the afternoon in a couple burn areas hunting for morels: no luck today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Elusive Morchella, that’s what they call them. They’re elusive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they’ll be here only after this fire. So, he’ll keep looking. But he skipped porcini season last winter ... his heart just wasn’t in it. He says he feels a tension between his mushroom-hunting passion and his love of these now-scorched hills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s what you loved and now it’s all black,” he says. “It’s not so bad because right now we’re looking for mushrooms, so I don’t have to look up that often. I’m looking down at the ground, like you’re blocking it out of your mind that it’s not there. It’s sad. It’s just real sad.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because, Mushroom Joe Guardado says, chasing the burn for morels hurts a little, if it’s in your own backyard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/california-foodways\">California Foodways\u003c/a> is supported, in part, by a grant from \u003ca href=\"http://www.calhum.org/\">California Humanities\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "These prized and elusive fungi have proliferated this spring after last fall's devastating Valley Fire.",
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"description": "These prized and elusive fungi have proliferated this spring after last fall's devastating Valley Fire.",
"title": "'Chasing the Burn' for Morel Mushrooms in Lake County | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>There are the facts: The Valley Fire that hit Lake County last September was one of the most destructive in California history. The reality becomes really clear when I drive through what once was a neighborhood in the town of Cobb. I see stone chimneys standing alone, foundations that outline former houses. The hills above had been thick with pine and fir trees. Now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It looks like a moonscape with trees. The trees have been burned so badly there are no needles left,” Kevin Sadlier says. It’s actually because of this fire that Sadlier drove two hours from his home in Marin to explore Lake County this morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes we call it ‘chasing the burns,’ ” he says, in search of the black morel mushrooms that grow in the springtime after a forest fire. Joining Sadlier is fellow wild mushroom enthusiast Connie Green, who says morels are opportunists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cdiv class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__shortcodes__shortcodeWrapper'>\n \u003ciframe width='100%' height='166'\n scrolling='no' frameborder='no'\n src='https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/259317385&visual=true&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false'\n title='https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/259317385'>\n \u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/div>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The spring following a summer or autumn fire is a golden opportunity for morels,” Green says. “It’s as if fire is taking a gigantic eraser, and wiped life out. Where there’s a void, where cleansing fire has made this rather sad, with black sticks in their landscape, morels love this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sadlier runs a garden center in Marin and co-founded the Mycological Society of Marin County. He doesn’t sell most of the wild mushrooms he finds, but instead gives them to chefs -- in exchange for meals. He scouted here, where the Valley Fire hit, a couple weeks back, measuring soil temperature and waiting for the perfect conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10930201\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-10930201 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/ConnieGreen-800x925.jpg\" alt=\"Finding the right conditions doesn’t guarantee success. As Connie Green warns, “Morels make fools of all of us.”\" width=\"800\" height=\"925\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/ConnieGreen-800x925.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/ConnieGreen-400x462.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/ConnieGreen.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/ConnieGreen-1180x1364.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/ConnieGreen-960x1110.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Finding the right conditions doesn’t guarantee success. As Connie Green warns, 'Morels make fools of all of us.' \u003ccite>(Lisa Morehouse/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It rained, it warmed up, we have a bit of canopy left, and we have some needleleaf litter on the ground keeping moisture in the soil. Now all we need is morels,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Connie Green warns, “Morels make fools of all of us.” Finding the right conditions doesn’t guarantee success. It’s easy to mistake tiny burnt stumps or rocks for morels. Their textured caps are long and cone-shaped, like dark honeycomb.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s part of their charm. We find maybe it’s like a bad boyfriend or girlfriend that you keep going out and being shamed by. It’s a bit like that with morels,” she says with a laugh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Green is not just a forager. For decades she’s run a business supplying wild mushrooms to high-end Bay Area restaurants, and she co-authored the book \"\u003ca href=\"http://www.thewildtable.net/\">The Wild Table\u003c/a>.\" She says there’s a long history and appreciation of different types of morels in Europe and in the Midwest. Here, before morels became a fine-dining staple, long before European settlers came, Native Americans collected them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re absolutely delicious and ultimately terribly frustrating, and immensely scream-worthy to find,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the coming weeks, commercial and amateur hunters will chase the burns from Northern California through the Pacific Northwest, Canada and Alaska. Some say that because of the large number of acres burned in the West last summer, this may be a huge “burn” morel season. Lake County’s just the first stop on a morel trail.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10930204\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-10930204\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MorelBowl-800x528.jpg\" alt=\"It’s easy to mistake tiny burnt stumps or rocks for the long, cone-shaped textured caps of morels.\" width=\"800\" height=\"528\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MorelBowl-800x528.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MorelBowl-400x264.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MorelBowl.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MorelBowl-1180x779.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MorelBowl-960x634.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">It’s easy to mistake tiny burnt stumps or rocks for the long, cone-shaped textured caps of morels. \u003ccite>(Lisa Morehouse/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The three of us walk through the forest, heads down, when suddenly Kevin Sadlier spots a black SUV covertly parked off the road and says, “We’ve got company,” likely a fellow mushroom hunter. Sadlier and Green both laugh, knowingly, and plan to head off in a different direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we move to another spot, and come across two other foragers he knows, that’s when we find a cluster of morels poking out of needles covering the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I gasp, and Sadlier says, “We’re in the promised land. They’re everywhere!” I see grown men chase each other to a morel cluster, and we spend hours scanning the hills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We fill a paper grocery bag with morels: a respectable haul but really just for home eating. So, what’s the allure? Adventure, for one. Sadlier says he’s come across rattlesnakes, mountain lions, even bears while hunting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I do really enjoy eating the wild mushrooms, but I enjoy the hunt more,” he says. “There’s something about how it brings out the hunter/gatherer instinct. It’s almost a magical feeling: You go into a wilderness area, you interpret your environment, and you try your luck. If you find wild mushrooms, there’s no better feeling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These foragers believe the real mother lode would be higher up, inside the boundaries of \u003ca href=\"http://www.stateparks.com/boggs_mountain_state_forest_in_california.html\" target=\"_blank\">Boggs Mountain State Forest\u003c/a>, which has been closed to the public since the fire. They’re pretty frustrated that they’re restricted from this public land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Arbitrary and capricious,” Sadlier calls that decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Idiocy,” Green says. “Now, it’ll be fine to go in there and do salvage logging, but to allow outdoors people, taxpaying Americans who pay for the parks, to walk in the woods looking for mushrooms, that’s not OK with them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not surprisingly, Jim Wright, of \u003ca href=\"http://www.allgov.com/usa/ca/departments/natural-resources-agency/department_of_forestry_and_fire_protection?agencyid=149\" target=\"_blank\">California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection\u003c/a>, disagrees. He’s co-managing Boggs Mountain State Forest and asks, “How do you protect people across 3,000 acres of dead trees? It’s almost impossible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says 80 percent of the forest's trees burned, and his top priority is removal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As he drives me around the black and brown hills of the forest, it looks like something out of a dystopic science fiction film. On an active logging site, equipment with mechanized arms and saws fells dead trees, strips off burnt bark and moves as much as 100 truckloads a day out to mills. Even where logging isn’t happening, Wright says, the forest is dangerous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Lots of trees are in danger of coming down,” he says. “The tops will start breaking out of these trees, the limbs will start breaking off and coming down with just the slightest breeze,” and burned-out stumps and roots create holes in the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Wright knows many morel hunters are familiar with forests and are eager to get on the land, he says, “We can’t interview each person to find out if they’re qualified, see if they have a hardhat, if they're familiar with hazards of forest. We’d have to do a site safety plan with each one of them. It’s just not practical.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For now, the forest is closed to all recreational activity, and Wright hopes to have at least some portions of the forest open in the fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve been to many morel fire-burned areas,” says local Joe Guardado, “and there’s areas in Boggs that are beyond anything I ever saw.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10930277\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-10930277 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MushroomJoe-800x543.jpg\" alt=\"'Mushroom' Joe Guardado\" width=\"800\" height=\"543\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MushroomJoe-800x543.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MushroomJoe-400x272.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MushroomJoe.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MushroomJoe-1180x801.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MushroomJoe-960x652.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">'Mushroom Joe' Guardado \u003ccite>(Lisa Morehouse/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Before the fire, Guardado hiked Boggs Forest every day. He’s spent many winters foraging pounds and pounds of porcini mushrooms in the forest and around the town of Loch Lomond, where he lives. It’s a weekend getaway for Northern Californian Italian families, with resorts like Biggi’s Family Club and Italian Village swelling the population in the summer. They revere mushrooms here. Guardado introduces me to a friend, Mike Giusti, who built a shrine in his front yard that, from a distance, looks like it honors the Virgin Mary. Up close, it’s clear that it’s a porcini made of stones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Guardado says he doesn’t forage mushrooms for money. He swaps jars of dried porcinis for hunted pheasant or duck, or wine made by the families who vacation here. Guardado is a caretaker, and he knows them all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People like Flora and Romano Marcucci. He points to Guardado and says, “They call him the King for Mushrooms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yep. In these parts, Guardado is called the King, or Mushroom Joe. He’s showing the Marcuccis where edible wild mushrooms pop out of little mounds of leaves in a yard. They’re coccolis, white mushrooms as big as my hand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10930285\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-10930285\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Coccolis-800x832.jpg\" alt=\"Romano Marcucci shows off the coccolis he unearthed.\" width=\"800\" height=\"832\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Coccolis-800x832.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Coccolis-400x416.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Coccolis.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Coccolis-1180x1227.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Coccolis-960x998.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Coccolis-32x32.jpg 32w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Romano Marcucci shows off the coccolis he unearthed. \u003ccite>(Lisa Morehouse/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Marcuccis ran an Italian restaurant in San Francisco, and know what to do with their haul. Flora says she’ll slice the mushrooms and cook them simply in olive oil with garlic, pepper and salt. “Let it fry, get nice and crunch. Delicious!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also unearth one deadly mushroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oh, that’s a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/02/23/this-mushroom-starts-killing-you-before-you-even-realize-it/\" target=\"_blank\">death cap\u003c/a>,” says Mushroom Joe, looking at its pimply skin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Romano Marcucci draws his finger across his neck, ominously, saying, “No doctor will save you from that.” But all three are lifelong mushroom hunters who know what to avoid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mushroom Joe and I spend the afternoon in a couple burn areas hunting for morels: no luck today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Elusive Morchella, that’s what they call them. They’re elusive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they’ll be here only after this fire. So, he’ll keep looking. But he skipped porcini season last winter ... his heart just wasn’t in it. He says he feels a tension between his mushroom-hunting passion and his love of these now-scorched hills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s what you loved and now it’s all black,” he says. “It’s not so bad because right now we’re looking for mushrooms, so I don’t have to look up that often. I’m looking down at the ground, like you’re blocking it out of your mind that it’s not there. It’s sad. It’s just real sad.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because, Mushroom Joe Guardado says, chasing the burn for morels hurts a little, if it’s in your own backyard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/california-foodways\">California Foodways\u003c/a> is supported, in part, by a grant from \u003ca href=\"http://www.calhum.org/\">California Humanities\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Historically, we’ve treated wastewater as something to be treated and dumped – a liability and not a resource. But Sebastien Tilmans may change our minds about that. Tilmans is the director of operations at the \u003ca href=\"http://web.stanford.edu/group/cr2c/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\">William and Cloy Codiga Resource Recovery Center\u003c/a> at Stanford University.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The center is working to accelerate the path to commercialization of wastewater technologies. California’s drought has helped to highlight growing interest in wastewater reuse to provide water resources for drinking water and nonpotable uses such as flushing toilets and irrigation. But wastewater has other embedded resources besides water – including energy, nutrients and materials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the technologies already exist to utilize this resource, but many others are still being developed and that’s where the Resource Recovery Center comes in. It creates a space that enables researchers to plug and play with three different grades of wastewater to test different kinds of technologies. So, for example, if you want to test a new reverse osmosis process you would plug into the secondary effluent. If you want to test a new membrane bioreactor you would plug into the primary effluent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Water Deeply recently spoke to Tilmans about how the center is providing a critical intermediate testing ground for technologies, how we can understand the value of wastewater and what the future of water recycling looks like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: The most obvious resource recovered from wastewater is water; what are some of the other resources?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_637091\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 411px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-637091\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/sebastien-Tilmans-800x531.jpg\" alt=\"Sebastien Tilmans, director of operations at the William and Cloy Codiga Resource Recovery Center at Stanford University, wants to see wastewater viewed as a resource. \" width=\"411\" height=\"272\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/sebastien-Tilmans-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/sebastien-Tilmans-400x266.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/sebastien-Tilmans-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/sebastien-Tilmans-1440x956.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/sebastien-Tilmans-1920x1275.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/sebastien-Tilmans-1180x784.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/sebastien-Tilmans-960x638.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 411px) 100vw, 411px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sebastien Tilmans, director of operations at the William and Cloy Codiga Resource Recovery Center at Stanford University, wants to see wastewater viewed as a resource. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Sebastien Tilmans)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sebastien Tilmans: The traditional mentality has always been that wastewater is a hazardous waste that we need to mitigate. But we view it as an ore. If you were at an iron mine you’re not getting pure iron, you’re getting iron ore and you need to take out the impurities before you have something valuable that you can sell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And wastewater is the same – it’s got water, it’s got energy, nutrients and material. You can produce high-end materials from it; you just have to take out the impurities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Specifically you have nitrogen and phosphorus, which are fertilizers. Production of nitrogen fertilizer actually consumes a tremendous amount of energy and produces a lot of greenhouse gas emissions globally. But in wastewater we have a free supply of nitrogen and phosphorus that we could be recovering in a safe way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is a process that has been developed in labs at Stanford and now is a startup company, where you can take the methane, the biogas produced from the anaerobic treatment of wastewater, and turn that into a biodegradable plastic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s great about it compared to regular plastics is that at the end of its life you can recycle it or it can be sent to a landfill or anaerobic digester and turned right back into methane gas and you can make more plastic with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can create these closed-loop, virtuous cycles of materials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: This is actually being done commercially?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tilmans: Yes, there is a startup company called \u003ca href=\"http://mangomaterials.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\">Mango Materials\u003c/a> that is commercializing that technology to produce bioplastic from that methane.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is even research coming out of Europe that shows that this bioplastic can be used as a supplement in aquaculture (fish, prawns, crabs) and it boosts yields up to 20 percent. It increases the organism’s resistance to different bacterial infections. You can increase yields and reduce the amount of antibiotics that need to be used.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’re only scratching the surface of the value that can be generated from this raw material.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: Energy is of course another resource?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tilmans: Yes, and energy takes many forms. You get this biogas and then you can use that to produce electricity and heat using a conventional turbine that’s in any gas-fired power plant. But you can also purify it to pipeline-grade natural gas and put it back into PG&E’s pipelines potentially or compress it and use it as a vehicle fuel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also have a system for what’s called secondary treatment to remove all the dissolved organics and it yields a water that is very, very high quality. But what’s really cool is that it can achieve that while still being a net energy producer. And cutting in half or less the amount of residual solids that get produced by conventional processes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: How do you do that?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tilmans: Conventional systems use biological processes; they are typically aerobic biological processes, which means they use oxygen. The process of aerating the water consumes a lot of energy because water is a bad reservoir for oxygen. We use anaerobic processes that do not use oxygen. The bacteria that consume the organic material in the water, instead of consuming it and turning it into carbon dioxide, they turn it into methane and you can harvest that methane gas and turn it into electricity. It’s the main component of natural gas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: What kinds of researchers or organizations would be able to test their technology at your facility?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tilmans: Any group can bring in mobile units and connect to the right kind of wastewater. It could be a company like Veolia, a multinational water company. Or it could be a municipality working with a consultant who wants to test-drive a new technology in a controlled environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We would also work with researchers at Stanford and other places that are working with technology in the lab, which may be being tested on only a gallon or two a day and now they want to test at thousands of gallons a day to advance the technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: So your lab would create a space that would help researchers really take their technology from the small-scale test phase to the next level to see how viable it is?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tilmans: Yes, it is a space where you have access to thousands of gallons a day to test at the intermediate scale and in a controlled environment where it won’t pose a risk to the environment or public health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, once it is validated, they can next take it out of our facility and do field demonstrations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This size of testing is also relevant for decentralized systems. San Francisco has a \u003ca href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tara-lohan/san-franciscos-innovative-step-to-save-water_b_8236072.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\">new ordinance\u003c/a> that every new building [of more than 250,000 square feet/23,000 square meters] is going to need to have an alternative source of water besides the city water. They can use stormwater collected from the street but they can also recycle wastewater in the building itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Localized water recycling we think is going to become part of the mix for water reuse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: It’s much more feasible to have water recycling at that scale than for the home. Why is that?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tilmans: There are couple of reasons for that. One is the capital cost of building the system and the other is the operating cost of running and maintaining and monitoring the performance of this system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We have a sensor testing station to plug in new sensors into each grade of water to test the monitoring equipment. Developing new sensors and testing them is as important as the treatment systems. We test and validate both.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: Do you think we will see much more wastewater reuse by municipalities or onsite systems being developed on business campuses and new buildings?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tilmans: I think there is no shortage of municipalities across the state looking for new water supplies. Recycled water is actually one of the cheapest and most reliable new water supplies out there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The technology absolutely exists. The real obstacles of getting [onsite reuse systems] installed today is regulatory – building inspections, codes, things like that – and of course public education. Making sure that not just the public, but regulators and building inspectors, are on board with water reuse and trust it to be safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: Ten years from now, where do you hope we’ll be in our thinking about wastewater?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tilmans: In a place like California we are so droughtstricken we can’t afford to waste the waste anymore. Here in Silicon Valley we use the water once and it goes in the ocean. In 10 years or a little longer, I’d like to see us recycling all our wastewater. And I think we can be recycling water in an energy-neutral way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’d love to see our broader society view wastewater as another water supply and a raw material to be used for the highest and best use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cspan class=\"start\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/about/\">Water Deeply\u003c/a> is\u003c/span> an independent digital media project dedicated to covering California’s water crisis. The project is part of \u003ca href=\"http://www.newsdeeply.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News Deeply\u003c/a>, a new media startup and social enterprise based in New York.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Sebastien Tilmans, director of operations at the William and Cloy Codiga Resource Recovery Center at Stanford University, says wastewater should be viewed as a raw material and important resource, instead of a hazardous waste. And he tells us how it can be used to create water, energy and materials",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Historically, we’ve treated wastewater as something to be treated and dumped – a liability and not a resource. But Sebastien Tilmans may change our minds about that. Tilmans is the director of operations at the \u003ca href=\"http://web.stanford.edu/group/cr2c/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\">William and Cloy Codiga Resource Recovery Center\u003c/a> at Stanford University.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The center is working to accelerate the path to commercialization of wastewater technologies. California’s drought has helped to highlight growing interest in wastewater reuse to provide water resources for drinking water and nonpotable uses such as flushing toilets and irrigation. But wastewater has other embedded resources besides water – including energy, nutrients and materials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the technologies already exist to utilize this resource, but many others are still being developed and that’s where the Resource Recovery Center comes in. It creates a space that enables researchers to plug and play with three different grades of wastewater to test different kinds of technologies. So, for example, if you want to test a new reverse osmosis process you would plug into the secondary effluent. If you want to test a new membrane bioreactor you would plug into the primary effluent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Water Deeply recently spoke to Tilmans about how the center is providing a critical intermediate testing ground for technologies, how we can understand the value of wastewater and what the future of water recycling looks like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: The most obvious resource recovered from wastewater is water; what are some of the other resources?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_637091\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 411px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-637091\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/sebastien-Tilmans-800x531.jpg\" alt=\"Sebastien Tilmans, director of operations at the William and Cloy Codiga Resource Recovery Center at Stanford University, wants to see wastewater viewed as a resource. \" width=\"411\" height=\"272\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/sebastien-Tilmans-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/sebastien-Tilmans-400x266.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/sebastien-Tilmans-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/sebastien-Tilmans-1440x956.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/sebastien-Tilmans-1920x1275.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/sebastien-Tilmans-1180x784.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/sebastien-Tilmans-960x638.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 411px) 100vw, 411px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sebastien Tilmans, director of operations at the William and Cloy Codiga Resource Recovery Center at Stanford University, wants to see wastewater viewed as a resource. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Sebastien Tilmans)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sebastien Tilmans: The traditional mentality has always been that wastewater is a hazardous waste that we need to mitigate. But we view it as an ore. If you were at an iron mine you’re not getting pure iron, you’re getting iron ore and you need to take out the impurities before you have something valuable that you can sell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And wastewater is the same – it’s got water, it’s got energy, nutrients and material. You can produce high-end materials from it; you just have to take out the impurities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Specifically you have nitrogen and phosphorus, which are fertilizers. Production of nitrogen fertilizer actually consumes a tremendous amount of energy and produces a lot of greenhouse gas emissions globally. But in wastewater we have a free supply of nitrogen and phosphorus that we could be recovering in a safe way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is a process that has been developed in labs at Stanford and now is a startup company, where you can take the methane, the biogas produced from the anaerobic treatment of wastewater, and turn that into a biodegradable plastic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s great about it compared to regular plastics is that at the end of its life you can recycle it or it can be sent to a landfill or anaerobic digester and turned right back into methane gas and you can make more plastic with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can create these closed-loop, virtuous cycles of materials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: This is actually being done commercially?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tilmans: Yes, there is a startup company called \u003ca href=\"http://mangomaterials.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\">Mango Materials\u003c/a> that is commercializing that technology to produce bioplastic from that methane.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is even research coming out of Europe that shows that this bioplastic can be used as a supplement in aquaculture (fish, prawns, crabs) and it boosts yields up to 20 percent. It increases the organism’s resistance to different bacterial infections. You can increase yields and reduce the amount of antibiotics that need to be used.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’re only scratching the surface of the value that can be generated from this raw material.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: Energy is of course another resource?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tilmans: Yes, and energy takes many forms. You get this biogas and then you can use that to produce electricity and heat using a conventional turbine that’s in any gas-fired power plant. But you can also purify it to pipeline-grade natural gas and put it back into PG&E’s pipelines potentially or compress it and use it as a vehicle fuel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also have a system for what’s called secondary treatment to remove all the dissolved organics and it yields a water that is very, very high quality. But what’s really cool is that it can achieve that while still being a net energy producer. And cutting in half or less the amount of residual solids that get produced by conventional processes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: How do you do that?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tilmans: Conventional systems use biological processes; they are typically aerobic biological processes, which means they use oxygen. The process of aerating the water consumes a lot of energy because water is a bad reservoir for oxygen. We use anaerobic processes that do not use oxygen. The bacteria that consume the organic material in the water, instead of consuming it and turning it into carbon dioxide, they turn it into methane and you can harvest that methane gas and turn it into electricity. It’s the main component of natural gas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: What kinds of researchers or organizations would be able to test their technology at your facility?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tilmans: Any group can bring in mobile units and connect to the right kind of wastewater. It could be a company like Veolia, a multinational water company. Or it could be a municipality working with a consultant who wants to test-drive a new technology in a controlled environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We would also work with researchers at Stanford and other places that are working with technology in the lab, which may be being tested on only a gallon or two a day and now they want to test at thousands of gallons a day to advance the technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: So your lab would create a space that would help researchers really take their technology from the small-scale test phase to the next level to see how viable it is?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tilmans: Yes, it is a space where you have access to thousands of gallons a day to test at the intermediate scale and in a controlled environment where it won’t pose a risk to the environment or public health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, once it is validated, they can next take it out of our facility and do field demonstrations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This size of testing is also relevant for decentralized systems. San Francisco has a \u003ca href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tara-lohan/san-franciscos-innovative-step-to-save-water_b_8236072.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\">new ordinance\u003c/a> that every new building [of more than 250,000 square feet/23,000 square meters] is going to need to have an alternative source of water besides the city water. They can use stormwater collected from the street but they can also recycle wastewater in the building itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Localized water recycling we think is going to become part of the mix for water reuse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: It’s much more feasible to have water recycling at that scale than for the home. Why is that?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tilmans: There are couple of reasons for that. One is the capital cost of building the system and the other is the operating cost of running and maintaining and monitoring the performance of this system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We have a sensor testing station to plug in new sensors into each grade of water to test the monitoring equipment. Developing new sensors and testing them is as important as the treatment systems. We test and validate both.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: Do you think we will see much more wastewater reuse by municipalities or onsite systems being developed on business campuses and new buildings?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tilmans: I think there is no shortage of municipalities across the state looking for new water supplies. Recycled water is actually one of the cheapest and most reliable new water supplies out there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The technology absolutely exists. The real obstacles of getting [onsite reuse systems] installed today is regulatory – building inspections, codes, things like that – and of course public education. Making sure that not just the public, but regulators and building inspectors, are on board with water reuse and trust it to be safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: Ten years from now, where do you hope we’ll be in our thinking about wastewater?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tilmans: In a place like California we are so droughtstricken we can’t afford to waste the waste anymore. Here in Silicon Valley we use the water once and it goes in the ocean. In 10 years or a little longer, I’d like to see us recycling all our wastewater. And I think we can be recycling water in an energy-neutral way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’d love to see our broader society view wastewater as another water supply and a raw material to be used for the highest and best use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "Critics Unhappy With Kamala Harris' Approach to San Onofre Probe",
"title": "Critics Unhappy With Kamala Harris' Approach to San Onofre Probe",
"headTitle": "Election 2016 | The California Report | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>When criminal investigators with the \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/\">California Attorney General's Office\u003c/a> searched the home of a former top utility regulator early last year, they uncovered evidence that upended a story state officials and a major electric utility had been telling consumers about the deal to pay for the shutdown of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was big. And Attorney General Kamala Harris, now a \u003ca href=\"http://www.kamalaharris.org/\">candidate for U.S. Senate\u003c/a>, was hailed by consumer activists for her aggressive investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Public Utilities Commission and Southern California Edison had claimed a settlement that left ratepayers with the \u003ca href=\"http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/nov/20/cpuc-approves-controversial-san-onofre-settlement-/\">$3.3 billion bill\u003c/a> for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station’s closure was the product of hard-fought negotiations between ratepayer advocates and the power company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when Harris' investigators went through the La Cañada Flintridge home of former CPUC President Michael Peevey after obtaining a \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Agents-search-Michael-Peevey-s-home-in-PG-E-6047151.php\">search warrant\u003c/a>, a different story emerged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Investigators \u003ca href=\"http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/apr/10/rsg-notes-hotel-bristol-stationery/\">found handwritten notes\u003c/a> that showed Peevey had met secretly with an Edison executive in Poland after the nuclear power plant sprang a radioactive leak and had to be closed. There, they came up with a framework for a San Onofre settlement that closely resembled the final public deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"xAeJ17jSowvjGd64z74rRec7ATDOjWsK\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That was the most remarkable piece of investigative work that I’ve ever seen in the last 40 years,” said San Diego consumer attorney \u003ca href=\"http://www.amslawyers.com/\">Mike Aguirre\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was the kind of work, Aguirre said, that makes people fall in love with their leaders. But now he contends Harris is jilting her constituents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was no follow-up,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aguirre and other consumer activists contend Harris is failing to police state regulators and Edison. While her office's criminal probe launched with a punch when Peevey’s home was searched, the investigation is now dragging on without result, they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ5F1yydMtY&feature=youtu.be\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harris declined to be interviewed for this story. Her office also declined to answer any questions about the inquiry into the San Onofre settlement. A statement released by her spokesman said, \"Criminal investigations are very serious. To protect the integrity of our investigations, we can’t comment on potential ongoing investigations.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>More Search Warrants Issued\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Six months after Harris’ investigators searched Peevey’s house, the attorney general obtained more \u003ca href=\"http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/jul/06/two-new-warrants-served-in-cpuc-case/\">search warrants\u003c/a>. This time they were for the centers of power in the San Onofre case — Edison and the offices of state regulators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the attorney general's investigators never went in, according to court documents. Instead, they served the search warrants to Edison and the CPUC and asked them to turn over all documents and communications related to the San Onofre settlement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You don’t drop it off at the front door and say, ‘Hey, gee, send me your records,’\" said Aguirre, a former federal prosecutor and San Diego city attorney. “That’s the whole point of a search warrant. ... You go in and you execute the search warrant and you seize the records, because you’re concerned they’re going to disappear.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said using the full power of the search warrant is essential if the public is ever to get the truth from state regulators and Edison over how the San Onofre settlement was reached.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s so much momentum behind the unlawful conduct, the search warrant is the only device you can use, unless you can have some sort of wiretap,” Aguirre said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>CPUC Slow to Turn Over Records\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Edison has turned over some records to the State Attorney General's Office. The CPUC, however, has \u003ca href=\"http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/aug/25/cpuc-warrant-return-no-records/\">withheld many of the documents\u003c/a> on grounds they don’t have enough resources to work on producing the documents. The agency also is claiming some of the records are privileged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harris hasn’t challenged the CPUC’s privilege assertion. \u003ca href=\"http://www.rgrdlaw.com/attorneys-Jason-A-Forge.html\">Jason Forge\u003c/a>, a former San Diego federal prosecutor, said the attorney general would likely prevail if she did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The PUC is the state, and so if the PUC is the state and the state is the client, that’s who controls the privilege. The person at the top of the state is Gov. (Jerry) Brown, and he could waive the privilege,” Forge said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brown’s own office has exchanged emails about San Onofre with the CPUC. The CPUC is refusing to release those emails as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only Aguirre has \u003ca href=\"http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/nov/13/brown-san-onofre-emails/\">demanded\u003c/a> the CPUC make the communications public, not Harris.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also successfully \u003ca href=\"http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/mar/09/kline-out/\">sought the removal\u003c/a> of appeals court Justice J. Anthony Kline from the case because Kline had gone to law school with Brown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aguirre said it’s puzzling that Harris hasn’t made the same efforts he has.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She has no presence,” Aguirre said. “She has no involvement. She has no leadership. You have no sense of her being out there on the front saying we’re charging forward to do what’s right.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10928706\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MikeAguierre-800x449.jpg\" alt=\"Former San Diego City Attorney Mike Aguirre talks about his fight to overturn the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station settlement in March, 2015.\" width=\"800\" height=\"449\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-10928706\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MikeAguierre-800x449.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MikeAguierre-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MikeAguierre.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MikeAguierre-1180x663.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MikeAguierre-960x539.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former San Diego City Attorney Mike Aguirre talks about his fight to overturn the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station settlement in March, 2015. \u003ccite>(Katie Schoolov/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Harris has also remained silent on another part of the case. The CPUC’s law firm, \u003ca href=\"https://www.dlapiper.com/en/us/\">DLA Piper\u003c/a>, is representing the agency and its employees. Forge said the practice is frowned upon by prosecutors because it intimidates potential whistle-blowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What happens is the individual employees do not have anyone to whom they can truly turn for legal advice, because they know the same person who is representing them is representing their supervisor, and their supervisor’s supervisor,” Forge said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harris could ask a court to require the CPUC to retain separate counsel. So far, she hasn’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Democratic Politics Could Be at Play\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consumer advocate \u003ca href=\"http://www.kpbs.org/news/2015/mar/04/consumer-advocates-question-state-regulators-role-/\">Charles Langley\u003c/a> said Harris may not want to pursue the San Onofre investigation to its end because the state’s Democratic hierarchy could be touched by it and that could affect her U.S. Senate bid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a scandal that will very likely implicate Gov. Jerry Brown, a powerful Democrat, and Michael Peevey, a powerful Democrat, and his wife, an elected powerful Democrat,” Langley said. “I think it’s very distressing to her when she’s running for U.S. Senate and going up against the Democratic Party structure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peevey’s wife is state \u003ca href=\"http://sd25.senate.ca.gov/\">Sen. Carol Liu\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10928713\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/AGHarris-800x1040.jpg\" alt=\"Attorney General Kamala Harris.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1040\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-10928713\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/AGHarris-800x1040.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/AGHarris-400x520.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/AGHarris.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/AGHarris-1180x1533.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/AGHarris-960x1248.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Attorney General Kamala Harris. \u003ccite>( Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As attorney general, Harris has established a record for fighting white-collar crime. She set up a mortgage fraud task force, and she \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/14/business/how-kamala-harris-finessed-a-foreclosure-deal-for-california.html?_r=0\">obtained\u003c/a> $18 billion from the nation’s biggest banks for their role in the foreclosure crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She is also \u003ca href=\"http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-exxon-global-warming-20160120-story.html\">investigating\u003c/a> whether Exxon Mobil misled the public and shareholders on what it knew about climate change and whether that amounts to securities fraud.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, the questions surrounding Harris' handling of the San Onofre settlement investigation have not affected her standing with voters expected to cast ballots in the June primary. Harris has been the front-runner since she announced in January 2015 that she would run to replace Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, who is retiring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In last month's \u003ca href=\"http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-latimes-senate-primary-poll-20160329-story.html\">USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll\u003c/a>, Harris was leading her closest rival, Orange County congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, 28 percent to 19 percent. Both are Democrats. The top two vote-getters in June will compete in the November election, regardless of party. The poll showed about a third of those surveyed have yet to decide who they will vote for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Copyright 2016 KPBS. To see more election coverage, visit \u003ca href=\"http://www.kpbs.org/\">www.kpbs.org\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>California Counts is a collaboration of KPBS, KPCC, KQED and Capital Public Radio to report on the 2016 election. The coverage focuses on major issues and solicits diverse voices on what’s important to the future of California.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/cacounts\" target=\"_blank\">Read more in this series\u003c/a> and let us know your thoughts on Twitter using the hashtag \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23CACounts&src=typd\" target=\"_blank\">#CACounts\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Some consumer activists worry the attorney general's Democratic Party loyalties are influencing her office's criminal investigation into the 2013 closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.",
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"nprByline": "\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://www.kpbs.org/staff/amita-sharma/\">Amita Sharma\u003c/a>\u003cbr>KPBS\u003c/strong>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When criminal investigators with the \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/\">California Attorney General's Office\u003c/a> searched the home of a former top utility regulator early last year, they uncovered evidence that upended a story state officials and a major electric utility had been telling consumers about the deal to pay for the shutdown of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was big. And Attorney General Kamala Harris, now a \u003ca href=\"http://www.kamalaharris.org/\">candidate for U.S. Senate\u003c/a>, was hailed by consumer activists for her aggressive investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Public Utilities Commission and Southern California Edison had claimed a settlement that left ratepayers with the \u003ca href=\"http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/nov/20/cpuc-approves-controversial-san-onofre-settlement-/\">$3.3 billion bill\u003c/a> for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station’s closure was the product of hard-fought negotiations between ratepayer advocates and the power company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when Harris' investigators went through the La Cañada Flintridge home of former CPUC President Michael Peevey after obtaining a \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Agents-search-Michael-Peevey-s-home-in-PG-E-6047151.php\">search warrant\u003c/a>, a different story emerged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Investigators \u003ca href=\"http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/apr/10/rsg-notes-hotel-bristol-stationery/\">found handwritten notes\u003c/a> that showed Peevey had met secretly with an Edison executive in Poland after the nuclear power plant sprang a radioactive leak and had to be closed. There, they came up with a framework for a San Onofre settlement that closely resembled the final public deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That was the most remarkable piece of investigative work that I’ve ever seen in the last 40 years,” said San Diego consumer attorney \u003ca href=\"http://www.amslawyers.com/\">Mike Aguirre\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was the kind of work, Aguirre said, that makes people fall in love with their leaders. But now he contends Harris is jilting her constituents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was no follow-up,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aguirre and other consumer activists contend Harris is failing to police state regulators and Edison. While her office's criminal probe launched with a punch when Peevey’s home was searched, the investigation is now dragging on without result, they said.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/xJ5F1yydMtY'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/xJ5F1yydMtY'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Harris declined to be interviewed for this story. Her office also declined to answer any questions about the inquiry into the San Onofre settlement. A statement released by her spokesman said, \"Criminal investigations are very serious. To protect the integrity of our investigations, we can’t comment on potential ongoing investigations.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>More Search Warrants Issued\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Six months after Harris’ investigators searched Peevey’s house, the attorney general obtained more \u003ca href=\"http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/jul/06/two-new-warrants-served-in-cpuc-case/\">search warrants\u003c/a>. This time they were for the centers of power in the San Onofre case — Edison and the offices of state regulators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the attorney general's investigators never went in, according to court documents. Instead, they served the search warrants to Edison and the CPUC and asked them to turn over all documents and communications related to the San Onofre settlement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You don’t drop it off at the front door and say, ‘Hey, gee, send me your records,’\" said Aguirre, a former federal prosecutor and San Diego city attorney. “That’s the whole point of a search warrant. ... You go in and you execute the search warrant and you seize the records, because you’re concerned they’re going to disappear.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said using the full power of the search warrant is essential if the public is ever to get the truth from state regulators and Edison over how the San Onofre settlement was reached.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s so much momentum behind the unlawful conduct, the search warrant is the only device you can use, unless you can have some sort of wiretap,” Aguirre said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>CPUC Slow to Turn Over Records\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Edison has turned over some records to the State Attorney General's Office. The CPUC, however, has \u003ca href=\"http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/aug/25/cpuc-warrant-return-no-records/\">withheld many of the documents\u003c/a> on grounds they don’t have enough resources to work on producing the documents. The agency also is claiming some of the records are privileged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harris hasn’t challenged the CPUC’s privilege assertion. \u003ca href=\"http://www.rgrdlaw.com/attorneys-Jason-A-Forge.html\">Jason Forge\u003c/a>, a former San Diego federal prosecutor, said the attorney general would likely prevail if she did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The PUC is the state, and so if the PUC is the state and the state is the client, that’s who controls the privilege. The person at the top of the state is Gov. (Jerry) Brown, and he could waive the privilege,” Forge said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brown’s own office has exchanged emails about San Onofre with the CPUC. The CPUC is refusing to release those emails as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only Aguirre has \u003ca href=\"http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/nov/13/brown-san-onofre-emails/\">demanded\u003c/a> the CPUC make the communications public, not Harris.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also successfully \u003ca href=\"http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/mar/09/kline-out/\">sought the removal\u003c/a> of appeals court Justice J. Anthony Kline from the case because Kline had gone to law school with Brown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aguirre said it’s puzzling that Harris hasn’t made the same efforts he has.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She has no presence,” Aguirre said. “She has no involvement. She has no leadership. You have no sense of her being out there on the front saying we’re charging forward to do what’s right.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10928706\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MikeAguierre-800x449.jpg\" alt=\"Former San Diego City Attorney Mike Aguirre talks about his fight to overturn the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station settlement in March, 2015.\" width=\"800\" height=\"449\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-10928706\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MikeAguierre-800x449.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MikeAguierre-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MikeAguierre.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MikeAguierre-1180x663.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/MikeAguierre-960x539.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former San Diego City Attorney Mike Aguirre talks about his fight to overturn the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station settlement in March, 2015. \u003ccite>(Katie Schoolov/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Harris has also remained silent on another part of the case. The CPUC’s law firm, \u003ca href=\"https://www.dlapiper.com/en/us/\">DLA Piper\u003c/a>, is representing the agency and its employees. Forge said the practice is frowned upon by prosecutors because it intimidates potential whistle-blowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What happens is the individual employees do not have anyone to whom they can truly turn for legal advice, because they know the same person who is representing them is representing their supervisor, and their supervisor’s supervisor,” Forge said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harris could ask a court to require the CPUC to retain separate counsel. So far, she hasn’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Democratic Politics Could Be at Play\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consumer advocate \u003ca href=\"http://www.kpbs.org/news/2015/mar/04/consumer-advocates-question-state-regulators-role-/\">Charles Langley\u003c/a> said Harris may not want to pursue the San Onofre investigation to its end because the state’s Democratic hierarchy could be touched by it and that could affect her U.S. Senate bid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a scandal that will very likely implicate Gov. Jerry Brown, a powerful Democrat, and Michael Peevey, a powerful Democrat, and his wife, an elected powerful Democrat,” Langley said. “I think it’s very distressing to her when she’s running for U.S. Senate and going up against the Democratic Party structure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peevey’s wife is state \u003ca href=\"http://sd25.senate.ca.gov/\">Sen. Carol Liu\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10928713\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/AGHarris-800x1040.jpg\" alt=\"Attorney General Kamala Harris.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1040\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-10928713\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/AGHarris-800x1040.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/AGHarris-400x520.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/AGHarris.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/AGHarris-1180x1533.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/AGHarris-960x1248.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Attorney General Kamala Harris. \u003ccite>( Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As attorney general, Harris has established a record for fighting white-collar crime. She set up a mortgage fraud task force, and she \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/14/business/how-kamala-harris-finessed-a-foreclosure-deal-for-california.html?_r=0\">obtained\u003c/a> $18 billion from the nation’s biggest banks for their role in the foreclosure crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She is also \u003ca href=\"http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-exxon-global-warming-20160120-story.html\">investigating\u003c/a> whether Exxon Mobil misled the public and shareholders on what it knew about climate change and whether that amounts to securities fraud.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, the questions surrounding Harris' handling of the San Onofre settlement investigation have not affected her standing with voters expected to cast ballots in the June primary. Harris has been the front-runner since she announced in January 2015 that she would run to replace Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, who is retiring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In last month's \u003ca href=\"http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-latimes-senate-primary-poll-20160329-story.html\">USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll\u003c/a>, Harris was leading her closest rival, Orange County congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, 28 percent to 19 percent. Both are Democrats. The top two vote-getters in June will compete in the November election, regardless of party. The poll showed about a third of those surveyed have yet to decide who they will vote for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Copyright 2016 KPBS. To see more election coverage, visit \u003ca href=\"http://www.kpbs.org/\">www.kpbs.org\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>California Counts is a collaboration of KPBS, KPCC, KQED and Capital Public Radio to report on the 2016 election. The coverage focuses on major issues and solicits diverse voices on what’s important to the future of California.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/cacounts\" target=\"_blank\">Read more in this series\u003c/a> and let us know your thoughts on Twitter using the hashtag \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23CACounts&src=typd\" target=\"_blank\">#CACounts\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Metropolitan Water District's $175 Million Land Deal Raises Alarms in Delta",
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"content": "\u003cp>In a multimillion-dollar deal, Southern California’s major water provider is acquiring five tracts of land in the heart of the Sacramento Delta, where the state is proposing to re-engineer water delivery systems. With the land purchase, the Metropolitan Water District is also raising suspicions among its new neighbors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zurich American, a subsidiary of a Swiss insurance company, \u003ca href=\"http://mwdh2o.com/PDF_NewsRoom/Delta_Wetlands.pdf\">is selling Metropolitan about 20,000 acres\u003c/a>, including Bacon Island, Bouldin Island, Webb Tract, most of Holland Tract and a piece of Chipps Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two of the tracts are in the path of Gov. Jerry Brown’s $17 billion \u003ca href=\"http://www.californiawaterfix.com/\">California WaterFix\u003c/a>, which would re-plumb the systems connecting Northern California to the thirsty South. The centerpiece of the fix is two tunnels, 50 feet wide, that would act as straws, moving water around and away from the region for the use of thirsty cities and some farmers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[soundcloud url=\"https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/258831710\" params=\"color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" iframe=\"true\" /]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right now you’re looking at some of the best prime farmland in California,” says Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of \u003ca href=\"http://restorethedelta.org/\">Restore the Delta\u003c/a>. A fat levee road surrounds Bacon Island’s bowl of land, west of Stockton in San Joaquin County. Farmers grow corn and alfalfa here, in dark rich soil.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The delta reminds me of Ireland -- you have the similarities between the peat soil, and when it’s green here in the spring it’s just absolutely stunning,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levees have protected the sinking soils of Bacon Island for almost 150 years. Beyond them is some open water and wetland marshes. A western meadowlark calls on a windy day. It’s one of many reasons Barrigan-Parrilla opposes the California WaterFix.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is where the tunnels would come through,” she says. “If the tunnels were built, you’d be looking at piles of muck. Coffer dams. Construction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10928606\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-10928606\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/BaconIsland-800x494.jpg\" alt=\"Bacon Island in San Joaquin County.\" width=\"800\" height=\"494\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/BaconIsland-800x494.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/BaconIsland-400x247.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/BaconIsland.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/BaconIsland-1180x728.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/BaconIsland-960x593.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bacon Island in San Joaquin County. \u003ccite>(Molly Peterson/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s not just Bacon Island. Barrigan-Parrilla argues the purchase is an existential threat to the delta -- and a grab for the region’s water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"http://mwdh2o.com/\">Metropolitan Water District\u003c/a> is positioning itself so that it can have as much water as it wants to export in a watershed that is actually in decline because of climate change,” she argues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Metropolitan’s general manager, Jeff Kightlinger, denies this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not a water grab there, in the sense of getting more.” In fact, he says, “our water supply depends on a healthy functioning delta ecosystem, and we don’t have that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Metropolitan is the major financial backer of the California WaterFix. Kightlinger acknowledges that buying the islands could help get those tunnels built, by heading off potential eminent domain fights over access to the route. But he says the purchase wouldn’t dramatically increase the populous South’s rights to Northern California water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It actually just makes it safer and more effective to move that water,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Current landowner Zurich American has sought to use some of the land for water storage and marketing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Metropolitan says it has not finalized plans for the land, Kightlinger says water storage isn’t under consideration. Instead, the district may restore habitat, on the theory that a more healthy delta can more regularly deliver supplies south. Kightlinger calls this “enlightened self-interest.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the land could serve as staging areas for the WaterFix, and storage for construction materials. And yes, twin tunnels could wriggle under Bacon and Bouldin Islands. Kightlinger says that’s preferable to an agricultural use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every year there is further farming causing these islands to shrink and subside, and as they subside they become a threat to the entire state of California,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Delta interests rebuke that assertion. And according to Stockton lawyers George V. Hermann and Dante Nomellini, restrictions on land use \u003ca href=\"http://www.sjgov.org/board/Board%20Meetings/Agendas/081313/MG94511/AS94527/AI96736/DO96580/DO_96580.PDF\">in existing covenants\u003c/a> may be able to block Metropolitan’s plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10928612\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-10928612\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Dante-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"The Central Delta Water Agency's Dante Nomellini says Southern California's water wholesaler, the Metropolitan Water District, goes after water in the Delta the way "a dog...kills chickens."\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Dante-800x535.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Dante-400x267.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Dante.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Dante-1180x789.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Dante-960x642.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Central Delta Water Agency's Dante Nomellini says Southern California's water wholesaler, the Metropolitan Water District, goes after water in the Delta the way \"a dog...kills chickens.\" \u003ccite>(Molly Peterson/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nomellini, who represents neighbors to the island in the Central Delta Water Agency, says Zurich American signed agreements restricting activity on the land back in 2013, including conditions that could keep out the tunnels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He believes those deals should be honored fully. “What I want is, I want the new buyer to sign our settlement agreement,” Nomellini says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nobody at Metropolitan has called Hermann or Nomellini to discuss the agreements. Kightlinger says that since Southern California’s land use plans in the delta don’t include reservoirs, the agreements born from a dispute related to reservoirs don’t apply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, both men say that on behalf of their clients that they’ll do everything possible to enforce the law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"hqSr9Hol6CPvVX3sAAQW5mLG5Jd3QlXg\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hermann points out that pumping water to the south over a period of many years has degraded the ecosystem. And Nomellini says he remains suspicious about Kightlinger’s motives. In the delta, opposition to Metropolitan is high and trust in the agency is low.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I describe them as a dog that kills chickens,” says Nomellini. “They’re real aggressive in the water field, and we in the delta look like chickens.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s far from certain the California WaterFix will move forward. Elected officials from Northern California and delta interests continue to protest vehemently. Last month, the State Water Resources Control Board delayed hearings on the project at the request of another state agency, the Department of Water Resources. And federal agencies have demanded more information about the project, including sending environmental documents back for further analysis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The purchase also remains controversial with Metropolitan’s own members -- two of the largest, Los Angeles and San Diego, opposed the sale, as did Santa Monica. As a result of debate at a meeting in March, Metropolitan’s executive board is slated to revisit the contract later this month, at a special meeting called for April 26.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In a multimillion-dollar deal, Southern California’s major water provider is acquiring five tracts of land in the heart of the Sacramento Delta, where the state is proposing to re-engineer water delivery systems. With the land purchase, the Metropolitan Water District is also raising suspicions among its new neighbors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zurich American, a subsidiary of a Swiss insurance company, \u003ca href=\"http://mwdh2o.com/PDF_NewsRoom/Delta_Wetlands.pdf\">is selling Metropolitan about 20,000 acres\u003c/a>, including Bacon Island, Bouldin Island, Webb Tract, most of Holland Tract and a piece of Chipps Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two of the tracts are in the path of Gov. Jerry Brown’s $17 billion \u003ca href=\"http://www.californiawaterfix.com/\">California WaterFix\u003c/a>, which would re-plumb the systems connecting Northern California to the thirsty South. The centerpiece of the fix is two tunnels, 50 feet wide, that would act as straws, moving water around and away from the region for the use of thirsty cities and some farmers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cdiv class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__shortcodes__shortcodeWrapper'>\n \u003ciframe width='100%' height='166'\n scrolling='no' frameborder='no'\n src='https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/258831710&visual=true&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false'\n title='https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/258831710'>\n \u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/div>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right now you’re looking at some of the best prime farmland in California,” says Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of \u003ca href=\"http://restorethedelta.org/\">Restore the Delta\u003c/a>. A fat levee road surrounds Bacon Island’s bowl of land, west of Stockton in San Joaquin County. Farmers grow corn and alfalfa here, in dark rich soil.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The delta reminds me of Ireland -- you have the similarities between the peat soil, and when it’s green here in the spring it’s just absolutely stunning,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levees have protected the sinking soils of Bacon Island for almost 150 years. Beyond them is some open water and wetland marshes. A western meadowlark calls on a windy day. It’s one of many reasons Barrigan-Parrilla opposes the California WaterFix.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is where the tunnels would come through,” she says. “If the tunnels were built, you’d be looking at piles of muck. Coffer dams. Construction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10928606\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-10928606\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/BaconIsland-800x494.jpg\" alt=\"Bacon Island in San Joaquin County.\" width=\"800\" height=\"494\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/BaconIsland-800x494.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/BaconIsland-400x247.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/BaconIsland.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/BaconIsland-1180x728.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/BaconIsland-960x593.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bacon Island in San Joaquin County. \u003ccite>(Molly Peterson/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s not just Bacon Island. Barrigan-Parrilla argues the purchase is an existential threat to the delta -- and a grab for the region’s water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"http://mwdh2o.com/\">Metropolitan Water District\u003c/a> is positioning itself so that it can have as much water as it wants to export in a watershed that is actually in decline because of climate change,” she argues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Metropolitan’s general manager, Jeff Kightlinger, denies this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not a water grab there, in the sense of getting more.” In fact, he says, “our water supply depends on a healthy functioning delta ecosystem, and we don’t have that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Metropolitan is the major financial backer of the California WaterFix. Kightlinger acknowledges that buying the islands could help get those tunnels built, by heading off potential eminent domain fights over access to the route. But he says the purchase wouldn’t dramatically increase the populous South’s rights to Northern California water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It actually just makes it safer and more effective to move that water,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Current landowner Zurich American has sought to use some of the land for water storage and marketing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Metropolitan says it has not finalized plans for the land, Kightlinger says water storage isn’t under consideration. Instead, the district may restore habitat, on the theory that a more healthy delta can more regularly deliver supplies south. Kightlinger calls this “enlightened self-interest.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the land could serve as staging areas for the WaterFix, and storage for construction materials. And yes, twin tunnels could wriggle under Bacon and Bouldin Islands. Kightlinger says that’s preferable to an agricultural use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every year there is further farming causing these islands to shrink and subside, and as they subside they become a threat to the entire state of California,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Delta interests rebuke that assertion. And according to Stockton lawyers George V. Hermann and Dante Nomellini, restrictions on land use \u003ca href=\"http://www.sjgov.org/board/Board%20Meetings/Agendas/081313/MG94511/AS94527/AI96736/DO96580/DO_96580.PDF\">in existing covenants\u003c/a> may be able to block Metropolitan’s plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10928612\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-10928612\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Dante-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"The Central Delta Water Agency's Dante Nomellini says Southern California's water wholesaler, the Metropolitan Water District, goes after water in the Delta the way "a dog...kills chickens."\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Dante-800x535.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Dante-400x267.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Dante.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Dante-1180x789.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/Dante-960x642.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Central Delta Water Agency's Dante Nomellini says Southern California's water wholesaler, the Metropolitan Water District, goes after water in the Delta the way \"a dog...kills chickens.\" \u003ccite>(Molly Peterson/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nomellini, who represents neighbors to the island in the Central Delta Water Agency, says Zurich American signed agreements restricting activity on the land back in 2013, including conditions that could keep out the tunnels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He believes those deals should be honored fully. “What I want is, I want the new buyer to sign our settlement agreement,” Nomellini says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nobody at Metropolitan has called Hermann or Nomellini to discuss the agreements. Kightlinger says that since Southern California’s land use plans in the delta don’t include reservoirs, the agreements born from a dispute related to reservoirs don’t apply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, both men say that on behalf of their clients that they’ll do everything possible to enforce the law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hermann points out that pumping water to the south over a period of many years has degraded the ecosystem. And Nomellini says he remains suspicious about Kightlinger’s motives. In the delta, opposition to Metropolitan is high and trust in the agency is low.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I describe them as a dog that kills chickens,” says Nomellini. “They’re real aggressive in the water field, and we in the delta look like chickens.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s far from certain the California WaterFix will move forward. Elected officials from Northern California and delta interests continue to protest vehemently. Last month, the State Water Resources Control Board delayed hearings on the project at the request of another state agency, the Department of Water Resources. And federal agencies have demanded more information about the project, including sending environmental documents back for further analysis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The purchase also remains controversial with Metropolitan’s own members -- two of the largest, Los Angeles and San Diego, opposed the sale, as did Santa Monica. As a result of debate at a meeting in March, Metropolitan’s executive board is slated to revisit the contract later this month, at a special meeting called for April 26.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Monterey Bay Aquarium Takes a Deep Dive Into Baja California",
"title": "Monterey Bay Aquarium Takes a Deep Dive Into Baja California",
"headTitle": "The California Report | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>MONTEREY -- You don't expect to encounter a desert tortoise when you go to the \u003ca href=\"http://www.montereybayaquarium.org\" target=\"_blank\">Monterey Bay Aquarium.\u003c/a> But you'll see two of them lumbering around in a new exhibition on Baja California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They've been crawling all over each other and everything else,\" said Paul Clarkson, curator of husbandry operations, who added that the reptiles have been extremely popular with visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Some species just resonate,\" he said. \"Some are slam dunks.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals-and-experiences/exhibits/viva-baja\" target=\"_blank\">\"¡Viva Baja! Life on the Edge\"\u003c/a> features fully terrestrial animals -- including assorted lizards, a tarantula, a scorpion and a snake -- for the first time in the aquarium's 32-year history. There are plenty of fish and invertebrates, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The $3.8 million exhibition, which will run at least two years, explores life in Baja California's coastal deserts, mangrove forests and coral reefs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Baja is a unique and special place,\" said Raúl Nava, senior exhibit developer and writer at the aquarium. \"It's an amazing land of contrasts.\"\u003cimg class=\"alignright wp-image-10926469 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/aquarium-baja-map-400x493.png\" alt=\"aquarium-baja-map\" width=\"400\" height=\"493\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/aquarium-baja-map-400x493.png 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/aquarium-baja-map-800x987.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/aquarium-baja-map-1180x1456.png 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/aquarium-baja-map-960x1184.png 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/aquarium-baja-map.png 1700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When work on the exhibition began, the aquarium staff used focus groups, questionnaires and on-site interviews to find out how much visitors knew about Baja, a narrow 800-mile-long peninsula in northwestern Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"One thing that was pretty surprising was that they didn't know a lot,\" Nava said. \"Some people didn't realize that Baja is our neighbor directly to the south. They didn't conceptualize that it's literally attached to California and recognize the connection that we share.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they considered Baja at all, they thought of spring break in Cabo San Lucas or drunken college kids going off to Tijuana. \"They didn't associate it with a stunning diversity of life,\" Nava said. \"We wanted to take it beyond the bash.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said Baja was even a mystery to the aquarium's many Spanish-speaking patrons -- often with roots on Mexico's mainland, especially Oaxaca and Jalisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"For most people there, it's like the wild frontier,\" Nava said. \"Like the way we think about Alaska.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10926465\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-10926465 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/moray-eel-400x267.jpg\" alt=\"Green moray eels live inside rocky crevices and hunt at night, using their sense of smell to locate prey.\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Green moray eels live inside rocky crevices and hunt at night, using their sense of smell to locate prey. \u003ccite>(Reinhard Dirscherl/SeaPics.com.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On a recent weekday morning, the exhibition, which opened March 19, was flooded with visitors. There was a lot of commotion in the first gallery, \"Near the Edge,\" which is devoted to the Sonoran Desert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Mommy, Mommy, look at the turtles!\" a little boy screamed at first sight of a big centerpiece exhibit housing iguanas, common chuckwallas and desert tortoises, which are frequently mistaken for turtles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"He's trying to eat that lizard,\" shrieked one small girl. In point of fact, none of the desert dwellers were consuming each other, but there was a great deal of activity, especially by reptilian standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10926432\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-10926432 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/baja-tortoise-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"two desert tortoises, on loan to the Monterey Bay Aquarium from the San Diego Zoo, are about 11 years old. They grow slowly and can live up to 80 years in the wild.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Two desert tortoises, on loan to the Monterey Bay Aquarium from the San Diego Zoo, are about 11 years old. They grow slowly and can live up to 80 years in the wild. \u003ccite>(Patricia Yollin/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\"¡Viva Baja! Life on the Edge\" includes three main galleries housing 18 live displays and several interactive ones, such as “Rainbow Reefs,” where visitors can color a coral reef fish on a touch screen, launch it into a digital fish tank and email the image to themselves as a souvenir.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly 100 species -- obtained from other institutions, commercial collectors and the wild -- will rotate through the exhibition. A \u003ca href=\"http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals-and-experiences/daily-shows-and-feedings#journey-to-baja-a-tale-of-three-travelers\" target=\"_blank\">companion film\u003c/a> details the migration of gray whales, brown pelicans and elephant seals to Baja.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10926467\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-10926467 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/TR16-467-400x599.jpg\" alt=\"This huge map of Baja, a narrow peninsula in northwestern Mexico, helps orients visitors to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's newest exhibit.\" width=\"400\" height=\"599\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/TR16-467-400x599.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/TR16-467.jpg 481w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This huge map of Baja, a narrow peninsula in northwestern Mexico, helps orient visitors to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's newest exhibition. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Monterey Bay Aquarium)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nava is enjoying the aquarium's \"first crawl onto land,\" as he put it, especially the tortoises.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They're so personable,\" he said, using an adjective not often applied to tortoises. \"I can relate to them some days.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They've been way more active than anyone anticipated, Clarkson said. In the wild, they spend much of their time dealing with temperature extremes and drought, struggling for access to food and water, and hiding under rocks. In the aquarium, there's no need to worry about any of that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the hardest things to predict when a show opens is which exhibits and animals will appeal to people, Clarkson said. Although it's no surprise that the tortoises are a crowd favorite, it turns out that a colony of garden eels is also a top contender. They are improbable creatures. At first it's hard to tell if they're even alive -- they could pass for vegetation -- but they're increasingly hypnotic the longer you look at them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Man, we've had people who have been parked there for 10 or 15 minutes at a stretch, just sitting there and watching those goofballs,\" Clarkson said. \"They are the height of bizarre. People walk up and say, 'What am I looking at? Is it grass, is it algae, is it a snake, is it a worm?' Lots of worm comments. But it's a fish. It's every bit a fish. Just an unusual fish.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The slender and large-eyed eels, embedded in the makeshift sea floor on the bottom of their tank, wriggled and swayed, rarely retreating into their burrows. \"You can get within inches of them,\" said Marie Henley, a volunteer stationed at the exhibit. \"That would never happen in nature.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spectators acted like it was a sporting event. \"Oh my God, they're fighting!\" \"Are they stuck there?\" \"Look, they're hugging.\" \"No, they're not!\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10926468\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-10926468 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/baja-garden-eels-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"These garden eels resemble long bendable straws, attached to individidual burrow. They retreat to their subterranean dwellings when night comes or when they get skittish.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/baja-garden-eels-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/baja-garden-eels-400x300.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/baja-garden-eels-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/baja-garden-eels-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/baja-garden-eels-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">These garden eels resemble long bendable straws, attached to individual burrows. They retreat to their subterranean dwellings when night comes or when they get skittish. \u003ccite>(Patricia Yollin/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For a lot of people, just reading the names of some species was sheer fun: the chocolate chip star, the convict surgeonfish, the Moorish idol, the Panamic fanged blenny.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then there's the rockmover wrasse. \"There was an event the other night with guests who watched this fish for 15 minutes at a shot,\" Clarkson said. \"It would pick up sand dollar shells, rocks, clamshells, and move them around for the entire evening, like a perpetually unhappy housekeeper, where it's never quite right. The jawfish does similar things, but it's more precise. It seems to have a plan.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The diversity of animals is much greater than in \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Mysterious-creatures-of-Monterey-Bay-Aquarium-s-5482321.php\" target=\"_blank\">\"Tentacles,\"\u003c/a> the aquarium's current exhibition of cephalopods, Clarkson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's this different world right across the border from us,\" he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And there's plenty of action if you look long enough. A bluespotted jawfish shovels out mouthfuls of sand. Common chuckwallas use each other as step stools in a rock-climbing marathon. A scorpion glows green -- a study in fluorescence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the second gallery, \"At the Edge,\" a mangrove forest resembles a day-care center, with all sorts of young fish darting here and there, including the porcupinefish, Nava's favorite. \"They're just so animated, so inquisitive,\" he said. \"Everyone's focused on baby otters right now (born in a tidepool outside the aquarium), but these are a lot cuter.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baja California is one of the most heavily funded areas in the world by organizations focused on conservation and the environment, Nava said, and the government is also making strides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We wanted to highlight the work being done by people in Mexico to protect it,\" he said. \"In our initial analysis, there was a negative perception of Baja that Mexico and Mexicans aren't focused on conservation like the United States is. We wanted to dispel that myth and show that people are taking action.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baja's fragile ecosystems need all the help they can get. They're threatened by overfishing, coastal development, habitat destruction, drought and water diversion, exemplified by the damming of the Colorado River, which used to empty into the Gulf of California. But the river delta is now dried up, which has been disastrous for wetlands, farmers and migratory birds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One exhibit features a totoaba, a fish so homely that you'd figure it would be left alone. However, it's prized in traditional Chinese medicine, which means its swim bladder brings top dollar. And then there's the vaquita, a small porpoise found only in the Gulf of California that is the world's most endangered marine mammal. The vaquita is too rare to put in an appearance in Monterey, so a video in the exhibition details its plight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There are fewer than 100 left in the wild,\" Nava said. \"But it's not just doom and gloom. Protection works -- look at the gray whale. We've done it before and we can do it again, if we act quickly. Some biologists consider this the most important conservation story in the world right now.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10926470\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-10926470\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/bluespotted-jawfish-400x267.jpg\" alt=\"The bluespotted jawfish seems perpetually restless. It is continually digging, building and remodeling its den, relying on its mouth to shovel and arrange sand and pieces of coral.\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/bluespotted-jawfish-400x267.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/bluespotted-jawfish-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/bluespotted-jawfish-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/bluespotted-jawfish-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/bluespotted-jawfish-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The bluespotted jawfish seems perpetually restless. It is continually digging, building and remodeling its den, relying on its mouth to shovel and arrange sand and pieces of coral. \u003ccite>(Steve Drogin/SeaPics.com)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is involved in several active research projects and partnerships in Baja, focused on the peninsula in the late 1980s, with its \"Mexico's Secret Sea\" show, but did not venture onto land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new exhibition, from a design perspective, presented interesting challenges, said Koen Liem, manager of exhibition design at the aquarium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Foremost, how to condense such vast subject matter into a concise exhibition story,\" he said. \"The 'on the edge' theme created a good framework for both the geographic and conservation stories we wanted to tell.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The third gallery goes \"Over the Edge\" into the realm of coral reefs. A particularly engaging exhibit is a tank teeming with lookdowns, which are fish that seem to gaze downward as they swim.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They're my second-favorite fish,\" Nava said. \"They're just so cool. They're shiny and captivating. And I also like their facial expressions. They look like grumpy old men.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Clarkson was asked if he had a favorite species in the exhibition, he said, \"It's always changing. That's because the animals and their behaviors are ever-changing. You spend time in front of one animal and it instantly becomes your favorite. And then you walk 10 feet down the hall and somebody else is doing something equally remarkable. It's just the nature of animals and what they do.\"\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "New $3.8 million exhibition explores the peninsula's arid coastal deserts, mangrove forests and coral reefs.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>MONTEREY -- You don't expect to encounter a desert tortoise when you go to the \u003ca href=\"http://www.montereybayaquarium.org\" target=\"_blank\">Monterey Bay Aquarium.\u003c/a> But you'll see two of them lumbering around in a new exhibition on Baja California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They've been crawling all over each other and everything else,\" said Paul Clarkson, curator of husbandry operations, who added that the reptiles have been extremely popular with visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Some species just resonate,\" he said. \"Some are slam dunks.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals-and-experiences/exhibits/viva-baja\" target=\"_blank\">\"¡Viva Baja! Life on the Edge\"\u003c/a> features fully terrestrial animals -- including assorted lizards, a tarantula, a scorpion and a snake -- for the first time in the aquarium's 32-year history. There are plenty of fish and invertebrates, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The $3.8 million exhibition, which will run at least two years, explores life in Baja California's coastal deserts, mangrove forests and coral reefs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Baja is a unique and special place,\" said Raúl Nava, senior exhibit developer and writer at the aquarium. \"It's an amazing land of contrasts.\"\u003cimg class=\"alignright wp-image-10926469 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/aquarium-baja-map-400x493.png\" alt=\"aquarium-baja-map\" width=\"400\" height=\"493\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/aquarium-baja-map-400x493.png 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/aquarium-baja-map-800x987.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/aquarium-baja-map-1180x1456.png 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/aquarium-baja-map-960x1184.png 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/aquarium-baja-map.png 1700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When work on the exhibition began, the aquarium staff used focus groups, questionnaires and on-site interviews to find out how much visitors knew about Baja, a narrow 800-mile-long peninsula in northwestern Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"One thing that was pretty surprising was that they didn't know a lot,\" Nava said. \"Some people didn't realize that Baja is our neighbor directly to the south. They didn't conceptualize that it's literally attached to California and recognize the connection that we share.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they considered Baja at all, they thought of spring break in Cabo San Lucas or drunken college kids going off to Tijuana. \"They didn't associate it with a stunning diversity of life,\" Nava said. \"We wanted to take it beyond the bash.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said Baja was even a mystery to the aquarium's many Spanish-speaking patrons -- often with roots on Mexico's mainland, especially Oaxaca and Jalisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"For most people there, it's like the wild frontier,\" Nava said. \"Like the way we think about Alaska.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10926465\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-10926465 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/moray-eel-400x267.jpg\" alt=\"Green moray eels live inside rocky crevices and hunt at night, using their sense of smell to locate prey.\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Green moray eels live inside rocky crevices and hunt at night, using their sense of smell to locate prey. \u003ccite>(Reinhard Dirscherl/SeaPics.com.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On a recent weekday morning, the exhibition, which opened March 19, was flooded with visitors. There was a lot of commotion in the first gallery, \"Near the Edge,\" which is devoted to the Sonoran Desert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Mommy, Mommy, look at the turtles!\" a little boy screamed at first sight of a big centerpiece exhibit housing iguanas, common chuckwallas and desert tortoises, which are frequently mistaken for turtles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"He's trying to eat that lizard,\" shrieked one small girl. In point of fact, none of the desert dwellers were consuming each other, but there was a great deal of activity, especially by reptilian standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10926432\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-10926432 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/baja-tortoise-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"two desert tortoises, on loan to the Monterey Bay Aquarium from the San Diego Zoo, are about 11 years old. They grow slowly and can live up to 80 years in the wild.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Two desert tortoises, on loan to the Monterey Bay Aquarium from the San Diego Zoo, are about 11 years old. They grow slowly and can live up to 80 years in the wild. \u003ccite>(Patricia Yollin/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\"¡Viva Baja! Life on the Edge\" includes three main galleries housing 18 live displays and several interactive ones, such as “Rainbow Reefs,” where visitors can color a coral reef fish on a touch screen, launch it into a digital fish tank and email the image to themselves as a souvenir.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly 100 species -- obtained from other institutions, commercial collectors and the wild -- will rotate through the exhibition. A \u003ca href=\"http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals-and-experiences/daily-shows-and-feedings#journey-to-baja-a-tale-of-three-travelers\" target=\"_blank\">companion film\u003c/a> details the migration of gray whales, brown pelicans and elephant seals to Baja.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10926467\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-10926467 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/TR16-467-400x599.jpg\" alt=\"This huge map of Baja, a narrow peninsula in northwestern Mexico, helps orients visitors to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's newest exhibit.\" width=\"400\" height=\"599\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/TR16-467-400x599.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/TR16-467.jpg 481w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This huge map of Baja, a narrow peninsula in northwestern Mexico, helps orient visitors to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's newest exhibition. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Monterey Bay Aquarium)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nava is enjoying the aquarium's \"first crawl onto land,\" as he put it, especially the tortoises.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They're so personable,\" he said, using an adjective not often applied to tortoises. \"I can relate to them some days.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They've been way more active than anyone anticipated, Clarkson said. In the wild, they spend much of their time dealing with temperature extremes and drought, struggling for access to food and water, and hiding under rocks. In the aquarium, there's no need to worry about any of that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the hardest things to predict when a show opens is which exhibits and animals will appeal to people, Clarkson said. Although it's no surprise that the tortoises are a crowd favorite, it turns out that a colony of garden eels is also a top contender. They are improbable creatures. At first it's hard to tell if they're even alive -- they could pass for vegetation -- but they're increasingly hypnotic the longer you look at them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Man, we've had people who have been parked there for 10 or 15 minutes at a stretch, just sitting there and watching those goofballs,\" Clarkson said. \"They are the height of bizarre. People walk up and say, 'What am I looking at? Is it grass, is it algae, is it a snake, is it a worm?' Lots of worm comments. But it's a fish. It's every bit a fish. Just an unusual fish.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The slender and large-eyed eels, embedded in the makeshift sea floor on the bottom of their tank, wriggled and swayed, rarely retreating into their burrows. \"You can get within inches of them,\" said Marie Henley, a volunteer stationed at the exhibit. \"That would never happen in nature.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spectators acted like it was a sporting event. \"Oh my God, they're fighting!\" \"Are they stuck there?\" \"Look, they're hugging.\" \"No, they're not!\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10926468\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-10926468 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/baja-garden-eels-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"These garden eels resemble long bendable straws, attached to individidual burrow. They retreat to their subterranean dwellings when night comes or when they get skittish.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/baja-garden-eels-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/baja-garden-eels-400x300.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/baja-garden-eels-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/baja-garden-eels-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/baja-garden-eels-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">These garden eels resemble long bendable straws, attached to individual burrows. They retreat to their subterranean dwellings when night comes or when they get skittish. \u003ccite>(Patricia Yollin/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For a lot of people, just reading the names of some species was sheer fun: the chocolate chip star, the convict surgeonfish, the Moorish idol, the Panamic fanged blenny.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then there's the rockmover wrasse. \"There was an event the other night with guests who watched this fish for 15 minutes at a shot,\" Clarkson said. \"It would pick up sand dollar shells, rocks, clamshells, and move them around for the entire evening, like a perpetually unhappy housekeeper, where it's never quite right. The jawfish does similar things, but it's more precise. It seems to have a plan.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The diversity of animals is much greater than in \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Mysterious-creatures-of-Monterey-Bay-Aquarium-s-5482321.php\" target=\"_blank\">\"Tentacles,\"\u003c/a> the aquarium's current exhibition of cephalopods, Clarkson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's this different world right across the border from us,\" he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And there's plenty of action if you look long enough. A bluespotted jawfish shovels out mouthfuls of sand. Common chuckwallas use each other as step stools in a rock-climbing marathon. A scorpion glows green -- a study in fluorescence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the second gallery, \"At the Edge,\" a mangrove forest resembles a day-care center, with all sorts of young fish darting here and there, including the porcupinefish, Nava's favorite. \"They're just so animated, so inquisitive,\" he said. \"Everyone's focused on baby otters right now (born in a tidepool outside the aquarium), but these are a lot cuter.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baja California is one of the most heavily funded areas in the world by organizations focused on conservation and the environment, Nava said, and the government is also making strides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We wanted to highlight the work being done by people in Mexico to protect it,\" he said. \"In our initial analysis, there was a negative perception of Baja that Mexico and Mexicans aren't focused on conservation like the United States is. We wanted to dispel that myth and show that people are taking action.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baja's fragile ecosystems need all the help they can get. They're threatened by overfishing, coastal development, habitat destruction, drought and water diversion, exemplified by the damming of the Colorado River, which used to empty into the Gulf of California. But the river delta is now dried up, which has been disastrous for wetlands, farmers and migratory birds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One exhibit features a totoaba, a fish so homely that you'd figure it would be left alone. However, it's prized in traditional Chinese medicine, which means its swim bladder brings top dollar. And then there's the vaquita, a small porpoise found only in the Gulf of California that is the world's most endangered marine mammal. The vaquita is too rare to put in an appearance in Monterey, so a video in the exhibition details its plight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There are fewer than 100 left in the wild,\" Nava said. \"But it's not just doom and gloom. Protection works -- look at the gray whale. We've done it before and we can do it again, if we act quickly. Some biologists consider this the most important conservation story in the world right now.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10926470\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-10926470\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/bluespotted-jawfish-400x267.jpg\" alt=\"The bluespotted jawfish seems perpetually restless. It is continually digging, building and remodeling its den, relying on its mouth to shovel and arrange sand and pieces of coral.\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/bluespotted-jawfish-400x267.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/bluespotted-jawfish-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/bluespotted-jawfish-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/bluespotted-jawfish-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/04/bluespotted-jawfish-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The bluespotted jawfish seems perpetually restless. It is continually digging, building and remodeling its den, relying on its mouth to shovel and arrange sand and pieces of coral. \u003ccite>(Steve Drogin/SeaPics.com)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is involved in several active research projects and partnerships in Baja, focused on the peninsula in the late 1980s, with its \"Mexico's Secret Sea\" show, but did not venture onto land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new exhibition, from a design perspective, presented interesting challenges, said Koen Liem, manager of exhibition design at the aquarium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Foremost, how to condense such vast subject matter into a concise exhibition story,\" he said. \"The 'on the edge' theme created a good framework for both the geographic and conservation stories we wanted to tell.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The third gallery goes \"Over the Edge\" into the realm of coral reefs. A particularly engaging exhibit is a tank teeming with lookdowns, which are fish that seem to gaze downward as they swim.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They're my second-favorite fish,\" Nava said. \"They're just so cool. They're shiny and captivating. And I also like their facial expressions. They look like grumpy old men.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Clarkson was asked if he had a favorite species in the exhibition, he said, \"It's always changing. That's because the animals and their behaviors are ever-changing. You spend time in front of one animal and it instantly becomes your favorite. And then you walk 10 feet down the hall and somebody else is doing something equally remarkable. It's just the nature of animals and what they do.\"\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Feinstein, House Republicans Urge Obama to Rev Up Delta Pumps",
"title": "Feinstein, House Republicans Urge Obama to Rev Up Delta Pumps",
"headTitle": "The California Report | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated, 7:15 p.m. Thursday. This post contains \u003ca href=\"#correction\">a correction\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Sen. Dianne Feinstein wants President Obama to order an increase in water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to farms and cities to the south.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a letter released Thursday, Feinstein expressed frustration that more water isn't being pumped south from the Delta despite an increase in flows down the Sacramento River triggered by recent storms. She blamed the agencies in charge of overseeing court-ordered actions to protect the Delta smelt and other imperiled fish species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She decried \"a dogmatic adherence to a rigid set of operating criteria that continues to handcuff our ability to rebuild\" the state's water reserves.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">'There are real-world consequences to the decisions being made in the Delta. ... That’s why we need to make sure we’re using every possible tool to make the right choices. Basing pumping decisions on better science and real-time monitoring is the least we can do.'\u003ccite>Sen. Dianne Feinstein\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>A dozen Republican members of California's House delegation sent \u003ca href=\"https://kevinmccarthy.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/california-republicans-call-on-white-house-to-act-on-drought\" target=\"_blank\">a separate letter\u003c/a> calling on Obama to act. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We ... need specific leadership from our chief executive,\" said the letter released by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield. \"That specific leadership is simple: a clear message to the relevant federal agencies to increase – not decrease – pumping over and above\" levels that have prevailed in recent weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exports from a federal pumping facility near Tracy are managed by three agencies -- the Bureau of Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service -- responsible for ensuring exports adhere to limits set in court-ordered plans to protect several endangered and threatened fish species. Those species include Delta smelt, Sacramento River winter- and spring-run chinook salmon and green sturgeon. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The congressional push to ship more water south is part of a \u003ca href=\"http://www.agalert.com/story/?id=9443\" target=\"_blank\">tide of criticism\u003c/a> from San Joaquin Valley farm interests that more water isn't being intercepted for human use after years of drought. Among \u003ca href=\"http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/editorials/article65069552.html\" target=\"_blank\">the loudest voices\u003c/a> is the powerful Westlands Water District, a longtime Feinstein ally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve watched ... the outrage with the government action that put the population of Flint [Michigan] at risk,\" said Westlands General Manager Tom Birmingham at \u003ca href=\"http://www.capitalpress.com/California/20160225/california-water-districts-appeal-to-fractured-congress-for-drought-relief\" target=\"_blank\">a House committee hearing in February\u003c/a>. \"But where’s the outrage with government policies that have created zero water supplies for communities in the San Joaquin Valley?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, Feinstein \u003ca href=\"http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=5121D013-CB60-4245-84F1-5142093BDE03\" target=\"_blank\">appealed directly\u003c/a> to the responsible agencies to increase pumping, saying there was little evidence that the affected species, including nearly extinct Delta smelt and endangered winter-run chinook salmon, would be harmed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.waterdeeply.org/articles/2016/03/9853/rain-falls-tensions-rise-water/\" target=\"_blank\">agencies responded\u003c/a> that pumping was \u003ca href=\"http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/kpoole/californias_water_projects_are.html\" target=\"_blank\">already at the limit\u003c/a> allowed under court-approved biological opinions developed under the Endangered Species Act.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In her letter to the president, Feinstein largely repeated her earlier criticism of Delta pumping operations, which she suggested are allowing massive quantities of water to flow out to sea that should be captured. She called for development of more flexible rules for deciding when pumping can be ramped up. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There are real-world consequences to the decisions being made in the Delta,\" Feinstein wrote. \"Sixty-nine communities in the southern San Joaquin Valley reported significant water supply and quality issues. And land is caving, bridges collapsing, as a result of overdrawn ground wells and subsidence. That’s why we need to make sure we’re using every possible tool to make the right choices. Basing pumping decisions on better science and real-time monitoring is the least we can do.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To understand a little of how the pumping limits work, it's necessary to consider how water flows in river channels near the twin pumping facilities -- state and federal -- in the southern Delta. Most of the water the facilities move is lifted into canals headed for San Luis Reservoir near Los Banos and points beyond. The pumps are so powerful they reverse the natural flow in a pair of channels called Old River and Middle River. That reverse flow, measured in negative cubic feet per second (cfs), can draw fish toward the pumps, cause them to get lost in the maze of Delta water channels and make them more vulnerable to predators. \u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">'When the senator ... calls on the president to order increased water exports from the Delta, she's really denying the science that's there and the agency expertise that's determined how much water could be exported in this year.'\u003ccite>Jon Rosenfield,\u003cbr>The Bay Institute\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>For the past six weeks, the pumps have been pulling water at a rate that, while well below capacity, has resulted in an Old Middle River flow of -5,000 cubic feet per second. Now, enter concerns about the Delta smelt, a species that biologists say is \u003ca href=\"https://californiawaterblog.com/2015/03/18/prepare-for-extinction-of-delta-smelt/\" target=\"_blank\">close to extinction\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Smelt Working Group, which includes scientists from a half dozen state and federal agencies, says the presence of smelt larvae in the Delta now may necessitate slowing down the pumps to reduce the negative flow to -2,500 cfs or less. A formal determination from the Fish and Wildlife Service is expected Friday morning. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jon Rosenfield, a conservation biologist with The Bay Institute, a San Francisco-based environmental group, said Thursday that Feinstein's letter virtually ignores the close, ongoing scientific scrutiny being brought to bear on Delta pumping operations and their impact on threatened species. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The senator has a long record of calling for the management of California resource to follow the science and to protect endangered species and our San Francisco Bay estuary,\" Rosenfield said. \"But when she calls on the president to order increased water exports from the Delta, she's really denying the science that's there and the agency expertise that's determined how much water could be exported in this year.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rosenfield also challenges the often-repeated claim that California is allowing massive volumes of water to \"waste\" through the Delta to the Pacific Ocean. He says state and federal statistics show the lion's share of runoff from major storms through the end of February was captured for human use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Between storage in upstream reservoirs, diversions, and exports from the Delta, people have captured between 65 and 75 percent of the runoff from the three major storm events that occurred between October and the end of February,\" Rosenfield said in a water season update earlier this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rosenfield noted that just 25 percent of the natural flow of the San Joaquin River had made it to the Delta during the current water year, the rest having been dammed or diverted by water-rights holders upstream. He said the low flows in the San Joaquin -- which has also been affected by lower-than-average rain and snow in the river's watershed -- have played a central role in limiting exports from the Delta pumps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Below: The full text of Sen. Feinstein's letter to President Obama:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Honorable Barack Obama\u003cbr>\nThe White House\u003cbr>\n1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.\u003cbr>\nWashington, D.C. 20500\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dear Mr. President:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I ask you to direct the Bureau of Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Marine Fisheries Service to maximize pumping in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the maximum extent allowed under the Endangered Species Act and biological opinions. Water flows in the Sacramento River are the highest they have been in four years. Just last week, flows in the Sacramento were as high as 76,000 cubic feet per second. We’ve only seen flows that high twice in the past ten years, and not once during this drought. Yet the Bureau of Reclamation and Fish and Wildlife Service are now considering reducing pumping due to concerns about larval smelt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite these high flows, rather than pumping as much water as possible without undue harm to the smelt, pumping levels remained constant for the past month (see Chart B below). Coupled with the fact that only three individual smelt were caught at the pumps this year, and that the most recent trawls revealed no Delta smelt in the south Delta, it seems to me that the agencies operate the system in a manner that may be contrary to the available data, culled from what is already a limited monitoring regime. I understand that the biological opinions impose a ceiling of -5,000 cubic feet per second, but the agencies have the discretion to exercise at least some flexibility to pump above that level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To put this all in context, between January 1 and March 6 last year, 1.5 million acre feet of water flowed through the Delta and 745,000 acre feet were pumped out. During the same period this year, 5.5 million acre feet of water flowed through the Delta, but only 852,000 acre feet were pumped out (see Chart A below). If we can’t increase pumping during an El Niño year, then when else can we?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agencies have also put California and the communities that depend on this water in a catch-22: Pumping is reduced when there are concerns about the presence of smelt caught as far away as 17 miles from the pumps. Yet agencies will also reduce pumping due to the absence of smelt, based on the idea that historically low smelt populations make detection difficult.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I believe that this year’s El Niño has highlighted a fundamental problem with our water system: A dogmatic adherence to a rigid set of operating criteria that continues to handcuff our ability to rebuild our reserves. We need a more nimble system. That’s why I included $150 million the past two years in the Energy and Water budget—so that decisions would be based on real-time data, rather than relying on intuition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are real-world consequences to the decisions being made in the Delta. 69 communities in the Southern San Joaquin Valley reported significant water supply and quality issues. And land is caving, bridges collapsing, as a result of overdrawn ground wells and subsidence. That’s why we need to make sure we’re using every possible tool to make the right choices. Basing pumping decisions on better science and real-time monitoring is the least we can do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sincerely,\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dianne Feinstein\u003cbr>\nUnited States Senator\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"correction\">\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Correction: The original post incorrectly referred to the names of channels that experience negative flows during Delta pumping operations. The correct names are Old and Middle rivers, not Old Middle River. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Senator argues that, amid higher river flows after winter storms, strict limits on pumping are unnecessary to protect threatened fish.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated, 7:15 p.m. Thursday. This post contains \u003ca href=\"#correction\">a correction\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Sen. Dianne Feinstein wants President Obama to order an increase in water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to farms and cities to the south.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a letter released Thursday, Feinstein expressed frustration that more water isn't being pumped south from the Delta despite an increase in flows down the Sacramento River triggered by recent storms. She blamed the agencies in charge of overseeing court-ordered actions to protect the Delta smelt and other imperiled fish species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She decried \"a dogmatic adherence to a rigid set of operating criteria that continues to handcuff our ability to rebuild\" the state's water reserves.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">'There are real-world consequences to the decisions being made in the Delta. ... That’s why we need to make sure we’re using every possible tool to make the right choices. Basing pumping decisions on better science and real-time monitoring is the least we can do.'\u003ccite>Sen. Dianne Feinstein\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>A dozen Republican members of California's House delegation sent \u003ca href=\"https://kevinmccarthy.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/california-republicans-call-on-white-house-to-act-on-drought\" target=\"_blank\">a separate letter\u003c/a> calling on Obama to act. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We ... need specific leadership from our chief executive,\" said the letter released by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield. \"That specific leadership is simple: a clear message to the relevant federal agencies to increase – not decrease – pumping over and above\" levels that have prevailed in recent weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exports from a federal pumping facility near Tracy are managed by three agencies -- the Bureau of Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service -- responsible for ensuring exports adhere to limits set in court-ordered plans to protect several endangered and threatened fish species. Those species include Delta smelt, Sacramento River winter- and spring-run chinook salmon and green sturgeon. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The congressional push to ship more water south is part of a \u003ca href=\"http://www.agalert.com/story/?id=9443\" target=\"_blank\">tide of criticism\u003c/a> from San Joaquin Valley farm interests that more water isn't being intercepted for human use after years of drought. Among \u003ca href=\"http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/editorials/article65069552.html\" target=\"_blank\">the loudest voices\u003c/a> is the powerful Westlands Water District, a longtime Feinstein ally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve watched ... the outrage with the government action that put the population of Flint [Michigan] at risk,\" said Westlands General Manager Tom Birmingham at \u003ca href=\"http://www.capitalpress.com/California/20160225/california-water-districts-appeal-to-fractured-congress-for-drought-relief\" target=\"_blank\">a House committee hearing in February\u003c/a>. \"But where’s the outrage with government policies that have created zero water supplies for communities in the San Joaquin Valley?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, Feinstein \u003ca href=\"http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=5121D013-CB60-4245-84F1-5142093BDE03\" target=\"_blank\">appealed directly\u003c/a> to the responsible agencies to increase pumping, saying there was little evidence that the affected species, including nearly extinct Delta smelt and endangered winter-run chinook salmon, would be harmed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.waterdeeply.org/articles/2016/03/9853/rain-falls-tensions-rise-water/\" target=\"_blank\">agencies responded\u003c/a> that pumping was \u003ca href=\"http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/kpoole/californias_water_projects_are.html\" target=\"_blank\">already at the limit\u003c/a> allowed under court-approved biological opinions developed under the Endangered Species Act.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In her letter to the president, Feinstein largely repeated her earlier criticism of Delta pumping operations, which she suggested are allowing massive quantities of water to flow out to sea that should be captured. She called for development of more flexible rules for deciding when pumping can be ramped up. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There are real-world consequences to the decisions being made in the Delta,\" Feinstein wrote. \"Sixty-nine communities in the southern San Joaquin Valley reported significant water supply and quality issues. And land is caving, bridges collapsing, as a result of overdrawn ground wells and subsidence. That’s why we need to make sure we’re using every possible tool to make the right choices. Basing pumping decisions on better science and real-time monitoring is the least we can do.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To understand a little of how the pumping limits work, it's necessary to consider how water flows in river channels near the twin pumping facilities -- state and federal -- in the southern Delta. Most of the water the facilities move is lifted into canals headed for San Luis Reservoir near Los Banos and points beyond. The pumps are so powerful they reverse the natural flow in a pair of channels called Old River and Middle River. That reverse flow, measured in negative cubic feet per second (cfs), can draw fish toward the pumps, cause them to get lost in the maze of Delta water channels and make them more vulnerable to predators. \u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">'When the senator ... calls on the president to order increased water exports from the Delta, she's really denying the science that's there and the agency expertise that's determined how much water could be exported in this year.'\u003ccite>Jon Rosenfield,\u003cbr>The Bay Institute\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>For the past six weeks, the pumps have been pulling water at a rate that, while well below capacity, has resulted in an Old Middle River flow of -5,000 cubic feet per second. Now, enter concerns about the Delta smelt, a species that biologists say is \u003ca href=\"https://californiawaterblog.com/2015/03/18/prepare-for-extinction-of-delta-smelt/\" target=\"_blank\">close to extinction\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Smelt Working Group, which includes scientists from a half dozen state and federal agencies, says the presence of smelt larvae in the Delta now may necessitate slowing down the pumps to reduce the negative flow to -2,500 cfs or less. A formal determination from the Fish and Wildlife Service is expected Friday morning. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jon Rosenfield, a conservation biologist with The Bay Institute, a San Francisco-based environmental group, said Thursday that Feinstein's letter virtually ignores the close, ongoing scientific scrutiny being brought to bear on Delta pumping operations and their impact on threatened species. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The senator has a long record of calling for the management of California resource to follow the science and to protect endangered species and our San Francisco Bay estuary,\" Rosenfield said. \"But when she calls on the president to order increased water exports from the Delta, she's really denying the science that's there and the agency expertise that's determined how much water could be exported in this year.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rosenfield also challenges the often-repeated claim that California is allowing massive volumes of water to \"waste\" through the Delta to the Pacific Ocean. He says state and federal statistics show the lion's share of runoff from major storms through the end of February was captured for human use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Between storage in upstream reservoirs, diversions, and exports from the Delta, people have captured between 65 and 75 percent of the runoff from the three major storm events that occurred between October and the end of February,\" Rosenfield said in a water season update earlier this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rosenfield noted that just 25 percent of the natural flow of the San Joaquin River had made it to the Delta during the current water year, the rest having been dammed or diverted by water-rights holders upstream. He said the low flows in the San Joaquin -- which has also been affected by lower-than-average rain and snow in the river's watershed -- have played a central role in limiting exports from the Delta pumps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Below: The full text of Sen. Feinstein's letter to President Obama:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Honorable Barack Obama\u003cbr>\nThe White House\u003cbr>\n1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.\u003cbr>\nWashington, D.C. 20500\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dear Mr. President:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I ask you to direct the Bureau of Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Marine Fisheries Service to maximize pumping in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the maximum extent allowed under the Endangered Species Act and biological opinions. Water flows in the Sacramento River are the highest they have been in four years. Just last week, flows in the Sacramento were as high as 76,000 cubic feet per second. We’ve only seen flows that high twice in the past ten years, and not once during this drought. Yet the Bureau of Reclamation and Fish and Wildlife Service are now considering reducing pumping due to concerns about larval smelt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite these high flows, rather than pumping as much water as possible without undue harm to the smelt, pumping levels remained constant for the past month (see Chart B below). Coupled with the fact that only three individual smelt were caught at the pumps this year, and that the most recent trawls revealed no Delta smelt in the south Delta, it seems to me that the agencies operate the system in a manner that may be contrary to the available data, culled from what is already a limited monitoring regime. I understand that the biological opinions impose a ceiling of -5,000 cubic feet per second, but the agencies have the discretion to exercise at least some flexibility to pump above that level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To put this all in context, between January 1 and March 6 last year, 1.5 million acre feet of water flowed through the Delta and 745,000 acre feet were pumped out. During the same period this year, 5.5 million acre feet of water flowed through the Delta, but only 852,000 acre feet were pumped out (see Chart A below). If we can’t increase pumping during an El Niño year, then when else can we?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agencies have also put California and the communities that depend on this water in a catch-22: Pumping is reduced when there are concerns about the presence of smelt caught as far away as 17 miles from the pumps. Yet agencies will also reduce pumping due to the absence of smelt, based on the idea that historically low smelt populations make detection difficult.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I believe that this year’s El Niño has highlighted a fundamental problem with our water system: A dogmatic adherence to a rigid set of operating criteria that continues to handcuff our ability to rebuild our reserves. We need a more nimble system. That’s why I included $150 million the past two years in the Energy and Water budget—so that decisions would be based on real-time data, rather than relying on intuition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are real-world consequences to the decisions being made in the Delta. 69 communities in the Southern San Joaquin Valley reported significant water supply and quality issues. And land is caving, bridges collapsing, as a result of overdrawn ground wells and subsidence. That’s why we need to make sure we’re using every possible tool to make the right choices. Basing pumping decisions on better science and real-time monitoring is the least we can do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sincerely,\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dianne Feinstein\u003cbr>\nUnited States Senator\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"correction\">\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Correction: The original post incorrectly referred to the names of channels that experience negative flows during Delta pumping operations. The correct names are Old and Middle rivers, not Old Middle River. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Get Used to Skimpier Snows in the Sierra",
"headTitle": "Get Used to Skimpier Snows in the Sierra | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>When the numbers come in for the closely watched April 1 survey of \u003ca href=\"http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/snowapp/sweq.action\">snow in the Sierra Nevada\u003c/a>, California is likely to fall short of an average year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s a major disappointment in a winter that featured one of the \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/02/01/why-this-el-nino-is-one-for-the-books/\">strongest El Niño events on record\u003c/a>—warm ocean conditions that were widely expected to produce torrents of precipitation. It’s also a source of concern since the state has historically counted on runoff from accumulated mountain snows for about a third of its water supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this week, the northern Sierra snowpack briefly nudged the long-term average for April 1, while measurements from the southern Sierra were lagging badly, at just 75 percent of normal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To be sure, both numbers are \u003ca href=\"http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=86838\">a huge improvement\u003c/a> over last year at this time, when the Sierra Nevada range was virtually barren. But this year, almost-average isn’t going to cut it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_594396\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 561px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-594396 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/03/No-SnowSurvey_150401.png\" alt=\"Governor Jerry Brown looks on as last April's snow survey is conducted on barren ground along Highway 50, near Echo Summit.\" width=\"561\" height=\"381\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/03/No-SnowSurvey_150401.png 561w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/03/No-SnowSurvey_150401-400x272.png 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 561px) 100vw, 561px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Governor Jerry Brown looks on as last April’s snow survey is conducted on barren ground along Highway 50, near Echo Summit. \u003ccite>(Calif. Dept. of Water Resources)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We really needed more than average—a lot more than average,” says Peter Gleick, a hydrologist and co-founder of the Oakland-based \u003ca href=\"http://pacinst.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pacific Institute\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Average snowpack wouldn’t solve the hole we’re in from four years of dry soil moistures and low reservoirs and overpumped groundwater,” he says. “I think a fifth year of drought is now pretty inevitable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, El Niño conjured up enough rain and snow to slightly dampen Californians’ worries over water. In a survey just released by the Public Policy Institute of California, while 57 percent of respondents still consider water supply to be a “big problem,” water and drought slipped from the top spot among residents’ biggest concerns, yielding once again to jobs and the economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Long-Term Outlook Not Encouraging\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gleick attended this week’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/03/22/fact-sheet-working-together-build-sustainable-water-future\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">White House Water Summit\u003c/a>, a confab designed to assess threats to future water security and seek solutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coinciding with that event, federal water managers issued some sobering projections for the continuing impact of California’s changing climate on key watersheds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins:\u003cbr>\nMean annual runoff is projected to increase as much as 5.4% in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers Delta by the 2050s. Moisture falling as rain instead of snow at lower elevations will increase wintertime runoff by 22% (December through March) and decrease springtime runoff by 27% (April through July).\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>And moving uphill toward Lake Tahoe, the outlook does not improve:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Truckee River Basin:\u003cbr>\nMean annual runoff is projected to increase by from [sic] 5.7% by the 2050s. Warmer conditions are projected to transition wintertime snow into rain, increasing December–March runoff and decreasing April–July runoff. The median date of peak runoff is expected to be 19 days earlier by the end of the century.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Those increases in runoff might sound like a good thing. More water is more water, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘We don’t just care about how much water we get, we also care about when we get it’\u003ccite>Peter Gleick, hydrologist\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“I wouldn’t bank on that,” says Gleick, citing both the uncertainty inherent in precipitation models for California and rising temperatures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t just care about how much water we get, we also care about when we get it,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More wintertime and less springtime runoff is a sign that winter storms are dropping more rain and less snow, depleting the state’s “frozen reservoir” and leaving less water during the summer growing season, when farms and cities most need it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As John Upton \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/california-snowpack-returns-fears-future-20166\">writes for Climate Central\u003c/a>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The low snowpack experienced last year is expected to become more common during the decades ahead — even though storminess in the region is \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/west-likely-stormier-with-climate-change-20009\">projected to increase\u003c/a>. Last year’s was the \u003ca href=\"http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/snowapp/sweq.action\">smallest snowpack on record\u003c/a>, caused primarily by a shortfall in large winter storms, fueling a withering drought \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/global-warming-fueled-heat-calif-drought-18719\">exacerbated by high temperatures\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Within 50 years, snowpacks as diminutive as last year’s could occur on average more than once every decade, said \u003ca href=\"https://profile.usgs.gov/mddettin\">Michael Dettinger\u003c/a>, a U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we have to do is a combination of smarter storage and better management of reservoirs, and much more efficient water use,” says Gleick. “There is no one solution to Cailfornia’s water problems.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "This year's snowpack will likely fall short of normal, but the definition of \"normal\" is changing.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When the numbers come in for the closely watched April 1 survey of \u003ca href=\"http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/snowapp/sweq.action\">snow in the Sierra Nevada\u003c/a>, California is likely to fall short of an average year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s a major disappointment in a winter that featured one of the \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/02/01/why-this-el-nino-is-one-for-the-books/\">strongest El Niño events on record\u003c/a>—warm ocean conditions that were widely expected to produce torrents of precipitation. It’s also a source of concern since the state has historically counted on runoff from accumulated mountain snows for about a third of its water supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this week, the northern Sierra snowpack briefly nudged the long-term average for April 1, while measurements from the southern Sierra were lagging badly, at just 75 percent of normal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To be sure, both numbers are \u003ca href=\"http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=86838\">a huge improvement\u003c/a> over last year at this time, when the Sierra Nevada range was virtually barren. But this year, almost-average isn’t going to cut it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_594396\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 561px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-594396 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/03/No-SnowSurvey_150401.png\" alt=\"Governor Jerry Brown looks on as last April's snow survey is conducted on barren ground along Highway 50, near Echo Summit.\" width=\"561\" height=\"381\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/03/No-SnowSurvey_150401.png 561w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/03/No-SnowSurvey_150401-400x272.png 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 561px) 100vw, 561px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Governor Jerry Brown looks on as last April’s snow survey is conducted on barren ground along Highway 50, near Echo Summit. \u003ccite>(Calif. Dept. of Water Resources)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We really needed more than average—a lot more than average,” says Peter Gleick, a hydrologist and co-founder of the Oakland-based \u003ca href=\"http://pacinst.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pacific Institute\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Average snowpack wouldn’t solve the hole we’re in from four years of dry soil moistures and low reservoirs and overpumped groundwater,” he says. “I think a fifth year of drought is now pretty inevitable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, El Niño conjured up enough rain and snow to slightly dampen Californians’ worries over water. In a survey just released by the Public Policy Institute of California, while 57 percent of respondents still consider water supply to be a “big problem,” water and drought slipped from the top spot among residents’ biggest concerns, yielding once again to jobs and the economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Long-Term Outlook Not Encouraging\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gleick attended this week’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/03/22/fact-sheet-working-together-build-sustainable-water-future\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">White House Water Summit\u003c/a>, a confab designed to assess threats to future water security and seek solutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coinciding with that event, federal water managers issued some sobering projections for the continuing impact of California’s changing climate on key watersheds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins:\u003cbr>\nMean annual runoff is projected to increase as much as 5.4% in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers Delta by the 2050s. Moisture falling as rain instead of snow at lower elevations will increase wintertime runoff by 22% (December through March) and decrease springtime runoff by 27% (April through July).\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>And moving uphill toward Lake Tahoe, the outlook does not improve:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Truckee River Basin:\u003cbr>\nMean annual runoff is projected to increase by from [sic] 5.7% by the 2050s. Warmer conditions are projected to transition wintertime snow into rain, increasing December–March runoff and decreasing April–July runoff. The median date of peak runoff is expected to be 19 days earlier by the end of the century.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Those increases in runoff might sound like a good thing. More water is more water, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘We don’t just care about how much water we get, we also care about when we get it’\u003ccite>Peter Gleick, hydrologist\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“I wouldn’t bank on that,” says Gleick, citing both the uncertainty inherent in precipitation models for California and rising temperatures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t just care about how much water we get, we also care about when we get it,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More wintertime and less springtime runoff is a sign that winter storms are dropping more rain and less snow, depleting the state’s “frozen reservoir” and leaving less water during the summer growing season, when farms and cities most need it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As John Upton \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/california-snowpack-returns-fears-future-20166\">writes for Climate Central\u003c/a>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The low snowpack experienced last year is expected to become more common during the decades ahead — even though storminess in the region is \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/west-likely-stormier-with-climate-change-20009\">projected to increase\u003c/a>. Last year’s was the \u003ca href=\"http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/snowapp/sweq.action\">smallest snowpack on record\u003c/a>, caused primarily by a shortfall in large winter storms, fueling a withering drought \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/global-warming-fueled-heat-calif-drought-18719\">exacerbated by high temperatures\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Within 50 years, snowpacks as diminutive as last year’s could occur on average more than once every decade, said \u003ca href=\"https://profile.usgs.gov/mddettin\">Michael Dettinger\u003c/a>, a U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we have to do is a combination of smarter storage and better management of reservoirs, and much more efficient water use,” says Gleick. “There is no one solution to Cailfornia’s water problems.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Utah Governor Signs Bill to Advance Oakland Coal Plan",
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"content": "\u003cp>Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has signed a bill that approves $53 million in state funds to aid construction of a new \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/09/21/oakland-moves-to-block-coal-at-new-terminal\" target=\"_blank\">Oakland cargo terminal\u003c/a> that backers hope to use to export coal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Herbert on Tuesday signed \u003ca href=\"http://www.eastbayexpress.com/SevenDays/archives/2016/03/10/utah-lawmakers-voting-to-spend-public-funds-on-oakland-coal-terminal-took-29000-from-company-that-stands-to-profit\" target=\"_blank\">legislation\u003c/a> authored by Republican state Sen. J. Stuart Adams that would help finance the project so Utah coal and other products reach overseas markets more easily.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Herbert's spokesman linked the governor's support for the bill to the national political debate over the future of the coal industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Gov. Herbert is alarmed to hear the comments from presidential candidate Hillary Clinton when she said 'We're going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business,'\" the spokesman, Jon Cox, said in a statement to KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cox was referencing remarks Clinton made earlier this month when \u003ca href=\"http://bigstory.ap.org/article/255ab210cd0c4229bf4036cb3f6cb715/facing-backlash-clinton-says-coal-still-has-future\" target=\"_blank\">she emphasized her commitment to policies that promote renewable energy\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Utah will continue to pursue an all-of-the-above approach to energy development including one of, if not the largest, growth of solar development in America over the past two years,\" Cox said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The terminal and Utah's role in financing it has outraged local environmentalists who have been working to stop the project. They say it will increase air pollution in West Oakland, which already has high asthma rates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They're already experiencing a lot of health effects, so to bring a project that can worsen the effects of residents and potentially the workers -- we're opposed to that,\" said Brittany King, a conservation program coordinator at the Sierra Club's Bay Area chapter, in an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Critics also say the project perpetuates dependence on fossil fuels, contributing to high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that scientists have identified as a key driver of climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I'm deeply disappointed in the decision by Utah's lawmakers to use public funds to prop up a dying industry that will only pollute our planet and contribute to global warming,\" East Bay State Senator Loni Hancock said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Adams said the project will help in the global environmental battle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Utah has the cleanest coal on the planet,\" Adams said in an interview earlier this month. \"You actually may be improving the environment by allowing this.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adams said if India and China burned more clean coal from Utah, the earth's environment could get better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"As long as the rest of the world is using it, you ought to use a better product than dirty coal,\" Adams said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the Bay Area's top energy experts disagrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There is no such thing as clean coal,\" said Daniel Kammen, a UC Berkeley professor of energy and co-director of the Berkeley Institute of the Environment, in an email. \"When you burn coal you get carbon dioxide, no getting around that. Poison is poison. Adams is wrong.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Burning coal with less trace toxin elements in it is better than injecting it into a vein, but far worse than the many clean energy options that are available,\" Kammen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adams said California should return favors that Utah has done for the Golden State in years past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When there were power generation lines that needed to be run through Utah from Wyoming to California, we allowed those lines to be run through,\" he said. \"Most of the goods that come from the rest of the world come into California and travel through Utah through our freeways, with trucks and whatever else may pollute our air. And we've actually tried to accommodate California, tried to be neighborly.\"\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has signed a bill that approves $53 million in state funds to aid construction of a new \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/09/21/oakland-moves-to-block-coal-at-new-terminal\" target=\"_blank\">Oakland cargo terminal\u003c/a> that backers hope to use to export coal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Herbert on Tuesday signed \u003ca href=\"http://www.eastbayexpress.com/SevenDays/archives/2016/03/10/utah-lawmakers-voting-to-spend-public-funds-on-oakland-coal-terminal-took-29000-from-company-that-stands-to-profit\" target=\"_blank\">legislation\u003c/a> authored by Republican state Sen. J. Stuart Adams that would help finance the project so Utah coal and other products reach overseas markets more easily.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Herbert's spokesman linked the governor's support for the bill to the national political debate over the future of the coal industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Gov. Herbert is alarmed to hear the comments from presidential candidate Hillary Clinton when she said 'We're going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business,'\" the spokesman, Jon Cox, said in a statement to KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cox was referencing remarks Clinton made earlier this month when \u003ca href=\"http://bigstory.ap.org/article/255ab210cd0c4229bf4036cb3f6cb715/facing-backlash-clinton-says-coal-still-has-future\" target=\"_blank\">she emphasized her commitment to policies that promote renewable energy\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Utah will continue to pursue an all-of-the-above approach to energy development including one of, if not the largest, growth of solar development in America over the past two years,\" Cox said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The terminal and Utah's role in financing it has outraged local environmentalists who have been working to stop the project. They say it will increase air pollution in West Oakland, which already has high asthma rates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They're already experiencing a lot of health effects, so to bring a project that can worsen the effects of residents and potentially the workers -- we're opposed to that,\" said Brittany King, a conservation program coordinator at the Sierra Club's Bay Area chapter, in an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Critics also say the project perpetuates dependence on fossil fuels, contributing to high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that scientists have identified as a key driver of climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I'm deeply disappointed in the decision by Utah's lawmakers to use public funds to prop up a dying industry that will only pollute our planet and contribute to global warming,\" East Bay State Senator Loni Hancock said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Adams said the project will help in the global environmental battle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Utah has the cleanest coal on the planet,\" Adams said in an interview earlier this month. \"You actually may be improving the environment by allowing this.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adams said if India and China burned more clean coal from Utah, the earth's environment could get better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"As long as the rest of the world is using it, you ought to use a better product than dirty coal,\" Adams said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the Bay Area's top energy experts disagrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There is no such thing as clean coal,\" said Daniel Kammen, a UC Berkeley professor of energy and co-director of the Berkeley Institute of the Environment, in an email. \"When you burn coal you get carbon dioxide, no getting around that. Poison is poison. Adams is wrong.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Burning coal with less trace toxin elements in it is better than injecting it into a vein, but far worse than the many clean energy options that are available,\" Kammen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adams said California should return favors that Utah has done for the Golden State in years past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When there were power generation lines that needed to be run through Utah from Wyoming to California, we allowed those lines to be run through,\" he said. \"Most of the goods that come from the rest of the world come into California and travel through Utah through our freeways, with trucks and whatever else may pollute our air. And we've actually tried to accommodate California, tried to be neighborly.\"\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Despite Rainfall, California County Still Relying on Water Tanks",
"title": "Despite Rainfall, California County Still Relying on Water Tanks",
"headTitle": "The California Report | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>Back in early January, Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting \u003ca href=\"https://www.revealnews.org/article/water-tanks-are-a-way-of-life-in-california-community-during-drought/\">examined the water tank program\u003c/a> in Tulare County. What began as an emergency response measure to the drought was becoming the norm for hundreds of families who no longer had running water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the peak of the crisis, Tulare County reported about 1,400 private well failures. To combat the problem, the county began installing 3,000-gallon tanks and delivering water to residents for free. Homeowners were the only ones who qualified for the program initially.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[soundcloud url=\"https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/252911863\" params=\"color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" iframe=\"true\" /]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Socorro Ambriz’s well ran dry in July. She didn’t qualify for the tank program because she rented her home. So Ambriz and her family cobbled together a system to get water into her house. Her brother made two trips every week to fill barrels at a nearby water station. She would then pump water out of those barrels into a boxy plastic tank, which would feed water into her home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After our story ran, Ambriz paused her routine. Heavy rains brought water back to her well, at least for now. But more than 800 domestic wells still are dry, according to Tulare County officials. And where the water has returned, the supply remains unpredictable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"WEFdyCqB89goSTTU4zgURbr0jMca9UqH\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ambriz knows that, and so do county officials, who have advised residents to continue using their tanks because the well water could contain unsafe levels of arsenic or nitrates. Tim Lutz, of the Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency, said residents should test their water before using it and, until they know it’s safe, continue to use bottled water for drinking and cooking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But no one knows how long the water will last.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dan McManus, a geologist with the California Department of Water Resources, said the water supply could get residents through the summer, but that hinges on the amount of rainfall, structure of the wells and when farmers begin to pump groundwater. Wells that are in loose, sandy soil can recharge much faster than those in hard-packed soils, such as fractured rock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ambriz was the only resident we interviewed who has seen water return to her well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Racie Jeffers’ well went dry more than a year ago. She has relied on a county-issued tank to supply water to her home since September. She considered applying for a loan to deepen her well, but she said she wouldn’t know how to pay it back. Jeffers is a retired cook who lives on Social Security benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Duane Ezell’s problems started earlier: The five wells that serve his 14 rental properties ran out of water in summer 2014. He said every driller he tried to book had a backlog. When he couldn’t find a driller, most of his tenants left. He hasn’t charged the few tenants who stayed any rent in more than a year and a half because there’s no water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted to add renters to the water tank program in December.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This story was written and produced by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting. Emmanuel Martinez can be reached at \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"mailto:emartinez@cironline.org\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">\u003ci>emartinez@cironline.org\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. Learn more about Reveal at \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"http://revealnews.org/\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">\u003ci>revealnews.org\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003ci> and subscribe to the podcast, produced by CIR and PRX, on \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">\u003ci>iTunes\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003ci>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Back in early January, Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting \u003ca href=\"https://www.revealnews.org/article/water-tanks-are-a-way-of-life-in-california-community-during-drought/\">examined the water tank program\u003c/a> in Tulare County. What began as an emergency response measure to the drought was becoming the norm for hundreds of families who no longer had running water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the peak of the crisis, Tulare County reported about 1,400 private well failures. To combat the problem, the county began installing 3,000-gallon tanks and delivering water to residents for free. Homeowners were the only ones who qualified for the program initially.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cdiv class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__shortcodes__shortcodeWrapper'>\n \u003ciframe width='100%' height='166'\n scrolling='no' frameborder='no'\n src='https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/252911863&visual=true&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false'\n title='https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/252911863'>\n \u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/div>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Socorro Ambriz’s well ran dry in July. She didn’t qualify for the tank program because she rented her home. So Ambriz and her family cobbled together a system to get water into her house. Her brother made two trips every week to fill barrels at a nearby water station. She would then pump water out of those barrels into a boxy plastic tank, which would feed water into her home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After our story ran, Ambriz paused her routine. Heavy rains brought water back to her well, at least for now. But more than 800 domestic wells still are dry, according to Tulare County officials. And where the water has returned, the supply remains unpredictable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ambriz knows that, and so do county officials, who have advised residents to continue using their tanks because the well water could contain unsafe levels of arsenic or nitrates. Tim Lutz, of the Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency, said residents should test their water before using it and, until they know it’s safe, continue to use bottled water for drinking and cooking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But no one knows how long the water will last.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dan McManus, a geologist with the California Department of Water Resources, said the water supply could get residents through the summer, but that hinges on the amount of rainfall, structure of the wells and when farmers begin to pump groundwater. Wells that are in loose, sandy soil can recharge much faster than those in hard-packed soils, such as fractured rock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ambriz was the only resident we interviewed who has seen water return to her well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Racie Jeffers’ well went dry more than a year ago. She has relied on a county-issued tank to supply water to her home since September. She considered applying for a loan to deepen her well, but she said she wouldn’t know how to pay it back. Jeffers is a retired cook who lives on Social Security benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Duane Ezell’s problems started earlier: The five wells that serve his 14 rental properties ran out of water in summer 2014. He said every driller he tried to book had a backlog. When he couldn’t find a driller, most of his tenants left. He hasn’t charged the few tenants who stayed any rent in more than a year and a half because there’s no water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted to add renters to the water tank program in December.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This story was written and produced by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting. Emmanuel Martinez can be reached at \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"mailto:emartinez@cironline.org\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">\u003ci>emartinez@cironline.org\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. Learn more about Reveal at \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"http://revealnews.org/\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">\u003ci>revealnews.org\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003ci> and subscribe to the podcast, produced by CIR and PRX, on \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">\u003ci>iTunes\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003ci>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"marketplace": {
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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"planet-money": {
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"politicalbreakdown": {
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"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"pri-the-world": {
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"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
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"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
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"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
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},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
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"order": 16
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},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
"title": "Science Friday",
"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
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},
"snap-judgment": {
"id": "snap-judgment",
"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
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