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"title": "California Keeps Sending Toxic Soil to Out-of-State Landfills — Newsom and Legislators Are Slow to Change Course",
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"content": "\u003cp>State lawmakers are planning an oversight hearing that will look into how California handles toxic soil from old industrial, military and other cleanup sites — waste contaminated with things such as lead, petroleum hydrocarbons and the infamous insecticide DDT.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2023/01/california-toxic-waste-dumped-arizona-utah/\">CalMatters investigation\u003c/a> last month revealed businesses and government agencies routinely dispose of contaminated soil at landfills in Arizona and Utah — states with weaker environmental regulation and oversight — as opposed to in California, where the waste would need to go to specialized hazardous waste disposal facilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two of the most heavily used landfills are near Native American reservations in Arizona, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23571798-20211001-consent_order_syclf_final-signed\">one landfill with a spotty environmental record\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California state and local government agencies largely oversee or directly manage the cleanup projects disposing the waste out of state. California’s own hazardous waste watchdog — the Department of Toxic Substances Control — is one of the biggest out-of-state dumpers and has continued to take its toxic waste to Arizona despite the public revelations, according to information the department recently provided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom has positioned himself as a national leader on environmental issues. His office failed to respond to requests for comment both before and after CalMatters’ initial report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The as-yet unscheduled hearing had been planned to explore various hazardous waste issues, but the chair of the state Senate’s Environmental Quality Committee said it will now also probe the out-of-state dumping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a real concern,” said Sen. Ben Allen, a Democrat from Redondo Beach. “I think at a gut level, everybody feels as though every state should be handling its own toxic waste and not sending it across borders to other states and countries with less stringent environmental standards.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CalMatters’ reporting revealed that California businesses and government agencies have disposed of more than 660,000 tons of toxic soil in Arizona landfills since 2018 and nearly a million tons at a Utah landfill, according to data from the state’s hazardous waste tracking system. That includes more than 105,000 tons from the state’s cleanup of lead-contaminated soil in the neighborhoods around the old Exide battery recycling facility in Los Angeles County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The out-of-state landfills are a cheaper option than California’s two hazardous waste disposal facilities, which are in Kings and Kern counties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Department of Toxic Substances Control took most of the Exide residential cleanup waste to the South Yuma County Landfill, which Arizona environmental regulators in 2021 labeled as posing an “\u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23571796-20210430-south-yuma-county-landfill-inspection-report#document/p25/a2194981\">imminent and substantial threat\u003c/a>” after an inspection noted windblown litter, large amounts of “disease vectors” (flies and birds), and groundwater with elevated levels of chromium — a metal that can harm people and the environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The landfill made fixes to resolve those and other violations, according to Arizona regulators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exide waste has continued to go to that state. The Department of Toxic Substances Control shipped 52 loads of hazardous waste from the Exide residential cleanup to the Yuma landfill from Jan. 25 to Feb. 10, according to figures the department provided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Arizona, one lawmaker told CalMatters that she wasn’t aware California was dumping so much hazardous waste in her state’s landfills and called it “very concerning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Arizona is not a dumping ground and hauling California’s hazardous waste so close to Arizona’s agricultural hub and the Colorado River is asking for trouble no matter how many precautions they take,” said Arizona state Rep. Mariana Sandoval, a Democrat whose district includes areas around the South Yuma County Landfill. “I would hope that our new governor will take a close look at this … and encourage California to find landfills in their own state for their own waste.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>New plan coming for California toxic waste\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As to whether Californians can expect any major policy change, officials largely pointed to a 2021 law requiring the state to craft a new \u003ca href=\"https://dtsc.ca.gov/hazardous-waste-management-plan/\">hazardous waste management plan\u003c/a>. As part of the process, the Department of Toxic Substances Control is scheduled to release a report in March looking at how much hazardous waste the state is generating and how it’s being handled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The (Hazardous Waste Management) Plan will propose strategies for reducing hazardous waste generation, managing more waste in state, and addressing issues of concern, such as hazardous waste impacts to disadvantaged communities,” according to a statement from the department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A proposed plan isn’t due until spring 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked how the state can justify continuing to dump hazardous waste in out-of-state landfills next to Native American reservations, California’s secretary for environmental protection, Yana Garcia, declined an interview request but provided a written statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The hazardous waste challenges we face across the country are decades in the making. While we know these issues won’t be resolved overnight, California is fully committed to addressing this urgently, and we are prioritizing investing in the search for solutions to do so,” according to her statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said the bill that led to the hazardous waste planning process as well as more stable funding for the department “improved our ability to address this and other toxic waste challenges. Enhancing DTSC’s regulatory oversight and requiring the research and public engagement necessary to come to consensus on solutions moves us in the right direction, but our path to achieve on-the-ground improvements will require true partnership with a multitude of stakeholders and a fundamental shift in how we produce, treat, and handle hazardous waste, across the board.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Hazardous waste landfills in San Joaquin Valley\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Regulators, environmental advocates and lawmakers said the issue is complicated and any solution is likely to be controversial.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California is limited in its ability to regulate interstate commerce. State regulators said there’s not much they can do to stop private entities from taking waste across the border.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And California has only two hazardous waste landfills, both of them in the San Joaquin Valley: the \u003ca href=\"https://dtsc.ca.gov/kettleman-hills-facility/\">Kettleman Hills Facility\u003c/a> in Kings County and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/hwmp_profile_report?global_id=CAD980675276\">Buttonwillow landfill facility\u003c/a> in Kern County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On paper, the sites appear to have enough space to take contaminated soil. Last year, Jennifer Andrews, a spokesperson for WM (formerly known as Waste Management Inc.), which operates the \u003ca href=\"https://dtsc.ca.gov/kettleman-hills-facility/\">Kettleman Hills Facility\u003c/a>, told CalMatters the site “has enough capacity to meet the State of California’s hazardous waste disposal needs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We also have plenty of space to meet the needs of (Department of Toxic Substances Control) waste for years to come, providing the agency permits new disposal units at our site.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the two landfills have been controversial. Both were the subject of numerous regulatory violations over the years and advocates have long protested about the sites, which are near communities of color. In 2014 the Department of Toxic Substances Control approved \u003ca href=\"https://dtsc.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2017/03/KettlemanCommunityflyerEnglish512.pdf\">an expansion at Kettleman Hills (PDF)\u003c/a>, prompting environmental justice and community groups to file a civil rights complaint, records show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation='Bradley Angel, executive director, Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice']‘They need some other alternatives, and the reality is I don’t see them building another hazardous waste landfill.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bradley Angel is executive director of Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice, one of the groups that filed the complaint, which ultimately led to a \u003ca href=\"https://dtsc.ca.gov/2016/08/10/landmark-agreement-reached-to-benefit-environmental-justice-communities-and-resolve-a-civil-rights-complaint-on-hazardous-waste-permitting-decision/\">settlement agreement\u003c/a> including provisions for more health assessment and environmental monitoring, state records show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They need some other alternatives, and the reality is I don’t see them building another hazardous waste landfill,” Angel said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said there’s “not the political appetite.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indeed, the Department of Toxic Substances Control appeared to acknowledge as much in a \u003ca href=\"https://dtsc.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2021/05/FINAL-CPHWRI-REPORT_ADA_FINAL.pdf?emrc=0e9fe7\">2017 report that looked at ways to reduce hazardous waste\u003c/a>, including treating more contaminated soil on-site as opposed to excavating it. The report cited a “difficulty in gaining consensus in the siting of new facilities” as leading to a focus on strategies to reduce the amount of hazardous waste generated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, if you can’t build more sites to take hazardous waste because nobody wants it in their backyard, then you better figure out a way to make less of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cleaning up hazardous soil\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California’s efforts to address a long history of environmental harm at old industrial and military installations produces hundreds of thousands of tons of toxic soil each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Department of Toxic Substances Control “is trying to remediate contamination that was created over decades by unscrupulous private sector actors. Now, does that mean they ought to be dumping in Arizona?” Allen, the Democrat from Redondo Beach, asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The senator said his committee will hold an oversight hearing on the Department of Toxic Substances Control sometime this year. Other topics will likely include recent reporting from \u003cem>The Los Angeles Times\u003c/em> suggesting the state isn’t ensuring properties around the Exide facility are properly \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-10/exide-lead-cleanup-leaves-fear-and-frustration-in-its-wake\">cleaned of lead-contaminated soil\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s not an easy answer here. But that doesn’t mean that we accept the status quo,” Allen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981792\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981792 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/112922-La-Paz-County-AZ-MG-CM-06-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A landscape of beige, sandy soil and green scrub across it, with a rise the same color as the sand in the distance.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/112922-La-Paz-County-AZ-MG-CM-06-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/112922-La-Paz-County-AZ-MG-CM-06-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/112922-La-Paz-County-AZ-MG-CM-06-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/112922-La-Paz-County-AZ-MG-CM-06-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/112922-La-Paz-County-AZ-MG-CM-06.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The La Paz County Regional Landfill near the Colorado River Indian Tribes reservation in Arizona on Nov. 29, 2022. \u003ccite>(Miguel Gutierrez Jr./CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Other states could, of course, also take action. Oregon in the late 1980s adopted a rule that effectively bars California from dumping hazardous waste in that state’s regular landfills. Nevada has a similar rule. (California disposed of a large amount of contaminated soil at a Nevada facility in recent years, shipping records show. But that site is designed and permitted to handle hazardous waste.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sandoval, the lawmaker whose district includes an area around the South Yuma landfill, said Arizona legislation to restrict California’s dumping is possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nobody wants that in their backyard,” Sandoval said. “Obviously California doesn’t want it in their backyard. That’s why they’re bringing it over to us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Utah legislators CalMatters reached out to didn’t respond to requests for comment. Regulators in that state recently signified their intent to deny a permit for a landfill on the banks of the Great Salt Lake that CalMatters reported was planning to take California’s contaminated soil. CalMatters reported in January that the company behind the project filed an economic analysis with its state regulators calling the toxic soil a “unique market opportunity created by California law.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://documents.deq.utah.gov/waste-management-and-radiation-control/facilities/promontory-point-landfill/DSHW-2023-001251.pdf\">proposed permit denial\u003c/a> indicates there is already enough landfill capacity to handle Utah’s waste needs.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "California Keeps Sending Toxic Soil to Out-of-State Landfills — Newsom and Legislators Are Slow to Change Course | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>State lawmakers are planning an oversight hearing that will look into how California handles toxic soil from old industrial, military and other cleanup sites — waste contaminated with things such as lead, petroleum hydrocarbons and the infamous insecticide DDT.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2023/01/california-toxic-waste-dumped-arizona-utah/\">CalMatters investigation\u003c/a> last month revealed businesses and government agencies routinely dispose of contaminated soil at landfills in Arizona and Utah — states with weaker environmental regulation and oversight — as opposed to in California, where the waste would need to go to specialized hazardous waste disposal facilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two of the most heavily used landfills are near Native American reservations in Arizona, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23571798-20211001-consent_order_syclf_final-signed\">one landfill with a spotty environmental record\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California state and local government agencies largely oversee or directly manage the cleanup projects disposing the waste out of state. California’s own hazardous waste watchdog — the Department of Toxic Substances Control — is one of the biggest out-of-state dumpers and has continued to take its toxic waste to Arizona despite the public revelations, according to information the department recently provided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom has positioned himself as a national leader on environmental issues. His office failed to respond to requests for comment both before and after CalMatters’ initial report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The as-yet unscheduled hearing had been planned to explore various hazardous waste issues, but the chair of the state Senate’s Environmental Quality Committee said it will now also probe the out-of-state dumping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a real concern,” said Sen. Ben Allen, a Democrat from Redondo Beach. “I think at a gut level, everybody feels as though every state should be handling its own toxic waste and not sending it across borders to other states and countries with less stringent environmental standards.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CalMatters’ reporting revealed that California businesses and government agencies have disposed of more than 660,000 tons of toxic soil in Arizona landfills since 2018 and nearly a million tons at a Utah landfill, according to data from the state’s hazardous waste tracking system. That includes more than 105,000 tons from the state’s cleanup of lead-contaminated soil in the neighborhoods around the old Exide battery recycling facility in Los Angeles County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The out-of-state landfills are a cheaper option than California’s two hazardous waste disposal facilities, which are in Kings and Kern counties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Department of Toxic Substances Control took most of the Exide residential cleanup waste to the South Yuma County Landfill, which Arizona environmental regulators in 2021 labeled as posing an “\u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23571796-20210430-south-yuma-county-landfill-inspection-report#document/p25/a2194981\">imminent and substantial threat\u003c/a>” after an inspection noted windblown litter, large amounts of “disease vectors” (flies and birds), and groundwater with elevated levels of chromium — a metal that can harm people and the environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The landfill made fixes to resolve those and other violations, according to Arizona regulators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exide waste has continued to go to that state. The Department of Toxic Substances Control shipped 52 loads of hazardous waste from the Exide residential cleanup to the Yuma landfill from Jan. 25 to Feb. 10, according to figures the department provided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Arizona, one lawmaker told CalMatters that she wasn’t aware California was dumping so much hazardous waste in her state’s landfills and called it “very concerning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Arizona is not a dumping ground and hauling California’s hazardous waste so close to Arizona’s agricultural hub and the Colorado River is asking for trouble no matter how many precautions they take,” said Arizona state Rep. Mariana Sandoval, a Democrat whose district includes areas around the South Yuma County Landfill. “I would hope that our new governor will take a close look at this … and encourage California to find landfills in their own state for their own waste.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>New plan coming for California toxic waste\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As to whether Californians can expect any major policy change, officials largely pointed to a 2021 law requiring the state to craft a new \u003ca href=\"https://dtsc.ca.gov/hazardous-waste-management-plan/\">hazardous waste management plan\u003c/a>. As part of the process, the Department of Toxic Substances Control is scheduled to release a report in March looking at how much hazardous waste the state is generating and how it’s being handled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The (Hazardous Waste Management) Plan will propose strategies for reducing hazardous waste generation, managing more waste in state, and addressing issues of concern, such as hazardous waste impacts to disadvantaged communities,” according to a statement from the department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A proposed plan isn’t due until spring 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked how the state can justify continuing to dump hazardous waste in out-of-state landfills next to Native American reservations, California’s secretary for environmental protection, Yana Garcia, declined an interview request but provided a written statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The hazardous waste challenges we face across the country are decades in the making. While we know these issues won’t be resolved overnight, California is fully committed to addressing this urgently, and we are prioritizing investing in the search for solutions to do so,” according to her statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said the bill that led to the hazardous waste planning process as well as more stable funding for the department “improved our ability to address this and other toxic waste challenges. Enhancing DTSC’s regulatory oversight and requiring the research and public engagement necessary to come to consensus on solutions moves us in the right direction, but our path to achieve on-the-ground improvements will require true partnership with a multitude of stakeholders and a fundamental shift in how we produce, treat, and handle hazardous waste, across the board.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Hazardous waste landfills in San Joaquin Valley\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Regulators, environmental advocates and lawmakers said the issue is complicated and any solution is likely to be controversial.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California is limited in its ability to regulate interstate commerce. State regulators said there’s not much they can do to stop private entities from taking waste across the border.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And California has only two hazardous waste landfills, both of them in the San Joaquin Valley: the \u003ca href=\"https://dtsc.ca.gov/kettleman-hills-facility/\">Kettleman Hills Facility\u003c/a> in Kings County and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/hwmp_profile_report?global_id=CAD980675276\">Buttonwillow landfill facility\u003c/a> in Kern County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On paper, the sites appear to have enough space to take contaminated soil. Last year, Jennifer Andrews, a spokesperson for WM (formerly known as Waste Management Inc.), which operates the \u003ca href=\"https://dtsc.ca.gov/kettleman-hills-facility/\">Kettleman Hills Facility\u003c/a>, told CalMatters the site “has enough capacity to meet the State of California’s hazardous waste disposal needs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We also have plenty of space to meet the needs of (Department of Toxic Substances Control) waste for years to come, providing the agency permits new disposal units at our site.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the two landfills have been controversial. Both were the subject of numerous regulatory violations over the years and advocates have long protested about the sites, which are near communities of color. In 2014 the Department of Toxic Substances Control approved \u003ca href=\"https://dtsc.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2017/03/KettlemanCommunityflyerEnglish512.pdf\">an expansion at Kettleman Hills (PDF)\u003c/a>, prompting environmental justice and community groups to file a civil rights complaint, records show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘They need some other alternatives, and the reality is I don’t see them building another hazardous waste landfill.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bradley Angel is executive director of Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice, one of the groups that filed the complaint, which ultimately led to a \u003ca href=\"https://dtsc.ca.gov/2016/08/10/landmark-agreement-reached-to-benefit-environmental-justice-communities-and-resolve-a-civil-rights-complaint-on-hazardous-waste-permitting-decision/\">settlement agreement\u003c/a> including provisions for more health assessment and environmental monitoring, state records show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They need some other alternatives, and the reality is I don’t see them building another hazardous waste landfill,” Angel said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said there’s “not the political appetite.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indeed, the Department of Toxic Substances Control appeared to acknowledge as much in a \u003ca href=\"https://dtsc.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2021/05/FINAL-CPHWRI-REPORT_ADA_FINAL.pdf?emrc=0e9fe7\">2017 report that looked at ways to reduce hazardous waste\u003c/a>, including treating more contaminated soil on-site as opposed to excavating it. The report cited a “difficulty in gaining consensus in the siting of new facilities” as leading to a focus on strategies to reduce the amount of hazardous waste generated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, if you can’t build more sites to take hazardous waste because nobody wants it in their backyard, then you better figure out a way to make less of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cleaning up hazardous soil\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California’s efforts to address a long history of environmental harm at old industrial and military installations produces hundreds of thousands of tons of toxic soil each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Department of Toxic Substances Control “is trying to remediate contamination that was created over decades by unscrupulous private sector actors. Now, does that mean they ought to be dumping in Arizona?” Allen, the Democrat from Redondo Beach, asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The senator said his committee will hold an oversight hearing on the Department of Toxic Substances Control sometime this year. Other topics will likely include recent reporting from \u003cem>The Los Angeles Times\u003c/em> suggesting the state isn’t ensuring properties around the Exide facility are properly \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-10/exide-lead-cleanup-leaves-fear-and-frustration-in-its-wake\">cleaned of lead-contaminated soil\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s not an easy answer here. But that doesn’t mean that we accept the status quo,” Allen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981792\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981792 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/112922-La-Paz-County-AZ-MG-CM-06-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A landscape of beige, sandy soil and green scrub across it, with a rise the same color as the sand in the distance.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/112922-La-Paz-County-AZ-MG-CM-06-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/112922-La-Paz-County-AZ-MG-CM-06-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/112922-La-Paz-County-AZ-MG-CM-06-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/112922-La-Paz-County-AZ-MG-CM-06-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/112922-La-Paz-County-AZ-MG-CM-06.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The La Paz County Regional Landfill near the Colorado River Indian Tribes reservation in Arizona on Nov. 29, 2022. \u003ccite>(Miguel Gutierrez Jr./CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Other states could, of course, also take action. Oregon in the late 1980s adopted a rule that effectively bars California from dumping hazardous waste in that state’s regular landfills. Nevada has a similar rule. (California disposed of a large amount of contaminated soil at a Nevada facility in recent years, shipping records show. But that site is designed and permitted to handle hazardous waste.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sandoval, the lawmaker whose district includes an area around the South Yuma landfill, said Arizona legislation to restrict California’s dumping is possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nobody wants that in their backyard,” Sandoval said. “Obviously California doesn’t want it in their backyard. That’s why they’re bringing it over to us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Utah legislators CalMatters reached out to didn’t respond to requests for comment. Regulators in that state recently signified their intent to deny a permit for a landfill on the banks of the Great Salt Lake that CalMatters reported was planning to take California’s contaminated soil. CalMatters reported in January that the company behind the project filed an economic analysis with its state regulators calling the toxic soil a “unique market opportunity created by California law.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://documents.deq.utah.gov/waste-management-and-radiation-control/facilities/promontory-point-landfill/DSHW-2023-001251.pdf\">proposed permit denial\u003c/a> indicates there is already enough landfill capacity to handle Utah’s waste needs.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Federal wildlife officials on Wednesday announced a proposal to classify one of two dwindling California spotted owl populations as endangered after a lawsuit by conservation groups required the government to reassess a Trump administration decision not to protect the brown-and-white birds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed that California spotted owls that have their habitats in coastal and Southern California be protected under the Endangered Species Act.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That population “does not have a strong ability to withstand normal variations in environmental conditions, persist through catastrophic events, or adapt to new environmental conditions throughout its range,” which led the agency to propose listing it as endangered, wildlife officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other California spotted owl population, which lives in Sierra Nevada forests in California and western Nevada, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2023-02/public-comment-sought-proposal-list-california-spotted-owl\">would be classified as threatened\u003c/a>, the agency said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The habitat of the medium-sized brown owl with white spots on its head and chest and a barred tail is under serious threat from current logging practices and climate change, including increased drought, disease and more extreme wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most California spotted owls live on land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How much the population has declined since conservation groups started their effort to protect it more than 20 years ago is unclear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The only available demographic data on spotted owls living in coastal and Southern California was collected in the San Bernardino National Forest and shows a decline of 9%, the federal wildlife service said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Sierra Nevada population shows declines ranging from 50% to 31% percent in some areas, the agency said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The federal agency’s decision follows an agreement reached in November between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and several conservation groups that sued the federal agency in 2020 over its decision not to protect the California spotted owl population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Justin Augustine, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups that sued, applauded the agency’s decision and said he was happy to see the California spotted owls could finally get the safeguards they need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Augustine said he planned to use the 60-day public comment period to push for more protections for the California spotted owl population in the Sierra Nevada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One of the things I’ll be addressing is the issue of how to make sure that (Sierra Nevada) spotted owls are actually protected under their threatened status rather than potentially allowing some logging to occur that would be harmful,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California spotted owl is one of three spotted owl subspecies and the last to be protected under the Endangered Species Act, Augustine said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other two subspecies are the northern spotted owl and the Mexican spotted owl.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The northern spotted owl habitat is in Oregon, Washington and Northern California. The tiny owl was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1990, sparking an intense battle over logging in the region. In 2020, the Trump administration refused to upgrade it to endangered status despite its losing nearly 4% of its population annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Mexican spotted owl was first listed as threatened in the U.S. in 1993. It is found in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, parts of West Texas and Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The species is in danger of extinction due to loss of habitat to logging, development, mining and wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Federal wildlife officials on Wednesday announced a proposal to classify one of two dwindling California spotted owl populations as endangered after a lawsuit by conservation groups required the government to reassess a Trump administration decision not to protect the brown-and-white birds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed that California spotted owls that have their habitats in coastal and Southern California be protected under the Endangered Species Act.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That population “does not have a strong ability to withstand normal variations in environmental conditions, persist through catastrophic events, or adapt to new environmental conditions throughout its range,” which led the agency to propose listing it as endangered, wildlife officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other California spotted owl population, which lives in Sierra Nevada forests in California and western Nevada, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2023-02/public-comment-sought-proposal-list-california-spotted-owl\">would be classified as threatened\u003c/a>, the agency said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The habitat of the medium-sized brown owl with white spots on its head and chest and a barred tail is under serious threat from current logging practices and climate change, including increased drought, disease and more extreme wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most California spotted owls live on land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How much the population has declined since conservation groups started their effort to protect it more than 20 years ago is unclear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The only available demographic data on spotted owls living in coastal and Southern California was collected in the San Bernardino National Forest and shows a decline of 9%, the federal wildlife service said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Sierra Nevada population shows declines ranging from 50% to 31% percent in some areas, the agency said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The federal agency’s decision follows an agreement reached in November between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and several conservation groups that sued the federal agency in 2020 over its decision not to protect the California spotted owl population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Justin Augustine, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups that sued, applauded the agency’s decision and said he was happy to see the California spotted owls could finally get the safeguards they need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Augustine said he planned to use the 60-day public comment period to push for more protections for the California spotted owl population in the Sierra Nevada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One of the things I’ll be addressing is the issue of how to make sure that (Sierra Nevada) spotted owls are actually protected under their threatened status rather than potentially allowing some logging to occur that would be harmful,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California spotted owl is one of three spotted owl subspecies and the last to be protected under the Endangered Species Act, Augustine said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other two subspecies are the northern spotted owl and the Mexican spotted owl.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The northern spotted owl habitat is in Oregon, Washington and Northern California. The tiny owl was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1990, sparking an intense battle over logging in the region. In 2020, the Trump administration refused to upgrade it to endangered status despite its losing nearly 4% of its population annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Mexican spotted owl was first listed as threatened in the U.S. in 1993. It is found in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, parts of West Texas and Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The species is in danger of extinction due to loss of habitat to logging, development, mining and wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that rocked parts of Turkey and Syria on Monday, killing more than 23,000 people, resembles a threat that Californians could potentially face. The same type of fault runs across most of the state. Here’s the science behind these huge earthquakes and how to be prepared.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What makes a big earthquake?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Earthquakes result from a slip along a fault line, a geological term for a crack in Earth’s crust. Basically, two slabs of rock suddenly and violently slip past one another, radiating energy in all directions in the form of seismic waves that cause the shaking that people experience. The Turkey earthquake occurred along the East Anatolian fault, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.usgs.gov/media/videos/strike-slip-fault\">strike-slip fault \u003c/a>— where two tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally — that measures hundreds of miles long. The portion that ruptured is at least 100 miles long. Essentially, the longer the length of the fault that ruptures, the larger the magnitude of the earthquake it produces. And the larger the population surrounding the fault lines, the more devastation is caused by the earthquake.[aside postID=news_11940413,science_1933064]“You’re not necessarily seeing stronger ground motions, but you’re seeing a longer duration of ground motion and a greater area that is exposed to the most extreme shaking just because more of the fault is involved in producing the shaking,” said Austin Elliott, a research geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earthquake Science Center based in Mountain View’s Moffett Field in the South Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We have several long faults in the Bay Area that are capable of producing strong earthquakes similar to what happened in Turkey. A strike-slip quake can occur along the San Andreas Fault, for example. The fault line runs 800 miles long from the Salton Sea in Southern California to Cape Mendocino through the Peninsula and San Francisco and along the North Coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Tectonically and seismologically, the earthquakes we expect in California are very similar to the earthquakes that have just happened in Turkey,” said Elliott, but, “geographically and demographically, the situation is different.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Andreas Fault is largely offshore as it goes north, and is distant from some of the major population centers, Elliott said. Other faults that run through cities, like the Hayward Fault, the Rodgers Creek Fault and the Calaveras Fault, are also capable of large earthquakes, potentially involving more communities in the temblor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Explaining Earthquakes - KQED QUEST\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/wDfIgoXaXis?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists have calculated about a \u003ca href=\"https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2016/3020/fs20163020.pdf\">30% chance that the Hayward Fault will “break big” (PDF)\u003c/a> — with a magnitude 6.7 event or bigger — within 30 years. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.usgs.gov/programs/science-application-for-risk-reduction/science/haywired-scenario?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects\">“HayWired” scenario\u003c/a> from the USGS projects that in the aftermath of a magnitude 7.0 quake in Hayward, 2,500 people would need immediate rescue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We still consider the Hayward Fault to be the one with the highest probability of producing a large event in the Bay Area in years and decades to come,” said Roland Bürgmann, a UC Berkeley seismologist. ”The damages will be tremendous given the continuing exposure, despite all the great efforts made to mitigate the impact.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists use triangulation to find the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/quest/136760/how-to-find-the-epicenter-of-an-earthquake\">epicenter of an earthquake\u003c/a>, collecting seismic data from at least three locations. Every earthquake is recorded on numerous seismographs located in different directions.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Improved building codes and infrastructure\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area has experienced multiple large-scale earthquakes in history. The 1857 earthquake in Central California was an estimated magnitude 7.8, the 1868 Hayward Fault quake was a magnitude 6.8, and the famous 1906 San Francisco earthquake was at a 7.9 magnitude along the San Andreas Fault. In comparison, the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 was a magnitude 6.9.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Each new earthquake teaches us more about what works and what doesn’t work in constructing buildings and infrastructure,” said Elliott.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area has strong building standards and codes, some of the strictest in the world as far as seismic preparedness, he said. Its built environment is generally well-prepared to withstand the earthquakes seismologists expect in the region. That said, there are still a lot of vulnerable facilities and structures that require seismic retrofitting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It really takes building codes, planning by all the different agencies and communities involved to be more and more ready,” said Bürgmann.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Earthquake prep from a geologist’s perspective\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>To prepare for a big earthquake, Elliott recommends using sites like \u003ca href=\"https://www.earthquakecountry.org/bayarea/\">Earthquake Country Alliance\u003c/a>, which has a wealth of preparedness information. Homeowners should make sure their homes are properly braced and bolted to their foundations. California has \u003ca href=\"https://www.earthquakebracebolt.com/\">grant programs\u003c/a> to help to improve the structural stability of your home.[aside postID=science_1949019] At home, look around your space and brace things like bookshelves, televisions and furniture that could be toppled by heavy shaking. Have shoes next to your bed so that if it’s dark and there’s glass on the floors, you don’t step on it and hurt yourself. And don’t forget to prepare your \u003ca href=\"https://www.earthquakecountry.org/step3/\">emergency kit\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After an earthquake, emergency services will be swamped. So it’s important to try to be self-sufficient by having your emergency supplies in hand and knowing basic first aid. Fire departments, paramedics and hospitals are going to be spread thin. So making sure you have your first aid kit within reach is important.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stay connected with your neighbors and friends during this time. “Your neighbors or your friends may live in more vulnerable buildings than you do or vice versa,” said Elliott. “And you may want to be conscious of that as well in your planning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that rocked parts of Turkey and Syria on Monday, killing more than 23,000 people, resembles a threat that Californians could potentially face. The same type of fault runs across most of the state. Here’s the science behind these huge earthquakes and how to be prepared.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What makes a big earthquake?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Earthquakes result from a slip along a fault line, a geological term for a crack in Earth’s crust. Basically, two slabs of rock suddenly and violently slip past one another, radiating energy in all directions in the form of seismic waves that cause the shaking that people experience. The Turkey earthquake occurred along the East Anatolian fault, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.usgs.gov/media/videos/strike-slip-fault\">strike-slip fault \u003c/a>— where two tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally — that measures hundreds of miles long. The portion that ruptured is at least 100 miles long. Essentially, the longer the length of the fault that ruptures, the larger the magnitude of the earthquake it produces. And the larger the population surrounding the fault lines, the more devastation is caused by the earthquake.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“You’re not necessarily seeing stronger ground motions, but you’re seeing a longer duration of ground motion and a greater area that is exposed to the most extreme shaking just because more of the fault is involved in producing the shaking,” said Austin Elliott, a research geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earthquake Science Center based in Mountain View’s Moffett Field in the South Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We have several long faults in the Bay Area that are capable of producing strong earthquakes similar to what happened in Turkey. A strike-slip quake can occur along the San Andreas Fault, for example. The fault line runs 800 miles long from the Salton Sea in Southern California to Cape Mendocino through the Peninsula and San Francisco and along the North Coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Tectonically and seismologically, the earthquakes we expect in California are very similar to the earthquakes that have just happened in Turkey,” said Elliott, but, “geographically and demographically, the situation is different.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Andreas Fault is largely offshore as it goes north, and is distant from some of the major population centers, Elliott said. Other faults that run through cities, like the Hayward Fault, the Rodgers Creek Fault and the Calaveras Fault, are also capable of large earthquakes, potentially involving more communities in the temblor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Explaining Earthquakes - KQED QUEST\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/wDfIgoXaXis?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists have calculated about a \u003ca href=\"https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2016/3020/fs20163020.pdf\">30% chance that the Hayward Fault will “break big” (PDF)\u003c/a> — with a magnitude 6.7 event or bigger — within 30 years. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.usgs.gov/programs/science-application-for-risk-reduction/science/haywired-scenario?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects\">“HayWired” scenario\u003c/a> from the USGS projects that in the aftermath of a magnitude 7.0 quake in Hayward, 2,500 people would need immediate rescue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We still consider the Hayward Fault to be the one with the highest probability of producing a large event in the Bay Area in years and decades to come,” said Roland Bürgmann, a UC Berkeley seismologist. ”The damages will be tremendous given the continuing exposure, despite all the great efforts made to mitigate the impact.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists use triangulation to find the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/quest/136760/how-to-find-the-epicenter-of-an-earthquake\">epicenter of an earthquake\u003c/a>, collecting seismic data from at least three locations. Every earthquake is recorded on numerous seismographs located in different directions.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Improved building codes and infrastructure\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area has experienced multiple large-scale earthquakes in history. The 1857 earthquake in Central California was an estimated magnitude 7.8, the 1868 Hayward Fault quake was a magnitude 6.8, and the famous 1906 San Francisco earthquake was at a 7.9 magnitude along the San Andreas Fault. In comparison, the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 was a magnitude 6.9.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Each new earthquake teaches us more about what works and what doesn’t work in constructing buildings and infrastructure,” said Elliott.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area has strong building standards and codes, some of the strictest in the world as far as seismic preparedness, he said. Its built environment is generally well-prepared to withstand the earthquakes seismologists expect in the region. That said, there are still a lot of vulnerable facilities and structures that require seismic retrofitting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It really takes building codes, planning by all the different agencies and communities involved to be more and more ready,” said Bürgmann.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Earthquake prep from a geologist’s perspective\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>To prepare for a big earthquake, Elliott recommends using sites like \u003ca href=\"https://www.earthquakecountry.org/bayarea/\">Earthquake Country Alliance\u003c/a>, which has a wealth of preparedness information. Homeowners should make sure their homes are properly braced and bolted to their foundations. California has \u003ca href=\"https://www.earthquakebracebolt.com/\">grant programs\u003c/a> to help to improve the structural stability of your home.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp> At home, look around your space and brace things like bookshelves, televisions and furniture that could be toppled by heavy shaking. Have shoes next to your bed so that if it’s dark and there’s glass on the floors, you don’t step on it and hurt yourself. And don’t forget to prepare your \u003ca href=\"https://www.earthquakecountry.org/step3/\">emergency kit\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After an earthquake, emergency services will be swamped. So it’s important to try to be self-sufficient by having your emergency supplies in hand and knowing basic first aid. Fire departments, paramedics and hospitals are going to be spread thin. So making sure you have your first aid kit within reach is important.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stay connected with your neighbors and friends during this time. “Your neighbors or your friends may live in more vulnerable buildings than you do or vice versa,” said Elliott. “And you may want to be conscious of that as well in your planning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "How the Unassuming Heat Pump Can Stave Off Warming",
"headTitle": "How the Unassuming Heat Pump Can Stave Off Warming | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>California’s latest climate plan includes a \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/ab-32-climate-change-scoping-plan/2022-scoping-plan-documents#:~:text=The%202022%20Scoping%20Plan%20Update%20focuses%20on%20outcomes%20needed%20to,economic%2C%20environmental%2C%20energy%20security%2C\">goal to deploy 6 million heat pumps\u003c/a> by the end of the decade — and with good reason. These unassuming boxes are at least twice as efficient as gas furnaces by conservative estimates, and can significantly cut down the carbon a home or commercial emits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s Public Utilities Commission estimates that \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/news-and-updates/all-news/cpuc-issues-research-study-on-heat-pump-market\">12% of the state’s greenhouse gas pollution comes directly from commercial and residential buildings\u003c/a> — that means gasses wafting from rooftop vents, or indoor stoves. That percentage is \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions\">roughly the same for the U.S.\u003c/a>, and the majority of those emissions come from the heating and cooling of buildings. Considering shrinking the climate footprint of your home by swapping large gas guzzlers like your furnace for the humble and efficient heat pump? Read on.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What is a heat pump?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A heat pump can warm or cool a home, working by capturing heat and moving it from one place to another. If you’re heating your home, the heat pump will absorb heat from outside (either from the air or the ground, depending on the model) and transfer it indoors. If you’re cooling your home, a heat pump does the opposite, absorbing heat from inside and moving it outdoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Heat pump technology has actually been around for many decades,” said Alejandra Mejia Cunningham, a building decarbonization advocate with the Natural Resources Defense Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px24dAKSFKA\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s likely you already have a heat pump in your home, in the form of a refrigerator. That system absorbs heat swirling around your food and moves it outside — where you can feel it escaping from either behind or under your fridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A furnace, on the other hand, generates heat by burning natural gas or other fossil fuels, warming the air around it, like a bonfire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heat pumps are used both for space heating, to warm and cool the air in homes, and water heating. In this article, we’re largely discussing heat pumps that warm and cool the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981513\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981513 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60069_037_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt='Black man in black shirt with white letters that say \"revalue.io\" looks towards the camera while standing in front of a home and citrus tree.' width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60069_037_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60069_037_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60069_037_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60069_037_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60069_037_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60069_037_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mark Hall founded energy-efficiency company Revalue.io in Oakland in 2015. His company does energy audits of homes and commercial spaces, plans energy upgrades, coordinates contractors and helps arrange grants, rebates and incentives to lower project costs. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>What are the benefits of a heat pump?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Efficiency. \u003c/em>Heat pumps are \u003ca href=\"https://rmi.org/its-time-to-incentivize-residential-heat-pumps/\">at least twice as efficient as gas furnaces\u003c/a>, and frequently cited as far \u003ca href=\"https://www.blocpower.io/posts/gas-vs-electric-furnace-vs-heat-pumps\">more efficient\u003c/a> than that estimate. Engineer Sam Calisch of Rewiring America says \u003ca href=\"https://www.rewiringamerica.org/circuit-breakers-heat-pumps\">the technology is improving rapidly.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Emissions. \u003c/em>Residential heat pumps can \u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421522000386\">cut a home’s carbon pollution by 40%–50%\u003c/a> compared to gas furnaces, according to a study from researchers at UC Davis. And as California’s grid relies more on solar and wind, “the carbon footprint of your home will continue to fall over time,” said Mejia Cunningham.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Daniel Hamilton, sustainability and resilience director for the City of Oakland, estimates that “if all of the homes in Oakland were to switch to heat pump space heaters, it would eliminate half of the greenhouse gas emissions from the residential sector.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What are the drawbacks of a heat pump?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In cold climates, heat pumps “are simply less efficient than they would be in a warmer climate,” said Duncan Callaway, associate professor of energy and resources at UC Berkeley. And heat pumps may not be able to adequately heat a home in places that get into double-negative digits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m thinking about places like the upper Midwest or Alaska, places that are quite cold in the wintertime,” Callaway said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac10dc/meta#erlac10dcs3\">Researchers at the University of Texas, Austin\u003c/a> analyzed residential heat pump adoption looking at a variety of factors, including energy prices, carbon emissions, health effects from emissions and demands on the electricity grid. The results showed that 32% of U.S. houses would benefit financially from installing a heat pump, and 70% could reduce emissions by installing a heat pump.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers found that heat pumps are a powerful decarbonization tool in California and other places with mild climates, but aren’t the best financial option in colder climates. In a small minority of places, heat pumps can actually produce more emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How much do they cost?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Heat pumps can be expensive upfront, but there are several state and federal programs to help defray the cost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Heat pumps come in all shapes and sizes, from window units that can be several hundred dollars to full central air-conditioning systems that cost $20,000 and more,” said Joel Rosenberg of Rewiring America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cost of a project ranges based on home size, the type of heat pump and whether other aspects of the electrical system need upgrading, such as the electrical panel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Oakland, heat pumps can set you back $15,000 to $20,000 dollars, but Hamilton, the city’s sustainability director, emphasizes the available discounts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Moderate-income residents can expect to get about a third of that cost covered by rebates and incentives, while lower-income residents can get about two-thirds of that covered,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981515\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981515 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60036_BL1_1064_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Through beams of a house under construction we see a white man in jean jacket review building plans.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60036_BL1_1064_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60036_BL1_1064_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60036_BL1_1064_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60036_BL1_1064_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60036_BL1_1064_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60036_BL1_1064_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rick Lewis, executive director of the Bay Area Community Land Trust, looks through construction plans for a home the organization purchased and is in the process of electrifying in Oakland. Each of the seven units in the former single-family home will have a separate heat pump. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>How can I get incentives and rebates?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Californians can check the average costs of recently completed projects in their county by reviewing data gathered by the statewide incentive program \u003ca href=\"https://techcleanca.com/public-data/maps-and-graphs/\">TECH Clean California\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The heat-pump-curious can search for statewide incentives they may qualify for through \u003ca href=\"https://incentives.switchison.org/\">The Switch Is On\u003c/a>, a campaign led by the nonprofit Building Decarbonization Coalition. Rewiring America has a helpful \u003ca href=\"https://www.rewiringamerica.org/app/ira-calculator\">cost-savings calculator\u003c/a> to assist in navigating the money available through the Inflation Reduction Act, major federal legislation passed last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re in the market for an air-conditioning unit and a new space heater, a heat pump does both, and will be less expensive than buying both.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Will monthly bills decrease?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This depends on many factors, such as the price of gas and electricity in your area, and how much you use your heat pump.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rosenberg of Rewiring America said that for many, monthly bills go down. “Electrifying space and water heating would reduce energy bills for 12.9 million households in California across every county and fuel type, saving $414 per year on average,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mark Hall, founder of energy-efficiency company \u003ca href=\"https://www.revalue.io/\">Revalue.io\u003c/a> in Oakland, said his customers see their bills decrease by roughly 40% after installing a heat pump, which he typically pairs with adding insulation to homes and sealing leaks in homes where outside air may come through.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981514\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1981514\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60062_030_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A hand holds an iPhone showing an image of an attic with silver ductwork running along the floor.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60062_030_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60062_030_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60062_030_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60062_030_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60062_030_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60062_030_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mark Hall holds a phone with a photo of Cheryl Ajirotutu’s attic in Oakland. Her newly installed heat pump connects to ducts in her attic and then to the various rooms in her home. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>When should I make the switch?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>One of the challenges people encounter when making the swap to a heat pump is getting caught off guard. If a gas furnace goes kaput on a cold night, many will choose the contractor who can get a new appliance installed as soon as possible. And that person may not be able to install a heat pump in the time frame they want.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is a \u003ca href=\"https://grist.org/energy/electrician-shortage-electrify-everything-climate-infrastructure-labor/\">shortage of electricians, technicians and other contractors\u003c/a>, making it challenging to find companies that can squeeze you into their schedule. So, to electrify, Rewiring America’s Joel Rosenberg said, you need a plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you think you’re going to want to replace your furnace with a heat pump, it makes sense to start calling contractors, getting quotes and putting your ducks in a row,” Rosenberg said. He even wrote a \u003ca href=\"https://content.rewiringamerica.org/reports/Rewiring%20America%20Go%20Electric%20Digital%20Guide.pdf\">how-to guide (PDF)\u003c/a> for people making this kind of plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You’ll also be able to get a sense of cost and savings, too. Many of the federal incentives will likely go into effect in late 2023, so some people may want to wait for that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cheryl Ajirotutu recently installed a heat pump in her Oakland home, which she said increases her quality of life and saves her money. But beyond that, she is excited to take action on climate change in her hometown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a diverse community. We have an incredible housing stock. So there’s a great opportunity here to do these kinds of things and to show that it works,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[hearken src=\"https://modules.wearehearken.com/kqed/embed/8818.js\"]\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California’s latest climate plan includes a \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/ab-32-climate-change-scoping-plan/2022-scoping-plan-documents#:~:text=The%202022%20Scoping%20Plan%20Update%20focuses%20on%20outcomes%20needed%20to,economic%2C%20environmental%2C%20energy%20security%2C\">goal to deploy 6 million heat pumps\u003c/a> by the end of the decade — and with good reason. These unassuming boxes are at least twice as efficient as gas furnaces by conservative estimates, and can significantly cut down the carbon a home or commercial emits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s Public Utilities Commission estimates that \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/news-and-updates/all-news/cpuc-issues-research-study-on-heat-pump-market\">12% of the state’s greenhouse gas pollution comes directly from commercial and residential buildings\u003c/a> — that means gasses wafting from rooftop vents, or indoor stoves. That percentage is \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions\">roughly the same for the U.S.\u003c/a>, and the majority of those emissions come from the heating and cooling of buildings. Considering shrinking the climate footprint of your home by swapping large gas guzzlers like your furnace for the humble and efficient heat pump? Read on.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What is a heat pump?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A heat pump can warm or cool a home, working by capturing heat and moving it from one place to another. If you’re heating your home, the heat pump will absorb heat from outside (either from the air or the ground, depending on the model) and transfer it indoors. If you’re cooling your home, a heat pump does the opposite, absorbing heat from inside and moving it outdoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Heat pump technology has actually been around for many decades,” said Alejandra Mejia Cunningham, a building decarbonization advocate with the Natural Resources Defense Council.\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/px24dAKSFKA'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/px24dAKSFKA'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s likely you already have a heat pump in your home, in the form of a refrigerator. That system absorbs heat swirling around your food and moves it outside — where you can feel it escaping from either behind or under your fridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A furnace, on the other hand, generates heat by burning natural gas or other fossil fuels, warming the air around it, like a bonfire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heat pumps are used both for space heating, to warm and cool the air in homes, and water heating. In this article, we’re largely discussing heat pumps that warm and cool the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981513\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981513 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60069_037_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt='Black man in black shirt with white letters that say \"revalue.io\" looks towards the camera while standing in front of a home and citrus tree.' width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60069_037_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60069_037_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60069_037_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60069_037_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60069_037_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60069_037_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mark Hall founded energy-efficiency company Revalue.io in Oakland in 2015. His company does energy audits of homes and commercial spaces, plans energy upgrades, coordinates contractors and helps arrange grants, rebates and incentives to lower project costs. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>What are the benefits of a heat pump?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Efficiency. \u003c/em>Heat pumps are \u003ca href=\"https://rmi.org/its-time-to-incentivize-residential-heat-pumps/\">at least twice as efficient as gas furnaces\u003c/a>, and frequently cited as far \u003ca href=\"https://www.blocpower.io/posts/gas-vs-electric-furnace-vs-heat-pumps\">more efficient\u003c/a> than that estimate. Engineer Sam Calisch of Rewiring America says \u003ca href=\"https://www.rewiringamerica.org/circuit-breakers-heat-pumps\">the technology is improving rapidly.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Emissions. \u003c/em>Residential heat pumps can \u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421522000386\">cut a home’s carbon pollution by 40%–50%\u003c/a> compared to gas furnaces, according to a study from researchers at UC Davis. And as California’s grid relies more on solar and wind, “the carbon footprint of your home will continue to fall over time,” said Mejia Cunningham.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Daniel Hamilton, sustainability and resilience director for the City of Oakland, estimates that “if all of the homes in Oakland were to switch to heat pump space heaters, it would eliminate half of the greenhouse gas emissions from the residential sector.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What are the drawbacks of a heat pump?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In cold climates, heat pumps “are simply less efficient than they would be in a warmer climate,” said Duncan Callaway, associate professor of energy and resources at UC Berkeley. And heat pumps may not be able to adequately heat a home in places that get into double-negative digits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m thinking about places like the upper Midwest or Alaska, places that are quite cold in the wintertime,” Callaway said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac10dc/meta#erlac10dcs3\">Researchers at the University of Texas, Austin\u003c/a> analyzed residential heat pump adoption looking at a variety of factors, including energy prices, carbon emissions, health effects from emissions and demands on the electricity grid. The results showed that 32% of U.S. houses would benefit financially from installing a heat pump, and 70% could reduce emissions by installing a heat pump.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers found that heat pumps are a powerful decarbonization tool in California and other places with mild climates, but aren’t the best financial option in colder climates. In a small minority of places, heat pumps can actually produce more emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How much do they cost?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Heat pumps can be expensive upfront, but there are several state and federal programs to help defray the cost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Heat pumps come in all shapes and sizes, from window units that can be several hundred dollars to full central air-conditioning systems that cost $20,000 and more,” said Joel Rosenberg of Rewiring America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cost of a project ranges based on home size, the type of heat pump and whether other aspects of the electrical system need upgrading, such as the electrical panel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Oakland, heat pumps can set you back $15,000 to $20,000 dollars, but Hamilton, the city’s sustainability director, emphasizes the available discounts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Moderate-income residents can expect to get about a third of that cost covered by rebates and incentives, while lower-income residents can get about two-thirds of that covered,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981515\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981515 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60036_BL1_1064_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Through beams of a house under construction we see a white man in jean jacket review building plans.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60036_BL1_1064_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60036_BL1_1064_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60036_BL1_1064_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60036_BL1_1064_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60036_BL1_1064_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60036_BL1_1064_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rick Lewis, executive director of the Bay Area Community Land Trust, looks through construction plans for a home the organization purchased and is in the process of electrifying in Oakland. Each of the seven units in the former single-family home will have a separate heat pump. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>How can I get incentives and rebates?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Californians can check the average costs of recently completed projects in their county by reviewing data gathered by the statewide incentive program \u003ca href=\"https://techcleanca.com/public-data/maps-and-graphs/\">TECH Clean California\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The heat-pump-curious can search for statewide incentives they may qualify for through \u003ca href=\"https://incentives.switchison.org/\">The Switch Is On\u003c/a>, a campaign led by the nonprofit Building Decarbonization Coalition. Rewiring America has a helpful \u003ca href=\"https://www.rewiringamerica.org/app/ira-calculator\">cost-savings calculator\u003c/a> to assist in navigating the money available through the Inflation Reduction Act, major federal legislation passed last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re in the market for an air-conditioning unit and a new space heater, a heat pump does both, and will be less expensive than buying both.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Will monthly bills decrease?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This depends on many factors, such as the price of gas and electricity in your area, and how much you use your heat pump.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rosenberg of Rewiring America said that for many, monthly bills go down. “Electrifying space and water heating would reduce energy bills for 12.9 million households in California across every county and fuel type, saving $414 per year on average,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mark Hall, founder of energy-efficiency company \u003ca href=\"https://www.revalue.io/\">Revalue.io\u003c/a> in Oakland, said his customers see their bills decrease by roughly 40% after installing a heat pump, which he typically pairs with adding insulation to homes and sealing leaks in homes where outside air may come through.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981514\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1981514\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60062_030_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A hand holds an iPhone showing an image of an attic with silver ductwork running along the floor.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60062_030_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60062_030_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60062_030_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60062_030_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60062_030_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS60062_030_KQED_HomeElectrificationOakland_11072022-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mark Hall holds a phone with a photo of Cheryl Ajirotutu’s attic in Oakland. Her newly installed heat pump connects to ducts in her attic and then to the various rooms in her home. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>When should I make the switch?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>One of the challenges people encounter when making the swap to a heat pump is getting caught off guard. If a gas furnace goes kaput on a cold night, many will choose the contractor who can get a new appliance installed as soon as possible. And that person may not be able to install a heat pump in the time frame they want.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is a \u003ca href=\"https://grist.org/energy/electrician-shortage-electrify-everything-climate-infrastructure-labor/\">shortage of electricians, technicians and other contractors\u003c/a>, making it challenging to find companies that can squeeze you into their schedule. So, to electrify, Rewiring America’s Joel Rosenberg said, you need a plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you think you’re going to want to replace your furnace with a heat pump, it makes sense to start calling contractors, getting quotes and putting your ducks in a row,” Rosenberg said. He even wrote a \u003ca href=\"https://content.rewiringamerica.org/reports/Rewiring%20America%20Go%20Electric%20Digital%20Guide.pdf\">how-to guide (PDF)\u003c/a> for people making this kind of plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You’ll also be able to get a sense of cost and savings, too. Many of the federal incentives will likely go into effect in late 2023, so some people may want to wait for that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cheryl Ajirotutu recently installed a heat pump in her Oakland home, which she said increases her quality of life and saves her money. But beyond that, she is excited to take action on climate change in her hometown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a diverse community. We have an incredible housing stock. So there’s a great opportunity here to do these kinds of things and to show that it works,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Prepping for the Next Big Quake: One Hour a Day, Four Days",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ci>Are you feeling less than secure about how ready you are for a major earthquake emergency? That’s how many of us at KQED were feeling in the wake of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/02/06/1154818692/turkey-earthquake-syria-rescue-disaster\">the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria early Monday\u003c/a>. The quake — which has so far killed more than 3,400 people — was followed by at least 55 aftershocks of magnitude 4.3 or greater, \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?extent=-30.14513,-76.28906&extent=73.92247,151.34766&sort=smallest&listOnlyShown=true&baseLayer=terrain\">according to the U.S. Geological Survey\u003c/a>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Back in 2019, we asked science reporter Peter Arcuni to lead us through a four-day prep, spending one hour a day. Here’s how to get ready for the next big Bay Area temblor — the one scientists say is inevitable.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Day One was all about making an emergency plan; Days Two and Three he devoted to assembling earthquake kits. For the final day, Peter took steps to make his home more earthquake safe.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published on Oct. 16, 2019. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Let’s get started\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, I awoke to a sound like thunder. Was it a low-flying jet? A truck zooming past? In one, raucous jolt, the mattress, with me atop it, bobbled on its frame.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time I realized what was going on, the shake, rattle and roll were over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Did you feel that?” I shouted to my wife and daughter in the other room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No answer. Of course, they were fine, just too caught up in playing fairies, or trolls, or maybe fairy trolls, to notice a mere 3.6 magnitude quake. But the shock was enough for me to read the writing clear across the bedroom wall: \u003cem>It was time to make an earthquake plan\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah, right.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve lived in the Bay Area for 16 years, and just about annually I get a brief moment of religion when it comes to quake preparedness. But even though seismic experts offer ample evidence to remind us a big earthquake is not a matter of if, but when, I \u003cem>still\u003c/em> haven’t followed through.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote]Resources\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.earthquakecountry.org/library/Margin_Step_3_Infographics_Flyer.pdf\">Earthquake Country Alliance pamphlet (PDF)\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ready.gov/plan\">FEMA Ready.gov site\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/survival-kit-supplies.html\">American Red Cross survival kit supply list\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/atg/PDF_s/Preparedness___Disaster_Recovery/Disaster_Preparedness/Earthquake/Earthquake.pdf\">earthquake safety checklist\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>True, I’ve got plenty of excuses. In the early days, common sense collided with a misguided feeling of invincibility. Later, it was work, marriage, grad school, fatherhood. Frankly, now in my spare time, I’d simply rather be playing Candyland with my four-year-old daughter than shopping for emergency supplies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In short, it’s the same old story: Life is full and busy, and preparing for disaster feels overwhelming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But guess what? Now I’ve actually been \u003cem>assigned\u003c/em> earthquake preparation by my editors, in the hope we can show that it’s possible to get ready for a disaster in a reasonable amount of time, even amidst the usual perpetual commitments of work, family and daily living.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So here are the ground rules for this challenge. For each of four days, I’m allowed to commit just one hour to earthquake preparation, using only the free time I would normally have outside work and family life.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\"]Yesterday, we had only a vague notion of what to do if a big earthquake hit. Today we have a solid plan we feel pretty good about.[/pullquote] Join me in finding out how ready we can be in just one hour a day, over four days. I’ll chronicle my success — or not — right here. We may not get to everything, but as I learned from the experts, doing any amount of preparation matters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One thing I realized while embarking on this project: The difference between preparedness and perpetual optimism could be the difference between life and death. In 2018, KQED’s Craig Miller \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1933064/map-are-you-in-the-severe-damage-zone-for-the-bay-areas-next-big-earthquake\">wrote a story about the Hayward Fault\u003c/a>, which runs 40 miles through the East Bay’s most densely populated areas and could produce the proverbial Big One at any time:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The U.S. Geological Survey projects that in the aftermath of a magnitude 7.0 quake on the Hayward, 2,500 people would need immediate rescue. Serious questions remain about whether emergency responders could get to everyone’s aid, given that roads are likely to be blocked and water for fighting fires cut off in many areas — possibly for weeks or months.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>“In terms of exposure of hospitals, schools, lifelines, it’s really unequaled,” said UC Berkeley seismologist Roland Burgmann.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So … this is a not just an assignment for a journalist, it’s an assignment for \u003cem>everybody\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[audio src=\"https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/science/2019/10/ArcuniEarthquakePrep.mp3\" title=\"Day One: Make a Plan\" program=\"KQED Science\" image=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_007.jpg\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Day One: Make a plan\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Generally speaking, earthquake preparedness is broken into three categories:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Having survival supplies ready to go\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Safety-proofing your home\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Making an emergency plan for the earthquake and its aftermath\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>I decided to begin my four days of preparation by making an emergency plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brian Ferguson, with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), says it’s one of the most important steps you can take.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s a great dinner table conversation that all families should have, if there’s an emergency, here’s what we would do,” he said. “‘We would meet you at this place, we would go this way.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He told me there’s no one-size-fits-all blueprint, so you’ll need to tailor your plan to your own circumstances. But some guidelines apply to everybody, such as …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Doorways are out\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1949266\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1949266\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_004-800x593.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"593\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_004-800x593.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_004-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_004-768x569.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_004-1020x755.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_004-1200x889.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_004.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Peter Arcuni, his wife, Maureen, and their daughter, Izzy, read a book after collecting all the materials for their earthquake preparedness kit. \u003ccite>(Lindsey Moore/ KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>My first conversation today was with my preschooler, Izzy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Izzy, do you know what an earthquake is?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s when the ground shakes and you have to go hide under a table.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hide under the table. That’s a great idea — you know more than I do!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a widespread \u003ca href=\"https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/storms/10-pieces-of-disaster-safety-advice-you-should-ignore4.htm\">myth\u003c/a> that standing in the doorway is the most protective place to be during a major quake. But most experts say, forget it. Here’s what the U.S. Geological Survey recommends:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>“DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON. If you are indoors, when you feel strong earthquake shaking, drop to the floor, take cover under a sturdy desk or table, and hold on to it firmly until the shaking stops. If you are not near a desk or table, drop to the floor against an interior wall and protect your head and neck with your arms.”\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Got it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After we tucked the little one in, my wife Maureen and I went to the couch to write out our emergency plan. For this we decided to focus on a handful of essential items from the USGS handbook:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Locate a safe place outside of your home for your family to meet after the shaking stops.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Establish an out-of-area contact person everyone in the household can call to relay information.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Provide all family members with a list of important contact phone numbers.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Determine where you can live if you can’t stay in your home after an earthquake or other disaster. In other words: Ask friends or relatives in advance if they might be willing to put you up when the Big One hits.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Sounds like a lot. But it took us just under an hour — 56 minutes — to hash most of this out. We even called my cousin in Menlo Park, who agreed to shelter us in case we need to evacuate San Francisco. Because we appeared to have woken her from a deep slumber, I’ll need to confirm she actually \u003cem>remembers\u003c/em> what she’s gotten herself into next time I see her. \u003cem>Sorry to wake you up Carin. And, thanks!\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Final thoughts: Day One\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I admit I was feeling a bit daunted by the thought of starting this challenge. But I agreed with my wife when she said, “It was not \u003cem>so\u003c/em> bad.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yesterday, we had only a vague notion of what to do if a big earthquake hit. Today we have a solid plan we feel pretty good about. We have more to do, for sure, but this is a good start.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Brian Ferguson from Cal OES put it: “People feel intimidated by it, but any amount of preparation will make you safer than no preparation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tomorrow for our earthquake prep challenge, I’ll go shopping — fun! — for survival supplies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[audio src=\"https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/science/2019/10/ArcuniPreparingBigOne.mp3\" title=\"Day Two: Earthquake Kits, or Shopping for Survival\" program=\"KQED Science\" image=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/EarthquakePrep_001-1.jpg\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Day Two: Earthquake kits, or shopping for survival\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Yesterday, while my wife, Maureen, and I were mapping out our emergency plan, we took a quick inventory of our emergency supplies. That is, we rifled through the briar patch that is our hallway closet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our key takeaways: The first aid kit was pretty depleted. Why? Because we’ve been dipping into it for everyday scrapes and burns, rendering the “emergency” in “emergency supplies” meaningless. But there were a few good items, including a hand crank AM/FM radio that triples as both a flashlight and phone charger. We also located the student survival kit purchased from my daughter’s day care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All in all, while we had the \u003cem>beginnings\u003c/em> of an earthquake kit, we did not have an \u003cem>actual\u003c/em> earthquake kit. There were some glaring omissions, like food and water, for instance, and our organization was lacking. Considering that the USGS \u003ca href=\"https://www.usgs.gov/natural-hazards/science-application-risk-reduction/science/haywired-scenario?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects\">forecasts\u003c/a> the displacement of 77,000 to 152,000 households from a 7.0 earthquake on the Hayward Fault, this was not good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I decided to break my kit preparation into two sessions. First day, shopping; second day, assembling. I used the American Red Cross \u003ca href=\"https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/survival-kit-supplies.html\">list of 15 essential items\u003c/a> as a blueprint for the minimum inventory of what we needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>Water: one gallon per person, per day; three-day supply for evacuation, two-week supply for home\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Food: nonperishable, easy-to-prepare items; three-day supply for evacuation, two-week supply for home\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Flashlight\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Battery-powered or hand-crank radio, a NOAA Weather Radio, if possible\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Extra batteries\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Deluxe family first aid kit\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Medications, seven-day supply, and other necessary medical items\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Multipurpose tool\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Sanitation and personal hygiene items\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Copies of personal documents: medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Cellphone with chargers\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Family and emergency contact information\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Extra cash\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Emergency blanket\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Map(s) of the area\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>Keep in mind the American Red Cross \u003ca href=\"https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/survival-kit-supplies.html\">recommends additional items\u003c/a> you should consider, like sleeping bags, work gloves and N95 masks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1949519\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1949519\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/EarthquakePrep_001-1-800x598.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"598\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/EarthquakePrep_001-1-800x598.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/EarthquakePrep_001-1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/EarthquakePrep_001-1-768x574.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/EarthquakePrep_001-1-1020x763.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/EarthquakePrep_001-1-1200x898.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/EarthquakePrep_001-1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Reporter Peter Arcuni shops for survival supplies to put into his earthquake kit. \u003ccite>(Lindsey Moore/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We already had some of the essentials, so we just needed to track down the remaining items, plus a few more we thought were important. Our shopping list included water, food, cash, first aid kit, flashlights, batteries, cell phone charging pack, local maps, hygienic items and the ever-popular all-purpose emergency standby, duct tape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For this challenge, I headed to nearby 24th Street in Noe Valley to hit the Whole Foods, Walgreens and bank, all within a two-block radius. As on the first day, I limited myself to one hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Timer set.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Go.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Canned goods and venison sea salt pepper bars\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The American Red Cross recommends you keep on hand at least one gallon of water per person per day, for three days. For me, my wife and daughter, that’s nine gallons. At $0.89 a gallon, I was able to cross that off the list for under 10 bucks. Felt like a pretty good deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For nonperishable food, I started with the canned goods aisle. I homed in on soups, refried beans and tuna fish, choosing in particular the brands that had pull-off tops so I wouldn’t need a can opener. True, I had a multi-use tool, which included a can opener (of sorts), but do I want to be attempting to poke holes through cans of refried beans during an earthquake emergency? No.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next up: granola bars. Lots of options, of course, so I went for variety, making sure to accommodate my wife’s request for those that are peanut-butter flavored. The venison sea salt pepper bars looked classy, if somewhat pricey, so I decided to indulge.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Small bills, please\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Next up was the bank for some cold, hard cash. With power and network outages likely in the event of a big earthquake or other emergency, the places where they still keep the actual money may prove to be inaccessible, and ATMs could very well go down, too. Not to mention credit card machines. So if you end up needing to pay for something, from a bottle of water to a hotel room, you are going to have to use existing cash on hand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How much? That depends on the number of people in your family and where you live, according to Brian Ferguson, from the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Emergency experts recommend small denominations, so you won’t have to worry about getting change from stores that may not be able to give it. So I went for a mix of 20s, 10s, fives and ones. And one two-dollar bill for good luck.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Drugstore\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>I found most of my other items at the pharmacy. Medications aren’t a major issue for my family, but I picked up some extra pain reliever, antihistamine and children’s Tylenol, just in case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you do take medications, the American Red Cross recommends having a seven-day supply, as well as a list of what they are.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Final thoughts: Day Two\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The shopping trip, when factoring in the ride to and from my house, took just about an hour and change. I was able to get most of the items on my list. Here’s where I came up short:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Local maps\u003c/strong>: These are good to keep on hand if you need to evacuate while cell networks are down. Neither Whole Foods nor Walgreens carried them, but you can find maps at \u003ca href=\"https://www.aaa.com/mapgallery/\">AAA\u003c/a> or order online.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Cellphone battery charging pack\u003c/strong>: Walgreens had one, but I wasn’t sure it was right for me. So I’m planning to do some research before buying. There are \u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/s?k=emergency+phone+charger&crid=2CXQDD1XT85YG&sprefix=emergency+phone+c%2Caps%2C205&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_17\">several options\u003c/a> available online.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Forgetting to check expiration on food\u003c/strong>: One could assume — and by one, I mean me — that if food is wrapped in plastic, it is nonperishable. This is not true.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While evaluating my haul my wife asked if I checked the “best by” dates on the food. I had not. We found that while the canned goods would remain edible for a number of years, about half the granola bars I picked out listed dates about six months from now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Me: But what does date that mean?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maureen: Could we get sick?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Me: Maybe. I don’t think so. But …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the end we removed these from the kit. Further research showed we probably would’ve been fine, even if our bars lost their flavor over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s a breakdown from \u003ca href=\"https://www.consumerreports.org/food-safety/how-to-tell-whether-expired-food-is-safe-to-eat/\">Consumer Reports\u003c/a> on good rules of thumb for nonperishables.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But you should always check the expiration dates on your food items, and you’ll also want check your kit periodically to refresh any expired items.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In sum, it appears you can grab many of the basic necessities for a survival kit over the course of an hour or a little longer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, if convenience is a priority, both the \u003ca href=\"https://www.redcross.org/store/preparedness\">American Red Cross\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/s?k=earthquake+survival+kit&crid=3GMZ4T10S4KQ3&sprefix=earthquak%2Caps%2C247&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_9\">Amazon\u003c/a> have a variety of survival kits available for a range of prices. Consider your time and needs — this may be a good way to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Up next, I’ll organize my supplies into a proper earthquake kit!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[audio src=\"https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/2019/10/ArcuniPreparingfortheBigOne.mp3\" title=\"Day Three: Putting Together My Earthquake Kits\" program=\"KQED Science\" image=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_001.jpg\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Day Three: Putting together my earthquake kit\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A quick note about fatigue: After the first few days of this challenge, I was riding high. Emergency plan, check. Trunkload of survival supplies, yup. Then … the inevitable crash. After a full day of work, making dinner, cleaning the kitchen, bathing my kid, and putting her to bed, I was spent. So I psyched myself up, mustered all the energy I could, and … watched “The Great British Bake Off” on Netflix.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was delightful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’re only human. Carving out an hour on a given day may not be possible, emotionally or otherwise. So I decided to give myself credit for what I’d already accomplished and go back at it the next morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which I did. I started by laying out my earthquake supplies on the living room floor. Satisfying as it was to look at, I still needed to put them somewhere I could find them in a true emergency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>“Organize disaster supplies in convenient locations…Keep them where you spend most of your time, so they can be reached even if your building is badly damaged.” — Earthquake Country Alliance\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/2005/15/gip-15.pdf\">U.S. Geological Survey (PDF)\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.earthquakecountry.org/step3/\">EarthquakeCountry.org\u003c/a> provide an assortment of tips on preparing and storing your kits. Here are a few:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Use backpacks for personal survival kits because they’re easy to grab if you need to evacuate. You want one for each person in your household.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>You can keep a larger disaster kit in a plastic bin or other waterproof container. This should contain additional food and water, first aid items and other supplies, like an emergency radio, for instance, that you would need if you have to stay put for a while. This kit should also be easy to move around the house or load into a car if necessary.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Sifting through the bedroom closet, I found what I needed: a green plastic tub with a lid and handles for my household kit, and a black backpack with compartments for my to-go bag.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After packing my supplies into them, I scouted for storage locations. The bin slid nicely under the bench beside our bed, and I cleared out the bottom shelf of the hallway closet for the backpack, since it’s centrally located in the house. I then stashed some extra gallon jugs of water alongside the bag.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1949522\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1949522\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_001-800x545.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"545\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_001-800x545.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_001-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_001-768x523.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_001-1020x694.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_001-1200x817.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_001.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Organizing survival supplies is an important step in readiness planning, according to emergency experts. \u003ccite>(Lindsey Moore/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Emergency experts recommend that you also have survival kits for your car and workplace. For today, I focused mainly on the home, though I did throw water, towels and a blanket in the car. I’m considering ordering online additional prepacked kits for the car and work.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Bags for shoes and stuffed animals\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Here’s something I hadn’t thought about: Say a big earthquake hits at two in the morning. Suddenly, I’d be in the dark with broken glass and debris all over the floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The aftermath of an earthquake is no time to wander around the house barefoot. That’s why experts recommend putting a pair of shoes or boots, plus a flashlight, in a plastic bag tied to the foot of your bed or nightstand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That ensures that you have quick access to getting something on your feet and allows you to safely get up, survey what’s happened to your home and check on your loved ones,” said Cynthia Shaw from \u003ca href=\"https://www.redcross.org/local/california/northern-california-coastal.html\">Red Cross Northern California\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For this, I used kitchen twine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For my 4-year-old daughter, I made up a special bag to add to my to-go backpack. Emergencies can be scary, and they can also involve waiting around for long stretches of time without much to do. So USGS recommends including “comfort items, such as games, crayons, writing materials, and teddy bears” for the little ones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With my daughter’s help, we picked out a soft blanket with purple butterflies on it, coloring pad, storybook and one of her favorite stuffed foxes.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Not just supplies — documents, too\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>After I took inventory and shopped for supplies, I had tracked down most of the 15 essential survival items recommended by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/survival-kit-supplies.html\">American Red Cross\u003c/a>, along with some additions, to populate my kit. I even found the Bay Area and California maps I was looking for in the glove box of my car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So I’m done, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When putting together survival supplies, it’s easy to obsess over gear and rations. But in emergencies, information matters too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Remember these checklist items from Day Two?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u003ci>Item 10: Copies of personal documents: medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u003ci>Item 12: Family and emergency contact information \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, my wife and I had written out a list of our contacts and made sure we had them in our phones. But we didn’t make a paper copy with the actual numbers, which is important in case cell service isn’t available or you can’t charge your phone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>FEMA has a pre-made \u003ca href=\"https://www.ready.gov/kids/make-a-plan\">emergency contact form\u003c/a> you can fill out on your computer and print for your wallet, survival kits and car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for the documents, we got as far as sorting through the file cabinet where we keep these types of things.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today I decided to fire up the old all-in-one printer-scanner-copier and take care of business. But if you’re like me, nine times out of 10 your ink cartridge is empty. Today was no exception.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So I’ve got to get that ink, find a local copy shop or ask the kind people at KQED if it’s okay to print out a few documents for a good cause.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s was my hour for today. Tomorrow, I’ll be getting out the tool box to make a few home improvements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[audio src=\"https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/2019/10/ArcuniPreparingBigOne4c.mp3\" title=\"Day Four: Securing the Home\" program=\"KQED Science\" image=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_008.jpg\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Day Four: Securing the home\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>One thing I learned while researching this challenge was that most people who got hurt during earthquakes like Loma Prieta in the Bay Area and Northridge in the Los Angeles area didn’t have buildings or structures collapse on them. Many of the injuries were caused by falling objects or furniture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So for my final hour of this week’s earthquake prep, I surveyed my apartment to see what home improvements I could tackle to make it safer in the event of a big quake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earthquake Country Alliance has a \u003ca href=\"https://www.earthquakecountry.org/step1/\">thorough guide\u003c/a> to securing your space. Here’s what to look out for:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Heavy objects hung on the wall, like mirrors or art in glass picture frames\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Loose objects stored on open shelves or bookcases which can fly through the air during a quake\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Top-heavy furniture, like dressers, bookcases or TVs that could tip over\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>In particular, experts say to look out for these potential hazards near places where you spend a lot of time: beds, couches, desks, the kids’ favorite play spaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a quick perusal for hazards, I detected a big problem: the large print hanging over our couch in a glass-paned metal frame. My brother got it for us in Nashville, and it really ties the room together. But, it was either gonna have to go or be moved to a safer spot away from the sofa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another danger zone: the dresser next to my bed, with a digital camera, ceramic mason jar and mementos, including a hefty amethyst stone, lying on top.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So I took a quick trip to San Francisco’s Glen Park Hardware, where a few helpful employees showed me some stuff I could use to lock things down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One big find was a product called Museum Wax, which is putty you stick underneath an object so it’ll stay attached to a surface. This was just the ticket for objects like my amethyst.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The store also sold furniture safety straps, which let you attach freestanding shelves and armoires to the wall. These use hook-and-eye fixtures and industrial-strength Velcro.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I left with the museum wax and a heavy-duty frame hanger that had three nail anchor points for remounting the print.\u003cbr>\n[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation='Brian Ferguson, Cal OES']‘Any amount of preparation will make you safer than no preparation.’[/pullquote]At home, I lifted the frame off the wall. Its weight confirmed that I’d rather not have it crash on my head under any circumstances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I picked a spot on the opposite wall, across from the sofa, and hammered away. Once the frame was up, I took a breather on the sofa … with a renewed sense of calm.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Final thoughts\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>That’s it for my hour-a-day earthquake readiness prep. These four days have taught me that spending just an hour here and there can make a world of difference when it comes to getting ready for the next emergency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes it wore me out. But the 4.5 magnitude quake that rumbled my sofa as I wrote Monday night, and another on Tuesday, offered the jolts of motivation I needed to persevere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s more to do, for sure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In four hours, though, I mapped out an emergency plan, prepped survival kits and made my home a safer, or at least less hazardous, place. I’ll repeat here what Brian Ferguson with Cal OES told me on the first day of this challenge:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Any amount of preparation will make you safer than no preparation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While I have your ear, let’s cram in a few final bits of advice I picked up from experts along the way:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Your emergency readiness will depend on your own circumstances. So prepare accordingly. For example, living on landfill in the Bay Area means you may want to take extra steps to secure your home; whereas living in wildfire prone areas may require different preparations. Perhaps you have a large family or pets to consider. We have just one pet, a betta fish named Emily. What would we do with her if the Big One hits? I’ll have to think on that one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No matter your priorities, readiness experts recommend signing up for emergency alerts. California has an early warning \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1949333/download-californias-new-earthquake-early-warning-app\">ShakeAlert app\u003c/a>. Any amount of extra time you have could save your life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And finally, make a conscious effort to put gas in your car \u003ci>before\u003c/i> the low fuel light comes on. It’ll help if you ever have to evacuate. From now on, I’m gonna try. If nothing else, it’ll make my mom happy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Science reporter Peter Arcuni prepares for an earthquake over four days, spending just an hour each day. Here's how to get ready for the next big Bay Area temblor — the one scientists say is inevitable.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ci>Are you feeling less than secure about how ready you are for a major earthquake emergency? That’s how many of us at KQED were feeling in the wake of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/02/06/1154818692/turkey-earthquake-syria-rescue-disaster\">the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria early Monday\u003c/a>. The quake — which has so far killed more than 3,400 people — was followed by at least 55 aftershocks of magnitude 4.3 or greater, \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?extent=-30.14513,-76.28906&extent=73.92247,151.34766&sort=smallest&listOnlyShown=true&baseLayer=terrain\">according to the U.S. Geological Survey\u003c/a>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Back in 2019, we asked science reporter Peter Arcuni to lead us through a four-day prep, spending one hour a day. Here’s how to get ready for the next big Bay Area temblor — the one scientists say is inevitable.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Day One was all about making an emergency plan; Days Two and Three he devoted to assembling earthquake kits. For the final day, Peter took steps to make his home more earthquake safe.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published on Oct. 16, 2019. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Let’s get started\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, I awoke to a sound like thunder. Was it a low-flying jet? A truck zooming past? In one, raucous jolt, the mattress, with me atop it, bobbled on its frame.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time I realized what was going on, the shake, rattle and roll were over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Did you feel that?” I shouted to my wife and daughter in the other room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No answer. Of course, they were fine, just too caught up in playing fairies, or trolls, or maybe fairy trolls, to notice a mere 3.6 magnitude quake. But the shock was enough for me to read the writing clear across the bedroom wall: \u003cem>It was time to make an earthquake plan\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah, right.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve lived in the Bay Area for 16 years, and just about annually I get a brief moment of religion when it comes to quake preparedness. But even though seismic experts offer ample evidence to remind us a big earthquake is not a matter of if, but when, I \u003cem>still\u003c/em> haven’t followed through.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "Resources\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.earthquakecountry.org/library/Margin_Step_3_Infographics_Flyer.pdf\">Earthquake Country Alliance pamphlet (PDF)\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ready.gov/plan\">FEMA Ready.gov site\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/survival-kit-supplies.html\">American Red Cross survival kit supply list\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/atg/PDF_s/Preparedness___Disaster_Recovery/Disaster_Preparedness/Earthquake/Earthquake.pdf\">earthquake safety checklist\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>True, I’ve got plenty of excuses. In the early days, common sense collided with a misguided feeling of invincibility. Later, it was work, marriage, grad school, fatherhood. Frankly, now in my spare time, I’d simply rather be playing Candyland with my four-year-old daughter than shopping for emergency supplies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In short, it’s the same old story: Life is full and busy, and preparing for disaster feels overwhelming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But guess what? Now I’ve actually been \u003cem>assigned\u003c/em> earthquake preparation by my editors, in the hope we can show that it’s possible to get ready for a disaster in a reasonable amount of time, even amidst the usual perpetual commitments of work, family and daily living.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So here are the ground rules for this challenge. For each of four days, I’m allowed to commit just one hour to earthquake preparation, using only the free time I would normally have outside work and family life.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "Yesterday, we had only a vague notion of what to do if a big earthquake hit. Today we have a solid plan we feel pretty good about.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp> Join me in finding out how ready we can be in just one hour a day, over four days. I’ll chronicle my success — or not — right here. We may not get to everything, but as I learned from the experts, doing any amount of preparation matters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One thing I realized while embarking on this project: The difference between preparedness and perpetual optimism could be the difference between life and death. In 2018, KQED’s Craig Miller \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1933064/map-are-you-in-the-severe-damage-zone-for-the-bay-areas-next-big-earthquake\">wrote a story about the Hayward Fault\u003c/a>, which runs 40 miles through the East Bay’s most densely populated areas and could produce the proverbial Big One at any time:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The U.S. Geological Survey projects that in the aftermath of a magnitude 7.0 quake on the Hayward, 2,500 people would need immediate rescue. Serious questions remain about whether emergency responders could get to everyone’s aid, given that roads are likely to be blocked and water for fighting fires cut off in many areas — possibly for weeks or months.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>“In terms of exposure of hospitals, schools, lifelines, it’s really unequaled,” said UC Berkeley seismologist Roland Burgmann.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So … this is a not just an assignment for a journalist, it’s an assignment for \u003cem>everybody\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Day One: Make a plan\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Generally speaking, earthquake preparedness is broken into three categories:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Having survival supplies ready to go\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Safety-proofing your home\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Making an emergency plan for the earthquake and its aftermath\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>I decided to begin my four days of preparation by making an emergency plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brian Ferguson, with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), says it’s one of the most important steps you can take.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s a great dinner table conversation that all families should have, if there’s an emergency, here’s what we would do,” he said. “‘We would meet you at this place, we would go this way.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He told me there’s no one-size-fits-all blueprint, so you’ll need to tailor your plan to your own circumstances. But some guidelines apply to everybody, such as …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Doorways are out\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1949266\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1949266\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_004-800x593.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"593\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_004-800x593.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_004-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_004-768x569.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_004-1020x755.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_004-1200x889.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_004.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Peter Arcuni, his wife, Maureen, and their daughter, Izzy, read a book after collecting all the materials for their earthquake preparedness kit. \u003ccite>(Lindsey Moore/ KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>My first conversation today was with my preschooler, Izzy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Izzy, do you know what an earthquake is?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s when the ground shakes and you have to go hide under a table.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hide under the table. That’s a great idea — you know more than I do!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a widespread \u003ca href=\"https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/storms/10-pieces-of-disaster-safety-advice-you-should-ignore4.htm\">myth\u003c/a> that standing in the doorway is the most protective place to be during a major quake. But most experts say, forget it. Here’s what the U.S. Geological Survey recommends:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>“DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON. If you are indoors, when you feel strong earthquake shaking, drop to the floor, take cover under a sturdy desk or table, and hold on to it firmly until the shaking stops. If you are not near a desk or table, drop to the floor against an interior wall and protect your head and neck with your arms.”\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Got it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After we tucked the little one in, my wife Maureen and I went to the couch to write out our emergency plan. For this we decided to focus on a handful of essential items from the USGS handbook:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Locate a safe place outside of your home for your family to meet after the shaking stops.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Establish an out-of-area contact person everyone in the household can call to relay information.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Provide all family members with a list of important contact phone numbers.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Determine where you can live if you can’t stay in your home after an earthquake or other disaster. In other words: Ask friends or relatives in advance if they might be willing to put you up when the Big One hits.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Sounds like a lot. But it took us just under an hour — 56 minutes — to hash most of this out. We even called my cousin in Menlo Park, who agreed to shelter us in case we need to evacuate San Francisco. Because we appeared to have woken her from a deep slumber, I’ll need to confirm she actually \u003cem>remembers\u003c/em> what she’s gotten herself into next time I see her. \u003cem>Sorry to wake you up Carin. And, thanks!\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Final thoughts: Day One\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I admit I was feeling a bit daunted by the thought of starting this challenge. But I agreed with my wife when she said, “It was not \u003cem>so\u003c/em> bad.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yesterday, we had only a vague notion of what to do if a big earthquake hit. Today we have a solid plan we feel pretty good about. We have more to do, for sure, but this is a good start.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Brian Ferguson from Cal OES put it: “People feel intimidated by it, but any amount of preparation will make you safer than no preparation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tomorrow for our earthquake prep challenge, I’ll go shopping — fun! — for survival supplies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Day Two: Earthquake kits, or shopping for survival\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Yesterday, while my wife, Maureen, and I were mapping out our emergency plan, we took a quick inventory of our emergency supplies. That is, we rifled through the briar patch that is our hallway closet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our key takeaways: The first aid kit was pretty depleted. Why? Because we’ve been dipping into it for everyday scrapes and burns, rendering the “emergency” in “emergency supplies” meaningless. But there were a few good items, including a hand crank AM/FM radio that triples as both a flashlight and phone charger. We also located the student survival kit purchased from my daughter’s day care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All in all, while we had the \u003cem>beginnings\u003c/em> of an earthquake kit, we did not have an \u003cem>actual\u003c/em> earthquake kit. There were some glaring omissions, like food and water, for instance, and our organization was lacking. Considering that the USGS \u003ca href=\"https://www.usgs.gov/natural-hazards/science-application-risk-reduction/science/haywired-scenario?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects\">forecasts\u003c/a> the displacement of 77,000 to 152,000 households from a 7.0 earthquake on the Hayward Fault, this was not good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I decided to break my kit preparation into two sessions. First day, shopping; second day, assembling. I used the American Red Cross \u003ca href=\"https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/survival-kit-supplies.html\">list of 15 essential items\u003c/a> as a blueprint for the minimum inventory of what we needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>Water: one gallon per person, per day; three-day supply for evacuation, two-week supply for home\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Food: nonperishable, easy-to-prepare items; three-day supply for evacuation, two-week supply for home\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Flashlight\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Battery-powered or hand-crank radio, a NOAA Weather Radio, if possible\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Extra batteries\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Deluxe family first aid kit\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Medications, seven-day supply, and other necessary medical items\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Multipurpose tool\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Sanitation and personal hygiene items\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Copies of personal documents: medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Cellphone with chargers\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Family and emergency contact information\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Extra cash\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Emergency blanket\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Map(s) of the area\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>Keep in mind the American Red Cross \u003ca href=\"https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/survival-kit-supplies.html\">recommends additional items\u003c/a> you should consider, like sleeping bags, work gloves and N95 masks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1949519\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1949519\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/EarthquakePrep_001-1-800x598.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"598\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/EarthquakePrep_001-1-800x598.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/EarthquakePrep_001-1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/EarthquakePrep_001-1-768x574.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/EarthquakePrep_001-1-1020x763.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/EarthquakePrep_001-1-1200x898.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/EarthquakePrep_001-1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Reporter Peter Arcuni shops for survival supplies to put into his earthquake kit. \u003ccite>(Lindsey Moore/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We already had some of the essentials, so we just needed to track down the remaining items, plus a few more we thought were important. Our shopping list included water, food, cash, first aid kit, flashlights, batteries, cell phone charging pack, local maps, hygienic items and the ever-popular all-purpose emergency standby, duct tape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For this challenge, I headed to nearby 24th Street in Noe Valley to hit the Whole Foods, Walgreens and bank, all within a two-block radius. As on the first day, I limited myself to one hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Timer set.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Go.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Canned goods and venison sea salt pepper bars\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The American Red Cross recommends you keep on hand at least one gallon of water per person per day, for three days. For me, my wife and daughter, that’s nine gallons. At $0.89 a gallon, I was able to cross that off the list for under 10 bucks. Felt like a pretty good deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For nonperishable food, I started with the canned goods aisle. I homed in on soups, refried beans and tuna fish, choosing in particular the brands that had pull-off tops so I wouldn’t need a can opener. True, I had a multi-use tool, which included a can opener (of sorts), but do I want to be attempting to poke holes through cans of refried beans during an earthquake emergency? No.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next up: granola bars. Lots of options, of course, so I went for variety, making sure to accommodate my wife’s request for those that are peanut-butter flavored. The venison sea salt pepper bars looked classy, if somewhat pricey, so I decided to indulge.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Small bills, please\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Next up was the bank for some cold, hard cash. With power and network outages likely in the event of a big earthquake or other emergency, the places where they still keep the actual money may prove to be inaccessible, and ATMs could very well go down, too. Not to mention credit card machines. So if you end up needing to pay for something, from a bottle of water to a hotel room, you are going to have to use existing cash on hand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How much? That depends on the number of people in your family and where you live, according to Brian Ferguson, from the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Emergency experts recommend small denominations, so you won’t have to worry about getting change from stores that may not be able to give it. So I went for a mix of 20s, 10s, fives and ones. And one two-dollar bill for good luck.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Drugstore\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>I found most of my other items at the pharmacy. Medications aren’t a major issue for my family, but I picked up some extra pain reliever, antihistamine and children’s Tylenol, just in case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you do take medications, the American Red Cross recommends having a seven-day supply, as well as a list of what they are.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Final thoughts: Day Two\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The shopping trip, when factoring in the ride to and from my house, took just about an hour and change. I was able to get most of the items on my list. Here’s where I came up short:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Local maps\u003c/strong>: These are good to keep on hand if you need to evacuate while cell networks are down. Neither Whole Foods nor Walgreens carried them, but you can find maps at \u003ca href=\"https://www.aaa.com/mapgallery/\">AAA\u003c/a> or order online.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Cellphone battery charging pack\u003c/strong>: Walgreens had one, but I wasn’t sure it was right for me. So I’m planning to do some research before buying. There are \u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/s?k=emergency+phone+charger&crid=2CXQDD1XT85YG&sprefix=emergency+phone+c%2Caps%2C205&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_17\">several options\u003c/a> available online.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Forgetting to check expiration on food\u003c/strong>: One could assume — and by one, I mean me — that if food is wrapped in plastic, it is nonperishable. This is not true.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While evaluating my haul my wife asked if I checked the “best by” dates on the food. I had not. We found that while the canned goods would remain edible for a number of years, about half the granola bars I picked out listed dates about six months from now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Me: But what does date that mean?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maureen: Could we get sick?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Me: Maybe. I don’t think so. But …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the end we removed these from the kit. Further research showed we probably would’ve been fine, even if our bars lost their flavor over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s a breakdown from \u003ca href=\"https://www.consumerreports.org/food-safety/how-to-tell-whether-expired-food-is-safe-to-eat/\">Consumer Reports\u003c/a> on good rules of thumb for nonperishables.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But you should always check the expiration dates on your food items, and you’ll also want check your kit periodically to refresh any expired items.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In sum, it appears you can grab many of the basic necessities for a survival kit over the course of an hour or a little longer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, if convenience is a priority, both the \u003ca href=\"https://www.redcross.org/store/preparedness\">American Red Cross\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/s?k=earthquake+survival+kit&crid=3GMZ4T10S4KQ3&sprefix=earthquak%2Caps%2C247&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_9\">Amazon\u003c/a> have a variety of survival kits available for a range of prices. Consider your time and needs — this may be a good way to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Up next, I’ll organize my supplies into a proper earthquake kit!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Day Three: Putting together my earthquake kit\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A quick note about fatigue: After the first few days of this challenge, I was riding high. Emergency plan, check. Trunkload of survival supplies, yup. Then … the inevitable crash. After a full day of work, making dinner, cleaning the kitchen, bathing my kid, and putting her to bed, I was spent. So I psyched myself up, mustered all the energy I could, and … watched “The Great British Bake Off” on Netflix.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was delightful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’re only human. Carving out an hour on a given day may not be possible, emotionally or otherwise. So I decided to give myself credit for what I’d already accomplished and go back at it the next morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which I did. I started by laying out my earthquake supplies on the living room floor. Satisfying as it was to look at, I still needed to put them somewhere I could find them in a true emergency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>“Organize disaster supplies in convenient locations…Keep them where you spend most of your time, so they can be reached even if your building is badly damaged.” — Earthquake Country Alliance\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/2005/15/gip-15.pdf\">U.S. Geological Survey (PDF)\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.earthquakecountry.org/step3/\">EarthquakeCountry.org\u003c/a> provide an assortment of tips on preparing and storing your kits. Here are a few:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Use backpacks for personal survival kits because they’re easy to grab if you need to evacuate. You want one for each person in your household.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>You can keep a larger disaster kit in a plastic bin or other waterproof container. This should contain additional food and water, first aid items and other supplies, like an emergency radio, for instance, that you would need if you have to stay put for a while. This kit should also be easy to move around the house or load into a car if necessary.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Sifting through the bedroom closet, I found what I needed: a green plastic tub with a lid and handles for my household kit, and a black backpack with compartments for my to-go bag.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After packing my supplies into them, I scouted for storage locations. The bin slid nicely under the bench beside our bed, and I cleared out the bottom shelf of the hallway closet for the backpack, since it’s centrally located in the house. I then stashed some extra gallon jugs of water alongside the bag.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1949522\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1949522\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_001-800x545.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"545\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_001-800x545.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_001-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_001-768x523.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_001-1020x694.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_001-1200x817.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Earthquakekit_001.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Organizing survival supplies is an important step in readiness planning, according to emergency experts. \u003ccite>(Lindsey Moore/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Emergency experts recommend that you also have survival kits for your car and workplace. For today, I focused mainly on the home, though I did throw water, towels and a blanket in the car. I’m considering ordering online additional prepacked kits for the car and work.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Bags for shoes and stuffed animals\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Here’s something I hadn’t thought about: Say a big earthquake hits at two in the morning. Suddenly, I’d be in the dark with broken glass and debris all over the floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The aftermath of an earthquake is no time to wander around the house barefoot. That’s why experts recommend putting a pair of shoes or boots, plus a flashlight, in a plastic bag tied to the foot of your bed or nightstand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That ensures that you have quick access to getting something on your feet and allows you to safely get up, survey what’s happened to your home and check on your loved ones,” said Cynthia Shaw from \u003ca href=\"https://www.redcross.org/local/california/northern-california-coastal.html\">Red Cross Northern California\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For this, I used kitchen twine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For my 4-year-old daughter, I made up a special bag to add to my to-go backpack. Emergencies can be scary, and they can also involve waiting around for long stretches of time without much to do. So USGS recommends including “comfort items, such as games, crayons, writing materials, and teddy bears” for the little ones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With my daughter’s help, we picked out a soft blanket with purple butterflies on it, coloring pad, storybook and one of her favorite stuffed foxes.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Not just supplies — documents, too\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>After I took inventory and shopped for supplies, I had tracked down most of the 15 essential survival items recommended by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/survival-kit-supplies.html\">American Red Cross\u003c/a>, along with some additions, to populate my kit. I even found the Bay Area and California maps I was looking for in the glove box of my car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So I’m done, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When putting together survival supplies, it’s easy to obsess over gear and rations. But in emergencies, information matters too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Remember these checklist items from Day Two?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u003ci>Item 10: Copies of personal documents: medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u003ci>Item 12: Family and emergency contact information \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, my wife and I had written out a list of our contacts and made sure we had them in our phones. But we didn’t make a paper copy with the actual numbers, which is important in case cell service isn’t available or you can’t charge your phone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>FEMA has a pre-made \u003ca href=\"https://www.ready.gov/kids/make-a-plan\">emergency contact form\u003c/a> you can fill out on your computer and print for your wallet, survival kits and car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for the documents, we got as far as sorting through the file cabinet where we keep these types of things.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today I decided to fire up the old all-in-one printer-scanner-copier and take care of business. But if you’re like me, nine times out of 10 your ink cartridge is empty. Today was no exception.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So I’ve got to get that ink, find a local copy shop or ask the kind people at KQED if it’s okay to print out a few documents for a good cause.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s was my hour for today. Tomorrow, I’ll be getting out the tool box to make a few home improvements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Day Four: Securing the home\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>One thing I learned while researching this challenge was that most people who got hurt during earthquakes like Loma Prieta in the Bay Area and Northridge in the Los Angeles area didn’t have buildings or structures collapse on them. Many of the injuries were caused by falling objects or furniture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So for my final hour of this week’s earthquake prep, I surveyed my apartment to see what home improvements I could tackle to make it safer in the event of a big quake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earthquake Country Alliance has a \u003ca href=\"https://www.earthquakecountry.org/step1/\">thorough guide\u003c/a> to securing your space. Here’s what to look out for:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Heavy objects hung on the wall, like mirrors or art in glass picture frames\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Loose objects stored on open shelves or bookcases which can fly through the air during a quake\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Top-heavy furniture, like dressers, bookcases or TVs that could tip over\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>In particular, experts say to look out for these potential hazards near places where you spend a lot of time: beds, couches, desks, the kids’ favorite play spaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a quick perusal for hazards, I detected a big problem: the large print hanging over our couch in a glass-paned metal frame. My brother got it for us in Nashville, and it really ties the room together. But, it was either gonna have to go or be moved to a safer spot away from the sofa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another danger zone: the dresser next to my bed, with a digital camera, ceramic mason jar and mementos, including a hefty amethyst stone, lying on top.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So I took a quick trip to San Francisco’s Glen Park Hardware, where a few helpful employees showed me some stuff I could use to lock things down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One big find was a product called Museum Wax, which is putty you stick underneath an object so it’ll stay attached to a surface. This was just the ticket for objects like my amethyst.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The store also sold furniture safety straps, which let you attach freestanding shelves and armoires to the wall. These use hook-and-eye fixtures and industrial-strength Velcro.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I left with the museum wax and a heavy-duty frame hanger that had three nail anchor points for remounting the print.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘Any amount of preparation will make you safer than no preparation.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>At home, I lifted the frame off the wall. Its weight confirmed that I’d rather not have it crash on my head under any circumstances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I picked a spot on the opposite wall, across from the sofa, and hammered away. Once the frame was up, I took a breather on the sofa … with a renewed sense of calm.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Final thoughts\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>That’s it for my hour-a-day earthquake readiness prep. These four days have taught me that spending just an hour here and there can make a world of difference when it comes to getting ready for the next emergency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes it wore me out. But the 4.5 magnitude quake that rumbled my sofa as I wrote Monday night, and another on Tuesday, offered the jolts of motivation I needed to persevere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s more to do, for sure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In four hours, though, I mapped out an emergency plan, prepped survival kits and made my home a safer, or at least less hazardous, place. I’ll repeat here what Brian Ferguson with Cal OES told me on the first day of this challenge:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Any amount of preparation will make you safer than no preparation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While I have your ear, let’s cram in a few final bits of advice I picked up from experts along the way:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Your emergency readiness will depend on your own circumstances. So prepare accordingly. For example, living on landfill in the Bay Area means you may want to take extra steps to secure your home; whereas living in wildfire prone areas may require different preparations. Perhaps you have a large family or pets to consider. We have just one pet, a betta fish named Emily. What would we do with her if the Big One hits? I’ll have to think on that one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No matter your priorities, readiness experts recommend signing up for emergency alerts. California has an early warning \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1949333/download-californias-new-earthquake-early-warning-app\">ShakeAlert app\u003c/a>. Any amount of extra time you have could save your life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And finally, make a conscious effort to put gas in your car \u003ci>before\u003c/i> the low fuel light comes on. It’ll help if you ever have to evacuate. From now on, I’m gonna try. If nothing else, it’ll make my mom happy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "The Newt Normal: How Will These Remarkable Animals Survive in Extreme Climates?",
"headTitle": "The Newt Normal: How Will These Remarkable Animals Survive in Extreme Climates? | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Anton Sorokin was hiking in the hills near his home in Berkeley when he came across a pond that was packed full of newts. For a couple of delightful hours, he watched the amphibians swim to the surface for a breath and then plunge underwater again. With a background in herpetology and wildlife photography, Sorokin took some pictures without any particular project in mind. He thought to himself, “Oh, what a great find!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was April 2020 and in the ensuing months, Sorokin occasionally drove the 30 minutes from his house to Briones Regional Park, then walked 45 minutes to the pond to see what was happening with the newts. As the season grew warmer, the pond shrank — a typical pattern during the hot, dry summers in this region of California. From his knowledge of the amphibians, Sorokin expected that the water would evaporate eventually and that the newts would strike out for wetter pastures, or else hunker down underground, where some moisture might linger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981405\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981405 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62247_G_1stRainExodus-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A California newt is seen emerging from the ground. \" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62247_G_1stRainExodus-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62247_G_1stRainExodus-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62247_G_1stRainExodus-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62247_G_1stRainExodus-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62247_G_1stRainExodus-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62247_G_1stRainExodus-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">When the first sprinkle of rain arrives in the fall, newts emerge from the ground to soak in the raindrops. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By late July, however, the water in the pond turned from muddy brown to vibrant green. Sorokin noticed hundreds of newts sitting at the edge of the water, their heads poking out, seemingly deprived of oxygen by mats of algae. Normally, they absorb oxygen through their skin while swimming underwater, surfacing only occasionally for air, so this was weird.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Concerned, Sorokin returned frequently, sometimes several times a week. In a summer of wildfires and record-setting heat waves around the area, he watched the pond turn into a field of muddy cracks. Many newts shriveled up and died. When some rain finally came and moistened the mud in November, he watched some survivors hoist themselves out of the cracks and trundle past desiccated carcasses. The next day, all the living newts were nowhere to be seen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like many animals, California’s newts are facing new challenges because of climate change, according to growing evidence. Although the animals evolved to deal with drought by delaying reproduction when conditions were extreme, the region has become drier for longer than in the past. These extended droughts and related wildfires are putting an unprecedented level of strain on the amphibians, says Lee Kats, an animal ecologist and conservation biologist who studies newts at Pepperdine University in Los Angeles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981404\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981404 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62248_E_Heatwave11-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A California newt is seen walking on cracks on an evaporated pond. \" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62248_E_Heatwave11-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62248_E_Heatwave11-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62248_E_Heatwave11-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62248_E_Heatwave11-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62248_E_Heatwave11-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62248_E_Heatwave11-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Surviving newts take refuge in the cracks left by the evaporated water in the pond. Occasionally, the newts will abandon their home in search of better conditions elsewhere, but many succumb to the heat as they traverse the dried mud. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981403\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981403 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62249_K_NewtPond-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A pond with a reflection of the clouds and blue sky. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62249_K_NewtPond-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62249_K_NewtPond-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62249_K_NewtPond-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62249_K_NewtPond-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62249_K_NewtPond-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62249_K_NewtPond-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The pond is a magnet for wildlife in the area, attracting newts, birds, mammals, insects and other invertebrates. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981402\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981402 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62250_I_Aftermath-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"Dead newts on the ground.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62250_I_Aftermath-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62250_I_Aftermath-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62250_I_Aftermath-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62250_I_Aftermath-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62250_I_Aftermath-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62250_I_Aftermath-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The bodies of the newts that didn’t survive litter the ground. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In recent years, researchers have begun to document deteriorating health in the animals, echoing a decline seen in amphibian populations worldwide. Projections suggest that things will get worse, emphasizing the need to rally around these often-overlooked animals and to help preserve their habitat. “For newts, a strategy that has worked for thousands and thousands of years is not going to work in this climate alteration that we’re experiencing,” Kats says. “And that’s just an incredible tragedy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After briefly considering whether he could bring buckets of water to the sickly newts, Sorokin decided the best way for him to help was to document what was happening. He kept taking pictures, hoping to draw attention to the challenges facing newts and other creatures in similar circumstances as a result of climate change. “I don’t like seeing animals in a situation where there’s no escape for them and where they’re clearly in trouble,” he says. “It’s not just in far-off exotic locations that this sort of thing is happening. It’s happening all around us. And the newts are one example.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981401\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981401 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62251_G_1stRainExodus4-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"Three California newts crawl out of cracked mud.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62251_G_1stRainExodus4-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62251_G_1stRainExodus4-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62251_G_1stRainExodus4-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62251_G_1stRainExodus4-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62251_G_1stRainExodus4-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62251_G_1stRainExodus4-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">As the first raindrops of the season hit the ground and permeate the cracked mud, survivors wriggle out into the open to bask in the rejuvenating moisture. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981400\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981400 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62252_G_1stRainExodus5-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62252_G_1stRainExodus5-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62252_G_1stRainExodus5-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62252_G_1stRainExodus5-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62252_G_1stRainExodus5-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62252_G_1stRainExodus5-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62252_G_1stRainExodus5-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The newts rely on rain to fill nearby ponds so they may reproduce. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To those who know and admire it, the newt is many things: a marvel of longevity; a paragon of resiliency; a deadly vessel of poison; a model organism for regenerative medicine; a golden-eyed charmer of quiet charisma. Though newts share a flat, slithery body shape with lizards, they are amphibians (a type of salamander), not reptiles. They live an entirely different kind of life. Instead of the lizard’s flighty speed, newts move slowly and deliberately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike lizards, newts can lose a limb, heart muscle or even the lens of an eye, and grow it back — a miraculous power that has drawn the attention of scientists working to find better ways of repairing damaged organs in humans. With lives that can last for decades, newts are in no rush, Kats says. They’re chill and approachable, but armed with deadly toxins; they’re also brave, often moving almost casually around much larger creatures. They’re carnivores who live without fear. Their appeal is more subtle than the burly attraction of a polar bear or mountain lion. And that’s what makes them so endearing to those who study them. “It’s the charisma that comes with knowledge,” says Kats, who knows them as well as anyone. “I may be too passionate about this animal, but I love it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981399\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981399 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62253_A_IntroNewt1-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A close-up portrait of a newt.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62253_A_IntroNewt1-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62253_A_IntroNewt1-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62253_A_IntroNewt1-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62253_A_IntroNewt1-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62253_A_IntroNewt1-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62253_A_IntroNewt1-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A close-up portrait of a newt. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981398\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981398 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62254_K_WaterAgain-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A newt swims in a pond. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62254_K_WaterAgain-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62254_K_WaterAgain-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62254_K_WaterAgain-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62254_K_WaterAgain-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62254_K_WaterAgain-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62254_K_WaterAgain-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Once the pond contains water again, many of the returning newts are in visibly poor condition. Thankfully, a full pond hosts plenty of aquatic invertebrates for the newts to feed on. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Out of 100 or so newt species around the world, four live in California. Three of them live in the Bay Area. The California newt (Taricha torosa), the kind that Sorokin observed on his hikes, has a range that extends to Southern California, where in the early 1990s, Kats started tagging them in a first-of-its-kind project. He wanted to gather basic information about the animals, so he captured a few dozen, anesthetized them and implanted rice-sized transponders — like the ones veterinarians use to identify pets—into their abdomens. Over time, the number of tagged newts has grown, allowing Kats and colleagues to recapture, identify and take measurements of individuals over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The results have provided key insights into the lives of newts, their extraordinary abilities, and also their vulnerabilities. Kats found that California newts reappeared around 15 meters of their last sighting, year after year, suggesting that they might not leave their habitats, even if the quality of that environment declines. The tags also revealed extremely long lives. Some of the newts with Kats’s original tags from the 1990s still appear in surveys, and they were already adults when he marked them. It’s not unusual, he says, for newts to live into their 30s and possibly even 40s — a remarkably long life expectancy compared to other amphibians. Many tree frogs live for only three to five years in the wild.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981397\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1981397\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62255_HealthyNewtsDifferentPond-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A group of newts gather to breed in a healthy pond.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62255_HealthyNewtsDifferentPond-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62255_HealthyNewtsDifferentPond-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62255_HealthyNewtsDifferentPond-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62255_HealthyNewtsDifferentPond-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62255_HealthyNewtsDifferentPond-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62255_HealthyNewtsDifferentPond-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A group of newts gather to breed in a healthy pond. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Over millennia, newts developed strategies for surviving California’s notoriously variable weather, and a long life span was part of the deal, says Samuel Sweet, a herpetologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The animals, which spend most of their time on land, rely on streams or ponds for mating and laying eggs. Historically, when water dried up during periodic droughts, they could defer the energy-demanding task of reproduction for a few years. And even when the conditions were unusually dry, they could often still find water. Kats remembers how, 30 years ago, streams in Southern California continued to flow even during particularly dry periods. While longer droughts were already a concern then, he thought those perennial streams would help the newts persevere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starting around 2013, however, streams that seemed like they would flow forever started to dry up in the springtime for what Kats thinks may be the first time in recorded history. By then, he was collaborating in the tagging work with Gary Bucciarelli, a conservation biologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, whose interests include the neurotoxins that newts harbor in their skin and how these chemicals affect other animals in the ecosystem. (Those toxins are so powerful they killed a 29-year-old man in 1979 after he swallowed an Oregon newt on a dare while under the influence of whiskey, according to a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981407\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981407 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62480_BiographicNewt7-2-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"Newts huddle around strands of vegetation in the water. \" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62480_BiographicNewt7-2-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62480_BiographicNewt7-2-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62480_BiographicNewt7-2-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62480_BiographicNewt7-2-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62480_BiographicNewt7-2-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62480_BiographicNewt7-2-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Newts huddle around strands of vegetation where they attach their eggs. As a female lays her eggs, she will remain motionless as the coating surrounding the eggs absorbs water and solidifies to form a gelatinous sac. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981408\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981408 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62481_BiographicNewt26-2-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"The developing eggs shortly after being laid.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62481_BiographicNewt26-2-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62481_BiographicNewt26-2-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62481_BiographicNewt26-2-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62481_BiographicNewt26-2-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62481_BiographicNewt26-2-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62481_BiographicNewt26-2-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The developing eggs shortly after being laid. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981409\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981409 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62482_BiographicNewt27-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Newt embryos inside gelatinous case.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62482_BiographicNewt27-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62482_BiographicNewt27-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62482_BiographicNewt27-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62482_BiographicNewt27-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62482_BiographicNewt27-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62482_BiographicNewt27-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The newt embryos begin to take shape within a gelatinous case that helps keeps them safe from parasites and predators. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981410\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981410 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62483_BiographicNewt18-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Young newts inside gelatinous case that are almost ready to hatch.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62483_BiographicNewt18-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62483_BiographicNewt18-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62483_BiographicNewt18-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62483_BiographicNewt18-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62483_BiographicNewt18-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62483_BiographicNewt18-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">These young newts are nearly ready to hatch. They will start life with external gills, which will gradually be absorbed as they mature. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The scientists had expanded the newt research from LA’s Santa Monica Mountains south to Orange County and San Diego, east to the San Gabriel Mountains, and north to the Bay Area, Mendocino County and the Sierra Foothills. As the water dried up around LA, researchers started detecting fewer tagged newts, Bucciarelli says. By the end of 2016, many of the newts that did come back to their streams were looking scrawny and unwell. “You could see their ribs, vertebra, the pelvic girdle,” Bucciarelli says. “Things that you should not see in a healthy population.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To figure out what was going on, the researchers looked to their large and long-term data set, where they found that what they were seeing was more than a fluke. Between 2008 and 2016, they found a nearly 20% decline in a measure of body condition among California newts across 30 breeding sites in Southern California. That period of drastic deterioration in size was more rapid than other studies have documented in any other amphibian species, Bucciarelli says. It also coincided with record-setting high temperatures and what is thought to be the most severe drought in California in 1,200 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981411\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981411 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62484_I_JuvenileMortality2-qut-800x560.jpg\" alt=\"Multiple juvenile newts that didn't survive harsh conditions seen laying. \" width=\"800\" height=\"560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62484_I_JuvenileMortality2-qut-800x560.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62484_I_JuvenileMortality2-qut-1020x715.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62484_I_JuvenileMortality2-qut-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62484_I_JuvenileMortality2-qut-768x538.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62484_I_JuvenileMortality2-qut-1536x1076.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62484_I_JuvenileMortality2-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Although many adult newts are able to survive the drought and harsh conditions, the juveniles are less fortunate. These younger newts were unable to crawl the distance to the sheltering mud cracks. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In Northern California, where climate records didn’t show the same extremes, newts appear to have retained their body condition during the same period. But with modeling, the team predicted that droughts and related declines would soon catch up to newts and other amphibians in the Bay Area and other parts of Northern California. Newts once inhabited 10 streams in the mountains above San Diego, Sweet says. Now they occupy only three of those streams. In Orange County, he estimates half the newt streams that existed in the 1960s are gone because of drought and development. “What we’re seeing in LA and San Diego counties, those are going to be the conditions sometime in the not-too-distant future in San Luis Obispo County and Monterey County,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California newts in Southern California are already classified as a species of special concern by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, an acknowledgment of their vulnerability, although they are not yet listed as threatened or endangered. As environmental stress becomes relentless, experts worry it may be hard for them to hang on. “These newts down here have adapted to deal with drought. That’s part of our climate here in Southern California landscapes,” Bucciarelli says. “But what they haven’t evolved to deal with is drought simultaneously combined with record warming temperatures, and that’s a result of climate change. Now, a double threat is occurring.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981412\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981412 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62485_BiographicNewt1-3-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"Newts breeding season begins. \" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62485_BiographicNewt1-3-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62485_BiographicNewt1-3-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62485_BiographicNewt1-3-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62485_BiographicNewt1-3-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62485_BiographicNewt1-3-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62485_BiographicNewt1-3-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">After the pond refills, newts return and their breeding season begins. Mated females attach egg masses to submerged vegetation while males wander around looking for mates. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981413\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981413 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62486_BiographicNewt3-2-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A pair of submerged newts conserve energy and remain motionless as the gelatinousmatrix surrounding their eggs solidifies and attaches to the vegetation.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62486_BiographicNewt3-2-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62486_BiographicNewt3-2-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62486_BiographicNewt3-2-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62486_BiographicNewt3-2-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62486_BiographicNewt3-2-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62486_BiographicNewt3-2-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A pair of submerged newts conserve energy and remain motionless as the gelatinous matrix surrounding their eggs solidifies and attaches to the vegetation. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By the time Sorokin was visiting his newt pond in Berkeley in 2020, COVID-19 had upended life for humans, and California’s newts appeared to be experiencing a pandemic of their own. In addition to newts with protruding hip bones and lack of fat stored on their bodies that Kats and Bucciarelli noted, researchers started finding newts with tail lesions so severe that muscle and skin had worn away to expose the tips of their tail bones. Some animals had clouded eyeballs that looked like cataracts. The animals also acted strangely, whirling around in circles. It was the first major disease in Southern California newts in 30 years, Kats says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey euthanized an emaciated newt to investigate what had sickened it. The researchers found numerous issues, they wrote in a September 2021 report, including lungworms, inflammation in the inner ears, and parasites in its intestinal tract. Yet no single cause could explain all the symptoms. Kats suspects that extended dry spells and high temperatures may have weakened the amphibians’ immune systems, making them more vulnerable to several ordinary infections. “I’m absolutely convinced,” he says, “that the conditions they were experiencing contributed to this major disease outbreak.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981414\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981414 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62487_F_PredationDifferentPond1-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A garter snake eats a California newt.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62487_F_PredationDifferentPond1-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62487_F_PredationDifferentPond1-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62487_F_PredationDifferentPond1-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62487_F_PredationDifferentPond1-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62487_F_PredationDifferentPond1-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62487_F_PredationDifferentPond1-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">As the newts are stranded, they become more susceptible to various threats. Although the newts are poisonous, some predators like this garter snake are still able to eat them. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Strange illnesses and dry streambeds aren’t the only challenges facing newts. Invasive crayfish, somehow unfazed by the newts’ toxins, have been spreading in California lakes and decimating newt populations by feeding on egg masses and larvae. Blooms of cyanobacteria may be another problem: These photosynthetic microorganisms, which produce a variety of toxins of their own, have been proliferating in lakes around the world, a trend linked to warming temperatures, among other factors. In the first assessment of two Southern California lakes, published in 2021, a group of researchers from several universities and government agencies found the highest concentrations ever recorded in the region of three cyanotoxins, which have been linked to health issues in people and wildlife, including amphibians. Sorokin suspects that a cyanobacteria bloom explains the greening of that pond near his Berkeley home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Traffic is another concern. Generally unconcerned with predators because of their poisonous skin, newts move slowly, as if they don’t have a care in the world, Kats says. After spending much of their lives in the woods and waiting on average five years, sometimes longer, to become sexually mature, they often must cross busy roads to get to streams for mating. Drivers don’t usually see them — or else they don’t stop. One of Sweet’s graduate students visited a study site in San Luis Obispo one day after it rained and counted more than 100 road-killed newts. “The average newt there might be 25 or 30 years old,” Sweet says. “They get all ready to breed: ‘I’m going to walk down to the creek and lay my eggs for the first time tonight.’ Squish. They get run over 10 minutes before they do that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981415\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981415 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62488_D_Cyanobacteria-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"Blue-green algae. \" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62488_D_Cyanobacteria-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62488_D_Cyanobacteria-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62488_D_Cyanobacteria-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62488_D_Cyanobacteria-qut-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62488_D_Cyanobacteria-qut-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62488_D_Cyanobacteria-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">As the pond shrinks and temperatures remain high, the water turns to a slurry of toxic blue-green algae and cyanobacteria. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981416\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981416 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62489_D_EutrophicationLate11-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"Newts line the edges of the pond with their heads raised above the algae andcyanobacteria.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62489_D_EutrophicationLate11-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62489_D_EutrophicationLate11-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62489_D_EutrophicationLate11-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62489_D_EutrophicationLate11-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62489_D_EutrophicationLate11-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62489_D_EutrophicationLate11-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Newts line the edges of the pond with their heads raised above the algae and cyanobacteria to breathe. Although conditions in the pond are noxious, the newts choose to remain — likely because the heat away from the moisture is simply too dangerous. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Habitat fragmentation makes it harder now than in the past for newts to cope with harsh conditions, Sweet adds. When newts experienced changes to the climate in the past, they were able to rebound and expand their range again when conditions improved. But they can’t come back if there isn’t a connected population to replenish them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Altogether, the cards can seem stacked against a species that has endured its share of environmental stress for thousands of years. “The stuff that amphibians like newts are facing is kind of death of a thousand cuts,” Sweet says. “It’s not any one thing. It’s not drought, it’s drought and getting run over when you’re 25 years old and half an hour away from laying eggs for the first time. It’s having your eggs die because a septic tank has overflowed and the stream is full of salt. It’s getting eaten by a raccoon that’s wandering up and down the creek because somebody has garbage out and there are too many raccoons, and the road department wanted to widen the road and fill in the stream with boulders. It’s all this stuff.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981417\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981417 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62490_D_EutrophicationLate5-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62490_D_EutrophicationLate5-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62490_D_EutrophicationLate5-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62490_D_EutrophicationLate5-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62490_D_EutrophicationLate5-qut-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62490_D_EutrophicationLate5-qut-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62490_D_EutrophicationLate5-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A newt pokes its head above the algae and cyanobacteria. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Despite all they’re up against, it’s not too late for newts, Kats says. Some environmental groups have mobilized to help newts around the world, including in California. In the hills north of San Francisco, volunteers with the Chileno Valley Newt Brigade spend winter nights picking up the amphibians as they make their way to or from their breeding sites, carrying them across roads to protect them from cars. Along the East Coast and in parts of Berkeley, roads frequented by newts are closed annually for the same reason.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the most promising strategies for protecting newts focus on improving and protecting their habitats and ecosystems and, with them, biodiversity more generally, Bucciarelli says. One major effort in the works is California’s 30×30 initiative, an executive order signed by the governor that has a goal of conserving 30% of the state’s land and coastal waters by 2030. Because amphibian habitats span much of the state’s land and watersheds, they stand to benefit substantially from the plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Habitat protection includes human intervention to mitigate disaster and destruction. Multiple studies in Europe have shown that enlarging and deepening ponds can lead to rapid and major increases in populations of newts, frogs and toads — a technique that could be useful for removing silt after wildfires, as well. Researchers have also found value in “newt hotels,” human-made piles of stones covered with soil and fabric that mimic the kinds of environments the animals use to overwinter in harsh conditions. And in California, government agencies are actively working to create freshwater ponds that are free of invasive species, such as crayfish, to replace what amphibians have lost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981418\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981418 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62491_NewtinHandB-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62491_NewtinHandB-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62491_NewtinHandB-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62491_NewtinHandB-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62491_NewtinHandB-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62491_NewtinHandB-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62491_NewtinHandB-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A dead newt in cupped hands. This one succumbed to the heat. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981419\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981419 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62492_NewtinHandA-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62492_NewtinHandA-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62492_NewtinHandA-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62492_NewtinHandA-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62492_NewtinHandA-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62492_NewtinHandA-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62492_NewtinHandA-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A live newt in cupped hands. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The California Conservation Genomics Project is another statewide effort to protect amphibians and other creatures, not by protecting habitat but by protecting genetic diversity. The government-funded project aims to sequence the genomes of more than 230 animal and plant species, including some amphibians and reptiles — as a way to identify areas of high and low genetic diversity that should be the focus of conservation work. The newt is not on the sequencing list in part because its genome is gigantic and intractable, Bucciarelli says. But the initiative, which has a goal of producing “the most comprehensive, multispecies, genomic data set ever assembled to help manage regional biodiversity,” focuses on creatures that share newt habitat. Those animals — and newts — would ultimately benefit from any resulting changes and protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Disease surveillance should help, too, by detecting emerging illnesses before they can spread. In the United States, the USGS has set up a nationwide program to check newts and other amphibians around the country for signs of a fungal infection that has devastated European salamander populations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Efforts like these may give newts a fighting chance to do what they do best: persevere. Because newts are so long-lived, seemingly small measures could help them wait out poor conditions until favorable years return, and with those years the right conditions for mating, experts say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981420\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981420 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62493_A_IntroNewt3-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A portrait of a male newt.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62493_A_IntroNewt3-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62493_A_IntroNewt3-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62493_A_IntroNewt3-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62493_A_IntroNewt3-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62493_A_IntroNewt3-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62493_A_IntroNewt3-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A male newt migrates toward a pond during the breeding season. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sorokin has seen this potential for redemption in his Berkeley-area pond over the past two years. When Northern California finally got a real rainy season in late 2021, the pond refilled again. Since then, he has observed plenty of healthy newts and lots of breeding activity. When they come up for air, they sometimes let out a little squeak. Seeing them return has filled him with relief — and also trepidation. He worries about the next dry season and the next generations of newts. He takes photos, he says, to spread his love for newts to a wider audience, and to convince people to care about this animal that doesn’t get its fair share of headlines about the impacts of a changing climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we move deeper into the Anthropocene, more humans need to embrace our role in protecting such animals, and we need to start now, says Bucciarelli. We put them in this predicament. It’s up to us to get them out of it. Solving the puzzle of how to help newts could have benefits far beyond one amphibian, he says — creating a road map for how we deal with many other biodiversity issues on a hotter, drier planet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are so many dedicated, talented and passionate people working collaboratively to come up with viable solutions. We can’t fix the problems of drought. We can’t make it rain. But we can figure out ways to manage populations so that they have the highest probability of persisting through this really stressful time,” Bucciarelli says. “I have a lot of hope.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981421\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981421 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62494_BiographicNewt12-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62494_BiographicNewt12-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62494_BiographicNewt12-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62494_BiographicNewt12-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62494_BiographicNewt12-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62494_BiographicNewt12-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62494_BiographicNewt12-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A male newt holds on tight to a female during a mating event. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story originally appeared in \u003ca href=\"https://www.biographic.com/the-newt-normal/\">bioGraphic\u003c/a>, an independent magazine about nature and regeneration powered by the California Academy of Sciences.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Droughts, wildfires, floods, and other extreme weather events are putting an unprecedented strain on California newts. With help, scientists think these remarkable animals will be able to persevere.",
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"description": "Droughts, wildfires, floods, and other extreme weather events are putting an unprecedented strain on California newts. With help, scientists think these remarkable animals will be able to persevere.",
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"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://www.biographic.com/contributor/Emily-Sohn/\">Emily Sohn\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.biographic.com/contributor/Anton-Sorokin/\">Anton Sorokin\u003c/a>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Anton Sorokin was hiking in the hills near his home in Berkeley when he came across a pond that was packed full of newts. For a couple of delightful hours, he watched the amphibians swim to the surface for a breath and then plunge underwater again. With a background in herpetology and wildlife photography, Sorokin took some pictures without any particular project in mind. He thought to himself, “Oh, what a great find!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was April 2020 and in the ensuing months, Sorokin occasionally drove the 30 minutes from his house to Briones Regional Park, then walked 45 minutes to the pond to see what was happening with the newts. As the season grew warmer, the pond shrank — a typical pattern during the hot, dry summers in this region of California. From his knowledge of the amphibians, Sorokin expected that the water would evaporate eventually and that the newts would strike out for wetter pastures, or else hunker down underground, where some moisture might linger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981405\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981405 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62247_G_1stRainExodus-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A California newt is seen emerging from the ground. \" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62247_G_1stRainExodus-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62247_G_1stRainExodus-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62247_G_1stRainExodus-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62247_G_1stRainExodus-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62247_G_1stRainExodus-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62247_G_1stRainExodus-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">When the first sprinkle of rain arrives in the fall, newts emerge from the ground to soak in the raindrops. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By late July, however, the water in the pond turned from muddy brown to vibrant green. Sorokin noticed hundreds of newts sitting at the edge of the water, their heads poking out, seemingly deprived of oxygen by mats of algae. Normally, they absorb oxygen through their skin while swimming underwater, surfacing only occasionally for air, so this was weird.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Concerned, Sorokin returned frequently, sometimes several times a week. In a summer of wildfires and record-setting heat waves around the area, he watched the pond turn into a field of muddy cracks. Many newts shriveled up and died. When some rain finally came and moistened the mud in November, he watched some survivors hoist themselves out of the cracks and trundle past desiccated carcasses. The next day, all the living newts were nowhere to be seen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like many animals, California’s newts are facing new challenges because of climate change, according to growing evidence. Although the animals evolved to deal with drought by delaying reproduction when conditions were extreme, the region has become drier for longer than in the past. These extended droughts and related wildfires are putting an unprecedented level of strain on the amphibians, says Lee Kats, an animal ecologist and conservation biologist who studies newts at Pepperdine University in Los Angeles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981404\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981404 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62248_E_Heatwave11-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A California newt is seen walking on cracks on an evaporated pond. \" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62248_E_Heatwave11-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62248_E_Heatwave11-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62248_E_Heatwave11-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62248_E_Heatwave11-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62248_E_Heatwave11-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62248_E_Heatwave11-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Surviving newts take refuge in the cracks left by the evaporated water in the pond. Occasionally, the newts will abandon their home in search of better conditions elsewhere, but many succumb to the heat as they traverse the dried mud. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981403\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981403 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62249_K_NewtPond-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A pond with a reflection of the clouds and blue sky. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62249_K_NewtPond-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62249_K_NewtPond-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62249_K_NewtPond-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62249_K_NewtPond-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62249_K_NewtPond-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62249_K_NewtPond-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The pond is a magnet for wildlife in the area, attracting newts, birds, mammals, insects and other invertebrates. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981402\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981402 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62250_I_Aftermath-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"Dead newts on the ground.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62250_I_Aftermath-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62250_I_Aftermath-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62250_I_Aftermath-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62250_I_Aftermath-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62250_I_Aftermath-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62250_I_Aftermath-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The bodies of the newts that didn’t survive litter the ground. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In recent years, researchers have begun to document deteriorating health in the animals, echoing a decline seen in amphibian populations worldwide. Projections suggest that things will get worse, emphasizing the need to rally around these often-overlooked animals and to help preserve their habitat. “For newts, a strategy that has worked for thousands and thousands of years is not going to work in this climate alteration that we’re experiencing,” Kats says. “And that’s just an incredible tragedy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After briefly considering whether he could bring buckets of water to the sickly newts, Sorokin decided the best way for him to help was to document what was happening. He kept taking pictures, hoping to draw attention to the challenges facing newts and other creatures in similar circumstances as a result of climate change. “I don’t like seeing animals in a situation where there’s no escape for them and where they’re clearly in trouble,” he says. “It’s not just in far-off exotic locations that this sort of thing is happening. It’s happening all around us. And the newts are one example.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981401\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981401 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62251_G_1stRainExodus4-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"Three California newts crawl out of cracked mud.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62251_G_1stRainExodus4-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62251_G_1stRainExodus4-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62251_G_1stRainExodus4-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62251_G_1stRainExodus4-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62251_G_1stRainExodus4-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62251_G_1stRainExodus4-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">As the first raindrops of the season hit the ground and permeate the cracked mud, survivors wriggle out into the open to bask in the rejuvenating moisture. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981400\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981400 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62252_G_1stRainExodus5-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62252_G_1stRainExodus5-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62252_G_1stRainExodus5-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62252_G_1stRainExodus5-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62252_G_1stRainExodus5-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62252_G_1stRainExodus5-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62252_G_1stRainExodus5-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The newts rely on rain to fill nearby ponds so they may reproduce. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To those who know and admire it, the newt is many things: a marvel of longevity; a paragon of resiliency; a deadly vessel of poison; a model organism for regenerative medicine; a golden-eyed charmer of quiet charisma. Though newts share a flat, slithery body shape with lizards, they are amphibians (a type of salamander), not reptiles. They live an entirely different kind of life. Instead of the lizard’s flighty speed, newts move slowly and deliberately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike lizards, newts can lose a limb, heart muscle or even the lens of an eye, and grow it back — a miraculous power that has drawn the attention of scientists working to find better ways of repairing damaged organs in humans. With lives that can last for decades, newts are in no rush, Kats says. They’re chill and approachable, but armed with deadly toxins; they’re also brave, often moving almost casually around much larger creatures. They’re carnivores who live without fear. Their appeal is more subtle than the burly attraction of a polar bear or mountain lion. And that’s what makes them so endearing to those who study them. “It’s the charisma that comes with knowledge,” says Kats, who knows them as well as anyone. “I may be too passionate about this animal, but I love it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981399\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981399 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62253_A_IntroNewt1-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A close-up portrait of a newt.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62253_A_IntroNewt1-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62253_A_IntroNewt1-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62253_A_IntroNewt1-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62253_A_IntroNewt1-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62253_A_IntroNewt1-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62253_A_IntroNewt1-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A close-up portrait of a newt. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981398\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981398 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62254_K_WaterAgain-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A newt swims in a pond. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62254_K_WaterAgain-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62254_K_WaterAgain-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62254_K_WaterAgain-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62254_K_WaterAgain-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62254_K_WaterAgain-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62254_K_WaterAgain-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Once the pond contains water again, many of the returning newts are in visibly poor condition. Thankfully, a full pond hosts plenty of aquatic invertebrates for the newts to feed on. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Out of 100 or so newt species around the world, four live in California. Three of them live in the Bay Area. The California newt (Taricha torosa), the kind that Sorokin observed on his hikes, has a range that extends to Southern California, where in the early 1990s, Kats started tagging them in a first-of-its-kind project. He wanted to gather basic information about the animals, so he captured a few dozen, anesthetized them and implanted rice-sized transponders — like the ones veterinarians use to identify pets—into their abdomens. Over time, the number of tagged newts has grown, allowing Kats and colleagues to recapture, identify and take measurements of individuals over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The results have provided key insights into the lives of newts, their extraordinary abilities, and also their vulnerabilities. Kats found that California newts reappeared around 15 meters of their last sighting, year after year, suggesting that they might not leave their habitats, even if the quality of that environment declines. The tags also revealed extremely long lives. Some of the newts with Kats’s original tags from the 1990s still appear in surveys, and they were already adults when he marked them. It’s not unusual, he says, for newts to live into their 30s and possibly even 40s — a remarkably long life expectancy compared to other amphibians. Many tree frogs live for only three to five years in the wild.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981397\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1981397\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62255_HealthyNewtsDifferentPond-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A group of newts gather to breed in a healthy pond.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62255_HealthyNewtsDifferentPond-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62255_HealthyNewtsDifferentPond-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62255_HealthyNewtsDifferentPond-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62255_HealthyNewtsDifferentPond-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62255_HealthyNewtsDifferentPond-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62255_HealthyNewtsDifferentPond-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A group of newts gather to breed in a healthy pond. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Over millennia, newts developed strategies for surviving California’s notoriously variable weather, and a long life span was part of the deal, says Samuel Sweet, a herpetologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The animals, which spend most of their time on land, rely on streams or ponds for mating and laying eggs. Historically, when water dried up during periodic droughts, they could defer the energy-demanding task of reproduction for a few years. And even when the conditions were unusually dry, they could often still find water. Kats remembers how, 30 years ago, streams in Southern California continued to flow even during particularly dry periods. While longer droughts were already a concern then, he thought those perennial streams would help the newts persevere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starting around 2013, however, streams that seemed like they would flow forever started to dry up in the springtime for what Kats thinks may be the first time in recorded history. By then, he was collaborating in the tagging work with Gary Bucciarelli, a conservation biologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, whose interests include the neurotoxins that newts harbor in their skin and how these chemicals affect other animals in the ecosystem. (Those toxins are so powerful they killed a 29-year-old man in 1979 after he swallowed an Oregon newt on a dare while under the influence of whiskey, according to a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981407\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981407 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62480_BiographicNewt7-2-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"Newts huddle around strands of vegetation in the water. \" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62480_BiographicNewt7-2-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62480_BiographicNewt7-2-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62480_BiographicNewt7-2-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62480_BiographicNewt7-2-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62480_BiographicNewt7-2-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62480_BiographicNewt7-2-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Newts huddle around strands of vegetation where they attach their eggs. As a female lays her eggs, she will remain motionless as the coating surrounding the eggs absorbs water and solidifies to form a gelatinous sac. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981408\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981408 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62481_BiographicNewt26-2-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"The developing eggs shortly after being laid.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62481_BiographicNewt26-2-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62481_BiographicNewt26-2-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62481_BiographicNewt26-2-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62481_BiographicNewt26-2-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62481_BiographicNewt26-2-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62481_BiographicNewt26-2-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The developing eggs shortly after being laid. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981409\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981409 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62482_BiographicNewt27-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Newt embryos inside gelatinous case.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62482_BiographicNewt27-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62482_BiographicNewt27-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62482_BiographicNewt27-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62482_BiographicNewt27-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62482_BiographicNewt27-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62482_BiographicNewt27-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The newt embryos begin to take shape within a gelatinous case that helps keeps them safe from parasites and predators. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981410\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981410 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62483_BiographicNewt18-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Young newts inside gelatinous case that are almost ready to hatch.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62483_BiographicNewt18-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62483_BiographicNewt18-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62483_BiographicNewt18-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62483_BiographicNewt18-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62483_BiographicNewt18-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62483_BiographicNewt18-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">These young newts are nearly ready to hatch. They will start life with external gills, which will gradually be absorbed as they mature. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The scientists had expanded the newt research from LA’s Santa Monica Mountains south to Orange County and San Diego, east to the San Gabriel Mountains, and north to the Bay Area, Mendocino County and the Sierra Foothills. As the water dried up around LA, researchers started detecting fewer tagged newts, Bucciarelli says. By the end of 2016, many of the newts that did come back to their streams were looking scrawny and unwell. “You could see their ribs, vertebra, the pelvic girdle,” Bucciarelli says. “Things that you should not see in a healthy population.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To figure out what was going on, the researchers looked to their large and long-term data set, where they found that what they were seeing was more than a fluke. Between 2008 and 2016, they found a nearly 20% decline in a measure of body condition among California newts across 30 breeding sites in Southern California. That period of drastic deterioration in size was more rapid than other studies have documented in any other amphibian species, Bucciarelli says. It also coincided with record-setting high temperatures and what is thought to be the most severe drought in California in 1,200 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981411\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981411 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62484_I_JuvenileMortality2-qut-800x560.jpg\" alt=\"Multiple juvenile newts that didn't survive harsh conditions seen laying. \" width=\"800\" height=\"560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62484_I_JuvenileMortality2-qut-800x560.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62484_I_JuvenileMortality2-qut-1020x715.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62484_I_JuvenileMortality2-qut-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62484_I_JuvenileMortality2-qut-768x538.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62484_I_JuvenileMortality2-qut-1536x1076.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62484_I_JuvenileMortality2-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Although many adult newts are able to survive the drought and harsh conditions, the juveniles are less fortunate. These younger newts were unable to crawl the distance to the sheltering mud cracks. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In Northern California, where climate records didn’t show the same extremes, newts appear to have retained their body condition during the same period. But with modeling, the team predicted that droughts and related declines would soon catch up to newts and other amphibians in the Bay Area and other parts of Northern California. Newts once inhabited 10 streams in the mountains above San Diego, Sweet says. Now they occupy only three of those streams. In Orange County, he estimates half the newt streams that existed in the 1960s are gone because of drought and development. “What we’re seeing in LA and San Diego counties, those are going to be the conditions sometime in the not-too-distant future in San Luis Obispo County and Monterey County,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California newts in Southern California are already classified as a species of special concern by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, an acknowledgment of their vulnerability, although they are not yet listed as threatened or endangered. As environmental stress becomes relentless, experts worry it may be hard for them to hang on. “These newts down here have adapted to deal with drought. That’s part of our climate here in Southern California landscapes,” Bucciarelli says. “But what they haven’t evolved to deal with is drought simultaneously combined with record warming temperatures, and that’s a result of climate change. Now, a double threat is occurring.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981412\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981412 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62485_BiographicNewt1-3-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"Newts breeding season begins. \" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62485_BiographicNewt1-3-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62485_BiographicNewt1-3-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62485_BiographicNewt1-3-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62485_BiographicNewt1-3-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62485_BiographicNewt1-3-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62485_BiographicNewt1-3-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">After the pond refills, newts return and their breeding season begins. Mated females attach egg masses to submerged vegetation while males wander around looking for mates. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981413\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981413 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62486_BiographicNewt3-2-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A pair of submerged newts conserve energy and remain motionless as the gelatinousmatrix surrounding their eggs solidifies and attaches to the vegetation.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62486_BiographicNewt3-2-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62486_BiographicNewt3-2-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62486_BiographicNewt3-2-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62486_BiographicNewt3-2-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62486_BiographicNewt3-2-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62486_BiographicNewt3-2-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A pair of submerged newts conserve energy and remain motionless as the gelatinous matrix surrounding their eggs solidifies and attaches to the vegetation. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By the time Sorokin was visiting his newt pond in Berkeley in 2020, COVID-19 had upended life for humans, and California’s newts appeared to be experiencing a pandemic of their own. In addition to newts with protruding hip bones and lack of fat stored on their bodies that Kats and Bucciarelli noted, researchers started finding newts with tail lesions so severe that muscle and skin had worn away to expose the tips of their tail bones. Some animals had clouded eyeballs that looked like cataracts. The animals also acted strangely, whirling around in circles. It was the first major disease in Southern California newts in 30 years, Kats says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey euthanized an emaciated newt to investigate what had sickened it. The researchers found numerous issues, they wrote in a September 2021 report, including lungworms, inflammation in the inner ears, and parasites in its intestinal tract. Yet no single cause could explain all the symptoms. Kats suspects that extended dry spells and high temperatures may have weakened the amphibians’ immune systems, making them more vulnerable to several ordinary infections. “I’m absolutely convinced,” he says, “that the conditions they were experiencing contributed to this major disease outbreak.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981414\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981414 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62487_F_PredationDifferentPond1-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A garter snake eats a California newt.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62487_F_PredationDifferentPond1-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62487_F_PredationDifferentPond1-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62487_F_PredationDifferentPond1-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62487_F_PredationDifferentPond1-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62487_F_PredationDifferentPond1-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62487_F_PredationDifferentPond1-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">As the newts are stranded, they become more susceptible to various threats. Although the newts are poisonous, some predators like this garter snake are still able to eat them. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Strange illnesses and dry streambeds aren’t the only challenges facing newts. Invasive crayfish, somehow unfazed by the newts’ toxins, have been spreading in California lakes and decimating newt populations by feeding on egg masses and larvae. Blooms of cyanobacteria may be another problem: These photosynthetic microorganisms, which produce a variety of toxins of their own, have been proliferating in lakes around the world, a trend linked to warming temperatures, among other factors. In the first assessment of two Southern California lakes, published in 2021, a group of researchers from several universities and government agencies found the highest concentrations ever recorded in the region of three cyanotoxins, which have been linked to health issues in people and wildlife, including amphibians. Sorokin suspects that a cyanobacteria bloom explains the greening of that pond near his Berkeley home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Traffic is another concern. Generally unconcerned with predators because of their poisonous skin, newts move slowly, as if they don’t have a care in the world, Kats says. After spending much of their lives in the woods and waiting on average five years, sometimes longer, to become sexually mature, they often must cross busy roads to get to streams for mating. Drivers don’t usually see them — or else they don’t stop. One of Sweet’s graduate students visited a study site in San Luis Obispo one day after it rained and counted more than 100 road-killed newts. “The average newt there might be 25 or 30 years old,” Sweet says. “They get all ready to breed: ‘I’m going to walk down to the creek and lay my eggs for the first time tonight.’ Squish. They get run over 10 minutes before they do that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981415\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981415 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62488_D_Cyanobacteria-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"Blue-green algae. \" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62488_D_Cyanobacteria-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62488_D_Cyanobacteria-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62488_D_Cyanobacteria-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62488_D_Cyanobacteria-qut-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62488_D_Cyanobacteria-qut-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62488_D_Cyanobacteria-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">As the pond shrinks and temperatures remain high, the water turns to a slurry of toxic blue-green algae and cyanobacteria. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981416\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981416 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62489_D_EutrophicationLate11-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"Newts line the edges of the pond with their heads raised above the algae andcyanobacteria.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62489_D_EutrophicationLate11-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62489_D_EutrophicationLate11-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62489_D_EutrophicationLate11-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62489_D_EutrophicationLate11-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62489_D_EutrophicationLate11-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62489_D_EutrophicationLate11-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Newts line the edges of the pond with their heads raised above the algae and cyanobacteria to breathe. Although conditions in the pond are noxious, the newts choose to remain — likely because the heat away from the moisture is simply too dangerous. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Habitat fragmentation makes it harder now than in the past for newts to cope with harsh conditions, Sweet adds. When newts experienced changes to the climate in the past, they were able to rebound and expand their range again when conditions improved. But they can’t come back if there isn’t a connected population to replenish them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Altogether, the cards can seem stacked against a species that has endured its share of environmental stress for thousands of years. “The stuff that amphibians like newts are facing is kind of death of a thousand cuts,” Sweet says. “It’s not any one thing. It’s not drought, it’s drought and getting run over when you’re 25 years old and half an hour away from laying eggs for the first time. It’s having your eggs die because a septic tank has overflowed and the stream is full of salt. It’s getting eaten by a raccoon that’s wandering up and down the creek because somebody has garbage out and there are too many raccoons, and the road department wanted to widen the road and fill in the stream with boulders. It’s all this stuff.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981417\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981417 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62490_D_EutrophicationLate5-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62490_D_EutrophicationLate5-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62490_D_EutrophicationLate5-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62490_D_EutrophicationLate5-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62490_D_EutrophicationLate5-qut-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62490_D_EutrophicationLate5-qut-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62490_D_EutrophicationLate5-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A newt pokes its head above the algae and cyanobacteria. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Despite all they’re up against, it’s not too late for newts, Kats says. Some environmental groups have mobilized to help newts around the world, including in California. In the hills north of San Francisco, volunteers with the Chileno Valley Newt Brigade spend winter nights picking up the amphibians as they make their way to or from their breeding sites, carrying them across roads to protect them from cars. Along the East Coast and in parts of Berkeley, roads frequented by newts are closed annually for the same reason.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the most promising strategies for protecting newts focus on improving and protecting their habitats and ecosystems and, with them, biodiversity more generally, Bucciarelli says. One major effort in the works is California’s 30×30 initiative, an executive order signed by the governor that has a goal of conserving 30% of the state’s land and coastal waters by 2030. Because amphibian habitats span much of the state’s land and watersheds, they stand to benefit substantially from the plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Habitat protection includes human intervention to mitigate disaster and destruction. Multiple studies in Europe have shown that enlarging and deepening ponds can lead to rapid and major increases in populations of newts, frogs and toads — a technique that could be useful for removing silt after wildfires, as well. Researchers have also found value in “newt hotels,” human-made piles of stones covered with soil and fabric that mimic the kinds of environments the animals use to overwinter in harsh conditions. And in California, government agencies are actively working to create freshwater ponds that are free of invasive species, such as crayfish, to replace what amphibians have lost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981418\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981418 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62491_NewtinHandB-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62491_NewtinHandB-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62491_NewtinHandB-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62491_NewtinHandB-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62491_NewtinHandB-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62491_NewtinHandB-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62491_NewtinHandB-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A dead newt in cupped hands. This one succumbed to the heat. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981419\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981419 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62492_NewtinHandA-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62492_NewtinHandA-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62492_NewtinHandA-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62492_NewtinHandA-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62492_NewtinHandA-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62492_NewtinHandA-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62492_NewtinHandA-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A live newt in cupped hands. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The California Conservation Genomics Project is another statewide effort to protect amphibians and other creatures, not by protecting habitat but by protecting genetic diversity. The government-funded project aims to sequence the genomes of more than 230 animal and plant species, including some amphibians and reptiles — as a way to identify areas of high and low genetic diversity that should be the focus of conservation work. The newt is not on the sequencing list in part because its genome is gigantic and intractable, Bucciarelli says. But the initiative, which has a goal of producing “the most comprehensive, multispecies, genomic data set ever assembled to help manage regional biodiversity,” focuses on creatures that share newt habitat. Those animals — and newts — would ultimately benefit from any resulting changes and protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Disease surveillance should help, too, by detecting emerging illnesses before they can spread. In the United States, the USGS has set up a nationwide program to check newts and other amphibians around the country for signs of a fungal infection that has devastated European salamander populations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Efforts like these may give newts a fighting chance to do what they do best: persevere. Because newts are so long-lived, seemingly small measures could help them wait out poor conditions until favorable years return, and with those years the right conditions for mating, experts say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981420\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981420 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62493_A_IntroNewt3-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A portrait of a male newt.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62493_A_IntroNewt3-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62493_A_IntroNewt3-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62493_A_IntroNewt3-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62493_A_IntroNewt3-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62493_A_IntroNewt3-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62493_A_IntroNewt3-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A male newt migrates toward a pond during the breeding season. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sorokin has seen this potential for redemption in his Berkeley-area pond over the past two years. When Northern California finally got a real rainy season in late 2021, the pond refilled again. Since then, he has observed plenty of healthy newts and lots of breeding activity. When they come up for air, they sometimes let out a little squeak. Seeing them return has filled him with relief — and also trepidation. He worries about the next dry season and the next generations of newts. He takes photos, he says, to spread his love for newts to a wider audience, and to convince people to care about this animal that doesn’t get its fair share of headlines about the impacts of a changing climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we move deeper into the Anthropocene, more humans need to embrace our role in protecting such animals, and we need to start now, says Bucciarelli. We put them in this predicament. It’s up to us to get them out of it. Solving the puzzle of how to help newts could have benefits far beyond one amphibian, he says — creating a road map for how we deal with many other biodiversity issues on a hotter, drier planet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are so many dedicated, talented and passionate people working collaboratively to come up with viable solutions. We can’t fix the problems of drought. We can’t make it rain. But we can figure out ways to manage populations so that they have the highest probability of persisting through this really stressful time,” Bucciarelli says. “I have a lot of hope.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981421\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981421 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62494_BiographicNewt12-qut-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62494_BiographicNewt12-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62494_BiographicNewt12-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62494_BiographicNewt12-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62494_BiographicNewt12-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62494_BiographicNewt12-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62494_BiographicNewt12-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A male newt holds on tight to a female during a mating event. \u003ccite>(Anton Sorokin/bioGraphic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story originally appeared in \u003ca href=\"https://www.biographic.com/the-newt-normal/\">bioGraphic\u003c/a>, an independent magazine about nature and regeneration powered by the California Academy of Sciences.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "East Palo Alto Searches for Storm Recovery Money, and a Long-Term Flooding Fix",
"headTitle": "East Palo Alto Searches for Storm Recovery Money, and a Long-Term Flooding Fix | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>East Palo Alto is dealing with the aftermath of January’s big storms, and residents living with the consequences of flooding want a long-term fix so it never happens again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On New Year’s Eve, a storm parked over the peninsula, drenching it with nearly 4 inches of rain, flooding Highway 101, downing trees and leaving thousands without power. In East Palo Alto, water spilled over San Francisquito Creek banks into a neighborhood on the western edge of the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The murky brown water enveloped Woodland Avenue and other streets beyond, swamping more than 20 cars and transforming a parking garage into a muddy lake. The front doorsteps of apartment complexes in this part of town, sandwiched between Highway 101 and the creek, became a gunky tributary originating in the hills at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11871565/the-real-history-behind-the-myths-and-mystery-of-stanfords-searsville-lake\">Searsville Lake\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Antonio López, East Palo Alto’s vice mayor, got the call that the creek had overtopped its borders on New Year’s Eve, he rushed over and found a woman frantically trying to get into her car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was heartbreaking trying to salvage all of her possessions because the water came up all the way to the window,” López said as he walked the still-muddy streets following the storm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Crews from East Palo Alto and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a 3-foot-tall and several-hundred-yard-wide sandbag wall to keep the rising water out of the neighborhood as more atmospheric river storms threatened the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The temporary fix successfully kept the mushrooming creek from again inundating the community of mostly lower-income renters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The silver lining is it has certainly been a wake-up call,” López said. “A few pounds of sand separates us from flooded parking garages in Silicon Valley. I don’t feel so proud about that. It’s insufficient.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early estimates from the city and community groups are that flooding caused more than $100,000 worth of damage. This includes totaled cars, tools and other personal belongings stored in trunks and in low-lying garages. Marisela Ramos, president of the East Palo Alto West Side Neighborhood Committee, is organizing residents seeking outside aid to help pay for damages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981439\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1981439\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62503_IMG_0807-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A man wearing a brown jacket and yellow boots poses next to mud brown water. \" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62503_IMG_0807-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62503_IMG_0807-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62503_IMG_0807-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62503_IMG_0807-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62503_IMG_0807-qut-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62503_IMG_0807-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Antonio López, East Palo Alto’s vice mayor, stands next to floodwaters in the city. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The cars were their means of transportation to go to work and to generate money to pay their rent for their children’s food,” she said. “They lost basically everything because, without transportation, it is very hard to make a living.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said most of the residents did not have flood insurance and are struggling to get aid. Ramos questions whether the flooding amounts to negligence by the city, landlords or the authorities who manage the creek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why didn’t they act before to prevent this?” she asked. “This happened before. So, why didn’t they put protection on the banks of the creek before the storm?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>East Palo Alto has flooded many times over the years. In 1998 a flood of record swamped 1,700 properties, causing more than $28 million in damages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is applying for a grant from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to compensate for the damages, but it’s a slow process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Mateo County homeowners and renters with damage or losses from the storms can apply for \u003ca href=\"https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4683\">federal disaster assistance\u003c/a>, including grants to pay for temporary housing, transportation, child care and moving expenses. The deadline to apply for aid is March 15, 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This will be of great help to individuals and business owners who suffered losses during the severe storms that dumped 13 inches of rain on the county in December and January,” said U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin, who represents East Palo Alto, in a \u003ca href=\"https://eshoo.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-eshoo-and-mullin-announce-federal-disaster-relief-san-mateo-county-0\">release\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981450\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1981450\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61867_015_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut.jpg\" alt='Men in yellow jackets and green helmets create piles of white sandbags behind red tape that says \"danger.\" ' width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61867_015_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61867_015_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61867_015_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61867_015_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61867_015_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61867_015_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the San José Conservation Corps pile sandbags along the San Francisquito Creek in East Palo Alto on Jan. 4, 2023. The creek spilled over its banks and into a nearby community during the storm on Dec. 31. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Climate change means a wetter future\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>According to a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change, atmospheric river storms — monster storms that form over the ocean and flow inland — will only get more intense. The wettest winter storms could become around \u003ca href=\"https://www.pnnl.gov/news-media/wettest-winter-storms-western-us-growing-wetter\">30% wetter by mid-century\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The precipitation will be more intense, which is important because it can cause flash floods,” said Ruby Leung, study co-author and climate scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She added that the atmospheric river storms would do more than engorge small creeks, also challenging the capacity of larger streams and rivers, especially when infrastructure like levees, freeways or bridges surround them. Waterways that used to sprawl into large marshy areas are now contained into managed stretches with limited capacity; larger storms are expected to bring more water than they can contain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The information we used before to design infrastructure may not be relevant anymore, and we need to incorporate the knowledge that we now have about how the future may be changing,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A renewed call to action for East Palo Alto\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>East Palo Alto council member Ruben Abrica lived through the 1998 storm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said bolstering the flood protection system for this community of more than 90% people of color is worth the investment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Climate change is going to affect everyone, but the most vulnerable communities are the ones that will suffer the most unless we join together,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reducing the flood risk along this meandering waterway is what Margaret Bruce also mulls over daily as the executive director of the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know we can’t completely do away with the risk of flooding,” she said. “We can no longer plan our future looking in the rearview mirror. But looking forward is very difficult to foresee.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981454\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1981454\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62506_IMG_0815-1-qut.jpg\" alt='A white sign with black paint says \"Please take no more than 10 bags.\"' width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62506_IMG_0815-1-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62506_IMG_0815-1-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62506_IMG_0815-1-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62506_IMG_0815-1-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62506_IMG_0815-1-qut-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62506_IMG_0815-1-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign posted in East Palo Alto during a three-week stretch between December 2022 and January 2023, when nine atmospheric river storms pummeled California. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her group is leading a creek restoration project from the San Francisco Bay to the mouth of Searsville Dam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The project has multiple parts. The agency \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfcjpa.org/reach-1-downstream-project\">finished the first reach in 2019\u003c/a>, which should protect more than 1,700 properties from the bay to Highway 101 from a 100-year creek flood during a king tide event, plus 3 feet of sea level rise. Compared to today’s high tide, all the work would give the first section \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1973805/climate-solutions-in-east-palo-alto\">10 feet of protection from rising tides\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The second reach, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfcjpa.org/reach-1-downstream-project\">Highway 101 to the Pope-Chaucer Bridge\u003c/a>, is the portion that recently flooded along the borders of East Palo Alto, Palo Alto and Menlo Park. The plan is to widen the channel and replace the bridge with a new one allowing more water to pass under it, protecting the community from a 100-year flood event.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s tentatively scheduled to be completed sometime between 2024 and 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The one big issue in completing the project is how to fund it. Bruce said it would cost at least $50 million to restore about a mile of the creek. State or federal infrastructure dollars could help with this effort; otherwise, the partners that make up the authority — East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, San Mateo County and the Santa Clara Valley Water District — are on the hook to get it finished.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The third reach, the rest of the watershed from the recently flooded area to Searsville Dam, is very much in its formative stage. Officials would like to create holding reservoirs along the creek’s upper stretch to store water during a storm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t know yet if it’s going to be completely feasible,” Bruce said. “It may be so disruptive, costly or technically difficult that we’ll want to think twice about it. But we are considering it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even further upstream, at Searsville Lake, Stanford University is designing \u003ca href=\"https://searsville.stanford.edu/overview\">a project to reestablish creeks flowing from the lake\u003c/a>. The reservoir holds only about 10% of its original capacity because it has slowly filled with earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The university, which owns the dam, wants to create a tunnel gate at its base, establishing water channels to other creeks off the lake, increasing storage capacity by flushing sediment into San Francisquito Creek and then out to the bay. But this would only go into operation after the downstream reaches are finished.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The project could free up the reservoir to hold more water during storms to be released after the creek recedes; the state is reviewing its design and environmental impact analysis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Instead of having the creek as a boundary, the creek has ended up being the thing that joins the counties and these three cities,” Bruce said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981451\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1981451\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61858_006_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Strips of muddy tire prints behind four orange cones.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61858_006_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61858_006_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61858_006_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61858_006_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61858_006_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61858_006_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mud on the edge of Woodland Avenue along the San Francisquito Creek in East Palo Alto on Jan. 4, 2023. The creek spilled over its banks and into a nearby community during the storm on Dec. 31. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘Everybody’s paying attention’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The levee reconstruction and creek restoration along the lower stretch of the waterway significantly reduced the damage that could have happened in this set of atmospheric river storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, the flooding “puts the spotlight on all of us to somehow find the money one way or another, even if we have to beg the president or talk to the governor,” said East Palo Alto council member Abrica. “You can’t just say it’s your problem down there. Because then you condemn the poor communities to be flooded.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Palo Alto and Menlo Park are taking an active role in the creek restoration. The recent storms flooded parts of Menlo Park, said Nikki Nagaya, the city’s deputy manager.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We saw the creek levels spike throughout the lower section in Menlo Park, and we saw some overtopping in that area as well,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the recent storms are a precursor of what’s to come in a warming world, Nagaya said she isn’t sure the project can be sped up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it will hopefully be a renewed call to action,” she said. “Everybody’s paying attention and wanting to see the work proceed as quickly as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí and Anna Marie Yanny contributed reporting to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The city of East Palo Alto and its residents are searching for money to pay for flood damages they estimate are more than $100,000.",
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"description": "The city of East Palo Alto and its residents are searching for money to pay for flood damages they estimate are more than $100,000.",
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"headline": "East Palo Alto Searches for Storm Recovery Money, and a Long-Term Flooding Fix",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>East Palo Alto is dealing with the aftermath of January’s big storms, and residents living with the consequences of flooding want a long-term fix so it never happens again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On New Year’s Eve, a storm parked over the peninsula, drenching it with nearly 4 inches of rain, flooding Highway 101, downing trees and leaving thousands without power. In East Palo Alto, water spilled over San Francisquito Creek banks into a neighborhood on the western edge of the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The murky brown water enveloped Woodland Avenue and other streets beyond, swamping more than 20 cars and transforming a parking garage into a muddy lake. The front doorsteps of apartment complexes in this part of town, sandwiched between Highway 101 and the creek, became a gunky tributary originating in the hills at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11871565/the-real-history-behind-the-myths-and-mystery-of-stanfords-searsville-lake\">Searsville Lake\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Antonio López, East Palo Alto’s vice mayor, got the call that the creek had overtopped its borders on New Year’s Eve, he rushed over and found a woman frantically trying to get into her car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was heartbreaking trying to salvage all of her possessions because the water came up all the way to the window,” López said as he walked the still-muddy streets following the storm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Crews from East Palo Alto and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a 3-foot-tall and several-hundred-yard-wide sandbag wall to keep the rising water out of the neighborhood as more atmospheric river storms threatened the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The temporary fix successfully kept the mushrooming creek from again inundating the community of mostly lower-income renters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The silver lining is it has certainly been a wake-up call,” López said. “A few pounds of sand separates us from flooded parking garages in Silicon Valley. I don’t feel so proud about that. It’s insufficient.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early estimates from the city and community groups are that flooding caused more than $100,000 worth of damage. This includes totaled cars, tools and other personal belongings stored in trunks and in low-lying garages. Marisela Ramos, president of the East Palo Alto West Side Neighborhood Committee, is organizing residents seeking outside aid to help pay for damages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981439\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1981439\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62503_IMG_0807-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A man wearing a brown jacket and yellow boots poses next to mud brown water. \" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62503_IMG_0807-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62503_IMG_0807-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62503_IMG_0807-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62503_IMG_0807-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62503_IMG_0807-qut-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62503_IMG_0807-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Antonio López, East Palo Alto’s vice mayor, stands next to floodwaters in the city. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The cars were their means of transportation to go to work and to generate money to pay their rent for their children’s food,” she said. “They lost basically everything because, without transportation, it is very hard to make a living.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said most of the residents did not have flood insurance and are struggling to get aid. Ramos questions whether the flooding amounts to negligence by the city, landlords or the authorities who manage the creek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why didn’t they act before to prevent this?” she asked. “This happened before. So, why didn’t they put protection on the banks of the creek before the storm?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>East Palo Alto has flooded many times over the years. In 1998 a flood of record swamped 1,700 properties, causing more than $28 million in damages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is applying for a grant from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to compensate for the damages, but it’s a slow process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Mateo County homeowners and renters with damage or losses from the storms can apply for \u003ca href=\"https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4683\">federal disaster assistance\u003c/a>, including grants to pay for temporary housing, transportation, child care and moving expenses. The deadline to apply for aid is March 15, 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This will be of great help to individuals and business owners who suffered losses during the severe storms that dumped 13 inches of rain on the county in December and January,” said U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin, who represents East Palo Alto, in a \u003ca href=\"https://eshoo.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-eshoo-and-mullin-announce-federal-disaster-relief-san-mateo-county-0\">release\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981450\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1981450\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61867_015_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut.jpg\" alt='Men in yellow jackets and green helmets create piles of white sandbags behind red tape that says \"danger.\" ' width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61867_015_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61867_015_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61867_015_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61867_015_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61867_015_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61867_015_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the San José Conservation Corps pile sandbags along the San Francisquito Creek in East Palo Alto on Jan. 4, 2023. The creek spilled over its banks and into a nearby community during the storm on Dec. 31. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Climate change means a wetter future\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>According to a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change, atmospheric river storms — monster storms that form over the ocean and flow inland — will only get more intense. The wettest winter storms could become around \u003ca href=\"https://www.pnnl.gov/news-media/wettest-winter-storms-western-us-growing-wetter\">30% wetter by mid-century\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The precipitation will be more intense, which is important because it can cause flash floods,” said Ruby Leung, study co-author and climate scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She added that the atmospheric river storms would do more than engorge small creeks, also challenging the capacity of larger streams and rivers, especially when infrastructure like levees, freeways or bridges surround them. Waterways that used to sprawl into large marshy areas are now contained into managed stretches with limited capacity; larger storms are expected to bring more water than they can contain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The information we used before to design infrastructure may not be relevant anymore, and we need to incorporate the knowledge that we now have about how the future may be changing,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A renewed call to action for East Palo Alto\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>East Palo Alto council member Ruben Abrica lived through the 1998 storm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said bolstering the flood protection system for this community of more than 90% people of color is worth the investment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Climate change is going to affect everyone, but the most vulnerable communities are the ones that will suffer the most unless we join together,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reducing the flood risk along this meandering waterway is what Margaret Bruce also mulls over daily as the executive director of the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know we can’t completely do away with the risk of flooding,” she said. “We can no longer plan our future looking in the rearview mirror. But looking forward is very difficult to foresee.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981454\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1981454\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62506_IMG_0815-1-qut.jpg\" alt='A white sign with black paint says \"Please take no more than 10 bags.\"' width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62506_IMG_0815-1-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62506_IMG_0815-1-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62506_IMG_0815-1-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62506_IMG_0815-1-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62506_IMG_0815-1-qut-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS62506_IMG_0815-1-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign posted in East Palo Alto during a three-week stretch between December 2022 and January 2023, when nine atmospheric river storms pummeled California. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her group is leading a creek restoration project from the San Francisco Bay to the mouth of Searsville Dam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The project has multiple parts. The agency \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfcjpa.org/reach-1-downstream-project\">finished the first reach in 2019\u003c/a>, which should protect more than 1,700 properties from the bay to Highway 101 from a 100-year creek flood during a king tide event, plus 3 feet of sea level rise. Compared to today’s high tide, all the work would give the first section \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1973805/climate-solutions-in-east-palo-alto\">10 feet of protection from rising tides\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The second reach, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfcjpa.org/reach-1-downstream-project\">Highway 101 to the Pope-Chaucer Bridge\u003c/a>, is the portion that recently flooded along the borders of East Palo Alto, Palo Alto and Menlo Park. The plan is to widen the channel and replace the bridge with a new one allowing more water to pass under it, protecting the community from a 100-year flood event.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s tentatively scheduled to be completed sometime between 2024 and 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The one big issue in completing the project is how to fund it. Bruce said it would cost at least $50 million to restore about a mile of the creek. State or federal infrastructure dollars could help with this effort; otherwise, the partners that make up the authority — East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, San Mateo County and the Santa Clara Valley Water District — are on the hook to get it finished.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The third reach, the rest of the watershed from the recently flooded area to Searsville Dam, is very much in its formative stage. Officials would like to create holding reservoirs along the creek’s upper stretch to store water during a storm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t know yet if it’s going to be completely feasible,” Bruce said. “It may be so disruptive, costly or technically difficult that we’ll want to think twice about it. But we are considering it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even further upstream, at Searsville Lake, Stanford University is designing \u003ca href=\"https://searsville.stanford.edu/overview\">a project to reestablish creeks flowing from the lake\u003c/a>. The reservoir holds only about 10% of its original capacity because it has slowly filled with earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The university, which owns the dam, wants to create a tunnel gate at its base, establishing water channels to other creeks off the lake, increasing storage capacity by flushing sediment into San Francisquito Creek and then out to the bay. But this would only go into operation after the downstream reaches are finished.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The project could free up the reservoir to hold more water during storms to be released after the creek recedes; the state is reviewing its design and environmental impact analysis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Instead of having the creek as a boundary, the creek has ended up being the thing that joins the counties and these three cities,” Bruce said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981451\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1981451\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61858_006_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Strips of muddy tire prints behind four orange cones.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61858_006_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61858_006_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61858_006_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61858_006_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61858_006_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/RS61858_006_KQED_BombCyloneStorm_01042023-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mud on the edge of Woodland Avenue along the San Francisquito Creek in East Palo Alto on Jan. 4, 2023. The creek spilled over its banks and into a nearby community during the storm on Dec. 31. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘Everybody’s paying attention’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The levee reconstruction and creek restoration along the lower stretch of the waterway significantly reduced the damage that could have happened in this set of atmospheric river storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, the flooding “puts the spotlight on all of us to somehow find the money one way or another, even if we have to beg the president or talk to the governor,” said East Palo Alto council member Abrica. “You can’t just say it’s your problem down there. Because then you condemn the poor communities to be flooded.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Palo Alto and Menlo Park are taking an active role in the creek restoration. The recent storms flooded parts of Menlo Park, said Nikki Nagaya, the city’s deputy manager.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We saw the creek levels spike throughout the lower section in Menlo Park, and we saw some overtopping in that area as well,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the recent storms are a precursor of what’s to come in a warming world, Nagaya said she isn’t sure the project can be sped up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it will hopefully be a renewed call to action,” she said. “Everybody’s paying attention and wanting to see the work proceed as quickly as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí and Anna Marie Yanny contributed reporting to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "AI Is Predicting the World Is Likely to Hit a Key Warming Threshold in 10–12 Years",
"headTitle": "AI Is Predicting the World Is Likely to Hit a Key Warming Threshold in 10–12 Years | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The world will likely breach the internationally agreed-upon climate change threshold in about a decade, and keep heating to break through a next warming limit around mid-century, even with big pollution cuts, artificial intelligence predicts in a new study that’s more pessimistic than previous modeling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study in Monday’s journal \u003ca href=\"https://www.pnas.org/\">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003c/a> reignites a debate on whether it’s still possible to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as called for in the 2015 Paris climate agreement, to minimize the most damaging effects of climate change. The world has already warmed 1.1 or 1.2 degrees since pre-industrial times, or the mid-19th century, scientists say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two climate scientists using machine learning calculated that Earth will surpass the 1.5 degree (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) mark between 2033 and 2035. Their results fit with other, more conventional methods of predicting when Earth will break the mark, though with a bit more precision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There will come a time when we call the 1.5C target for maximum warming dead, beyond the shadow of a doubt,” Brown University environment institute director Kim Cobb, who wasn’t part of the study, said in an email interview. “And this paper may be the beginning of the end of the 1.5C target.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford University’s Noah Diffenbaugh, a study co-author, said the world is on the brink of the 1.5-degree mark in “any realistic emissions reduction scenario.” Avoiding a 2-degree rise, he said, may depend on nations meeting zero-emissions goals by the middle of this century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The artificial intelligence-based study found it unlikely that temperature increase could be held below 2 degrees Celsius, even with tough emissions cuts. And that’s where the AI really differs with scientists who had been forecasting using computer models that are based on past observations, Diffenbaugh said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a high-pollution scenario, the AI calculated, the world would hit the 2-degree mark around 2050. Lower pollution could stave that off until 2054, the machine learning calculated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In contrast, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change figured in its 2021 report that the same lower-pollution scenario would see the world pushing past 2 degrees sometime in the 2090s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cornell University climate scientist Natalie Mahowald, who wasn’t part of the Diffenbaugh study but was part of the IPCC, said the study makes sense and fits with what scientists know, but seems a bit more pessimistic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a lot of power in using AI, and in the future that may be shown to produce better projections, but more evidence is needed before concluding that, Mahowald said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Normally, climate scientists use a bunch of computer model simulations, some running hot and some cold, and then try to figure out which ones are doing the best job. That’s often based on how they performed in the past or in simulations of the past, Diffenbaugh said. What the AI does is more keyed to the climate system now, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re using this very powerful tool that is able to take information and integrate it in a way that no human mind is able to do, for better or for worse,” Diffenbaugh said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each year, government climate negotiators at a United Nations summit proclaim that they have managed to “keep 1.5 alive.” But with the latest study, there’s a divide among scientists on how true that really is. Diffenbaugh said there’s been so much warming already that it really doesn’t matter how pollution is cut in the next several years, the world will hit 1.5, the AI figures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zeke Hausfather of the tech company Stripe and of Berkeley Earth, who was not part of the study, agreed, saying it’s time to “stop pretending” that limiting warming to 1.5 degrees is possible. Some scenarios do see temperatures warming past the mark but then coming back down, something called “overshoot.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other scientists not involved with the study, such as University of Pennsylvania’s Michael Mann and Climate Analytics’ Bill Hare and Carl-Friedrich Schleussner maintain 1.5 is still alive. They say one rapid decarbonization scenario that Diffenbaugh didn’t examine shows the world can mostly keep under the threshold.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the world can cut its carbon emissions in half by 2030, “then warming can be limited to 1.5 degrees” with a tiny overshoot and then reductions to get under the mark, Hare said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Believing that the world can no longer keep warming below 1.5 “is a self-fulfilling prophecy,” Mann said by email. “In the end it’s easy to overinterpret the significance of a precise threshold like 1.5C warming. The challenge is to limit warming as much as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The world will likely breach the internationally agreed-upon climate change threshold in about a decade, and keep heating to break through a next warming limit around mid-century, even with big pollution cuts, artificial intelligence predicts in a new study that’s more pessimistic than previous modeling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study in Monday’s journal \u003ca href=\"https://www.pnas.org/\">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003c/a> reignites a debate on whether it’s still possible to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as called for in the 2015 Paris climate agreement, to minimize the most damaging effects of climate change. The world has already warmed 1.1 or 1.2 degrees since pre-industrial times, or the mid-19th century, scientists say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two climate scientists using machine learning calculated that Earth will surpass the 1.5 degree (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) mark between 2033 and 2035. Their results fit with other, more conventional methods of predicting when Earth will break the mark, though with a bit more precision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There will come a time when we call the 1.5C target for maximum warming dead, beyond the shadow of a doubt,” Brown University environment institute director Kim Cobb, who wasn’t part of the study, said in an email interview. “And this paper may be the beginning of the end of the 1.5C target.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford University’s Noah Diffenbaugh, a study co-author, said the world is on the brink of the 1.5-degree mark in “any realistic emissions reduction scenario.” Avoiding a 2-degree rise, he said, may depend on nations meeting zero-emissions goals by the middle of this century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The artificial intelligence-based study found it unlikely that temperature increase could be held below 2 degrees Celsius, even with tough emissions cuts. And that’s where the AI really differs with scientists who had been forecasting using computer models that are based on past observations, Diffenbaugh said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a high-pollution scenario, the AI calculated, the world would hit the 2-degree mark around 2050. Lower pollution could stave that off until 2054, the machine learning calculated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In contrast, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change figured in its 2021 report that the same lower-pollution scenario would see the world pushing past 2 degrees sometime in the 2090s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cornell University climate scientist Natalie Mahowald, who wasn’t part of the Diffenbaugh study but was part of the IPCC, said the study makes sense and fits with what scientists know, but seems a bit more pessimistic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a lot of power in using AI, and in the future that may be shown to produce better projections, but more evidence is needed before concluding that, Mahowald said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Normally, climate scientists use a bunch of computer model simulations, some running hot and some cold, and then try to figure out which ones are doing the best job. That’s often based on how they performed in the past or in simulations of the past, Diffenbaugh said. What the AI does is more keyed to the climate system now, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re using this very powerful tool that is able to take information and integrate it in a way that no human mind is able to do, for better or for worse,” Diffenbaugh said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each year, government climate negotiators at a United Nations summit proclaim that they have managed to “keep 1.5 alive.” But with the latest study, there’s a divide among scientists on how true that really is. Diffenbaugh said there’s been so much warming already that it really doesn’t matter how pollution is cut in the next several years, the world will hit 1.5, the AI figures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zeke Hausfather of the tech company Stripe and of Berkeley Earth, who was not part of the study, agreed, saying it’s time to “stop pretending” that limiting warming to 1.5 degrees is possible. Some scenarios do see temperatures warming past the mark but then coming back down, something called “overshoot.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other scientists not involved with the study, such as University of Pennsylvania’s Michael Mann and Climate Analytics’ Bill Hare and Carl-Friedrich Schleussner maintain 1.5 is still alive. They say one rapid decarbonization scenario that Diffenbaugh didn’t examine shows the world can mostly keep under the threshold.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the world can cut its carbon emissions in half by 2030, “then warming can be limited to 1.5 degrees” with a tiny overshoot and then reductions to get under the mark, Hare said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Believing that the world can no longer keep warming below 1.5 “is a self-fulfilling prophecy,” Mann said by email. “In the end it’s easy to overinterpret the significance of a precise threshold like 1.5C warming. The challenge is to limit warming as much as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Oil Refineries Release Lots of Water Pollution Near Communities of Color, Data Shows",
"headTitle": "Oil Refineries Release Lots of Water Pollution Near Communities of Color, Data Shows | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Oil refineries release billions of pounds of pollution annually into waterways, and that pollution disproportionately affects people of color, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://environmentalintegrity.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Refinery-water-pollution-report-EMBARGOED-until-1.26.23.pdf\">new analysis\u003c/a> of Environmental Protection Agency regulatory data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pollution includes heavy metals, nitrogen and other compounds that can kill aquatic animals, feed harmful algae and make waterways dangerous for humans to fish in, swim in or even touch. The pollution affects communities across the country, but is especially concentrated along the Gulf Coast, in California and near Chicago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new findings underscore health and environmental dangers across fossil fuel operations, from the wellhead to pipelines, refineries and consumer use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report was published by the Environmental Integrity Project, an independent watchdog group that routinely analyzes public data collected by the EPA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a highly polluting industry discharging large volumes of wastewater,” says Eric Schaeffer, executive director the Environmental Integrity Project, and former director of the EPA’s Office of Civil Enforcement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report authors examined EPA water pollution data from 2019 to 2021 for 81 major refineries across the country – about two thirds of all refineries operating in the U.S. Refineries are required to tell the government how much pollution they release into waterways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most refineries included in the analysis reported releasing extra pollution, beyond what they are legally permitted to. But less than a quarter of those with violations were penalized by the EPA, the data show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a chronic problem with enforcement of the [Clean] Water Act,” Schaeffer says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ExxonMobil, which operates some of the largest refineries in the country including multiple facilities that the report found are among the largest emitters of key pollutants, declined to comment specifically about its operations. Instead, the company referred NPR to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.afpm.org/issues/environment\">general environmental statement\u003c/a> by the American Fuel & Petroleum Manufacturers trade group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have preserved and protected land and water resources by implementing waste management programs and adhering to federal guidelines that govern effluent discharge, hazardous waste disposal and other priority areas,” the AFPM statement reads. “We have made great progress in environmental stewardship under the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and many other environmental regulations, and continue to innovate to evolve our operations and products.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Most of the pollution is happening near communities of color\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the U.S., people with less power have consistently been exposed to more pollution, whether it’s excess air pollution from highways and factories, drinking water contamination, exposure to lead paint or polluted lakes and rivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That trend shows up clearly in the new report, which finds that the majority of the worst-polluting refineries are located near communities that have lower-than-average income and a higher-than-average proportion of non-White residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A further NPR analysis of the data finds even more stark inequities: some types of water pollution are concentrated overwhelmingly in communities where people of color live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, about three-quarters of the nitrogen, selenium and dissolved solid pollution from oil refineries came from facilities that are surrounded by neighborhoods that are home to people of color.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The EPA declined to comment on the report or on NPR’s findings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new pollution data reinforce what people who live in the shadows of refineries experience every day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not surprised at all,” says John Beard, a former city council member in Port Arthur, Texas and current director of the local environmental group the Port Arthur Community Action Network. The Gulf Coast city is crisscrossed by bayous and other waterways, and is home to multiple major refineries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beard says the pollution is obvious. “You can see the [oil] sheen on the water,” he explains. Sometimes the water smells.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is affecting places where some people make their living fishing,” he explains. Others fish recreationally or as a regular source of food, and Beard worries that some aquatic species may not be safe for human consumption if the water is contaminated with heavy metals and other pollutants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many waterways near petrochemical facilities have signs warning residents not to touch or fish in the water, but it can be unclear which areas are safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beard worked for 38 years at petrochemical facilities in the area, and says the supposed economic benefits for local workers – especially Black people and other people of color who live next to the refineries – are outweighed by the costs to human health and the environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981365\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1981365\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/fema-11_custom-badfa6654d37795d9572c52d7d2d6dfc9ab0bdeb-1-800x531.jpg\" alt=\"An image of the city of Port Arthur in Texas and oil refineries seen in the background. \" width=\"800\" height=\"531\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/fema-11_custom-badfa6654d37795d9572c52d7d2d6dfc9ab0bdeb-1-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/fema-11_custom-badfa6654d37795d9572c52d7d2d6dfc9ab0bdeb-1-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/fema-11_custom-badfa6654d37795d9572c52d7d2d6dfc9ab0bdeb-1-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/fema-11_custom-badfa6654d37795d9572c52d7d2d6dfc9ab0bdeb-1.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The city of Port Arthur, Texas is home to several refineries that release pollutants into local waterways. \u003ccite>(Ryan Kellman/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They don’t build these [refineries] in Beverly Hills, or River Oaks or Madison Avenue. They don’t build them in communities of affluence.” he says. Instead communities that have faced generations of systemic racism also live with polluted air and water. “We pay a severe price.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Federal rules about water pollution from oil refineries are outdated\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The EPA’s water pollution regulations for oil refineries were established in 1985 and don’t cover many pollutants, Schaeffer says. In the nearly 40 years since then, there have been major advances in wastewater treatment methods, he argues, and the Clean Water Act requires the agency to update its pollution limits accordingly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nobody thinks that a rotary phone is the best available technology for making a phone call in 2023,” Schaeffer says. “That same thinking was applied in the Clean Water Act. As treatment methods improve, the standards are supposed to get tighter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December, Congress approved a modest increase in the EPA’s budget for enforcement of existing environmental regulations. The EPA has not indicated any plans to update its limits on water pollution from oil refineries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Oil+refineries+release+lots+of+water+pollution+near+communities+of+color%2C+data+show&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv>\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Oil refineries release billions of pounds of pollution annually into waterways, and that pollution disproportionately affects people of color, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://environmentalintegrity.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Refinery-water-pollution-report-EMBARGOED-until-1.26.23.pdf\">new analysis\u003c/a> of Environmental Protection Agency regulatory data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pollution includes heavy metals, nitrogen and other compounds that can kill aquatic animals, feed harmful algae and make waterways dangerous for humans to fish in, swim in or even touch. The pollution affects communities across the country, but is especially concentrated along the Gulf Coast, in California and near Chicago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new findings underscore health and environmental dangers across fossil fuel operations, from the wellhead to pipelines, refineries and consumer use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report was published by the Environmental Integrity Project, an independent watchdog group that routinely analyzes public data collected by the EPA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a highly polluting industry discharging large volumes of wastewater,” says Eric Schaeffer, executive director the Environmental Integrity Project, and former director of the EPA’s Office of Civil Enforcement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report authors examined EPA water pollution data from 2019 to 2021 for 81 major refineries across the country – about two thirds of all refineries operating in the U.S. Refineries are required to tell the government how much pollution they release into waterways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most refineries included in the analysis reported releasing extra pollution, beyond what they are legally permitted to. But less than a quarter of those with violations were penalized by the EPA, the data show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a chronic problem with enforcement of the [Clean] Water Act,” Schaeffer says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ExxonMobil, which operates some of the largest refineries in the country including multiple facilities that the report found are among the largest emitters of key pollutants, declined to comment specifically about its operations. Instead, the company referred NPR to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.afpm.org/issues/environment\">general environmental statement\u003c/a> by the American Fuel & Petroleum Manufacturers trade group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have preserved and protected land and water resources by implementing waste management programs and adhering to federal guidelines that govern effluent discharge, hazardous waste disposal and other priority areas,” the AFPM statement reads. “We have made great progress in environmental stewardship under the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and many other environmental regulations, and continue to innovate to evolve our operations and products.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Most of the pollution is happening near communities of color\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the U.S., people with less power have consistently been exposed to more pollution, whether it’s excess air pollution from highways and factories, drinking water contamination, exposure to lead paint or polluted lakes and rivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That trend shows up clearly in the new report, which finds that the majority of the worst-polluting refineries are located near communities that have lower-than-average income and a higher-than-average proportion of non-White residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A further NPR analysis of the data finds even more stark inequities: some types of water pollution are concentrated overwhelmingly in communities where people of color live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, about three-quarters of the nitrogen, selenium and dissolved solid pollution from oil refineries came from facilities that are surrounded by neighborhoods that are home to people of color.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The EPA declined to comment on the report or on NPR’s findings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new pollution data reinforce what people who live in the shadows of refineries experience every day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not surprised at all,” says John Beard, a former city council member in Port Arthur, Texas and current director of the local environmental group the Port Arthur Community Action Network. The Gulf Coast city is crisscrossed by bayous and other waterways, and is home to multiple major refineries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beard says the pollution is obvious. “You can see the [oil] sheen on the water,” he explains. Sometimes the water smells.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is affecting places where some people make their living fishing,” he explains. Others fish recreationally or as a regular source of food, and Beard worries that some aquatic species may not be safe for human consumption if the water is contaminated with heavy metals and other pollutants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many waterways near petrochemical facilities have signs warning residents not to touch or fish in the water, but it can be unclear which areas are safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beard worked for 38 years at petrochemical facilities in the area, and says the supposed economic benefits for local workers – especially Black people and other people of color who live next to the refineries – are outweighed by the costs to human health and the environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981365\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1981365\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/fema-11_custom-badfa6654d37795d9572c52d7d2d6dfc9ab0bdeb-1-800x531.jpg\" alt=\"An image of the city of Port Arthur in Texas and oil refineries seen in the background. \" width=\"800\" height=\"531\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/fema-11_custom-badfa6654d37795d9572c52d7d2d6dfc9ab0bdeb-1-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/fema-11_custom-badfa6654d37795d9572c52d7d2d6dfc9ab0bdeb-1-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/fema-11_custom-badfa6654d37795d9572c52d7d2d6dfc9ab0bdeb-1-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/fema-11_custom-badfa6654d37795d9572c52d7d2d6dfc9ab0bdeb-1.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The city of Port Arthur, Texas is home to several refineries that release pollutants into local waterways. \u003ccite>(Ryan Kellman/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They don’t build these [refineries] in Beverly Hills, or River Oaks or Madison Avenue. They don’t build them in communities of affluence.” he says. Instead communities that have faced generations of systemic racism also live with polluted air and water. “We pay a severe price.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Federal rules about water pollution from oil refineries are outdated\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The EPA’s water pollution regulations for oil refineries were established in 1985 and don’t cover many pollutants, Schaeffer says. In the nearly 40 years since then, there have been major advances in wastewater treatment methods, he argues, and the Clean Water Act requires the agency to update its pollution limits accordingly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nobody thinks that a rotary phone is the best available technology for making a phone call in 2023,” Schaeffer says. “That same thinking was applied in the Clean Water Act. As treatment methods improve, the standards are supposed to get tighter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December, Congress approved a modest increase in the EPA’s budget for enforcement of existing environmental regulations. The EPA has not indicated any plans to update its limits on water pollution from oil refineries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Oil+refineries+release+lots+of+water+pollution+near+communities+of+color%2C+data+show&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv>\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "State Regulators Scrutinize Climate Plan for Controversial Richmond Housing Development",
"headTitle": "State Regulators Scrutinize Climate Plan for Controversial Richmond Housing Development | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The new year is a make-or-break moment for a Richmond housing development atop a contaminated former waterfront site once owned by the global pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plans for \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/4028/Campus-Bay-Mixed-Use-Project\">developing as many as 4,000 units\u003c/a> on the site have survived scrutiny by officials and legal challenges from environmental groups; the Richmond City Council approved the development years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But last summer, state regulators asked the company to examine whether \u003ca href=\"https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/deliverable_documents/5503620982/20220615%20MEETING%20NOTES%20-%20SEA-LEVEL%20RISE%20EVALUATION%20CHECK%20IN.pdf\">future sea level rise pushing up groundwater should alter the cleanup remedies (PDF)\u003c/a> for the hazardous site before development begins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The science of sea level rise is progressing, we’re listening to the community, and we’re saying we want more evaluation,” Ian Utz, project manager for the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, or DTSC, told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Utz also tasked two independent researchers to analyze the \u003ca href=\"https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/community_involvement/4072705924/20220907%20ZENECA%20SLR%20EVALUATION.pdf\">company’s site-wide sea level rise evaluation (PDF)\u003c/a>. AstraZeneca determined that by the year 2050, the site would incur no negative impacts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the two scientists found the company’s conclusions inadequate. Their analysis, which KQED reviewed, shows that \u003ca href=\"https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/final_documents2?global_id=07280002&enforcement_id=60534305\">rising sea levels could surface buried contaminants\u003c/a> and expose future residents to them.[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation='Eduardo Martinez, mayor of Richmond']‘If you make a mess in the corner, you don’t just leave it there; you clean it up. Otherwise, it becomes even more unusable.’[/pullquote]“This is a world-class scary cornucopia of chemicals, many of which will never degrade,” said Kristina Hill, director of the Institute for Urban and Regional Development at UC Berkeley. “It just seems to me on its face to be an injustice and, frankly, stupid to put housing on a contaminated site.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Utz will soon issue his revisions to the cleanup plan and outline next steps for the project, just as Eduardo Martinez, a new progressive mayor, takes over Richmond with the goal of forcing the company to haul away the contaminated soil, rather than the city’s current plan of removing some and capping the remainder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you make a mess in the corner, you don’t just leave it there; you clean it up. Otherwise, it becomes even more unusable,” Martinez said.[pullquote size='medium' align='left' citation='Marisol Cantú, Richmond Progressive Alliance ']‘I could see community members and environmental justice advocates, laying themselves down human-chain-style to make sure that no bulldozers pass.’[/pullquote]The 87-acre field of weeds and rubble with a view of Treasure Island, downtown San Francisco, the Berkeley shoreline and the Bay Bridge was once Stauffer Chemical. Climate models show this acreage nearly surrounded by water in just a few decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company dumped iron pyrite cylinders into the marsh near the site and made pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zeneca Corp., now called AstraZeneca, purchased the site in the 1980s. The company manufactured sulfuric acid and pesticides and closed the site in 1997; shortly after, the federal government deemed it a Superfund site. The developer, HRP Campus Bay Property LLC, did not return KQED emails for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981084\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981084 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55026_010_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A woman wearing a light blue jean jacket and a grey terry cloth skirt holds a sign reading, 'Safe Refineries, Save Lives.' She is wearing a wide brimmed grey hat and has red hair. Picketers with other white signs stand behind her. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55026_010_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55026_010_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55026_010_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55026_010_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55026_010_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55026_010_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marisol Cantú walks with Chevron refinery employees and their supporters in front of Gate 14 at the Richmond refinery on April 7, 2022, to protest for worker safety and higher pay. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Community resistance\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Local climate activists, like 34-year-old Marisol Cantú with the Richmond Progressive Alliance, said that a developer building homes on a toxic site will only further environmental injustice and compromise the health of residents in this city of nearly 90% people of color.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People are unaware because I think they are simply trying to survive,” said Cantú of buried contaminants like lead and benzene. She organizes a youth-led climate justice podcast, \u003ca href=\"https://www.richmondlisteningproject.org/\">Richmond Listening Project.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you tell them there’s a contaminated site, and the [city] wants to build residential housing on it, they’re flabbergasted,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If construction begins on the housing development and there’s still contamination in the soil, Cantú said advocates will protest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I could see community members and environmental justice advocates, laying themselves down human-chain-style to make sure that no bulldozers pass,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two decades of community pushback against the development project have made the AstraZeneca site one of the highest-profile sites in the region. Hundreds, if not thousands, of polluted areas litter the shoreline. Developers are pursuing plans to build homes or businesses above many of these, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1979614/for-these-black-bayview-hunters-point-residents-reparations-include-safeguarding-against-rising-toxic-contamination\">like the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, cities are under pressure to build more homes because of the region’s critical need for affordable housing. The struggle at the Richmond site is an example of the growing challenge of developing the shoreline where the Bay Area’s industrial past intersects with its climate future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981079\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1981079\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55410_008_KQED_EduardoMartinezRichmond_04072022-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Tips of San Francisco buildings are in the background. A marsh and a buddy bay shore are in the middle and pink flowers are out of focus in the front of the image. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55410_008_KQED_EduardoMartinezRichmond_04072022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55410_008_KQED_EduardoMartinezRichmond_04072022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55410_008_KQED_EduardoMartinezRichmond_04072022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55410_008_KQED_EduardoMartinezRichmond_04072022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55410_008_KQED_EduardoMartinezRichmond_04072022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55410_008_KQED_EduardoMartinezRichmond_04072022-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco skyline can be seen at the South Richmond Marshes on April 7, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LeBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘My community is not prepared’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the late 1990s, Eric Blum built a tan two-story cinder block photography studio a block away from what looked like an abandoned field. It was the perfect spot for his product and nature photography studio — an industrial zone off Interstate 580.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blum’s adult children explored the marsh south of AstraZeneca when they were young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At first, his family was in awe of the colors in the water, soil and a short cliff rising out of the marsh — a mix of purple, apricot and amber hues that almost mirrored the color of the sunset over the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981137\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1981137\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1560-1-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"A white-haired man wearing a dark blue hoody and blue jeans stands next to a chain link fence. On the other side of the fence is a green weedy field with geese foraging on it.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1560-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1560-1-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1560-1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1560-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1560-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1560-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1560-1-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eric Blum owns a photography studio one block away from the AstraZeneca site. He says a plume of gases has moved off-site to the edge of his property. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the coming years, he realized some of those vibrant colors were from the contamination, and should have been a kind of skull-and-crossbones warning sign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My kids walked around the marsh because it was beautiful,” he said. “I didn’t find out until later it was arsenic and heavy metals flowing around.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/profile_report?global_id=07280002\">The company paid consultants to conduct a human health assessment in 2008\u003c/a> that found that cleanup workers could be exposed to contaminants while doing remediation work but that residents living off-site had a low likelihood of exposure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AstraZeneca isn’t the only hazardous site in Richmond; there are 115 toxic spots across the city of 115,000 people, according to a KQED review of state contamination records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These sites include a chemical laboratory where gases, like chloroform, are seeping up through cracks in the building’s foundation from polluted groundwater underneath the property; and gases, heavy metals, fumigants and pesticides have permeated groundwater, soil and surface water at Chevron’s Richmond refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Young Richmond residents of color, like 18-year-old climate activist Lizbeth Ibarra, have called for the complete cleanup of contaminated sites like AstraZeneca.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My generation and future generations are going to be the ones left to deal with even worse consequences than we’re already experiencing,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ibarra, a member of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youthvsapocalypse.org/lizbeth-ibarra\">Youth Vs. Apocalypse\u003c/a>, is sounding an alarm bell over climate issues in her hometown. She says people here often don’t have much time to consider future climate impacts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My community is not prepared, or even really aware of sea level rise and what can happen because I know a lot of us are working-class people who are just trying to survive,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981083\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981083 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55222_003_KQED_LizbethIbarraRichmond_04072022-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A woman with long black hair and black rimmed glasses kneels in a seaweed filled area of rock. She's wearing a pink shirt and ripped blue jeans at the knees. Water and hills are in the background. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55222_003_KQED_LizbethIbarraRichmond_04072022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55222_003_KQED_LizbethIbarraRichmond_04072022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55222_003_KQED_LizbethIbarraRichmond_04072022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55222_003_KQED_LizbethIbarraRichmond_04072022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55222_003_KQED_LizbethIbarraRichmond_04072022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55222_003_KQED_LizbethIbarraRichmond_04072022-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lizbeth Ibarra, a leader with Youth Vs. Apocalypse, sits near the bay at the Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline park in Richmond on April 7, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘We’re stuck because of a political maneuver’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A marsh and a narrow bike trail separate the toxic site from the bay. It’s clear why developers want to turn this patch of land into shoreline housing. The property, filled with yellow flowers and shades of green shrubbery, is beautiful, with the Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco skylines in view and the natural allure of the bayfront: Birds, porpoises and crabs fill the water below.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But residents, advocates and scientists are worried about keeping hazardous chemicals out of the natural environment. Those impacts were detailed in a study from 2012, conducted by UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory and UC Santa Barbara researchers, which found that \u003ca href=\"https://jcaa.org/news/references/Fish_Endocrine_Disruption%20in%20Saltmarsh%5b1%5d.pdf\">chemicals leaking into the marsh at the edge of the site have given fish tumors and altered their sexual anatomy (PDF)\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2019, the Richmond City Council approved a cleanup plan proposed by the state to remove portions of the contaminated soil and cap the rest with a protective seal above ground. The partial cleanup was not the preferred option of many residents like Blum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re stuck because of a political maneuver,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tom Butt was the city’s mayor until this month. He pushed for the project and said he was “comfortable” with the DTSC and council-approved plan to leave toxics under a residential housing development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Housing is our biggest need statewide and region-wide right now, and this would go a long way toward fulfilling that,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981085\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981085 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1728-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"A chain link fence with a sign reading, 'Caution: Hazardous Substances Area. Unauthorized persons keep out.' Behind the fence is a yellow and green weed filled filed and a dirt road. Wispy white clouds fill the blue sky. \" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1728-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1728-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1728-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1728-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1728-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1728-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1728-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The AstraZeneca site closed in the late ’90s. For more than two decades, advocates have fought to make sure the site is fully cleaned up before it can be ready for development. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘Groundwater is the conveyor belt for the chemicals’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/community_involvement/4072705924/20220907%20ZENECA%20SLR%20EVALUATION.pdf\">The company-led sea level rise evaluation (PDF)\u003c/a> prepared by consultants found that there will be no negative impacts from rising seas by the year 2050. Still, the developer might have to modify an underground barrier to treat groundwater before it reaches the bay by the end of the century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UC Berkeley’s Hill and University of Arkansas geosciences professor Kevin Befus, who worked on projects for the U.S. Geological Survey modeling groundwater in the Bay Area, reviewed the evaluation for DTSC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hill’s critique of the AstraZeneca study centers on the model the company’s consultants used to examine rising groundwater, which took a profile of the existing water table and raised it as “if it were frozen in shape.”[pullquote size='medium' citation='Ian Utz, project manager, California Department of Toxic Substances Control']‘We’re going to follow where the science leads us. The sea level rise evaluation is not a one-and-done thing.’[/pullquote]That’s like a “cartoon version” of how liquid moves, she said. “Groundwater isn’t like ice; it’s going to leak out to the sides. It won’t rise in some areas as much. In others, it may rise a lot.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other independent reviewer, Befus, said his main concern is that the company’s report primarily focused on flooding hazards and not on how rising groundwater will affect contamination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Groundwater is the conveyor belt for the chemicals,” he said, adding that DTSC should further look at how sea level rise will alter the hydrology under the site. “[The company’s] approach is just not useful for saying which direction chemicals are going to flow. Are they going to flow faster with sea level rise? That’s just not how their model was built.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A clear and easy-to-understand map of how water moves underground should be “absolutely required.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Doing the due diligence now to make sure that 100 years from now, it isn’t someone else’s big headache, a big expense and doesn’t threaten people’s lives, I think that’s hugely important,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an emailed statement, AstraZeneca officials said the company is awaiting a response from DTSC.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A new state regulator scrutinizes old cleanup plans\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When DTSC hired the 27-year-old Utz as the new project manager at the AstraZeneca site in 2021, some residents were nervous. For years, they had pressed local leaders and state regulators for stronger cleanup plans at the site to little avail. They were worried a new project lead would only mean more of the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that skepticism began to disappear when Utz asked Hill and Befus to review the sea level rise analysis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re overjoyed to see this new guy,” said Robert Cheasty, executive director of the group Citizens for East Shore Parks and one of the lawyers behind several lawsuits over the cleanup.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Community advocates like environmental attorney Stuart Flashman have failed to stop the project or force a more stringent cleanup through litigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s the first person I’ve seen in a position of authority that’s saying, ‘You know what? We got to follow the science,’” said Flashman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Utz said he would issue revisions to the company-led evaluation sometime this month. For now, he won’t say whether the cleanup plan will change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re going to follow where the science leads us,” he told KQED in November. “The sea level rise evaluation is not a one-and-done thing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Toxics in the ground are mixing like ‘a big ball of spaghetti’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On an abnormally cold October day, Hill and two of her graduate students gathered around a dappled ivory- and gray-colored table eight miles from the toxic site in a lab at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hill, with short blond hair and wearing a tan motorcycle jacket, characterized the toxics in the ground in Richmond as “a big ball of spaghetti” and said the company should thoroughly clean up the site before it is redeveloped.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her group has mapped potential plumes of toxic contamination, and Hill said they are likely moving in multiple directions toward sewer lines, businesses and a neighborhood of tract homes southwest of the Superfund site. The group has not measured for contamination in sewers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981197\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981197 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/Hill-and-Thomas-2022-Groundwater-flow-directions-and-sewer-line-locations-for-Richmond-south-shoreline-sites-present-conditions-800x456.png\" alt=\"A white map showcasing sewer lines in the town of Richmond next to the a blue area representing the San Francisco Bay. Thin black lines showcase chemicals potentially moving underground. \" width=\"800\" height=\"456\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/Hill-and-Thomas-2022-Groundwater-flow-directions-and-sewer-line-locations-for-Richmond-south-shoreline-sites-present-conditions-800x456.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/Hill-and-Thomas-2022-Groundwater-flow-directions-and-sewer-line-locations-for-Richmond-south-shoreline-sites-present-conditions-1020x582.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/Hill-and-Thomas-2022-Groundwater-flow-directions-and-sewer-line-locations-for-Richmond-south-shoreline-sites-present-conditions-160x91.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/Hill-and-Thomas-2022-Groundwater-flow-directions-and-sewer-line-locations-for-Richmond-south-shoreline-sites-present-conditions-768x438.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/Hill-and-Thomas-2022-Groundwater-flow-directions-and-sewer-line-locations-for-Richmond-south-shoreline-sites-present-conditions-1536x876.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/Hill-and-Thomas-2022-Groundwater-flow-directions-and-sewer-line-locations-for-Richmond-south-shoreline-sites-present-conditions-1920x1095.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/Hill-and-Thomas-2022-Groundwater-flow-directions-and-sewer-line-locations-for-Richmond-south-shoreline-sites-present-conditions.png 2002w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The thin black lines in the middle of the map reveal how groundwater flows from high to low elevations; contaminants are lighter than water and float, moving in the same direction. UC Berkeley researchers found that the contaminants are likely already moving toward homes, sewer lines and the bay. \u003ccite>(Kristina Hill, Justin Thomas/UC Berkeley)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The toxics are also potentially moving because of the topography below the site. AstraZeneca sits above a historic, compacted riverbed, one of a bunch of fingers of an old river valley that meanders underneath Richmond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everybody living on one of those fingers is going to be more affected by groundwater than people who live off of those fingers,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blum’s Richmond photography studio, a block from the site, sits above one of the fingers of this old riverbed. He’s worried contaminants are inching toward his property.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t want to be afraid of the soil I work on,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A DTSC-led groundwater remediation project could clean up the plume, but it’s still in the design phase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981080\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981080 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55037_023_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A man wearing a blue shirt with yellow letters holds a white sign reading, 'Strike against Chevron.' A stoplight and fading blue skies are behind him. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55037_023_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55037_023_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55037_023_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55037_023_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55037_023_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55037_023_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eduardo Martinez walks the picket line along with striking Chevron employees and their supporters during a strike for worker safety in front of Gate 14 at the Richmond refinery on April 7, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The precautionary principle\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Wearing a brilliant blue T-shirt with “Vote for Eduardo for Mayor” inscribed in a mustard hue, Martinez walked a thin strip of asphalt separating the bay from the toxic site last April. His wispy gray hair flounced in the wind whipping off the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I always operate on the precautionary principle, which says that nothing should be there until it’s all cleaned up,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 100% cleanup is the mission of the 73-year-old. He said he aims to reverse the City Council’s decision under the previous mayor for a lesser cleanup.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The mayor controls the narrative, and I intend to do that,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fact that industry buried pollution in the soil is a symptom of the lack of care for communities of color like Richmond, according to UC Davis American Studies professor Javier Arbona, who lives in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The disposability of this landscape is linked to white supremacy,” he said. “I keep thinking of this as a site where there is so much human sacrifice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The temporary cap over the contaminated soil hides a legacy of devaluing the land and the people who live and work on it, he said, walking along the barbed fence line surrounding the site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Caring for each other also means thinking about the cleanliness of these sites, their preservation and access to these places,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Requiring a complete cleanup of the AstraZeneca site would be a form of repair for past wrongs and would prevent future harm to people and the environment, in his view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It could show that victories are attainable,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The new year is a make-or-break moment for a controversial Richmond housing development atop a contaminated former waterfront site owned by the global pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.",
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"description": "The new year is a make-or-break moment for a controversial Richmond housing development atop a contaminated former waterfront site owned by the global pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.",
"title": "State Regulators Scrutinize Climate Plan for Controversial Richmond Housing Development | KQED",
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"headline": "State Regulators Scrutinize Climate Plan for Controversial Richmond Housing Development",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The new year is a make-or-break moment for a Richmond housing development atop a contaminated former waterfront site once owned by the global pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plans for \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/4028/Campus-Bay-Mixed-Use-Project\">developing as many as 4,000 units\u003c/a> on the site have survived scrutiny by officials and legal challenges from environmental groups; the Richmond City Council approved the development years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But last summer, state regulators asked the company to examine whether \u003ca href=\"https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/deliverable_documents/5503620982/20220615%20MEETING%20NOTES%20-%20SEA-LEVEL%20RISE%20EVALUATION%20CHECK%20IN.pdf\">future sea level rise pushing up groundwater should alter the cleanup remedies (PDF)\u003c/a> for the hazardous site before development begins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The science of sea level rise is progressing, we’re listening to the community, and we’re saying we want more evaluation,” Ian Utz, project manager for the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, or DTSC, told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Utz also tasked two independent researchers to analyze the \u003ca href=\"https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/community_involvement/4072705924/20220907%20ZENECA%20SLR%20EVALUATION.pdf\">company’s site-wide sea level rise evaluation (PDF)\u003c/a>. AstraZeneca determined that by the year 2050, the site would incur no negative impacts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the two scientists found the company’s conclusions inadequate. Their analysis, which KQED reviewed, shows that \u003ca href=\"https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/final_documents2?global_id=07280002&enforcement_id=60534305\">rising sea levels could surface buried contaminants\u003c/a> and expose future residents to them.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘If you make a mess in the corner, you don’t just leave it there; you clean it up. Otherwise, it becomes even more unusable.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“This is a world-class scary cornucopia of chemicals, many of which will never degrade,” said Kristina Hill, director of the Institute for Urban and Regional Development at UC Berkeley. “It just seems to me on its face to be an injustice and, frankly, stupid to put housing on a contaminated site.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Utz will soon issue his revisions to the cleanup plan and outline next steps for the project, just as Eduardo Martinez, a new progressive mayor, takes over Richmond with the goal of forcing the company to haul away the contaminated soil, rather than the city’s current plan of removing some and capping the remainder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you make a mess in the corner, you don’t just leave it there; you clean it up. Otherwise, it becomes even more unusable,” Martinez said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘I could see community members and environmental justice advocates, laying themselves down human-chain-style to make sure that no bulldozers pass.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The 87-acre field of weeds and rubble with a view of Treasure Island, downtown San Francisco, the Berkeley shoreline and the Bay Bridge was once Stauffer Chemical. Climate models show this acreage nearly surrounded by water in just a few decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company dumped iron pyrite cylinders into the marsh near the site and made pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zeneca Corp., now called AstraZeneca, purchased the site in the 1980s. The company manufactured sulfuric acid and pesticides and closed the site in 1997; shortly after, the federal government deemed it a Superfund site. The developer, HRP Campus Bay Property LLC, did not return KQED emails for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981084\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981084 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55026_010_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A woman wearing a light blue jean jacket and a grey terry cloth skirt holds a sign reading, 'Safe Refineries, Save Lives.' She is wearing a wide brimmed grey hat and has red hair. Picketers with other white signs stand behind her. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55026_010_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55026_010_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55026_010_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55026_010_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55026_010_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55026_010_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marisol Cantú walks with Chevron refinery employees and their supporters in front of Gate 14 at the Richmond refinery on April 7, 2022, to protest for worker safety and higher pay. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Community resistance\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Local climate activists, like 34-year-old Marisol Cantú with the Richmond Progressive Alliance, said that a developer building homes on a toxic site will only further environmental injustice and compromise the health of residents in this city of nearly 90% people of color.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People are unaware because I think they are simply trying to survive,” said Cantú of buried contaminants like lead and benzene. She organizes a youth-led climate justice podcast, \u003ca href=\"https://www.richmondlisteningproject.org/\">Richmond Listening Project.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you tell them there’s a contaminated site, and the [city] wants to build residential housing on it, they’re flabbergasted,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If construction begins on the housing development and there’s still contamination in the soil, Cantú said advocates will protest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I could see community members and environmental justice advocates, laying themselves down human-chain-style to make sure that no bulldozers pass,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two decades of community pushback against the development project have made the AstraZeneca site one of the highest-profile sites in the region. Hundreds, if not thousands, of polluted areas litter the shoreline. Developers are pursuing plans to build homes or businesses above many of these, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1979614/for-these-black-bayview-hunters-point-residents-reparations-include-safeguarding-against-rising-toxic-contamination\">like the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, cities are under pressure to build more homes because of the region’s critical need for affordable housing. The struggle at the Richmond site is an example of the growing challenge of developing the shoreline where the Bay Area’s industrial past intersects with its climate future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981079\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1981079\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55410_008_KQED_EduardoMartinezRichmond_04072022-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Tips of San Francisco buildings are in the background. A marsh and a buddy bay shore are in the middle and pink flowers are out of focus in the front of the image. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55410_008_KQED_EduardoMartinezRichmond_04072022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55410_008_KQED_EduardoMartinezRichmond_04072022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55410_008_KQED_EduardoMartinezRichmond_04072022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55410_008_KQED_EduardoMartinezRichmond_04072022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55410_008_KQED_EduardoMartinezRichmond_04072022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55410_008_KQED_EduardoMartinezRichmond_04072022-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Francisco skyline can be seen at the South Richmond Marshes on April 7, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LeBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘My community is not prepared’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the late 1990s, Eric Blum built a tan two-story cinder block photography studio a block away from what looked like an abandoned field. It was the perfect spot for his product and nature photography studio — an industrial zone off Interstate 580.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blum’s adult children explored the marsh south of AstraZeneca when they were young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At first, his family was in awe of the colors in the water, soil and a short cliff rising out of the marsh — a mix of purple, apricot and amber hues that almost mirrored the color of the sunset over the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981137\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1981137\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1560-1-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"A white-haired man wearing a dark blue hoody and blue jeans stands next to a chain link fence. On the other side of the fence is a green weedy field with geese foraging on it.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1560-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1560-1-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1560-1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1560-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1560-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1560-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1560-1-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eric Blum owns a photography studio one block away from the AstraZeneca site. He says a plume of gases has moved off-site to the edge of his property. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the coming years, he realized some of those vibrant colors were from the contamination, and should have been a kind of skull-and-crossbones warning sign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My kids walked around the marsh because it was beautiful,” he said. “I didn’t find out until later it was arsenic and heavy metals flowing around.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/profile_report?global_id=07280002\">The company paid consultants to conduct a human health assessment in 2008\u003c/a> that found that cleanup workers could be exposed to contaminants while doing remediation work but that residents living off-site had a low likelihood of exposure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AstraZeneca isn’t the only hazardous site in Richmond; there are 115 toxic spots across the city of 115,000 people, according to a KQED review of state contamination records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These sites include a chemical laboratory where gases, like chloroform, are seeping up through cracks in the building’s foundation from polluted groundwater underneath the property; and gases, heavy metals, fumigants and pesticides have permeated groundwater, soil and surface water at Chevron’s Richmond refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Young Richmond residents of color, like 18-year-old climate activist Lizbeth Ibarra, have called for the complete cleanup of contaminated sites like AstraZeneca.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My generation and future generations are going to be the ones left to deal with even worse consequences than we’re already experiencing,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ibarra, a member of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youthvsapocalypse.org/lizbeth-ibarra\">Youth Vs. Apocalypse\u003c/a>, is sounding an alarm bell over climate issues in her hometown. She says people here often don’t have much time to consider future climate impacts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My community is not prepared, or even really aware of sea level rise and what can happen because I know a lot of us are working-class people who are just trying to survive,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981083\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981083 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55222_003_KQED_LizbethIbarraRichmond_04072022-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A woman with long black hair and black rimmed glasses kneels in a seaweed filled area of rock. She's wearing a pink shirt and ripped blue jeans at the knees. Water and hills are in the background. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55222_003_KQED_LizbethIbarraRichmond_04072022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55222_003_KQED_LizbethIbarraRichmond_04072022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55222_003_KQED_LizbethIbarraRichmond_04072022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55222_003_KQED_LizbethIbarraRichmond_04072022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55222_003_KQED_LizbethIbarraRichmond_04072022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55222_003_KQED_LizbethIbarraRichmond_04072022-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lizbeth Ibarra, a leader with Youth Vs. Apocalypse, sits near the bay at the Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline park in Richmond on April 7, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘We’re stuck because of a political maneuver’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A marsh and a narrow bike trail separate the toxic site from the bay. It’s clear why developers want to turn this patch of land into shoreline housing. The property, filled with yellow flowers and shades of green shrubbery, is beautiful, with the Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco skylines in view and the natural allure of the bayfront: Birds, porpoises and crabs fill the water below.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But residents, advocates and scientists are worried about keeping hazardous chemicals out of the natural environment. Those impacts were detailed in a study from 2012, conducted by UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory and UC Santa Barbara researchers, which found that \u003ca href=\"https://jcaa.org/news/references/Fish_Endocrine_Disruption%20in%20Saltmarsh%5b1%5d.pdf\">chemicals leaking into the marsh at the edge of the site have given fish tumors and altered their sexual anatomy (PDF)\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2019, the Richmond City Council approved a cleanup plan proposed by the state to remove portions of the contaminated soil and cap the rest with a protective seal above ground. The partial cleanup was not the preferred option of many residents like Blum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re stuck because of a political maneuver,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tom Butt was the city’s mayor until this month. He pushed for the project and said he was “comfortable” with the DTSC and council-approved plan to leave toxics under a residential housing development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Housing is our biggest need statewide and region-wide right now, and this would go a long way toward fulfilling that,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981085\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981085 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1728-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"A chain link fence with a sign reading, 'Caution: Hazardous Substances Area. Unauthorized persons keep out.' Behind the fence is a yellow and green weed filled filed and a dirt road. Wispy white clouds fill the blue sky. \" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1728-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1728-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1728-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1728-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1728-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1728-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/IMG_1728-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The AstraZeneca site closed in the late ’90s. For more than two decades, advocates have fought to make sure the site is fully cleaned up before it can be ready for development. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘Groundwater is the conveyor belt for the chemicals’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/community_involvement/4072705924/20220907%20ZENECA%20SLR%20EVALUATION.pdf\">The company-led sea level rise evaluation (PDF)\u003c/a> prepared by consultants found that there will be no negative impacts from rising seas by the year 2050. Still, the developer might have to modify an underground barrier to treat groundwater before it reaches the bay by the end of the century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UC Berkeley’s Hill and University of Arkansas geosciences professor Kevin Befus, who worked on projects for the U.S. Geological Survey modeling groundwater in the Bay Area, reviewed the evaluation for DTSC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hill’s critique of the AstraZeneca study centers on the model the company’s consultants used to examine rising groundwater, which took a profile of the existing water table and raised it as “if it were frozen in shape.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘We’re going to follow where the science leads us. The sea level rise evaluation is not a one-and-done thing.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>That’s like a “cartoon version” of how liquid moves, she said. “Groundwater isn’t like ice; it’s going to leak out to the sides. It won’t rise in some areas as much. In others, it may rise a lot.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other independent reviewer, Befus, said his main concern is that the company’s report primarily focused on flooding hazards and not on how rising groundwater will affect contamination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Groundwater is the conveyor belt for the chemicals,” he said, adding that DTSC should further look at how sea level rise will alter the hydrology under the site. “[The company’s] approach is just not useful for saying which direction chemicals are going to flow. Are they going to flow faster with sea level rise? That’s just not how their model was built.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A clear and easy-to-understand map of how water moves underground should be “absolutely required.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Doing the due diligence now to make sure that 100 years from now, it isn’t someone else’s big headache, a big expense and doesn’t threaten people’s lives, I think that’s hugely important,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an emailed statement, AstraZeneca officials said the company is awaiting a response from DTSC.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A new state regulator scrutinizes old cleanup plans\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When DTSC hired the 27-year-old Utz as the new project manager at the AstraZeneca site in 2021, some residents were nervous. For years, they had pressed local leaders and state regulators for stronger cleanup plans at the site to little avail. They were worried a new project lead would only mean more of the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that skepticism began to disappear when Utz asked Hill and Befus to review the sea level rise analysis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re overjoyed to see this new guy,” said Robert Cheasty, executive director of the group Citizens for East Shore Parks and one of the lawyers behind several lawsuits over the cleanup.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Community advocates like environmental attorney Stuart Flashman have failed to stop the project or force a more stringent cleanup through litigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s the first person I’ve seen in a position of authority that’s saying, ‘You know what? We got to follow the science,’” said Flashman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Utz said he would issue revisions to the company-led evaluation sometime this month. For now, he won’t say whether the cleanup plan will change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re going to follow where the science leads us,” he told KQED in November. “The sea level rise evaluation is not a one-and-done thing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Toxics in the ground are mixing like ‘a big ball of spaghetti’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On an abnormally cold October day, Hill and two of her graduate students gathered around a dappled ivory- and gray-colored table eight miles from the toxic site in a lab at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hill, with short blond hair and wearing a tan motorcycle jacket, characterized the toxics in the ground in Richmond as “a big ball of spaghetti” and said the company should thoroughly clean up the site before it is redeveloped.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her group has mapped potential plumes of toxic contamination, and Hill said they are likely moving in multiple directions toward sewer lines, businesses and a neighborhood of tract homes southwest of the Superfund site. The group has not measured for contamination in sewers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981197\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981197 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/Hill-and-Thomas-2022-Groundwater-flow-directions-and-sewer-line-locations-for-Richmond-south-shoreline-sites-present-conditions-800x456.png\" alt=\"A white map showcasing sewer lines in the town of Richmond next to the a blue area representing the San Francisco Bay. Thin black lines showcase chemicals potentially moving underground. \" width=\"800\" height=\"456\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/Hill-and-Thomas-2022-Groundwater-flow-directions-and-sewer-line-locations-for-Richmond-south-shoreline-sites-present-conditions-800x456.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/Hill-and-Thomas-2022-Groundwater-flow-directions-and-sewer-line-locations-for-Richmond-south-shoreline-sites-present-conditions-1020x582.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/Hill-and-Thomas-2022-Groundwater-flow-directions-and-sewer-line-locations-for-Richmond-south-shoreline-sites-present-conditions-160x91.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/Hill-and-Thomas-2022-Groundwater-flow-directions-and-sewer-line-locations-for-Richmond-south-shoreline-sites-present-conditions-768x438.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/Hill-and-Thomas-2022-Groundwater-flow-directions-and-sewer-line-locations-for-Richmond-south-shoreline-sites-present-conditions-1536x876.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/Hill-and-Thomas-2022-Groundwater-flow-directions-and-sewer-line-locations-for-Richmond-south-shoreline-sites-present-conditions-1920x1095.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/Hill-and-Thomas-2022-Groundwater-flow-directions-and-sewer-line-locations-for-Richmond-south-shoreline-sites-present-conditions.png 2002w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The thin black lines in the middle of the map reveal how groundwater flows from high to low elevations; contaminants are lighter than water and float, moving in the same direction. UC Berkeley researchers found that the contaminants are likely already moving toward homes, sewer lines and the bay. \u003ccite>(Kristina Hill, Justin Thomas/UC Berkeley)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The toxics are also potentially moving because of the topography below the site. AstraZeneca sits above a historic, compacted riverbed, one of a bunch of fingers of an old river valley that meanders underneath Richmond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everybody living on one of those fingers is going to be more affected by groundwater than people who live off of those fingers,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blum’s Richmond photography studio, a block from the site, sits above one of the fingers of this old riverbed. He’s worried contaminants are inching toward his property.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t want to be afraid of the soil I work on,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A DTSC-led groundwater remediation project could clean up the plume, but it’s still in the design phase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981080\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981080 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55037_023_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A man wearing a blue shirt with yellow letters holds a white sign reading, 'Strike against Chevron.' A stoplight and fading blue skies are behind him. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55037_023_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55037_023_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55037_023_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55037_023_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55037_023_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/RS55037_023_KQED_ChevronRefineryStrike_04072022-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eduardo Martinez walks the picket line along with striking Chevron employees and their supporters during a strike for worker safety in front of Gate 14 at the Richmond refinery on April 7, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The precautionary principle\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Wearing a brilliant blue T-shirt with “Vote for Eduardo for Mayor” inscribed in a mustard hue, Martinez walked a thin strip of asphalt separating the bay from the toxic site last April. His wispy gray hair flounced in the wind whipping off the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I always operate on the precautionary principle, which says that nothing should be there until it’s all cleaned up,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 100% cleanup is the mission of the 73-year-old. He said he aims to reverse the City Council’s decision under the previous mayor for a lesser cleanup.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The mayor controls the narrative, and I intend to do that,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fact that industry buried pollution in the soil is a symptom of the lack of care for communities of color like Richmond, according to UC Davis American Studies professor Javier Arbona, who lives in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The disposability of this landscape is linked to white supremacy,” he said. “I keep thinking of this as a site where there is so much human sacrifice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The temporary cap over the contaminated soil hides a legacy of devaluing the land and the people who live and work on it, he said, walking along the barbed fence line surrounding the site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Caring for each other also means thinking about the cleanliness of these sites, their preservation and access to these places,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Requiring a complete cleanup of the AstraZeneca site would be a form of repair for past wrongs and would prevent future harm to people and the environment, in his view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Heavy Rain Is Still Hitting California. A Few Reservoirs Figured Out How to Capture More for Drought",
"headTitle": "Heavy Rain Is Still Hitting California. A Few Reservoirs Figured Out How to Capture More for Drought | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Despite several weeks of torrential rain and flooding, California is still facing a severe multi-year drought. That has many people thinking about how to better capture winter floodwaters to last through the dry season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An innovative approach at two California reservoirs could help boost the state’s water supply, potentially marking a larger shift from decades-old water management approaches to a system that can quickly adapt to precipitation in a changing climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At issue are rules that, at face value, seem perplexing to many Californians. Even in a chronically dry state, reservoirs are not allowed to fill up in the winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout the late fall and winter, most are required to release water if they get too full, sometimes emptying out almost by half. That’s because the empty space is crucial if an intense storm hits. Reservoirs collect runoff and prevent it from flooding downstream cities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, in some years, reservoirs preemptively empty out with little need if no major storms materialize. That means valuable water is lost for potentially drier months ahead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two sites, Folsom Reservoir and Lake Mendocino, are rethinking this by using weather forecasts to guide their operations. Instead of sticking to set rules, they only empty out if a major storm is forecasted for the days ahead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The parade of major storms that have hit California, known as atmospheric rivers, is providing a key test for these systems. Water experts say it’s showing that “\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2016/03/18/469799456/in-california-dealing-with-a-drought-and-preparing-for-a-flood\">forecast-informed” reservoir operations\u003c/a> have the potential to reshape how water is stored across the West.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981243\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1981243\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/view-from-g-iv-flying-over-ar-system-during-mission-010923-credit-rich-henning-noaa_custom-87334cc6caa619682ee57703124d39d5e27efe25-800x523.jpg\" alt=\"The NOAA Hurricane Hunters plane wing seen above clouds in the clear sky.\" width=\"800\" height=\"523\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/view-from-g-iv-flying-over-ar-system-during-mission-010923-credit-rich-henning-noaa_custom-87334cc6caa619682ee57703124d39d5e27efe25-800x523.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/view-from-g-iv-flying-over-ar-system-during-mission-010923-credit-rich-henning-noaa_custom-87334cc6caa619682ee57703124d39d5e27efe25-1020x667.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/view-from-g-iv-flying-over-ar-system-during-mission-010923-credit-rich-henning-noaa_custom-87334cc6caa619682ee57703124d39d5e27efe25-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/view-from-g-iv-flying-over-ar-system-during-mission-010923-credit-rich-henning-noaa_custom-87334cc6caa619682ee57703124d39d5e27efe25-768x502.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/view-from-g-iv-flying-over-ar-system-during-mission-010923-credit-rich-henning-noaa_custom-87334cc6caa619682ee57703124d39d5e27efe25-1536x1004.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/view-from-g-iv-flying-over-ar-system-during-mission-010923-credit-rich-henning-noaa_custom-87334cc6caa619682ee57703124d39d5e27efe25-2048x1339.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/view-from-g-iv-flying-over-ar-system-during-mission-010923-credit-rich-henning-noaa_custom-87334cc6caa619682ee57703124d39d5e27efe25-1920x1255.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The NOAA Hurricane Hunters fly above an atmospheric river on January 9th, 2023, preparing to drop instruments into the storm to aid with weather forecasts. \u003ccite>(Rich Henning/NOAA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We have to use every drop of water that much more effectively,” says Marty Ralph, director for the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. “There’s not much to spare, and we need to do the best we can to use that water efficiently.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Making water decisions in real-time\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Most reservoirs have two jobs that are completely at odds with each other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the one hand, reservoirs need to be as full as possible to provide water for people and wildlife. On the other, staying empty ensures they can safely handle the runoff from major storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The stakes are huge for walking that line. If a dam is overwhelmed, potentially hundreds of thousands of people risk being flooded downstream. Stay too empty, and cities and agriculture run short of water when a drought hits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Historically, reservoirs used fixed rules to guide those decisions, most created decades ago before human-induced climate change began fueling extreme weather. At Folsom Reservoir outside Sacramento, California, the water level could only reach 60 percent full in the winter. If more water flowed in, it had to be released. Some winters, where major storms stopped arriving, that water could have been safely stored and used later during the long, dry summer months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2016/03/18/469799456/in-california-dealing-with-a-drought-and-preparing-for-a-flood\">many years of study\u003c/a>, water managers remade that system in 2019, working with the federal Army Corps of Engineers which is responsible for flood safety. Now, the reservoir can stay 20 percent fuller in the winter, though not completely full. Then, if a major storm appears, the reservoir makes space by releasing water three to five days ahead of time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Back when the dams were built, it was a pretty wise choice in my opinion not to use weather forecasts because they weren’t very good,” Ralph says. “But now with satellites and radars and models and science, there’s been a lot of improvements so it seems sensible to give it a try.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981244\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1981244\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/2023_01_06_kj_0080_folsom_lake_custom-fe2aefafcdbe3180e688c7e4f59b5a32bcfea412-800x506.jpg\" alt=\"Image shows lake level conditions surrounding Granite Bay Main Beach at Folsom Lake in Placer County, California.\" width=\"800\" height=\"506\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/2023_01_06_kj_0080_folsom_lake_custom-fe2aefafcdbe3180e688c7e4f59b5a32bcfea412-800x506.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/2023_01_06_kj_0080_folsom_lake_custom-fe2aefafcdbe3180e688c7e4f59b5a32bcfea412-1020x646.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/2023_01_06_kj_0080_folsom_lake_custom-fe2aefafcdbe3180e688c7e4f59b5a32bcfea412-160x101.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/2023_01_06_kj_0080_folsom_lake_custom-fe2aefafcdbe3180e688c7e4f59b5a32bcfea412-768x486.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/2023_01_06_kj_0080_folsom_lake_custom-fe2aefafcdbe3180e688c7e4f59b5a32bcfea412-1536x972.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/2023_01_06_kj_0080_folsom_lake_custom-fe2aefafcdbe3180e688c7e4f59b5a32bcfea412-2048x1296.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/2023_01_06_kj_0080_folsom_lake_custom-fe2aefafcdbe3180e688c7e4f59b5a32bcfea412-1920x1215.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">By using flexible rules, Folsom Lake outside Sacramento, California could hold onto 20 percent more water by the summer, helping the state with its severe drought. \u003ccite>(Kenneth James/California Department of Water Resources)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The key is spotting atmospheric rivers, massive plumes of moisture that stretch hundreds of miles across the Pacific. Predicting where they’ll land in California is crucial for forecasting how much runoff a reservoir will see. The relentless storms hitting the state this winter means water managers are continually recalibrating how much water Folsom Reservoir can hold.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re constantly rerunning these ensemble forecasts for river flows,” says Drew Lessard, who manages Folsom Reservoir at the Central California office of the Bureau of Reclamation. “So it’s working as intended, but it’s certainly pretty dynamic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Other Western reservoirs looking at dynamic methods\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Closer to the Bay Area, Lake Mendocino is \u003ca href=\"https://www.sonomawater.org/firo\">also using forecast-informed operations\u003c/a>. A handful of other California reservoirs are in the process of studying it as well. The federal Bureau of Reclamation, the largest provider of water for utilities in the country, says it’s looking into other places where it might be a good fit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The climate is changing, hydrology is changing, weather patterns are changing,” says David Raff, chief engineer at the Bureau of Reclamation. “In addition to that, the demand for water is increasing in the Western United States. When you put those things together, there is a significant interest to optimize operations in all of our reservoirs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The method may not be a good fit in all Western reservoirs, however. Some are affected by other weather patterns or melting snow that’s harder to predict than California’s weather. Other reservoirs, like on the Colorado River, have the capacity to hold so much water that releasing water during the flood season isn’t much of an issue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Water experts say as the climate gets hotter, Western water managers will need to use real-time data to be more responsive to the changing conditions. California is expected to see more “weather whiplash,” the abrupt swings from extreme dry periods to extreme floods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Longer droughts, deeper droughts and bigger storms between them,” Ralph says. “That’s what Mother Nature is going to deliver us under a warmer climate. So we need to prepare. There’s a lot at stake and these are methods that could really help us with climate adaptation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Heavy+rain+is+still+hitting+California.+A+few+reservoirs+figured+out+how+to+capture+more+for+drought&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv>\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Despite several weeks of torrential rain and flooding, California is still facing a severe multi-year drought. That has many people thinking about how to better capture winter floodwaters to last through the dry season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An innovative approach at two California reservoirs could help boost the state’s water supply, potentially marking a larger shift from decades-old water management approaches to a system that can quickly adapt to precipitation in a changing climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At issue are rules that, at face value, seem perplexing to many Californians. Even in a chronically dry state, reservoirs are not allowed to fill up in the winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout the late fall and winter, most are required to release water if they get too full, sometimes emptying out almost by half. That’s because the empty space is crucial if an intense storm hits. Reservoirs collect runoff and prevent it from flooding downstream cities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, in some years, reservoirs preemptively empty out with little need if no major storms materialize. That means valuable water is lost for potentially drier months ahead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two sites, Folsom Reservoir and Lake Mendocino, are rethinking this by using weather forecasts to guide their operations. Instead of sticking to set rules, they only empty out if a major storm is forecasted for the days ahead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The parade of major storms that have hit California, known as atmospheric rivers, is providing a key test for these systems. Water experts say it’s showing that “\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2016/03/18/469799456/in-california-dealing-with-a-drought-and-preparing-for-a-flood\">forecast-informed” reservoir operations\u003c/a> have the potential to reshape how water is stored across the West.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981243\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1981243\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/view-from-g-iv-flying-over-ar-system-during-mission-010923-credit-rich-henning-noaa_custom-87334cc6caa619682ee57703124d39d5e27efe25-800x523.jpg\" alt=\"The NOAA Hurricane Hunters plane wing seen above clouds in the clear sky.\" width=\"800\" height=\"523\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/view-from-g-iv-flying-over-ar-system-during-mission-010923-credit-rich-henning-noaa_custom-87334cc6caa619682ee57703124d39d5e27efe25-800x523.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/view-from-g-iv-flying-over-ar-system-during-mission-010923-credit-rich-henning-noaa_custom-87334cc6caa619682ee57703124d39d5e27efe25-1020x667.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/view-from-g-iv-flying-over-ar-system-during-mission-010923-credit-rich-henning-noaa_custom-87334cc6caa619682ee57703124d39d5e27efe25-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/view-from-g-iv-flying-over-ar-system-during-mission-010923-credit-rich-henning-noaa_custom-87334cc6caa619682ee57703124d39d5e27efe25-768x502.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/view-from-g-iv-flying-over-ar-system-during-mission-010923-credit-rich-henning-noaa_custom-87334cc6caa619682ee57703124d39d5e27efe25-1536x1004.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/view-from-g-iv-flying-over-ar-system-during-mission-010923-credit-rich-henning-noaa_custom-87334cc6caa619682ee57703124d39d5e27efe25-2048x1339.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/view-from-g-iv-flying-over-ar-system-during-mission-010923-credit-rich-henning-noaa_custom-87334cc6caa619682ee57703124d39d5e27efe25-1920x1255.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The NOAA Hurricane Hunters fly above an atmospheric river on January 9th, 2023, preparing to drop instruments into the storm to aid with weather forecasts. \u003ccite>(Rich Henning/NOAA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We have to use every drop of water that much more effectively,” says Marty Ralph, director for the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. “There’s not much to spare, and we need to do the best we can to use that water efficiently.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Making water decisions in real-time\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Most reservoirs have two jobs that are completely at odds with each other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the one hand, reservoirs need to be as full as possible to provide water for people and wildlife. On the other, staying empty ensures they can safely handle the runoff from major storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The stakes are huge for walking that line. If a dam is overwhelmed, potentially hundreds of thousands of people risk being flooded downstream. Stay too empty, and cities and agriculture run short of water when a drought hits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Historically, reservoirs used fixed rules to guide those decisions, most created decades ago before human-induced climate change began fueling extreme weather. At Folsom Reservoir outside Sacramento, California, the water level could only reach 60 percent full in the winter. If more water flowed in, it had to be released. Some winters, where major storms stopped arriving, that water could have been safely stored and used later during the long, dry summer months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2016/03/18/469799456/in-california-dealing-with-a-drought-and-preparing-for-a-flood\">many years of study\u003c/a>, water managers remade that system in 2019, working with the federal Army Corps of Engineers which is responsible for flood safety. Now, the reservoir can stay 20 percent fuller in the winter, though not completely full. Then, if a major storm appears, the reservoir makes space by releasing water three to five days ahead of time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Back when the dams were built, it was a pretty wise choice in my opinion not to use weather forecasts because they weren’t very good,” Ralph says. “But now with satellites and radars and models and science, there’s been a lot of improvements so it seems sensible to give it a try.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981244\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1981244\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/2023_01_06_kj_0080_folsom_lake_custom-fe2aefafcdbe3180e688c7e4f59b5a32bcfea412-800x506.jpg\" alt=\"Image shows lake level conditions surrounding Granite Bay Main Beach at Folsom Lake in Placer County, California.\" width=\"800\" height=\"506\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/2023_01_06_kj_0080_folsom_lake_custom-fe2aefafcdbe3180e688c7e4f59b5a32bcfea412-800x506.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/2023_01_06_kj_0080_folsom_lake_custom-fe2aefafcdbe3180e688c7e4f59b5a32bcfea412-1020x646.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/2023_01_06_kj_0080_folsom_lake_custom-fe2aefafcdbe3180e688c7e4f59b5a32bcfea412-160x101.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/2023_01_06_kj_0080_folsom_lake_custom-fe2aefafcdbe3180e688c7e4f59b5a32bcfea412-768x486.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/2023_01_06_kj_0080_folsom_lake_custom-fe2aefafcdbe3180e688c7e4f59b5a32bcfea412-1536x972.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/2023_01_06_kj_0080_folsom_lake_custom-fe2aefafcdbe3180e688c7e4f59b5a32bcfea412-2048x1296.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/2023_01_06_kj_0080_folsom_lake_custom-fe2aefafcdbe3180e688c7e4f59b5a32bcfea412-1920x1215.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">By using flexible rules, Folsom Lake outside Sacramento, California could hold onto 20 percent more water by the summer, helping the state with its severe drought. \u003ccite>(Kenneth James/California Department of Water Resources)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The key is spotting atmospheric rivers, massive plumes of moisture that stretch hundreds of miles across the Pacific. Predicting where they’ll land in California is crucial for forecasting how much runoff a reservoir will see. The relentless storms hitting the state this winter means water managers are continually recalibrating how much water Folsom Reservoir can hold.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re constantly rerunning these ensemble forecasts for river flows,” says Drew Lessard, who manages Folsom Reservoir at the Central California office of the Bureau of Reclamation. “So it’s working as intended, but it’s certainly pretty dynamic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Other Western reservoirs looking at dynamic methods\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Closer to the Bay Area, Lake Mendocino is \u003ca href=\"https://www.sonomawater.org/firo\">also using forecast-informed operations\u003c/a>. A handful of other California reservoirs are in the process of studying it as well. The federal Bureau of Reclamation, the largest provider of water for utilities in the country, says it’s looking into other places where it might be a good fit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The climate is changing, hydrology is changing, weather patterns are changing,” says David Raff, chief engineer at the Bureau of Reclamation. “In addition to that, the demand for water is increasing in the Western United States. When you put those things together, there is a significant interest to optimize operations in all of our reservoirs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The method may not be a good fit in all Western reservoirs, however. Some are affected by other weather patterns or melting snow that’s harder to predict than California’s weather. Other reservoirs, like on the Colorado River, have the capacity to hold so much water that releasing water during the flood season isn’t much of an issue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Water experts say as the climate gets hotter, Western water managers will need to use real-time data to be more responsive to the changing conditions. California is expected to see more “weather whiplash,” the abrupt swings from extreme dry periods to extreme floods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Longer droughts, deeper droughts and bigger storms between them,” Ralph says. “That’s what Mother Nature is going to deliver us under a warmer climate. So we need to prepare. There’s a lot at stake and these are methods that could really help us with climate adaptation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Heavy+rain+is+still+hitting+California.+A+few+reservoirs+figured+out+how+to+capture+more+for+drought&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv>\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Climate Change Makes Heat Waves, Storms and Droughts Worse, Report Confirms",
"headTitle": "Climate Change Makes Heat Waves, Storms and Droughts Worse, Report Confirms | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Climate change is causing the weather around the world to get more extreme, and scientists are increasingly able to pinpoint exactly how the weather is changing as the Earth heats up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A sweeping \u003ca href=\"https://www.ametsoc.org/ams/index.cfm/publications/bulletin-of-the-american-meteorological-society-bams/explaining-extreme-events-from-a-climate-perspective/\">new report\u003c/a> by top climate scientists and meteorologists describes how climate change drove unprecedented heat waves, floods and droughts in recent years. The annual report from the American Meteorological Society (AMS) compiles the leading science about the role of climate change in extreme weather.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a reminder that the risk of extreme events is growing, and they’re affecting every corner of the world,” says Sarah Kapnick, the chief scientist at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Earth is \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/11/07/1132796190/faq-whats-at-stake-at-the-cop27-global-climate-negotiations\">already about 2 degrees Fahrenheit hotter\u003c/a> than it was in the late 1800s, and scientists warn that humans must cut greenhouse gas emissions in half this decade to avoid catastrophic warming later this century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One way to understand and predict the effects of a hotter Earth is to look for the fingerprints of climate change on extreme weather events such as floods, heat waves and droughts. The last decade has seen huge leaps forward for the field known as extreme-event attribution science, which uses statistics and climate models to detect global warming’s impact on weather disasters. The extreme drought in California and Nevada in 2021, for example, was six times more likely because of climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the big takeaways from the new report is that heat waves that used to be virtually impossible are increasingly likely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Extreme heat events are more extreme than ever,” says Stephanie Herring, one of the authors of the report and a scientist at NOAA. “Research is showing they’re likely to become the new normal in the not so distant future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In October 2021 parts of South Korea experienced average temperatures that were 7 degrees Fahrenheit higher than average. In the past, that would have been an exceedingly rare heat wave – something that would never occur twice in a millennium, let alone in a person’s lifetime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But \u003ca href=\"https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/103/12/BAMS-D-22-0124.1.xml\">scientists found\u003c/a> that if humans do not dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such heat waves in South Korea will be the new norm by 2060.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The connection between \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/11/23/1136809782/climate-change-is-making-the-weather-more-severe-why-dont-most-forecasts-mention\">climate change and heat waves\u003c/a> is particularly well-understood and documented, in part because rising temperatures are relatively simple to measure and predict.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other types of weather are \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/07/07/1107814440/researchers-can-now-explain-how-climate-change-is-affecting-your-weather\">more complex\u003c/a>. Climate change affects hurricanes, for instance, in many ways, from changing the temperature of the air and the water, to potentially affecting wind patterns and ocean currents. For that reason, scientists tend to focus on individual effects of a storm, such as coastal flooding from storm surge and sea level rise or inland flooding from abnormally heavy rain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such floods are particularly dangerous when they occur at the same time. Hurricane Ian brought both extreme storm surge and extreme rain to Florida last year, which led to deadly and destructive flooding across a huge swath of the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The AMS report highlights these so-called compound events, where climate change causes two extreme things to happen at the same time, because they can have such profound effects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Compound events lead to exacerbated impacts,” explains Andrew Hoell, a scientist at NOAA who studies such disasters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The megadrought in the Western U.S. is a prime example, Hoell says. The drought was caused by simultaneous extreme heat and lack of precipitation. That, in turn, causes a cascade of other hazards, including more wildfire risk and ecological destruction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Understanding how climate change will affect extreme weather in the future, and how common these types of disasters will become as the Earth continues to heat up, is crucial for elected officials and business leaders, says Kapnick, the chief scientist at NOAA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says scientists at her agency are prioritizing research that people can use to make long-term financial investments and infrastructure choices in a changing climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One way that such research \u003ca href=\"https://ametsoc.net/eee/2021_22/AcceptedMS_BAMS-D-22-0214.pdf\">can help people prepare\u003c/a> for a hotter future is by informing decisions about how to manage reservoirs, aquifers and other water resources in places that face increasingly frequent and severe droughts, the report notes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Climate+change+makes+heat+waves%2C+storms+and+droughts+worse%2C+climate+report+confirms&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv>\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Climate change is causing the weather around the world to get more extreme, and scientists are increasingly able to pinpoint exactly how the weather is changing as the Earth heats up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A sweeping \u003ca href=\"https://www.ametsoc.org/ams/index.cfm/publications/bulletin-of-the-american-meteorological-society-bams/explaining-extreme-events-from-a-climate-perspective/\">new report\u003c/a> by top climate scientists and meteorologists describes how climate change drove unprecedented heat waves, floods and droughts in recent years. The annual report from the American Meteorological Society (AMS) compiles the leading science about the role of climate change in extreme weather.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a reminder that the risk of extreme events is growing, and they’re affecting every corner of the world,” says Sarah Kapnick, the chief scientist at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Earth is \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/11/07/1132796190/faq-whats-at-stake-at-the-cop27-global-climate-negotiations\">already about 2 degrees Fahrenheit hotter\u003c/a> than it was in the late 1800s, and scientists warn that humans must cut greenhouse gas emissions in half this decade to avoid catastrophic warming later this century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One way to understand and predict the effects of a hotter Earth is to look for the fingerprints of climate change on extreme weather events such as floods, heat waves and droughts. The last decade has seen huge leaps forward for the field known as extreme-event attribution science, which uses statistics and climate models to detect global warming’s impact on weather disasters. The extreme drought in California and Nevada in 2021, for example, was six times more likely because of climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the big takeaways from the new report is that heat waves that used to be virtually impossible are increasingly likely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Extreme heat events are more extreme than ever,” says Stephanie Herring, one of the authors of the report and a scientist at NOAA. “Research is showing they’re likely to become the new normal in the not so distant future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In October 2021 parts of South Korea experienced average temperatures that were 7 degrees Fahrenheit higher than average. In the past, that would have been an exceedingly rare heat wave – something that would never occur twice in a millennium, let alone in a person’s lifetime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But \u003ca href=\"https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/103/12/BAMS-D-22-0124.1.xml\">scientists found\u003c/a> that if humans do not dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such heat waves in South Korea will be the new norm by 2060.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The connection between \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/11/23/1136809782/climate-change-is-making-the-weather-more-severe-why-dont-most-forecasts-mention\">climate change and heat waves\u003c/a> is particularly well-understood and documented, in part because rising temperatures are relatively simple to measure and predict.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other types of weather are \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/07/07/1107814440/researchers-can-now-explain-how-climate-change-is-affecting-your-weather\">more complex\u003c/a>. Climate change affects hurricanes, for instance, in many ways, from changing the temperature of the air and the water, to potentially affecting wind patterns and ocean currents. For that reason, scientists tend to focus on individual effects of a storm, such as coastal flooding from storm surge and sea level rise or inland flooding from abnormally heavy rain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such floods are particularly dangerous when they occur at the same time. Hurricane Ian brought both extreme storm surge and extreme rain to Florida last year, which led to deadly and destructive flooding across a huge swath of the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The AMS report highlights these so-called compound events, where climate change causes two extreme things to happen at the same time, because they can have such profound effects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Compound events lead to exacerbated impacts,” explains Andrew Hoell, a scientist at NOAA who studies such disasters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The megadrought in the Western U.S. is a prime example, Hoell says. The drought was caused by simultaneous extreme heat and lack of precipitation. That, in turn, causes a cascade of other hazards, including more wildfire risk and ecological destruction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Understanding how climate change will affect extreme weather in the future, and how common these types of disasters will become as the Earth continues to heat up, is crucial for elected officials and business leaders, says Kapnick, the chief scientist at NOAA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says scientists at her agency are prioritizing research that people can use to make long-term financial investments and infrastructure choices in a changing climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One way that such research \u003ca href=\"https://ametsoc.net/eee/2021_22/AcceptedMS_BAMS-D-22-0214.pdf\">can help people prepare\u003c/a> for a hotter future is by informing decisions about how to manage reservoirs, aquifers and other water resources in places that face increasingly frequent and severe droughts, the report notes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Climate+change+makes+heat+waves%2C+storms+and+droughts+worse%2C+climate+report+confirms&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv>\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"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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"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": "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.",
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"possible": {
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"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.",
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"radiolab": {
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},
"rightnowish": {
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"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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"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
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"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
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