Depletion of Central Valley's groundwater may be causing earthquakes [Los Angeles Times]
For
years, scientists have wondered about the forces that keep pushing up
California's mighty Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges, causing an increase in the
number of earthquakes in one part of Central California. On Wednesday, a group
of scientists offered a new, intriguing theory: The quakes are triggered in
part by the pumping of groundwater in the Central Valley, which produces crops
that feed the nation.…Using new GPS data, the scientists found that mountains
closest to California's thirsty Central Valley were growing at a
faster-than-expected rate compared to nearby ranges.…Groundwater is very heavy,
and its weight depresses the Earth's upper crust. Remove the weight, and the
crust springs upward — and that change in pressure can trigger more small
earthquakes, the researchers said. "It reduces the forces that are keeping
the fault clamped together — leading to more small earthquakes during dry
periods of time," said Colin B. Amos, assistant professor of geology at
Western Washington University, the study's lead author.
Irrigation district
to make $1.5 million selling water to San Joaquin Valley farmers [Redding
Record Searchlight]
One
of the worst droughts in decades could pay off for the Anderson-Cottonwood
Irrigation District this year. The district stands to make as much as $1.5
million from selling water to the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority
in the San Joaquin Valley. The district plans to sell up to 3,500 acre-feet of
its Central Valley Project water to the authority at $500 an acre-foot, said
Stan Wangberg, ACID’s general manager. The district is ready to begin
transferring water, but still needs approval from the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation, Wangberg said.
Salinas River water
permit should be part of larger solution, panel says [Monterey Herald]
Agreeing
with a recommendation on a conceptual project to use a Salinas River water
right permit, Monterey County Water Resources Agency officials signaled Wednesday
they also want the proposal to be part of a broader solution for the Salinas
Valley. After the full county Water Resources Agency board conducted a workshop
on the river permit Wednesday morning and outlined its thoughts, the agency's
basin management planning committee conducted its own review and decided to
follow the board's lead. They recommended the agency pursue the advisory
committee's proposal, which calls for diverting river water for agricultural
and urban uses. The river permit, which allows diversion of up to 135,000
acre-feet of river water per year under certain conditions, is intended to help
battle seawater intrusion. It was subject to a revocation threat from the state
water board. A settlement agreement allowed the county to keep it under certain
conditions, including pursuit of a project designed to use the water and
adhering to an aggressive timeline.
North Coast vineyards
going strong, but drought raises worry [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
North
Coast wineries and growers remain optimistic following a second consecutive
year of record-setting harvests and strong consumer demand for grape varietals
that thrive in the region, particularly pinot noir.…Wineries continue to plant
new vineyards and sign long-term contracts with growers to ensure access to
grapes. Crop yield is increasing statewide, despite no significant increase in
acreage along California's coast. If anything, wineries are facing the
unintended problem of having too many grapes coming in and not enough capacity
to contain them all.…Growers increasingly are concerned, however, about the
impact of California's drought. Water diversions along the Russian River Valley
watershed above the city of Healdsburg could be cut off next month, said Paula
Whealen, principal of Wagner and Bonsignore.
Under attack,
commission defends coastal program Point Reyes Light]
Environmental
groups are lambasting proposed changes to Marin’s Local Coastal Program
outlined this month by California Coastal Commission staff. The Sierra Club and
the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin claim that the plan, which
will regulate development in the county’s coastal zone for the foreseeable
future, represents a drastic shift from current land-use policies and could
spark a rash of development on agriculturally zoned parcels. In response, commission staff published a
report on Wednesday defusing many of those claims, and county planners accused
critics of distorting the proposal by using a unit of measurement—square
feet—that exaggerates the potential for development. The changes in regulations on agricultural
lands are meant to strengthen the ability of farmers and ranchers to maintain
their operations by making it easier to build an additional home for family
members and housing for workers. (The coastal commission is holding a hearing
on the plan on today.)
California
cantaloupes' safety scrutinized after listeria outbreaks [Imperial Valley
Press]
While
Wal-Mart is settling lawsuits related to a 2011 listeria outbreak linked to
cantaloupes from Colorado that killed more than 30 people, a mandatory food
safety program enacted in response by California cantaloupe growers is going
strong….When consumers fell ill to listeriosis from Colorado cantaloupes,
California’s growers had enough. They instituted a mandatory, comprehensive
food safety program for the production, harvest, cooling, packing, storage and
transportation of cantaloupes. It details areas where pathogens can be
introduced, from water quality to facility sanitation and worker hygiene. And, they invited the California Department
of Food and Agriculture to look over their shoulders. There are 30 announced
audits and any number of unannounced audits every year.
Ag
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