Daniel Salzler No. 1170 EnviroInsight.org Six Items October 7, 2022
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1. Feds Will Spend Billions to Boost Drought-Stricken Colorado River System
Money from the Inflation Reduction Act will fund “short-term conservation” measures including removing water-intensive lawns around cities and improvements to make infrastructure less leaky.
As climate change tightens its grip on the Colorado River basin, the states that use its water are struggling to agree on terms that will reduce their demand. Now, the federal government is stepping in with a plan to use billions of dollars to incentivize conservation.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced new measures in response to the ongoing dry conditions, unveiling plans to use a chunk of the $4 billion it received as part of the recently-passed Inflation Reduction Act. That money will be used for what the agency refers to as “short-term conservation,” to remove water-intensive grass in cities and suburbs, and to upgrade aging canals.
A detailed breakdown of that spending has not yet been released. Multiple sources close to the situation told KUNC that the bulk of Reclamation’s $4 billion will go to projects in the Colorado River basin, with the majority going to “system conservation.” That could include buying water from the agriculture sector to boost water levels in the nation’s largest reservoirs.
That funding will likely be doled out as part of a voluntary program in which farmers and ranchers can make a pitch to the federal government, offering to pause growing in exchange for payments of $300 to $400 per acre-foot of water, sources told KUNC. Those payments are expected to be temporary, mainly focused in the river’s Lower Basin states, and may someday give way to more permanent, higher-value federal payments in exchange for water.
Reclamation previously tested system conservation efforts in a pilot program that ran from 2014 to 2019, but has not implemented similar water buybacks at a large scale since. Earlier this year, states in the river’s Upper Basin urged the federal government to revive system conservation work.
“I personally have a hard time believing that we’re going to see a massive change in reservoir levels as a result of system conservation by itself,” Koebele said. “This might be sort of a program that helps states establish their own programs for longer term system conservation. That said, we’re in such a dire situation that almost anything in the short term can help.”
A group of farmers near Yuma, Arizona recently proposed a water conservation plan in which they would be paid about $1500 per acre-foot of water saved, according to Axios.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think that what they’re proposing is going to get us to where we so desperately need to go, very quickly,” Wiltshire said. “Frankly, what Interior really can’t do a whole heck of a lot about is getting to the underlying causes. We don’t have the demand management that we need. We’re consuming too much water. We need to go to significantly less thirsty crops than what we’re growing right now.”
These new federal actions come after states failed to meet an important water conservation deadline this summer. In June, Reclamation asked the seven states that use water from the Colorado River to conserve an unprecedented quantity, 2 to 4 million acre-feet, or the federal government would step in and implement its own conservation measures. Two months later, after finger-pointing between the states, they had no plan in time for the deadline.
Reclamation also hinted at more reductions to water released from the basin’s reservoirs in 2023. The agency has already announced relatively small, mandatory cuts to some water users in the lower Colorado River basin as part of measures previously laid out in 2019 and 2007 agreements. This latest announcement suggested the agency may alter those agreements, saying it could “adjust triggering elevations and/or increase reduction volumes” that were already spelled out.
Water from the Colorado River is used to irrigate crops near Yuma, Arizona. Agriculture uses about 80% of the Colorado River’s water, and that sector is under mounting pressure to reduce its demand. Credit: Alex Hager/KUNC
The announcement also included a note that Reclamation will speed up its studies of bypass tubes at the Glen Canyon dam, which holds back the waters of Lake Powell, the nation’s second largest reservoir. Environmental groups recently raised alarm that as levels in Lake Powell continue to drop, the reservoir’s water may soon be unable to pass through rarely-used pipes in the dam at a sufficient rate, jeopardizing the flow of water to millions of people who depend on it in Nevada, Arizona, and California.
The Bureau of Reclamation, a subdivision of the Department of the Interior, is the federal agency tasked with managing water in the Western U.S. While it also manages water infrastructure outside of the Colorado River basin, much of its energy and spending has been focused on the Colorado over the past year. That river supplies roughly 40 million people from Wyoming into Mexico, and is currently strained by a supply-demand imbalance made worse by a 23-year megadrought that is driven by climate change. Source: Inside Climate News.
2. Creating Drought Resilient Landscapes. The Glendale Water Services Department, Conservation and Sustainability Division is offering a virtual class on “Creating Drought Resilient Landscapes” on October 12, 2022 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m..
The southwestern United States has been in a drought for more than 22 years. Is your landscape equipped to thrive in our dry climate? Increase the resiliency and health of your landscape, wile saying time and water. Johnathan Manning, certified Arborist and localNurseryman, will she the ricks of the trade.
To attend either in person at 5959 Brown Street, Glendale, or virtually, you must register at bit.ly/GLSClasses. Either way, yo1,401 violations u must provide you e-mail address. For additional information, go to glendaleaz.com/waterconservation or call 623-930-3535.
3. OSHA’s 10 Most Cited Safety Violations for 2022. While OSHA’s 10 most cited violations list does not change much from one year to the next, employers can use it to identify and address workplace hazards present in a wide range of industries. OSHA also offers an online tool that will show the most frequently cited 29 CFR Standards in specific industry sectors.
10 Machine Guarding 1,370 violations (1910.212)
9 Eye and Face Protection 1,401 violations (1926.102)
8 Fall Protection Training Requirements 1,556 violations (1926.503)
7 Powered Industrial Trucks 1,749 violations (1910.178)
6 Lockout/Tagout 1,977 violations (1910.147)
5 Scaffolding 2,058 violations (1926.451)
4 Ladders 2,143 violations (1926.1053)
3 Respiratory Protection 2,185 violations (1910.134)
2 Hazard Communication 2,424 violations (1910.1200)
1 Fall Protection General Requirements 5,260 violations (1926.501)
Need an 8 hr refresher? For $80 and notification from you, we’ll get something set up. Just contact Dan at sconflit@aol.com
4. SARS-COVID-19 And Variants. Recently. the editor has learned of more people getting COVID-19, again and again, after vaccinations, etc. Perhaps sanitation needs to be re-visited, and/or the disinfection products you use need to be re-visited.
Disinfectant products may be marketed and sold under different brand and product names. To determine whether EPA expects a given product to kill SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, you need to determine whether its primary registration number is on this list.
- First, find the registration number on the product label. Look for “EPA Reg. No.” followed by two or three sets of numbers.
- If your product’s registration number has two parts (ex. 1234-12), it has a primary registration number. If this number is on List N, the product is qualified for use against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).
- If your product’s registration number has three parts (ex. 1234-12-123), you have a supplemental distributor product. These products have the same chemical composition and efficacy as primary products, but often have different brand or product names. If the first two parts of this registration number (ex. 1234-12-123) are on List N, the
- product is qualified for use against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). (The first two parts of this registration number reflect the primary registration, while the third identifies the distributor’s EPA company number.)
- Regardless of whether you are using a primary registration product or a supplemental distributor product, always check that the product’s label includes directions for use for the pathogen on List N. For example, if List N indicates that a product will kill SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) if you follow the directions for rotavirus, make sure the label contains directions for use against rotavirus.
Getting To The N List
Using the EPA Registration Number, go to https://cfpub.epa.gov/wizards/disinfectants/ and then click on “Launch”.
You can either enter the EPA Registration Number or go to “Browse All” and view all 636 products.
5. Water – Plant Wisely This Fall. Fall is the prime time to plant trees, shrubs, and spring wildflowers in southern Arizona. From late September through early December soil temperatures are still warm, encouraging root growth and development. Planting now allows plants to become established before next summer’s heat sets in. Also, with cooler temperatures, plants need less water and it is a much more forgiving time of year to put new plants in the ground. If you forget to water just one day in the summer, your new plants can be toast. From the fall season through spring, water newly planted plants once every 3-4 days and gradually increase the number of days between watering as plants get established. Wondering how to plant? Be sure to visit the Water – Plant It Wisely site for plant selection tips, and proper planting instructions.
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