The Rundown
- CDC researchers collaborate with a biotech company on wastewater monitoring.
- The EPA’s deadline for publishing draft rules for PFAS in drinking water is the end of this week.
- Lake Powell, a big Colorado River reservoir, drops to a record low.
- The EPA announces environmental justice grants.
- The Bureau of Reclamation announces initial Central Valley Project water allocations.
And lastly, the Bureau of Reclamation assesses four options to disrupt the spawning of non-native fish below Lake Powell.
“If smallmouth bass, which are a predaceous fish, establish below the dam, removal efforts to protect federally listed species could be difficult and expensive.” — Excerpt from a Bureau of Reclamation environmental assessment. The document explores four options for halting the spread of non-native smallmouth bass downstream of Lake Powell, yet another stressor in a teetering river system.
By the Numbers
$550 Million: Funding that will be available for communities historically burdened by pollution. The money will be given in $50 million chunks to 11 intermediary organizations. Those organizations will be responsible for identifying and funding projects in their areas over three years. These environmental justice funds are part of the Inflation Reduction Act that Congress passed last August. The deadline to apply to be an intermediary organization is May 31, 2023.
3,521: Feet, above sea level, at which the water of Lake Powell currently sits. It is a record low for a reservoir that is the nation’s second largest by capacity. The reservoir is little more than 30 feet above the level where hydropower generation stops. Powell is expected to continue to decline in the next few weeks, until the annual spring snowmelt arrives.
In context: What Happens If Glen Canyon Dam’s Power Shuts Off?
News Briefs
Non-Native Fish in the Colorado River
The Bureau of Reclamation is considering four options to disrupt the spawning of smallmouth bass in the Colorado River downstream of Lake Powell, where they could threaten federally protected species like the humpback chub.
Because of Lake Powell’s decline, the smallmouth bass live in a warm-water layer of the reservoir that is close to the pipes that discharge water downstream. The bass could survive the journey and prey on native species.
Each of the four options adjusts water releases from the reservoir in order to achieve a target cold-water temperature downstream. Reclamation, in this proposal, would use the entire array, selecting the best option based on river conditions.
Public comments are being accepted through March 10. Send them to gcd_smb_ea@usbr.gov.
Central Valley Project Allocations
The Bureau of Reclamation set the initial water supply allocations for municipal and agricultural contractors that receive water from the federal Central Valley Project.
In general, more water will be available to municipal contractors (75 percent of historic use) than irrigators (roughly 35 percent).
Studies and Reports
Wastewater Surveillance
Waste tells stories and it’s helping public health researchers keep tabs on the virus behind the Covid pandemic.
For six weeks last summer, the CDC collaborated with the biotech company Ginkgo Bioworks to pry into the lavatories of international flights arriving at John F. Kennedy Airport, in New York.
Wastewater from flights originating in three countries — the United Kingdom, France, and the Netherlands — was tested for SARS-CoV-2 variants.
The researchers found that this method, though imperfect, identified variants. It is “a low-resource approach” compared to testing individuals, they concluded.
On the Radar
PFAS Drinking Water Rules
The EPA’s stated deadline for publishing draft rules for PFAS in drinking water is March 3.
The agency had initially intended to release the draft at the end of last year. Some observers conjecture that the delay might be the result of a rulemaking that is broader or stricter than anticipated.
Water Infrastructure Funding Oversight
The EPA’s internal watchdog will assess the agency’s capacity to oversee the influx of water infrastructure dollars from the federal infrastructure bill.
The target of the assessment is the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which provides low-interest loans and grants for improvements to sewers and stormwater systems.
Unregulated Contaminants
The EPA is soliciting recommendations for unregulated drinking water contaminants that should be part of a national testing program.
By law the EPA is required to propose a list of such contaminants for which certain drinking water providers must test. If the contaminants are sufficiently widespread they could, in the future, be regulated.
The deadline for offering recommendations is April 18. Submit them at www.regulations.gov using docket number EPA-HQ-OW-2022-0946.
Federal Water Tap is a weekly digest spotting trends in U.S. government water policy. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.
