New Bill Seeks to Accurately Measure Water Flows in California Waterways

Lake Oroville in a dry water year. Photo by Manny Becerra.

A new bill introduced by State Senator Bill Dodd seeks to expand California’s water monitoring systems by requiring the state to measure water flow in thousands of local streams. The goal is to protect the state’s water supply, which is critical for California’s ecosystem, economy, and the livelihood of millions of residents.

Currently, the state collects data on hundreds of waterways through the use of stream gauges. Stream gauges record the amount of water flowing in a river or stream. However, over 3,200 local waterways, accounting for 70% of the state’s streams, have never been measured with a stream gauge. On top of that, 15% of waterways don’t have active gauges, and less than half of the state’s roughly 1,000 active gauges provide key water management data like temperature and sedimentation.

Senate Bill 361 aims to address this gap by requiring the Department of Water Resources and the State Water Resources Control Board to reactivate dormant stream gauges, update existing ones, or install new ones throughout the state by 2030. This would significantly expand the state’s ability to measure water flow and collect data on water management.

The bill also requires data from gauges that are installed and operated with public funding to be posted publicly within 10 days of collection. This provision aims to improve transparency and enable the public to access real-time information on water flow and management.

“Water is the lifeblood of California, and we must ensure it is managed correctly,” said Senator Dodd. “Unfortunately, you can’t manage what you don’t measure, and our stream monitoring systems need help.”

The bill was introduced on February 8th and is sponsored by the Environmental Defense Fund and The Nature Conservancy. State legislators are expected to take up the bill by mid-March at the earliest, once it has been in print for at least a month.

Expanding the state’s water monitoring systems is critical for protecting California’s water supply and managing it effectively. With the passing of Senate Bill 361, the state will be better equipped to measure and manage water flow, and ensure that California’s water resources are protected for generations to come.

Active NorCal

Telling the Stories of Northern California

27 Comments

  1. I’m amazed, I have to admit. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s both
    equally educative and interesting, and without a doubt, you’ve hit the nail on the head.
    The issue is an issue that not enough people are speaking intelligently about.
    I’m very happy I stumbled across this in my hunt for something
    relating to this.

  2. I don’t know whether it’s just me or if perhaps everyone else experiencing
    problems with your site. It looks like some of the written text within your posts are running off the screen. Can someone
    else please provide feedback and let me know if this is happening to them too?
    This may be a issue with my web browser because I’ve had this happen before.
    Appreciate it

  3. My spouse and I absolutely love your blog and find many
    of your post’s to be just what I’m looking for. can you
    offer guest writers to write content to suit your needs?
    I wouldn’t mind writing a post or elaborating on a few of the subjects
    you write with regards to here. Again, awesome web
    log!

  4. Lego sets can transport you into different worlds. It’s incredible how detailed each set is.
    We feel like we live within the miniature bricks.
    top-tier LEGO Brick Projects These Lego sets provide us with the tools to unleash our imagination! It’s incredible how they allow us to build and create our
    own unique stories. These Lego sets demonstrate the
    power and potential of imagination. They remind us that no matter our age, we
    can always find joy in building something extraordinary.

  5. I have been surfing online more than three hours today,
    yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It’s pretty worth enough for me.
    In my view, if all website owners and bloggers made good
    content as you did, the internet will be much more useful than ever
    before.

  6. We absolutely love your blog and find most of
    your post’s to be just what I’m looking for. Would you offer guest writers to write content to suit your needs?
    I wouldn’t mind creating a post or elaborating on a few of the subjects you write
    regarding here. Again, awesome website!

  7. Heya i am for the first time here. I came across this board and I find It
    truly useful & it helped me out a lot. I hope to give something back
    and aid others like you aided me.

  8. DETROIT, July 18, 2023 — The tree Detroit casinos reported $101.5 million in month-to-month
    aggregate income for the month of June 2023, of which $101.9 million was
    generated f…

  9. I got this web page from my pal who told me regarding this web page
    and now this time I am browsing this web site and reading very informative articles
    at this place.

  10. Hey! This post could not be written any better!
    Reading this post reminds me of my old room mate!
    He always kept talking about this. I will forward this post
    to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thanks for
    sharing!

  11. Hello it’s me, I am also visiting this website regularly,
    this web page is genuinely good and the visitors are in fact sharing pleasant thoughts.

  12. Usually I do not learn post on blogs, however I would like to say that this write-up very pressured me to check
    out and do so! Your writing taste has been amazed me. Thank
    you, quite great article.

  13. Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it
    or something. I think that you could do with a few pics to drive
    the message home a little bit, but other than that, this is wonderful blog.
    A fantastic read. I will definitely be back.

  14. Nice post. I was checking continuously this blog and I’m impressed!
    Very helpful information specifically the last part 🙂 I care for such information a lot.

    I was looking for this certain information for a long
    time. Thank you and good luck.

  15. Hey there! Someone in my Facebook group shared this website with us so I came to look it over.
    I’m definitely loving the information. I’m bookmarking and will be tweeting this to my followers!
    Terrific blog and brilliant style and design.

  16. May I just say what a relief to find a person that truly knows what they’re discussing on the web.
    You certainly realize how to bring an issue to light and make it important.
    A lot more people should read this and understand this side of the story.
    I was surprised you are not more popular since you definitely have the
    gift.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to top button