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The Godzilla El Niño Now Drenching California Is Getting a Boost from Another Potent Climatic Phenomenon: ‘MJO’

Godzilla El Niño stormed ashore in Southern California today, offering up a good drenching that has caused flooding, closed roads, and transformed the usually trickling Los Angeles River into a raging torrent.

 

Today’s fast-moving tempest will be just the first in a parade of storms this week. An El-Niño-energized subtropical jet stream promises to help deliver at least two more rounds of copious rainfall to the drought-plagued region between now and Sunday.

Governor’s Tunnels Opponents File Legal Actions

Restore the Delta and its coalition partners on Tuesday filed either formal protests or notices of intent to make formal statements with the State Water Resources Control Board to oppose permitting to change the point of water diversion in the Sacramento River to allow for Gov. Edmund Brown Jr.’s water tunnels to be built.

 

The twin tunnels touted by Mr. Brown would each be 40 feet in diameter and extend 30-35 miles.

El Niño Delivers Rainiest Sacramento Day in 13 Months

El Niño gave Sacramento its biggest rainstorm in more than a year Tuesday, overwhelming gutters and snarling traffic but putting another small dent in the drought.

 

The second straight day of El Niño storms meant snow chain controls for much of the Sierra Nevada and occasional traffic accidents throughout the Sacramento region. A pre-dawn big-rig crash on southbound Highway 99 near Dillard Road forced lane closures, while a car crash later in the morning on northbound Interstate 5 near Pocket Road caused headaches for commuters. Vehicles encountered significant flooding early in the day on the Capital City Freeway, near the E Street exit. Caltrans said a jackknifed big rig near the Nevada border brought eastbound traffic on Interstate 80 to a halt for about an hour.

IID Presses California to Pay for Salton Sea Fixes

There’s been a lot of progress at the Salton Sea in the last year, but local officials and activists aren’t taking anything for granted.

 

In what’s becoming a regular ritual, representatives from the Imperial Irrigation District and other groups trekked to Sacramento on Tuesday to make the case for action on the Salton Sea. They urged state officials to fulfill their promise to pay for fixes at California’s largest lake, and to support geothermal energy development, which many see as critical to generating restoration funds.

Army Corps of Engineers Activates Reservoir Operation Center to Manage Flooding Risk

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Los Angeles office activated its Reservoir Operations Center on Tuesday to help reduce flooding risk during the winter storms.

 

Van Crisostomo, chief of the operations center, said late Tuesday morning that rainfall had “not really affected our areas of operation, but we will continue to monitor in the event that changes.”

 

The center’s staff tracks real-time information about water levels at dams operated by the Army Corps so that they can modulate the release of water through dams based on weather conditions, Corps officials said.

State Gets $1.2 Billion Boost for More Water Recycling Projects

The state got a big financial boost in its quest to find more water sources — by recycling it.

 

The State Water Resources Control Board authorized the sale of $1.2 billion in revenue bonds Tuesday to fund additional recycled water projects. Supporters believe the money, an extension of the existing Clean Water State Revolving Fund, will help water agencies and cities build more water recycling plants, pipes and delivery facilities that will increase California’s water supply.

 

Already, the state board expects demand will increase this year, piggybacking on a 40 percent increase for project commitments in fiscal year 2014-2015.

California Cut Water Use 20.3% in November; With the Rain, What Will Happen?

As long-awaited rain comes to the state, regulators said Tuesday that California cut its water usage by 20.3% in November, staying on track to meet the target set by Gov. Jerry Brown.

 

The savings percentage, compared with November 2013, was the lowest in six months of reporting and moved California’s cumulative savings to 26.3% from 27.1% in October. The November savings is still slightly above the 25% cutback that Brown called for.

VIDEO: Most of County Misses Water Conservation Goals

Two-thirds of the water districts in San Diego County failed to reach their conservation goals in November, though cumulative savings since June remains strong, the state Water Resources Board reported Tuesday.

 

The area’s largest water supplier to homes and businesses — the city of San Diego — failed to meet its state-mandated target of 16 percent for the first time in November, which saw a savings of 13.8 percent compared to the same period in 2013. State water officials set water consumption totals in 2013 as the benchmark for comparisons.

Third Storm to Hit San Diego on Wednesday

If the weather so far this week is any indicator of what El Niño can bring to San Diego County and the rest of California, then people should be ready for a prolonged mix of relief and misery.

 

Relief because the extra rainfall and snow would go a long way toward ending the state’s drought, which has lasted four consecutive years.

California Misses Mark for Saving Water 2 Months Running

Residents of drought-weary California in November fell short of hitting a 25 percent water conservation mandate for a second month running, state officials say.

 

The monthly tally comes as a series of much-anticipated El Nino storms line up, expecting to drench the state for several days and boost the snowpack.

Felicia Marcus, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, said California remains on course to beat its long-term goal through February. Marcus wouldn’t reveal ahead of Tuesday’s formal announcement exactly how much the state fell short of its target.