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OPINION: Snowfall a Good Sign for Tahoe

/in /by /Lake Tahoe Newsby By Joanne Marchetta

The New Year is getting off to a phenomenal start with snow falling at Lake Tahoe. It seems long ago since we’ve had snow around the lake, but as California and Nevada continue to grapple with four years of drought and water shortages, the snow couldn’t be falling at a better time.

 

A snow survey this January by California Department of Water Resources found 54 inches of snow at Echo Summit. That’s 16 inches above average for this time of year. And it’s significantly more snow than we saw last April when the snowpack is usually at its greatest but surveyors found no accumulated snow on the ground.

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10 Inches of Rain in 7 Days in Store for Bay Area’s Wettest Spots

/in /by /SF Gateby By Kale Williams

The Bay Area will see a brief reprieve from rain most of Friday after a weak system moved out of the region, but unsettled weather is set to return soon with a series of storms lined up across the Pacific and blowing toward Northern California that could bring as much as 10 inches of rain to the wettest spots over the next seven days.

 

Rainfall totals from Thursday’s overnight storm were relatively scant with San Francisco and Oakland picking up just under a quarter of an inch,

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Drought Rules Could Be Eased For Sacramento Region, Other Inland Areas

/in /by /The Sacramento Beeby By Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow

Acknowledging the challenges posed by the hot, dry climate endemic to much of inland California, state drought regulators Friday proposed easing the water-conservation rules for Sacramento and other communities where it takes extra water to keep trees from dying.

 

The new rules also would loosen conservation mandates for communities that have invested in new “drought-resilient” water supplies, as well as those that have experienced rapid population growth in recent years.

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Water Regulators Propose Further Relaxation of Conservation Requirements

/in /by /The Los Angeles Timesby By Matt Stevens

Water providers that have struggled in recent months to meet conservation targets could soon get some relief under the modified drought rules unveiled Friday by state regulators.

 

The proposed changes to California’s emergency drought regulation reward water districts for investing in new local supplies and allow for adjustments to savings goals based on a district’s climate and population growth.

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Judge Orders MWD to Release Data on Recipients of Turf Replacement Rebates

/in /by /The Los Angeles Timesby By Taylor Goldenstein

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled Friday that the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California must release the names and addresses of recipients of millions of dollars in turf replacement rebates.

 

The L.A. Department of Water and Power sued MWD in late July to block the release of the data to the San Diego Union-Tribune, a sister newspaper of the Los Angeles Times. Three other agencies — West Basin Municipal Water District, Foothill Municipal Water District and Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District — later joined the DWP suit.

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