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Water Year forecast highly uncertain

California is also suffering a ‘snow drought’.

The State Department of Water Resources says that while 60 percent of the state is in a severe or extreme drought, the water content of the Sierra snowpack also comes up short.

Record warm temperatures have created an early and below-average runoff from melting snow that was in large part absorbed by parched soil before ever reaching California’s reservoirs.

The forecast for Water Year 2017 is uncertain since La Nina has replaced the rain-bearing El Nino.

OPINION: ‘Drill, baby, drill’ is not the answer to California’s water woes

This summer, as temperatures soared and groundwater depletion created more San Joaquin Valley sinkholes, Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, put forth legislation to fast-track conservation of underground water supplies.

The proposal was modest: Delay drilling in overdrafted basins until the state’s new groundwater law takes hold in earnest. The bill squeaked through the Senate. Then the agricultural lobbies and the California Chamber of Commerce put it out of its misery.

“Drill, baby, drill” has since been the unofficial motto of California’s ag counties, in a trend that makes Wolk’s worries look quaint now.

One Word to Describe The Last Water Year? Dry

There were high hopes going into water year 2016. To hear some forecasters and scientists tell it, El Niño was coming to save California. With a little luck and a lot of rain, the drought might finally recede in its fifth year — or at least loosen its grip on the state.The weather phenomenon did show up, fueling some storms in Northern California. But it fell far short of the lofty expectations. On Friday, water year 2016 ended with a whimper.

New Water Plant Site Upsets Senior Neighbors

Escondido’s latest plan to build a recycled water treatment plant in the center of the city is drawing protests from residents in a nearby retirement home and other neighbors. The new site, at the southwest corner of Washington Avenue and Ash Street, is surrounded by mostly commercial properties, but is right next door to a retirement facility called The Springs of Escondido, where dozens of residents have signed a petition objecting to the city’s plans.

San Diego County Water Authority: Water Use Down 18-Percent

The San Diego County Water Authority reiterated Friday that the region has sufficient supply to meet expected demand next year and beyond, but efficient water use by customers remains essential. The agency, which distributes water to 24 cities and water districts in the county, previously stated in filings with state water authorities that there would be enough supply for the next three years, even if they were dry. The status was confirmed at a media briefing today, one day before the traditional start of the water year.

OPINION: Stop the groundwater grab

This summer, as temperatures soared and depleted groundwater turned the San Joaquin Valley into a collection of sinkholes, state Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, put forth legislation to fast-track conservation of underground water supplies.

The proposal was modest: Delay drilling in overdrafted basins until the state’s new groundwater law takes hold in earnest. The bill squeaked through the Senate. Then the agricultural lobbies and the California Chamber of Commerce put it out of its misery.

$16 Billion Delta Tunnels May Hit Taxpayers

A plan to build two huge tunnels to shunt fresh water around the Sacramento Delta is supposed to be funded entirely by the people who received the water. But taxpayers may end up paying a substantial amount of the tab.

That’s according to documents obtained by the Stockton-based environmental group Restore the Delta that discuss the cost of the California WaterFix project, which is projected to cost at least $16 billion to build.

With Colorado River Dwindling, Author Finds Reasons to be Optimistic

With Lake Mead receding year after year and the threat of a shortage looming, the overallocated Colorado River seems to be approaching a breaking point.

But John Fleck argues this crisis doesn’t necessarily mean we’re headed for a future in which conflicts flare and communities run dry. In his new book “Water is for Fighting Over,” Fleck focuses on success stories, including multiple examples of cities and farms reducing water use, and a deal that briefly revitalized the parched Colorado River Delta in 2014 during an event called the “pulse flow.”

Governor signs Gallagher’s water storage bill

Gov. Jerry Brown this week signed a bill by Assemblyman James Gallagher to expedite construction of water storage projects, such as the proposed Sites Reservoir in Colusa and Glenn counties.

The new law will allow water storage construction projects to utilize alternative delivery methods for procurement.

“It’s great. It’s something we worked with a lot of different stakeholders on, as well as worked across the aisle on,” Gallagher said. “It’s nice to see something that I think is going to be really helpful with building water storage.”

 

California Drought Monitor and National Drought Summary for September 27, 2016

September 29, 2016 – For the USDM 7-day period ending on September 27, a low pressure system produced above-normal precipitation in the western High Plains southwestward into the much of the Mountain West. The frontal boundary that was associated with the low produced copious amounts of rainfall for the Southern Plains stretching northward into Upper Midwest. Parts of the Mid-Atlantic also saw above-normal precipitation for the period. Drier-than-normal conditions existed for much of the country east of the Mississippi, especially for the Ohio Valley.