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Easing Drought Boosts California Hydropower, For Now

/in /by /Climate Central (New York)by Bobby Magill

The easing of California’s drought has boosted the state’s early spring hydropower generation to its highest level since 2011, helping it to recover from a 15-year low reached last year. But hydroelectricity production is not expected to improve much overall this year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The West’s four-year drought desiccated many reservoirs in California, the nation’s fourth largest hydropower producer, reducing their ability to generate electricity and forcing the state to rely on other renewables and more fossil fuels for its power supply.

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California officials say Delta tunnels won’t harm north state water users

/in /by /The Sacramento Beeby Ryan Sabalow

With months of contentious hearings ahead this summer, state and federal officials this week filed documents laying out their case that construction of two huge tunnels through the heart of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta would not harm north state water users.

In late July, the State Water Resources Control Board will begin a series of hearings to determine whether work can begin on the $15.5 billion tunnels project championed by Gov. Jerry Brown.

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Triple-digit temperatures in store for parts of Southern California this week

/in /by /The Los Angeles Timesby Hailey Branson-Potts

It’s time to crank up those fans and air conditioners because the next few days are going to be hot.

The first extended heat wave of the season has been forecast for inland regions of the Southland for the rest of the week, with triple-digit temperatures on tap for the San Fernando and Antelope valleys, according to the National Weather Service.

A high-pressure system moving over Southern California from the Pacific Ocean is bringing the heat wave, said David Sweet, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

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Another lawsuit filed to block water district’s Delta islands purchase

/in /by /The Sacramento Beeby Ryan Sabalow

Another legal challenge has been filed seeking to block the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s $175 million purchase of five islands in the heart of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This time, San Joaquin County and a group of Delta farmers allege that the pending sale represents a breach of contract.

Delta Wetlands Property, a subsidiary of Swiss financial services conglomerate Zurich Insurance Group, bought the islands 20 years ago with the aim of converting them into giant reservoirs that could store water in wet years and ship it to Southern California when supplies run low.

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Another lawsuit filed to block water district’s Delta islands purchase

/in /by /The Sacramento Beeby Ryan Sabalow

Another legal challenge has been filed seeking to block the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s $175 million purchase of five islands in the heart of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This time, San Joaquin County and a group of Delta farmers allege that the pending sale represents a breach of contract.

Delta Wetlands Property, a subsidiary of Swiss financial services conglomerate Zurich Insurance Group, bought the islands 20 years ago with the aim of converting them into giant reservoirs that could store water in wet years and ship it to Southern California when supplies run low.

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New Natural Gas Projects Spark Debate on Power

/in /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune by Joshua Emerson Smith

A new wave of natural gas power plants planned for Southern California has stoked a high-stakes debate about how best to keep the lights on throughout the region.

While green groups believe renewable energy has received short shrift by utilities proposing these facilities from Carlsbad to Oxnard, operators of the state’s electrical grid have warned that maintaining a stable power supply requires a delicate mix of energy sources — including fossil fuels.

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California’s Water: A Look Back in Time

/in /by /New University (UC Irvine)by Hubert Ta

In the fourth year of California’s current drought, the absence of water has clearly affected our state, evident by the dead grass of front lawns, water usage limitations, and the ever-present lack of rain. Today, we can mitigate some of these problems with our modern infrastructure, siphoning water from elsewhere and distributing it throughout the state. But what about one hundred years ago, before the proliferation of pipelines and modern irrigation systems? Well, a little glimpse into the past can be made at the Irvine Museum’s current exhibition, “The Nature of Water.”

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California’s Central Valley has a Water Problem Worse Than Flint’s—and a Bill to Solve It

/in /by /Daily Kosby Mark Sumner

Matheny Tract sits deep in the bowl of California’s Central Valley, an area that’s been hit hard by the prolonged drought. Like the nearby community of East Porterville, Matheny is seeing wells run dry, but before East Porterville became famous as the town that dried up, it shared a different kind of water problem with Matheny—one that also affects hundreds of other small, mostly Latino communities in the area.

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BLOG: What California Can Learn From Israel About Water

/in /by /Water Deeply (New York)by Alastair Bland Mentioned: Carlsbad Desalination Plant

A postwar refugee exodus to Palestine made Israel in 1948. Then, Israel made water.

The new nation had to. Its population exploded, placing extreme demand on land and water resources. For the production of food, especially, efficient use of water, and producing more where resources lagged, were essential. Author Seth Siegel’s 2015 book “Let There Be Water” chronicles Israel’s role as a developer of water technology and innovation. He suggests that other arid economies look at Israel as a model and follow the young nation’s path toward water security.

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OPINION: The Drought is Over?

/in /by /Sonoma Valley Sun

After a season of normal rainfall, both state and local water regulators are poised to cancel the range of use regulations put in place during the past two years. Pointing to reservoirs now almost fully-filled, water agencies here in Northern California – having just raised water rates to compensate for the reduced billings during the drought – are backing off. We believe this is short-sighted and foolish; times of ample water are precisely when progress on long-term solutions can be implemented.

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