You are now in California and the U.S. category.

Are Drought Conditions in the U.S. Southwest Here to Stay?

/in /by /The Christian Science Monitorby Ben Thompson

A new study suggests that dry conditions in the southwestern United States, including the ongoing California drought, may become standard.

The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, analyzes weather types to demonstrate how the American Southwest has already shifted to a much drier climate system than it once had, along with showing a downward trend in overall precipitation. The research, which uses data from 1979 to 2014 collected from across the contiguous United States, could show that the dry pattern will continue into the future.

Full Story

Carlsbad Desalination Plant May Soon Ease Water Restrictions

/in /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein Quoted: Mark Weston
Full Story

OPINION: Dan Walters: Skirmishes in California’s Water War

/in /by /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Dan Walters

Despite a wet winter, California’s historic drought continues to spark fierce – even bitter – debate over how the state’s water needs should be met in the future.

The core issue is whether we should primarily rely on conservation of what may be a permanently diminished water supply, or make more energetic efforts to increase the supply with new dams and reservoirs, desalination plants, etc.

Full Story

OPINION: Our Voice: California Must Keep On Smart Water Path

/in /by /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)

Many headlines in recent days have touched on the ongoing drought and California’s response to it.

Each of these developments relates to a facet of the Golden State’s complicated relationship with water and how we as Californians will move forward.

While there has been some pretty good news to celebrate after years of extremely dry times, there’s plenty of nuance here that should have all proceeding with caution when it comes to our use of this most precious resource.

Full Story

More Rain Coming; Catch It with Rain Barrels

/in /by /Ventura County Star

So far, Southern California has not seen the back-to-back deluges highly anticipated with this year’s strong El Niño. Last Sunday’s storm dumped snow on the Sierra and thrashed Southern California with high winds, but Ventura County’s lower-lying communities got less than a half-inch of rain.

The county’s total rainfall to date this season is still below 60 percent of normal. But don’t lose confidence in El Niño yet. Curt Kaplan, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Oxnard office, said, “We still have a very strong El Niño set up in the Pacific … and it’s still encouraging. We’ll see quite a few storms come through between now and the end of March and even April.”

Full Story

Brown’s Projects Face Tests

/in /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dan Walters

The two immense public works projects that would be Jerry Brown legacies will soon face pivotal moments.

The years-long debates over a north-south bullet train and twin water tunnels beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta have focused on whether they are needed, as Brown contends, to enhance the state’s future.

Ultimately, however, whether they fly or die depends on securing tens of billions of dollars in financing.

Full Story

OPINION: Water Issues Everywhere

/in /by /Stockton Recordby Donald W. Blount

When it comes to California, water always seems to be in the news.

The problems of having too much — rarely. More often the problems of having too little. Maybe it’s about where to get it or where to store it? Even how to protect us from it. Frequently in some form or another, whether it be snowpack or drought or flooding, water is on our minds.

Full Story

California Journal: Barren a Year Ago, a Snowpack Station Comes Up Deep and Dense

/in /by /The Los Angeles Timesby Robin Abcarian

It was 22 degrees and snowing Tuesday morning. State snow surveyor Frank Gehrke slowly crossed a blanketed field.

He periodically jabbed a hollow pole into the snow and then hung it from a portable scale, reading nature to draw a bead on where, exactly, the California drought is heading.

Dear Drought Fighter: Graywater Can Be Recycled

/in /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune

Q: Is it feasible to run washing machine water onto the grass? I remember my father doing this and it kept our grass green in the hot San Fernando Valley.

A: Homeowners don’t need permits for recycling graywater from washing machines to irrigate certain types of landscaping such as grass when leach-line systems comply with rules set by local agencies (such as the cities of Oceanside or San Diego). Graywater also includes wastewater from bathtubs, showers and sinks, but recycling water from those sources requires a permit. Graywater does not include water from toilets and other sources that could spread pathogens.

Full Story

Feds Sharply Increase Flows from Folsom Lake

/in /by /The Sacramento Beeby Phillip Reese

Just two months after Folsom Lake hit historically low depths, federal officials have increased water releases from the lake for flood control.

Folsom Lake has filled up at a near-unprecedented pace since early December, thanks to rain, snow and what had been a sharp curtailment on water releases because the drought had left the reservoir severely depleted. In recent weeks, regular rainfall and runoff from higher-than-average Sierra snowfall helped return the reservoir to above-average levels for this time of year.

Full Story