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We Don’t Have Water Shortage

Reading about our water shortage is becoming very tiring and exasperating. California does not have a water shortage. You don’t believe me? Try driving west from downtown Ventura and see how far you can go before you discover a vast, seemingly never-ending supply of it. When arriving here in 1961, we found California to be a desert, and as far as we know, it still is. We should not rely on rain, or aqueducts from Northern California or the Colorado River, etc. The salt can be taken out of ocean water as it is done in every large ship that sails.

 

OPINION: Geo Springer: It’s Too Late To Stop Those Who Intend To Take Our Water

It is very simple. In this day and age of politics it seems anything can be said by the government or power elite as true facts … as they cover up the truth. They are taking water out of the Sacramento River and sending it south and they want to replace it with water from the Tuolumne, Merced and Stanislaus rivers. Big southern cities are taking water from the smaller less politically powerful communities. They will have meetings and committees with smoke and mirrors to prove they are right. The Sacramento pipeline is already a done deal.

Prop 53: What’s The Real Impact On CA’s Infrastructure?

Millions of dollars are in play to sway your vote on Proposition 53. The TV ads are everywhere. Supporters call it the “No Blank Checks Initiative,” while Gov. Jerry Brown says it’s bad for California. FAST FACTS: Passage of Prop 53 could spell funding problems for Brown’s twin tunnels project, high speed rail.Opponents argue Prop 53 would threaten future infrastructure problems, while supporters tout expensive projects would require voter approval. If Prop 53 were in effect during rolling blackouts of 2001, electricity crisis would have been tougher to deal with

 

 

This Is Drought

For all the water saving tactics San Diego County residents have employed, they’re not helping nature take care of her own. This photograph, taken the morning of Oct. 7, shows all too acutely what drought means to Fallbrook. This is what’s left of the man-made pond in Los Jilgueros Preserve. Acquired by the Fallbrook Land Conservancy in 1990, plentiful rains once filled the preserve pond so that water flowed from it across a concrete dip in the major trail through the interior, making the trail nearly impassable.

OPINION: Seeking Cost-Effective Solutions For The Bay Delta

In recent weeks, the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has launched a PR campaign in San Diego County to advocate for a $17 billion plan to build twin tunnels for carrying water under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta. Then, the MWD dismissed a request by the San Diego County Water Authority for details about how the MWD will pay its share of the bill, which probably will exceed $4 billion.

County Offers Bigger Discounts On Rain Barrel Rebate Program

A rebate program that will make already discounted rain barrels even less expensive for area residents will be available through the end of this year, the San Diego County Water Authority announced Monday. The 50-gallon barrels will be available at the Solana Center for $90, discounted from $149, according to the water authority. Until Dec. 31, purchasers can also get a $75 rebate through the SoCalWaterSmart program. The offer will be reduced to $35 on Jan. 1, according to the agency. “Water stored in rain barrels can gradually be released into landscapes between rains,” said Joni German, water resources specialist for the water authority.

OPINION: Northern California Has A Much Different Water Outlook Than L.A.

The premise that Californians should be conserving at the same level as 2015 and that anything less is “backsliding” is ill-conceived. The reality is that our water supply picture — especially in Northern California — is not “precarious” as suggested by State Water Board staff. (“Water conservation improved in September but is still worse than in 2015,” Nov. 1) Conditions improved significantly in 2016, leading the State Water Board to the sound decision to lift mandated conservation for those water suppliers that demonstrated adequate supplies. This allowed local water providers to match their levels of conservation to the reliability of their water supplies.

Forecasters: Wet Winter Odds Aren’t Good

Are you dreaming of a wet winter to turn Kings County’s fallowed fields green and end the drought? Prepare for disappointment. Forecasters are calling for a weak La Nina to last into the spring. That usually means dry conditions in Central California. La Nina refers to cooler sea water surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. Scott Borgioli, a meteorologist at www.WeatherAg.com, estimated a 75 percent probability that Central California will have below-average precipitation during the upcoming rainy season. Borgioli said that seven of the 11 weak La Nina episodes since 1950 have produced below-average precipitation.

 

Chances For Wet Winter Stands 50 Percent, October Triumphs As Wettest Month

The last couple of weeks were rainy, but the month of October was probably the wettest month the area will experience for the rest of the year. That’s according to Climatologist Dan McEvoy at the Western Regional Climate Center in Reno. Although October is known to be the first water month of the year in the West, it isn’t going to fully mend the drought. However, the rain put many positive impacts on the area, McEvoy said. “The soil is moistening in high elevation before snowfall hits,” he said.

The Dry Facts

Thousands have lived without love; not one without water,” observed W.H. Auden. He omitted to add that, as with love, many people have a strong moral aversion to paying for the life-sustaining liquid. Some feel that water is a right, and should therefore be free. Others lobby governments to subsidise its distribution to favoured groups. All this results in vast and preventable waste. Water covers two-thirds of the Earth’s surface. It is not used up when consumed: it just keeps circulating.