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Rainstorms Wash Away Drought In More Than 90 Percent Of California

This week’s U.S. Drought Monitor report shows more improvement in California, where winter rainstorms and heavy snowfall have washed away drought in more of the state after a five-year dry spell. Just three months ago, more than 73 percent of California was in drought, but that number has dropped to 9 percent after this winter’s powerful storms, according to the weekly Drought Monitor report released Thursday.

 

Nevada Still In Drought Despite Full Snowpack

The 2016-2017 winter season dropped plenty of snow in the Rockies. For years, the decade and a half drought across southern Nevada and the lower Colorado River Basin has impacted water levels at Lake Mead, creating what locals have long dubbed “the bathtub ring.” Nevada is still considered to be in a drought, but the accumulation in snowpacks has experts hopeful about the health of Lake Mead.  However, the state’s not out of the clear.

 

The Quad: After The Rain – A Clarification Of California’s Drought Status

Throughout the past couple weeks, I’ve felt almost as if I needed to build an ark to get to class. The greater Los Angeles area has been slammed with copious amounts of rain this season. During these monsoons, my trek from De Neve Holly all the way to Bunche Hall has been nothing short of a drenched, waterlogged nightmare. During this wet, wet winter quarter, you name it, we’ve seen it: soaked backpacks, umbrellas turned inside out, disgruntled and sopping wet students

Klamath Dam Removal Plan On Track

The plan to remove four hydroelectric dams to improve fish passage and water quality on the Klamath River is proceeding on schedule for a 2020 demolition time, according to plan proponents. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will ultimately have to approve or deny the plan, and the change in administration in Washington, D.C., has led to three of the five seats on the commission being vacated. President Donald Trump will be responsible for appointing the three new members, but plan proponents such as the dams’ owning company PacifiCorp, do not believe this will affect the project’s timeline.

OPINION: Sustainability, Not Drought, Can Be The Future Of Our State

From the 188,000 Oroville residents who were evacuated two weeks ago, to the 14,000 in San Jose who had to be rescued from contaminated water, no Californian has been unaffected by the historic storms beating down on our state. Sometimes it feels like it will never end, reminding us of past floods and the challenges that result from so much water coming in such a short period.

BLOG: Cooperation Needed On San Joaquin Valley Water

Recent rains have not washed away the growing threat of water scarcity in the San Joaquin Valley, California’s largest agricultural region. Over time it could bring disruptive changes not only to the region’s farmers but also to rural communities, the local economy, and the state as a whole. Resolving this problem will take creativity and cooperation.

Feds: Drought Ends In San Joaquin

After 1,892 days, the drought is over in San Joaquin County. That’s the conclusion of the federal government, which Thursday morning issued new maps showing the entire county — and indeed, 79 percent of the state — free from any kind of drought designation. For San Joaquin, it is the first time since Dec. 27, 2011. Portions of San Joaquin had still been considered “abnormally dry” heading into this week, but the U.S. Drought Monitor lifted that finding Thursday, citing an improvement in groundwater levels across the San Joaquin Valley.

OPINION: California, Please Stop Resisting Trump Long Enough To Get Help For Our Water Infrastructure

Two things ought to come to mind in California when President Trump says he plans to spend $1 trillion on infrastructure. And no, they’re not “Oroville” and “San Jose,” although those are good clues. The first is that if the federal government is going to prioritize vast new infrastructure spending, California’s water projects should be near the top of the list. Bring it on. Much of the Sacramento Valley was threatened last month when high water levels at the massive Oroville Dam caused torrents to flow down damaged or poorly built spillways.

Satellite Image Shows Green Across California

How much did the recent series of rain storms in California contribute to lessening the state’s drought conditions? The National Weather Service office in San Diego tweeted a satellite photo showing California finally “greening up”. NWS San Diego also tweeted changes at Lake Hodges. A 2014 photo shows an area of the lake completely dry. A March 1, 2017 comparison photo shows the lake filled with water.

Oroville Dam’s Power Plant May Resume Operations Friday

In a development that would ease pressure on Oroville Dam’s badly damaged concrete spillway, state officials say the dam’s power plant may be operational by midday Friday. The Hyatt Power Plant stopped functioning as a massive mound of concrete, earth and debris formed in the channel below the 3,000-foot concrete spillway, which fractured Feb. 7.