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Could NASA satellites help with decision making during drought conditions? That’s what researchers at the University of Colorado are trying to figure out. The school received a $1.4 million grant from NASA on March 6 to study California’s drought conditions using NASA satellite data. “California is such as interesting place to study water, because of the cycles of drought to floods,” lead researcher Noah Molotch said. Molotch, along with a couple other scientists, are collaborating with the California Department of Water Resources on the research. According to the grant terms, the study is expected to run through January 2020.

California is not just fighting nature as it attempts to repair the nation’s tallest dam, badly damaged last month by surging storm waters. It’s also racing the clock. Safety experts say there is no time for delay in a state plan to restore the 770-foot Oroville Dam, and they warn California would face a “very significant risk” if a damaged spillway is not in working order by fall, the start of the next rainy season.

It will be costly and the process complicated, but joining state water adds reliability to a system facing numerous pressures. That was the consensus reached between the heads of five area water agencies, who on Wednesday took part in a forum focused on connecting to the State Water Project. Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett moderated the panel, which addressed issues including construction, environmental impacts and associated costs of the project.