California is a land of extremes – where preparing for extremes must be constant and eternal. The past six years have demonstrated California’s precipitation extremes. From 2012 to 2015, California endured one of its driest periods on record. And 2016 was an additional near-average year, classified into drought because water storage levels were so low.
The water agency that supplies drinking water to Los Angeles agreed Tuesday to contribute $1.5 million toward the planning of Sites Reservoir in the Sacramento Valley, giving the agency a toehold in a potentially valuable storage project. The board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, as expected, approved the expenditure by a unanimous vote. If the agency eventually decides to contribute to the construction project itself, it would entitle Metropolitan to control up to 50,000 acre-feet of storage in the reservoir. Sites, to be built on the Glenn-Colusa county line, would store up to 1.8 million acre-feet.
Central Valley farmers learned Tuesday they will get a full allocation of water this year for the first time since 2006. But their celebrations were muted. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said it will provide a 100 percent allocation to Central Valley Project customers this year, including the large agricultural districts in the San Joaquin Valley. Just a year ago those districts got a 5 percent allotment, and three weeks ago the farmers were told their deliveries might not top 65 percent this year. The announcement came four days after Gov. Jerry Brown declared an official end to the drought practically everywhere in California.
Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration is using federal security regulations written to thwart terrorism to deny public access to records that experts say could guide repairs to the Oroville Dam and provide insight into what led to the near catastrophic failure of its emergency spillway. The administration also is blocking public review of records that would show how Brown’s office handled the February crisis at Oroville Dam that led to the two-day evacuation of nearly 200,000 Northern Californians. Days after the evacuation orders were lifted in February, The Sacramento Bee filed requests to the state under the California Public Records Act.
A major California newspaper reports that southern California’s Metropolitan Water District (MWD) may put up $1.5 million in “pre-development work” to kick-start the Sites Reservoir project in northern California. The Sacramento Bee says MWD’s interest in the project could be 50,000 acre feet of storage, or about 25 percent of the water the reservoir is projected to hold. Sites Reservoir is far from a “done-deal.” It must still gain California Water Commission approval for at least part of the $2.7 billion pot of money earmarked for water storage projects in the most recent voter-approved water bond.
The Colorado River — which supplies about two-thirds of San Diego County’s drinkable water — on Tuesday was named the most endangered river in the U.S. by a leading conservation group. American Rivers’ annual report, published since 1984, ranks the 10 most threatened rivers nationwide. The group said it tries to spotlight rivers that are subject to influential policy decisions, not necessarily the most polluted. This year, it chose the lower portion of the Colorado River for greatest attention based on ongoing concerns about dwindling flows due to increasing water consumption and adverse impacts from global warming.
The San Diego Unified School District is planning to flush pipes with water at schools prior to the City of San Diego administering tests for lead. District officials say the practice will protect students, while water quality experts warn it could hide dangerous levels of the metal. The San Diego Unified School District began testing its schools’ water Tuesday after lab reports confirmed “higher than allowable” lead levels were found at one campus. Samples will be gathered at five campuses a day, Tuesday through Saturday, now through mid-June.
Can you believe it? Jerry Brown declared an end to California’s historic drought Friday. No one ever expected this because there is too much money to be made off supporting the drought fantasy! OK. Great! So when are water rates going to drop back to pre-drought levels! Never you say? As far back as I can remember the Democrats have never been able to survive without a tax or fee once imposed!
California is a land of extremes – where preparing for extremes must be constant and eternal. The last six years demonstrated California’s precipitation extremes. From 2012-2015, California endured one of its driest years of record. 2016 was an additional near-average year, classified into drought because water storage levels were so low. 2017 will likely be the wettest year on record in northern California and one of the wettest years ever in most of California. Most of California has over 160% of average precipitation, with over 150% of average snowpack.
Local State Park officials are looking for further guidance from the governor on how to proceed with “rinse-off” showers at state beaches, which have been turned off since 2015. The showers were first turned off two summers ago when the State of California was in a period of severe drought. The showers were shut off to conserve water. In April, Gov. Jerry Brown’s office announced the state would lift its drought emergency for most of the state after a winter of record rain and snowfall that followed a five-year dry spell.
