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Delta Breezes Are Dying And That Could Be Bad News For An Imperiled Fish

As a 27-year Sacramentan, it’s pretty easy to detect that there are fewer winter moments of dense, bone-penetrating valley fog than before. Winter used to mean days on end without seeing a sun in the sky. But how many of us are just as aware that the blessed Delta breeze also isn’t what it used to be? (It sure abandoned us in July.) Or how this ebbing of the wind has shifted the ecology of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta itself?

Fire Officials To Trump: No, California Didn’t Worsen Wildfires By Dumping Water Into Ocean

As fires grow to historic sizes in California, President Trump tweeted that the state is “foolishly” diverting “vast amounts of water from the North” into the Pacific Ocean instead of using them to fight its wildfires. The state’s “bad environmental laws” are to blame, he added. The tweets baffled state officials, who quickly pointed out that water supplies are not the problem. “Let’s be clear: It’s our changing climate that is leading to more severe and destructive fires,” said Cal Fire spokesman Mike Mohler. Scott McLean, also a Cal Fire spokesman, said he doesn’t understand the president’s comments.

As Storms Worsen, America’s Aging Dams Overflow

More than 80,000 people in the mountain community of Lynchburg, Virginia, were at risk, and 120 families evacuated, when rising waters from nearby College Lake reecently threatened to overflow its outdated dam. Although calamity was averted when the water receded, the incident was a frightening reminder of the growing risk facing millions of Americans. The average age of the 90,580 dams located across the U.S is 56 years, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Worryingly, more than 15,000 of them are considered “high hazard” and – like the Lynchburg dam built in the 1930s – need to be repaired or replaced.

Ventura County Supervisors Urge Casitas To Make Drought Declaration As Lake Levels Fall

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday urged a water district serving more than 60,000 people and hundreds of farms to declare a drought emergency. Supervisor Steve Bennett said the declaration should be made promptly to warn residents about the seriousness of the situation in the western Ventura County area served by the Casitas Municipal Water District. “It is critical that those who rely on (the district’s) water realize the dire nature of this drought and have the opportunity to take any steps they possibly can to conserve further and stretch the length of time water is available,” Bennett wrote in a letter to the board.