President Donald Trump recently broke his silence on California’s wildfire disasters by blaming the state’s environmental and water laws, saying the state has exacerbated its fire problems by letting large amounts of water flow out to the Pacific Ocean. Trump’s remarks, which he posted in a pair of tweets Sunday and Monday, drew immediate criticism from fire experts in the state.
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning in parts of California warning of conditions conducive to the growth of wildfires, including strong winds, low humidity and very high temperatures. The White House has declared California’s fires a major disaster and there are signs they are growing more intense.
Although it usually doesn’t seem like it, Orange County really is a desert. We’re so accustomed to turning on the spigot anytime, anywhere, for any duration. Most of the water we use is imported, either from the glorious Northern California snow pack or the quagga-mussels-clogged recycled water of the Colorado River, which is shared by five other states and Mexico. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has been the chief architect on both projects, and has done a good job stewarding the flows to SoCal over the decades.
Nearly 112 acres of habitat and old agricultural lands in the Carmel Valley area will be restored into wetlands starting in September, the San Diego Association of Governments announced Friday. SANDAG acquired the land, referred to as Deer Canyon East, in June, shortly after state and federal agencies claimed successful rehabilitation of the adjacent 31-acre Deer Canyon West site.
A large and rapidly growing wildfire that erupted Monday afternoon in the Holy Jim Canyon area of Orange County is producing a plume that’s visible from parts of San Diego County, according to the National Weather Service. The fire has so far burned more than 1,000 acres at a spot in the Cleveland National Forest, nor far from Corona, the Orange County Fire Authority said.
East County water users in the Helix Water District are going to see higher rates starting in November. On Aug. 1, the Helix Water District Board adopted a 2018-19 budget of $89.5 million, a 5.7 percent increase over last year’s budget. With that, the board voted 3-1 to approve a 3.4 percent rate increase for its nearly 275,000 customers. That translates to a $5.18 increase every two months ($2.59 monthly) for the average Helix Water District customer using 21 units of water or 15,708 gallons of water every two months. One unit is equal to 748 gallons.
California’s new groundwater management law is not a sports car. It moves more like a wagon train. The rules do not require critically overdrafted aquifers to achieve “sustainability” until 2040. But 22 years from now, once they finally get there, lives will be transformed. The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), adopted in 2014, will change more than groundwater. The requirement to end overdraft will also transform land use, a massive side effect yet to be widely recognized. Parts of California will literally look different once the law takes full effect. It could put some farmers out of business. It could change how others farm.
The restoration of the New River has been in the works for decades, addressing an environmental issue and eyesore that affects mainly the west side of Calexico. But through legislation and the activism from residents affected by river pollution, progress has been achieved towards a permanent solution. Starting in Mexico, the river crosses the border in Calexico and snakes about 70 miles before emptying into the Salton Sea. Often saddled with the dubious honor of being the most polluted river in America, its murky water carries numerous pollutants and often produces a foul odor.
At Scripps Pier in San Diego, the surface water reached the highest temperature in 102 years of records, 78.8 degrees. Palm Springs had its warmest July on record, with an average of 97.4 degrees. Death Valley experienced its hottest month on record, with the average temperature hitting 108.1. Park rangers said the heat was too much for some typically hardy birds that died in the broiling conditions. Across California, the nighttime brought little relief, recording the highest minimum temperature statewide of any month since 1895, rising to 64.9. California has been getting hotter for some time, but July was in a league of its own.
Temperatures will soar to the upper 80s at the coast and the 102-104 range across some inland valleys on Monday and Tuesday as San Diego County experiences its third heat wave in a month, according to the National Weather Service. The above average temperatures are expected to last until the weekend, and monsoonal moisture could return by mid-week. An excessive heat watch will be in effect for all areas but the coast from 10 a.m. on Monday to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Monday will be the hottest day.
