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Millions Of Californians’ Water Bills Could Climb After Trump’s FEMA Won’t Pay $300M For Oroville Dam

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow

Millions of Californians could end up with higher water bills after the Trump administration on Friday announced that federal emergency officials aren’t going to reimburse the state for $306 million in repairs to Oroville Dam stemming from the 2017 spillway crisis. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said federal taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for problems that existed prior to a massive hole forming in the dam’s concrete spillway in February 2017, eventually prompting the two-day evacuation of 188,000 downstream residents and a $1.1 billion emergency response and repair job.

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Top Fed Backs IID Push For Salton Sea Farm Bill Clean-Up Funds, With No Linkage To Drought Plan

/in , /by /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Janet Wilson

As promised, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman on Friday wrote a letter of support to the Imperial Irrigation District, backing efforts to win substantial Farm Bill funds to restore the dwindling Salton Sea. But she stopped short of linking a pledge of funds to the seven-state Colorado River drought package that she is pushing to complete in two weeks. Instead, she said adopting the drought plan was the single biggest step to both preserving drinking water across the West and to preserving the Salton Sea.

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OPINION: Excellent News On The California Water Front — But Long-Term Picture Is Grim

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune

A Bay Area News Group report this week laid out great news on the California water front: Less than 1 percent of the state — a remote area near the Oregon border — is in drought status, the best showing since 2011. What’s more, the Sierra Nevada snowpack — a crucial source of water — is at 161 percent of its historic average, and supplies at every major reservoir are in good condition or better. But local and state governments and residents need to continue the good habits and smart practices they established during the lengthy drought that led then-Gov. Jerry Brown to declare an emergency in 2014. Lawmakers need to fund more water storage facilities.

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Federal Disaster Agency Rejects $306 Million Request For Oroville Spillway Reimbursement

/in , /by /KQED (San Francisco)by Dan Brekke

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has rejected a $306 million reimbursement request from the California Department of Water Resources for work to restore Oroville Dam’s shattered main spillway. The state agency says it will appeal the decision, made earlier this week. The rejection comes as construction crews near completion of a two-year project to replace the spillway, which began to disintegrate during water releases in February 2017, and reinforce a severely eroded adjoining hillside that was meant to serve as an emergency spillway.

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California’s Drought Largely Wiped Out After Winter Of Soaking Rain, Heavy Sierra Snowpack

/in , /by /The Weather Channelby Jonathan Belles

Years of drought have been nearly wiped out by an active storm track in California this winter and drought conditions have dramatically improved across the West, and this trend is expected to persist into the spring. A dominant weather pattern featuring a southward dip in the jet stream over the West has allowed a series of precipitation-rich storm systems to track through the region, especially over the last two months.

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DWR Increasing Hyatt Powerplant Releases, Water Reaches Oroville Dam Spillway Gates

/in , /by /Oroville Mercury-Registerby Risa Johnson

The state Department of Water Resources plans to increase releases from Hyatt Powerplant to prepare for forecasted weather and water storage considerations. Lake Oroville was at 817 feet elevation, about 67.6 percent of its total capacity, on Wednesday afternoon. DWR said in a press release Tuesday that 10-day projections showed the lake reaching 835 feet on March 15. DWR plans to increase outflows from Hyatt Powerplant from 5,000 cubic feet per second, or cfs, to 7,000 cfs. “As updated forecasts are issued, DWR may consider increasing or decreasing outflow by using Hyatt Powerplant and/or the main spillway, to manage lake levels,” the department stated in a press release.

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As One Storm Moves Out Of Southern California, Two More Are Moving In

/in , /by /The Orange County Register

This week’s storm, which drew added moisture from an atmospheric river out of Hawaii, doused L.A. County valley areas early Thursday but is on its way out of the region, forecasters said. “After the spectacular lightning show early Wednesday morning and the periods of heavy rain that lingered into Wednesday afternoon, the weather across Southwestern California has quieted down quite a bit in most areas,” noted an NWS statement.

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Trump Pressure On California Water Plan Excludes Public, Rushes Science, Emails Show

/in , /by /KQED (San Francisco)by Lauren Sommer

The Trump Administration has ordered federal biologists to speed up critical decisions about whether to send more water from Northern California to farmers in the Central Valley, a move that critics say threatens the integrity of the science and cuts the public out of the process. The decisions will control irrigation for millions of acres of farmland in the country’s biggest agricultural economy, drinking water for two-thirds of Californians from Silicon Valley to San Diego, and the fate of endangered salmon and other fish.

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Historic Rainfall Wipes Out Drought For Most Of California

/in , /by /KUSI News San Diegoby Ginger Jeffries

The latest report on California’s water conditions has been released and the drought monitor shows some encouraging news about our drought levels. Experts say it has very little impact on our local supply. KUSI’s Ginger Jeffries explains.

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In Borrego Springs Tourism, Farming Industries Face Uncertainty With Looming Water Cuts

/in , /by /KPBS (San Diego)by Matt Hoffman

Although part of San Diego County, Borrego Springs is definitely off the beaten path. The small community is a two-hour drive from downtown San Diego. “The remoteness of ourselves — there’s no freeway coming here,” said Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce President Patrick Sampson, who is also general manager of the La Casa Del Zorro resort. “If you’re going to Borrego Springs — you’re coming to Borrego Springs.”

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