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California Heat Waves Could Be Predicted 2 Weeks In Advance, New UC Davis Research Shows

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Michael McGough

Want to know when the next hot spell is coming? It might help to look at the weather forecasts — a few thousand miles away. Summer heat waves in California’s Central Valley are almost always preceded by heavy rainfall over the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans, scientists at UC Davis and in South Korea determined in a recently published research effort. Researchers identified 24 heat waves that took place in California’s Central Valley during summer months from 1979 to 2010, and compared those heat waves to a weather pattern called the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) that brings heavy rain to the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans.

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San Diego Winter Is Wetter Than Most

/in , , /by /KPBSby Erik Anderson

Southern California’s rainy season comes to a close in about two weeks, and the winter is already among some of the region’s wettest. This past winter was the second in three years to produce above average rainfall in San Diego. The KPBS Water Gauge tracks rainfall and snowpack in California and both totals are running well above average. National Weather service forecaster Alex Tardy said this past winter was a winter of stormy weather.

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The End Of California’s Drought Could Mean Fewer Cases Of West Nile Virus

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Harriet Blair Rowan

Researchers say the end of California’s drought could offer a surprising benefit: reduced transmission of the mosquito-borne West Nile virus. Drought is the most important weather-related factor that affects the rate of West Nile infection, scientists say. Mosquito eggs need water to hatch, but dry conditions tend to spur greater transmission of the virus.

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California Is Slated For An Epic Whitewater Season

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Sarah Feldberg

When state surveyors measured the Sierra snowpack on April 2, they found 106.5 inches of snow, with an equivalent of 51 inches of water — meaning that if the area were hit with some sort of cosmic laser beam and everything turned to liquid in a flash, that’s how much water would be left behind. Compared to average measurements for this time of year, those readings represent 200% of normal levels.

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California Water Service Files Application To Decrease Lucerne Customer Bills

/in , /by /Lake County News (Lakeport, Calif.)

California Water Service filed an application with the California Public Utilities Commission on Monday that will result in bill decreases for the utility’s Lucerne customers. The filing implements various ratemaking mechanisms that company officials said will ensure customer bills continue to reflect the true cost to provide water service. For the typical residential Lucerne customer who uses 2,992 gallons, or 4 ccf, of water per month, the monthly bill will decrease by $5.63. Because Lucerne customers are billed for water service every two months, they would see a decrease of $11.26 on the bimonthly bill, the company said.

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Malibu – City Of Malibu Named “Recycled Water Agency Of The Year” For Civic Center Water Treatment Facility News1 Day Agono Comment

/in , /by /Santa Monica Daily Press

The WateReuse Association, California chapter named the City of Malibu the 2019 “Recycled Water Agency of the Year” for its Civic Center Water Treatment Facility (CCWTF), which was completed and started processing wastewater into clean, recycled water for irrigation in October, 2018. “The City of Malibu and its people have always defined themselves as innovators of environmental protections and programs,” said Mayor Jefferson “Zuma Jay” Wagner. “Our new water treatment facility puts us ahead of the curve of smart, environmentally sound water management practices while combating the realities of climate change and drought here in California.”

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Photographers Capture ‘Water in Everyday Life’

/in , /by

The Helix Water District honored student photographers for their award-winning photos in the agency’s annual high school photo competition. Winners were recognized during a special board meeting on March 20, 2019.

Winning photographers were honored at a special board of directors meeting in March. Photo: Helix Water District

Seventy-four students from four schools entered the competition with photos depicting the theme ‘Water in Everyday Life,’ illustrating the importance and beauty of water. Ten winning photos in two categories (color or black & white) will be on display through mid-May at the Helix Water District’s administration office located at 7811 University Avenue in La Mesa. Photos are also posted on the district’s website and Facebook page

Black & White Category:
First Place – Jeanette Chen, Monte Vista High School, Grade 12
Second Place – Brisa Rueda, Grossmont High School, Grade 10
Third Place – Neva Devine, Grossmont High School, Grade 10
Honorable Mention – Sabrina Lynn Boykin, Santana High School, Grade 10
Honorable Mention – Parker Rufener Simpson, Grossmont High School, Grade 11

Color Category:
First Place – Sunshine Astourian, Grossmont High School, Grade 10
Second Place – Joilee Luna, Grossmont High School, Grade 10
Third Place – Layla Burdett, Santana High School, Grade 10
Honorable Mention – Rylie Codiamat, Santana High School, Grade 11
Honorable Mention – Kristin Williams, Grossmont High School, Grade 11

See all winning photos in the Gallery below.

 

The Central Valley Is Sinking As Farmers Drill For Water. But It Can Be Saved, Study Says

/in , , /by /Sacramento Beeby Andrew Sheeler

A team of Stanford University researchers believe they have identified the best way to replenish the shrinking aquifers beneath California’s Central Valley. The groundwater beneath the Central Valley has been steadily depleting, particularly as the state’s $50 billion agricultural industry relied on it during a series of droughts. Each year, more water exits the aquifer than goes into it. The study from Stanford’s School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences, published in the journal Water Resources Research, found that unless action is taken, the ground in that region will sink more than 13 feet over the next 20 years.

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America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2019

/in , , /by /American Rivers

Water scarcity due to global warming could displace 700 million people worldwide by 2030. In the same time frame, 54 million lives globally could be impacted by river floods. In the United States, our climate has warmed by 1.8 degrees in the past century. It’s time to get real about what this means: Forest fires are growing more destructive, cities are struggling to do more with less water, fish and wildlife are struggling to survive and storms are triggering more life-threatening floods.

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‘There’s So Much Here That’s Still Alive’: Young Filmmakers Document A Dying Salton Sea

/in , , /by /KQED (San Francisco)by Sasha Khokha

Massive fish-die offs. Dead birds. A toxic stench. Bryan Mendez and Olivia Rodriguez are dissatisfied that those sad facts are the only things most Californians ever hear about the Salton Sea, one of the largest inland seas in the world. “We’ve heard on and on about the birds, the fish, they’re dying. We know that,” says Rodriguez. “How do we transform this narrative, to show there’s also a community of people here?”

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