Climate forecasters said Thursday that the world had entered La Niña, the opposite phase of the climate pattern that also brings El Niño and affects weather across the globe. Among other impacts, La Niña has the potential this winter to worsen what are already severe drought conditions in the American Southwest.
Arizona and five other Colorado River Basin states are challenging a proposed pipeline that would divert to a booming Utah community almost as much river water as Tucson uses every year. Six of the seven river basin states — all but Utah — wrote to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on Tuesday, seeking a delay in publishing a final environmental review, and in making a final decision, on the Lake Powell pipeline.
Like millions of people in the western United States this week, I woke up to deep red, sunless skies, layers of ash coating the streets, gardens, and cars, and the smell of burning forests, lives, homes, and dreams. Not to be too hyperbolic, but on top of the political chaos, the economic collapse, and the worst pandemic in modern times, it seemed more than a little apocalyptic.
Too much of the western United States is on fire, and many areas not suffering directly from fire are enveloped in choking, acrid smoke.
Two weeks ago, the Pine Gulch Fire became the largest wildfire in Colorado history when it grew to an area nearly the size of Chicago. The 139,000-acre blaze, ignited July 31, was fueled by another record: The area where the fire occurred experienced its hottest August in at least 126 years.
La Niña — which often means a busier Atlantic hurricane season, a drier Southwest and perhaps a more fire-prone California — has popped up in the Pacific Ocean.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday that a La Niña, the cooler flip side of the better known El Niño, has formed. Meteorologists had been watching it brewing for months.
A natural cooling of certain parts of the equatorial Pacific, La Niña sets in motion a series of changes to the world’s weather that can last months, even years. This one so far is fairly weak and is projected to last through at least February but may not be the two-to-three-year type sometimes seen in the past, NOAA Climate Prediction Center Deputy Director Mike Halpert said.
Emergency repairs are underway after a historic fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains wreaked havoc on the San Lorenzo Valley’s water infrastructure
La Niña conditions were observed in the Pacific Ocean last month, and there is a 75% chance the weather pattern will persist through the winter, forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
During a joint regular meeting of the Rancho California Water District finance and audit committee and a special meeting of the board of directors, Thursday, Sept. 3, the district committee agreed to implement the 2020 Plan of Finance and authorize RCWD’s general manager to negotiate and enter into agreements for proposed bond issuances to save the district an estimated $1.3 million.
Coal miners, stone quarrying companies, and other businesses are rushing to lock down any exemptions to federal water jurisdiction for at least five years, under changes the Trump administration recently made to the nation’s water rule.
Three fourth grade student artists were honored by the Olivenhain Municipal Water District Board of Directors at its September 9 meeting as the winners of the District’s 2020 Water Awareness Poster Contest.
This year’s theme asked students to illustrate how they “Love Water, Save Water.”
The district annually invites fourth-grade students living or attending school within the Olivenhain Municipal Water District service area to enter the contest. Because of the change to distance learning in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the contest deadline was extended to June 15. Six classes from the district’s service area participated.
“We have been holding this poster contest for nearly three decades,” said OMWD board member Bob Topolovac. “This year, the classroom setting may have changed, but it’s reassuring to see that the students’ creativity and excitement for water conservation is as strong as ever.”
Photo: Olivenhain Municipal Water District
First Place – Ruchika Kench, Stone Ranch Elementary. Ruchika Kench’s poster depicts the planet Earth surrounded by handwritten messages portraying the value of water and the importance of preserving water for all to enjoy.
Photo: Olivenhain Municipal Water District
Second Place – Kylie Barbosa, Stone Ranch Elementary. Kylie Barbosa created a colorful illustration of bright flowers surrounded by a rainbow and multicolored raindrops. She pledges to drink water from a reusable bottle and to take shorter showers.
Photo: Olivenhain Municipal Water District
Third Place – Ryan King, Flora Vista Elementary. Ryan King drew an image of a person fishing with a sunset and a heart in the background. He recommends collecting rainwater to irrigate plants as a way to conserve water.
Kendra Jones, the first place winner’s fourth-grade teacher, also received a $50 gift card to Lakeshore Learning Store for classroom supplies. New 2021 calendars featuring the winning artwork will be available to the public for free from the Olivenhain Municipal Water District in December.
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