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Atmospheric Rivers-CW3E-Scripps-Rain

Landfalling Atmospheric Rivers Increase in First Quarter of Water Year 2021 Over 2020

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A Scripps Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes report shows that more atmospheric rivers have made landfall over the U.S. West Coast in the first four months of Water Year 2021 compared to the previous period in 2020.

The four months of Water Year 2021 experienced a total of 35 landfalling ARs over the U.S. West Coast, six more than the first four months of Water Year 2020, according to the CW3E quarter year summary released February 11.

Key takeaways from the CW3E update on atmospheric rivers

• The first four months of Water Year 2021 experienced a total of 35 landfalling ARs over the U.S. West Coast, 6 more than the first four months of Water Year 2020.
• Water Year 2021 also experienced more than twice as many strong or greater ARs (14) compared to Water Year 2020 (6).
• While Water Year 2021 saw more ARs in its first 4 months compared to Water Year 2020, a large majority of those ARs were
strongest over the Pacific Northwest (Oregon and Washington).
• The average landfall latitude thus far in Water Year 2021 was 45.9°N compared to 43.9°N during the first half of Water Year 2020.
• The lack of landfalling ARs over Southern California and Baja California has resulted in much drier conditions over the southwestern U.S. compared to WY 2020.

CW3E-Atmospheric Rivers-Water Year 2021

The four months of Water Year 2021 experienced a total of 35 landfalling ARs over the U.S. West Coast, six more than the first four months of Water Year 2020. Graphic: Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes

Distribution of Landfalling Atmospheric Rivers over the U.S. West Coast During Water Year 2021: Quarter Year Summary

Atmospheric River-NOAA-WNN-CW3E

A partnership with the San Diego County Water Authority and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego seeks to optimize water management to better predict atmospheric rivers before, during, and after those seasonal storms.

In August 2020, Scripps Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) launched the Water Affiliates Group, which brings together cutting-edge science and hands-on water industry experience to enhance reservoir operations in light of the changing climate. The Water Authority has a long-running alliance with Scripps and is among six founding water agencies statewide.

CW3E and its partners will share and support best practices in forecast-informed reservoir operations, increase research around atmospheric rivers and droughts, and develop strategies for mitigating flood risk and increasing water supply reliability.

Atmospheric Rivers-CW3E-water supply

The above image, from the EOS article, is a depiction of an atmospheric river, interacting with West Coast mountains and a midlatitude cyclone over the northeast Pacific on 5 February 2015. This image provides an example of approximate locations of associated tropical moisture exports and a warm conveyor belt (WCB). Graphic: Adapted from NOAA/ESRL Physical Sciences Division via CW3E

Tish Berge Joins Water Authority Executive Leadership Team

/in , , /by /Water News Network Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Veteran water industry executive Tish Berge is joining the San Diego County Water Authority as assistant general manager, bringing experience from every aspect of water utility management to serve the region. Berge is currently general manager of the Sweetwater Authority, one of the Water Authority’s 24 member agencies. Berge starts her new role February 22 alongside Deputy General Manager Dan Denham and General Manager Sandra L. Kerl.

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Water Conservation Garden Growing Strong With New #FreeDayFriday Program

/in , , /by /Water News Network Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

In a normal year, The Water Conservation Garden in east San Diego County provides resources and education for 88,000 children and families annually. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, meeting the Garden’s mission took a little extra effort and creativity.

To remain open after its initial closure and re-opening in June 2020, the Garden now charges a small admission fee. Thanks to the new #FreeDayFriday initiative, supported by a donation match through the Rice Family Foundation, more than $60,000 in contributions now allows the Garden to offer free admission on the second Friday of each month, starting February 12.

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Salton Sea: Could Ocean Water Import Be Long-Term Fix?

/in , /by /Holtville Tribuneby Luke Phillips Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

In many ways, California has stepped up in its commitments to the Salton Sea as tens of millions of dollars have flowed toward restoration efforts for smaller-scale projects planned over the next 10 years. Those projects will largely address potentially hazardous conditions to human and animal life brought on by exposed seabed and loss of bird habitat from ever-shrinking inflows of water.

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Detachment Committee Consultant to Receive Supply Reliability Data This Month, Review in March

/in , /by /Fallbrook Village Newsby Joe Naiman Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The Advisory Committee on the Fallbrook/Rainbow Detachment convened by San Diego’s Local Agency Formation Commission met Feb. 1, and by the next advisory committee meeting scheduled for April 5, consultant Michael Hanemann will have a recommendation on the supply reliability issue associated with the Fallbrook Public Utility District and the Rainbow Municipal Water District plans to detach from the San Diego County Water Authority and annex into the Eastern Municipal Water District.

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Rain in the Bay Area, Snow in Tahoe: Here’s When Storms are Forecast to Hit

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Nora Mishanec

A series of storms will usher in a wet holiday weekend across Northern California, threatening to put a damper on outdoor activities and cause driving delays for holiday travelers.

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Opinion: Why is Arizona Growing When Groundwater is Shrinking? We’re Finally Having This Debate

/in , /by /AZ Centralby Joanna Allhands

If our water supply is dwindling, why is Arizona still growing?

I get this question almost every time I write about groundwater. Readers say we should be doing a lot more to slow – or even cut off – the construction of new homes and farms.

That’s not likely to happen any time soon. But smart people are diving into the weeds of how we use this finite resource to fuel growth, and that makes me cautiously optimistic.

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EPA Water Pollution Permit Limits Challenged by San Francisco

/in , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Maya Earls

San Francisco is challenging the EPA over conditions imposed in a permit that allows the city to send discharge from its combined sewer system into the Pacific Ocean, according to a petition for review in the Ninth Circuit. The city’s filing in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit comes after the Environmental Protection Agency refused to review three conditions in the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit. The EPA approved the permit in December 2019.

 

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Local Ag Looks to Spotlight its Climate-Friendly Profile

/in , /by /Bakersfield.comby John Cox

The Kern County Farm Bureau issued a “call to action” this week asking local growers and ranchers to participate in a series of upcoming meetings that will influence the role California’s agricultural lands will be expected to play, or continue to play, in fighting climate change. Besides asking members to speak up at a series of online meetings the state is hosting this month, the bureau is collecting data it hopes will illustrate local ag producers’ “climate-conscious nature” with an eye toward ensuring private industry will continue managing its property “on a voluntary basis,” bureau President John C. Moore III said by email.

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All Set for Carlsbad Dredging Project

/in , /by /DredgingToday.comby Zlatan Hrvacevic

Carlsbad beaches will soon have more sand as a result of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon dredging project – starting this February until mid April, informs the City of Carlsbad, California. The lagoon has been dredged every one to four years since 1954 as part of the Encina power plant operations. The last time the lagoon was dredged was three years ago, in 2018. Now that the Encina plant has been retired, Poseidon Water is taking over the dredging, as part of an agreement when the seawater desalination plant was built and came online in 2015.

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