Sitting in a pickup truck on his almond farm 100 miles north of San Francisco, Tom Butler pointed to a withered grove he has been planning to bulldoze in order to save his little remaining water for younger trees.
“It’s not a decision any farmer wants to make,” the 42-year-old said last week. “We’re in survival mode.”
In the Bay Area, most people get their water from big utilities that have lots of water, even during a drought. Your tap is not at risk of running dry.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and East Bay Municipal Water District, two of the region’s largest suppliers, have already said they’re likely to get by this summer without the need for water restrictions. They’re still urging conservation, however.
Declining levels at the second-largest reservoir in the U.S. have spurred officials in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico to search for ways to prop it up.
Lake Powell on the Colorado River is dropping rapidly amid one of the southwestern watershed’s driest years on record. It’s currently forecast to be at 29% of capacity by the end of September — the lowest level since the reservoir first started filling in 1963. Its sister reservoir downstream on the Colorado River, Lake Mead, is also approaching a record low this year.
In the first week of May a young salmon boat captain struggled to keep his boat stable and fishing while getting bashed by an unruly spring wind storm near the San Mateo-Santa Cruz county line. Far offshore, where the continental shelf drops off and a huge volume of marine nutrients circulate from the ocean bottom to the surface, salmon gathered. So did borderline gale force winds on top of a 10-foot swell. It looked like the scene at the end of the movie, “The Perfect Storm.”
Along the dusty shoreline of the Salton Sea, you could blink and you’d miss it: the Ski Inn, the only bar around the east side of the lake for 40 miles.
With communities on the West Coast once again threatened by extreme drought, Republicans on the House Committee on Natural Resources held a hearing on Wednesday to discuss the issue.
Central Valley representatives Kevin McCarthy (R–Bakersfield), Devin Nunes (R–Tulare) and David Valadao (R–Hanford) joined the committee to address the drought.
As pandemic restrictions begin to ease in California, a race is on to get money in place to help with massive and growing household water debt before the statewide moratorium on shutoffs for non-payment is lifted.
Some observers are looking at June 15, when Gov. Newsom said he’ll lift the state’s mask mandate, as a potential date for release from other COVID-19 mandates, including the water shutoff moratorium.
Eight North San Diego County high school seniors and three fourth-grade students were the winners of two separate Vista Irrigation District sponsored contests.
Vista Irrigation District Scholarship winners in 2021 include (Top Row, L to R) Kulpreet Chhoker, Kylie Konyn, Anthony Jones, Delanee Haskins; Second Row, (L to R): Colby Rafail, Malia Leonard, John Ramirez. Not pictured: Izak Bunda. Photo: Vista Irrigation District
Kulpreet Chhoker from Mission Vista High School, Kylie Konyn from St. Joseph Academy, and Delanee Haskins from North County Trade Tech High School each received $2,000 as winners of the Vista Irrigation District 2021 scholarship contest.
Izak Bunda from Guajome Park Academy, Anthony Jones and Malia Leonard from Rancho Buena Vista High School, and Colby Rafail and Juan Ramirez from Vista High School each received $500 as runners-up in the scholarship contest.
Open to high school seniors living or attending school within the Vista Irrigation District’s service area, the scholarship contest helps create awareness and increase knowledge about water-related issues impacting the Vista Irrigation District and the region where students live.
Open to District students in the fourth grade, the annual Student Poster Art Contest is designed to promote understanding of water issues in elementary schools. This year’s theme was “Love Water, Save Water.”
Student poster contest winner Emaline Kennedy illustrated her entry with low water use plants. Photo: Vista Irrigation District
Grapevine Elementary School fourth-grader Emaline Kennedy received first place honors for her Water Awareness Poster Contest entry. She received a $100 award.
Second place winner Paul Gomez focused on enjoying water responsibly. Photo: Vista Irrigation District
Fourth-grader Paul Gomez from Empresa Elementary School received a second-place award of $50.
Third place winner Matthew Potter depicts rainfall as a precious water resource. Photo: Vista Irrigation District
Matthew Potter, a fourth-grader attending Alamosa Park Elementary School, received a third-place award of $25.
The three winning posters were selected from 249 entries based on the theme, artwork, originality, and poster design. Emaline’s poster will appear in the 2022 Water Awareness Calendar, which will be available free of charge at the district’s office in November 2021.
(Editor’s note: The Vista Irrigation District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)
Vista, Calif. — Vista Irrigation District has awarded college scholarships to eight high school seniors and selected three fourth-grade students from the local community as winners of two separate district-sponsored contests.
Encinitas, Calif. — Neal Meyers was sworn in this evening as Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s newest director, representing Division 5 of OMWD’s service area. The appointment of Mr. Meyers fills the seat vacated by the retirement of outgoing director Ed Sprague.
“We are excited to welcome an individual of Neal’s caliber to the Board of Directors,” stated OMWD Board President Larry Watt. “His experience with special district law and operations, as well as his expertise with risk management, will allow him to hit the ground running and continue OMWD’s tradition of responsive and transparent governance.”
