As the drought punishing California drags on, water is a top — and growing — worry for residents of our parched state, outpacing wildfires and climate change, according to a new poll about environmental issues.
With reservoirs and snowpack shrinking, Californians listed the state’s water supply as their number one environmental worry, with 68% of adults saying it’s a big problem — up from 63% a year ago.
Lake Siskiyou is beautiful this time of year.
About 200 miles north of Sacramento, the artificial reservoir — formed by a dam on the Sacramento River — is ringed by quiet beaches that offer a cool respite from triple-digit heat. The views of Mt. Shasta are spectacular. When I visited last week, I saw double-crested cormorants, ospreys and great blue herons soaring over the water and ducklings swimming with their mother.
Farmers and water managers may need to do more to engage with lawmakers from outside the Central Valley before the state Legislature can be persuaded to make important investments in water storage and other infrastructure projects, members of Kern’s Sacramento delegation told an audience Tuesday of the Water Association of Kern County.
In his time at the California State Water Resources Control Board, Max Gomberg has witnessed the state grapple with two devastating droughts and the accelerating effects of climate change.
Now, after 10 years of recommending strategies for making California more water resilient, the board’s climate and conservation manager is calling it quits. The reason: He no longer believes Gov. Gavin Newsom and his administration are willing to pursue the sorts of transformational changes necessary in an age of growing aridification.
A state audit found that nearly one million Californians have contaminated drinking water.
The report found that 920,000 people could face health issues from unsafe drinking water.
The California State Auditor found there are 370 failing water systems in California that are putting almost a million residents at risk.
Three years ago, amid shaky political support and uncertain funding, Gov. Gavin Newsom killed plans by his predecessor, Jerry Brown, to build two massive tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Delta to more easily move water south.
Local farmers may soon be forced to bite the bullet and find ways to use significantly less water in 2023 — potentially for a lot longer.
This drastic measure may come as a result of an emergency water conservation effort to prevent further depletion of the Valley’s main source of water, the Colorado River. If less water flows down the Colorado River, the consequences could be catastrophic for the two reservoirs — lakes Mead and Powell — that feed into the so-called basin states.
For example, if water levels in Lake Mead continue dropping, it could bring water and hydropower to a grinding halt, all due to a relentless drought over two decades.
The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) recently announced that Helix Water District is the recipient of a distinguished budget presentation award for its fiscal year 2022-23 budget document.
“This award shows the commitment by the district’s board of directors and staff to serving the public with integrity, fiscal accountability, and transparency,” said Kathleen Hedberg, Helix Water District’s board president. “Our budget is well organized and easy to read. We want customers to easily see what we are doing, how we are efficient and how we keep our operating costs steady.”
Sometimes, it takes zooming out to a bird’s eye view to fully understand the devastating impacts of drought in California.
Images captured from space by government and private satellites offer a sobering look at how the current drought — in year three — is affecting the state’s land and natural resources.
The latest data from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows about 97% of California in moderate or worse drought, with much of the Central Valley and southern portions of the state in the worst conditions.
A favorite San Francisco Bay Area spot for sleeping under towering redwood trees is temporarily shutting down its campground again this summer because of California’s historic drought.
Portola Redwoods State Park said Tuesday that its campground facilities with 55 sites and four group sites will be closing Aug. 5 and not reopening for the remainder of the season because of low flows on its main water source, Peters Creek. (The campground closes every winter, from Nov. 1 to April 1.)
