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Drought-Hit California Cities to Get Little Water From State

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Kathleen Ronayne

California water agencies that serve 27 million people will get just 5% of what they requested from the state to start 2023, water officials announced Thursday.

The news of limited water comes as California concludes its driest three-year stretch on record and as water managers brace for a fourth year with below-average precipitation. But if the winter is wetter than expected, the state could boost how much supply it plans to give out — as it did last year when allocations started at 0% and ended the winter at 5%.

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Winter Storm Hit Tahoe With ‘Win-Win’ Scenario — Here’s How Much Snow Region Got

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Jack Lee

The winter storm that dropped rain across the Bay Area dumped snow on the Sierras and ski resorts across Tahoe. Heavy snow and slick roads also made for dangerous driving conditions but the precipitation is a boon for California’s water supply. Building on gains during a storm in early November, this latest storm brought statewide snowpack up to 106% of normal for December 1, according to the California Department of Water Resources.

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An Idea That Could Help Replenish California’s Groundwater Supplies

/in , , /by /Yale Climate Connections

When drought strikes, California farmers often pump water from underground aquifers to water their crops. But increasingly dry conditions are straining that resource. “On average, over time, we have been extracting more water from the subsurface than has been recharged,” says David Freyberg of Stanford University. He says many people are looking at ways to replenish the state’s dwindling groundwater supplies.

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Glen Canyon Reservoir: The Colorado River’s Descent into ‘Dead Pool’

/in , , /by /Digital Journalby Karen Graham

A long-standing drought in the American Southwest is getting worse by the day, threatening reservoirs and groundwater supplies. And the first sign of “serious damage” could be a whirlpool, according to the operators of the nation’s second-largest reservoir, Lake Powell, reports the Washington Post.

 

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California Set for More Brown Lawns and Water Restrictions as State Issues 5% Allocation

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith

Californians should brace for another year of brown lawns, tight water restrictions and increased calls for conservation as state water managers Thursday warned that severely reduced allocations are once again likely in 2023.

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Water Thieves Abound in Dry California. Why Are They So Hard to Catch?

/in , , /by /Gristby Jake Bittle

It’s not easy enforcing water regulations in the West. Just ask the officials in California who have been trying for almost a decade to penalize a man who took water from the river system that feeds San Francisco and bottled it for sale to stores like Starbucks.

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Drought-Hit California Cities to Get Little Water From State

/in , /by /ABC10by Kathleen Ronayne

California water agencies that serve 27 million people will get just 5% of what they requested from the state to start 2023, water officials announced Thursday. The news of limited water comes as California concludes its driest three-year stretch on record and as water managers brace for a fourth year with below-average precipitation.

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For 2nd Year in a Row, State Water Project Will Limit Deliveries to 5% of Requests

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein

For the second year in a row, the State Water Project will cut deliveries to 5% of requested supplies amid a continuing drought that officials Thursday termed “a new era.” The network of 21 dams and hundreds of miles of canals, pipelines and tunnels serves 27 million Californians from Chico through the Central Valley to Los Angeles, though not San Diego County.

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Olivenhain Municipal Water District Logo landscape design workshops

Matthew Hahn and Marco San Antonio Join OMWD Board of Directors

/in , /by

Encinitas, Calif. — Matthew Hahn and Marco San Antonio were sworn in today as the newest members of Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors. Mr. Hahn and Mr. San Antonio were chosen by voters in the November 8 election to represent OMWD’s Division 4 and Division 1, respectively.

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Work Begins on Water Authority’s Historic First Aqueduct

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

The San Diego County Water Authority’s First Aqueduct will be shut down periodically over the next four months as work begins for maintenance projects  to ensure a safe and reliable water supply for the region. A series of three shutdowns on the First Aqueduct is scheduled from December through March, when portions of the aqueduct will be relined, along with other maintenance.

As work begins, the Water Authority and its member agencies are coordinating to minimize impacts to residents and businesses, while servicing pipelines that are more than 65 years old.

Customers of these affected retail agencies during the Dec. 5-14 shutdown should check with their local water utility if they have questions about localized impacts: Fallbrook Public Utility District, Rainbow Municipal Water District, Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District, Vallecitos Water District, Valley Center Municipal Water District, Vista Irrigation District, and the Yuima Municipal Water District.

“Proactively managing our water delivery system in coordination with our member agencies ensures we continue to provide a safe and reliable supply that serves the region’s 3.3 million residents and our $240 billion economy,” said Eva Plajzer, the Water Authority’s director of operations and maintenance. “It requires an extraordinary amount of work each fall and winter during the shutdown season to take care of this critical infrastructure.”

Maintenance work on pipelines is scheduled during low-demand periods to minimize impacts on water service. The other scheduled shutdowns on the First Aqueduct are January 23 to February 1 and February 27 to March 8. The February 27 to March 8 shutdown will also impact the Helix Water District and the cities of San Diego, Poway and Ramona.

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