You are now in California and the U.S. category.

Colorado River’s dead clams tell tales of carbon emission

/in /by /Phys.Orgby Blaine Friedlander
Scientists have begun to account for the topsy-turvy carbon cycle of the Colorado River delta – once a massive green estuary of grassland, marshes and cottonwood, now desiccated dead land.

“We’ve done a lot in the United States to alter water systems, to dam them. The river irrigates our crops and makes energy. What we really don’t understand is how our poor water management is affecting other natural systems – in this case, carbon cycling,” said Cornell’s Jansen Smith, a doctoral candidate in earth and atmospheric sciences.

Full Story

Water Talks: How California’s Drought Is Fueling Data Innovation

/in /by /Water Deeplyby Tara Lohan

There’s a lot of talk right now in California about water data. Do we have enough of it? Are we doing the right things with the information that we do have? And how are we sharing and using that data? Our first edition of “Water Talks,” a new, monthly conversation around hot topics in California water, centered on those crucial questions.

 

Full Story

Statewide Water Conservation Drops Below 18 Percent in August

/in /by /Sierra Madre Weekly

The State Water Resources Control Board today announced that urban Californians’ monthly water conservation declined to 17.7 percent in August, down from 27 percent savings in August 2015, raising concerns that some water suppliers are abandoning their focus on conservation as California heads into a possible sixth drought year.

Californians continue to conserve water in significant amounts even in the absence of state-mandated conservation targets. The cumulative average savings from June 2015 through August was 23.3 percent, compared with the same months in 2013.

Full Story

It’s Sacramento’s 12th wettest October – and we’re not done

/in /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow

A surprisingly wet October continues to bring gentle rains to the Sacramento region, providing some relief to watersheds parched by five years of drought.

But as scattered showers hit the region Thursday, forecasters and hydrologists said the promising start to the rainy season, while helpful, doesn’t necessarily mean the drought will end this winter.

This October is the 12th wettest in Sacramento in the 139 years tracked by the National Weather Service. As much as 2 more inches of rain might fall before the month is over.

Full Story

An early look at what kind of weather California might see this winter

/in /by /The Washington Postby Angela Fritz

Though water restrictions have loosened and people say they are feeling better about reservoir levels, California is still in a long-term drought. More than 20 percent of the state — mainly in the southern half — is still in exceptional drought, which is the worst drought category on the scale. Over 40 percent is in extreme drought.

Drought-busting hope always lurks as we approach winter, and this year is no different. How much rain will California get? Is it going to be more lucky than last winter?

Full Story

California and National Drought Summary for October 25, 2016

/in /by /Sierra Sun Times

October 27, 2016 – This U.S. Drought Monitor week saw deterioration in drought conditions across the South and Southeast in an area extending from South Carolina westward to eastern Texas and northward into Tennessee. In the Southeast, a persistent dry weather pattern during the past 60 days continues to negatively impact the agricultural sector as well as hydrologic and soil moisture conditions across much of the region.

Full Story

Rain expected to return to California beginning Thursday

/in /by /San Mateo Daily Journal

Rainy weather was expected to return to the San Francisco Bay Area after a storm system dropped a little rain earlier this week.

The cold front was then expected to make its way to Southern California late Thursday and early Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

Rainfall totals ranging from a half-inch to 1.5 inches were expected across parts of Northern California.

“The mountains will see upward of 2 inches of rain,” forecaster Steve Anderson said. Along the Central Coast, the weather service issued a flash flood watch for a burn area from Thursday afternoon into Friday morning.

Full Story

BLOG: Meet The Minds: Erin Mackey On Engineering A Waterwise Mindset

/in /by /Water Deeply (New York)by Eline Gordts

What will it take for California to not just get by during drought, but to really flourish? Erin Mackey, a drinking water and reuse process engineer at Brown and Caldwell, the largest engineering consulting firm focused on the U.S. environmental sector, believes it will take both a shift in how we think of water-use efficiency, as well as the development of a more diverse water supply. That’s why her work is focused on helping clients explore water resources so they can use them smartly and efficiently.

Full Story

BLOG: Water Talks: Patrick Atwater, Greg Gearheart On California Water Data

/in /by /Water Deeply (New York)by Eline Gordts

Water Deeply will kick off Water Talks – a new, monthly lunchtime conversation on hot topics in California water. Patrick Atwater of the California Data Collaborative and Greg Gearheart of the State Water Resources Control Board will join Water Deeply’s managing editor Tara Lohan to talk about the opportunities and challenges in the water data world. Patrick Atwater serves as project manager for the California Data Collaborative, a coalition of water utilities working together to share metered water use data and ensure water reliability.

 

Full Story

Sacramento River Report Adds To Water Concerns

/in /by /AgAlert (California Farm Bureau Foundation)by Christine Souza

California farmers and ranchers say they’re drowning in proposals, regulations, plans and deadlines affecting the future of water supplies. The latest wave came in the form of a “draft science report” from the State Water Resources Control Board that would potentially require dedication of more Sacramento River water to fish. The draft scientific report for fisheries and flows in the Sacramento River and Bay-Delta represents part of what the board calls Phase 2 of its update to the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan.

Full Story