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

BLOG: Why California WaterFix Is a Path to Extinction

/in /by /NRDC (New York)by Doug Obegi

Last month, the website Water Deeply published an op-ed I wrote about the likely harm to salmon and other endangered species from the California WaterFix project.  This op-ed followed a letter that NRDC sent to the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service regarding major flaws in the draft biological assessment.  Below is a more detailed version of that op-ed, which includes page citations to the WaterFix biological assessment.

Full Story

BLOG: Major Habitat Restoration Project Could Help Delta Fish

/in /by /Water Deeply (New York)by Matt Weiser

If you restore aquatic habitat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, will the fish come back? That’s the basic question behind a major restoration project planned at Prospect Island, a 1,600-acre (650-hectare) tract of levee-protected farmland near Rio Vista that is now owned by the state. The California Department of Water Resources and Department of Fish and Wildlife plan to breach the levees to restore tidal flow to the island, and reshape the terrain to create the kind of shallow habitat that could attract Chinook salmon and delta smelt. The agencies recently released a draft environmental impact report on their project.

Full Story

Official: Californians Netted Strong Water Savings in July

/in /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune

Residents of drought-stricken California kept up water conservation in July despite the long, hot days near the peak of summer, officials said. People are most inclined to water their yards when it is the hottest, so dialing back sprinklers also offers the greatest opportunity for savings, officials said. “We’re holding steady” on conservations, said Max Gomberg, a senior climate scientist for the State Water Resources Control Board. “It shows that people understand that the drought’s not over.”

Full Story

California Water Conservation ‘Holding Steady’ Through July

/in /by /CBS Sacramento

Residents of drought-stricken California kept up water conservation in July despite the long, hot days near the peak of summer, officials said. People are most inclined to water their yards when it is the hottest, so dialing back sprinklers also offers the greatest opportunity for savings, officials said. “We’re holding steady” on conservations, said Max Gomberg, a senior climate scientist for the State Water Resources Control Board. “It shows that people understand that the drought’s not over.”

Full Story

Project Aids Food Supply for Delta Smelt

/in /by /AgNet West (Gainesville, Fla.)

Efforts to enhance the food supply for the protected delta smelt are showing initial success, according to wildlife and water resources experts. They gathered at the Yolo Bypass to the Sacramento River last week to discuss their work to increase the number of plankton available to the fish. Cooperative efforts by state and federal agencies, Sacramento Valley farmers and water providers have resulted in the creation of a phytoplankton bloom, the experts said. Phytoplankton are microscopic creatures and the major food source for zooplankton, another minuscule creature that represents the main food source for delta smelt.

Full Story

Water Use in California is Increasing. Should We Care?

/in /by /89.3 KPCC (Pasadena)by Emily Guerin

New data out Wednesday show Californians used 15 percent more water this July than the same time last year, continuing a trend that began in June when state officials backed away from mandatory water conservation targets. While state officials seem unfazed by the increase, others worry it means Californians aren’t taking the drought as seriously as before. In June, the State Water Resources Control Board ended nearly a year of unprecedented mandatory water conservation across the state. In spring 2015, Governor Jerry Brown asked for a statewide cut of 25 percent.

Full Story

Feds’ water use forecast was too good to be true

/in /by /Arizona Daily Starby Tony Davis

It sounded too good to be true — an official forecast that 2016 water use in Arizona, California and Nevada will be the lowest since 1992.

That forecast from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation was too good to be true — by the bureau’s own admission. It was widely reported recently as a sign of major progress toward conservation. But what the bureau calls its more accurate forecast, while still showing progress, is significantly higher, predicting water use in the states will be its lowest in 11 years — not 24.

Full Story

Background on Agreement Between Bullhead City, BOR

/in /by /Mohave Valley Daily News (Bullhead City, Ariz.)by Neil Young

The following is taken from a “council communication” from Public Works Director Pawan Agrawal providing background information regarding the agreement between the city of Bullhead City and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation permitting the city to pump effluent — wastewater — into the Colorado River: In October 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation issued a letter inviting certain entities along the Colorado River to participate in the “Pilot Program for Colorado River System Water Conservation” they developed at that time, and Bullhead City received this invitation.

 

Full Story

Here’s What’s Happening to All That Water Bond Money

/in /by /Water Deeply (New York)by Matt Weiser

Almost two years ago California voters, in the midst of a historic drought, passed Proposition 1, a $7.5 billion bond measure intended to ease water shortages by funding new projects.

At this point, many Californians are wondering where all that money went.

Most of it hasn’t gone anywhere, yet. According to a recent report by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), just 2 percent of the bond money has been spent so far – about $177 million. The rest awaits a lengthy process of vetting funding requests.

Full Story

The Golden State’s water crisis: California and EPA poised to expand pollution of potential drinking water reserves

/in /by /Salon (Sacramento)by Abrahm Lustgarten

As the western United States struggles with chronic water shortages and a changing climate, scientists are warning that if vast underground stores of fresh water that California and other states rely on are not carefully conserved, they too may soon run dry.

Heeding this warning, California passed new laws in late 2014 that for the first time require the state to account for its groundwater resources and measure how much water is being used.

 

Full Story