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Lake Mead Water Levels Up 3 Feet After Reaching Record Low in June

The summer season is ending on a high note for Lake Mead. After hitting an all-time low at the end of June, the water level is now up 3 feet in September. “It’s like a mini-vacation for me every time,” said Bob Clements, a frequent boater on the lake. “It’s a lot of fun.”The blue water of Lake Mead is just outside of Bob Clements front door, but inside he keeps another view on the wall. A picture taken before the water started draining away from the Lake Mead RV Village.

Weather Agencies Predict Drought Could Benefit from Hot Summer and No La Niña

Coming off the heels of a historically hot summer, California citizens may be in for a bit of a reprieve for this year’s winter, and if meteorologists are correct in their predictions, perhaps a positive impact on the drought as well.The Climate Prediction Center (CPC), a subsect of the National Weather Service, has released a monthly forecast which predicts that La Niña is no longer likely to occur. According to Reuters, last month the CPC stated that La Niña conditions were favored to occur with a 55-60 percent chance of developing during the upcoming fall and winter.

California’s Warmest Summer: This Is It

Okay, okay, so Mark Twain never said that the coldest winter he’d ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. But were he alive today to be misquoted, he might proclaim this summer in California the warmest he’d experienced. And he’d be right. Federal climate trackers confirmed Thursday that this summer (defined as June through August) was California’s warmest in 122 years of records. The statewide average temperature for the three months was 75.5°F, or 3.3°F above average.

This is What the Climate Bill Jerry Brown Signed Means

When Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 32 into law on Thursday, he said of the sweeping climate change bill, “This is big, and I hope it sends a message across the country.” Q: So what, exactly, does it do? A: SB 32 comes a decade after California’s landmark Assembly Bill 32, which required the California Air Resources Board to reduce statewide emissions of greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2020. The legislation Brown signed Wednesday expands on that mandate, requiring California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.

 

La Niña No Longer Seen as Likely This Winter

La Niña may not happen after all. Federal climate scientists on Thursday dialed back their forecast for the influential weather pattern that is sometimes associated with dry years in parts of the Americas, including California — where another winter of scant rain could wreak havoc on the drought-plagued state.California saw near-normal precipitation in most places last winter, but the state is still wrestling with the fallout from an unprecedented four-year dry spell before that. Water supplies are only beginning to recover, and many farmers and small towns still face restrictions while fish and forests continue to languish.

BLOG: Why California WaterFix Is a Path to Extinction

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.

BLOG: Major Habitat Restoration Project Could Help Delta Fish

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.

Official: Californians Netted Strong Water Savings in July

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.”

California Water Conservation ‘Holding Steady’ Through July

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.”

Project Aids Food Supply for Delta Smelt

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.