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There’s a 75% Chance Our Monster El Niño Is Turning Into La Niña

/in /by /Curbed Skiby Michael Schrantz

After coming through one of the strongest El Niños on record, it’s now fairly certain that La Niña will be fast on its heels. The odds are up to 75 percent, in fact, that the cooler, drier half of the climate pattern knows as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) will be upon us by fall.

The transition might also be quick, with the cool water moving eastward under the surface of the Pacific Ocean pushing us into La Niña by summer.

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Chronic Water Scarcity Threatens Food Production

/in /by /Water Deeplyby Tara Lohan

California is getting ready to enter the hottest and driest months of the year, but it’s armed this year, at least, with a rainy season that resulted in nearly average precipitation for parts of the state. The largest reservoirs in Northern California are brimming, and urban water suppliers will be getting something of a reprieve on statewide mandatory conservation requirements.

About 90 percent of the state still suffers from some kind of drought conditions, though, and many experts suggest it will take two or three consecutive winters like the most recent to snap California’s drought.

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Snowpack Melting Quickly in Sierra Causes Faster Rapids

/in /by /KCRA Sacramentoby Mike Luery

With temperatures in the 90s Tuesday, the water was raging along the North Fork of the American River thanks to fast-melting snow.

“It’s pretty high compared to the other years,” Anna Chubar said. The raging waters are good news not only for rafters and boaters, but also for Northern California reservoirs, which are filling up fast. Lake Shasta is 93 percent full Tuesday, thanks to a healthy snowpack. Lake Oroville is 96 percent full while Folsom Lake is 86 percent full. But in Southern California, it’s a very different story.

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‘Deeply disappointed’ with Garamendi bill

/in /by /Stockton Recordby Alex Breitler

Long considered an ally of Delta advocates, U.S. Rep. John Garamendi introduced legislation this week that appears likely to test that reputation.Garamendi, a Democrat who lives in Walnut Grove and represents the north Delta, sent to the House of Representatives a drought bill that he said is identical to legislation already brought to the Senate by fellow Democrat Dianne Feinstein.The lengthy Feinstein bill contains $1.3 billion worth of long-term solutions for future water shortages, including dams, desalination and water recycling projects.

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California Water Officials Say They Will Consider Dropping a Mandate Requiring Conservation in the State’s Fifth Year of Drought

/in /by /Associated Press (As Published by U.S. News - Washington, D.C.)by By Scott Smith

California water officials say they will consider dropping a mandate requiring conservation in the state’s fifth year of drought.

The State Water Resources Control Board on Wednesday will vote on whether to give local water districts control of setting their own conservation targets. California is in a fifth year of drought. Near-average rain and snowfall this winter in Northern California lifted key reservoirs. Southern California, however, missed out on much of the precipitation.

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California Weighs Next Steps in Drought

/in /by /Rivet Radio (Chicago, Ill.)by Sandy Kozel

Strict rules adopted at the height of California’s drought, leading many people to let their lawns turn brown, may soon end. State regulators Wednesday will consider letting local communities decide how to keep their own water use in check.

The drought in California’s still a huge issue, but AP correspondent Sandy Kozel reports precipitation in the fall and winter could lead to lighter restrictions.

 

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California Relaxes Water Restrictions For This Summer

/in /by /KQED (San Francisco)by By Lindsey Hoshaw, Craig Miller and Lauren Sommer

On Wednesday California revised its drought rules, ending a year of local conservation quotas handed down by the state.

The State Water Resources Control Board voted to abandon its formula — decried by some local agencies as a “one-size-fits-all” model — which required each water district to curb water use by a certain state-mandated percentage and instead, let districts determine how much they should save.

Some see the switch as premature.

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California lifts tough statewide water conservation rules

/in /by /The Sacramento Beeby Phillip Reese and Ryan Sabalow

Marking a major shift in California water policy, state regulators Wednesday voted to lift the statewide conservation targets that for the past year have required dramatic cutbacks in irrigation and household water use for the Sacramento region and urban communities across the state.

The new rules adopted by the State Water Resources Control Board allow individual water agencies to propose their own conservation standards, based on the health of their water supplies and anticipated local demand.

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In Sharp Reversal, California Suspends Water Restrictions

/in /by /The New York Timesby ADAM NAGOURNEY and IAN LOVETT

California on Wednesday suspended its mandatory statewide 25 percent reduction in urban water use, telling local communities to set their own conservation standards after a relatively wet winter and a year of enormous savings in urban water use.

The new rules are a sharp change in policy for a state struggling to manage one of the worst droughts in its history.

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BLOG: Fishery Agency Slams Feinstein Drought Bill

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

The federal agency that manages fishing harvests along the Pacific Coast has strongly criticized drought legislation proposed by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, saying it will cause “irreparable harm” to salmon and the coastal communities that depend on fishing.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council, based in Portland, Ore., prepared a letter on May 11 analyzing Feinstein’s bill, in response to a request from Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), both of whom represent fishing communities.

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