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OPINION: Here’s How to Protect Fish and Deliver Water to Central Valley Farmers

/in /by /The Fresno Beeby By John Laird

California’s rivers are running higher now than they have in years, and Central Valley farmers are upset that water project pumping in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is not rising in tandem with the rivers. Water managers work in real time to maximize water supply from the Delta. Rather than bicker about project operations, it’s time to fix the projects for the long term. That’s what Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing with California WaterFix.

 

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California farms added 30,000 jobs in 2015 despite drought

/in /by /The Sacramento Beeby By Phillip Reese and Dale Kasler

California’s farm industry kept growing in 2015 despite a fourth year of drought, adding 30,000 jobs even as farmers idled huge swaths of land because of water shortages.

Preliminary estimates from the state Employment Development Department show farm employment increased by an average 7 percent from 2014.

One economist said the figures call into question agriculture’s claims that it hasn’t been getting its fair share of California’s water supply. Others said the growth in employment is a natural consequence of a shift to more labor-intensive permanent crops such as almonds.

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Study Highlights Environmental and Health Benefits of Recycled Water

/in /by /Water Technology (Birmingham, Ala.)

More widespread use of recycled water in California would bring benefits for the environment and human health, according to a new study published online in the American Journal of Public Health.

Researchers at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health compared California’s current water conservation efforts with two other options: banning landscape irrigation and expanding the use of alternative water sources, such as desalination and recycled water.

 

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State Water Project deliveries jump to 45 percent

/in /by /The Sacramento Beeby By Dale Kasler

In a further sign of the easing of California’s drought, farms and cities that rely on the State Water Project learned Thursday that they will receive an estimated 45 percent of what they requested this year.

Just three weeks ago, the SWP’s estimated allocation for 2016 was 30 percent. The allocation for 2015 was 20 percent. The state Department of Water Resources said the increased allocation reflects the healthy winter rains and snow, which have raised the project’s largest reservoir, at Oroville, to 5 percent above its historic average level for this time of year. Other key reservoirs, including San Luis Reservoir in Merced County, are still woefully low.

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EPA, US Bureau of Reclamation and Western water districts collaborate on ICP

/in /by /Energy Global (Farnham, England)

Three of the West’s largest municipal water agencies have partnered with federal agencies to kick off the latest round of an expanded competitive grant programme aimed at discovering the next generation of water saving devices and technologies.

For the first time, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is participating with the US Bureau of Reclamation, as well as the Central Arizona Project, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Southern Nevada Water Authority in the Innovative Conservation Programme (ICP).

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State Water Project Deliveries Jump to 45 Percent

/in /by /The Sacramento Beeby By Dale Kasler

In a further sign of the easing of California’s drought, farms and cities that rely on the State Water Project learned Thursday that they will receive an estimated 45 percent of what they requested this year.

Just three weeks ago, the SWP’s estimated allocation for 2016 was 30 percent. The allocation for 2015 was 20 percent. The state Department of Water Resources said the increased allocation reflects the healthy winter rains and snow, which have raised the project’s largest reservoir, at Oroville, to 5 percent above its historic average level for this time of year.

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OPINION: Mercury News editorial: Delta tunnels partner Westlands is not trustworthy

/in /by /San Jose Mercury News

Jerry Brown is counting on the Westlands Water District to be one of the major financial backers of his $15 billion Delta tunnels, easily the largest public works project in U.S. history. He needs to dump the whole project, and last week’s admission by Westlands’ general manager is just one more reason: The nation’s largest water district got caught cooking the books with “a little Enron accounting.”

The Securities and Exchange Commission was not amused. It fined Westlands $125,000 to settle charges that it misled investors by faking financial records in connection with a 2012 bond issue.

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Spring-Like Weather Will Likely Give Way to Storms Next Week

/in /by /Union Democrat (Sonora)by By Guy McCarthy

Mild weather with daytime highs 5 to 10 degrees warmer than normal is expected through Saturday across the Central Sierra Nevada, and there’s a 50-50 chance of light rain in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties early next week, forecasters said Tuesday.

The same high pressure ridge that’s allowing clear skies, sunshine and a drying trend this week could be a factor in whether the next spell of wet weather tracks south far enough to bring more rain and snow to the Mother Lode.

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Loss of Water During Storms Causes Frustration

/in /by /AgAlert (Sacramento)by By Kate Campbell

Steady rains during the past week have restored California reservoirs to storage levels not seen in nearly four years, but swollen river flows into the Pacific Ocean renewed concerns from water users and elected officials about lost opportunities as billions of gallons of fresh water headed out to sea.

By Monday night, Sacramento River flows were expected to exceed 100,000 cubic feet per second—equal to dumping about 750,000 gallons of water per second into San Francisco Bay.

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Zone 7 Board to Weigh Supporting California WaterFix Tonight

/in /by /Pleasanton Weeklyby By Meredith Bauer

The Zone 7 Water Agency board will decide whether to give its sign of support for a $15 billion statewide water project at its meeting tonight.

The board, which regulates the organization that sells water to Tri-Valley cities including Pleasanton, will vote whether to approve a resolution supporting the California WaterFix, a proposal to create large underground pipes to funnel water from the Sierras to participating agencies more reliably than the current infrastructure.

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