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Is This El Niño a Dud?

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

Sacramento is in the peak of its rainy season, but there is no substantial rain in the forecast for the next two weeks. The Sierra snowpack has fallen below normal levels for this time of year. The state’s three largest reservoirs remain far below capacity.Whither El Niño?

Throughout the summer and fall of 2015, California residents waited in anticipation as they heard about the strong El Niño weather pattern brewing in the Pacific Ocean. We remembered the winters of 1997-98 and 1982-83, when such strong El Niños corresponded with deluges. And we hoped for relief from our long, brutal drought.

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Dodd Hopes to Improve Water Storage and Reliability

/in /by /Times-Herald (Vallejo)

Assemblyman Bill Dodd, D-Solano, introduced new legislation to help save water during heavy rains that would otherwise flow out to the ocean.

Dodd’s bill will make it easier for farmers to use small ponds to collect and save water during wet months, which means less water will need to be pumped from streams and rivers when flows are low.

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State Falling Short Of 25 Percent Goal in Water Cutbacks

/in /by /San Francisco Chronicleby By Jill Tucker

California fell short of water conservation goals in January, officials said Thursday, and for the first time the state is lagging behind Gov. Jerry Brown’s mandate to cut usage by 25 percent.

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Big Delta Project to Turn Farmland into Public Park, Refuge for Wildlife and Fish

/in /by /San Jose Mercury Newsby By Denis Cuff

As part of the latest push to restore the ailing Delta, a 646-acre wheat and corn farm here is expected one day to metamorphose into a recreational and habitat oasis complete with kayak launches, hiking trails and a home for endangered species.

The area, off the Byron Highway between Oakley and Brentwood, will provide a launch spot to explore the Delta, as well as trails for hikers. The East Bay Regional Park District paid $6.1 million in late January to buy the land for the project, which is likely to cost millions more to carry out over many years.

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California cuts water use 17.1% in January, falling short of target

/in /by /The Los Angeles Timesby By Matt Stevens

When Gov. Jerry Brown called for a statewide 25% cut in urban water use last April, drought-weary Californians snapped quickly into compliance.

They slashed consumption enough to easily exceed Brown’s order for four straight months, cheering state water regulators.

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An Important First Step Toward a Water Market

/in /by /Fox & Hounds (Sacramento)by Gary Toebben

What gets measured gets managed, ” management guru Peter Drucker once said.  In the fourth year of a historic drought, Drucker’s statement is especially relevant.

Simply put, in spite of numerous databases containing information on hydrology, biology, water quality, water use and other technical information, there is no single entity responsible for collecting and reporting all the data necessary for regulatory and water supply managers to make informed and science-based decisions to manage our precious water resources.

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MWD Budgets No Money for Popular Cash-for-Grass Program

/in /by /89.3 KPCC Southern California Public Radio (Pasadena)by Jed Kim

The Metropolitan Water District has no plans at the moment to continue funding an extremely popular turf removal program that has been credited with helping Southern Californians replace more than 100 million square feet of lawn.

Last year, in response to the continued drought, the district added a major injection of funding for conservation programs from its reserve funds. The injections turned what is typically a $20 million conservation budget into a whopping $450 million.

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Old Tensions Boil Over Once More in House Hearing on California Water

/in /by /The Fresno Beeby Michael Doyle

The year’s first congressional hearing on California’s water crisis incited stern voices and familiar feuds Wednesday, but showed no sign of legislative progress.

Instead, for two hours, lawmakers largely remained in trenches dug over many years as they lobbed shells at one another and, at times, the assembled witnesses.

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California Boosts Water Deliveries to Cities, Farms — Slightly

/in /by /SFGateby Kurtis Alexander

With a bit more snow in the Sierra than in years past, California officials on Wednesday boosted the amount of water they expect to deliver this year from the state’s mountain-fed reservoirs.

The 29 water agencies served by the massive State Water Project, which provides about 25 million Californians with water, are set to receive 30 percent of the supplies they requested — up from 15 percent estimated last month, the Department of Water Resources announced.

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Congressmen Back Feinstein’s Water Bill

/in /by /The Galt Heraldby Bryan M. Gold

Two members of Congress that represent the Galt area and the Delta support federal legislation that would provide $1.3 billion for short- and long-term solutions to California’s historic drought.

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein earlier this month introduced the California Long-Term Provisions for Water Supply and Short-Term Provisions for Emergency Drought Relief Act.

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