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Storm Hilary Slams Southwest US with Heavy Rain

/in , /by /Reutersby Daniel Trotta

Parts of Southern California and the U.S. Southwest on Monday faced the threat of flash flooding along with landslides and mudslides after storm Hilary unleashed record-breaking downpours overnight. Some 17 million Americans were under flood and high-wind advisories, watches and warnings as remnants of the storm moved north, dumping heavy rains from the California-Mexico border up through Las Vegas and into parts of the Northwest, the National Weather Service said.

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Marin Water Utility Set to Begin Studies of New Supply Options

/in , /by /Marin Independent Journalby Will Houston

The Marin Municipal Water District is preparing to launch more in-depth studies of new water supply projects, beginning with assembling consulting teams. The district board is set to vote on contracts with new consulting teams next month to begin preliminary technical, environmental and engineering studies of larger, more complex projects. The projects include expanding local reservoir storage, constructing a brackish Petaluma River desalination plant and installing new pipelines to transfer Russian River water directly into local reservoirs.

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Hurricane Hilary Barrels Toward Southern California, Bringing Unprecedented Dangers

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Grace Toohey, Hayley Smith, Rong-Gong Lin II, Connor Sheets and Jeremy Childs

With Hurricane Hilary fast bearing down on the region, officials issued a tropical storm warning for a swath of Southern California Friday night — meaning tropical storm-force winds are expected in the region within the next 36 hours.

Southern California was already bracing for a rare and potentially destructive weekend. Such lashing winds would be only one of the storm’s potentially dangerous impacts, with forecasters also predicting intense rain, flash flooding in the desert and mountain areas and harrowing conditions along the beaches.

The storm has prompted officials to cancel events and issue dire alerts, particularly as the system moves across southwestern California on Sunday and Monday.

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States Have Started Negotiating New Rules to Keep the Colorado River From Crashing. Here’s What They Want

/in , , /by /CPR Newsby Michael Elizabeth Salas

The states that share the Colorado River need to negotiate new rules to better manage the dwindling river so it can continue to meet the needs of millions of people across the Southwest. That means finding ways to keep more water in the river and reservoirs, which means less water to go around.

The high-stakes, multi-year negotiation process between the states — Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico in the upper basin and Arizona, Nevada and California in the lower basin — along with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, officially kicked off in June.

By the start of 2027, the states and the federal government are expected to have a new agreement on rules to manage the river so that Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the country’s largest reservoirs, don’t hit critically low levels. Climate change and overuse have stressed the river system and helped drive both reservoirs to drop to record-low water levels.

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Hurricane Hilary on Path Toward Southern California

/in , /by /CBS Newsby Kerry Breen

A storm headed in the direction of Southern California has been upgraded to a hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said in a public advisory early Thursday morning. It is expected to bring heavy rainfall to parts of the state after hitting Mexico.

The storm’s remnants are likely to bring flooding rain as well as strong winds to some parts of California, including the Los Angeles Basin, The Weather Channel reports. Heavy rainfall is expected to impact the Southwestern United States from Friday through early next week, according to the hurricane center.

(Editor’s Note: Updates on Hilary from NOAA’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/.)

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Hurricane Hilary Forms Off Mexico’s Pacific Coast and Could Bring Rain to US Southwest

/in , /by /AP Newsby Associated Press

Hilary strengthened into a hurricane off Mexico’s Pacific coast Thursday, and it could bring heavy rain to the U.S. southwest by the weekend.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center is reporting that Hilary had maximum winds of 85 mph (140 kph) and was expected to strengthen into a major hurricane and perhaps skim the coast of the Baja California peninsula by the weekend.

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Charts Show Lake Mead, Powell Water Levels Change Amid Low Storage Warning

/in , , /by /Newsweek by Anna Skinner

Two charts show an improving trend in Lake Mead and Lake Powell water levels after the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) issued a low storage warning for the former on Tuesday.

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Central Valley Farmers Are Having a Climate Reckoning

/in , , /by /Politicoby Ry Rivard

Climate change — and changing political winds — are prompting shifts in strategy at California’s largest agricultural water district.

Westlands Water District, which occupies some 1,100 square miles of the arid San Joaquin Valley, is in the midst of an internal power struggle that will determine how water fights unfold across the state.

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California Aims to Introduce More Anglers to Native Warm-Water Tolerant Sunfish as Planet Heats Up

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Julie Watson

California’s only native sunfish, the Sacramento perch, survived catastrophic floods in the 1860s and was so abundant that it was a regular staple in San Francisco’s markets before invasive species decimated its population.

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Reclamation Announces 2024 Operating Conditions for Lake Powell and Lake Mead

/in , , /by /Water News Networkby U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

The Bureau of Reclamation on August 15, released the Colorado River Basin August 2023 24-Month Study, which determines the tiers for the coordinated operation of Lake Powell and Lake Mead for 2024. These operating conditions, which are based on existing agreements under the 2007 guidelines and lower basin Drought Contingency Plans, will be in effect until the near-term guidelines from the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) are finalized. Reclamation is currently analyzing the consensus-based Lower Division States proposed alternative for the SEIS.

Based on projections in the 24-Month Study, Lake Powell will operate in a Mid-Elevation Release Tier with a 7.48 million acre-feet release in water year 2024. Consistent with existing agreements, Lake Mead will operate in a Level 1 Shortage Condition – an improvement from the Level 2 Shortage Condition announced last year – with required shortages by Arizona and Nevada, coupled with Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan water savings contributions. Mexico’s water delivery will be reduced consistent with Minute 323.

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