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California’s Drought-Relief Dreams Are Quickly Drying Up

/in , , /by /Bloombergby Brian K Sullivan, Mark Chediak, and Elizabeth Elkin

As recently as Christmas, it looked like California’s devastating drought could—if not fully disappear—at least be on track for serious improvement by spring. That’s no longer the case.

California’s snowpack was promisingly high at the start of the year after Pacific storms in October and December delivered a round of heavy rains and deep snows. But it has since dropped below where officials hoped it would be for this time of year after those early-season cloudbursts turned out to be isolated events.

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California Water District Plans Country’s 1st Solar Canopy Project Covering Canals

/in , , /by /Solar Power Worldby Billy Ludt

Turlock Irrigation District (TID) in Turlock, California, is planning the country’s first pilot project to build solar panel canopies over a portion of the water utility’s existing canals. Project Nexus is planned as a multi-use solar project, assessing water evaporation reduction from mid-day shade and wind mitigation; improvements to water quality and reduced canal maintenance through reduced vegetative growth; and generating renewable energy.

Project Nexus is a public-private-academic partnership among TID, the Department of Water Resources (DWR), Solar AquaGrid and the University of California, Merced.

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As West Continues to Confront Devastating Drought, California Attorney General Urges EPA to Expand Clean Water Act Protections for Nation’s Waterways

/in , , /by /Sierra Sun Times

On Monday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, leading a multistate coalition along with New York Attorney General Letitia James, urged the Biden Administration to repeal a Trump-era rule drastically curtailing protections under the Clean Water Act. Under the 2020 rule, more than half of all wetlands and at least 18% of all streams across the United States were left without federal protections. Western states like California were even harder hit, with 35% of all streams deprived of federal protections as a result of the 2020 rule. In the comments, the coalition supports the Biden Administration’s proposed regulation to restore the 1980s definition of “waters of the United States” and urges the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) to take swift action to develop a more expansive definition that is consistent with science and the law, addresses the impacts of climate change, and serves environmental justice communities.

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California Conservationists and Farmers Unite to Protect Salmon

/in , , /by /Reutersby Daniel Trotta and Nathan Frandino

In an experiment a decade in the making, biologists are releasing hatchery salmon onto flooded Northern California rice fields, seeking to replenish endangered fish species while simultaneously benefiting the farmers’ business model.

At a time when environmentalists are often pitted against agribusiness in California’s water wars, conservation scientists and rice farmers are working together, trying to reclaim the great flood plains of the Sacramento River for salmon habitat.

Their task is daunting. California’s wetlands have all but disappeared, converted into farms and cities in one of the great engineering feats, or environmental crimes, of the 20th century.

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Standing at the Cusp: The Klamath River Edges Closer to Dam Removals

/in , , /by /Public Policy Institute of Californiaby Sarah Bardeen

Few rivers have faced such a protracted battle about their future as the Klamath, which flows through Oregon and Northern California. After decades of negotiations, the decommissioning of four dams on the river is finally in sight, but hurdles remain. We spoke with Mark Bransom, CEO of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, to learn how he’s working to get the dam removal across the finish line—and what the transformation will mean for the many communities that depend on the river.

Who will benefit from the Klamath dam removals? Who may be at risk of negative consequences? How might the dam removals impact the tribes in the basin?

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What Is an ‘Atmospheric River’? These Rivers of Wator Vapor Can Extend Thousands of Miles.

/in , , /by /USA Todayby Doyle Rice

Often in the winter, you’ll hear that “atmospheric rivers” are causing big weather problems along the West Coast. But what are they?

Made visible by clouds, these ribbons of water vapor extend thousands of miles from the tropics to the western U.S. At 250 to 375 miles wide, they provide the fuel for massive rain and snowstorms that can cause flooding along the West Coast.

In general, atmospheric rivers pick up water vapor from the warm, moist air of tropical regions and then drop the water over land in cooler regions as rain or snow.

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Charts Show Where California Reservoir Levels Stand After Weeks of Dry Weather

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kellie Hwang and Yoohyun Jung

A dry January with little rainfall across much of Northern California actually didn’t hurt the state’s water storage levels, according to data from the California Department of Water Resources.

In fact, thanks to a little snowmelt, water levels were up for all reservoirs from December to January. Lake Mendocino, which has a capacity of 122,400 acre feet, saw the biggest boost from 17% of storage capacity in December to 35% in January. One acre foot is the equivalent of one acre of land covered in one foot of water. Trinity Lake, with a capacity of 2,447,650 acre feet, had the smallest increase from 29% in December to 30% in January.

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Opinion: Erratic Weather Requires New Water Policy Approach

/in , , /by /Cal Mattersby Dan Walters

What happened — or didn’t — weatherwise during the last two months starkly reminds us of the erratic nature of California’s vital water supply.

After months of severe drought, the state saw record-shattering storms in December, creating a hefty mountain snowpack while replenishing seriously depleted reservoirs. But January, historically a month of heavy precipitation, was bone-dry.

With climate change, California’s wet periods have become briefer, albeit sometimes more intense, and the dry periods have become longer, making the state’s elaborate water storage and conveyance systems less able to cope with precipitation patterns.

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Rainfall Totals Above Normal but Dry Spell Has Water Districts Preparing for Drought

/in , , /by /CBS SF BayAreaby Shawn Chitnis

The total rain collected as of February is still above normal, according to East Bay Municipal Utility District, but the recent dry spell in 2022 contrasts sharply with the wet months late last year and leaves the potential for a drought emergency uncertain.

“We’re not seeing an erasure of what occurred but it is worrisome,” said Andrea Pook, a spokesperson for East Bay MUD. “We do still need to wait and see what we get for the rest of February and into March.”

As of this week, East Bay MUD says it has 30 inches of rain, which is 108 percent of normal for this time of year. It’s also more rain that we had last year. Reservoirs are 68 percent full. These numbers are improvements from data reported by the agency in December.

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Planned Calif. Desalination Plant Faces Final Permit

/in , , /by /WaterWorld

Poseidon Water has announced its application for a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) for the construction of the proposed Huntington Beach Desalination Facility will soon be considered.

The facility is in the final phase of its permitting process and the CDP is the last major discretionary permit needed to build the long-awaited seawater desalination plant. The permit will be considered by California Coastal Commission staff during its upcoming March hearing.

“Poseidon Water appreciates the thoughtful considering of our Coastal Development Permit application by Commission staff,” said Jessica Jones, Poseidon’s director of communications. “We have a lengthy 15-year history of working cooperatively with the Coastal Commission on the permitting of the proposed Facility. As California continues to grapple with climate change-induced drought we remain committed to building on the success of our Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination facility.”

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