Nearly an entire run of juvenile winter-run Chinook salmon cooked in the Sacramento River this past summer, casting doubt as to whether the iconic species can survive the one-two punch of drought and climate change.
Water rising beneath the ground, pushed up by intruding salt water as sea levels rise, now impacts thousands of toxic waste sites throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. A six-month investigation by NBC Bay Area found that the threat from rising groundwater isn’t decades in the future but, in some cases, may be imminent. In many hot spots from the North Bay to the South Bay, UC Berkeley scientists told the Investigative Unit they’ve recorded groundwater already at or near the surface.
The results are in: Californians aren’t saving enough water. Amid a historic drought, Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked us to reduce water consumption by 15 percent. Yet in August, the most recent month for which data is available, we’d brought usage down just 5 percent compared with the same time last year. Of course, not all water-saving is the responsibility of California households. Eighty percent of California’s water goes toward agriculture, and other businesses play a big role too.
(Editor’s note: The New York Times published a previous story, How San Diego Has Water Despite A Punishing Drought.)
As world leaders meet in Scotland this week to discuss efforts to address the climate crisis, experts are urging greater focus on adapting to fundamental shifts in the planet’s water supplies — and they’re pointing to the Colorado River as a prime example.
The river, a vital water source for about 40 million people from Denver to Los Angeles, has continued to shrink and send reservoirs declining toward critically low levels after years of extremely dry conditions compounded by hotter temperatures.
As the rain falls down in the watershed, Lake Oroville’s water level rises.
Lake Oroville recovered some of its water over the last two weeks from a recent storm ending a long streak of low lake levels that has lasted since its record low on Aug. 4.
According to a community update from the California Department of Water Resources, the recent storm brought the reservoir’s elevation from 629 feet on Oct. 22 to 658 feet by Oct. 27. The elevation Wednesday was 661 feet.
After years of restricting the growth of fossil fuel infrastructure, California is looking to natural gas for power generation this coming winter after drought and wildfires leave the state with few other options to keep the lights on.
California has spent years moving away from fossil fuels to reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. But U.S. states like California and Texas have faced notable challenges to their electrical grid in recent months, and worldwide power crunches have forced other countries to ramp up output of coal and other fossil fuels to maintain power.
As Gov. Gavin Newsom prepares to share California’s climate progress (which he now plans to do virtually) with world leaders at the UN Climate Change Conference, he has been making high-profile announcements about California’s commitment to a greener, more sustainable economy – from phasing out fossil fuels and banning gas-powered cars to defending coastal communities from rising sea-levels.
All these accomplishments, though, overlook one important thing: There is only one way our state is going to transition to a clean, green economy while keeping the lights on, energy costs reasonable and ensuring tens of thousands of skilled energy workers have access to reliable, well-paying jobs. California needs more clean power, in vast new quantities.
Kern County, California, home to some of the most utility-scale solar development of any county in the nation, is set to feature another large array. Leeward Renewable Energy, Central Coast Community Energy, and Silicon Valley Clean Energy announced that construction has begun on the Rabbitbrush Solar project.
The project is being developed by Leeward Renewable Energy, with engineering, procurement, and construction provided by McCarthy Building Companies. Central Coast Community Energy and Silicon Valley Clean Energy both signed on to purchase generation from the project via 15-year power purchase agreements.
Another series of storms is set to sweep through the Pacific Northwest and Northern California into next week and not only bring much-needed rain and mountain snow but also flooding concerns.
A dip in the jet stream across the Bering Sea through the northern Pacific Ocean will push waves of energy toward the Canadian Rocky Mountains and Northwest this week, according to AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Senior Meteorologist Paul Pastelok, who added that temperatures will be near to below normal.
The Newsom administration has informed regional water districts that it will move forward with a plan to increase flows from San Joaquin River tributaries in an action that may create more water uncertainty for farmers.
A notice from the California Natural Resources Agency and state Environmental Protection Agency represents a departure from the state’s earlier willingness to consider voluntary agreements with water districts, which includes aspects other than just flow increases. That departure means that the regulatory regime, adopted by the State Water Resources Control Board in 2018, will now move forward.
