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In the Heart of the San Joaquin Valley, Two Groundwater Sustainability Agencies Try to Find Their Balance

/in , /by /Western Water (Water Education Foundation)by Gary Pitzer and Douglas E. Beeman

Groundwater keeps the San Joaquin Valley’s orchards, vineyards and fields vibrant and supports a multibillion-dollar agricultural economy. But that bounty has come at a price. Overpumping of groundwater has depleted aquifers, dried up household wells and degraded ecosystems. Now, hundreds of agencies in California have the task of making things right in their respective groundwater basins – no easy task considering the enormity of the problem and the need to protect both the farm economy and the drinking water for vulnerable communities. Western Water examined how two San Joaquin Valley groundwater sustainability agencies are striving to find that balance.

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California Storm Winds Down After Deluge of Rain and Snow

/in , /by /AP Newsby John Antczak and Scott Sonner

A drenching storm that brought California much-needed rain in what had been a dry winter wound down Friday after washing out Highway 1 near Big Sur, burying the Sierra Nevada in snow and causing muddy flows from slopes burned bare by wildfires.

The atmospheric river weather system that barreled ashore in Northern California early in the week rolled quickly through Southern California overnight and was moving east before dawn. Remnants unleashed occasional downpours and hail.

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What Are These Atmospheric Rivers that Bring Heavy Rain and Snow to California?

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Paul Duginski

An atmospheric river — a plume of moisture that has been likened to a river in the sky — has brought heavy precipitation to the Central Coast. Now it will sag southward and bring rain and mountain snow to Southern California on Thursday night into Friday morning, the National Weather Service said.

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Will the Storm Move the Drought Needle?

/in , /by /FOX KTVUby Debora Villalon

Bay Area water agencies, starved for snow and rain, are encouraged by this week’s storm system.

But managers say it’s too early to say if it will have a lasting impact.

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State Water Agency Seeks Input from Local Groups on Infrastructure Projects

/in , , /by /The Independentby Tony Kukulich

There is an adage in California that goes, “Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting over.”

But instead of fighting, the California Water Commission is looking for opportunities to hear from local agencies on water infrastructure projects.

The CWC recently wrapped up a series of public workshops intended to determine the opportunity for a state role in financing water conveyance projects that meet the challenges of a changing climate.

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Biden Swings Waters Pendulum With Final Resolution Still Elusive

/in , /by /Bloomberg Law by Bobby Magill

The Biden administration is swinging the pendulum of repeated changes to water regulation back to expanding after those regulatory powers contracted under President Donald Trump.

But the swing isn’t likely to be permanent, legal scholars say.

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Judge Voids Monterey County Approval of Cal Am Desal Plant Project

/in , /by /Monterey Heraldby Jim Johnson

A Monterey County Superior Court judge has set aside the county’s approval of California American Water’s desalination plant project over its rationale for why the project’s benefits would outweigh environmental impacts in a lawsuit brought by the Marina Coast Water District.

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Colorado’s Ornery, Independent Water Guardians Finally Agree On One Thing: Wall Street Can Look Elsewhere

/in , , /by /The Colorado Sunby Jason Blevins

The calls came in shortly after the story in The New York Times announced Wall Street was on the prowl for “billions in the Colorado’s water.” “Can you help us? How do we get started?” wondered the New York financiers, pals of Andy Mueller, the manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District.

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Farmers’ Planting Plans Hinge on Water, Pandemic

/in , , /by /AgAlertby Ching Lee

As California farmers weigh decisions on what to plant and how much, lack of rainfall so far this winter has further clouded a 2021 crop outlook already complicated by market uncertainties created by the pandemic.

With current precipitation levels looking even drier than the 2014-15 drought years, Kings County farmer Brian Medeiros said he’s already making decisions about what ground to fallow. He noted that if he does not receive surface-water deliveries and must rely on groundwater all year, it becomes cost-prohibitive to grow many of the field crops that have been core to his business.

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With Klamath Dam Removal at An Impasse, Huffman Calls Forum

/in , /by /Del Norte Triplicateby Thadeus Greenson

Since time immemorial, as summer turns to fall, the Karuk Tribe’s fatawana, or world renewal priests, have gathered for a renewal ceremony that spreads across many days. They fast and hike to ancient prayer sites. They dance and ritualistically bath in the waters of the Klamath River, all in an effort to bring balance back to the world.

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