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Biggest Storm of the Year is About to Hit Northern California. When to Expect the Worst of It

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Michael McGough

Clear out the gutters. Plan some extra time for the morning commute Wednesday. And don’t even think about heading up the hill for a few days. The biggest storm of the season is barreling down on Northern California. The Sacramento region could see up to 3 inches of rain this week – perhaps doubling the amount of rain we’ve received for the entire winter season – as an extreme storm arrives Tuesday afternoon. The cold, wet system will bring dangerous winds to the region, localized flooding and up to 80 inches of snow – yes, that’s nearly 7 feet – to the summits on Interstate 80 and Highway 50.

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Record Low Lake Powell and Bad 2021 Drought Forecast Sets Stage For Water Cuts

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

The dry 2020 and the lack of snow this season has water managers in seven states preparing for the first time for cutbacks outlined in drought contingency plans drafted two years ago. A sobering forecast released this week by the Bureau of Reclamation shows the federally owned Lake Mead and Lake Powell — the nation’s two largest reservoirs and critical storage for Colorado River water and its 40 million users — dipping near-record-low levels.

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DuPont, 3M Win Dismissal of California PFAS Lawsuit

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Peter Hayes

3M Co. and E.I. DuPont de Nemours Inc. shook off a California water utility’s claims that they contaminated the state water supply with PFAS after the Central District of California found the utility failed to establish jurisdiction.

Golden State Water Co. alleges that the companies “directed and instructed” intermediaries and end users of their products to dispose of them in a way they should have known may cause contamination.

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Environmental Turnaround — 8 Issues That Will Pivot in California’s Favor Under Biden

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

As wildfires, heat waves, water scarcity and threats to wildlife intensify in the West, California’s effort to confront these environmental crises now has support in Washington, a stark change from the past four years.

Even as former President Donald Trump spent his final days in office on the sidelines, lamenting his election loss, his administration continued to roll back environmental conservation and gut climate regulations.

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Radhika Fox Appointed to Lead EPA’s Office of Water

/in , , /by /Water Finance & Management

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced the selection of US Water Alliance CEO Radhika Fox as the Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water. Fox was a Day One Presidential Appointee in the Biden-Harris Administration. She will serve as the Acting Assistant Administrator for Water.

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After Snow in Malibu, US Braces for Series of Wintry Storms in Coming Days

/in , /by /USA Todayby John Bacon

Days after a weather system brought snow conditions along stretches of the nation from Malibu, California, eastward for 1,500 miles, a new series of storms could lead to a wintry mess for much of the nation.

A storm tracking from the southern Plains to the Northeast will bring areas of heavy snow and ice from Kansas into the Great Lakes region Monday into Wednesday, the National Weather Service warned. Snow totals exceeding one foot are possible across parts of Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa.

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EID Approves Permanent Water Contract to Draw From Folsom Reservoir

/in , /by /Mountain Democratby Jesse Saich

At a special meeting Jan. 11 the El Dorado Irrigation District Board of Directors unanimously voted to adopt a resolution authorizing the conversion of the district’s existing long-term Central Valley Project water contract to one that runs in perpetuity. For six decades the district has held a long-term water service contract with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for the diversion of up to 7,550 acre-feet annually of CVP water from Folsom reservoir.

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Upper Colorado River Drought Plan Triggered for First Time

/in , , /by /KUNC (Greeley, Colorado)by Luke Runyon

Increasingly bleak forecasts for the Colorado River have for the first time put into action elements of the 2019 upper basin drought contingency plan.

The 24-month study released in January by the Bureau of Reclamation, which projects two years of operations at the river’s biggest reservoirs, showed Lake Powell possibly dipping below an elevation of 3,525 feet above sea level in 2022. That elevation was designated as a critical threshold in the agreement to preserve the ability to produce hydropower at Glen Canyon Dam.

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Colorado River Expert Biden’s Pick for Interior Water Post

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Tripp Baltz and Bobby Magill

Tanya Trujillo, an expert on water law and the Colorado River Basin, is President Joe Biden’s choice to serve in the Interior Department’s top water and science position.

If confirmed by the Senate, Trujillo, currently the Lower Basin project director for the Colorado River Sustainability Campaign, will serve as principal deputy assistant secretary for water and science, overseeing the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Geological Survey.

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Drought Conditions Continue in California Due to a La Niña Weather Pattern

/in , , /by /ABC 7 KRCRby Kassandra Gutierrez

We had a very late start to the rainy season this year, similar to what we have seen in recent years. We’ve seen about one-third of the normal rainfall for the current date—well below the normal amount. There could be a weather pattern explaining some of the lack of rain. That is called a La Niña weather pattern.

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