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County to Conduct Groundwater Survey Flights

/in , , /by /Santa Barbara News-Pressby Gerry Fall

Residents of the Santa Ynez and Lompoc Valleys may see an unusual sight in the skies this November, and it won’t be a UFO.

It will be a low-flying helicopter carrying a large hexagonal frame. This unique equipment is part of a project to map aquifers and improve the understanding of groundwater in the area. The project is being conducted by Santa Barbara County and the Santa Ynez River Water Conservation District in cooperation with the local water agencies that comprise the three Groundwater Sustainability Agencies in the Santa Ynez River Valley Groundwater Basin.

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La Niña: Moderate to Strong Climate Event Predicted this Year, Meaning Possibly Drier Conditions in SoCal

/in , , /by /ABC7

Global climate experts are predicting a moderate to strong La Niña weather event this year, meaning a stormy season for most parts of the world but possibly drier-than-normal conditions in Southern California. A La Niña usually means a more active Atlantic hurricane season with potentially stronger storms.

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Opinion: Delta Tunnel Project Would Secure California’s Water Future

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Jennifer Pierre

The Delta Conveyance Project is a necessary investment to secure California’s water future. Let’s face it, our climate is changing rapidly and becoming more unpredictable – wildfires are larger and more frequent, the seas are rising, droughts are lasting longer and storms are fiercer. The need for this project has never been clearer.

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In Parched California, Search Goes Deeper for Water

/in , , /by /The Bakersfield Californianby Maureen Buscher-Dang

A carpet of green, new grass covered the rolling hills, southwest of Maricopa, near New Cuyama. In the distance, the coastal mountain range was capped by white, full clouds and blue sky.

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Army Corps Banks on Wetland Data EPA Deemed ‘Unreliable’

/in , /by /E&E Newsby Ariel Wittenberg and Hannah Northey

When the Trump administration finalized a key Clean Water Act rule last year, it slammed media outlets for citing federal data showing it would erase protections for more than half the nation’s wetlands and 18% of streams.

The National Wetlands Inventory, EPA wrote in a press release at the time, was so unreliable that it “doesn’t map wetlands that are there and maps wetlands that are no longer there.”

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How Testing Sewage Could Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19

/in , , /by /KCRA-TV (Sacramento)by Marlei Martinez

All across the country, counties, colleges and other communities are now testing sewage to monitor the spread of the novel coronavirus. According to experts, COVID-19 can show up in wastewater about a week before people even show symptoms.

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California Slammed Over ‘Blank Check’ for Delta Tunnel Project

/in , /by /Courthouse News Serviceby Nick Cahill

Lobbing another hurdle at California’s $16 billion plan to tunnel underneath the West Coast’s largest estuary, environmentalists on Thursday sued to freeze public funding for the megaproject championed by Governor Gavin Newsom.

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California Could Do Better to Ease the Burdens of Wildfires If We Knew How Much They Actually Cost

/in , /by /KQED San Francsicoby Danielle Venton

Amid a record-breaking fire year, a new report out Thursday says the state lacks a grasp on the true costs of wildfires. The report is from the California Council on Science and Technology, an independent nonprofit organization established to offer state leaders objective advice from scientists and research institutions.

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There’s Hope, SoCal: La Niña Doesn’t Always Mean Drier Winter Weather

/in , , /by /Spectrum News 1by Jacqueline Bennett

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to forecasting climate patterns when there’s an El Niño or a La Niña pattern in place.

El Niño and La Niña patterns are part of the El Niño Southern Oscillation, which monitors sea-surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.

When sea-surface temperatures in this region are above average, it’s called El Niño; when they are below average, it’s called La Niña.

We aren’t talking about major changes in water temperatures but typically more minor swings — usually on the order of plus or minus a degree Celsius — 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit — or less.

There are instances when water temperatures have been as much as eight degrees Fahrenheit above average — a very strong El Niño — but it’s not common.

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California Supreme Court Refuses to Review Farmer Michael Abatti’s Case Against IID

/in , /by /Palm Spring Desert Sunby Mark Olalde

The tumultuous, years-long legal fight between farmer Michael Abatti and the Imperial Irrigation District — two of Southern California’s powerbrokers — is now finished.

On Wednesday, the California Supreme Court declined Abatti’s petition for review, leaving in place an appellate court’s decision that declared IID the rightful owner of a massive allotment of Colorado River water.

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