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To Study Atmospheric Rivers, Scientists Need to Get Close. So They Fly to Them

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Peter Fimrite

The Air Force research crew on the WC-130J Super Hercules airplane was cruising at 28,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean, preparing to deploy 25 weather-sensing devices over a long band of water vapor known as an “atmospheric river” when the hazards of air travel got in the way of science.

Lt. Col. Jeff Ragusa, a pilot with the Air Force Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the Hurricane Hunters, was on the second of 12 missions to study atmospheric river storms and was ready to drop the sensors when fuel suddenly began leaking from a tank, forcing the aircraft to turn back.

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Opinion: Gov. Newsom: California Must get Past Differences on Water. Voluntary Agreements are the Path Forward

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Gov. Gavin Newsom

Water is the lifeblood of our state. It sustains communities, wildlife and our economy—all of which make California the envy of the world.

Reliably securing this vital and limited resource into the future remains a challenge, especially with a warming and changing climate.

For more than a year, my Administration has worked to find a comprehensive solution for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta—a path to immediately improve the health of these waterways, create certainty for the 35 million Californians who depend on these water sources, and maintain the economic vitality of the Central Valley.

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What Does Atmospheric River Mean? How the ‘Pineapple Express’ Impacts the West Coast

/in , , /by /FOX News by Travis Fedschun

Throughout the year, a weather system known as an “atmospheric river” can impact the West Coast of the U.S., causing flooding, heavy snow and possible mudslides.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines an atmospheric river as a huge plume of subtropical moisture that moves with the weather, carrying water roughly equivalent to the average flow at the mouth of the Mississippi River.

“Atmospheric rivers are relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere – like rivers in the sky – that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics,” the NOAA states.

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Local Agencies File Management Plans for Aquifers

/in , /by /Ag Alert (Sacramento) by Christine Souza

The deadline passed at the end of January for local agencies representing 19 of the state’s most stressed groundwater basins to submit plans for how the basins will reach sustainability during the next 20 years. It’s a milestone in implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.

Speaking during the annual California Irrigation Institute conference in Sacramento last week, Tim Godwin of the California Department of Water Resources said the department is now reviewing the submitted plans. DWR will ultimately grade the plans as adequate; incomplete, which gives agencies 180 days to submit clarifying information; or inadequate, which requires DWR to consult with the State Water Resources Control Board on next steps.

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Cal Am Facing Permit Dilemma

/in , /by /KSBW 8 (Salinas, Calif.)by Kristina Lucarelli

California American Water’s Plan for a desalination plant hit a major hurdle last month when the California Coastal Commission told the company it is not ready to make a decision on its permit.

The news came in a letter dated January 28, 2020 and it recommend Cal Am pull its current application and resubmit at a later date. The Coastal Commission cited its likely inability to make a decision in time to meet its own internal deadline per the Permit Streamlining Act.

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Newsom Administration Trying Again for a River Flow Deal

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Bettina Boxall

The Newsom administration Tuesday floated a proposal to avert a protracted legal battle over new state standards that would make some of California’s biggest water users cut their river diversions to help struggling fish populations.

State officials see a settlement as the linchpin of administration water policies that have been bogged down in the perennial conflicts over the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a source of water for much of California and home to some of its most threatened native fish.

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Some Droughts are ‘Perfect.’ Here’s Why

/in , , /by /KJZZ by Bret Jaspers

A “perfect drought” happens when major sources of water all experience drought at the same time. It was behind California’s dry spell early last decade, and a new study shows they go back centuries.

Connie Woodhouse and David Meko, professors at the University of Arizona’s Laboratory of Tree Ring Research, found the most recent span of 100 years, when five perfect droughts hit California, was not unusual compared to past centuries.

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Congressmen Working to Find Ways to Repair Aging California Canals

/in , , /by /KFSN (Fresno, Calif.) by Dale Yurong

(KFSN Fresno, Calif.) – Canals that move water through the state are showing signs of aging.

The Delta-Mendota Canal was built in 1951, while the California Aqueduct was built in 1963.

You can find cracks in the canal system due to subsidence. The land is sinking in some areas due to years of groundwater over-pumping.

“I think we’ve fallen woefully behind when it comes to maintaining infrastructure as we’ve seen in growing populations,” says Cannon Michael.

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California Canals Damaged by Sinking Soil, Groundwater Pumping. New Bills aim to Help

/in , /by /The Sacramento Bee by Carmen George

Democratic congressmen from Fresno introduced two pieces of legislation that aim to repair aging canals and water infrastructure in California that’s been damaged by sinking ground levels – called subsidence, caused by groundwater pumping.

“The canals on the eastside and the westside are experiencing dramatic subsidence and therefore their capacity to move water has greatly diminished,” said Rep. Jim Costa during a news conference Monday before the backdrop of the central San Joaquin Valley’s Friant Dam, just outside Fresno.

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Opinion: Is California Trying to kill the Community-Scale Generation Market?

/in , /by /PV Magazine by Tam Hunt

The community-scale market segment has been plagued by ongoing policy neglect, and otherwise poor policy choices. Will policymakers heed the track record of demonstrated failure and finally create new programs that address previous problems?

California, long a progressive leader on renewable energy and climate change mitigation, has neglected a key market segment for renewable energy: the community-scale or wholesale distributed generation market.

The wholesale distributed generation segment consists of projects below 20 megawatts that connect to the distribution grid and export power to the grid for sale.

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