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Opinion: On the Anniversary of John Muir’s Death, A Wish To See Hetch Hetchy Restored

/in , /by /The Fresno Beeby Barbara Mossberg

For days of infamy — Pearl Harbor and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting — December has a handful. In this list of national anguish two anniversaries of deaths loom. One hundred and six years ago: on Dec. 2, 1913, Congress passed 43-25 (with 29 abstentions) a law drowning Hetch Hetchy, the natural twin of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, in order to provide water and power to San Francisco. On Dec. 24, 1914, John Muir died.

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Sierra Snowpack Off to Healthiest Start Since 2010, Water Officials Say

/in , , /by /KGO TV San Francisco by News Staff

The Sierra snowpack is off to its best start in years, according to the California Department of Water Resources. Thanks to all the recent storms, it’s at 109 percent of where it should be for this time of year. Last year, it was at 82 percent of average.

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Delta Smelt: The Tiny Fish Caught in California’s War With Trump

/in , /by /The Guardianby Maanvi Singh

On a warm November morning, John Durand squints over the stern of a small research boat, and gestures toward gray-blue water, and the chaotic tangles of tube-like tule reeds.

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Water Permit Hearing for Keystone XL Extended Into New Year

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Stephen Groves

A South Dakota board deciding whether to grant water permits for the Keystone XL pipeline will extend its hearing into the new year after opponents repeatedly voiced concerns about the pipeline.

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Sen. Feinstein Urges Newsom-Trump Teamwork on California Water

/in , , /by /GV Wire (Fresno, Calif.)by Bill McEwen

Sen. Dianne Feinstein waded into California’s water wars as a peacemaker Thursday morning.

In a letter, the six-term Democrat urged Gov. Gavin Newsom and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to work together to develop consistent standards for water projects in California.

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State EPA Secretary Lauds Clean-up Funds in USMCA, Federal Funding Bills

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Christine Huard

California Environmental Protection Secretary Jared Blumenfeld lauded House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and San Diego County’s congressional delegation Thursday for their successful efforts to include millions in funding in a new multi-national trade deal to mitigate toxic sewage flows in the Tijuana River Valley.

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Strong Storms Boost California Snowpack to Highest December Level Since 2015

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hannah Fry

In a boost for California’s water supply, a series of recent storms that blanketed the Sierra Nevada in snow has built the state’s snowpack to its highest December level since 2015.

The snowpack — a key source of the state’s water supply — measured 113% of average this week, roughly 40% higher than the snowpack during the same time in 2018, according to the Department of Water Resources.

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Gov. Newsom’s Threat to Sue Trump Upends Peace Talks on California Water Wars

/in , , /by /Sacramento Beeby Ryan Sabalow and Dale Kasler

Even before he was sworn into office, Gov. Gavin Newsom threw his weight behind a series of tentative deals, brokered by his predecessor, that were intended to bring lasting peace to California’s never-ending battles over water and endangered fish.

The deals, designed to reallocate water from the state’s major rivers, have yet to be finalized a year later.

Now, one of the nation’s most powerful farm irrigation districts says it will back out of the agreements completely if Newsom follows through with a pledge to sue President Donald Trump over a federal plan to pump more water to farmers from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the fragile estuary on Sacramento’s doorstep.

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The Colorado River Is Overcommitted. Here’s Why – And What We Can Do About It

/in , /by /KJZZ Radio Phoenixby Bret Jaspers

In the very early years of the 20th century, Western leaders had big dreams for growth, dreams tied to bringing water from the Colorado River across mountains and deserts.

In dividing up the river, they assigned more water to users than the system actually produces. The consequences of the so-called “structural deficit” are being felt today, as states sweat through difficult river diplomacy to prop up water levels in reservoirs.

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Atmospheric River, Tropical Downpours and Unseasonably Warm Weather to Kick Off Holiday Week

/in , /by /CBS Newsby Jeff Berardelli

Wild weather will bear down on the holiday season with a soaking atmospheric river for the West, drenching tropical downpours for the South and soaring temperatures in the East. For most, dreams of a white Christmas will remain just that.

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