You are now in California and the U.S. Home Headline Media Coverage category.

Water In The Bank: Coalition Of Agencies Develops ‘Historic’ Sustainable Groundwater Plan

/in , , /by /Recordnet.com by Joe Goldeen

There’s progress to report in the momentous task of ensuring that San Joaquin County and surrounding communities have enough water to meet anticipated needs for the next 20 years.

Earlier this month, the Eastern San Joaquin Groundwater Authority — or ESJGWA, comprised of 16 area agencies including cities, counties and water districts — recommended that each of its member agencies adopt a mutually agreed upon Groundwater Sustainability Plan by Jan. 8.

 

Full Story

Conservation Groups Sue Feds Over California Water Projects Opinion

/in , , /by /Courthouse News Service by Carson McCullough

Several fishing and conservation organizations brought a federal complaint Monday over the harm they expect to befall an already threatened species of fish from the Trump administration’s efforts to set new rules for the operation of major California water projects.

Led by the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, the groups claim that the government’s biological assessments of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project were politically motivated and failed to consider proper environmental protection standards. They filed their suit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Full Story

How The Atmospheric River Storm Affected Bay Area Rain Totals

/in , /by /The Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers

Remember fire season and power outages? They seem so long ago now.

The cold storms that suddenly doused the Bay Area over the past week instantly flipped a switch from summer to winter weather conditions. But so far, they have brought radically different amounts of rain to communities across Northern California.

“We basically went from fire season to rain season in a matter of 48 hours,” said Matt Mehle, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Monterey. “We’re making progress, but we could still use some more rain.”

Full Story

First State Water Project Allocation at 10% for the 2020 Calendar Year, California Department of Water Resources Announces

/in , , /by /Sierra Sun Times

SACRAMENTO, Calif. –  On Monday, the California Department of Water Resources announced an initial State Water Project allocation of 10 percent for the 2020 calendar year.

The initial allocation is based on several factors, such as conservative dry hydrology, reservoir storage, and releases necessary to meet water supply and environmental demands. State allocations are based on conservative assumptions and may change depending on rain and snow received this winter.

Full Story

‘The Storm Door is Open,’ Bay Area Weather Officials Warn

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Alejandro Serrano

On-and-off rain for the better part of a week is expected to continue Tuesday and Wednesday in the Bay Area, but a larger storm will likely swamp the region starting Thursday, officials said.

A weather system from the Northwest and coast is expected to bring rain to areas that have not been affected as much by the recent storm, such as San Jose and Redwood City, according to the National Weather Service.

Full Story

Fresno Ties Rain Record, Merced Hit Even Harder – and More Wet Weather is on the Way

/in , , /by /Fresno Beeby Abbie Lauten-Scrivner

Fresno tied an almost 70-year-old single-day rainfall record Sunday — while areas north of the city like Merced were hit even harder, according to the National Weather Service.

Sunday’s rainfall in Fresno exactly matched the Dec. 1, 1952, high of .78 inches of rain.

“They tied it to the hundredth,” said Jim Dudley, a NWS meteorologist. “Right on the nose.”

Full Story

Colorado Rethinks Dam Safety as Climate Change Heightens Risk for State’s 27 “Unsatisfactory” Structures

/in , , /by /The Fort Morgan Times (Fort Morgan, Colo.)by Bruce Finley

A climate-driven shift toward extreme storms has compelled Colorado officials to rethink the safety of hundreds of dams across the state that hold water and mine waste, including 27 high-hazard structures near people that already are listed as deficient.

They’re trying to calculate the potential for sudden hard rain resulting in flooding and accelerated erosion that could trigger fatal collapses.

Full Story

Storm to Set Up ‘Firehose Effect’ With Rain, Mountain Snow in California

/in , , /by /AccuWeatherby Alex Sosnowski

A storm currently along the California coast is loaded with moisture and will slam the northern part of the state with inches of rain and yards of snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains during the first couple of days of December.

The storm will be double-barreled in nature with the first part set to slam Northern California into Monday afternoon. The second phase is likely to focus on Southern California during Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Full Story

San Francisco Bay Dredging Fuels an Unexpected Concern: Climate Change

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

What began as an unremarkable bid to deepen a shipping channel in San Francisco Bay, making it easier for cargo vessels to come and go, has become a flash point in the debate over climate change.

Environmental groups are blasting plans by the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge 13 miles of waterways inside the Golden Gate because the work would benefit ships delivering oil to East Bay refineries.

Full Story

New Monitoring Program Hopes to Boost Science on Colorado River Headwaters

/in , /by /KAWC (Yuma, Ariz.)by Luke Runyon

A new federal program hopes to fill in knowledge gaps on how water moves through the headwaters of arguably the West’s most important drinking and irrigation water source.

The U.S. Geological Survey announced the next location for its Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS) will be in the headwaters of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers. It’s the second watershed in the country to be part of the program, after a successful pilot on the Delaware River started last year.

Full Story