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California Touts Desalination, But Take It With A Grain Of Salt

/in , /by /Bloomberg Environmentby Emily C. Dooley

Slimming down a $17 billion plan to shunt water from Northern California to the arid south has the state considering ways to supplement water needs. Desalination is one of the methods getting some attention. California has a water problem, drought or no drought. The new administration has signaled a shift in water policy by specifically talking about turning salty water potable after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said he would support only a single tunnel as part of the project known as WaterFix, rather than the two tunnels his predecessor pushed for to bring water to the state’s southern half.

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Time-Lapse Map Shows How Winter Rains Have Washed Away California’s Drought

/in , /by /The Sun (San Bernardino, Calif.)by Nikie Johnson

What a difference a winter can make. On Jan. 1, three-quarters of California was in drought. Just eight weeks later, however, a succession of storms have washed drought conditions away from all but a splotch at the far north edge of the state, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Some of Southern California is still considered abnormally dry, which means there are some lingering water deficits. Considering what the state has been through in recent years, this is good news.

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Governor Delcares State Of Emergency In Local Counties Due To Heavy Storms

/in , /by /CBS Sacramento

California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued an emergency proclamation to help communities respond to the severe winter storms that began in January and have continued through this month. The proclamation was issued for many counties across California, including Calaveras, El Dorado, and Yolo County. This helps those communities recover from potential flooding, mudslides, erosion, power outages, and damage to infrastructure.

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Arizona Climatologist: Recent Snow, Rain Likely Not Enough To Head Off Lake Mead Drought Declaration

/in , /by /KJZZ 91.5 FM (Tempe, Ariz.)by Mark Brodie

There are still some snow-capped mountains ringing the valley after last week’s winter storm dropped rain and some snow in the metro Phoenix area — and record snowfall in Flagstaff. That city actually set a record for daily snowfall on Thursday with nearly 3 feet. Overall, Flagstaff got more than 40 inches of snow. So, has all that precipitation helped Arizona’s drought conditions at all? With me to talk about that is Nancy Selover, Arizona state climatologist. And Nancy let’s start there. Just how important was the rain and snow we got around the state to the drought conditions we’re in and have been in for years now?

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California District Stalls West Drought Plan Over Lake Money

/in , /by /NBC 7 San Diegoby Felicia Fonseca

A California irrigation district with the highest-priority rights to Colorado River water is using its power to demand federal funds to restore the state’s largest lake, hoping to capitalize on one of its best opportunities to tackle a long-standing environmental and human health hazard. The Imperial Irrigation District wants $200 million for the Salton Sea, a massive, briny lake in the desert southeast of Los Angeles created when the Colorado River breached a dike in 1905 and flooded a dry lake bed. The money would help create habitat for migratory birds and suppress dust in communities with high rates of asthma and respiratory illnesses.

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Atmospheric River To Bring Drenching Rain, Significant Snow To Northern California

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hannah Fry

Get your umbrellas back out because California’s wet winter isn’t over yet. A moisture-rich atmospheric river that is bearing down on Northern California is expected to dump up to 8 inches of rain on portions of the Bay Area, unleash gusty winds and bring the potential for widespread flooding through at least Thursday. The storm, bringing warm air from the tropics into the region, is expected to raise snow levels to 6,000 feet across much of the Sierra Nevada, said Hannah Chandler-Cooley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

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OPINION: The Water Resource Right Outside The Window

/in , /by /Governing Magazine (Washington D.C.)by Mary Ann Dickinson

Across most of America, the lawn sprinklers are taking their winter’s rest, but it won’t be long before billions of gallons of water start nursing thirsty turf back to life. Nationwide, the tug of war over diminishing water resources provokes challenging questions about how we should prioritize water use among competing interests like agriculture, urban consumption and the environment. These questions grow increasingly difficult as more communities realize they don’t have enough water to go around.

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OPINION: How Can California Capture More Water? Competing Interests Will Have To Compromise

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby George Skelton

Storm water has been rampaging down the Sacramento River, carrying ripped out docks, uprooted trees and homeowners’ backyards, hellbent for the Golden Gate. But very little of this precious water can be saved. Environmental restrictions limit the amount of water that can be pumped into southbound aqueducts. That’s because the pumps are deadly for fish, particularly young salmon trying to reach the ocean.

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Garcetti Pledges L.A. Will Recycle 100% Of Wastewater By 2035

/in , /by /Daily Breeze (Torrance, Calif.)

Mayor Eric Garcetti pledged last week that Los Angeles will recycle 100 percent of its wastewater by 2035 as part of an effort to reduce the city’s dependence on imported water. “Conservation is about more than how we respond to a dry year — it should shape how we prepare our city for tomorrow,” Garcetti said. “Maximizing L.A.’s recycling capacity will increase the amount of water we source locally, and help to ensure that Angelenos can count on access to clean water for generations to come.”

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Gila River Indian Community Moves Ahead With Colorado River Drought Plan After Clash With Lawmaker

/in , /by /Arizona Central (Phoenix)by Ian James

Arizona’s efforts to finish a Colorado River drought plan are moving forward after leaders of the Gila River Indian Community announced that they will proceed with their piece of the deal. The community’s leader, Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis, had threatened to pull out of the agreement if the Legislature didn’t drop a bill that he said would undermine the community’s water rights under a hard-fought settlement.

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