Southern California was in the midst of its fourth rain event of the season this week and with another expected next week, some experts believe the arrival of the weather phenomenon known as El Niño could be imminent. While it may be too early to link the Pacific storms to El Niño, the federal Climate Prediction Center’s El Niño “diagnostics discussion” could make the call next week on Dec. 13.
A trio of tiny salamanders could stand in the way of a massive $1.4 billion project to raise the height of Shasta Dam. An environmental organization has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, asking a judge to force the federal agency to make a determination on whether three salamander species living around Lake Shasta should be protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Shame on Gov. Jerry Brown and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Their betrayal of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ignores respected scientists’ research, circumvents the state’s management of water and could negatively impact California water politics for the next decade. Without a public hearing. Without proper vetting. And possibly without the support of any West Coast senator except Feinstein.
Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $449 million loan to Sites Reservoir Project Authority to build the interconnection facilities to move water in and out of Sites Reservoir. LaMalfa said: “Sites Reservoir is a project that I’ve been fighting to see completed since I’ve been in Congress. After many years of working with the USDA and my California colleague, Congressman John Garamendi, this newly acquired funding will allow the Sites project to finally take the next steps. I’ve said many times before – surface storage projects like this one are absolutely critical to securing the future of our state’s water supply.
You’re seeing the pictures of deep snow being surfed by skiers and snowboarders across the state. The Colorado Department of Transportation is working double time to keep high country stretches of highways passable. But if you were expecting an overnight solution to Colorado’s drought, which has been particularly acute in the southwest part of the state, don’t hold your breath. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows conditions have improved only marginally since the summer and meteorologists and water advocates say whether the snow is adequate to quench the most parched parts of the state won’t be known until spring, when the runoff begins.
A new winter storm is gearing up to bring widespread impacts from the south-central United States to the East later this week after first sweeping into California around midweek. The new storm is expected to end the current cool and dry spell in California by returning another round of rain, mountain snow and gusty winds. This storm is not expected to rival the potent storm from late last week which dumped feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada and triggered numerous mudslides in the burn scar areas. However, residents and visitors can still face travel disruptions and localized hazards around midweek.
California’s most senior Democrat and most powerful Republican in Washington are teaming up to extend a federal law designed to deliver more Northern California water south, despite the objections of some of the state’s environmentalists. While controversial, the language in their proposal could help settle the contentious negotiations currently underway in Sacramento on Delta water flows — the lifeblood of California agriculture as well as endangered salmon and smelt.
Despite the last few storms that brought the North State much needed rain, this water year has been relatively dry, and those conditions are reflected in the Department of Water Resources’ initial State Water Project allocations. DWR announced Friday that the 29 participating members of the State Water Project can expect to receive 10 percent of the requested allocations in 2019. Yuba City is one of the contractors that receives water each year from the project. The percentage is likely to change as the water year progresses.
After a great deal of hard work in recent weeks, water leaders from across Arizona have made significant progress in the effort to protect Arizona’s Colorado River water supplies. This progress brings us closer to a statewide agreement on Arizona’s internal plan for implementation of the Drought Contingency Plan. The long, hard-fought struggle to develop an Arizona DCP has not yet concluded, as there are still many details yet to be worked out.
Arizona says it’s one step closer to figuring out how to divvy up water cuts as the supply from the Colorado River becomes more limited. Several Western states that rely on the river are working on drought plans. The federal government wants them done by the end of the year. While Arizona hasn’t said it would meet that deadline, a committee meeting on the issue announced Thursday it is making progress. The plan isn’t final, including how to fund it.
