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Storm Onslaught To Bombard California With Flooding Rain, Mountains Of Snow Through Thursday

/in , /by /Accuweather by Kristina Pydynowski

The threat for flooding and mudslides is expected to ramp up across California as the train of storms with heavy rain, mountain snow and gusty winds persists this week. There will be no day through at least Thursday when a significant part of California is not being affected by a storm rolling in from the Pacific Ocean. Each storm will bring an increasing risk of flooding and mudslides as snow further buries the mountains, making travel increasingly difficult.

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Intake, Discharge Criteria To Be Revised

/in , /by /Global Water Intelligence

California’s Water Code gives the State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board) the responsibility of protecting its ocean water quality by controlling waste discharges and the intake of seawater. It also requires that the California Ocean Plan be reviewed every three years to guarantee that the current standards are adequate and not allowing marine species degradation or posing a public health threat. The plan was last amended to address desalination facility intakes and brine discharges in May 2015, and went into effect in January 2016.

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People Will Be Saying ‘Atmospheric River’ A Lot On Wednesday. Here’s What That Means.

/in , /by /SFGate.com (San Francisco)by Amy Graff

A so-called “atmospheric river” is poised to barrel into the Bay Area Wednesday afternoon, delivering a drenching of rain that forecasters say could add up to 3 to 6 inches in the hills and 1 to 3 inches in the valleys in a matter of two days. “The city is likely to see in excess of two inches,” says Ryan Walbrun, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Monterey. “Even places like Livermore where you don’t usually get heavy rain will likely receive more than an inch, so it’s going to be a good soaking for everybody.”

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Gov. Newsom Proposes Tax On Drinking Water

/in , /by /10 News (San Diego)by Zac Self

Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing a tax on drinking water to help communities clean up contaminated water systems. The plan, according to the Sacramento Bee , is an attempt to revive an idea that didn’t pass the Legislature in 2018. An 2018 investigation showed that at least 360,000 Californians get water that doesn’t meet state standards, according to the Bee. Drinking water advocates praised the proposal while the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association said the state should dip into its massive surplus instating new taxes.

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Gavin Newsom Budget Calls For Drinking Water Tax To Help Poor Communities

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler, Ryan Sabalow, and Alexei Koseff

Tackling what promises to be a controversial issue, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a tax on drinking water Thursday to help disadvantaged communities clean up contaminated water systems. Newsom’s plan for a “safe and affordable drinking water fund,” included in the new governor’s first budget proposal, attempts to revive an idea that died in the Legislature last year. A McClatchy investigation last year showed that at least 360,000 Californians rely on water that does not meet state standards for toxins. McClatchy also found that 6 million Californians have water providers that have violated state standards at some point since 2012.

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Parade Of Storms Bringing Soaking Rain And Feet Of Snow To California Into Late-Week

/in , /by /The Weather Channelby Chris Dolce

California will continue to be under a siege of storm systems through Thursday that will send more soaking rain across the state and snow into the higher terrain. This string of stormy weather actually kicked off last Friday into Saturday, when an initial weather system made its way into the state. The rain from that storm triggered a mudslide on the Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu, California, early Saturday, forcing it to close for a time.

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California Snowpack Surges After Slow Start. Will It Be Enough To Combat Years Of Drought?

/in , /by /Visalia Times-Deltaby Joshua Yeager

California’s snowpack is surging after a series of storms hit the Sierras last week. More snow could hit California’s mountain ranges this week. “Last week’s storms have been nice and cold, coming from the Gulf of Alaska and putting some nice snow across the Sierra Nevadas,” said Chris Orrock, California Department of Water Resources spokesman. California began 2019 with lower-than-average snowpack measurements — just 67 percent of the year-to-date average. Recent storms pushed that total to 90 percent as of Friday.

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Gavin Newsom Appoints Oakland Man To Lead Natural Resources Agency

/in , /by /The Mercury News (San Jose)by Nico Savidge

Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed the leader of an Oakland water philanthropy to be the next secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency. Wade Crowfoot will lead the agency that oversees state parks, the Department of Water Resources and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, among other offices, Newsom announced Friday. Crowfoot, 45, was CEO of the Water Foundation, an organization with offices in Sacramento, Oakland and Los Angeles that helps fund efforts to improve water management, from 2016 to 2018. Before that, Crowfoot worked as a deputy cabinet secretary and senior adviser to Gov. Jerry Brown, and as a senior environmental adviser to Newsom when he was mayor of San Francisco.

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OPINION: Is There Enough Water For Us In The Desert? Water Agencies Work To Keep It Flowing.

/in , /by /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Joseph K. Stuart

Is there enough water in our desert? I am often asked this question. Everywhere you look new homes, hotels and master-planned developments are appearing. It is wise to ask whether we have enough water for these future desert residents and visitors. Permits for new projects are under the jurisdiction of cities or the county — not under the purview of water agencies. Water agencies are tasked with supplying the water. Balancing growth and water supplies is nothing new to desert communities. It has always been a fact of life in our desert and is one of Desert Water Agency’s most important responsibilities.

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Arizona Lawmakers Under Pressure To Approve Seven-State Colorado River Drought Plan Before Federal Deadline

/in , /by /The Colorado Sun (Denver)by Jason Blevins

Years of drought planning between the seven Western states that rely on the overtaxed, climate-withered Colorado River comes down to Arizona lawmakers in the next two-and-half weeks. With a federal deadline of Jan. 31 for the states to forge a collaborative Drought Contingency Plan, Arizona remains the lone holdout. The plans for each of the states — California, Arizona and Nevada in the Lower Basin, and Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming in the Upper Basin — outline strategies for reducing demands on the Colorado River before water storage in the already record-low Lake Mead and Lake Powell drop to catastrophically low levels.

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