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Almond Farms Keep Growing, And Keep Moving On Water Conservation

/in , /by /Water Deeply (New York)by Daniel Beaulieu

Much was written during California’s recent five-year drought about the amount of water used by almonds. The nuts have become California’s most lucrative agricultural commodity, and a major export product. Long before concerns about water use by almond growers emerged, the industry initiated measures to conserve water by embracing microirrigation systems. It has also become a leader in efforts such as recharging groundwater by flooding almond orchards during winter storms.

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Why This Winter’s El Niño Will Not Bring More Rain To California

/in , /by /Pacific Standard (Santa Barbara)by Matt Weiser

An El Niño is forecast for the winter ahead, and we all know what that means. Or do we? El Niño—that cyclical warming of the equatorial Pacific Ocean—has long been associated with wet winters across much of the West. Which is always welcome news across the chronically water-short region. But in reality, whether El Niño actually delivers greater-than-normal precipitation is strictly a toss-up, says Jan Null, owner of Golden Gate Weather Services, a consultancy based in Saratoga, California.

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OPINION: State Water Board’s Proposed Cutbacks Will Affect All Californians

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Mike Wade

Our state is in a fight over water policy that could hit all Californians squarely in their grocery carts. If the State Water Board’s unimpaired flow policy is adopted, significant additional amounts of water will be diverted away from farms and others and left in our rivers under the assumption that it will help native fish. Not only does science show this approach doesn’t work, we also know it will cause a variety of new problems. California families should reject this approach.

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OPINION: In California, Prop. 3 Is A Billion-Dollar Fix For Stubborn Water Woes

/in , /by /Water Deeply (New York)by Jerry Meral

In 2012, the California Legislature passed a law stating that it is a human right to have safe drinking water. But it provided only meager funds for that purpose. Proposition 3, a water bond on the November ballot, includes $750 million for safe drinking water and safe wastewater disposal in disadvantaged communities, and to eliminate lead from water fountains in schools.

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OPINION: In California, Prop. 3 Is a Billion-Dollar Fix for Stubborn Water Woes

/in , /by /Water Deeply (New York)by Jerry Meral

In 2012, the California Legislature passed a law stating that it is a human right to have safe drinking water. But it provided only meager funds for that purpose. Proposition 3, a water bond on the November ballot, includes $750 million for safe drinking water and safe wastewater disposal in disadvantaged communities, and to eliminate lead from water fountains in schools. This is just one of many things Proposition 3 would accomplish by issuing $8.9 billion in revenue bonds to fund water projects in the state.

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Plan to Revive Rivers Pits SF Against California

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

The rivers that once poured from the Sierra Nevada, thick with snowmelt and salmon, now languish amid relentless pumping, sometimes shriveling to a trickle and sparking a crisis for fish, wildlife and the people who rely on a healthy California delta. A state plan to improve these flows and avert disaster, however, has been mired in conflict and delays. And critical opposition is coming from an unexpected place: progressive San Francisco. City water officials worry that the far-reaching effort to revive hundreds of miles of waterways will mean giving up too much of their precious mountain supplies.

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OPINION: Farms, Food Producers Taking Strides To Save Water – And The Climate

/in , /by /Water Deeply (New York)by Kirsten James

Water and agriculture go hand in hand. Growing food for the planet’s people consumes 70 percent of its freshwater sources. Therefore, water is not only life-giving, it is life-sustaining. Yet with climate change, population growth and development on watersheds, an estimated 2 billion people globally face limited access to clean water. And demand for water is expected to grow by 30 percent globally by 2050.

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Gavin Newsom Says He Would Scale Back The Bullet Train And Twin Tunnels If Elected

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby George Skelton

If Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is elected governor as expected, he’ll keep building the state’s two contentious public works projects: the bullet train and twin water tunnels. But he’ll scale back both. He’ll be more cautious, realistic and practical about the super-expensive projects than termed-out Gov. Jerry Brown.Newsom will concentrate on completing a high-speed rail line from the San Joaquin Valley to the San Francisco Bay Area.

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El Niño Conditions Growing Increasingly Likely This Winter

/in , /by /The Mercury News (San Jose)by Paul Rogers

The likelihood this winter of an El Niño — the weather pattern marked by warm Pacific Ocean waters that can affect California’s rainfall —  is increasing. The probability of El Niño conditions being present by December is now 70 to 75 percent, up from 50 percent five months ago, according to a new report Thursday from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But so far, this El Niño looks more like a lamb than a lion.

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California Might See Construction On Water Storage

/in , /by /ABC30 (Fresno)

For the first time in decades California may see construction of new water storage. The legislation would pay for new water storage projects as part of America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018. It now goes to President Trump to sign it into law after the U.S. Senate approved the measure yesterday. The legislation provides financing for water projects throughout the western U.S. including new reservoirs, below ground storage, and desalination projects.

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