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

Plans Would Reduce Water Diversions In North More Than South

/in , /by /Chico Enterprise-Recordby Steve Schoonover

A final draft plan for the San Joaquin River system has been released by state water regulators. It was met with howls of outrage over reductions in the amount of water that could be sucked out of the river. The plan was labeled a “water grab” and the “the first shot in a new water war.” But Friday the State Water Board also released a “framework” for a similar plan being prepared for the Sacramento River watershed, which would see even larger reductions of diversions in the north valley.

Full Story

Drought’s Aftermath Gives Fire Season A Boost

/in , /by /Chico Enterprise-Recordby Paul Rogers

California’s wildfire season is off to its worst start in 10 years. Through Monday morning, 196,092 acres have burned across the state since Jan. 1 — an area more than nine times the size of Chico and more than double the average by July 9 of the previous five years — according to an analysis of federal and state fire statistics by the Bay Area News Group. From the Oregon border to Napa County, Santa Barbara to San Diego, thousands of firefighters with helicopters, bulldozers and air tankers are battling hot temperatures and windy conditions at a time when, most years, summer fire season has barely begun.

Full Story

OPINION: Recommendation Will Help Preserve Delta’s Health

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

The State Water Resources Control Board provided a voice of sanity to California’s water wars Friday. The board, which oversees California’s water rights issues, recommended significant increases in the water flowing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in order to preserve its long-term health. Whew. What a relief. It’s a welcome departure from Southern California and the Trump administration’s non-stop efforts to send more water south at the expense of the Delta’s water quality and eco-system.

Full Story

Nonprofit Files Plan To Remove Four Klamath Dams

/in , /by /Capital Press (Salem, Ore.)by George Plaven

The Klamath River Renewal Corporation has filed its “Definite Plan” with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to remove four hydroelectric dams on the lower Klamath River. Four hydroelectric dams blocking fish passage along the lower Klamath River in southern Oregon and northern California are slated for removal under a “Definite Plan” filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The dams — J.C. Boyle, Copco No. 1, Copco No. 2 and Iron Gate — were built between 1911 and 1962, and are currently operated by PacifiCorp with a combined generation capacity of 169 megawatts.

Full Story

OPINION: The Drought Is Back

/in , /by /Ventura County Star

In January 2015, Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought state of emergency.  Droughts are a recurring theme in California’s climate. It has had unfavorable impacts on not only us but to animals and vegetation as well. We must rely on innovative agricultural tech startups to help our farmers feed a growing population with fewer resources. We, the people, should enforce these types of water management solutions to help deal with this depleting resource.

Full Story

Ventura Moves To Increase And Diversify Its Water Supply

/in , /by /Ventura County Starby Arlene Martinez

To increase its water supply and ensure it has sufficient backup during times of trouble, Ventura has been moving toward connecting to the State Water Project and embarking on a large-scale recycling system. On Monday, the City Council will hear an update on both projects.

Full Story

California Has A New Plan For Allocating Its Water, And It Means Less For Farmers

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

State regulators proposed sweeping changes in the allocation of California’s water Friday, leaving more water in Northern California’s major rivers to help ailing fish populations — and giving less to farming and human consumption. By limiting water sent to cities and farms and keeping more for fish, the proposal by the State Water Resources Control Board’s staff likely will ignite a round of lawsuits and political squabbles. Critics immediately pounced on the plan, saying it will take some of the nation’s most fertile farmland out of production and harm the Central Valley economy.

Full Story

Cal Am Desal Project In “Home Stretch” At CPUC

/in , /by /Monterey Heraldby Jim Johnson

More than six years after being formally proposed to the state Public Utilities Commission, California American Water’s desalination project is in crunch time. A CPUC proposed decision on the proposal is less than a month away. It will be a precursor to the commission’s consideration of project permit approval and certification of the project’s environmental impact document, likely to occur some time in September just before a critical Carmel River cutback order milestone deadline. All this as Cal Am faces a second public takeover campaign and ballot measure led by Public Water Now this summer and fall.

Full Story

Falling Lake Mead Water Levels Prompt Detente In Arizona Feud

/in , /by /The Wall Street Journalby Jim Carlton

Arizona is the odd state out in agreeing to dramatically curtail water use from the Colorado River, raising tensions in the Southwest as extreme drought conditions return. At issue are falling water levels at the West’s biggest reservoir, Lake Mead. Having already dropped by more than 150 feet over the past two decades to 1,077 feet, the Nevada reservoir is two feet shy of falling below a federal threshold that can trigger mandatory cutbacks by U.S. officials.

Full Story

New California Water Plan Aimed At Boosting Fish Habitat

/in , /by /KCRA 3 (Sacramento, Calif.)by Kathleen Ronayne and Jonathan J. Cooper

California water officials on Friday released a plan to increase flows through a major central California river, an effort that would save salmon and other fish but deliver less water to farmers in the state’s agricultural heartland. It’s the latest development in California’s long-running feud between environmental and agricultural interests and is likely to spark lawsuits. “The State Water Resources Control Board’s decision today is the first shot fired in the next chapter of California’s water wars,” warned Democratic Assemblyman Adam Gray of Merced, who represents San Joaquin Valley communities that rely on diversion from the river for water supply.

Full Story