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Silicon Valley Water Board Says Yes To Delta Tunnels

/in , /by /Courthouse News Service (Pasadena)by Mathew Renda

Silicon Valley’s water district narrowly approved participating in a massive and pricey California water project, including contributing $650 million to help pay for it. The Santa Clara Valley Water District Board voted 4-3 to join the Joint Powers Authority that will oversee the design, construction and financing of Governor Jerry Brown’s approximately $17 million project that will use massive tunnels to siphon water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta for use in drier regions in Southern California. “If we are not engaged on these issues, the balance of power will tip to the south,” said board member Tony Estremera during the meeting.

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State Has ‘March Miracle’ In Water Conservation

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

There may not have been a “March Miracle” when it came to the snowpack in the state, but there was sure one when it came to water conservation. The State Water Resources Control reported that in March urban Californians used 24.8 percent less water than in March 2013, the benchmark year considered to be before the drought. That’s a dramatic turnaround from conservation numbers that have been dropping fairly steadily since June 2016, culminating in February with the state using more water than during the same month in 2013.

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OPINION: Arizona’s Water Fight Earned It A Black Eye. Can We Rebuild Our Reputation?

/in , /by /The Arizona Republic (Phoenix)

A bruising battle pitting the two biggest players in Arizona water came to a pause late last week as the agencies announced a truce and promised to work together. On Thursday, the Arizona Department of Water Resources and the Central Arizona Water Conservancy District dropped their swords and published a joint statement of cooperation.

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OPINION: Water Bond Conflict Heats Up, Of Course

/in , /by /Chico Enterprise-Record

As the Water Commission crept closer this week to actually spending the water storage money voters approved in 2014, things predictably got ugly. What the commission did this week is determined the public benefit of the 12 projects that were seeking the $2.7 billion in Proposition 1 that was earmarked for water storage. The problem is, it wasn’t just earmarked for water storage. It was earmarked only for water storage that provide five defined public benefits: ecosystem benefits, water quality, flood control, emergency response and recreation.

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Outlook For Vital Southwestern US River Remains Grim

/in , /by /Associated Press by Dan Elliott

The outlook for the most important river in the Southwestern U.S. remains grim this summer after April storms failed to produce much snow in the mountains that feed the waterway, forecasters said Monday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the Colorado River is expected to carry only 43 percent of the average amount of water into Lake Powell, one of two huge reservoirs that store and distribute the river.

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$650 Million Vote Set On Delta Tunnels Project: Are Taxpayers Protected?

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

In a vote that could give Gov. Jerry Brown’s $17 billion Delta tunnels plan new momentum, Silicon Valley’s largest water agency on Tuesday will consider changing course and endorsing the controversial project to make it easier to move water to the south.

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Gov. Brown Accused Of Behind-The-Scenes Manipulation In Vote Of Water Tunnel Project

/in , /by /89.3 KPCC (Pasadena)by Sharon McNary

Two nonprofit groups are accusing Gov. Jerry Brown of improperly working with Metropolitan Water District board directors behind the scenes to put pressure on a key vote for a massive water tunnel project. The groups claim board members violated open meeting laws as they pressed for a yes on a massive project to move water from tunnels under the Sacramento Bay Delta. The accusations potentially call , call into question a recent vote moving the project forward.

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Debate Emerges Over How To Cover Costs For Oroville Spillway Repair

/in , /by /KRCR News Channel (Redding)by Trevor Fay

On May 8, phase two of reconstruction will begin on the Oroville Dam Spillway, but as more repairs take place, the bills are stacking up. Fixing the Oroville Dam Spillway is something everyone is in favor of, but how to pay for it is a different matter. Some politicians and residents from the Northstate have said they don’t want the federal government to “bail out” California for the cost of spillway repairs. Andrew Giles, a citizen of Oroville, says he doesn’t trust the state or local officials will use the money responsibly.

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One Stretch Of River Could Decide Shasta Dam’s Future

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

The final stretch of the McCloud River before it empties into the state’s largest reservoir is a place of raw beauty. On a recent morning, the river’s icy water, flanked by flowering dogwood trees and jagged rock formations, flowed fast and clean. This part of the McCloud is off limits to almost everyone except a few Native Americans and some well-heeled fly fishermen. Its gatekeeper is an unlikely one, an organization that also happens to be a hugely controversial player in California water politics.

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BLOG: Improving Urban Water Conservation In California

/in , /by /California WaterBlogby Erik Porse

The relatively dry 2017-18 winter in California resurfaced recent memories of drought conservation mandates. From 2013-16, urban water utilities complied with voluntary, then mandatory, water use limits as part of Executive Order B-37-16. Urban water utilities met a statewide 25% conservation target (24.9%), helping the state weather severe drought. Winter rains in 2016-17 led to a reprieve from mandatory conservation. Freed from statewide requirements, urban water agencies ended mandatory cutbacks by meeting “stress tests” that included several years of secured water supplies. A useful outcome of the 2013-17 drought period was long-needed reporting data on monthly urban water use and conservation.

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