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California Gauges Snowpack Amid Dry Winter

/in /by /The Sacramento Bee

Amid record-setting heat in the state’s south, California’s water managers will measure the Sierra Nevada snowpack, which supplies water to millions. Department of Water Resources officials will trek to the mountains Thursday to check the snow depth, one gauge of the state’s water supply. Electronic sensors show snow levels are about one-third of normal. At the peak of California’s recently ended five-year drought, Gov. Jerry Brown ordered 25 percent water conservation in cities and towns and declared a drought emergency.

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In Sonoma County, February Will Decide Whether We Slip Towards Drought

/in /by /The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa)

A year after record rainfall swamped Northern California, filling our reservoirs and ending the state’s crippling yearslong drought, this winter is proving quite lackluster for storm activity. In Santa Rosa, just 5.98 inches of rain have fallen since the start of the year compared to 18.96 inches of rain last January, the wettest on record for the Santa Rosa Plain.

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A Tale of Two Tunnels: California WaterFix

/in /by /University of Denver Water Law Review

In the world of California water, nothing is a sure thing. But when you’re Governor Jerry Brown, even one step forward can seem like two steps back. The seventeen billion-dollar plan to build two tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (“Delta”) in California, currently known as California WaterFix (“CA WaterFix”), has been a concern for environmentalists and Central Valley landowners since the plan was initiated in 2005. But in the past two years, the Delta plan has experienced a rollercoaster ride of successes and setbacks.

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Cadiz Offers New Study Finding Water Project Won’t Harm Spring; Environmentalist Skeptical

/in /by /San Bernardino Sunby Jim Steinberg

After extensive fieldwork, site observation and geologic mapping, a team of scientists hired by Cadiz Inc. concluded that a proposed water transfer project in a remote part of San Bernadino County desert won’t harm one of the largest wildlife water sources in the Mojave Desert. Cadiz commissioned a peer-reviewed geologic investigation “to address lingering questions as to whether the project could impact Bonanza Spring under any circumstance. That question has now been answered definitively no,”  Cadiz CEO Scott Slater said, in a statement.

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Conservation Key As Santa Barbara Grapples With Persistent Drought

/in /by /NoozHawk (Santa Barbara)by Joshua Molina

Cachuma Lake has not spilled since 2011, and Santa Barbara is still facing significant drought conditions, the city’s top water manager told the City Council on Tuesday. Joshua Haggmark, the city’s water resources manager, said the city has adequate water supplies through 2020, largely because of water conservation. “It’s really extraordinary how much water conservation is going on right now,” Haggmark said.

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Winter Heat Wave Bakes the Southwest, Bringing Renewed Worries of Severe Drought

/in /by /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)

The pear trees are already blooming in Celeste Cantú’s garden. She usually sees the blossoms appear in late February, but this winter’s extreme warmth triggered the bloom a full month early. As the thermometer hit 80 degrees in her garden, she snapped a photo of the blossoms and posted it on Facebook with the question: “Do you think the three weeks of winter are over in So Ca?” A winter heat wave has settled over the Southwest and is bringing record-high temperatures to parts of Southern California, along with dry, gusty winds that have prompted warnings of fire danger.

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No More Patch and Pray — Privatize Oroville Dam

/in /by /San Francisco Chronicle

Just about one year ago, the collapse of two spillways at Oroville Dam forced the frantic evacuation of 188,000 people, caused millions of dollars in property damage and triggered hundreds of lawsuits. Earlier this month, an independent forensic team found that decades of reckless mismanagement by the California Department of Water Resources caused the crisis. Instead of making needed changes, Sacramento has responded by increasing the department’s control.

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Drought Deja Vu: California Snowpack At 30 Percent Of Normal

/in /by /SF Gateby Kurtis Alexander

Yosemite’s Half Dome saw a picturesque dusting of snow this past week while skiers in Tahoe welcomed a shot of fresh powder. Yet California’s Sierra Nevada is plunging deeper into a warm, dry winter that shows little sign of a turnaround. Mile-high mountainsides were low on snow Monday and alpine skies remained a stubborn summer blue. The forecast called for above-average temperatures and virtually no precipitation through at least the first 10 days of February — the third and final month of the state’s peak wet season.

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Jerry Brown’s Two Big Public-Works Projects Are Foundering

/in /by /The Fresno Bee

During his second governorship, Jerry Brown has frequently touted big public-works projects as the mark of a great society—a marked change from his first stint four decades ago, when “small is beautiful” and “lower your expectations” were his oft-voiced themes. He did it again last week, effusively plugging two major public works, twin water tunnels and a high-speed rail network, during his final State of the State address.

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DWR Increases Water Allocations By 5 Percent

/in /by /Oroville Mercury news

State Water Project contractors got a slight uptick Monday in the amount of water they will be getting this year. The Department of Water Resources increased the allocation from the 15 percent announced in December to 20 percent of the amount of water requested. The allocations always start low, and usually rise as the rainy season continues and calculations of the water supply firm up.

 

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