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Illegal Meetings In Delta Tunnels Case, Opponents Claim

A state agency that is supposed to independently judge the merits of Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed Delta tunnels has simultaneously been holding meetings illegally with project proponents, critics allege in a pair of motions filed this week. The State Water Resources Control Board on Thursday is scheduled to resume lengthy public hearings that could result in a permit that would allow the $17 billion project to move forward.

State Moves Step Closer To Downsizing Delta Tunnels Project

California officials have moved closer to scaling back the troubled Delta tunnels project, officially notifying potential construction contractors that they’re considering limiting the project to one tunnel. In a memo to engineering firms and other contract bidders last Friday, the Department of Water Resources said it is considering building the tunnels project in phases, with the first phase consisting of “one main tunnel instead of two.”

Calif. Shifting to ‘More Agreeable’ Delta Tunnel Plan

California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) is working to scale back his signature infrastructure proposal: a $17 billion plan to build a pair of water tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

Three Fresh Storms Aimed at Sacramento, Sierra

Three more rainstorms took aim at the Sacramento area Monday, as the region’s dry spell continued to gradually give way to more normalized winter conditions. The National Weather Service said Monday’s foggy conditions were expected to turn rainy as the day wore on, with most of the rain not forecast until late in the evening. The rainy weather was expected to let up shortly after the Tuesday morning commute.

VIDEO: Take a Captivating Aerial Tour of California’s Massive Water System

The Department of Water Resources has released a fly-over video of the State Water Project, the water storage and delivery system of reservoirs, aqueducts, power plants and pumping plants serving 25 million Californians and 750,000 acres of irrigated farmland. The video begins in Northern California.

Three Fresh Storms Aimed At Sacramento, Sierra

Three more rainstorms took aim at the Sacramento area Monday, as the region’s dry spell continued to gradually give way to more normalized winter conditions. The National Weather Service said Monday’s foggy conditions were expected to turn rainy as the day wore on, with most of the rain not forecast until late in the evening. The rainy weather was expected to let up shortly after the Tuesday morning commute.

Scientists Are Getting Way Better at Forecasting. It Could Change How We Deal With Droughts.

When a rainstorm slammed California’s Russian River watershed in December 2012, water rushed into Lake Mendocino, a reservoir north of San Francisco. The cause? An atmospheric river, a ribbon of moisture-laden air that can ferry water thousands of miles across the sky. When the tempest hit, the state was on the brink of an exceptional drought. But instead of storing the surge the storm brought for the dry days to come, the reservoir’s owner, the US Army Corps of Engineers, let it run downstream.

Brown Administration Working to Scale Down $17 Billion Delta Tunnels Project

Faced with a shortage of money and political support after seven years of work, Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration is working on a plan to scale back one of his key legacy projects — a $17 billion proposal to build two massive tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to make it easier to move water from Northern California to the south.

Amid Rains and Mudslides, Drought Concern Remains

Despite the fierce rains and deadly mudslides that have struck California, water officials are concerned about the possibility of a renewed drought. But they caution that is too early to tell. Frank Gehrke, chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program, measured snowpack levels with a team last week in the bare Phillips Station area of the Sierra Nevadas, about 90 miles east of Sacramento. He didn’t find much

‘Atmospheric Rivers’ Aid the West — and Imperil It

When a rainstorm slammed California’s Russian River watershed in December 2012, water rushed into Lake Mendocino, a reservoir north of San Francisco. The cause? An atmospheric river, a ribbon of moisture-laden air that can ferry water thousands of miles across the sky. When the tempest hit, the state was on the brink of an exceptional drought. But instead of storing the surge the storm brought for the dry days to come, the reservoir’s owner, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, let it run downstream.