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Cracks Found On Oroville Dam’s New Spillway Not A Concern, State Says

/in /by /San Francisco Chronicle

Several small cracks have been discovered on the Oroville Dam’s newly rebuilt concrete spillway, prompting federal regulators to express concern about the $500 million construction project under way at the troubled facility.  But state water officials said Tuesday that the series of millimeter-wide cracks on the surface of the main spillway pose no structural problems for the nation’s tallest dam. Such tiny fissures, officials said, commonly develop after massive amounts of concrete are poured.

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Environmental Groups Sue Trump Administration Over California Desert Groundwater Project

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

Environmental groups are suing the Trump administration over its decision supporting a company’s plan to pump up to 16.3 billion gallons of groundwater each year from a Mojave Desert aquifer and build a pipeline to sell that water to Southern California cities. Conservationists say the plan proposed by Los Angeles-based Cadiz Inc. would threaten natural springs and wildlife in Mojave Trails National Monument, which surrounds Cadiz’s land, 75 miles northeast of Palm Springs. Company officials disagree.

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OPINION: Brown’s WaterFix Project Could Go Down The Drain

/in /by /CALmatters

The decades-long political struggle over fixing the bottleneck in California’s immense north-south water system is nearing a climax—and it’s not looking good for Gov. Jerry Brown’s long-sought solution. The State Water Project, initiated nearly 60 years ago by Brown’s late father, Pat, impounds Feather River water behind Oroville Dam and sends it southward down the Feather and Sacramento rivers into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Huge pumps at the south edge of the Delta suck water into the California Aqueduct, which transports it as far south as San Diego.

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BLOG: OPINION: The Drought May Be Over, But California Still Wants Residents to Act Like It’s On Forever

/in /by /Water Education Foundation

For decades, no matter the weather, the message has been preached to Californians: use water wisely, especially outdoors, which accounts for most urban water use. Enforcement of that message filters to the local level, where water agencies routinely target the notorious “gutter flooder” with gentle reminders and, if necessary, financial penalties.

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New California Water Bond Measures Endorsed By Key Policy Group

/in /by /Capital Press Ag Net West

Two new water bonds slated to be put before California voters in 2018 have received the endorsement of a key water policy group. The Association of California Water Agencies’ board has voted unanimously to support a $4 billion June ballot measure for water and parks projects and an anticipated $8.9 billion November initiative proposed by former state resources official Gerald Meral.

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Snow Level Drops to 3,000 Feet in the Sierra Nevada

/in /by /SF Gate

As a cold front from the Gulf of Alaska blasted the Sierra Nevada overnight, temperatures dropped into the 20s in the Tahoe Basin and low 30s in the foothills, creating the perfect conditions for Mother Nature to make snow. Snow dropped as low as 3,000 feet, with the foothills receiving a light dusting that didn’t stick or cause major traffic delays. Locations at 5,000 feet, such as Emigrant Gap on Highway 80 and Strawberry on Highway 50, received up to two inches, while locations at 6,000 feet, including Kingvale and Donner Pass, recorded up to four inches.

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OPINION: Is Big Infrastructure Still Possible Today?

/in /by /Daily Democrat

Can California still successfully take on big projects or is that part of our history already over? As high-profile infrastructure projects ranging from high speed rail to the Delta Tunnels face an uncertain future, that’s a critical question that lies before our next Governor. We were once known for ambitious projects like the California State Water Project which transformed the state and allowed for rapid development in the Central Valley and Southern California.

 

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Supreme Court Won’t Hear California Water Agencies’ Appeal in Tribe’s Groundwater Case

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

The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday that it will not hear an appeal by California water agencies in the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians’ landmark lawsuit asserting rights to groundwater beneath the tribe’s reservation. The Desert Water Agency and the Coachella Valley Water Disitrict had appealed to challenge a decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled the tribe has a right to groundwater dating back to the federal government’s creation of the reservation in the 1870s.

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Feds Ask State to Explain Cracks in New Oroville Spillway Concrete

/in /by /KQED News (San Francisco)

Federal regulators have asked the officials who operate Oroville Dam — and who are in charge of the $500 million-plus effort to rebuild and reinforce the facility’s compromised spillways — to explain small cracks that have appeared in recently rebuilt sections of the dam’s massive concrete flood-control chute. In a previously undisclosed October letter, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission told the state Department of Water Resources to document the extent of tiny cracks that have showed up in some of the spillway’s brand-new concrete slabs. FERC also asked DWR what, if any, steps might be required to address the issue.

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Chance of Rain Monday as Temperatures Drop From Record-Setting Holiday Period

/in /by /LA Daily News

After a record-hot Thanksgiving weekend, a one-day cold front is expected to move into Southern California on Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters gave about a 30 to 40 percent chance that rain falling in the Central Coast area Sunday night would extend into Southern California on Monday morning. If precipitation does arrive, the weather service said, it was likely to be very light, maybe just sprinkles. The foothills on the coastal sides of the mountains have the highest rainfall potential, up to a quarter-inch.

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