Much of California could be in for a drier winter if the building consensus calling for a weak La Nina pattern turns out to be accurate, a National Weather Service meteorologist warns. The federal Climate Prediction Center issued its winter outlook on Oct. 19, noting that oceanic and atmospheric conditions appear to favor wetter-than-average conditions across the northern U.S. and drier weather across the South.
If two massive, 40-mile long, 40-foot-diameter tunnels that would direct Sacramento River water around the fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to Central and Southern California are too big, too expensive and too scary to contemplate, how about splitting the difference and going with a single tunnel? That’s been the response of some officials and observers after actions by a number of the water agencies that were slated to participate in the $17-billion California WaterFix put the fate of the twin tunnels in doubt.
The California Department of Water Resources and the Army Corps of Engineers are repairing 30 sites that suffered “critical” damage this winter and are preparing to fix another 10. But, there are 100 locations that have been tagged as “serious” that will not be addressed this year. “The contingency plan, what we’re going to do is really lean into flood-fighting,” said Jon Ericson with DWR. “Monitoring the situation to see if the condition is going to progress to something that may cause flooding in a local area,” he says.
On the farthest edge of California’s Mojave Desert, a tiny outpost known as Nipton has waited a century for its boom to come. First it was the promise of gold and silver riches from a handful of mining claims. Then came cattle ranching and a railroad stop on a new line between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. Later, Las Vegas bloomed into a tourist mecca just across the state line, and Interstate 15 was built within 10 miles of Nipton – not close enough to swing the town’s fortunes.
Despite a personal push from Gov. Jerry Brown, the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s Board of Directors gave a resounding “no” the other day to helping to pay for his plan for two 35-mile tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to help deliver water to the Central Valley and Southern California. The district was being asked to kick in $620 million to the project. The seven-member board’s vote against the idea was unanimous.
After enduring the driest stretch of years in our history, and then logging the wettest spell on record this past winter, befuddled Californians have one question on their minds these days: What’s next? In two words: La Niña. But whether the water temperature pattern hatching right now in the Pacific Ocean will leave the Golden State high and dry this winter as it’s often done in the past is anyone’s guess. Particularly since it’s quite similar to the pattern we saw last year, and we know how that turned out.
The state Department of Water Resources has received a satirical award for its management of the Oroville Dam crisis from the Independent Institute, which also recommends the department transfer dam ownership to private entities. The Oakland-based institute gives the California Golden Fleece Award quarterly to state government agencies that “swindle taxpayers or violate the public trust.”
The East Bay and California as a whole greatly benefited Tuesday when the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board courageously stood up to Gov. Jerry Brown and rejected his $17 billion plan to build twin water tunnels through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. But the unanimous vote against the 35-mile long, four-story tall tunnels begs the huge question of: What next? We need to ensure the Bay Area and state water supply while also maintaining the health of the fragile Delta, the largest estuary west of the Mississippi.
Bringing more certainty to an unruly and unpredictable Colorado River system was a common theme among water managers speaking at the Colorado River District’s annual seminar September 15. Although the drought that has gripped much of the Colorado River Basin for the past 16 years has eased up a bit, population growth and the long dry spell have pushed the river’s supplies to the limit, with every drop of water in the system now accounted for.
Can the city of excess teach the world to thrive on less water? That’s the new goal. In 2015, Nevada governor Brian Sandoval and his office of economic development dedicated $1.8 million to launch WaterStart, a think-tank and startup incubator organized to lure new businesses that would push the envelope on water-related technology. This year, the state doubled down on that investment with another $1.6 million awarded in July. And the strategy has worked. WaterStart, with offices in Las Vegas, has lured 11 companies to the state through a competitive application process.
