In terms of how to guarantee a good water supply for Southern California during all these weather changes, I wrote an article for CityWatch recently, “Life Without Water, Or Why the Delta Tunnel Is So Critical to LA.” On September 26 there is a key vote coming up at the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) as to whether the project will move forward with their approval.
Even in normal water years, Californians see a large and growing gap between the water we demand and the water that is naturally available. The 2012–16 drought saw surface water and groundwater supplies shrink drastically, sounding a louder wake-up call about the need for more sustainable management of our state’s water resources. Water agencies in Southern California need consistent assumptions as they consider major investments in water-supply projects, especially given limited state and federal funding.
Good habits die hard, it seems, after five years of epic drought – for most Californians, anyway. The historic dry spell from 2012 to 2016 prompted many state residents to reduce their water consumption, as did strict regulations imposed by state agencies and individual water districts. Whether they wanted to or not, urban Californians reduced their use of the state’s most precious resource by about a quarter.
The flooding catastrophe in Texas and along the Gulf Coast as a result of Hurricane Harvey is a reality check for those living in flood-prone areas, including in California. Coincidentally, the day before Harvey caused such devastating flooding, on Aug. 25 the Central Valley Flood Protection Board—under the California Department of Water Resources—adopted the 2017 Central Valley Flood Prevention Plan Update. The update, required under the Central Valley Flood Protection Act of 2008, is meant to improve the Central Valley system of state and federal-backed levees.
Sites Reservoir has been talked about for decades, but now that project officials — and backed by 70 major allies — have formally submitted an application for state bond money, the question arises: Will this $5 billion project actually come to pass? The proposed surface reservoir would be located in Colusa County, but is competing with 11 other applicants for part of a $2.7 billion coffer of state money devoted to water storage projects.
Generally, the city of Needles holds three types of rights in Colorado River water: Present perfect rights, surplus water rights and rights under the lower Colorado River Water Supply Act. These rights are guaranteed in a series of agreements with the federal government and other holders of Colorado River rights; generally states, large water districts, and occasionally Mexico. According to city staff, due to changing circumstances with respect to Colorado River water and especially the looming scarcity due to prolonged drought, there are periodic rounds of renegotiation of the Colorado River agreements, some of which Needles is required to sign.
The Metropolitan Water District has opened a review into its own ethics office, hiring a Washington, D.C.-based law firm to look into at least two investigations carried out at the agency. The MWD is paying attorney Alejandro Mayorkas, the former deputy secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, nearly $1,100 per hour to examine the policies and procedures of the office, which investigates potential violations of internal ethics rules.
The California Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD) has released updated information on 1,249 dams under its jurisdiction, including downstream hazard classification, condition assessment and reservoir restriction status for each dam. According to DSOD, this latest information on dam safety “reflects the most recent physical inspections and comprehensive re- evaluations by DSOD engineers and engineering geologists, as well as technical analyses performed by dam owners.”
More than 10,000 firefighters were battling 23 large wildfires statewide, California fire officials said Tuesday. The Helena Fire in Trinity County was among the most troublesome, with 72 homes destroyed and more than 11,000 acres consumed about five miles northwest of Junction City. Kelly Wood, a fire information officer, said crews spent Tuesday on strategic burn operations, conducting control burns ahead of the fire to prevent its spread. One such burn was being conducted Tuesday evening in the Junction City area.
The clues that the main spillway at the Oroville Dam could fail were embedded deep in state records, but officials did not recognize the evidence before the structure broke apart in February, investigators said Tuesday. A history of damage when the spillway was used, cracking in the concrete surface and unexpectedly large amounts of water exiting drains under the deck should have raised suspicions that something was wrong. But annual inspections gave the state false confidence that the spillway could handle a big flood event, investigators found.
