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The good news is that Santa Barbara County has programs in place that address food insecurity and care for seniors, but the bad news is that climate change will make them more needed than ever. Doom and gloom dominate a new California Public Health study on the social ills that the changing climate will bring on. By the end of the century, it recounts, temperatures will rise by 3.2 degrees Fahrenheit in the happiest scenario and by 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit in Santa Barbara County in the worst.

The largest floating photovoltaic (PV) solar power facility on earth has been connected to a local power grid in China. Located in the city of Huainan in the Anhui province, the 40-megawatt facility was created by PV inverter manufacturer Sungrow Power Supply. The lake supporting the facility was created by rain after the surrounding land subsided after intensive coal mining operations. Floating solar farms don’t take up valuable land in heavily populated areas, can reduce evaporation from reservoirs and the cooler air at the water’s surface helps to maximize cell performance.

 

Donald Trump was elected to the drain the swamp, not the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The president’s choice of David Bernhardt to serve as deputy Interior Department secretary would be a disaster for California’s environment and water quality. The former lobbyist for the mammoth, water-sucking Westlands Water District is the last person the state should want representing it on crucial California water issues. Let’s not forget the extent of Trump’s total ignorance of the state’s water predicament.

The DWR Division of Safety of Dams really stepped up their efforts to protect public safety when they sent Paradise Irrigation District a letter a couple of weeks ago. Under the direction of Gov. Brown, the DSOD directed PID in the letter to assess the safety of the Magalia and Paradise reservoir spillways, provide them a plan of action by July, and repair any damage “prior to the next flood season” — without any offer of monetary assistance.

Work is underway right now at the Oroville Dam spillway, but many questions remain. How much will it cost? Will repairs be complete in time for the rainy season? Will life under the shadow of the dam return to normal?The best answer is that it’s a work in progress. So far, an estimate for repairs has reached $500 million, said Erin Mellon, communications and outreach adviser for the state Natural Resources Agency. The hope is that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will help pay for 75 percent of eligible emergency response and repairs, Mellon said.