Congressman John Garamendi, D-Solano, and Congressman Jerry McNerney, D-Stockton, who represent the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, introduced H.R. 1738, which would establish the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area. The legislation mirrors S. 731, introduced by California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris. S. 731 passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last week.
Graphene-oxide membranes have attracted considerable attention as promising candidates for new filtration technologies. Now the much sought-after development of making membranes capable of sieving common salts has been achieved. New research demonstrates the real-world potential of providing clean drinking water for millions of people who struggle to access adequate clean water sources. The new findings from a group of scientists at The University of Manchester were published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. Previously graphene-oxide membranes have shown exciting potential for gas separation and water filtration.
State legislators aren’t getting answers about the Lake Oroville spillway. Neither is the federal government. Or the county government. Or journalists. Or interested citizens. It’s all coming to a head as two north state legislators whose districts include Lake Oroville are demanding answers. Well it’s about time. It all came to a head last week. On Thursday, Assemblyman James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, admitted at a public appearance in Chico that he had a lot of questions about the broken spillway — more questions than answers.
The State Water Project is undoubtedly one of California’s most important infrastructure projects. It is one of the major water supplies for more than 25 million residents and irrigates up to 750,000 acres of farmland. But as it reaches its 50th birthday huge repair and safety costs are coming due. But is anyone paying attention?
A strong, wind-packed spring storm has the potential to flood a river in the Sierra Nevada and soak the San Francisco Bay Area, forecasters said. National Weather Service forecaster Idamis Del Valle said the storm will reach the area late Thursday and the heaviest rain is expected on Friday. The region could see more rain on Saturday, Del Valle said. The Feather River could flood the Sierra Nevada town of Portola, which is near the Nevada state line, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
This winter, record-breaking rainfall brought California’s long-lived drought closer to its final hour. However, it also raised the probability of large wildfires this summer, particularly those fueled by tall grasses that are thriving now but will start drying out soon, fire officials say. The potential for large fires “is expected to remain near normal through the spring, but once fine fuels dry out, there will likely be a spike in grass fire activity,” according to a report by the National Interagency Fire Center.
Reservoirs and rivers are overflowing as storms have pounded California this winter, and after years of drought that should be good news. The problem is that misguided environmentalism is wasting the water windfall and failing to store it for a non-rainy day. Hydrologic records indicate that this year could be the wettest on record in California. Statewide snowpack measures 160% of average.
Only 5 more inches. That’s the amount of precipitation the northern stretch of the Sierra Nevada needs between now and September 30 to become the wettest water year on record. The Eight-Station Index, a measure of precipitation in the northern Sierra that helps determine the status of Northern California’s water supply, currently stands at 83.5 inches. It’s only another storm or two away from the current record of 88.5 that was hit in the 1982–83 season.
In another U-turn from existing environmental policy, the Trump administration has eased the way for a controversial California desert water project that President Obama’s team had blocked. Federal directives drafted under Obama had erected a major obstacle to Cadiz Inc.’s long-standing plans to pump Mojave Desert groundwater and sell it to urban Southern California.
The Mission of the State Water Resources Control Board is to balance water allocation and water quality protection for California. With its latest flows proposal for the San Joaquin River tributaries, the SWRCB does neither and is clearly promoting the governor’s Twin Tunnels project. Even though the SWRCB cites the need for increased river flows to “improve aquatic ecosystems,” their actions reveal the true intention – which is to move additional water through the damaged Delta to facilitate the export of billions of gallons of water south.
