Tulare Lake has sprung back to life, its shoreline rapidly expanding from the runoff of a winter of epic rainstorms and the melting of the massive southern Sierra snowpack.
The lake, which has been mostly dry for decades, now covers miles of rich farmland and is threatening to overwhelm nearby communities.
The county Board of Supervisors Wednesday unanimously approved an improvement project for the Tijuana River Valley Regional Park that includes adding seven acres of native vegetation.
The proposed project will also include the removal of four dilapidated structures.
During state Assembly testimony on Tuesday, May 2, San Diego County Water Authority General Manager Sandra L. Kerl highlighted the steps taken by the Water Authority and partner water agencies across California to support the Colorado River in the era of climate change.
As Arizona faces an ongoing mega-drought and a mounting water crisis, leaders are looking for ways to ensure Arizona’s water supply.
In 2023, Arizona will lose 20% of its water allotment from the Colorado River, and countless steps are have been taken by government officials in the state, with water conservation plans implemented by various cities.
Representatives of the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) and the Colorado Board of California testified on Tuesday at an informational hearing about how Southern California is preparing for climate impacts to water supplies and the river’s status.
IID Board Vice President and California’s Colorado River Commissioner JB Hamby and IID Water Department Manager Tina Shields testified before the California State Assembly’s Water, Parks, and Wildlife standing committee.
The state’s first notable wildfire of the year broke out a week ago in the San Bernardino National Forest, signaling the start of the fire season and creating an odd juxtaposition.
At about the same time, some 300 miles to the north, Yosemite National Park announced it was temporarily closing because of the threat from anticipated melting of the vast Sierra snowpack.
California, which has been battered by extreme weather for some time, is used to being whipsawed by the elements — though not quite like this past year.
The law of the River– the Colorado River, that is – says the farmers come first. That’s how they see it in California, in the Imperial Valley, where farming is big business.
Over the past year we’ve been showing you California’s effort to save the winter run chinook salmon – a fish that has almost been lost to dammed rivers and warming waters.
It’s part of a growing partnership between state and federal wildlife agencies – and a small California tribe that’s been fighting to save those fish for years, and bring them back home.
The Olivenhain Municipal Water District continues to reduce demand for imported drinking water by converting additional customer meters within The Lakes Above Rancho Santa Fe community to recycled water for irrigation. This phase included the installation of four new water meters that will measure an anticipated savings of over nine million gallons of imported drinking water each year.
While Arizona received more rain and snow in recent months, a wet winter will not save the state from the decades-long mega-drought that is gripping the region. Water officials have worked on finding unique solutions, including desalination.
