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Trillions of Gallons Have Soaked California. Is This the State’s Wettest Winter Ever?

/in , , /by /USA Todayby Doyle Rice

A colossal amount of rain and snow has fallen on California over the past few months from a dozen atmospheric rivers: more than 78 trillion gallons of water and counting.

It’s not the wettest year the Golden State has ever seen, but it is a massive amount of water in a state that has been beset by drought for several years. The number of gallons is according to data from the National Weather Service that was compiled by meteorologist Ryan Maue.

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Latest Storm Piles More Snow on California Mountains

/in , , /by /AP News

A cold low pressure system spinning off the coast of California sent bands of rain and snow across the state Wednesday, making travel difficult and adding to an epic mountain snowpack.

Forecasters said the storm was not as strong as the systems that pounded the state all winter, but that chains were required for vehicles on highways through the Sierra Nevada. A section of U.S. 395 on the eastern side of the range was closed due to snowfall.

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As Floods Endanger the San Joaquin Valley, Newsom Cuts Funding for Floodplains

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Alastair Bland

Last fall, when the state Legislature authorized $40 million for floodplain restoration, Julie Rentner knew just what she would do with it. Her group, River Partners, would spend more than a quarter of the funds buying a 500-acre dairy farm abutting the San Joaquin River in Stanislaus County.

Then millions more would be spent on removing debris, sheds, manure heaps and levees. They would plant native vegetation, and eventually restore the parcel to its natural state as a woodland and floodplain.

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More Rain Means More Money for East Bay MUD Customers

/in , , /by /KRON 4by Will Tran and Miabelle Salzano

If you’re an East Bay Municipal Utilities District (MUD) customer, you will be saving money. Thanks to the very wet winter and spring, the agency said it will not be charging its 1.4 million customers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties an eight percent penalty for excessive water use because the reservoirs are full.

These changes go into effect on March 29 following an executive order signed by Governor Gavin Newsom that rolls back some of California’s drought restrictions.

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San Diego County Water Authority In-Person Workshops Return for 2023 Landscape Makeover Program

/in , , /by /Chula Vista Todayby Sarah Berjan Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority announced the return of its free in-person WaterSmart Landscape Makeover workshops that has helped thousands throughout the region convert high-water-use lawn areas to WaterSmart landscapes.

The in-person landscape workshops began on March 18 and will continue every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at the Water Conservation garden, adjacent to Cuyamaca College in Rancho San Diego, and at the Helix Water District Operations Center in La Mesa.

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California Farmers Flood Fields to Boost Groundwater Basin

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Amy Taxin

A field that has long grown tomatoes, peppers and onions now looks like a wind-whipped ocean as farmer Don Cameron seeks to capture the runoff from a freakishly wet year in California to replenish the groundwater basin that is his only source to water his crops.

Taking some tomatoes out of production for a year is an easy choice if it means boosting future water supplies for his farm about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southwest of Fresno.

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With Drought Relieved, California Casts Wary Eye on Snowmelt

/in , , /by /Courthouse News Serviceby Bob Leal

With record and near-record snowpack up and down California, much of its multiyear drought has abated — but it’s never time to break out the balloons and party favors when it comes to water in the West.

During a California-Nevada U.S. Drought Monitoring Group seminar Monday, water experts were upbeat when talking about the massive snowpack, reservoirs spilling and more storms on the horizon.

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Why is California’s Snowpack So High?

/in , , /by /Newsweekby Robyn White

In California, the snowpack is at some of the highest levels in recorded history.

The state’s snowpack accumulates in the Sierra Nevada—a mountain range that stretches for 400 miles from Northern California southward to the Great Basin. The snowpack, which melts into the state’s reservoirs, provides about a third of California’s total water supply.

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‘Nature Gave Us a Lifeline’: Southern California Refills Largest Reservoir After Wet Winter

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith

Following a series of winter storms that eased drought conditions across the state, Southern Californians celebrated a sight nobody has seen for several punishing years: water rushing into Diamond Valley Lake.

The massive reservoir — the largest in Southern California — was considerably drained during the state’s driest three years on record, with nearly half of the lake’s supply used to bolster minuscule allocations from state water providers.

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EPA Financing for Carlsbad Desalination Plant Saves Water Ratepayers up to $54 Million

/in , , /by /Water News Network Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $170 million low-interest loan to reduce financing costs for environmental upgrades that enhance the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant. U.S. Rep. Mike Levin, who represents coastal communities including Carlsbad, helped secure the funds that will save ratepayers up to $54 million compared to alternate financing strategies.

“As we continue to confront increasingly frequent and intense droughts, today’s announcement is an exciting step in our efforts to provide sustainable, reliable water supplies for San Diego County,” said Rep. Mike Levin. “This low-interest federal loan will not only allow the Carlsbad Desalination Plant to improve its efficiency and environmental practices but will also save local water ratepayers tens of millions of dollars. I will never stop fighting to improve our region’s water security at the most affordable price for ratepayers.”

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