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How Sierra Nevada Record Snowpack Will Impact California Drought

/in , , /by /Newsweekby Jess Thomson

The snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains, which has continued to increase throughout January as a result of storms battering much of the state since the New Year, might help California combat its ongoing drought.

As of January 20, the Sierra snowpack state-wide was at 240 percent of the average for this time of year. The South Sierra stations, located between the San Joaquin and Mono counties through to Kern county, reported snowpacks at 283 percent of the January 20 average.

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As the State’s Budget Work Gets Underway, Recent Weather Puts Spotlight on Water Infrastructure

/in , , /by /The Orange County Registerby Hanna Kang
As work gets underway on the state budget, the recent weather events in California — which left more than a dozen people dead and caused tens of thousands to evacuate their homes — have put a spotlight on the state of water infrastructure.

In the new budget proposal he recently announced, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed $202 million to go toward flood protection. The investments will be divided between urban flood risk reduction, delta levees and Central Valley flood protection, according to the plan.

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Tijuana is Again Buying Emergency Water from California After Aqueduct Outage

/in , , /by /Voice of San Diego Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

There’s a problem with Tijuana’s lifeline to its single water source – the Colorado River– which forced it make more, costly emergency water purchases from California.

The San Diego County Water Authority recently learned that problems emerged with Tijuana’s aqueduct in December, according to a press release this week. Tijuana requested emergency water from San Diego on Jan. 2, which the Water Authority expedited through a typical months-long approval process involving water agencies that also have to sign-off on emergency orders from Mexico.

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First Aqueduct Maintenance Shutdown Runs Jan. 23-Feb. 1

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

The San Diego County Water Authority’s First Aqueduct will be shut down periodically over the next three months for maintenance projects to ensure a safe and reliable water supply for the region. Two shutdowns on the First Aqueduct are scheduled from January through March, when portions of the aqueduct will be relined, along with other maintenance.

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Colorado River Water Negotiators Optimistic Ahead of Deadline

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Bobby Magill

Officials involved in the talks over how to cut Colorado River water use amid a historic drought say they’re optimistic a consensus will be reached by states before a Feb. 1 deadline even though the negotiations are in a delicate place.

If the seven Western states don’t reach consensus, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Reclamation will consider mandating water cuts—a move the states are working feverishly to avoid.

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Opinion: Have No Prop. 1 Water Projects Been Built in California? No, but They Are Moving Slowly

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby George Skelton

California voters approved a ballyhooed $7.5-billion bond issue eight-plus years ago thinking the state would build dams and other vital water facilities. But it hasn’t built zilch. True or false?

That’s the rap: The voters were taken. The state can’t get its act together.

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California Weather Forecasters Bolstered by Airborne Researchers Diving Into Atmospheric Rivers

/in , , /by /CBS Bay Areaby Jessica Burch

As the parade of storms hitting California leaves behind widespread damage and impacts, scientists are literally diving into these atmospheric river events to better predict and understand what’s coming on the horizon.

Flying over the Pacific Ocean on specially-equipped aircraft, the “hurricane hunters” of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration play a huge role in helping communities determine the severity of atmospheric river storms.

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How Lake Mead Water Levels Look After Weeks of Heavy Rainfall

/in , , /by /Newsweekby Robyn White

California and Nevada have had extremely heavy rainfall in recent days, during one of the severest droughts the region has ever seen.

So what does that mean for the water levels at Lake Mead?

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Opinion: How California Can Prepare for Future Floods Before a Megastorm Hits

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Gerald Meral

Californians have suddenly turned their attention from drought to flooding.

The future likelihood of a series of huge atmospheric rivers in California, a so-called ARk storm scenario, seems to be a certainty. Atmospheric rivers channel moist tropical air towards the West Coast, where mountains condense it to rain and snow. Over the last few weeks, California has suffered through a sneak peak of its devastating potential.

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Water Authority Delivers Emergency Water Supply to Tijuana

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

Fast action by the San Diego County Water Authority and its partners is helping maintain water service in Tijuana after problems with the city’s aqueduct emerged in December.

Emergency water deliveries started last week after a coordinated effort between the Water Authority, Otay Water District, and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). The typical multi-month approval process was compressed into a few days to avoid additional water supply shortages in Tijuana.

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