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A Recap Of California’s Water Year So Far

When the skies clear and the weather gets calmer, it’s a good time to take stock of our storms and see where we are with water in California. Starting with snowpack, Sierra storms have been strong lately, with many adding feet of fresh, new snow. As of Monday, the snow is above average at 111 percent, and that number is expected to grow with additional snow from the last storm. About 30 percent of California’s water comes from snowpack, so when that metric is in good shape, it tends to set the tone for other indicators.

California Water Projects Would Get Boost Under Budget Fund

Nearly one million Californians use contaminated water to drink, shower, and cook, but the state’s politicians want to change that—including by amending the constitution or taxing certain products. Two state assembly members, Republican Devon Mathis and Democrat Eduardo Garcia, filed language Jan. 16 to amend the state constitution to require that 2 percent of the general fund budget be set aside each year for water quality, supply, and delivery projects in the thirsty state.

OPINION: Why Gov. Newsom Should Save The Delta Ecosystem

The confluence of California’s two great rivers, the Sacramento and the San Joaquin, create the largest estuary on the West Coast. Those of who live here call it, simply, the Delta. It is essential to California’s future. That’s why we must save it. In the early 1800s, this estuary teemed with salmon migrating to and from the rivers of the Sierra Nevada. Salmon were, as documented in photographs, so plentiful that you could harvest them from the river with a pitchfork.

San Diego Region Water Supply

With recent wet weather San Diego has been experiencing, you may wonder what effect it could have on our region’s water supply. Jeff Stephenson from the San Diego County Water Authority stopped by to give more of an outlook on San Diego’s water.

OPINION: Raising Shasta Dam Won’t Solve California Water Woes

The proposed raising of Shasta Dam represents just more of the same shenanigans in California’s long water history. As with most dam projects, it will cause more harm than whatever positives might accrue from such an action. California already has 1,300 (named) dams. More water storage projects will not solve the basic fact that the state’s finite amount of water is incapable of meeting all of the demands. This deficit has been created primarily by the transformation of a semi-arid area— the Central Valley — by an infusion of water from northern California.

San Diego Airport Captures Rainwater To Prevent Pollution

As rain continues in the county, the San Diego International Airport is doing its part to prevent pollution of the ocean and bay. When heavy rain comes, much of it runs off into bodies of water, adding to pollution problems. The airport recently installed one of the region’s largest storm water capture systems. The new system captures rain that falls on the Terminal 2 Parking Plaza, so that it can be recycled and put to good use. The water is diverted to the Central Utility Plant, where it is used in place of potable water in the airport’s cooling systems.

OPINION: California Needs To Explore New Approaches To Water

As we launch into the new year there is good news about one of our state’s most persistent problems – water. For as long as most of us can remember, water users have retreated into their corners, demanding their share of water, with all water-users suffering in the stalemate. Status-quo policy hasn’t helped struggling fish populations, farms, or urban users, including residents of Santa Clara Valley and the East Bay.

Scripps’ New Program Forecast Imperial Beach Flooding, Helped City Brace For Impact

Massive waves crushed the Imperial Beach shoreline at dawn Friday, flooding sections of Seacoast Drive all the way to the Tijuana River Estuary. Many residents boarded up windows and put out sandbags in preparation for the 15-foot waves that covered the entire beach during high tide, inundating streets and garages. However, the city would’ve been caught off guard had it not been for an experimental warning system launched just months ago by UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

‘A Crisis Of Sewage’: California Lawmakers Seek Funding For The Polluted New River

For decades, the New River has flowed north across the U.S.-Mexico border carrying toxic pollution and the stench of sewage. Now lawmakers in Washington and Sacramento are pursuing new legislation and funding to combat the pollution problems. Rep. Juan Vargas introduced a bill in Congress last week that would direct the Environmental Protection Agency to create a program focused on helping to coordinate funding for the restoration and protection of the New River.

Measure W Will Fund Projects To Recycle Rainwater From LA River

With four straight days of rain, the Los Angeles River has come alive. Thanks to Measure W, which was passed by voters last November, projects will be funded and infrastructure will be built to capture, treat and recycle all this rain water. “We lose trillions of gallons of water out to the ocean every year, and if we were able to capture it, we could supply about half of our water needs locally,” said Jill Sourial with The Nature Conservancy.