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As Modesto Rain Year Ends, There Remains Gratitude For The Very Wet 2016-17 Season

/in , /by /The Modesto Beeby Deke Farrow

It wasn’t the best of times, it wasn’t the worst of times. With the Modesto Irrigation District’s rainfall season — July 1 to June 30 — at its end, district and farming officials indicated they’re feeling OK about the water picture. Especially since they’re still feeling the benefits of the very wet 2016-17 year. MID’s recorded rainfall in downtown Modesto is just a small part of the local water picture. As of Friday, it stood at 7.87 inches, less than two-thirds of the historical seasonal rainfall average of 12.23 inches. For comparison, 2016-17 totaled 17.93 inches, and the wettest year on record is 1982-83, with 26.01 inches.

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‘The New Normal’: Wildfires Roar Across The West, Again

/in , /by /The New York Timesby Thomas Fuller and Julie Turkewitz

As a roaring fire engulfed the hillside above him, Capt. Mark Bailey leaned on his shovel and guarded against embers leaping to the unburned side of the road above this small Northern California town. “We’ve got a lot of work to do,” he said on Monday. He was one of a dozen firefighters positioned along the dirt road in a remote patch of forest, which fire engines and bulldozers used to access the front lines of the blaze, a wall of flames several stories tall and moving north above a valley filled with vineyards and olive groves.

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Local Water-Storage Project May Benefit From State Water Bond Measure

/in , /by /Daily Bulletin (Rancho Cucamonga)by Sandra Emerson

An Inland Empire water wholesaler is poised to get a boost in state funding for its effort to create a new local water supply that would provide ecological benefits in Northern California. The California Water Commission has tentatively approved nearly $207 million in Prop. 1 water bond funds for the Inland Empire Utilities Agency’s Chino Basin Conjunctive Use Environmental Water Storage/Exchange Program.

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Diamond Valley Lake Remains Closed Because Of Blue-Green Algae

/in , /by /The Press-Enterprise (Riverside)by Craig Schultz

An outbreak of blue-green algae will keep Diamond Valley Lake closed until at least Friday, July 6. The algal bloom has turned the water green and is releasing cyanotoxins, which in high concentrations can be harmful to humans and animals, especially when ingested. “Cyanotoxin levels continue to improve, however in part of the lake they remain above levels we would like to see to reopen the lake to recreation,” Metropolitan Water District spokeswoman Rebecca Kimitch wrote in a message Tuesday, July 3.

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Drought Conditions Spread Throughout California — Here’s What SLO County Looks Like

/in , /by /The Tribune (San Luis Obispo)by Lindsey Holden

Heading into the heart of summer, drought conditions have held steady in San Luis Obispo County but worsened in other parts of the state. Abnormally dry and moderate drought conditions have spread along the Northern California coast and into fire-scorched areas north of the Bay Area, according to recent U.S. Drought Monitor maps. Much of the Central Coast was saved from severe drought conditions after “Minor Miracle March” storms swept through the area during the spring.

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OPINION: California Should Turn To Markets To Solve Its Water Woes

/in , /by /The Hillby Johnathan Wood

After a brief reprieve, California once again is entering a drought. Having just climbed out of the state’s worst drought in centuries, this news is a sober reminder that reform is urgently needed to avoid endless water wars. Thanks to population growth and climate change, the problem is not going away any time soon.

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Deputy Director Of San Diego’s Water Department Retires

/in , /by /NBC 7 (San Diego)by Tom Jones, Consumer Bob and Dorian Hargrove

The Deputy Director for the City of San Diego’s Public Utilities Department has announced his retirement. Michael Vogl will be retiring from the city after more than 28 years of employment, a city spokesperson told NBC 7 Responds. “The City was made aware of his retirement plans in advance, allowing for appropriate transition of knowledge and responsibilities,” the spokesperson said in an email.

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Key San Diego Region Water Rate To Rise Less Than 1% In 2019

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein

The water authority’s board last week approved a 0.9 percent increase in the wholesale rate it will charge 24 member agencies, including the City of San Diego, for treated water in 2019. The authority noted that it’s own supplies from the Colorado River are now less expensive that the water it buys from the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District.

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After Delays, Squabbles, Arizona Drought Plan For Colorado River Back On Track

/in , /by /Arizona Daily Sunby Tony Davis

For the first time in well over a year, a clear path exists for completion of Arizona’s share of a three-state drought plan for the Colorado River. The plan would step up already-approved requirements for cuts in water deliveries to Arizona, Nevada and eventually California as Lake Mead drops below certain key levels. While many hurdles and potential disputes remain, water officials said last week they’re ready to work together and hold public meetings to solicit comments on the plan from various water users and other interest groups. The first such meeting will be held July 26 in the Phoenix area.

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Corporation Submits Plans To Remove Four Dams On Klamath River

/in , /by /Redding Record Searchlightby Damon Arthur

The largest dam removal project in U.S. history is set to begin in 2020 on the Klamath River in Siskiyou County, according to documents filed recently with federal regulators. The Klamath River Renewal Corp. plans to begin site work in two years to remove four dams on the Klamath River and deconstructing the dams will begin in 2021, according to the “Definite Plan for the Lower Klamath Project.”

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