If you don’t live near the fading banks of the Salton Sea, it’s easy to forget it exists — that is, until the winds pick up. Depending on which way they are blowing, gusts carry tiny, toxic particulates — and sometimes the stench of decaying fish and sulfur dioxide — from the Colorado Desert to Los Angeles, Phoenix, and points beyond. The smell is a reminder of the public health crisis that will occur if more isn’t done — and quickly — to save the sea.
Members of the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board have agreed to take the first step toward filing a lawsuit against the federal government to stem the cross-border flow of contaminated water into the Tijuana River Valley. Voting in a closed session on Monday, board members authorized staff to prepare a 60-day notice of intent to litigate against the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission for violations of the Clean Water Act. David Gibson, the board’s executive officer, said the state agency will offer details of the decision in a statement that will be released in coming days.
A warm, wet storm known as a “pineapple express” chugged into the San Francisco Bay Area Tuesday, with the first rain falling in the early morning in the South Bay. The system driven by an atmospheric river that’s pulling moisture from the subtropics is centered in Central and Southern California, but its northern edge is forecast to bring rain to the Bay Area Tuesday through Thursday. San Francisco, Livermore and Concord are expected to record 1 to 1.5 inches across the three-day period; San Rafael and Half Moon Bay 1.5 to 2 inches; and Santa Cruz 2 to 3 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
The National Weather Service is predicting rain around San Diego County this week, potentially heavy rain on Thursday. People in unincorporated areas can get free sandbags at numerous locations to help them protect their homes, properties and communities. County public works officials said the coming rain was also a good reminder for people to check around their home and land to make sure drainage areas are clear and free of debris.
Last year, farmers who lead the irrigation district in Blythe sued the biggest urban water district in the country to challenge what they called a “water grab.” Now the Palo Verde Irrigation District has dropped that lawsuit, looking to smooth the way toward a possible settlement with the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
A storm system moving toward Southern California will bring a “long period” of steady rain across the region this week and could trigger debris flows in recent burn areas, forecasters said. The storm is expected to drop 2 to 4 inches of rain along the coast and in the valleys in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, and 4 to 6 inches in the mountains between Tuesday afternoon and Thursday morning, said Todd Hall, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. South-facing slopes could see up to 8 inches in some areas.
Despite another hot and dry year with less than four inches of rain in the Los Angeles area, we are back to our water-wasting ways. Two years ago, Californians were using 24% less water compared with 2013. This year, we’re hardly conserving at all — just 1%. Clearly, our earlier successes were more behavioral than structural. If lawn removal and new efficient fixtures and appliances had saved all that water, we wouldn’t be seeing this momentous backslide.
An atmospheric river that forecasters are billing as the biggest storm of the season is expected to drench Southern California beginning Tuesday night and will bring with it the potential for mud flows and widespread flooding, the National Weather Service said. The storm, which is fueled by warm, western Pacific waters, will deliver nonstop rain across much of California and provide some relief to areas that have seen a resurgence in drought conditions.
Members of the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board gathered in a closed session on Monday afternoon, debating whether to file a lawsuit against the federal government to stem the cross-border flow of sewage, sediment and other contaminants from Tijuana to San Diego. The deliberations followed a lawsuit filed earlier this month by the cities of Imperial Beach, Chula Vista and the Port of San Diego against the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission, alleging violations of the Clean Water Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
Democrats in Congress have stalled an attempt to jump start an expansion of Shasta Dam, California’s largest reservoir and a major water source for the Central Valley. Their objections blocked a Republican gambit to allow the $1.3 billion project to move forward without full up-front funding and despite objections from Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration. A Democratic leadership aide in the House confirmed to the Sacramento Bee on Monday that House Democrats rejected a GOP proposal to speed preparations for the project, by eliminating a requirement on the amount of upfront funding needed for pre-construction.
