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State Water Board Adopts Order on Long- Term Management of Salton Sea

/in /by / California State Water Resources Control Board

The State Water Resources Control Board today accepted  a landmark agreement that defines the state’s commitment to restore and manage the Salton Sea to protect public health and critical Pacific flyway habitat. Today’s action also outlines the board’s oversight role in monitoring and ensuring progress toward the goals of the Salt on Sea Management Plan, which sets annual milestones for habitat restoration and dust-suppression projects over the next 10 years.

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California Homeowners Could Get A Tax Break To Capture Rainwater In Their Backyards

/in /by /Los Angeles Timesby Mina Corpuz

It was raining and Judy Adler had a broken gutter. What could have been a simple repair turned into an effort to capture rain and use it for her backyard pond. Since late 2009, Adler has collected up to 11,000 gallons of rain annually at her Walnut Creek home. “This is doable,” she said. “This is Tinker Toy stuff.” More people could follow in Adler’s steps under a bill in the California Legislature. The proposal, which would encourage homeowners to collect rainwater, could make its way onto the 2018 statewide ballot.

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California Commits to Long-Term Plan to Save the Receding Salton Sea

/in /by /Times of San Diego

The State Water Resources Control Board Tuesday committed to an annual timetable for habitat restoration and dust suppression projects aimed at rehabilitating the Salton Sea over the course of the next decade. The agreement sets milestones for completing projects within the $383 million Salton Sea Management Plan, which calls for construction of 29,800 acres of ponds, wetlands and dust suppression projects to restore the receding lake, beginning with 500 acres in 2018, increasing to 4,200 acres by 2028. The agreement also includes committing to a long-term plan — to be created by 2022 — that goes beyond the initial 10-year plan.

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California Approves Rescue Plan for Shrinking Salton Sea

/in /by /CBS 8 San Diego

California regulators on Tuesday approved a plan to spend nearly $400 million over 10 years to slow the shrinking of the state’s largest lake, a vital migratory stop for birds and a buffer against swirling dust in farming towns. Funding for the Salton Sea is unclear but the plan enjoyed support of major water agencies and environmental advocacy groups and preserves a fragile peace among urban and rural areas in California on distributing the state’s share of Colorado River water.

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California Approves Rescue Plan For Shrinking Salton Sea

/in /by /The Associated Press (As published by KPBS)

California regulators on Tuesday approved a plan to spend nearly $400 million over 10 years to slow the shrinking of the state’s largest lake, a vital migratory stop for birds and a buffer against swirling dust in farming towns. Funding for the Salton Sea is unclear but the plan enjoyed support of major water agencies and environmental advocacy groups and preserves a fragile peace among urban and rural areas in California on distributing the state’s share of Colorado River water.

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California Commits to Timetable for Salton Sea Projects

/in /by /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs) Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

California’s top water regulators adopted an agreement that commits the state to following through on plans of building wetlands and controlling dust around the shrinking Salton Sea over the next 10 years.  The order approved Tuesday by the State Water Resources Control Board sets targets for state agencies in building thousands of acres of ponds, wetlands and other dust-control projects around the lake.

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A Record Year for Water Flowing Into The Coachella Valley

/in /by /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)

During California’s five-year drought, the row of ponds in the desert north of the Palm Springs often lay empty and dry. But this year, the ponds have been filled to the brim with a record amount of water from the Colorado River.  The Coachella Valley’s water utilities are using the influx of imported water to chip away at the long-term problem of groundwater overdraft. For months, water has been flowing into the ponds at the Whitewater River Groundwater Replenishment Facility and seeping into the sandy soil to replenish the desert aquifer.

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VIDEO: See How Oroville Dam Spillway Transformed From May-November In Two Minutes

/in /by /The Sacramento Bee

This compilation of drone footage from May 20, 2017 through November 1, 2017 highlights the transformation of Lake Oroville’s main spillway during repairs. Kiewit Infrastructure has led the massive construction effort to repair and reconstruct the main spillway by Nov. 1, 2017 to handle flows of 100,000 cubic-feet per second this winter.

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Sierra Storm To Whip California Mountains With Wind Gusts Up To 100 Mph

/in /by /SF Gateby Amy Graff

You’ll want to hold onto your hat if you’re headed to the Sierra this week. A storm system moving over the mountain range shared by California and Nevada will bring a light dusting of snow, and more conspicuously high winds on ridge tops Wednesday through Thursday, with isolated gusts up to 100 miles per hour possible.  “The wind is the most dramatic part of this storm system,” says Chris Johnston, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Reno. “In the case of this storm, we are talking about what we call strong downslope winds.”

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Near The Salton Sea, Many Young Children Suffer From Asthma, Study Finds

/in /by /Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Ian James

eachers and administrators at schools near the Salton Sea have grown accustomed to helping students with asthma, often keeping inhalers on hand in case dusty air triggers an attack. A new survey of the families of first- and second-graders at four schools in the Imperial Valley confirms that the children are suffering from alarmingly high rates of asthma and other respiratory problems.  The survey was carried out by researchers from the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, who are focusing on the health of children near the shrinking lake.

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