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Yosemite Falls Never Stopped Flowing This Summer, and That’s Not Normal

It’s late September and Yosemite National Park’s most celebrated waterfall – Yosemite Falls – continues to put on a show with water plunging 2,425 from its top to the base of the lower falls. This is unusual. Yosemite Falls is as an ephemeral waterfall fed by snowmelt and usually expires for a couple weeks or months in late summer. Scott Gediman, a public information officer for Yosemite, has worked in the park for 20 years and he doesn’t remember the waterfalls ever flowing continuously through the summer into fall.

Delta Tunnels Dead? Southern California Ready to Plow Ahead

Southern California’s mammoth water agency appeared ready to plow ahead with the Delta tunnels project Tuesday, despite a “no” vote by a giant bloc of San Joaquin Valley farmers that could doom the $17 billion proposal. The Metropolitan Water District’s board of directors signaled that it’s ready to vote Oct. 10 on whether to pay for about one-fourth of the tunnels project, a $4 billion commitment. Metropolitan’s general manager, Jeff Kightlinger, urged directors to proceed with a vote as a way of determining whether the controversial project can be salvaged.

US, Mexico Expand Pact on Managing Overused Colorado River

The United States and Mexico have agreed to renew and expand a far-reaching conservation agreement that governs how they manage the overused Colorado River, which supplies water to millions of people and to farms in both nations, U.S. water district officials said. The agreement to be signed Wednesday calls for the U.S. to invest $31.5 million in conservation improvements in Mexico’s water infrastructure to reduce losses to leaks and other problems, according to officials of U.S. water districts who have seen summaries of the agreement.

Lawsuit Accuses MWD of Predatory Water Diversions in Riverside, Imperial Counties

The nation’s largest municipal water provider attempted to illegally divert water toward Southern California cities by buying up and throttling water use on thousands of acres of farmland, according to a lawsuit filed last week in Riverside County Superior Court. The suit was brought by the Palo Verde Irrigation District, which serves parts of Imperial County and Riverside County. It accuses the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California of violating a 2004 agreement that paid farmers not to grow crops on their land, freeing up water for thirsty coastal cities serviced by Metropolitan.

Why Disappearing Sierra Nevada Meadows Are Bad News for Water

Mountain meadows are starting to get some respect. For over a century, meadows were the first alpine environments targeted for development, grazing and farming, because they tend to be flat and packed with rich soil and nutritious plants. But we’re starting to understand that meadows have a much more important role to play for society at large. Meadows, it turns out, are water banks. As winter snows melt, the runoff flows into meadows, where deep organic soil holds the moisture like a sponge and then releases it slowly.

Groundwater In Santa Clara County Now Back To Pre-Drought Levels

Santa Clara County’s groundwater — which provides nearly half the drinking water every year for 2 million Silicon Valley residents — fell by up to 60 feet during the state’s recent historic drought due to heavy pumping. But now the vast underground basins have filled back up to the levels where they were before the drought started in 2011, a welcome trend that experts say was driven by heavy winter rains and strict water conservation rules during the drought that eased the need for pumping.

California Floods Linked To Atmospheric Water Vapor “Rivers”

Around the world, huge streams of water vapor known as atmospheric rivers can generate heavy rain or snow as they flow over land. Just a few atmospheric rivers, each typically more than 2,000 kilometers long and less than 1,000 kilometers wide, can deliver up to half of the annual precipitation on the U.S. West Coast, on average. Atmospheric rivers are common over the northeastern Pacific Ocean and California, where their saturated air rises and cools over mountain ranges.

Many California Meadows Will Vanish, Here’s Why It Matters

Mountain meadows are starting to get some respect. For over a century, meadows were the first alpine environments targeted for development, grazing and farming, because they tend to be flat and packed with rich soil and nutritious plants. But we’re starting to understand that meadows have a much more important role to play for society at large. Meadows, it turns out, are water banks. As winter snows melt, the runoff flows into meadows, where deep organic soil holds the moisture like a sponge and then releases it slowly.

OPINION; Ted Page: Our Valley Desperately Needs California WaterFix

I am proud to say I was born and raised in Kern County. I’ve lived here all my life. The people that live here with me are the best people I know. They never quit, and they never falter. They are tenacious and they persevere. Our character has served us well, because it is founded on what we know to be true: the decisions we make and the actions we take determine our future.

California Water: Debating The Delta Tunnel Plan

The state’s water users will find out soon if they will be paying for the $17 billion tunnel project called the California WaterFix. The controversial plan proposes building tunnels under the Sacramento Delta to secure the supply of water being sent south. But the plan is already finding itself in rough waters. The $17 billion project has the backing of California Gov. Jerry Brown and Southern California’s largest water wholesaler, the Metropolitan Water District. But farmers in the Westland’s Water District have decided the project is too expensive.