California is not just fighting nature as it attempts to repair the nation’s tallest dam, badly damaged last month by surging storm waters. It’s also racing the clock. Safety experts say there is no time for delay in a state plan to restore the 770-foot Oroville Dam, and they warn California would face a “very significant risk” if a damaged spillway is not in working order by fall, the start of the next rainy season.
Farmers in a vast agricultural region of California will receive a significantly greater amount of irrigation water this summer compared to past drought years — but not their full supply, federal officials announced Wednesday. Record winter rain and snow in some parts of California have put a major dent in the five-year drought, boosting reservoirs with irrigation water for use during hot, dry months. Farmers in the San Joaquin Valley will receive 65 percent of what they expect from a federal system of reservoirs and canals, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials said.
It will be costly and the process complicated, but joining state water adds reliability to a system facing numerous pressures. That was the consensus reached between the heads of five area water agencies, who on Wednesday took part in a forum focused on connecting to the State Water Project. Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett moderated the panel, which addressed issues including construction, environmental impacts and associated costs of the project.
Local civic and business leaders have launched a “Stop the Spending” campaign when it comes to water rates. The San Diego County Water Authority says San Diegans are being overcharged for water. The agency is calling on one of its main suppliers – the Metropolitan Water District – to stop unnecessary water rate increases. “This organization in Los Angeles is spending $1.2 billion dollars on unnecessary things that we, as rate payers in San Diego, are having to pay part of,” said Jim Madaffer, the San Diego County Water Authority Vice Chair.
Here’s a cold, wet reality: The more water in California’s reservoirs, the less urgency there is to build new ocean-water desalination plants that became a major talking point during the state’s long, parched years of drought, an ultra-dry period some folks insist has still not ended despite months of heavy rains. Those record or near-record rains have replenished everything reservoirs lost over the past few years of drought, and sometimes more.
California farmers have a sympathetic president in the White House and have enjoyed one of the wettest winters on record. But those in a giant swath of the San Joaquin Valley, one of the most productive agricultural regions in the country, are due to get only two-thirds of their water allotment this year from the federal government.
The majestic beauty of California’s Sierra Nevada never fails to impress. But the mountain range, which stretches hundreds of miles, is much more than a stunning vista. It’s a linchpin that helps make living in an arid state possible. That’s because one of California’s most important water supplies is melted snow. Each spring and summer, the Sierra sends runoff down its slopes that recharges rivers and reservoirs, allowing crops to be irrigated and drinking glasses to be filled.
The good news is that not a drop of Kern River water is going into the California Aqueduct to fill Southern California taps. Yet. But water managers are keeping an eagle eye on the snowpack and the weather hoping there are no sudden moves from either in the near future. A warm rain or rapid run-up in temps could bring a huge slug of water down and overwhelm ongoing efforts to squirrel it away, said Kern River Watermaster Dana Munn. “It’s amazing,” he said. “It’s such a big water year and we’ve managed to push water into all these places.”
Regional leaders in San Diego county demanded Wednesday the Metropolitan Water District “stop the spending.” The San Diego County Board of Supervisors also adopted a resolution supporting an effort to reclaim nearly $250 million in what it called “illegal charges” by the water district, which sells water to the San Diego County Water Authority.
Local civic and business leaders have launched a “Stop the Spending” campaign when it comes to water rates. The San Diego County Water Authority says San Diegans are being overcharged for water. The agency is calling on one of its main suppliers – the Metropolitan Water District – to stop unnecessary water rate increases. “This organization in Los Angeles is spending $1.2 billion dollars on unnecessary things that we, as rate payers in San Diego, are having to pay part of,” said Jim Madaffer, the San Diego County Water Authority Vice Chair.
