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Big Snowstorms Put Colorado River Drought Plan On Ice

/in /by /Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, Ariz.)by Tony Davis

An unusually snowy winter in the northern Rockies has for now helped put the kibosh on a statewide plan to conserve Colorado River water to stop Lake Mead from falling too low. Future conservation efforts are highly uncertain. For many months, water agencies including Tucson Water have discussed a plan to save 1.2 million acre-feet of river water over three years to delay the threat of shortages to the Central Arizona Project, which brings drinking water to Tucson and Phoenix and irrigation water to Central Arizona farmers.

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Governor Brown Requests Presidential Declaration For Oroville Dam Spillway

/in /by /CBS Sacramento

Gov. Jerry Brown is asking for federal assistance to repair damage at Oroville Dam and other infrastructure impacted by February storms that caused flooding, mudslides and power outages. Sunday’s request follows three other petitions for federal help that President Donald Trump’s administration has granted to assist with earlier storm damages and the emergency at Oroville Dam. Brown’s office says the governor also declared a state of emergency for Contra Costa and Solano counties, bringing the total to 50 counties affected by February storms.

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California Officials Reactivate Damaged Oroville Spillway to Prepare for More Storms

/in /by /The Wall Street Journalby Jim Carlton

California officials have temporarily resumed using the damaged main spillway at Lake Oroville, marking an important milestone in efforts to get the vast state reservoir back to normal after a near collapse last month.The main spillway of the reservoir 70 miles north of Sacramento ruptured during heavy rains last month.

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San Diego Water Project Beats NYC World Trade Center For Top Engineering Prize

/in /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

A 25-year-long, $1.5 billion effort to upgrade San Diego County’s water system was recognized Thursday with one of the worlds’ top civil engineering awards. The San Diego County Water Authority project beat out the iconic One World Trade Center in New York to receive the Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Emergency and Carryover Storage Project was designed to ensure up to six months of water is available and can be moved around the San Diego region after a major earthquake or other emergency disrupts outside water supplies.

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San Francisco Pitches Plan For Future Of California Rivers

/in /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

For decades, San Francisco has been blissfully removed from California’s water wars. The city’s pristine reservoirs in and around Yosemite National Park have been not only plentiful but also largely outside the reach of regulators. But plans by the state to mandate an increase in the amount of water flowing down rivers between the Sierra and San Francisco Bay — a bid to prevent the collapse of some of California’s most precious wetlands — has drawn the city into the fray.

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California Deserts In ‘Super Bloom’ Thanks To A Wet Winter

/in /by /NPRby Mandelit Del Barco

In some parts of the country, cold weather is threatening crops. Meanwhile, California has been so unseasonably wet that its deserts are experiencing what’s called a “super bloom.” After years of drought, the normally arid desert is lush. “It just looks like a sea of flowers,” says Janet Gordon, a geologist from Los Angeles. “You got purple, red, yellows and blues,” adds Joe Sheidness, visiting from San Diego. “It’s fantastic,” says Dennis Brian, from Reno, Nev., who says he was a flower child in the 1960s.

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San Francisco Pitches Plan For Future Of California Rivers

/in /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

For decades, San Francisco has been blissfully removed from California’s water wars. The city’s pristine reservoirs in and around Yosemite National Park have been not only plentiful but also largely outside the reach of regulators. But plans by the state to mandate an increase in the amount of water flowing down rivers between the Sierra and San Francisco Bay — a bid to prevent the collapse of some of California’s most precious wetlands — has drawn the city into the fray.

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Gasca Chosen For Rainbow MWD Board Vacancy

/in /by /The Fallbrook and Bonsall Village Newsby Joe Naiman

Miguel Gasca is the newest member of the Rainbow Municipal Water District (RMWD) board. A 4-0 board vote Feb. 28 selected Gasca to fill the Division 3 seat vacated after Tory Walker moved to Murrieta and resigned from the board. Gasca will fill the remainder of Walker’s term, which expires in December 2018. “I’m glad to have the opportunity to serve the community,” said Gasca. “He’ll be a good addition to the board,” said Rainbow general manager Tom Kennedy.

 

 

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Program Offers San Diegans Discounts On Water Leak Repairs

/in /by /Fox 5 San Diego Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diegans will be able to get a financial break on water leak repairs next week in a San Diego County Water Authority program. From Monday to March 26, participating plumbers will offer 10 percent discounts on products and services needed to fix leaks, up to $100. The program is a partnership between the Water Authority and Plumbing- Heating-Cooling Contractors Association.

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California Has A New $383 Million Plan For The Shrinking Salton Sea

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

After years of delays, California’s plans for the shrinking Salton Sea are finally starting to take shape. A $383 million plan released by the state’s Natural Resources Agency on Thursday lays out a schedule for building thousands of acres of ponds and wetlands that will cover up stretches of dusty lakebed and create habitat for birds as the lake recedes.

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