Since December storms have been battering Los Angeles. In this first week of the city’s traditionally rainiest month, L.A. is more than 7.5 inches above normal rainfall for the entire season — which ends Sept. 30. A normal year gets about 15 inches for the year; we’ve seen 15.44 inches through yesterday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. And more rain is probable on Friday, forecasters say. So why is the six-year drought still in effect?
Weary from one of the wettest winters in years, Bay Area residents suffered through another chaotic commute on Tuesday, as the latest “atmospheric river” to soak the region triggered traffic madness from the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to Highway 17 in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Not only was the main connector between Silicon Valley and Santa Cruz closed indefinitely, but every other route over the Santa Cruz Mountains was cut off too. The closed roads included Highway 9, Bear Creek Road, Old Santa Cruz Highway and San Jose-Soquel Road, all of which had mudslides, according to CHP.
Southern California Edison will ease its severe water rationing mandate for much of Avalon after last month’s storms brought much-needed rainwater to Catalina Island. SCE announced the changes during Tuesday evening’s meeting of Avalon’s City Council, according to information from SCE spokesman Robert Laffoon Villegas. Prolonged drought conditions resulted in SCE imposing what are called Stage 3 drought restrictions last September. That resulted in most Avalon residents — those who are served by the utility’s desalination plants — being required to cut their water consumption by 40 percent. All others on Catalina had to reduce their water use by half.
A wastewater treatment authority that serves large parts of the high desert, including Victorville, Hesperia and Apple Valley, mismanaged millions of dollars in federal emergency management funds, a U.S. audit has found. The Victor Valley Water Reclamation Authority, which received the funds after major flooding six years ago led to a ruptured pipeline, did not comply with numerous federal regulations on Federal Emergency Management Agency contracts worth $31.7 million, according to the report by the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security.
The City of Chula Vista, Ca., has approved a water stewardship plan developed by Haley & Aldrich, an environmental and engineering consulting firm, in collaboration with city officials and key stakeholders to address water scarcity issues caused by severe drought and other climate change issues. The City of Chula Vista Water Stewardship Plan engages residents, businesses and city government to manage increased water demand and protect its water resources through reuse, conservation and other key initiatives.
So much water is tumbling out of Lake Oroville that it has eroded a 200-foot-long strip in the lower half of the reservoir’s concrete spillway.
The state shut off spillway flows at noon Tuesday after workers noticed the erosion, which the Department of Water Resources said does not pose a threat to the earthen dam or public safety.
Oroville, California’s second-largest reservoir, is part of the State Water Project, which sends Northern California supplies to the urban Southland.
The Bureau of Reclamation incrementally increased releases below Keswick Dam from 26,000 cubic feet per second to 36,000 Monday afternoon. The increased releases are necessary to meet flood space regulatory requirements within Shasta Reservoir. Depending on current conditions and inflow levels, operational adjustments will be made as necessary and may occur on short notice. Shasta Reservoir, 10 miles north of Redding, provides water for people, fish and wildlife, hydropower, and environmental and salinity-control requirements in the Bay-Delta.
Students at three San Ysidro schools with outdated plumbing fixtures are drinking bottled water after contaminants were found in the water that flows from aged faucets and fountains at one of the campuses. The problem at La Mirada Elementary School prompted the district to investigate the water quality at its two other old campuses, Smythe Elementary School and San Ysidro Middle School. District officials said the bottled water is being dispensed until water-quality testing is done and any necessary fixes made.
Take one look out at the Mokelumne River today and you might see the flows are fast and high out on the water. All of the recent rains have created an abundance of water in Northern California, but there’s nowhere to store it all. The Delta Counties Coalition, represented by San Joaquin, Contra Costa, Sacramento, Solano and Yolo counties, is now arguing that if the state continues to focus on the $15 billion Twin Tunnels project, it will keep missing opportunities to invest in more cost-efficient and sustainable solutions like surface and groundwater storage.
As the restorative wet winter continued to douse drought-stricken Southern California, another storm system brought heavy rain to the region on Monday. Lighter rain is expected to fall Tuesday, enough to snarl the morning commute but fade by early evening. High winds will also rage in the morning, but ease by nightfall. The rain might lead to slick roads with pooling in some areas. The wind could also affect traffic through passes and along some desert highways, according to the weather service. Motorists were urged to use extra caution.
