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SOME RELIEF | Notable Rainfall; Ventura Talks State Water

/in /by /Ventura County Reporterby Chris O'Neal

A series of strong storms over the weekend helped to relieve the drought-stricken lands known as Ventura County. Beginning on Thursday, Jan. 19, the first of three storms made its way into the county, followed by a stronger storm on Friday — a brief interlude on Saturday — and the strongest of the storms on Sunday through Monday morning. Areas of the county experienced small debris flows and localized flooding, with one family requiring rescue by the Ventura County Fire Department after their vehicle became stuck in flood waters at an intersection of Pleasant Valley Road in Camarillo.

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CVP Remains Cautious On Water Allocation

/in /by /AgAlert (Sacramento)by Christine Souza

As each passing storm delivers more snowpack to the mountains and fills many California reservoirs to above-average levels, operators of the federal Central Valley Project remain cautious about projecting agricultural water supplies for the coming year. In preparation for its initial 2017 water supply announcement, expected next month, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which operates the CVP, released an update of water conditions for its reservoirs. The largest, Shasta Lake, stood at 82 percent of capacity and 124 percent of average as of last week.

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Carlsbad Power Plant Won’t Open On Time; Clean Energy Challenges Will Continue

/in /by /Inewsource.com (San Diego)by Ingrid Lobet

A long planned gas-fired power station in Carlsbad that squeaked through approval largely because it was the only source that could be up and running by the end of 2017 will not be complete by that date after all. David Knox, communications director with plant owner NRG Energy, confirmed construction has not begun and the powerhouse won’t be complete until the end of 2018, or later if there are further legal appeals. An inewsource examination of utility filings has also found the new plant will be much dirtier than its original design.

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California Farmers Can’t Win As Monster Storms Threaten Crops

/in /by /CNBC (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.)by Jeff Daniels

January’s monster storms and flooding in California inundated farmlands up and down the state, dealing a blow to crops of vegetables, citrus and nuts. While the series of tropical storms benefited some drought-stricken areas of the state, the heavy rains brought flooding to vineyards in Northern California and harvest delays further south for vegetable growers. Some citrus and nut growers were hurt too, including the loss of trees during strong winds.

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California Storms: Why Aren’t We Storing More Of That Water?

/in /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Andrew Kleske

State weathers storms but wastes the water. Regarding “Opposing views on the anti-Trump protests” (Jan. 24): The Sierra Nevada Mountains are 40,000 square miles — roughly 25 million acres. They are currently covered with five to 15 feet of snow, perhaps as much as 25 million acre feet of water that is worth more than $30 billion. However, our California politicians have not built one dam or created one new reservoir since 1979 while our population has nearly doubled. Instead we waste billions on a bullet train that is likely to become a boondoggle of epic proportions.

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Desalination Plant Reportedly On List Of Trump’s Priority Projects

/in /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ben Brazil

A document purportedly leaked by the Trump administration identifies the proposed Poseidon Water desalination plant in Huntington Beach as a priority project for the new president’s private-public partnership agenda. The document, titled “Emergency and National Security Projects,” lists 50 projects around the country that total about $137.5 billion. According to the report, 50% of the funding would come from private sources. The proposed $1-billion Poseidon Water desalination project, which would be built next to the AES power plant at Newland Street and Pacific Coast Highway, taking advantage of some of that facility’s infrastructure, is listed as No. 44 on the document.

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When Will Soggy California Drop Water Restrictions?

/in /by /The Associated Press (As published by Business Insider)by Scott Smith

Much of California has gone from withered to water-logged this winter, but the state’s top water regulator is not ready to lift emergency conservation measures enacted during the height of the drought. “It makes the most sense to continue steady as she goes,” State Water Resources Control Board chairwoman Felicia Marcus told The Associated Press after the latest in a series of storms brought more snow to the mountains and record-breaking rainfall to parts of Southern California.

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Folsom Lake Less Than Half Full After Recent Rains. Residents Ask: Why So Dry?

/in /by /The Sacramento Beeby Ryan Sabalow

Northern California is on track to break rainfall records. Water has gushed through a weir into the Yolo Bypass floodplain at levels not seen in more than a decade. The Sierra Nevada snowpack is nearly double historical averages. But you wouldn’t know the region has experienced an exceptionally wet winter looking at the steep, dry shores ringing the Sacramento region’s largest reservoir, Folsom Lake. On Wednesday, the lake was filled to just 41 percent capacity – 80 percent of its historical average.

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County Water Authority Board Expected To Declare Drought Over

/in /by /CW6 (San Diego)by John Carroll Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Thursday could be a landmark day when it comes to San Diego County’s water supply. The Board of the San Diego County Water Authority is expected to declare the drought over in the county. That would put them at odds with the state. The rainy, and in the upper elevations snowy weather has been a headache for drivers, and it has caused flood damage and downed trees all over the place. Even with all that, when it comes to the water situation in this county, the glass is most definitely half-full.

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How Full Are San Diego Reservoirs And What About The Drought?

/in /by /CBS8 Newsby Shannon Handy Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

A series of winter storms brought some much needed rain to San Diego, but after years of drought, what has the wet weather done for local reservoirs? The City of San Diego goes through almost 200 million gallons of water a day, and even though January has been exceptionally wet, only ten-percent of water use comes from rainfall. City spokesperson Arian Collins said of the nine local reservoirs, none are at capacity and only two are fed by rainfall. The Barrett and Morena reservoirs are only at three and ten-percent capacity, respectively.

 

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