The most severe drought in living memory did a number on California’s blue oaks. A new study by UC Berkeley researchers shows how even centuries-old trees struggled when landscape water disappeared between 2012 and 2015. Some showed stress by producing miniature leaves, some by shedding leaves, and some simply died.
The Sierra Nevada is getting soaked this year, and Lake Tahoe is one of the biggest beneficiaries.The sixth-largest lake in the United States, which straddles California and Nevada, reached its natural rim after weekend storms dumped 12.5 billion gallons of water into the lake. A trickle is now flowing through the dam and into the Truckee River. This is a huge milestone for a body of water that has flirted with record-low levels amid an ongoing drought.
Weeks away from getting a new chief who is fracking-friendly, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finally released its final report on the threat posed to our drinking water by fracking. A 2015 draft report released by the EPA was supposed to answer the question of whether deep drilling and fracking for natural gas and oil posed a threat to our drinking water.
A recently released study on winter-run chinook salmon adds a new wrinkle to efforts to conserve the fish, which have had a larger influence on statewide water policy during California’s drought. As water supplies dwindled during the drought, state and federal officials found it increasingly difficult to protect the endangered salmon’s eggs and recent hatches, which need colder water to survive in the Sacramento River. Water agencies from Redding to Southern California saw their supplies reduced as federal and state officials tried to manage water temperatures in the river to benefit the salmon.
California took a big (and much-needed) leap forward in 2014 when it passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Even though sustainability won’t be mandated until 2040 or 2042, depending on the groundwater basin, the process of implementing the legislation is well underway.
From the end of June 2017, each groundwater basin is required to form at least one groundwater sustainability agency (GSA) – the governing entity that will then be tasked with putting together the plan for achieving sustainability.
Today, Poseidon Water applauded Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. on his recent action to protect California’s oceans by taking action to reduce ocean acidity.
“We applaud the Governor on his leadership in ensuring California’s oceans are protected for decades to come by launching the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification,” said Scott Maloni, Vice President of Poseidon Water. “Earlier this year the California State Water Resources Control Board approved an amendment to California’s Ocean Plan that supports the use of ocean water as a reliable supplement to traditional drinking water supplies while protecting marine life and water quality.
Directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California on Tuesday agreed to help offset the costs of two Orange County projects that will save enough water to supply more than 1,600 families a year.
With the recommendation from the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC), recycled-water projects in the El Toro (ETWD) and Santa Margarita (SMWD) water districts will receive funding under MET’s Local Resources Program (LRP), which helps offset the costs of water-saving projects.
California’s prolonged and ongoing drought has at least one positive outcome. It has prompted water officials across the state to quickly develop new sources of water — and one of those new sources is flushed water.
The Orange County Water District is leading the nation in wastewater treatment to replenish groundwater supplies — and that project is expanding now, designed to eventually supply water to 2.4 million people, about 40 percent of all water needed in Orange County.
A rain storm is expected to pass through Southern California starting Thursday afternoon that will last through Friday.
Some areas are expected to receive up to 2 inches of rainfall, with potentially significant episodes of heavy downpour mainly on Thursday night in Ventura and L.A. counties, Carol Smith with the National Weather Service told KPCC. The San Gabriel Mountains are expected to see up to 3 inches. “It’s certainly not a drought-breaker, but it is going to be a good rain event with periods of heavy rain,” Smith said.
A double-barreled storm will soak California with rain and flash flooding while areas farther north are hit with more snow and ice into Friday. While the storm will bring beneficial moisture to the region, it will also cause travel disruptions to heavily-populated areas along the Pacific coast. Travel was halted along part of Highway 20 in Oregon on Wednesday afternoon after multiple avalanches made the mountain road impassable. No injuries were reported and crews quickly worked to clear the snow.
