Scientific reports published over the past several years have been unambiguous. The delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast, is on the brink of collapse. Starved of freshwater inflow due to dams and water diversions, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta’s health has faced a precipitous decline over the past few decades. The recently released Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan offers our last best hope to revive the estuary that defines our region.
Hydropower dams are generally thought to be a clean source of electricity. By moving water through turbines, dams can generate large amounts of electricity almost continuously and without causing air pollution. It’s partly for these reasons that more than 3,700 hydroelectric dams are currently proposed or under construction worldwide. But a growing body of science reveals a dark side. It turns out the reservoirs formed by dams are a significant source of greenhouse gases – particularly methane, about 34 times more potent than carbon dioxide. In the last 10 years, dozens of studies have shed light on this problem.
Directors of the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) unanimously voted to oppose Prop. 53, which would significantly limit local control of major projects and would hinder recovery and repair projects after natural disasters or other emergencies. “Proposition 53 is not just bad public policy, it’s dangerous,” MWDOC President Wayne Osborne said after the October 19 vote. “Water agencies need the ability to quickly and efficiency to repair or rebuild systems after an earthquake or other crisis.”
The San Diego City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to certify an environmental impact report for the city’s nearly $3 billion plan to recycle wastewater into drinking water, and approved the plan itself. Supporters of the so-called “Pure Water San Diego” program say it will provide residents and businesses with a stable, local supply of potable water that won’t be affected by drought or the uncertainties of future water imports. The product will be purified and mixed with water from traditional sources before it’s delivered to customers.
When California officials got serious about building two giant tunnels to divert freshwater out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, it didn’t take critics long to propose alternatives. One of the first was a grassroots scheme that, at first, seemed radical and counterintuitive: Let winter floods retake vast parts of the San Joaquin Valley – the very farmland that needs those Delta water diversions. The floods would recharge depleted groundwater that could then be used to irrigate the farms, preventing the need for Delta water exports.
Southern California was hit by scattered showers — with some areas experiencing thunder, lightning and spells of heavier rain — as a storm moved through the region late Sunday and early Monday. The National Weather Service said showers will continue on and off through Monday before giving way to clear skies by Tuesday. A stronger storm was expected to move into the area Thursday and Friday, forecasters said. In a region that has seen so little rain in recent years, the storm was welcome, but the weather service said most areas saw considerably less than an inch of precipitation.
Backers of the proposed Sites Reservoir west of here believe they have plenty of momentum going into next year’s application period for Proposition 1 water bond funds. The number of agencies signed on to participate in the project has grown from 14 to 34, including from the San Francisco Bay area and San Joaquin Valley, said Jim Watson, general manager of the Sites Authority. And the Legislature recently passed Assembly Bill 2553, a bipartisan measure that will give flexibility in construction methods to help speed the project.
Rain will douse California late this week, with the potential for some rain to reach southern portions of the state. While the rain will be beneficial in terms of the drought, enough rain can fall to cause travel disruptions and localized flash flooding from Thursday to Friday. More than 40 percent of California is dealing with extreme to exceptional drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor released on Oct. 20. Prior to the late-week dousing, showers will affect portions of northern and Southern California into Tuesday before dry weather returns for a time.
Federal climatologists predict that dry conditions will generally recede over the winter in Oregon, Idaho, Washington and parts of Northern California, providing an early and upbeat outlook on next year’s water supply. The Climate Prediction Center forecast a 70 percent chance of a weak La Nina, a cooling of the ocean around the equator. La Nina generally tilts the odds in favor of wetter and cooler winters in the northern U.S., according to the center. It’s not a sure bet, though. La Nina’s influence will vary by region. The odds it stays through the winter are 55 percent.
