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Feds: California Reservoirs Only Half Full After Big Storms

/in /by /The Associated Press (As published by: The Daily Republic, Fairfield)

The recent onslaught of El Nino storms only slightly increased the levels of California reservoirs that now stand at half of historic depths for this time of year, federal officials said Friday while releasing an initial water outlook for 2016.

 

The federally operated reservoirs that supply farms and cities throughout the agriculture-rich Central Valley are now 49 percent full, compared with 47 percent on Oct. 1, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said.

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Dear Drought Fighter: Short Shower Savings Add Up

/in /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune

Q: Why are we asked to limit showers? Are the water savings significant or is it more to conserve energy in heating the water? Dennis C., Solana Beach

 

A: Changing showering habits can absolutely reduce water and energy consumption. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that showering accounts for 17 percent of total indoor water use at the average home — and that’s a lot of water when multiplied by hundreds of thousands of families countywide. Because the energy used to transport, treat and heat water is also significant, shorter showers conserve that resource as well.

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Carlsbad Plant Brings Ocean Water to Your Tap

/in /by /Encinitas Advocateby By Joe Tash Quoted: Bob Yamada, James Palen

Jennifer Jones held out a plastic cup of water to a visitor.

 

The water was crystal clear and tasted fresh and pure, as if it had been poured from a bottle of spring water. There was nothing to suggest that as recently as one hour earlier, that water had been pulled from the ocean by powerful pumps.

 

Jones, a spokeswoman for Poseidon Water, was taking a reporter on a tour of the new seawater desalination plant on the Carlsbad coast, which officially went online Dec. 23 after a 15-year planning, permitting, design and construction process. The $800 million plant is expected to provide between 7 and 10 percent of San Diego County’s drinking water for at least the next 30 years.

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El Niño Inspires Hope of ‘Major Dent’ In Drought, But Empty Reservoirs Point to Long Recovery

/in /by /Los Angeles Timesby Rosanna Xia, Rong-Gong Lin II

After months of warnings by some officials that El Niño and winter rains were far from certain, the bounty of storms plowing through Northern California has opened hope that there could be a huge improvement in the state’s severe drought by spring.

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Turf Rebate Recipients Will Have to Decide How to Report Funds on Federal Taxes

/in /by /The Los Angeles Timesby By Taylor Goldenstein

Southern Californians who received cash rebates for replacing their lawns with drought-tolerant landscaping will soon get a federal tax form in the mail reporting the amount, but water officials said Thursday it is still not clear whether the reimbursement will be taxable.

 

Officials from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California — which funded a $340-million incentive program — say they are sending 1099 forms to turf rebate recipients of $600 or more and leaving reporting up to participants and their tax advisers.

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Possible Reason for Unusual Rain Pattern This El Nino

/in /by /AccuWeather by By Ken Clark

I have stated this before and I will say it again. This has not been your typical strong El Nino West Coast winter, at least through what looks like now much of January.

 

The Pacific Northwest has been consistently wet. Most of western Washington and Oregon are 30 to 60 percent above normal in precipitation since Oct. 1. Northern and north-central California are about normal while the Sierra snow is anywhere from normal to 25 percent above normal. Meanwhile, from San Luis Obispo on south precipitation totals are averaging 30 to 40 percent below normal. For Southern California, three of the five usually wettest months have already gone by.

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How California Cities Can Capitalize on El Nino’s Rains

/in /by /By Jen Kinneyby By Jen Kinney

With January more than half over and the much-hyped dousing of southern California by El Nino-related storms nowhere to be seen, weather experts are urging patience.

 

The smattering of short-lived El Nino-driven storms that hit California in early January were actually ahead of schedule, experts told the Los Angeles Times this week. In previous El Nino years, the majority of the rainfall has occurred in February, March, and even April and May.

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Cal Poly Researchers Find Ways to Help Pool Owners Conserve

/in /by /KEYT- KCOY-KKFX (Santa Barbara)by Nataly Tavidian

 

If you want to enjoy your home swimming pool and still save water, Cal Poly researchers said it’s possible you just need to cover up.

Pool owners can help the state enough water for about half a million people to use each year.

 

Misgana Muleta, associate professor at Cal Poly’s Civil and Environmental Engineering department said, “The number we had was up to 55,000 acres of water can be saved. Which is good enough to provide a city of half a million in population with water for the entire year.”

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OPINION: Sierra Is White with Snow, but More Drought Solutions Needed

/in /by /The Modesto Beeby By Roger Bales

Yes, it’s nice to see snow, and those Californians dreaming of a white Christmas saw that dream come true in the Sierra. But dreaming isn’t going to solve the state’s long-term water problems.

 

For that, we need shared strategy and cooperation.

The drought brought unprecedented change to the Sierra Nevada headwaters. Tree mortality rates are up to 50 percent in some mixed-conifer forest areas. A record number of acres have experienced high-intensity wildfires.

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More Rain on the Way in Northern California

/in /by /The Associated Press (As published by The Sacramento Bee)

There’s a run on umbrellas, people are flocking to the slopes and the big wave surfers are celebrating the swells.

 

There’s been nearly a dozen days of rain in Northern California already this month and more is to come in the upcoming days and weeks. This is great for skiers, farmers and water users but the rain is hardly the end of the four-year dry spell. State water managers say California’s snowpack needs to be at 150 percent of normal on April 1 to signal an end to drought.

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