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Big Delta Project to Turn Farmland into Public Park, Refuge for Wildlife and Fish

/in /by /San Jose Mercury Newsby By Denis Cuff

As part of the latest push to restore the ailing Delta, a 646-acre wheat and corn farm here is expected one day to metamorphose into a recreational and habitat oasis complete with kayak launches, hiking trails and a home for endangered species.

The area, off the Byron Highway between Oakley and Brentwood, will provide a launch spot to explore the Delta, as well as trails for hikers. The East Bay Regional Park District paid $6.1 million in late January to buy the land for the project, which is likely to cost millions more to carry out over many years.

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California cuts water use 17.1% in January, falling short of target

/in /by /The Los Angeles Timesby By Matt Stevens

When Gov. Jerry Brown called for a statewide 25% cut in urban water use last April, drought-weary Californians snapped quickly into compliance.

They slashed consumption enough to easily exceed Brown’s order for four straight months, cheering state water regulators.

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Drought Targets Could Be Lowered

/in /by /Encinitas Advocate by By Jared Whitlock Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Residents in the San Diego Water District are currently tasked with slashing water use 28 percent under state-mandated rules, but this target could be lowered to 20 percent.

General Manager Bill O’Donnell at the district’s Feb. 17 board meeting said the state might lower the district’s target based on a credit for districts that have developed local water supplies since 2013 — in this case, the Carlsbad Desalination Plant that recently opened.

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San Diego County Water Authority Gets a New Lawyer

/in /by /Times of San Diego

Following a national search to select its top legal officer, the San Diego County Water Authority Thursday named local attorney Mark J. Hattam as general counsel.

A partner in the San Diego office of Allen Matkins, a California-based law firm specializing in real estate, litigation, labor, tax, land use and business law, Hattam will begin his new post March 14.

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California Snow Pack Dwindles After Generous January Storms

/in /by /Inland News Today (Riverside)

A drier February is having an impact on the snow pack in the Sierra Nevada.

The State Department of Water Resources said Tuesday the statewide snow pack water content is 7 percent below normal despite the fact that precipitation since October 1st is only about 5 percent above average.

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An Important First Step Toward a Water Market

/in /by /Fox & Hounds (Sacramento)by Gary Toebben

What gets measured gets managed, ” management guru Peter Drucker once said.  In the fourth year of a historic drought, Drucker’s statement is especially relevant.

Simply put, in spite of numerous databases containing information on hydrology, biology, water quality, water use and other technical information, there is no single entity responsible for collecting and reporting all the data necessary for regulatory and water supply managers to make informed and science-based decisions to manage our precious water resources.

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MWD Budgets No Money for Popular Cash-for-Grass Program

/in /by /89.3 KPCC Southern California Public Radio (Pasadena)by Jed Kim

The Metropolitan Water District has no plans at the moment to continue funding an extremely popular turf removal program that has been credited with helping Southern Californians replace more than 100 million square feet of lawn.

Last year, in response to the continued drought, the district added a major injection of funding for conservation programs from its reserve funds. The injections turned what is typically a $20 million conservation budget into a whopping $450 million.

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Old Tensions Boil Over Once More in House Hearing on California Water

/in /by /The Fresno Beeby Michael Doyle

The year’s first congressional hearing on California’s water crisis incited stern voices and familiar feuds Wednesday, but showed no sign of legislative progress.

Instead, for two hours, lawmakers largely remained in trenches dug over many years as they lobbed shells at one another and, at times, the assembled witnesses.

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California Boosts Water Deliveries to Cities, Farms — Slightly

/in /by /SFGateby Kurtis Alexander

With a bit more snow in the Sierra than in years past, California officials on Wednesday boosted the amount of water they expect to deliver this year from the state’s mountain-fed reservoirs.

The 29 water agencies served by the massive State Water Project, which provides about 25 million Californians with water, are set to receive 30 percent of the supplies they requested — up from 15 percent estimated last month, the Department of Water Resources announced.

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Congressmen Back Feinstein’s Water Bill

/in /by /The Galt Heraldby Bryan M. Gold

Two members of Congress that represent the Galt area and the Delta support federal legislation that would provide $1.3 billion for short- and long-term solutions to California’s historic drought.

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein earlier this month introduced the California Long-Term Provisions for Water Supply and Short-Term Provisions for Emergency Drought Relief Act.

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