California has seen so much rain in the last few weeks that farm fields are inundated and normally dry creeks and drainage ditches have become torrents of water racing toward the ocean. At the same time, most of the state is still in severe drought. All that runoff raises the question — why can’t more rainwater be collected and stored for the long, dry spring and summer when it’s needed?
California’s State Water Resources Control Board asked the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank to issue $650 million for a revolving fund so it can loan money to local governments for a wide range of projects. IBank’s staff recommended approval of the resolution authorizing the issuance of the bonds at a Dec. 21 meeting. The board meets again on Jan. 25.
With $5 million in funding from NOAA’s Climate Adaptation Partners (CAP) initiative, the California Nevada Adaptation Program (CNAP), a collaborative initiative between UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the DRI in Reno, Nevada will work to expand climate research and focus on building adaptation strategies. The program will last five years and aim to empower local communities to use this knowledge to make informed decisions in the face of long-term drought, unprecedented wildfires, and extreme heat impacting public health.
An atmospheric river taking aim for California was expected to bring heavy rains to an already-drenched San Diego County overnight Thursday, creating the possibility for flooding, downed trees and big waves for the first week of the New Year. The atmospheric river, which is a term used to describe heavier-than-normal rains that pull moisture from the tropics, inundated Northern and Central California on Wednesday, prompting evacuations, causing power outages and other damage.
Widespread rain returns to San Diego County Thursday for a fifth day in a row as yet another atmospheric river impacts our state. Gov. Gavin Newsom has proclaimed a state of emergency throughout California in response to severe winter storms.
The atmospheric river storm hitting California this week presents a test for an experimental waste-capturing system that’s intended to keep plastic bottles, diapers and other trash from flowing into the Pacific. It has even captured a couch. The solar-powered system, designed to work mostly autonomously, was introduced in October at the mouth of Ballona Creek near Playa del Rey.
Wyoming, the Cowboy State, is at the other end of the Colorado River from the Imperial Valley. Its Green River starts high on the western slopes of the Wind River Mountains, and as the largest tributary to the Colorado River, plays a major role in sending us water 1400 miles away.
In a world getting used to extreme weather, 2023 is starting out more bonkers than ever and meteorologists are saying it’s natural weather weirdness with a bit of help from human-caused climate change. Much of what’s causing problems worldwide is coming out of a roiling Pacific Ocean, transported by a wavy jet stream, experts said.
The Fallbrook Public Utility District approved a vehicle fleet replacement plan.
The 5-0 FPUD board vote Monday, Dec. 5, also authorized district staff to pursue the Power Your Drive for Fleets grant San Diego Gas & Electric offers for conversion to lower-emission vehicles. The six-year plan also addresses compliance with present and future California Air Resources Board requirements. The action adopts a vehicle replacement plan but does not stipulate specific vehicles.
The California Department of Water Resources first manual snow survey of the season Tuesday at Phillips Station recorded 55.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 17.5 inches, which is 177% of average for the location. The snow water equivalent measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack and is a key component of DWR’s water supply forecast. Statewide the snowpack is 174% of average for this date.
