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As Drought Lingers, Larger and More Destructive Wildfires Pose New Threats to Water Supply

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith

Already diminished by drought and extreme heat, California’s water supply will face yet another peril as wildfires continue to incinerate ever larger areas of forested land, according to new research.

In a UCLA-led study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers determined that increasing forest fire activity is “unhinging” western U.S. stream flow from its historical predictability. In areas where more than a fifth of the forest had burned, stream flow increased by an average of 30% for six years after the fire.

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A Parched West Remains Divided on Desalinating Seawater

/in , , /by /PEWby Matt Vasilogambros

Gripped by drought, communities along California’s coast are exploring innovations and investments to ensure residents have access to drinking water. But desalinating seawater, one proposed solution, has provoked heated debate, as some environmentalists say the process is inefficient, expensive and unneeded.

The California Coastal Commission next month will decide whether to approve a private company’s application to build a $1.4 billion seawater desalination facility in Huntington Beach, southeast of Los Angeles. An approval would cap a 15-year permitting process to bring Southern California its second, large-scale seawater desalination facility—joining another in Carlsbad that fully opened in 2015.

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H2O and the Central Coast: the Critical Connections Between Water, Jobs and Housing

/in , /by /KSBYby Delaney White and Richard Gearhart

A fairly decent start to this year’s rainy season quickly dried up.

The Central Coast of California is a story of ebbs and flows, wet years and drought.

From man-made reservoirs to underground aquifers, we need to store rain that falls in wet years to help supply the never-ending demand for water during the dry years. But it’s a constant battle to make sure there’s enough set aside to go around.

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As Drought Worsens, California Launches Website to Track Statewide Water Conditions

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein

The Department of Water Resources launched a new website to help Californians easily access information on local and statewide water conditions — down to their own region and even neighborhood.

The California Water Watch site was introduced Friday as the state reported the driest January and February since weather records have been kept.

The website provides real-time information on precipitation, temperature, reservoirs, snowpack, groundwater, streamflow, soil moisture and vegetation conditions as well as forecasts.

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Sacramento Approaches a Record for Days Without Rain During the Winter. Could More Water Restrictions Be Coming Soon?

/in , , /by /KCRAby Heather Waldman

If this were the summer, it would hardly be worth mentioning. But the winter months are when the region expects to pick up a majority of its annual rainfall.

The good news is that despite this near-record long winter rainless streak, the season’s total rainfall (since Oct. 1) is still above average for Sacramento.

Without a significant change in the weather pattern, that would of course change. Currently, the city of Sacramento is asking residents to cut back water use by 15% of 2020 levels.

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Lithium Beneath the Salton Sea

/in , /by /pv magazineby William Driscoll

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory is leading a research project to profile the concentration of lithium in the geothermal field beneath California’s Salton Sea, and to explore the most environmentally benign way to extract it.

Brine from the geothermal field is already pumped to the surface to generate geothermal power, and recirculated back underground. Lithium could be extracted from brine before it is pumped underground. Eleven geothermal plants are now operating in the Salton Sea, which Berkeley Lab describes as “pilot” operations.

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IID Sells Land to HKG, Retains Subsurface Rights

/in , /by /The Desert Reviewby Betty Miller

Imperial Irrigation District has been negotiating with Hell’s Kitchen Geothermal, LLC (HKG) to transfer land near the Salton Sea to the company, plus allow geothermal drilling of the heated brine and mineral extraction.

Recently, IID entered into negotiations with HKG to transfer approximately 3,144 acres, which includes the 1,880 acres currently under lease with HKG. Documents showed at the IID’s regular Feb. 15, meeting that under the proposed transfer, IID would retain its rights to all subsurface resources, including geothermal and mineral resources.

 

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Snow to Spread Across West as Temperatures Plunge

/in , /by /AccuWeatherby Alyssa Smithmyer

An active weather pattern is in place across the western United States, AccuWeather forecasters say, and the arrival of a storm in the Northwest will eventually result in widespread impacts from California to the central and southern Rockies.

An area of low pressure was diving southeastward over the interior West on Tuesday. As the storm strengthens will moving into the Southwest region, areas of snow will break out and become locally heavy from the Sierra Nevada to the Rockies in Colorado and the various ranges in northern Arizona and New Mexico.

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Oceanside Water Utilities Staff Honored at the California Water Environment Association Awards Banquet

/in , , /by /OsideNews.com

On January 29, 2022, City of Oceanside Water Utilities employees were honored at the annual California Water Environment Association (CWEA) San Diego awards banquet. Four City employees from the San Luis Rey Wastewater Treatment Plant were appointed to the CWEA Board, while another received a prestigious award for his outstanding service and exemplary work in the maintenance field. Mike Mensing, Mechanical Technologist I, was awarded the title of Mechanical Tech of the Year for the San Diego CWEA Section.

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La Niña Expected Through Spring, Brings Uncertainty to Sierra Snowpack

/in , , /by /FOX40by Dennis Shanahan and Jonathan Taraya

The recent dry weather in Northern California might be sticking around for a while.

The Climate Prediction Center forecasts a 77% chance La Niña conditions will continue through the month of May.

The term La Niña refers to a correlation between ocean water temperatures and winter weather patterns.

Oftentimes, the weather event brings wetter than normal conditions to the Pacific Northwest and drier weather to Southern California.

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