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Forecasting Our Future: Warmer, Drier Weather Driven by Climate Change Could Make Off-Season Wildfires More Frequent

/in , , /by /KCRAby Heather Waldman

Rainfall totals were nearly double the average in Northern California in December 2021. That’s what made the following month such a stark contrast.

January 2022 will go down as one of the region’s driest Januarys on record. Just a few weeks without rainfall was enough to dry out the ground, warm up the air and increase the risk for wildfires.

The Colorado Fire, which began on Jan. 21, demonstrated just how quickly conditions can go from promising to perilous. The fire burned through 687 acres of wildlands in Big Sur within the first two days. As of Jan. 31, the fire was 98% contained.

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California’s Snowpack Slips Below Average After Dismally Dry January, Renewing Concerns About Drought

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

Snow levels in California have fallen from their December glory after an extraordinarily dry January, stoking fears that the drought will not only continue but worsen in a third difficult year.

State officials, who will conduct the second snow survey of the season Tuesday, will find snowpack in California’s mountains measuring just shy of average for this time of year. While average is better than the modest accumulation seen the past two winters, it’s a disappointing drop from the 160% of average recorded a month ago.

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Some Fear the L.A. River Could Dry Up as Cities Look to Recycle More Wastewater

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Louis Sahagún

Just north of downtown — and a stone’s throw from the growling 5 Freeway — the concrete bed of the Los Angeles River gives way to soft earth and an explosion of riparian life: Cottonwood and sycamore trees push skyward, while fish dart beneath the swooping shadows of cackling waterfowl. The scents of mulefat scrub and sage hang in the air.

For many, it’s a vision of what the Los Angeles River looked like before it was transformed into a massive flood control channel. It also serves as a rallying point for those environmentalists who want to see the river returned to a more natural state.

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Santa Monica Breaks Ground on Potable Water Treatment Plant

/in , /by /WaterWorld

The City of Santa Monica, Calif. has broken ground on its Arcadia Water Treatment Plant (WTP), as well as on restorations to the Olympic Well Field. The key water infrastructure improvements are a component of the City’s goal of becoming water self-sufficient by 2023.

Santa Monica’s water system comprises groundwater basins, treatment facilities, and imported water connections to serve 18,000 customers with an average annual water demand of approximately 11,600 acre-feet per year (AFY).

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Opinion: Water May Cost More Now, But 30 Years Ago San Diego Almost Ran Out

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Gary Croucher Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the cost of water — and that makes sense given the economic realities faced by many residents, farmers, and businesses. But it also seems that newer generations of San Diegans do not know that there was a time when we didn’t have water when and where we needed it.

Thankfully, that’s not a problem in San Diego County today even though elsewhere drought-stricken communities face the potential of only having enough water to meet basic health and safety needs.

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Dry January Raises Drought Concerns, Precipitation Relief Not Immediate

/in , , /by /CBS Sacramentoby CBS13 Staff

The nice weather in January is setting the wrong record.

From a wet December to a dry January, this month saw such little precipitation it marks the second driest January on record.

“We need 20 to 21 inches more of precipitation over the Sierra to close the season out to finish at normal,” said Craig Shoemaker, a meteorologist and climate program manager for the National Weather Service.

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Los Angeles Is Building a Future Where Water Won’t Run Out

/in , , /by /Bloombergby Brian Eckhouse and Laura Bliss

A helicopter whisks off a rooftop in downtown Los Angeles, climbs above a thin layer of haze and soars over barren mountains past the city’s edge. Soon, scars of climatic stress are evident to L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and Martin Adams, general manager and chief engineer of the city’s water and power department, as they peer out the windows. Trees torched years ago by wildfire. Flats parched by sun and little precipitation.

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It’s Official — San Diego Will End January With Lowest Rainfall in Nearly a Decade

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Gary Robbins

San Diego will finish January with 0.16 inches of rain, making it the driest January since 2014, when San Diego International Airport recorded 0.01 inches of precipitation, says the National Weather Service.

Forecasters say the airport won’t receive any rain on Sunday or Monday, and that the region is unlikely to get significant precipitation through February 7.

The airport averages 1.86 inches in January.

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New Plan Lays Out Ways to Protect Lake Powell From Drought

/in , , /by /KUERby Lexi Peery

The framework for how Upper Colorado River Basin states will respond to low water levels at Lake Powell is now out for public review.

It’s called the Drought Response Operations Plan, which is part of the larger Drought Contingency Plan signed in 2019. These policies were put in place because of the troubling hydrology in the region.

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Marin Water Agencies Explore New Sources of Supply

/in , /by /Marin Independent Journalby Will Houston

After facing critical water shortages last year, Marin County’s two largest water agencies are exploring new supply options.

Connecting to other water agencies, desalination, capturing more rainwater and raising existing dams are among the options being explored by Marin Municipal Water District, which serves 191,000 residents in central and southern Marin, and the North Marin Water District, which serves about 62,000 residents in Novato and West Marin.

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