The Indian Wells Valley groundwater plan got a thumbs up from the state on Thursday but with a swarm of lawsuits surrounding the plan, it’s unclear what that approval will mean going forward.
One of those lawsuits seeks a “comprehensive adjudication” of water rights of the Indian Wells Valley basin, which could reconfigure who has rights to how much groundwater, a fundamental underpinning of the groundwater sustainability plan that was just approved.
December rainfall and cooler temperatures in San Diego County make it the perfect time of year for homeowners to create low-water-use landscaping to fit their needs. The San Diego County Water Authority is offering their 2022 WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Series of free online classes starting Wednesday, February 2.
Federal officials are investigating why millions of gallons of sewage-laden water isn’t making its way from Tijuana to the international wastewater treatment plant in the U.S. Instead, that untreated wastewater is flowing into San Diego through a border drain, which indicates there’s probably a broken pipe or a clog somewhere in Tijuana.
The runaway flow began Jan. 7 around 1:30 p.m. when almost a million gallons of sewage escaped from Tijuana through Stewart’s Drain, which sits just east of the International Wastewater Treatment plant operated by the International Boundary Water Commission.
Santa Ana winds returned to Ventura County this week, bringing back dry, breezy and warm conditions but little fire risk.
Peak Santa Ana wind season typically runs from October through January, and without enough rain, fire season can drag on. This year, however, December storms drenched the region, dampening the threat of large wildfires.
A federal dam in Arizona that provides electricity to millions of Americans is at risk this year of running out of the minimum level of water required to generate that power.
Glen Canyon Dam, completed in 1963 and brought online two years later, is at 27 percent capacity, the lowest since it was filled, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Tuesday.
The average temperature for the last six months is the hottest recorded in Colorado and the country as a whole, according to data released this week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The next-highest six-month average temperature peak in Colorado came during the 1930s Dust Bowl era, the data shows.
After one of its driest summers in years, satellite images show that Mount Shasta is blanketed in its signature snow once again after December storms swept across Northern California.
The images show the mountain nearly entirely devoid of snow in early September, after a very hot summer for the region compounded the lack of snowpack after two severely dry winters, dissipating the snowpack earlier than normal. Just four months later, the mountain appeared transformed, covered in snow once again.
The recent rains were much needed, but they were not enough to get the state out of the drought.
One of the first counties in the Northstate to declare a local drought emergency, Glenn County, is still experiencing water supply issues.
“The rain is always good and the snow is even better because snow will last for a while and melt and come down and refill what has been depleted when people are using. It had a positive impact. Dramatic? I wouldn’t say so,” said the director of Glenn County Planning & Community Development Services, Don Rust.
After months of falling short, Santa Clara County residents have finally begun to hit the target when it comes to water conservation — and the threat of higher water bills may have played a role.
Following two record-dry years, the Santa Clara Valley Water District declared a drought emergency in June and asked the county’s 2 million residents to cut water use by 15% from 2019 levels.
County supervisors Wednesday unanimously approved a sustainability plan for the San Pasqual Valley Groundwater Basin.
The plan will have the county be responsible for 10% of basin management costs within its jurisdiction.
The basin is located 25 miles northeast of downtown San Diego, and is home to dairies, orchards and nurseries.
