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Drought is Pushing More Saltwater Into the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. California Built a Wall to Keep it Out.

/in , , /by /CapRadioby Rich Ibarra

Drought conditions have prompted the building of a 750-foot wide rock barrier to prevent saltwater intrusion into the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

The California Department of Water Resources constructed the temporary barrier with 110,000 cubic yards of rock off West False River in Contra Costa County. Principal engineer Jacob McQuirk said that without the barrier, saltwater would endanger freshwater supplies in the Delta and water exports to the south.

“Every tidal cycle, that saltwater slowly propagates into the interior Delta,” he said. “Really, the beneficial uses of the interior Delta, they include agricultural supply, also interior municipal supplies.”

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Photos Show What July’s Heat and Drought Looked Like This Summer

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Times

Hot, dry, and ‘unrecognizable’ describes July 2021.

The West boiled with record-breaking heat, and persistent drought that has left the Colorado River, Lake Mead and Lake Powell two-thirds empty, a ‘bathtub’ ring lining the shores of the largest water sources serving California.

As more frequent heat waves broke records this summer, our photojournalists documented what it looked like and how we coped.

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Lake Oroville Feet Away From Historic Low, Could Beat Record in Coming Days

/in , , /by /ABC7by Ryan Matthey

How low can Lake Oroville go? While losing over a foot of water each day, historically low is the answer.

The lake is on track to beat its lowest recorded record: 645 feet above sea level in September 1977. Friday, it sits at 646.97 feet, just feet away from a new record.

This could drop dramatically further to 620 feet by late October, according to Molly White, Water Operations Manager for the Department of Water Resources (DWR).

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Opinion: It’s Time Again for Water Officials to Sound the Alarm

/in , , /by /Ventura County Starby The Star Editorial Board

California’s five-year drought that ended in 2016 was brutal, one of the most severe in history. It unfolded during historic statewide high temperatures and included the driest four-year period on record and the lowest Sierra Nevada snowpack ever recorded.

It took sacrifice and resolve, but the state made it through that challenge, thanks in part to a 25 percent reduction in urban water use mandated by former Gov. Jerry Brown.

Now drought conditions have returned — and arguably the underlying conditions are worse than those experienced five years ago. Temperatures continue to rise, setting all-time records last summer, and parched conditions have extended throughout most of the West, stressing the Colorado River basin.

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The California Water Model: Resilience Through Failure

/in , /by /California Water Blogby Nicholas Pinter, Jay Lund, Peter Moyle

A review of 170 years of water-related successes in California suggests that most successes can be traced directly to past mistakes.  California’s highly variable climate has made it a crucible for innovations in water technology and policy.  Similar water imperatives have led to advances in water management in other parts of the world.  A close look at California’s water model suggests that “far-sighted incrementalism” is a path to progress. Given the complexity of water management systems, better scientific information and new policy tools must be developed coherently and collaboratively over time.

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California Toxics Law: Few Water Cases, But Millions for Lawyers

/in , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Emily C. Dooley

Thirty-five years ago, California voters approved a landmark law meant to halt exposure to dangerous chemicals in drinking water and everyday products like food, flip-flops, and face shields.

Decades later, the water cases are few and far between—while hundreds of product lawsuits bring in millions of dollars annually for plaintiffs’ attorneys, some of whom represent environmental groups focused only on this law.

The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986—commonly known as Proposition 65— came into being during Ronald Reagan’s time as president, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was slashing regulations and loosened enforcement of pollution standards.

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Opinion: San Vicente Hydroelectric Project a Smart Way to Make Power Grid More Resilient

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The state government’s decision to provide $18 million to fund preliminary work on state and federal approvals for the long-anticipated San Vicente Energy Storage Facility — advocated by the San Diego County Water Authority and the city of San Diego — makes the $1.5 billion project significantly more likely to come to pass. The great news is that the “pumped hydro” facility at the San Vicente Reservoir near Lakeside will strongly shore up available energy supplies at night after solar power is no longer directly available.

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San Diego Radio DJs Promote WaterSmart Lifestyles

/in , , /by /Water News Network Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Well-known local radio DJs Geena the Latina from Channel 93.3, Beto Perez from Jam’n 95.7 and Tati from Star 94.1, are teaming up with the San Diego County Water Authority this summer to thank San Diegans for using water wisely and are encouraging residents to keep our region drought-safe.

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California Drought: Dozens of Communities are at Risk of Running Out of Water

/in , , /by /The Mercury News (Bay Area)by Paul Rogers

In Fort Bragg on the Mendocino Coast, city leaders are rushing to install an emergency desalination system. In Healdsburg, lawn watering is banned with fines of up to $1,000. In Hornbrook, a small town in Siskiyou County, faucets have gone completely dry, and the chairman of the water district is driving 15 miles each way to take showers and wash clothes.

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Projection: Lake Oroville Could Reach Record Low by November

/in , , /by /Enterprise-Recordby Justin Couchot

As drought conditions continue throughout Butte County, the Department of Water Resources is currently projecting that the surface water level of Lake Oroville could reach an all-time low of 640 feet above sea level by October or November.

As of Thursday, Lake Oroville’s surface water level was 648.47 feet above sea level. When full Lake Oroville’s surface water level is 900 feet above sea level.

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