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Plan to Raze 4 Dams on California-Oregon Line Clears Hurdle

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Gillian Flaccus

A proposal to bring down four hydroelectric dams near the California-Oregon border cleared a major regulatory hurdle Thursday, setting the stage for the largest dam demolition project in U.S. history to save imperiled migratory salmon.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission action comes after the demolition proposal almost fell apart last summer, but then a new agreement and additional funding revived it. Thursday’s ruling will allow the utility that runs the dams, PacifiCorp, to transfer its hydroelectric license jointly to the nonprofit Klamath River Renewal Corporation, Oregon and California.

Regulators still must approve the actual surrender of the license. Dam removal could start in 2023.

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A California Reservoir is Expected to Fall So Low That a Hydro-Power Plant Will Shut Down for First Time

/in , , /by /CNNby Alexandra Meeks

Water in a key California reservoir will fall so low this summer that its hydroelectric power plant will be forced to shut down for the first time, officials said Thursday, straining the state’s already-taxed electric grid. An unrelenting drought and record heat, both worsened by the changing climate, have pushed the water supply at Northern California’s Lake Oroville to deplete rapidly.

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When It’s Too Hot for Food to Grow

/in , , /by /Bay Natureby Eric Simons

Kou Her’s family has run the 12-acre Herr Family Farms in Sanger, just east of Fresno, for the last 20 years, raising a variety of vegetables for Bay Area produce and farmer’s markets. In those 20 years, Kou and his parents haven’t seen anything like the heat wave gripping the Central Valley this week.

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Las Vegas Weighs Tying Growth to Conservation Amid Drought

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Sam Metz

Record-breaking heat and historic drought in the U.S. West are doing little to discourage cities from planning to welcome millions of new residents in the decades ahead.

From Phoenix to Boise, officials are preparing for a future both with more people and less water, seeking to balance growth and conservation. Development is constrained by the fact that 46% of the 11-state Western region is federal land, managed by agencies like the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management that are tasked with maintaining it for future generations.

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Regulators Approve Emergency Rules to Allow Halt of Russian River Diversions for Thousands of Water Right Holders

/in , , /by /The North Bay Business Journalby Mary Callahan

The state water board has unanimously approved emergency regulations behind a move to halt Russian River diversions for up to 2,400 water right holders, part of a wider effort to conserve dwindling supplies in Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino.

The 5-0 vote of the State Water Resources Control Board late Tuesday came over the objections raised by agricultural interests and allies who argued the new rule was too blunt a tool to use to address the worsening drought.

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Low River Levels to Blame for ‘Earthy’ Taste to Sacramento Tap Water, City Says

/in , , /by /CBS Sacramento

Does your tap water taste a little off right now? Sacramento city leaders say the drought is probably to blame.

The city says they have been recently getting some calls with people reporting an “earthy” taste to their tap water. Some people have also been reporting an off smell as well.

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Cyberattack on Bay Area Water Supply: ‘No Specific Threat to Public Safety’

/in , , /by /https://www.sfchronicle.com/local/article/Cyberattack-on-Bay-Area-water-supply-No-16256688.phpby Nora Mishanec

A hacker accessed the computer system of a Bay Area water treatment plant in January and deleted programs the plant used to treat drinking water, a senior intelligence official confirmed Thursday.

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Heat Wave Grips US West Amid Fear of a New, Hotter Normal

/in , , /by /AP News by Anita Snow

An unusually early and long-lasting heat wave brought more triple-digit temperatures Wednesday to a large swath of the U.S. West, raising concerns that such extreme weather could become the new normal amid a decades-long drought.

Phoenix, which is seeing some of the highest temperatures this week, tied a record for the second day in a row when it reached 115 degrees (46 Celsius) Wednesday and was expected to hit 117 (47 Celsius) each of the next two days, the National Weather Service said.

Scientists who study drought and climate change say that people living in the American West can expect to see more of the same in the coming years.

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The Last Thing California Needed: Drought Adds to Electricity Woes as Hydro Power Dries Up

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

California’s shaky power grid is on a collision course with an epic drought that’s depleting a major source of supply: hydroelectricity.

The Western heatwave that began Wednesday has the manager of the state’s grid, the California Independent System Operator, warning of potential power shortages through the weekend. Although the organization stopped short of predicting another round of rolling blackouts, it appealed to Californians to conserve energy to get the state through a tough week. The National Weather Service said temperatures are expected to reach 110 degrees Thursday.

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Climate Change Batters the West Before Summer Even Begins

/in , , /by /The New York Timesby Brad Plumer, Jack Healy, Winston Choi-Schagrin and Henry Fountain

A heat dome is baking Arizona and Nevada, where temperatures have soared past 115 degrees this week and doctors are warning that people can get third-degree burns from the sizzling asphalt.

At Lake Mead, which supplies water for 25 million people in three southwestern states and Mexico, water levels have plunged to their lowest point since the reservoir was filled in the 1930s. In California, farmers are abandoning their thirstiest crops to save others, and communities are debating whether to ration tap water.

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