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San Joaquin Valley Continues To Sink Because Of Groundwater Pumping, NASA Says

California’s San Joaquin Valley continues to sink at an alarming rate because of groundwater pumping and irrigation, according to a new study by NASA. Ground levels in some areas have dropped 1 to 2 feet in the last two years, creating deeper and wider “bowls” that continue to threaten the vital network of channels that transport water across Southern California, researchers say. The findings underscore the fact that even as record rain and snow have brought much of California out of severe drought, some parts of the state will probably struggle with water problems for years to come.

 

Endangered, Threatened Species Could Benefit From Congressional Redlands Bill

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, a bill reintroduced in the U.S. Senate Monday, Feb. 13, would show some love to local endangered species, restoring mining-degraded habitat in the Upper Santa Ana River Wash in Redlands. The bill proposes a land swap that would move mining operations to protect plants and animals where the wash joins Mill Creek. Those include three endangered species – the San Bernardino kangaroo rat, slender-horned spineflower and Santa Ana woolly-star; the threatened California gnatcatcher; and the cactus wren.

VIDEO: Precarious Oroville Dam Highlights Challenges Of California Water Management

At Northern California’s Lake Oroville, water levels receded Monday, stopping the overflow of water from the dam’s emergency spillway. This reduced the risk of immediate uncontrolled flooding — but longer-term concerns remain. William Brangham speaks with Jeffrey Mount of the Public Policy Institute of California about the massive evacuation that took place and the outlook for the dam’s future.

A Race Against Mother Nature As Officials Send Water Cascading Out Of Lake Oroville

With more storms expected to slam Northern California later this week, officials worked frantically Monday to drain water from brimming Lake Oroville in hopes of heading off a potentially catastrophic flood. The operators at America’s tallest dam found themselves in a precarious position Monday, with both of the spillways used to release water compromised and the reservoir still filled almost to capacity after a winter of record rain and snow. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of evacuated residents downstream of the dam still have no clear word when they can return home.

Here’s The Nightmare Scenario At Oroville Dam That Officials Are Fighting To Prevent

Any dam engineer would be terrified of this nightmare scenario — the possible collapse of a retaining wall in California’s second largest reservoir.  That’s the prospect officials faced when they ordered more than 100,000 people evacuated downstream of the nation’s tallest dam Sunday. It occurred insidiously: a pocket of erosion that crept ever closer to a low concrete wall that was supposed to be the last, best defense against disaster.

Too Much Water: How Oroville Dam Problems Became A Crisis

The mass evacuations underway below the Oroville Dam capped a week of frantic efforts to prevent flooding as America’s tallest dam reached capacity and its main spillway was severely damaged. Here is a brief explanation of the events so far. On Saturday, water levels reached so high that an emergency spillway was used for the first time. Officials initially believed the measure worked. But on Sunday afternoon, as more water from record storms flowed into Lake Oroville, officials detected a hole in the emergency spillway. That prompted the evacuation order.

 

Break in Recent Storms Gives Engineers at Oroville Dam Hope

Friday afternoon the sun peaked through the clouds above Lake Oroville and a rainbow arched over the Feather River. It was a welcome sight for state engineers who were battling the lake’s worrisome rise with torrential releases down the reservoir’s broken concrete spillway. The break in storms and a drop in the volume of water pouring into the huge reservoir gave dam operators hope that they could keep lake levels from hitting an elevation of 901 feet — the point at which uncontrolled flows would start washing down an unpaved emergency spillway that has never been used in Oroville’s 48-year history.

 

Ag Water Summit Participants Say California Drought Not Over

“One rainy month will not make up for a six-year drought,” pointed out Larry Dick, Metropolitan Water District (MWD) chairman of the Agriculture and Industry Relations Committee, at the first ever Agricultural Water Summit Feb. 3, sponsored by the Rancho California Water District (RCWD). Dick was the guest speaker at the water summit held at South Coast Winery in Temecula Wine Country that brought more than 100 farmers and agricultural business owners to hear about how area water resources will be affected now and in the future.

 

South Bay Water Cost To Drop (And Then Rise)

Public attendance at a Thursday evening (February 9) hearing to introduce water rates for Imperial Beach, Coronado, and southwest San Diego for the next three years was so sparse that the public was easily outnumbered by California American Water (Cal Am) and California Public Utilities Commission staff. Despite the low turnout (less than a dozen people), a battle over where to place a water-recycling plant — in Coronado or Imperial Beach — appears to be heating up behind the stiff formality of the proceedings.

Drought Dwindling In Southern California

Snow and rain keep putting the hurt on California’s weakening drought, which now encompasses less than half the state for the first time in four years. This week, 53 percent of the state is out of drought and only 11 percent remains in “severe” to “extreme” conditions — with more rain and snow expected in the region today and Saturday. “Extreme” drought conditions linger in a sliver of northwest Los Angeles County and parts of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, according to this week’s U.S. Drought Monitor.