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Considering California’s Tree Policies Amid Mass Die-Off

/in /by /KPBSby Ben Bradford

An epidemic of tree deaths in California due to drought and bark beetles is sparking a review of state and federal policies. The Little Hoover Commission, a state oversight board, is considering how to curb the problem, before it reshapes California’s forests. “We hope to kind of come in and take a big picture look on policy changes the state can make,” said Carole D’Elia, executive director of the commission. “Can we influence at all the United States Forest Service and federal government policies?”

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Desert Water Agency Poised To Approve Massive Rate Hike

/in /by /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Corinne S Kennedy

After a month of public outreach and meetings, the Desert Water Agency board of directors is set to vote in a rate hike next month which could result in an almost 80 percent increase to consumers’ bills over the next four years. DWA officials said the incremental hike is necessary to cover the operational costs of the utility company and replace severely aging water lines which have resulted in hundreds of leaks this year alone. At a public workshop Monday, spokesperson Ashley Metzger explained the reasoning behind the pending rate increase and the process by which the proposed rates were developed.

 

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California Aims To Recalibrate Water Flow From Depleted Rivers

/in /by /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Julie Cart

The report’s findings were unequivocal: Given the current pace of water diversions, the San Francisco Bay and the Delta network of rivers and marshes are ecological goners, with many of its native fish species now experiencing a “sixth extinction,” environmental science’s most-dire definition of ecosystem collapse. Once a vast, soaked marsh and channel fed by the gushing Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, the Delta has diminished dramatically over the previous century as those rivers and their mountain tributaries have been diverted to irrigate Central Valley farms and Bay Area urbanity.

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California Drought: State Initially Estimates 20% Of Full Water Deliveries

/in /by /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Ian James

California’s Department of Water Resources has made its initial projection of how much water public agencies can count on receiving from the canals and pipelines of the State Water Project next year: 20 percent of their full allotments. The state’s preliminary annual estimate for the major north-to-south water artery is typically readjusted depending on rain and snowfall, and the percentage often ends up higher at the end of the winter. This year, the state initially projected 10 percent and water districts eventually received 60 percent of their full allotments.

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More Rain Expected For Parts of San Diego County Monday Afternoon

/in /by /CBS8 News

Gusty winds and a slight chance of rain are in the forecast for parts of San Diego County Monday, but the weekend storms that generated record-breaking rainfall and prompted numerous weather advisories have moved out of the region. In a 48-hour period ending just after 9 p.m. Sunday, the back-to-back weekend weather systems dropped an inch of snow on Mt. Laguna and half an inch on Palomar Mountain.

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After Wet, Stormy Weekend, Rain Moves Out But Chilly Temperatures Remain

/in /by /Los Angeles Timesby Matt Hamilton

After a weekend in which two storms moved through Southern California, forecasters said the weather for the coming workweek would be chilly and windy but mostly dry. The Los Angeles area was expected to see temperatures in the mid-60s on Monday, about six degrees cooler than usual for this time of year, said Stuart Seto, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. In the mountains of Los Angeles County, temperatures were forecast to hover in the 40s and 50s, with powerful winds that could reach as high as 60 mph.

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Rainbows Galore In Storm’s Aftermath

/in /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Teri Figueroa

Weekend rain left San Diego soggy on Sunday, with slick roads and snarled traffic in some places but no reports of serious flooding. There were, however, lots of rainbows. The possibility of a few more scattered showers remains on tap for the region through Monday, meteorologist Stephen Harrison of the National Weather Service said. Back-to-back storms over the weekend brought 0.28 of an inch of rain to Lindbergh Field as of 4 p.m. Sunday. Mount Laguna and Palomar Mountain also got a light dusting of snow, according to the weather service.

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Water and Wastewater Rates Approved, Farmers and Seniors Oppose Charges

/in /by /The Coast News Group (Encinitas)by Promise Yee Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Not to the surprise of residents, the City Council said yes to water and wastewater rate increases on Nov. 14. While another year of increases to pay for bought water, pass-through charges, city infrastructure and expansion of local water sources was expected, farmers and seniors asked the city to take another look at their rates. Farmers asked the city to reconsider water rates that make it difficult to maintain farms. They said they have done as much as they can to lower bought water use and use wells, and need a hand.

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San Marcos’ Looming Water Shortage Might Be a Mirage

/in /by /Voice of San Diegoby Ry Rivard Mentioned: Vallecitos Water District

The Vallecitos Water District, which provides water in and around San Marcos, told state regulators that demand for water will soon exceed its supplies. The state believes the district messed up the numbers by overestimating demand, but the report is threatening new development around San Marcos and worrying residents.

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Rain Doesn’t Signal Wet Winter, But Does Reduce Wildfire Risk

/in /by /KPBSby Maureen Cavanaugh And Brooke Ruth

San Diego County may get more rain Saturday night or Sunday, a National Weather Service meteorologist said. Temperatures in the county on Thanksgiving could be in the mid- to upper 70s before cooling down over the weekend, meteorologist Alex Tardy said. Northern California will see rain over the holiday, in keeping with what has already been a wet fall. Tardy said the region is 100 to 120 percent above normal for rainfall since Oct. 1. That’s in contrast to Southern California, which is below average for rainfall nearly two months into the state’s sixth year of drought.

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