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San Diego Water Authority Is Pretending the Drought Is Over; It’s Not

Without mandatory conservation, San Diego is positioning itself to fall back into the same short-sighted planning that built the state’s drought inadequacies in the first place. For decades, the San Diego region inched closer and closer to a drought crisis, pumping more water for more lawns from the ever-dwindling supplies in the Colorado River Basin and the Bay Delta. We were addicted, concerned with getting more water today, not the drought tomorrow. Then we hit rock bottom. In 2015, after we failed to respond to voluntary conservation calls to action, Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency.

When it Comes to Rising Sea Levels, Coronado Is Treading Water

Some coastal cities are rushing to prepare for rising sea levels, but Coronado – surrounded almost entirely by the ocean and a bay – is not one of them.

Sea-level rise could affect what’s on Coronado already, as well as future development in the city and Navy property. Everything from a new city beach bathroom to a new $700 million Navy facility could be impacted. As oceans rise, beaches may erode, tides will creep in and storms will cause worse floods. While the Navy has made some preparations of its own for climate change on Coronado, the city itself has not.

California Drought Update: There’s Good News, And Bad

When it comes to California’s ongoing drought, there’s good news and bad news. While the level of statewide drought has been decreasing over the past year, La Niña predictions suggest California could be in for more dryness in the near future.

The latest numbers from the U.S. Drought Monitor show less drought throughout the state today compared to the same time last year. About 60 percent of the state is still in severe drought or worse, but that’s down from about 95 percent one year ago.

Scientists: California Needs More Groundwater Data

The more scientists study California’s declining supplies of groundwater, the more they’re emphasizing one basic point: We still don’t know nearly enough about the water in our aquifers, and we need a lot more data.

That was one of the main takeaways in separate research by two groups of Stanford researchers last week.

In one study, scientists used data from thousands of oil and gas wells to examine water deep beneath the Central Valley and calculated there are vast quantities of groundwater more than 1,000 feet underground – the maximum depth considered in previous estimates.

California Drought Update: There’s Good News, And Bad

When it comes to California’s ongoing drought, there’s good news and bad news. While the level of statewide drought has been decreasing over the past year, La Niña predictions suggest California could be in for more dryness in the near future.

The latest numbers from the U.S. Drought Monitor show less drought throughout the state today compared to the same time last year. About 60 percent of the state is still in severe drought or worse, but that’s down from about 95 percent one year ago.

Carlsbad Releases Sea-Level Rise Assessment

Beaches will shrink and coastal bluffs will crumble, but most Carlsbad residents and their homes will be safe from the rising sea in the decades ahead, according to a new report by city planners.

The draft Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment looks at potential hazards over two time frames — through 2050 and 2100 — and describes possible strategies to prevent flooding, erosion and property damage. The California Coastal Commission requires the assessment for all cities with a Local Coastal Program.

 

Pine Fire Continues to Burn in Wilderness Area North of Ojai

Hundreds of firefighters continued to battle a wildfire in the Sespe Wilderness north of Ojai on Sunday with no containment in sight.

The Pine fire started Thursday morning about 11 miles north of Ojai. As of Sunday morning, the fire had consumed 1,590 acres and was threatening 50 structures, said Helen Tarbet with the Los Padres National Forest. The area’s “very remote and steep and rugged terrain” has made it difficult for the more than 350 fire personnel to get a handle on the blaze, Tarbet said. The fire could be partially contained by Sunday night.

OPINION: Water Agencies Shortsighted with Zero Conservation Goal

Coachella Valley water agencies are sending the wrong message to customers who’ve spent the last year struggling to conserve this most precious resource.

All six of the area’s water suppliers have told state officials they’re officially shooting for a zero percent conservation rate compared to 2013, the benchmark year the state has been using to rate progress on that front.Though this is disappointing, no one should be surprised.

OPINION: California May Have a Water ‘Rainy Day Fund’

Californians are so used to bad news on the water front — from lengthy droughts to soaring water rates — that any good news seems particularly welcome. That’s certainly the case with a Stanford University study showing that the parched Central Valley has three times as much groundwater as previously assumed.

Researchers Mary Kang and Robert Jackson found the water in areas 1,000 to 3,000 feet underground, going much deeper than normal surveys.

As State Loosens Grip on Conservation Rules, La Cañada Utilities Make Plans for a Dry Future

A decade ago, before the state of California declared itself to be entering a prolonged drought period, most La Cañada Flintridge residents were pretty loose with their taps.

Customers served by Foothill Municipal Water District, an agency that imports water from Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, used an average of about 296 gallons of water per person in a single day in 2006-07. One of the FMWD’s member agencies stood out for its consumption: Valley Water Co. customers used a staggering 435 gallons per person per day, according to the district’s figures.