You are now in San Diego County category.

San Diego County farmers, ranchers and businesses may seek some relief from the drought through two loan programs.
Eligible farmers and ranchers of “family-sized” farming operations may apply for a U.S. Department of Agriculture disaster loan for physical damage and crop production loss that has occurred since Jan. 1, 2016. The maximum disaster loan amount is $500,000.

The deadline to apply for the disaster loan is Nov. 2.
To apply, famers need to contact the Farm Service Agency by phone at (661) 336-0967, ext. 2 or by mail at 5000 California Ave., Suite 100, Bakersfield, CA 93309.

The vaunted “Delta Plan,” which took the Delta Stewardship Council about four years to write, has been largely trashed in court in a decision by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny.

Four lawsuits filed by local water agencies, Delta farmers, environmental groups, property owners in the Discovery Bay area and others succeeded in their arguments that the plan falls short of what is required by state law.

 

After over a year of cutbacks and water use restrictions, we are now telling you, “everything is improving, and we have a full water supply.” I am sure that if we water folks had any credibility left with you, it’s probably now vanished.

Yes, water supply wise, things are better. Much of California did receive near normal rainfall and snow pack, though the El Niño was pretty much a no show for southern California and San Diego County. Fortunately, the areas receiving increased precipitation were the critical watersheds in northern California, which supply the State Water Project (SWP). Lake Oroville, the main supply reservoir for the project is near full and the Department of Water Resources has announced that it will be able to meet 60% of the requests of its water contractors, one of which is the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD).

Clouds of toxic dust. Piles of dead fish and birds. Selenium-laced waters.

Observers often wax apocalyptic when talking about the Salton Sea, and part of that narrative is the inevitable reminder that this blight isn’t natural, that the sea only exists because the Colorado River breached a man-made canal in 1905.

But to millions of birds, the Salton Sea’s creation was a godsend. We see more than 400 bird species at the Salton Sea. Hundreds of thousands of sandpipers migrating between Alaska and South America stop there, and up to 90 percent of the world’s Eared Grebes descend on it every winter.

A new wave of natural gas power plants planned for Southern California has stoked a high-stakes debate about how best to keep the lights on throughout the region.

While green groups believe renewable energy has received short shrift by utilities proposing these facilities from Carlsbad to Oxnard, operators of the state’s electrical grid have warned that maintaining a stable power supply requires a delicate mix of energy sources — including fossil fuels.