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Most Central Coast Reservoirs See Increase in Water Level from Week’s Storms

/in /by /KCBX (Central Coast Public Radio)by By Jordan Bell

Several Central Coast reservoirs are gathering water from this week’s storms.

In Santa Barbara County, the Cachuma and Gibraltar Reservoirs, both at their lowest levels in decades, saw an increase in depth. Gibraltar gained about one foot, while Cachuma saw about fifth of a foot.

Gibraltar Reservoir, Santa Barbara County

Credit santabarbaraca.gov

The reservoirs in San Luis Obispo County are seeing increases from rainfall as well.

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First ‘Textbook’ El Niño Rains Provide Clues on Possible Damage to Come

/in /by /The Los Angeles Times

The first major El Niño storm system finished its path through Southern California on Thursday, giving officials a chance to study both the behavior of the storms and how officials responded to them.

 

The assessments are important because forecasters are predicting a winter of heavy, potentially destructive rain because of the El Niño weather pattern.

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El Nino: It’s Here and Are We Ready?

/in /by /The Santa Clarita Valley Signalby By Luke Money

The sun shone down on the suddenly soddened Santa Clarita Valley Thursday, but officials warn the at-times heavy rainstorms seen this week could be just the first taste of what’s to come as the historically strong El Nino weather event continues in the Pacific Ocean.

 

Back-to-back storms on Tuesday and Wednesday dropped almost 4 inches of rain in the Newhall Pass, with about 2 inches falling in Saugus, according to the latest records from the National Weather Service.

Governor Brown’s State Budget Includes Salton Sea Funding

/in /by /The Sun (San Bernardino)by By Jim Steinberg

Gov. Jerry Brown’s $122.6 billion budget plan out Thursday contained $80.5 million for the restoration of habitat at the shrinking Salton Sea, the creation of a longterm plan for the lake’s management, and is raising hopes for its restoration, officials said.

 

“This $80.5 million will not fund the entire program, but it takes us a long way in the right direction,” said Bruce Wilcox, who Gov. Brown appointed in May as assistant secretary for Salton Sea Policy at the Natural Resources agency.

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After Much Damage, an El Niño Breather

/in /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune by By Robert Krier

San Diego’s week of wild weather isn’t quite over yet, although it is winding down.

 

After repeated soakings in recent days — with a casualty list that includes battered businesses, flooded homes and waterlogged cars — many residents surely have this question on their minds: Is this just El Niño’s opening act?

In the short term, it’s safe to relax in terms of flash flooding, tornadoes and widespread clogging of storm drains.

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El Niño Danger: Rain and Gravity Combine To Create Sea Of Mud

/in /by /The Los Angeles Timesby By Joseph Serna, Raul Roa, Taylor Goldenstein and Rosanna Xia

As the latest El Niño rainstorm moved into Southern California, there were already signs that the combination of rain and gravity was creating problems.

 

Mud and debris flowed onto the 101 Freeway in northern Ventura County in an area that was recently burned in a fire, shutting northbound lanes.

Here are some questions and answers about mudslides.

Debris flow has long been a concern in areas where wildfires have recently burned. Vegetation, once burned, can no longer hold back loose sediment.

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Storms Cause Floods, Damage in San Diego

/in /by /NBC 7 (San Diego)by By Monica Garske, Liberty Zabala and Andie Adams

Roads were washed out, trees toppled, sinkholes formed and residents became trapped as strong El Niño storms swept through San Diego County Tuesday and Wednesday.

 

San Diego lifeguards worked swiftly to rescue people from rising water. One of those rescues took place Wednesday at Miramar Road and Cabot Drive, where lifeguards rushed to help four to five cars with people trapped inside.

The California Highway Patrol issued a Sig Alert for the 8100 block of Miramar Road as they continued rescues.

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Beverly Hills City Council Postpones Water Rate Increase

/in /by /Wehoville (Hollywood)

The Beverly Hills City Council last night rejected a water rate increase presented by the city’s Public Works staff that would have had a major impact on residents of West Hollywood’s Westside.

 

But a rate increase is not off the table. The council asked the staff to make a number of changes in the proposed increase including devising a different rate structure. It also raised concerns about how water charges would be allocated among residents of multi-unit buildings where individual condos or apartment don’t have their own water meters.

 

The Beverly Hills Drinking Water Enterprise (BHDWE) supplies water to West Hollywood residents and businesses in an area whose approximate boundaries are Doheny Drive on the west, Sunset Boulevard on the north, Flores Street on the east and Beverly Boulevard on the south. The rest of West Hollywood is served by the L.A. Department of Water and Power (DWP).

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Poseidon Vote among Possibilities for New Year

/in /by /The Los Angeles Timesby By Anthony Clark Carpio

Will the California Coastal Commission approve Poseidon Water’s proposed desalination project? How will the new senior center be received by residents? Will the restrictions placed on Rainbow Environmental Services’ facility make a difference in the Oak View neighborhood?

 

These are some of the issues to look out for in 2016:

 

After studying the feasibility of subsurface intakes for the highly debated proposed desalination facility in Huntington Beach, Poseidon Water is ready to pitch its project to the California Coastal Commission a second time.

 

 

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6 Months In, Encinitas Water Districts Miss Conservation Goals

/in /by /Encinitas Advocateby By Jared Whitlock Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The two water districts that serve Encinitas both fell short of their conservation mandates in November, and cumulative savings are below their goals.

 

Residents in the San Dieguito Water District cut back 9.2 percent in November, bringing the district’s cumulative reduction over six months to 20.6 percent, according to a recently released report from the State Water Resources Control Board. The state has mandated that the district slash 28 percent.

 

Due to the crippling drought, California in June began requiring that water agencies conserve. The mandate is scheduled to expire in February, but could be extended.

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