Federal biologists worked frantically this year to meet a deadline to assess the environmental impacts of Trump administration plans to send more water to Central Valley farmers. But the biologists’ conclusion — that increased deliveries would harm endangered Chinook salmon and other imperiled fish — would foil those plans. Two days after it was submitted, […]
Monterey County’s Nacimiento Dam safety program is seriously deficient with an outdated program document, insufficient staff and a long list of outstanding dam safety repairs and maintenance estimated to cost more than $50 million that needs to be addressed in short order. That’s according to an independent outside audit of the dam safety program conducted […]
It may be out of sight, but it should not be out of mind. Water hidden beneath the earth’s surface comprises 98% of the planet’s fresh water. On average, this groundwater provides a third of all total water consumed, and its preciousness is ever more palpable since Cape Town’s water crisis sent shock waves rippling around the world. Despite […]
Water and healthcare was forced into the State’s 2019-2020 budget as a priority this year. With a $22 billion surplus and $215 billion in spending, the southern region of the Central Valley got the financial OK needed from the State’s budget to get some projects off the ground. Brokered in large part by rookie state […]
The Big Lost River earns its name. Beginning in Idaho’s tallest peaks, moving through irrigation dams and diversions, the river flows into the desert here and simply ends. An ancient tributary to the iconic Snake River, the Big Lost was cut off by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. Lava cooled into porous basalt, now […]
It is a telling illustration of the precarious state of United States dams that the near-collapse in February 2017 of Oroville Dam, the nation’s tallest, occurred in California, considered one of the nation’s leading states in dam safety management. The Oroville incident forced the evacuation of nearly 190,000 people and cost the state $1.1 billion […]
Salmon Study May Foil Trump’s Plan To Boost Water Deliveries To Central Valley Farms
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby Bettina BoxallFederal biologists worked frantically this year to meet a deadline to assess the environmental impacts of Trump administration plans to send more water to Central Valley farmers. But the biologists’ conclusion — that increased deliveries would harm endangered Chinook salmon and other imperiled fish — would foil those plans. Two days after it was submitted, […]
Report: Nacimiento Dam Safety Needs Expensive Upgrade
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Monterey Heraldby Jim JohnsonMonterey County’s Nacimiento Dam safety program is seriously deficient with an outdated program document, insufficient staff and a long list of outstanding dam safety repairs and maintenance estimated to cost more than $50 million that needs to be addressed in short order. That’s according to an independent outside audit of the dam safety program conducted […]
The Importance Of Groundwater And Of Predicting Human Impacts On It
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Forbesby Natalie ParlettaIt may be out of sight, but it should not be out of mind. Water hidden beneath the earth’s surface comprises 98% of the planet’s fresh water. On average, this groundwater provides a third of all total water consumed, and its preciousness is ever more palpable since Cape Town’s water crisis sent shock waves rippling around the world. Despite […]
California’s 2019-2020 Budget Has Millions For Water Projects And Healthcare Programs
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Sun - GazzeteWater and healthcare was forced into the State’s 2019-2020 budget as a priority this year. With a $22 billion surplus and $215 billion in spending, the southern region of the Central Valley got the financial OK needed from the State’s budget to get some projects off the ground. Brokered in large part by rookie state […]
‘The River Disappears, But the Pollution Doesn’t’
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /E&E Newsby Ariel WittenbergThe Big Lost River earns its name. Beginning in Idaho’s tallest peaks, moving through irrigation dams and diversions, the river flows into the desert here and simply ends. An ancient tributary to the iconic Snake River, the Big Lost was cut off by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. Lava cooled into porous basalt, now […]
In An Era of Extreme Weather, Concerns Grow Over Dam Safety
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /PBSby Jacques LeslieIt is a telling illustration of the precarious state of United States dams that the near-collapse in February 2017 of Oroville Dam, the nation’s tallest, occurred in California, considered one of the nation’s leading states in dam safety management. The Oroville incident forced the evacuation of nearly 190,000 people and cost the state $1.1 billion […]