Monterey County’s Nacimiento Dam safety program is seriously deficient with an outdated program document, insufficient staff and a long list of outstanding dam safety repairs and maintenance estimated to cost more than $50 million that needs to be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 […]
A growing menace in the form of 15-pound swamp rodents is threatening Delta waterways, and the state is throwing money, hunting dogs and birth control at the invasive pests which have the potential to destroy crops and wetlands. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has received $10 million in new funding for the eradication […]
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Mike Lee /Monterey Heraldby Jim JohnsonMonterey County’s Nacimiento Dam safety program is seriously deficient with an outdated program document, insufficient staff and a long list of outstanding dam safety repairs and maintenance estimated to cost more than $50 million that needs to be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 […]
California Pledges Millions To Battle Enormous, Destructive Swamp Rats
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage, Uncategorized /by Mike Lee /The Mercury Newsby Cat FergusonA growing menace in the form of 15-pound swamp rodents is threatening Delta waterways, and the state is throwing money, hunting dogs and birth control at the invasive pests which have the potential to destroy crops and wetlands. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has received $10 million in new funding for the eradication […]