Climate change, growing urban populations and fragile rural economies are top of mind. Some within the basin see a window of opportunity to argue for big, bold actions to find balance in the watershed. Others say the best path forward is to take small, incremental steps toward lofty goals, a method Colorado River managers say […]
A series of interconnected decisions this summer could affect water availability for years to come. As Farm Bureau has reported through the years, several fish species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and its tributaries are protected as either “threatened” or “endangered” under both federal and state endangered species laws. As a result, projects and activities […]
It was bath time and Rosalba Moralez heard a cry. She rushed to the bathroom and found her 7-year-old daughter, Alexxa, being doused with brown, putrid water. “We kept running the tub, we turned on the sink, we flushed the toilet. All the water was coming out dirty,” Ms. Moralez said. For more than a […]
The Trump administration’s department of agriculture has apparently settled on its strategy for preparing the food system for an uncertain future: ignore climate change. This wasn’t always the agency’s tactic. Back in 2017, as Politico’s Helena Bottemiller Evich recently reported, the USDA was set to release a big plan on how to “help the agriculture industry understand and adapt […]
More effective use of green water – rainfall stored in soil – could mitigate irrigation demand for some of California’s most important perennial crops. So say US researchers who simulated 13 years’ growth of alfalfa, grapes, almonds, pistachios and walnuts under different irrigation strategies. Though the Midwest might be America’s breadbasket, in value terms the […]
The California Department of Water Resources was notified today that the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services submitted DWR’s Oroville spillways reimbursement appeal to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Back in March, FEMA notified DWR that it does not consider some spillway reconstruction work to be eligible for reimbursement based on information DWR had previously submitted […]
As Southwest Water Managers Grapple With Climate Change, Can A ‘Grand Bargain’ Work?
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /KUNC (Greeley, Colo.)by Luke Runyon and Bret JaspersClimate change, growing urban populations and fragile rural economies are top of mind. Some within the basin see a window of opportunity to argue for big, bold actions to find balance in the watershed. Others say the best path forward is to take small, incremental steps toward lofty goals, a method Colorado River managers say […]
OPINION: California’s Struggle For Water Certainty Continues
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Ag Alert/California Farm Bureau Federationby Justin FredricksonA series of interconnected decisions this summer could affect water availability for years to come. As Farm Bureau has reported through the years, several fish species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and its tributaries are protected as either “threatened” or “endangered” under both federal and state endangered species laws. As a result, projects and activities […]
The Crisis Lurking In Californians’ Taps: How 1,000 Water Systems May Be At Risk
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The New York Timesby Jose A. Del RealIt was bath time and Rosalba Moralez heard a cry. She rushed to the bathroom and found her 7-year-old daughter, Alexxa, being doused with brown, putrid water. “We kept running the tub, we turned on the sink, we flushed the toilet. All the water was coming out dirty,” Ms. Moralez said. For more than a […]
The USDA Didn’t Publish Its Plan To Help Farmers Adapt To Climate Change. Here’s Where They Need It The Most.
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Mother Jones (San Francisco)by Tom PhilpottThe Trump administration’s department of agriculture has apparently settled on its strategy for preparing the food system for an uncertain future: ignore climate change. This wasn’t always the agency’s tactic. Back in 2017, as Politico’s Helena Bottemiller Evich recently reported, the USDA was set to release a big plan on how to “help the agriculture industry understand and adapt […]
Green Water Could Help California’s Farming Woes
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Physics WorldMore effective use of green water – rainfall stored in soil – could mitigate irrigation demand for some of California’s most important perennial crops. So say US researchers who simulated 13 years’ growth of alfalfa, grapes, almonds, pistachios and walnuts under different irrigation strategies. Though the Midwest might be America’s breadbasket, in value terms the […]
State Appeals FEMA Spillways Reimbursement
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Oroville Mercury - Register by Chico ErThe California Department of Water Resources was notified today that the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services submitted DWR’s Oroville spillways reimbursement appeal to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Back in March, FEMA notified DWR that it does not consider some spillway reconstruction work to be eligible for reimbursement based on information DWR had previously submitted […]