California and the U.S.

The latest news and analysis covering water issues in Caliornia and the rest of the United States.

Impact Of A Warming Climate On The Sierra Nevada And California’s Water

Imagine a California where springtime temperatures are 7F warmer than they are today, where snowmelt runoff comes 50 days earlier and the average snowpack is just 36 percent of the 1981–2000 average. That may be the reality by the end of the century if we don’t curb greenhouse gas emissions, say researchers from the University of California, Los […]

Phase Two Of Construction Begins At Oroville Dam

Crews went back to work again on the Oroville Dam at midnight on Tuesday for phase two of construction. This year, crews will be replacing the temporary walls with permanent structural concrete walls. Crews are removing the temporary roller-compacted concrete walls in the middle section of the main spillway.  

OPINION: Hold Water District Board Accountable For Delta Tunnels Vote

It’s ludicrous for the Santa Clara Valley Water District board to believe it can steer Gov. Jerry Brown’s $16 billion Delta twin tunnels project by committing to help fund it. The board should stand up to pressure from the state and reject the project when it meets at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday and instead work with California’s […]

California Considers Charge On Utility Bills To Create Safe Water Fund

Gaps in funding for water treatment are a major problem in California. Water providers operate independently, relying virtually entirely on customer fees to cover costs. For agencies with scale, money and access to quality water sources, this model works well. But absent those resources, contamination persists for years without resolution.

Separating Water And Politics Isn’t Easy In California

The 2014 water bond included a novel funding approach designed to take at least some of the politicking out of deciding which projects get public money. This week’s tortured deliberations by the California Water Commission showed just how tough it is to do that. By applying a complex procedure for grading proposals, the bond restricted […]

Is WaterFix Another Megaproject Gone Awry?

The 20th century was the century of the megaproject, and as usual, California pointed the way for the nation. Southern California’s freeway system and the State Water Project, both largely completed by the 1970s, were mighty testaments to the conceit that we could build our way out of any problem. That view, of course, has since […]