California and the U.S.
The latest news and analysis covering water issues in Caliornia and the rest of the United States.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
Gallagher’s Dam Safety Bill Goes To Governor On Evacuation Anniversary
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Chico Enterprise-Recordby Risa JohnsonThe California Legislature unanimously passed Assemblyman James Gallagher’s bill requiring high hazard dams be inspected annually on Monday – the one-year anniversary of the Oroville Dam spillway evacuation. The bill also sets standards for those inspections and requires consultation with independent experts to update dam safety practices every 10 years, a periodic review of original […]
OPINION: On Oroville Relicensing, Don’t Just Delay; Start Over
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Oroville Mercury RegisterOne year after the Oroville spillway disaster, one enormous question remains: What now? The answer is simple: Start over. Politicians, government agencies, businesses and other interested parties have said the federal government needs to hit the pause button on relicensing the Lake Oroville project. We think the rewind button would be better.
OPINION: The Drought Is Back. Here’s How California Needs To Start Saving Water Now
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Laura FriedmanAs Gov. Jerry Brown noted in his recent State of the State address, water is a fundamental good in California, but not something we can take for granted. With a booming population and economy, we have to make the most of every drop. Our rivers and aquifers simply can’t support water waste, and wise use […]
OPINION: 1 Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta tunnel Is No Better Than 2
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /San Francisco ChronicleThe Brown administration has pulled the plug on the 5-year-old plan to build twin 35-mile tunnels to move water from the north end of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to points farther south — sort of. Bowing to reality that the beneficiary water agencies were not going to pay $17 billion for what the state calls WaterFix, […]
BLOG: ‘Ridiculously Resilient Ridge’, Climate Change And The Future Of California’s Water
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Education Foundation (Sacramento)by Gary PitzerEvery day, people flock to Daniel Swain’s social media platforms to find out the latest news and insight about California’s notoriously unpredictable weather. Swain, a climate scientist at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA, famously coined the term “Ridiculously Resilient Ridge” in December 2013 to describe the large, formidable high-pressure mass that was parked […]
BLOG: The Incredible Shrinking Delta Conveyance: A Timeline
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Record (Stockton)by Alex BreitlerDelta “isolated conveyance” proposals — be it a canal, tunnels, whatever — have generally gotten less ambitious over the years, at least in terms of capacity. But they don’t seem to be any less controversial, if the reaction to the state’s latest announcement is any indication. Just for perspective: 1970s/80s Peripheral Canal: 22,000 cubic feet per second […]