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.
Cadiz Offers New Study Finding Water Project Won’t Harm Spring; Environmentalist Skeptical
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /San Bernardino Sunby Jim SteinbergAfter extensive fieldwork, site observation and geologic mapping, a team of scientists hired by Cadiz Inc. concluded that a proposed water transfer project in a remote part of San Bernadino County desert won’t harm one of the largest wildlife water sources in the Mojave Desert. Cadiz commissioned a peer-reviewed geologic investigation “to address lingering questions as to whether […]
Conservation Key As Santa Barbara Grapples With Persistent Drought
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /NoozHawk (Santa Barbara)by Joshua MolinaCachuma Lake has not spilled since 2011, and Santa Barbara is still facing significant drought conditions, the city’s top water manager told the City Council on Tuesday. Joshua Haggmark, the city’s water resources manager, said the city has adequate water supplies through 2020, largely because of water conservation. “It’s really extraordinary how much water conservation is […]
Winter Heat Wave Bakes the Southwest, Bringing Renewed Worries of Severe Drought
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)The pear trees are already blooming in Celeste Cantú’s garden. She usually sees the blossoms appear in late February, but this winter’s extreme warmth triggered the bloom a full month early. As the thermometer hit 80 degrees in her garden, she snapped a photo of the blossoms and posted it on Facebook with the question: […]
No More Patch and Pray — Privatize Oroville Dam
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /San Francisco ChronicleJust about one year ago, the collapse of two spillways at Oroville Dam forced the frantic evacuation of 188,000 people, caused millions of dollars in property damage and triggered hundreds of lawsuits. Earlier this month, an independent forensic team found that decades of reckless mismanagement by the California Department of Water Resources caused the crisis. […]
Drought Deja Vu: California Snowpack At 30 Percent Of Normal
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /SF Gateby Kurtis AlexanderYosemite’s Half Dome saw a picturesque dusting of snow this past week while skiers in Tahoe welcomed a shot of fresh powder. Yet California’s Sierra Nevada is plunging deeper into a warm, dry winter that shows little sign of a turnaround. Mile-high mountainsides were low on snow Monday and alpine skies remained a stubborn summer […]
Jerry Brown’s Two Big Public-Works Projects Are Foundering
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Fresno BeeDuring his second governorship, Jerry Brown has frequently touted big public-works projects as the mark of a great society—a marked change from his first stint four decades ago, when “small is beautiful” and “lower your expectations” were his oft-voiced themes. He did it again last week, effusively plugging two major public works, twin water tunnels […]