California and the U.S.

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

Meet Zero Mass Water, Whose Solar Panels Pull Drinking Water From The Air

It’s often said you can’t make something out of nothing. Cody Friesen may have come as close to succeeding as anyone. To show me his technological sleight of hand, Friesen invites me to a hillside house in Berkeley, California on a sunny afternoon. There, in a shaded courtyard, we each sample a cup of water […]

Three Ways To Change How California Manages Water For The Environment

It’s time for California to rethink how it manages water for the environment. Despite four decades of effort, many of the state’s freshwater-dependent native species are in decline. Controversy over water for the environment remains high. The latest drought left lasting impacts on already-stressed species and their ecosystems and highlighted the need for a change of course.

OPINION: Come Hell or Low Water, What’s Underground Must Be Preserved

After our recent drought, the importance of providing sustainable water supplies for California’s cities and farms – both now and over the long term – is clearer than ever. And long-term water planning has to include a commitment to manage groundwater aquifers carefully, recharging them whenever possible and pumping from them only when necessary. Modesto […]

OPINION: Clendaniel: Governor Could Still Solve Delta’s Water Woes With Single-Tunnel Deal

I got up at 5:15 a.m. on Saturday morning with the idea of driving 100 miles to watch the sun rise over the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. I wanted to show my 84-year-old mom the beauty of one of California’s best-kept secrets. Maybe see some of the Delta’s magnificent sandhill cranes capable of flying up […]

Atmospheric River Brings Storm and Flash Flood Warnings to Fire-Ravaged Wine Country

The first atmospheric river-fueled storm of the season is expected to make landfall in California on Wednesday afternoon, when it will dump inches of rain in the Bay Area, disgorge up to a foot of snow over the Sierra Nevada and likely trigger flash floods in fire-scorched wine country. The National Weather Service issued a […]

Powerful Weather Satellite Will Improve Forecasting

The current three- to seven-day forecasts Americans have come to rely on for planning everything from weekend picnics to hurricane evacuations rely heavily on constant updates from satellites that orbit Earth’s poles measuring temperature, moisture and a host of other variables that define the planet’s ever-changing weather. Early Tuesday, NASA plans to launch the first […]