California’s dismally dry autumn paints a bleak outlook for the state’s rainy season, unless the weather this winter makes a big about-face. The situation is a major turnaround from last year, when Northern California was battered by a series of “atmospheric river” storms that helped end the state’s five-year drought. When it was over, California’s […]
The Salton Sea is about to start shrinking more rapidly. A 2003 water transfer deal called for the Imperial Irrigation District to deliver “mitigation water” to the lake for 15 years. With those water deliveries ending in the final days of 2017, the lake’s decline will begin to accelerate. More than 19,000 acres of dry lakebed […]
In downtown San Francisco, a mixed-use 800ft tower nearing completion at 181 Fremont St. features a water treatment system that will provide 5,000 gallons a day of recycled water captured from the building to be used for toilet flushing and irrigation. That will help save an estimated 1.3 million gallons of potable water a year.
After a 17-year run of mostly dry years, the Colorado River’s flow has decreased significantly below the 20th century average. Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the country, now stands just 39 percent full. The level of the reservoir behind Hoover Dam has been hovering a bit above historic lows during the past year, helped […]
Packing winds in excess of 100 mph (160 kph), a fast-moving winter storm that dumped about a half-foot of snow on the Sierra Nevada made its way Wednesday across the northeast part of the state where the forecast called for icy roads and several inches of blowing and drifting snow. A winter weather advisory was […]
Elected officials and other groups representing those living below the troubled Oroville Dam have asked the Trump administration to hold off on renewing its 50-year license, saying the federal government should at least know why the spillway broke in half last winter before signing off. On Wednesday, the dam’s owner, the California Department of Water […]
Where’s the Rain? California Could Suffer an Unusually Dry Winter from San Francisco to Los Angeles
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles TimesCalifornia’s dismally dry autumn paints a bleak outlook for the state’s rainy season, unless the weather this winter makes a big about-face. The situation is a major turnaround from last year, when Northern California was battered by a series of “atmospheric river” storms that helped end the state’s five-year drought. When it was over, California’s […]
Water Cutoff Accelerates Shrinking of Salton Sea, Escalating Race Against Retreating Shorelines
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)The Salton Sea is about to start shrinking more rapidly. A 2003 water transfer deal called for the Imperial Irrigation District to deliver “mitigation water” to the lake for 15 years. With those water deliveries ending in the final days of 2017, the lake’s decline will begin to accelerate. More than 19,000 acres of dry lakebed […]
Overcoming the Challenges of Small-Scale Water Recycling
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /News Deeply (New York)In downtown San Francisco, a mixed-use 800ft tower nearing completion at 181 Fremont St. features a water treatment system that will provide 5,000 gallons a day of recycled water captured from the building to be used for toilet flushing and irrigation. That will help save an estimated 1.3 million gallons of potable water a year.
Preparing for a Drier Future Along the Colorado River
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)After a 17-year run of mostly dry years, the Colorado River’s flow has decreased significantly below the 20th century average. Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the country, now stands just 39 percent full. The level of the reservoir behind Hoover Dam has been hovering a bit above historic lows during the past year, helped […]
114 MPH Wind Gust In Snowy Sierra; Storm Heads East
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Associated PressPacking winds in excess of 100 mph (160 kph), a fast-moving winter storm that dumped about a half-foot of snow on the Sierra Nevada made its way Wednesday across the northeast part of the state where the forecast called for icy roads and several inches of blowing and drifting snow. A winter weather advisory was […]
Politicians To Trump: Don’t Relicense Oroville Dam Until We Know Why Spillway Failed
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento BeeElected officials and other groups representing those living below the troubled Oroville Dam have asked the Trump administration to hold off on renewing its 50-year license, saying the federal government should at least know why the spillway broke in half last winter before signing off. On Wednesday, the dam’s owner, the California Department of Water […]