Anthony Cupaiuolo has been skiing the Sierra Nevada backcountry near Lake Tahoe since 1997. But over the last decade, he’s noticed some changes. “Outside of last year, which really sticks out as an anomaly, we haven’t seen [snow] coverage down at lower elevations nearly as much as we would in the late ’90s and early […]
Now that summer is over and rain has returned to California, it appears that the dramatic 2017 fire season is finally behind us. The effects of fire season can linger, however, with the possibilities of erosion and polluted runoff from burned areas. Napa County has even issued suggestions for how to protect waterways in burned landscapes. Not […]
Phase two of construction at Oroville Dam — with work on both spillways — might prove more challenging than the first feat, the contractor’s project director said in a media call Thursday. Jeff Petersen, project director for Kiewit Infrastructure West Co., said finishing work for the 3,000-foot main spillway including concrete finishing, joint sealing, drain […]
State lawmakers opposed to Gov. Jerry Brown’s Delta tunnel plan are stepping up calls for greater transparency into the project’s finances, as the proposed water delivery system suffered a series of setbacks this fall. At a Thursday town hall in the Delta town of Walnut Grove, lawmakers representing the region called on the Brown administration […]
The last few months have seen a growing number of climate concerns – from historically devastating floods to record forest fires – with many regions still assessing the damage. Beyond recovery, planning and paying for more resilient infrastructure also remains an enormous challenge, and no quick and easy solutions seem to be on the way […]
At Big Break Regional Shoreline, nestled in Northern California’s San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta, Michael Moran, supervising naturalist for East Bay Regional Park District, leads about 30 people out along a path into the park. The group consists of various stakeholders from the Metropolitan Water District (met), a regional wholesaler that supplies water to 19 million people […]
Study: Sierra Nevada ‘Snow Line’ Is Moving Uphill
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Sierra Sun Times (Mariposa)Anthony Cupaiuolo has been skiing the Sierra Nevada backcountry near Lake Tahoe since 1997. But over the last decade, he’s noticed some changes. “Outside of last year, which really sticks out as an anomaly, we haven’t seen [snow] coverage down at lower elevations nearly as much as we would in the late ’90s and early […]
BLOG: A Tale of Two Fires: How Wildfires Can Both Help And Harm Our Water Supply
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /California Water Blogby Gabrielle BoisraméNow that summer is over and rain has returned to California, it appears that the dramatic 2017 fire season is finally behind us. The effects of fire season can linger, however, with the possibilities of erosion and polluted runoff from burned areas. Napa County has even issued suggestions for how to protect waterways in burned landscapes. Not […]
Oroville Dam: Phase Two of Spillway Construction May Be More Challenging
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /East Bay Times (San Jose)Phase two of construction at Oroville Dam — with work on both spillways — might prove more challenging than the first feat, the contractor’s project director said in a media call Thursday. Jeff Petersen, project director for Kiewit Infrastructure West Co., said finishing work for the 3,000-foot main spillway including concrete finishing, joint sealing, drain […]
Lawmakers Push for Transparency on Feasibility of Delta Tunnels
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /KQED News (San Francisco)State lawmakers opposed to Gov. Jerry Brown’s Delta tunnel plan are stepping up calls for greater transparency into the project’s finances, as the proposed water delivery system suffered a series of setbacks this fall. At a Thursday town hall in the Delta town of Walnut Grove, lawmakers representing the region called on the Brown administration […]
BLOG: U.S. Households Are Using Less Water, But What Does That Mean for Metros and Infrastructure?
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Brookings Institution (Washington, D.C.)The last few months have seen a growing number of climate concerns – from historically devastating floods to record forest fires – with many regions still assessing the damage. Beyond recovery, planning and paying for more resilient infrastructure also remains an enormous challenge, and no quick and easy solutions seem to be on the way […]
Life Amid the Levees
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Earth Island Journal (Berkeley)At Big Break Regional Shoreline, nestled in Northern California’s San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta, Michael Moran, supervising naturalist for East Bay Regional Park District, leads about 30 people out along a path into the park. The group consists of various stakeholders from the Metropolitan Water District (met), a regional wholesaler that supplies water to 19 million people […]