Santa Barbara is now entering the seventh year of drought conditions, a circumstance City of Santa Barbara Public Works czar Rebecca Bjork called “unprecedented.” Bjork’s remarks — it’s been seven years since Lake Cachuma has spilled — came as she gave the City Council its monthly update on drought and water supply issues. The good news is that city […]
Southern Californians who reside near the mountains, hillsides or canyons live with the risk of a wildfire burning down their homes. But rarely do they think about a fire contaminating their drinking water. Perhaps they should. Just ask residents of Ventura, Santa Paula and Ojai, who must boil their tap water before drinking it, cooking […]
An independent forensic team has “essentially completed” its investigation into what caused the Oroville Dam spillway to collapse in February and its findings are expected to be made public sometime in the next few weeks. The forensic team’s final report was expected by the end of November, but as that deadline passed, the United States […]
Groundwater overdraft in the San Joaquin Valley – producer of half the state’s agricultural output – has averaged roughly 1.8 million acre-feet annually since the mid-1980s. Even before the start of the most recent drought in 2011, a few San Joaquin farmers recognized the dire need for sustainable water management and started individually pioneering a […]
A recent town hall meeting on the controversial WaterFix project,hosted in the heart of the Delta, gave those whose lives and livelihoods are most dependent upon the Delta a chance to make their voices heard – and they did not hold back. The meeting, attended by more than 200 people, was held in the Jean Harvey […]
California’s primary source of water is at risk because the sea level is gradually rising and will begin to contaminate the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta estuary with ocean water. The Sea level is predicted to rise 3 to 7 feet by 2100, depending on how fast Antarctic and Greenland ice melts. A 3-foot rise in […]
Santa Barbara Hits Its Seventh Year Of Drought
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Sana Barbara Independantby Nick WelshSanta Barbara is now entering the seventh year of drought conditions, a circumstance City of Santa Barbara Public Works czar Rebecca Bjork called “unprecedented.” Bjork’s remarks — it’s been seven years since Lake Cachuma has spilled — came as she gave the City Council its monthly update on drought and water supply issues. The good news is that city […]
Here’s Why Ventura Residents Must Boil Their Water for Days as Thomas Fire Burns
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Whittier Daily News (Monrovia)Southern Californians who reside near the mountains, hillsides or canyons live with the risk of a wildfire burning down their homes. But rarely do they think about a fire contaminating their drinking water. Perhaps they should. Just ask residents of Ventura, Santa Paula and Ojai, who must boil their tap water before drinking it, cooking […]
Oroville Dam: Spillway Failure Report Delayed; Coming Soon
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Chico Enterprise-Record (As published by East Bay Times)An independent forensic team has “essentially completed” its investigation into what caused the Oroville Dam spillway to collapse in February and its findings are expected to be made public sometime in the next few weeks. The forensic team’s final report was expected by the end of November, but as that deadline passed, the United States […]
Pioneering Practice Could Help California Reverse Groundwater Depletion
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York)Groundwater overdraft in the San Joaquin Valley – producer of half the state’s agricultural output – has averaged roughly 1.8 million acre-feet annually since the mid-1980s. Even before the start of the most recent drought in 2011, a few San Joaquin farmers recognized the dire need for sustainable water management and started individually pioneering a […]
Hundreds Turn Out To Speak Up About Controversial WaterFix Project
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Press (Brentwood)by Tony KukulichA recent town hall meeting on the controversial WaterFix project,hosted in the heart of the Delta, gave those whose lives and livelihoods are most dependent upon the Delta a chance to make their voices heard – and they did not hold back. The meeting, attended by more than 200 people, was held in the Jean Harvey […]
OPINION: Mark Altgelt: Protect Delta Water With A Dam
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Times Herald Online (Vallejo)by Mark AltgeltCalifornia’s primary source of water is at risk because the sea level is gradually rising and will begin to contaminate the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta estuary with ocean water. The Sea level is predicted to rise 3 to 7 feet by 2100, depending on how fast Antarctic and Greenland ice melts. A 3-foot rise in […]