The latest reckoning of the tab for the Oroville spillway crisis — the first update in many months — revealed an astonishing figure and proved how much the state has been trying to downplay the preventable disaster from the start. It almost provides a “we-told-you-so” moment. Lake Oroville’s regular spillway started falling apart almost a […]
Many Western reservoirs are full, and downpours have triggered floods and deadly mudslides in parts of California. But all that water isn’t enough to save the West from another drought. Most of the region has slipped back into the drought conditions that have plagued it on and off for the past two decades—alarming water managers […]
Citing the need for more deliberation, California regulators delayed publication of a report that will outline their preferred plan to fund and manage a statewide program to help poor residents pay their water bills. As water rates increase in the United States, governments and utilities are exploring new forms of financial aid. Some utilities run water bill […]
The dry times are back. Drought has returned with a vengeance across much of the United States, with the worst conditions across southern and western parts of the nation. As of Thursday, 38.4% of the continental U.S. is in a drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. That is the highest percentage since the 40% recorded in […]
The torrential rains that ripped through the state earlier the state earlier this year and created the destructive and deadly mudslides in Montecito may make California’s drought seem like ancient history. But much of California has, in reality, suffered through an unusually hot — and somewhat dry — winter. A heat wave baked Southern California […]
It’s a tantalizing pot of money, $2.7 billion for new dams and reservoirs approved by California voters during the worst of the drought. But is the state willing to spend it? The California Water Commission, the obscure state agency in charge of allocating the money, stunned the California water world recently by giving a decidedly […]
OPINION: Spillway Bill Nears $1 Billion, Keeps Growing
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Chico Enterprise-RecordThe latest reckoning of the tab for the Oroville spillway crisis — the first update in many months — revealed an astonishing figure and proved how much the state has been trying to downplay the preventable disaster from the start. It almost provides a “we-told-you-so” moment. Lake Oroville’s regular spillway started falling apart almost a […]
Water, Water Everywhere Can’t Quell A Western Drought
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Wall Street Journalby Jim CarltonMany Western reservoirs are full, and downpours have triggered floods and deadly mudslides in parts of California. But all that water isn’t enough to save the West from another drought. Most of the region has slipped back into the drought conditions that have plagued it on and off for the past two decades—alarming water managers […]
California Water Board Delays Affordability Report
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Circle of Blue (Traverse City, Mich.)by Brett WaltonCiting the need for more deliberation, California regulators delayed publication of a report that will outline their preferred plan to fund and manage a statewide program to help poor residents pay their water bills. As water rates increase in the United States, governments and utilities are exploring new forms of financial aid. Some utilities run water bill […]
U.S. Drought At Worst Level In Nearly 4 Years
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /USA Todayby Doyle RiceThe dry times are back. Drought has returned with a vengeance across much of the United States, with the worst conditions across southern and western parts of the nation. As of Thursday, 38.4% of the continental U.S. is in a drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. That is the highest percentage since the 40% recorded in […]
California Today: Hot Winter Means Snowpack Is Far Below Normal
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The New York TimesThe torrential rains that ripped through the state earlier the state earlier this year and created the destructive and deadly mudslides in Montecito may make California’s drought seem like ancient history. But much of California has, in reality, suffered through an unusually hot — and somewhat dry — winter. A heat wave baked Southern California […]
Voters OK’d $2.7 Billion For New Reservoirs. Critics Say California Won’t Spend It
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento BeeIt’s a tantalizing pot of money, $2.7 billion for new dams and reservoirs approved by California voters during the worst of the drought. But is the state willing to spend it? The California Water Commission, the obscure state agency in charge of allocating the money, stunned the California water world recently by giving a decidedly […]