The decision by one of the state’s major water players to opt out of California’s $17-billion replumbing project was a surprise to many. The reasons for it were not. California WaterFix’s financing plans have assumed that the Westlands Water District and other agricultural districts would cover a large funding gap that has hung for years […]
Think of it as a water bailout, easing Arizona’s Colorado River woes and the legal-environmental water conflicts plaguing many rural communities. Think of it as a boon for Indian tribes looking to make better and more lucrative use of their river water. Or, think of it as an enabler of growth and sprawl from Sierra Vista […]
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California will be upgrading the geodetic deformation monitoring system at Diamond Valley Lake. The board voted Sept. 12 to approve a $748,353.67 procurement contract to Allen Instruments and Supplies, while also authorizing the upgrades, finding the project categorically exempt from California Environmental Quality Act review and appropriating $1,900,000 for […]
Here we go again? Following a mild and short-lived La Niña episode in 2016/2017, the climatic phenomenon stands a 55 to 60 percent chance of developing once again this fall and winter. That’s the most recent forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Based on observations of what’s happening in the Pacific Ocean, and modeling to predict what […]
Water: it poses one challenge after the next in the 21st Century. It’s increasingly scarce, it’s increasingly dangerous as sea levels rise, and it’s increasingly changing the workforce. But one of its most vital functions is often overlooked: the fact that it’s a lynchpin for (relative) world peace. Without clear distinctions of who it belongs to […]
The embattled Delta tunnels project has secured a financing commitment from a Bay Area water agency, albeit a small one. The board of Zone 7 Water Agency, which serves about 220,000 customers in Alameda County, voted Wednesday to join the project, known officially as California WaterFix. The 5-2 vote came one day after Westlands Water […]
There is a Multibillion-Dollar Hole In The Delta Tunnels Funding Plan
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles TimesThe decision by one of the state’s major water players to opt out of California’s $17-billion replumbing project was a surprise to many. The reasons for it were not. California WaterFix’s financing plans have assumed that the Westlands Water District and other agricultural districts would cover a large funding gap that has hung for years […]
Water Bailout? Colorado River Tribes Pose Statewide Leasing Idea
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, Ariz.)Think of it as a water bailout, easing Arizona’s Colorado River woes and the legal-environmental water conflicts plaguing many rural communities. Think of it as a boon for Indian tribes looking to make better and more lucrative use of their river water. Or, think of it as an enabler of growth and sprawl from Sierra Vista […]
Metropolitan Water District Approves Upgrades to Diamond Valley Lake Monitoring
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Valley NewsThe Metropolitan Water District of Southern California will be upgrading the geodetic deformation monitoring system at Diamond Valley Lake. The board voted Sept. 12 to approve a $748,353.67 procurement contract to Allen Instruments and Supplies, while also authorizing the upgrades, finding the project categorically exempt from California Environmental Quality Act review and appropriating $1,900,000 for […]
Giant Blob of cold Water Rises from the Depths of the Pacific, Possibly Heralding the Arrival of La Niña This Fall
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Discover MagazineHere we go again? Following a mild and short-lived La Niña episode in 2016/2017, the climatic phenomenon stands a 55 to 60 percent chance of developing once again this fall and winter. That’s the most recent forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Based on observations of what’s happening in the Pacific Ocean, and modeling to predict what […]
Trapping H20 From Thin Air Could Solve Looming Water Crises
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /BBC NewsWater: it poses one challenge after the next in the 21st Century. It’s increasingly scarce, it’s increasingly dangerous as sea levels rise, and it’s increasingly changing the workforce. But one of its most vital functions is often overlooked: the fact that it’s a lynchpin for (relative) world peace. Without clear distinctions of who it belongs to […]
Not Every Water Agency is Rejecting Brown’s Delta Tunnels – Here’s One Yes Vote
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento BeeThe embattled Delta tunnels project has secured a financing commitment from a Bay Area water agency, albeit a small one. The board of Zone 7 Water Agency, which serves about 220,000 customers in Alameda County, voted Wednesday to join the project, known officially as California WaterFix. The 5-2 vote came one day after Westlands Water […]