With a five-year drought and then a winter of floods having exposed the limits of California’s vast network of reservoirs, dams and canals, voters are likely to have the chance next year to decide whether to pay for major upgrades to the state’s waterworks. Two multibillion-dollar bonds are expected to go before voters that promise […]
It was our saving grace: Last winter, a mostly empty New Melones Lake swallowed up torrents of water that otherwise would have had to be dumped into a lower watershed that already was flooding. Without all of that room at New Melones, the damage along the lower San Joaquin River and in the Delta could […]
What do westerners think about water issues? What worries them? What policies do they support? Where is there consensus and division? To answer these questions, the Water Foundation recently commissioned a wide-ranging public opinion survey of voters in 12 Western states. The poll covered diverse topics, including general awareness of water issues, opinions on policy measures, perceptions about the […]
Thursday, Nov. 23 was the hottest Thanksgiving Day ever in Los Angeles and Newport Beach. The noon temperature in downtown L.A. hit 91 degrees at the official station, at USC. The previous record, 90, was set on Nov. 23, 1903, National Weather Service meteorologist Rich Thompson said. In Orange County, one NWS weather gauge at […]
A study published in October set out to answer a question of special importance to dry regions like Southern Arizona: How will climate change affect what happens to water recharge in Western states? The short answer, according to University of Arizona researchers, is that in the future there will be about the same or more […]
Massive floods hit Houston and devastating hurricanes struck Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Yet one of the more remarkable stories in the past year is the catastrophe that did not happen: massive flooding in California. California experienced its wettest water year on record in 2016-17. In previous decades, that huge volume of water would have […]
Multibillion-Dollar Water Measures Heading To State Ballot
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /San Francisco ChronicleWith a five-year drought and then a winter of floods having exposed the limits of California’s vast network of reservoirs, dams and canals, voters are likely to have the chance next year to decide whether to pay for major upgrades to the state’s waterworks. Two multibillion-dollar bonds are expected to go before voters that promise […]
Rising Reservoirs: Less Room for Error This Winter on San Joaquin River
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Record (Stockton)It was our saving grace: Last winter, a mostly empty New Melones Lake swallowed up torrents of water that otherwise would have had to be dumped into a lower watershed that already was flooding. Without all of that room at New Melones, the damage along the lower San Joaquin River and in the Delta could […]
Where Westerners Agree And Disagree On Key Water Issues
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York)by Mitch TobinWhat do westerners think about water issues? What worries them? What policies do they support? Where is there consensus and division? To answer these questions, the Water Foundation recently commissioned a wide-ranging public opinion survey of voters in 12 Western states. The poll covered diverse topics, including general awareness of water issues, opinions on policy measures, perceptions about the […]
Some Southern California Cities Record Hottest Thanksgiving Day Ever
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /LA Daily NewsThursday, Nov. 23 was the hottest Thanksgiving Day ever in Los Angeles and Newport Beach. The noon temperature in downtown L.A. hit 91 degrees at the official station, at USC. The previous record, 90, was set on Nov. 23, 1903, National Weather Service meteorologist Rich Thompson said. In Orange County, one NWS weather gauge at […]
Understanding the Impact of Climate Change on Water Recharge
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Arizona Public MediaA study published in October set out to answer a question of special importance to dry regions like Southern Arizona: How will climate change affect what happens to water recharge in Western states? The short answer, according to University of Arizona researchers, is that in the future there will be about the same or more […]
California Had Record Water Year. Why Central Valley Must Invest In Flood Protection
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento BeeMassive floods hit Houston and devastating hurricanes struck Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Yet one of the more remarkable stories in the past year is the catastrophe that did not happen: massive flooding in California. California experienced its wettest water year on record in 2016-17. In previous decades, that huge volume of water would have […]