For many homeowners in Sonoma and Napa counties, nothing could have been more welcome than the splashing of rain that fell on Northern California last Thursday – the first significant precipitation in about five months. The rain helped put an end to the fires burning in the area, which first ignited on October 8, and have wreaked […]
It is by now a familiar story: The storm hits, the cities flood, dramatic rescues ensue to save people from the rising waters, followed by the arduous and expensive cleanup. But chances are you’ve thought less about the deadly and economically destructive consequences of a slower-moving culprit: drought. Repeated droughts around the world are destroying […]
Five California Democrats in Congress asked Tuesday for a new federal review of funding for Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed tunnel project. Their request follows a federal audit of Brown’s $16 billion proposal to re-engineer California’s complex north-south water system by building two giant water tunnels. The audit, released by the U.S. Interior Department’s inspector-general in […]
Much of California could be in for a drier winter if the building consensus calling for a weak La Nina pattern turns out to be accurate, a National Weather Service meteorologist warns. The federal Climate Prediction Center issued its winter outlook on Oct. 19, noting that oceanic and atmospheric conditions appear to favor wetter-than-average conditions […]
If two massive, 40-mile long, 40-foot-diameter tunnels that would direct Sacramento River water around the fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to Central and Southern California are too big, too expensive and too scary to contemplate, how about splitting the difference and going with a single tunnel? That’s been the response of some officials and observers […]
The California Department of Water Resources and the Army Corps of Engineers are repairing 30 sites that suffered “critical” damage this winter and are preparing to fix another 10. But, there are 100 locations that have been tagged as “serious” that will not be addressed this year. “The contingency plan, what we’re going to do […]
Toxic Ashes And Charred Forests Threaten Water After North Bay Fires
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York)by Alastair BlandFor many homeowners in Sonoma and Napa counties, nothing could have been more welcome than the splashing of rain that fell on Northern California last Thursday – the first significant precipitation in about five months. The rain helped put an end to the fires burning in the area, which first ignited on October 8, and have wreaked […]
Floods are Bad, but Droughts May Be Even Worse
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /CBS NewsIt is by now a familiar story: The storm hits, the cities flood, dramatic rescues ensue to save people from the rising waters, followed by the arduous and expensive cleanup. But chances are you’ve thought less about the deadly and economically destructive consequences of a slower-moving culprit: drought. Repeated droughts around the world are destroying […]
California Democrats Seek New Federal Probe of Water Project
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /AP NewsFive California Democrats in Congress asked Tuesday for a new federal review of funding for Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed tunnel project. Their request follows a federal audit of Brown’s $16 billion proposal to re-engineer California’s complex north-south water system by building two giant water tunnels. The audit, released by the U.S. Interior Department’s inspector-general in […]
Weak La Nina portends Winter Of Weather Uncertainty In California
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Capital Press (Salem, Ore.)by Tim HeardenMuch of California could be in for a drier winter if the building consensus calling for a weak La Nina pattern turns out to be accurate, a National Weather Service meteorologist warns. The federal Climate Prediction Center issued its winter outlook on Oct. 19, noting that oceanic and atmospheric conditions appear to favor wetter-than-average conditions […]
OPINION: If We Can’t Build Two Tunnels to Bring Sacramento Delta Water to SoCal, Will One Suffice?
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles TimesIf two massive, 40-mile long, 40-foot-diameter tunnels that would direct Sacramento River water around the fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to Central and Southern California are too big, too expensive and too scary to contemplate, how about splitting the difference and going with a single tunnel? That’s been the response of some officials and observers […]
Much Of Levee Damage From This Year’s Storms Has Not Been Repaired
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Capital Public Radio News (Sacramento)The California Department of Water Resources and the Army Corps of Engineers are repairing 30 sites that suffered “critical” damage this winter and are preparing to fix another 10. But, there are 100 locations that have been tagged as “serious” that will not be addressed this year. “The contingency plan, what we’re going to do […]