In California, a state that considers itself among the most advanced nations in the world, nearly 2 million people live without safe drinking water. These Californians reside in 300 small, sometimes remote, but always impoverished communities where the state’s 2012 first-in-the-nation law guaranteeing a right to safe and affordable drinking water is but an empty […]
A 3.2-magnitude earthquake struck Tuesday morning near San Francisco Tuesday morning at 5:36 a.m. The earthquake, reported at 5:36 a.m., was recorded at a 4.9-kilometer depth, according to United States Geological Survey. The quake occurred right along the San Andreas Fault Line. The epicenter of the tremor was in the Pacific, about 6.8 miles from […]
What’s new in water? Oh, I thought you’d never ask. I’ve got some important tidbits for you. Oh don’t whine, this is the last water column by me you’ll have to slog through so COWGRRRL UP! The biggest, immediate water question right now is: Will they? Or won’t they? I’m talking about the California WaterFix and […]
What implications will Trump administration policies have for America’s rivers? When I was first asked this, I felt like a school kid caught daydreaming in class by the teacher. It was during the Q&A following a public talk I’d given at the Smithsonian a few months ago on the science of rivers, and I didn’t […]
California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, passed in 2014, requires some 250 groundwater basins throughout the state to halt the overdraft in their aquifers. The big question for everyone is: Where will the water come from to do that? It could come from “high-magnitude flows” – flooding events, essentially, that occur from just a handful of storms […]
Unlike some deserts, California’s Mojave Desert is full of life. There are tortoises and bighorn sheep, breathtaking wildflower blooms and Joshua trees. Many of the state’s plant and animal species can be found only there. It’s a unique and beautiful ecosystem, but also a fragile one. Life in the Mojave is sustained by underground aquifers […]
OPINION: Fund A Public Good — Clean Water For All
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /San Francisco ChronicleIn California, a state that considers itself among the most advanced nations in the world, nearly 2 million people live without safe drinking water. These Californians reside in 300 small, sometimes remote, but always impoverished communities where the state’s 2012 first-in-the-nation law guaranteeing a right to safe and affordable drinking water is but an empty […]
3.2-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Near San Francisco
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Laura SussmanA 3.2-magnitude earthquake struck Tuesday morning near San Francisco Tuesday morning at 5:36 a.m. The earthquake, reported at 5:36 a.m., was recorded at a 4.9-kilometer depth, according to United States Geological Survey. The quake occurred right along the San Andreas Fault Line. The epicenter of the tremor was in the Pacific, about 6.8 miles from […]
Water Updates Large And Small
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Bakersfield Californianby Lois HenryWhat’s new in water? Oh, I thought you’d never ask. I’ve got some important tidbits for you. Oh don’t whine, this is the last water column by me you’ll have to slog through so COWGRRRL UP! The biggest, immediate water question right now is: Will they? Or won’t they? I’m talking about the California WaterFix and […]
BLOG: It’s Crucial to Upgrade America’s Water Infrastructure
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Scientific AmericanWhat implications will Trump administration policies have for America’s rivers? When I was first asked this, I felt like a school kid caught daydreaming in class by the teacher. It was during the Q&A following a public talk I’d given at the Smithsonian a few months ago on the science of rivers, and I didn’t […]
Study: Heavy Storms May Be Enough to Recharge California Groundwater
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York)California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, passed in 2014, requires some 250 groundwater basins throughout the state to halt the overdraft in their aquifers. The big question for everyone is: Where will the water come from to do that? It could come from “high-magnitude flows” – flooding events, essentially, that occur from just a handful of storms […]
OPINION: The Scheme to Pump Desert Water to L.A. Could Destroy the Mojave. California’s Legislature Needs to Block It
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles TimesUnlike some deserts, California’s Mojave Desert is full of life. There are tortoises and bighorn sheep, breathtaking wildflower blooms and Joshua trees. Many of the state’s plant and animal species can be found only there. It’s a unique and beautiful ecosystem, but also a fragile one. Life in the Mojave is sustained by underground aquifers […]