A bill that could save money for rural ranchers who divert water by easing a state regulation is awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature. The California Cattlemen’s Association-backed legislation by Assemblyman Frank Bigelow, R-O’Neals, would change a State Water Resources Control Board rule that those who divert more than 10 acre-feet of water per year hire […]
The board of the Fresno-based Westlands Water District, America’s largest water supplier, voted 7 to 1 on September 19 to pull out their $4.5 billion, 26 percent participation in the $17 billion WaterFix, which planned to build two 40-foot wide tunnels stretching for 35 miles to protect fish and divert water from the Sacramento River […]
Few things are as important to California’s 39.5 million residents as the quality and allocation of the state’s water. Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, wants to hand over more power in that arena to Big Ag by changing how water rights cases are enforced. Gov. Jerry Brown should veto Gray’s AB 313 and keep those issues […]
In February, a huge hole opened in the Lake Oroville main spillway. The cause of the hole is still undetermined. The ensuing closure of the main gates and use of the emergency spillway for the first time ever caused damage to the hillside, erosion toward the spillway structure and thousands of people to evacuate. The […]
Water management in the West can often seem to pit people against wildlife, but it doesn’t have to, according to a recent report by the National Audubon Society. The report highlights how drying saline lakes in the West and changing riparian habitat along the Colorado River are impacting migrating birds. But the two habitats also share a vulnerability […]
Current weather forecasting tools are less than adequate for managing California’s most vital natural resource, state water officials said Tuesday. People at the state Department of Water Resources are now working with researchers at NASA and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography to develop new technology to better forecast moisture-laden atmospheric river storms, like the ones […]
Bill to Ease Water Measuring Regs Awaits Brown’s Signature
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Capital PressA bill that could save money for rural ranchers who divert water by easing a state regulation is awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature. The California Cattlemen’s Association-backed legislation by Assemblyman Frank Bigelow, R-O’Neals, would change a State Water Resources Control Board rule that those who divert more than 10 acre-feet of water per year hire […]
Jerry Brown’s Delta Tunnels in Trouble Over Tripling Water Rates and Fed Probe
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /BreitbartThe board of the Fresno-based Westlands Water District, America’s largest water supplier, voted 7 to 1 on September 19 to pull out their $4.5 billion, 26 percent participation in the $17 billion WaterFix, which planned to build two 40-foot wide tunnels stretching for 35 miles to protect fish and divert water from the Sacramento River […]
OPINION: Don’t Cave To Big Ag; Veto Wasteful Water Rights Bill
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Mercury News (San Jose)Few things are as important to California’s 39.5 million residents as the quality and allocation of the state’s water. Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, wants to hand over more power in that arena to Big Ag by changing how water rights cases are enforced. Gov. Jerry Brown should veto Gray’s AB 313 and keep those issues […]
Rebuilding The Lake Oroville Spillways
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Capital Public Radio News (Sacramento)In February, a huge hole opened in the Lake Oroville main spillway. The cause of the hole is still undetermined. The ensuing closure of the main gates and use of the emergency spillway for the first time ever caused damage to the hillside, erosion toward the spillway structure and thousands of people to evacuate. The […]
Migrating Birds Are Running Out Of Water
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York)by Ian EvansWater management in the West can often seem to pit people against wildlife, but it doesn’t have to, according to a recent report by the National Audubon Society. The report highlights how drying saline lakes in the West and changing riparian habitat along the Colorado River are impacting migrating birds. But the two habitats also share a vulnerability […]
OPINION: California Needs Better Weather Prediction Tools for Water Management
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Union Democrat (Sonora)Current weather forecasting tools are less than adequate for managing California’s most vital natural resource, state water officials said Tuesday. People at the state Department of Water Resources are now working with researchers at NASA and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography to develop new technology to better forecast moisture-laden atmospheric river storms, like the ones […]