The Board of Consultants determined the forensic teams’ list of potential Oroville Dam spillway failures are being addressed in the new design, according to a new memorandum published Last week. The board’s report said the spillway design is ready for final review, with major redesigns including heightening walls beside of the main spillway. Also, a […]
Every year for almost half a century, California snow surveyor Pat Armstrong has trekked the rugged Sierra Nevada with three simple tools: a snow core tube, a scale and a notebook. For as long as he can remember, state water officials have relied on the accuracy of those tools to deliver crucial data on the […]
Everything is surprising about this sea. Saltier than the ocean, it breeds then suffocates tilapia. A mirage in the desert, it feeds flyway pelicans and cormorants. But it feels like a graveyard. Birds are dying in mortal rhythm with the fish. There is no tide and rivers flow north to a southern inlet. The sea […]
Friday in the Bay Area saw something unusual: Not a drop in housing prices, or a win from the San Francisco Giants. But rain in June. A cold front blustering in from the Pacific Ocean off the Washington and Oregon coast brought gray skies and the first measurable rainfall on Thursday and Friday to the […]
Even after a very rainy winter in California, the state—and much of the West—is still experiencing drought conditions. To call water a complex issue is an understatement. Tershia D’Elgin has immersed herself in the subject of Western water rights. In her book, The Man Who Thought He Owned Water, the San Diego-based writer and water […]
Pray for rain. Mega-drought. Winter salmon run nearly extinguished. Sierra snowpack dismal. These were just some of the headlines in California newspapers over the last five years during a historic drought that elevated water security to the top of everyone’s minds. California’s relationship to water is unique in the United States, often becoming a major part […]
New Spillway Design Said To Pass Muster
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Oroville Mercury Registerby Risa JohnsonThe Board of Consultants determined the forensic teams’ list of potential Oroville Dam spillway failures are being addressed in the new design, according to a new memorandum published Last week. The board’s report said the spillway design is ready for final review, with major redesigns including heightening walls beside of the main spillway. Also, a […]
Measuring The Snowpack Goes High-tech With Airborne Lasers And Radar
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby Joseph SernaEvery year for almost half a century, California snow surveyor Pat Armstrong has trekked the rugged Sierra Nevada with three simple tools: a snow core tube, a scale and a notebook. For as long as he can remember, state water officials have relied on the accuracy of those tools to deliver crucial data on the […]
OPINION: Salton Sea’s Radical Turning Point Needed A Different Kind Of Storytelling
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Greg BurtonEverything is surprising about this sea. Saltier than the ocean, it breeds then suffocates tilapia. A mirage in the desert, it feeds flyway pelicans and cormorants. But it feels like a graveyard. Birds are dying in mortal rhythm with the fish. There is no tide and rivers flow north to a southern inlet. The sea […]
How Much Rain Did The Bay Area Get?
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Vallejo Times Heraldby Paul RogersFriday in the Bay Area saw something unusual: Not a drop in housing prices, or a win from the San Francisco Giants. But rain in June. A cold front blustering in from the Pacific Ocean off the Washington and Oregon coast brought gray skies and the first measurable rainfall on Thursday and Friday to the […]
Life On The Farm In The West Is Shaped By Water
/in California and the U.S. /by Andrea Mora /Civil Eatsby Amber TurpinEven after a very rainy winter in California, the state—and much of the West—is still experiencing drought conditions. To call water a complex issue is an understatement. Tershia D’Elgin has immersed herself in the subject of Western water rights. In her book, The Man Who Thought He Owned Water, the San Diego-based writer and water […]
Historic Drought Prompts Water Innovation In California – Can It Be A Model?
/in California and the U.S. /by Andrea Mora /New Security Beat (Washington, D.C.)by Scott HoustonPray for rain. Mega-drought. Winter salmon run nearly extinguished. Sierra snowpack dismal. These were just some of the headlines in California newspapers over the last five years during a historic drought that elevated water security to the top of everyone’s minds. California’s relationship to water is unique in the United States, often becoming a major part […]