Private investment in public works isn’t a new idea: In 2014, former President Barack Obama launched an initiative focused on partnerships between public agencies and private companies to boost infrastructure financing and innovation. Now, President Donald Trump is calling for more such collaborations, and even outright privatization, in an attempt to shore up the nation’s aging highways and water […]
An Inland Valley utility company is studying how to convert nearly 22,000 property parcels from Fontana to Upland — representing about 80,000 people — from septic tank systems to a sewer system connection for their wastewater. Fontana is ground zero of this challenge with nearly 12,000 parcels, representing about 40,000 people, that are not connected […]
There are 119 reasons why nothing will change in the wake of the Lake Oroville spillway disaster, why this repetitive flooding and evacuation pattern will continue interminably. There is one reason for hope. Of the 120 people in the state Legislature, which has failed to address this problem for decades, exactly one of them was […]
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 […]
Who Pays For Water Infrastructure?
/in California and the U.S. /by Andrea Mora /High Country News (Paonia, Colo.)by Emily BensonPrivate investment in public works isn’t a new idea: In 2014, former President Barack Obama launched an initiative focused on partnerships between public agencies and private companies to boost infrastructure financing and innovation. Now, President Donald Trump is calling for more such collaborations, and even outright privatization, in an attempt to shore up the nation’s aging highways and water […]
Why Fontana Is Working To Expand Sewer System To Boot Out Septic Tanks
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /San Bernardino County Sunby Jim SteinbergAn Inland Valley utility company is studying how to convert nearly 22,000 property parcels from Fontana to Upland — representing about 80,000 people — from septic tank systems to a sewer system connection for their wastewater. Fontana is ground zero of this challenge with nearly 12,000 parcels, representing about 40,000 people, that are not connected […]
David Little: James Gallagher Keeps Pressure On Oroville Spillway Saga
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Chico Enterprise-RecordThere are 119 reasons why nothing will change in the wake of the Lake Oroville spillway disaster, why this repetitive flooding and evacuation pattern will continue interminably. There is one reason for hope. Of the 120 people in the state Legislature, which has failed to address this problem for decades, exactly one of them was […]
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 […]