California’s historic winter ended the drought in many parts of the state and piled up record levels of snowpack in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. With so much precipitation, surface water infrastructure – our network of dams, reservoirs and levees – has been called into action like never before, and in some cases has struggled to […]
If you’re expecting a quick and easy answer on what caused the spillway failure at Oroville Dam, think again. The leader of the independent forensics team studying the Oroville crisis said Thursday that the crack in the dam’s main flood-control spillway likely was caused by a combination of problems. “We do anticipate there will be […]
Officials say they have installed a new emergency siren at a Northern California dam whose damaged spillway forced evacuations earlier this year. The state Department of Water Resources says it will conduct the first test of the new siren at Oroville Dam on Friday. Monthly tests in July and August will follow. The previous siren […]
The scientific community agrees: Climate change is real, it’s driven by human activity, and it’s getting worse. Californians understand this better than most. Having just emerged from a record-breaking drought, likely exacerbated by climate change, we are acutely attuned to the perils of a warming planet. Ratification of the Paris Climate Agreement offered California a […]
Responding to record rainfall that revitalized California’s reservoirs and the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, Mountain View City Council members agreed last Tuesday night to drop the last of the city’s drought restrictions. In a unanimous vote at the May 23 meeting, council members rescinded Mountain View’s “stage 1” water use restrictions, which the city […]
Mark Twain is credited with the aphorism, “whiskey’s fer drinkin’ and water’s fer fightin’.” Whether he said that or not, it could almost be the state motto but now the California Legislature is tinkering with the most fundamental – and convoluted – part of California law: water rights. The California Assembly, on an initial 55-0 […]
BLOG: The Hidden Opportunity for Water Storage in California
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Environmental Defense Fund by Maurice HallCalifornia’s historic winter ended the drought in many parts of the state and piled up record levels of snowpack in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. With so much precipitation, surface water infrastructure – our network of dams, reservoirs and levees – has been called into action like never before, and in some cases has struggled to […]
Oroville Dam Update: Fracture Likely Caused By ‘Multiple Factors’
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Dale KaslerIf you’re expecting a quick and easy answer on what caused the spillway failure at Oroville Dam, think again. The leader of the independent forensics team studying the Oroville crisis said Thursday that the crack in the dam’s main flood-control spillway likely was caused by a combination of problems. “We do anticipate there will be […]
New Emergency Siren Installed at Dam that Forced Evacuations
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Associated Press (As published by ABC10 News)Officials say they have installed a new emergency siren at a Northern California dam whose damaged spillway forced evacuations earlier this year. The state Department of Water Resources says it will conduct the first test of the new siren at Oroville Dam on Friday. Monthly tests in July and August will follow. The previous siren […]
Why Paris Agreement On Climate Change Is Critical For California
/in California and the U.S. /by Andrea Mora /The Fresno Beeby Dorothy LelandThe scientific community agrees: Climate change is real, it’s driven by human activity, and it’s getting worse. Californians understand this better than most. Having just emerged from a record-breaking drought, likely exacerbated by climate change, we are acutely attuned to the perils of a warming planet. Ratification of the Paris Climate Agreement offered California a […]
City Drops Last Of Drought Restrictions
/in California and the U.S. /by Andrea Mora /Mountain View Voice (Palo Alto) by Kevin ForestieriResponding to record rainfall that revitalized California’s reservoirs and the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, Mountain View City Council members agreed last Tuesday night to drop the last of the city’s drought restrictions. In a unanimous vote at the May 23 meeting, council members rescinded Mountain View’s “stage 1” water use restrictions, which the city […]
California May Get a New Water Rights Management Structure
/in California and the U.S. /by Andrea Mora /Central Valley Business Times (Stockton)Mark Twain is credited with the aphorism, “whiskey’s fer drinkin’ and water’s fer fightin’.” Whether he said that or not, it could almost be the state motto but now the California Legislature is tinkering with the most fundamental – and convoluted – part of California law: water rights. The California Assembly, on an initial 55-0 […]