Federal officials have concluded that infrastructure for a proposed hydropower project — which would tap billions of gallons of groundwater in the California desert, just outside Joshua Tree National Park — wouldn’t be especially harmful to the environment. The Bureau of Land Management issued a “finding of no significant impact” Thursday for power lines and water pipelines that would enable […]
As one of the wettest California winters in memory nears its end, the state’s major reservoirs are all essentially full or well above their historical average levels. It’s good news for everyone and everything that depends on water, especially after several years of reduced allocations for farmers and huge losses for salmon, which were frequently […]
A question that’s long been asked about California American Water’s proposed desalination plant – and which is brought up in several letters commenting on the project’s environmental impact report – is exactly how big it should be. What’s surprising is that, in a year as wet as this one, the plant wouldn’t even be necessary. […]
The snowpack in California’s Tuolumne River Basin in the Sierra Nevada is currently larger than the previous four years combined, according to new NASA data. The 2017 California snowpack is near the largest on record, NASA’s data showed. Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) mapping showed the Tuolumne Basin’s snowpack is twice as large as last year’s and 21 […]
California’s historic five-year drought is officially over, washed away with the relentlessly drenching rains, floods and snowstorms of this winter. But just as tougher building codes and better emergency planning follow major earthquakes, the brutally dry years from 2012 to 2016 are already leaving a legacy, experts say, changing the way Californians use water for […]
California surfers are stoked after showers at state beaches that were turned off during the drought are flowing once again. The parks department turned off the showers in July 2015 at the height of the dry spell as Gov. Jerry Brown urged state officials to cut back on water use. Brown issued an executive order […]
Hydropower Plant Next to Joshua Tree National Park Wouldn’t Hurt The Environment, Feds Say
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs) by Sammy RothFederal officials have concluded that infrastructure for a proposed hydropower project — which would tap billions of gallons of groundwater in the California desert, just outside Joshua Tree National Park — wouldn’t be especially harmful to the environment. The Bureau of Land Management issued a “finding of no significant impact” Thursday for power lines and water pipelines that would enable […]
BLOG: Wet Year Spurs Proponents of New California Reservoir
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York)by Alastair BlandAs one of the wettest California winters in memory nears its end, the state’s major reservoirs are all essentially full or well above their historical average levels. It’s good news for everyone and everything that depends on water, especially after several years of reduced allocations for farmers and huge losses for salmon, which were frequently […]
In Wet Years, the Peninsula Could Get By Without Desal.
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Monterey County Weekly by David SchmalzA question that’s long been asked about California American Water’s proposed desalination plant – and which is brought up in several letters commenting on the project’s environmental impact report – is exactly how big it should be. What’s surprising is that, in a year as wet as this one, the plant wouldn’t even be necessary. […]
California’s Sierra Nevada Snowpack Is Larger Than Previous 4 Years Combined, NASA Says
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Weather Channelby Brian DoneganThe snowpack in California’s Tuolumne River Basin in the Sierra Nevada is currently larger than the previous four years combined, according to new NASA data. The 2017 California snowpack is near the largest on record, NASA’s data showed. Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) mapping showed the Tuolumne Basin’s snowpack is twice as large as last year’s and 21 […]
Drought May Be Over, But Changes It Wrought Will Be Here Into Future
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Associated Press (As published by OrovilleMR News)by Paul RogersCalifornia’s historic five-year drought is officially over, washed away with the relentlessly drenching rains, floods and snowstorms of this winter. But just as tougher building codes and better emergency planning follow major earthquakes, the brutally dry years from 2012 to 2016 are already leaving a legacy, experts say, changing the way Californians use water for […]
Drought’s End Means California Beachgoers Get Showers Back
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /U.S. News & World ReportCalifornia surfers are stoked after showers at state beaches that were turned off during the drought are flowing once again. The parks department turned off the showers in July 2015 at the height of the dry spell as Gov. Jerry Brown urged state officials to cut back on water use. Brown issued an executive order […]