The wettest winter in Northern California history ended the drought and produced an abundant Sierra Nevada snowpack. Now it’s starting to melt, and quickly. As state officials completed the final snowpack survey of the season Monday, forecasters predicted high river flows throughout spring into midsummer. The federal government’s California Nevada River Forecast Center said the […]
California’s mammoth snow drifts, a welcome sight following five years of harsh drought, have killed off dozens of endangered bighorn sheep, lengthened hibernation for bears and should cause some hikers to think twice before seeking high Sierra adventures, officials say. Frank Gehrke, chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program, heads out Monday for the […]
At least two species of California fish appear to be facing imminent extinction in the wild: delta smelt and winter-run Chinook salmon. These species could join about 57 other North American fish declared extinct. If we are fortunate, these species will continue to scrape by with small populations, maintained through considerable human effort. But if […]
“The emergency spillway worked.” That, the latest tone-deaf utterance from the leader of the state Department of Water Resources, is the type of comment we’ve come to dreadfully expect from the Department of Denial. To hear that remark at a legislative hearing in Sacramento only compounded the shock. The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee […]
Deep in the Trinity Alps, 130 miles northwest of the troubled Oroville Dam, local officials are raising alarms about another earthen dam with documented weaknesses and limited capacity for releasing the water that has poured in from storms and melting snow. Trinity Lake, the state’s third-largest reservoir, was filled to 97 percent of its storage […]
/in California and the U.S./by Mike Lee /Electric, Light and Power (Tulsa, Okla.) Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority Quoted: Mark Muir
The San Diego County Water Authority board of directors on Thursday authorized the Water Authority, in conjunction with the city of San Diego, to begin seeking detailed proposals for a potential energy storage facility at San Vicente Reservoir. The project could help ease pressure on power grids by producing locally generated renewable energy on demand, […]
Sierra Snowpack Is Huge And Melting Fast – What That Means For Spring Flooding
/in California and the U.S. /by Andrea Mora /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler, Ryan SabalowThe wettest winter in Northern California history ended the drought and produced an abundant Sierra Nevada snowpack. Now it’s starting to melt, and quickly. As state officials completed the final snowpack survey of the season Monday, forecasters predicted high river flows throughout spring into midsummer. The federal government’s California Nevada River Forecast Center said the […]
California Mammoth Snowstorms Take Toll On Sierra Wildlife
/in California and the U.S. /by Andrea Mora /Associated Press (As published by SF Gate - San Francisco) by Scott SmithCalifornia’s mammoth snow drifts, a welcome sight following five years of harsh drought, have killed off dozens of endangered bighorn sheep, lengthened hibernation for bears and should cause some hikers to think twice before seeking high Sierra adventures, officials say. Frank Gehrke, chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program, heads out Monday for the […]
Facing Extinction: California Fish Close to the Brink
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /News Deeplyby Peter Moyle & Jason BaumsteigerAt least two species of California fish appear to be facing imminent extinction in the wild: delta smelt and winter-run Chinook salmon. These species could join about 57 other North American fish declared extinct. If we are fortunate, these species will continue to scrape by with small populations, maintained through considerable human effort. But if […]
Editorial: DWR Should Quit Trying To downplay Dam Disaster
/in California and the U.S. /by Andrea Mora /Chico ER“The emergency spillway worked.” That, the latest tone-deaf utterance from the leader of the state Department of Water Resources, is the type of comment we’ve come to dreadfully expect from the Department of Denial. To hear that remark at a legislative hearing in Sacramento only compounded the shock. The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee […]
Another Giant California Dam Has Downstream Residents Worried
/in California and the U.S. /by Andrea Mora /The Sacramento Beeby Jane Braxton LittleDeep in the Trinity Alps, 130 miles northwest of the troubled Oroville Dam, local officials are raising alarms about another earthen dam with documented weaknesses and limited capacity for releasing the water that has poured in from storms and melting snow. Trinity Lake, the state’s third-largest reservoir, was filled to 97 percent of its storage […]
San Diego Water Board Looking Into Pumped Storage Hydro
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Electric, Light and Power (Tulsa, Okla.) Mentioned: San Diego County Water AuthorityQuoted: Mark Muir
The San Diego County Water Authority board of directors on Thursday authorized the Water Authority, in conjunction with the city of San Diego, to begin seeking detailed proposals for a potential energy storage facility at San Vicente Reservoir. The project could help ease pressure on power grids by producing locally generated renewable energy on demand, […]