California, long burdened by a severe drought, is coming off one if its wettest winters in almost 20 years — but that doesn’t mean its water woes will be left behind. The Sierra Nevada snowpack, which provides 60 percent of the state’s water, held an unusually immense amount of snow in January, according to data […]
In the weeks and months to come, investigators will no-doubt probe many potential reasons for the near-catastrophic failures at Oroville Dam in February. Those will range from decisions made more than 50 years ago, to the truly extraordinary weather of 2017. But for the moment, the emergency at Oroville Dam has largely passed. The 180,000 […]
Air-quality officials are working with repair crews at California’s damaged Oroville Dam spillway after the discovery of naturally occurring asbestos there. The California Department of Water Resources said Thursday that authorities found the asbestos in what it said were limited areas at the site. Work crews currently are removing tons of rocks, earth and other […]
Marysville, Calif., farmer Brad Foster stood at the eroded edge of the Feather River recently and contemplated how he was going to pull his water pumps out of the soggy, collapsed river bank. “We’ll have to recover them somehow,” said Foster, 58, who owns about 500 acres of walnut orchards in Yuba County. “Those are […]
On the edge of the Mojave Desert, beneath 1,800 acres of scrubland and tumbleweeds, California’s giant public pension fund is trying to make a killing in the water business. CalPERS is the primary owner of the Willow Springs Water Bank, an underground reservoir that could hold as much water as Folsom Lake when fully developed. […]
Following five years of severe drought conditions, California is now in the midst of one of the wettest winters in recorded history – the effects of which can been seen locally in the Tuolumne River Watershed. So far in the 2017 precipitation year, which began in September, several months have already exceeded their historical averages, […]
California Drought Update: Water Source At Sierra Snowpack Becoming Less Reliable As Climate Warms
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /International Business Times (New York)by Juliana Rose PignataroCalifornia, long burdened by a severe drought, is coming off one if its wettest winters in almost 20 years — but that doesn’t mean its water woes will be left behind. The Sierra Nevada snowpack, which provides 60 percent of the state’s water, held an unusually immense amount of snow in January, according to data […]
VIDEO: What Happened At Oroville Dam, And What Could Still Go Wrong
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /KQED Science (San Francisco)In the weeks and months to come, investigators will no-doubt probe many potential reasons for the near-catastrophic failures at Oroville Dam in February. Those will range from decisions made more than 50 years ago, to the truly extraordinary weather of 2017. But for the moment, the emergency at Oroville Dam has largely passed. The 180,000 […]
Oroville Dam Repair Crews Deal With Naturally Occurring Asbestos
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Associated Press (As Published by CBS SF Bay Area- San Francisco)Air-quality officials are working with repair crews at California’s damaged Oroville Dam spillway after the discovery of naturally occurring asbestos there. The California Department of Water Resources said Thursday that authorities found the asbestos in what it said were limited areas at the site. Work crews currently are removing tons of rocks, earth and other […]
For Farmers Below The Oroville Reservoir, Water Still Poses A Threat
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby Joseph SernaMarysville, Calif., farmer Brad Foster stood at the eroded edge of the Feather River recently and contemplated how he was going to pull his water pumps out of the soggy, collapsed river bank. “We’ll have to recover them somehow,” said Foster, 58, who owns about 500 acres of walnut orchards in Yuba County. “Those are […]
Why CalPERS is Pouring Millions Into a Southern California Water Deal
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Dale KaslerOn the edge of the Mojave Desert, beneath 1,800 acres of scrubland and tumbleweeds, California’s giant public pension fund is trying to make a killing in the water business. CalPERS is the primary owner of the Willow Springs Water Bank, an underground reservoir that could hold as much water as Folsom Lake when fully developed. […]
Rainfall Continues To Top Historical Averages
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Ceres Courier (Turlock, Calif.)by Alysson AredasFollowing five years of severe drought conditions, California is now in the midst of one of the wettest winters in recorded history – the effects of which can been seen locally in the Tuolumne River Watershed. So far in the 2017 precipitation year, which began in September, several months have already exceeded their historical averages, […]