The California Department of Water Resources has temporarily shut down a power plant at Oroville Dam to make improvements that will increase its capacity for releasing water, officials announced Saturday. The Hyatt Power Plant initially stopped functioning when a massive mound of concrete, earth and debris formed in the channel below the dam’s 3,000-foot concrete […]
More than four inches of rain pounded the red-tiled roofs of this coastal enclave one day last month. Waves damaged a scenic pier. Historic pine trees fell, crashing into vehicles. The airport closed. The county jail relocated 200 inmates. Residents evacuated three apartment buildings. Six vacation cabins and 15 vehicles were swept down a river in a […]
When state water officials scaled back their mass dumping of water from the damaged Oroville Dam this week, they knew the riverbed below would dry up enough to allow the removal of vast piles of debris from the fractured main spillway. But they apparently did not anticipate a side effect of their decision to stop […]
As California labored under a severe drought for more than five years, industry and media debated the pros and cons of desalination coming to the rescue of the drought-stricken state. About a dozen or so desalination plants have been planned or proposed up and down the Golden State’s coast, with the 50 million gallon (189m liter) […]
Kevin Rogers, a fifth-generation farmer near Scottsdale, sees how technology is helping him use less water. Wearing an off-white cowboy hat while driving his silver truck around his farm, he points to a flood-irrigated field that uses laser-leveling technology. The sensor gathers a signal from satellites to ensure fields are cleared as smooth as possible, […]
The 2016-2017 winter season dropped plenty of snow in the Rockies. For years, the decade and a half drought across southern Nevada and the lower Colorado River Basin has impacted water levels at Lake Mead, creating what locals have long dubbed “the bathtub ring.” Nevada is still considered to be in a drought, but the accumulation […]
State Officials Temporarily Shut Down Power Plant at Lake Oroville
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Phillip ReeseThe California Department of Water Resources has temporarily shut down a power plant at Oroville Dam to make improvements that will increase its capacity for releasing water, officials announced Saturday. The Hyatt Power Plant initially stopped functioning when a massive mound of concrete, earth and debris formed in the channel below the dam’s 3,000-foot concrete […]
It’s Really Wet — So Why Is Santa Barbara Still Mired In Drought?
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Mercury News (San Jose)by Lisa M. KriegerMore than four inches of rain pounded the red-tiled roofs of this coastal enclave one day last month. Waves damaged a scenic pier. Historic pine trees fell, crashing into vehicles. The airport closed. The county jail relocated 200 inmates. Residents evacuated three apartment buildings. Six vacation cabins and 15 vehicles were swept down a river in a […]
Riverbanks Collapse After Oroville Dam Spillway Shut Off
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander and Tara DugganWhen state water officials scaled back their mass dumping of water from the damaged Oroville Dam this week, they knew the riverbed below would dry up enough to allow the removal of vast piles of debris from the fractured main spillway. But they apparently did not anticipate a side effect of their decision to stop […]
BLOG: How Desalination Plants Are Trying To Overcome Environmental Concerns
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York)by Padma Nagappan Mentioned: Carlsbad Desalination PlantAs California labored under a severe drought for more than five years, industry and media debated the pros and cons of desalination coming to the rescue of the drought-stricken state. About a dozen or so desalination plants have been planned or proposed up and down the Golden State’s coast, with the 50 million gallon (189m liter) […]
America’s Biggest Water Users – Farmers – Learn To Use Less Of It
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Christian Science Monitor (Boston, Mass.)by Zack ColmanKevin Rogers, a fifth-generation farmer near Scottsdale, sees how technology is helping him use less water. Wearing an off-white cowboy hat while driving his silver truck around his farm, he points to a flood-irrigated field that uses laser-leveling technology. The sensor gathers a signal from satellites to ensure fields are cleared as smooth as possible, […]
Nevada Still In Drought Despite Full Snowpack
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /LasVegasNow.comby Katie BoerThe 2016-2017 winter season dropped plenty of snow in the Rockies. For years, the decade and a half drought across southern Nevada and the lower Colorado River Basin has impacted water levels at Lake Mead, creating what locals have long dubbed “the bathtub ring.” Nevada is still considered to be in a drought, but the accumulation […]