Over the last 18 months, California has experienced one of the driest, wettest and wildest rides in its recorded water history. As the 2015-16 water year opened in October 2015, drought had driven the state’s reservoir and groundwater levels to all-time lows. Entire towns were left without water. Reports of lakes turned to puddles, of […]
Gov. Jerry Brown asked President Donald Trump on Tuesday to declare a major disaster for California due to damage caused by heavy rains that hit the state from Jan. 18 to 23. “This record-breaking precipitation resulted in numerous rivers, creeks and streams again exceeding flood stages throughout California,” Brown wrote Trump, saying the storms caused […]
The latest Drought Monitor map was made public to begin March and shows a significant improvement in the very dry conditions experienced for months in the west, but a very different story for portions of the southern plains, the southeast and the northeast US.
Water was running again through the Hyatt Powerhouse beneath Oroville Dam on Monday evening. Water was sent through the hydroelectric power plant Friday for the first time since Feb. 10, but the flow was shut off about 10 a.m. Saturday when Department of Water Resources officials realized they needed a bigger channel through the debris […]
For three generations, Phillip Filter’s family has tended orchards that grow on a shelf of floodplain above the Feather River. Because the trees stand between the river and a major flood-protection levee, Filter’s family is no stranger to floods that sometimes spill over the river banks, inundate the orchards and then recede back into the […]
In the wake of the Oroville dam near-disaster, a question floating around Capitol corridors now is: Given the amount of money needed for what everyone agrees must be an expensive revamping of the state’s water infrastructure, is there room now for Gov. Jerry Brown’s heart’s desire — the $15.5 billion twin tunnels project? “This project […]
OPINION: Our Wild, Wet Winter Doesn’t Change This Reality — California Will Be Short Of Water Forever
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby Jay Famiglietti and Michelle MiroOver the last 18 months, California has experienced one of the driest, wettest and wildest rides in its recorded water history. As the 2015-16 water year opened in October 2015, drought had driven the state’s reservoir and groundwater levels to all-time lows. Entire towns were left without water. Reports of lakes turned to puddles, of […]
Jerry Brown Requests A Third Presidential Disaster Declaration
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Jim MillerGov. Jerry Brown asked President Donald Trump on Tuesday to declare a major disaster for California due to damage caused by heavy rains that hit the state from Jan. 18 to 23. “This record-breaking precipitation resulted in numerous rivers, creeks and streams again exceeding flood stages throughout California,” Brown wrote Trump, saying the storms caused […]
Drought Monitor Shows Dramatic Changes To National Map
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Weather Networkby Mario PicazoThe latest Drought Monitor map was made public to begin March and shows a significant improvement in the very dry conditions experienced for months in the west, but a very different story for portions of the southern plains, the southeast and the northeast US.
Water Flowing Through Oroville Dam Powerhouse Again
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Chico Enterprise RecordWater was running again through the Hyatt Powerhouse beneath Oroville Dam on Monday evening. Water was sent through the hydroelectric power plant Friday for the first time since Feb. 10, but the flow was shut off about 10 a.m. Saturday when Department of Water Resources officials realized they needed a bigger channel through the debris […]
Oroville Dam: Farmers Blame Sudden Spillway Shutoff For Eroded Riverbanks
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Ryan Sabalow and Dale KaslerFor three generations, Phillip Filter’s family has tended orchards that grow on a shelf of floodplain above the Feather River. Because the trees stand between the river and a major flood-protection levee, Filter’s family is no stranger to floods that sometimes spill over the river banks, inundate the orchards and then recede back into the […]
Money, Politics And The Twin Tunnels
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Capitol Weekly (Sacramento)by Chuck McFaddenIn the wake of the Oroville dam near-disaster, a question floating around Capitol corridors now is: Given the amount of money needed for what everyone agrees must be an expensive revamping of the state’s water infrastructure, is there room now for Gov. Jerry Brown’s heart’s desire — the $15.5 billion twin tunnels project? “This project […]