Operators of Oroville Dam – the nation’s highest – shut down its main spillway Monday so that debris could be cleared and the dam’s hydroelectric turbines could be restarted. It was merely the latest of many operational adjustments state and federal officials have made this year to cope with an unprecedented series of rain and […]
/in California and the U.S./by Mike Lee /T&D World (Overland Park, Kan.)by Rick Bush Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority
Some technologies just seem to make sense. But everything has to line up correctly for a technology to move forward. When I was in Switzerland five or six years ago, the Swiss were considering putting in pumped storage so that low-cost wind from the north and low-cost solar from the south could be stored and […]
Although California’s five-year drought has come to an end, how has it affected the state’s giant sequoia trees? In this video, we meet a scientist who is seeking to understand these seemingly indestructible giants. Although though the skies have finally opened and the rains have started to fall on California, more than 100 million trees […]
Good politicians like Jerry Brown know not to waste a good crisis. And so last week he urged that lawmakers spend $437 million for flood control. It is a modest request, though not nearly enough, as he readily acknowledged by displaying charts showing that upgrading California’s water infrastructure, including 1,500 dams and thousands of miles […]
For three weeks, Oroville Dam’s fractured main spillway and the surrounding hillsides have taken a nearly nonstop pounding. The stunning waterfall crashing down what’s left of the 3,000-foot concrete span has split the spillway in two and carved massive canyons on either side. The Department of Water Resources, which operates the dam, has had little […]
The Rincon tribe has taken a major step to protect water quality on the reservation and downstream, earning approval by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to administer surface water standards on the reservation. According to Chairman Bo Mazzetti, in recognition of tribal sovereignty, the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) encourages tribes to establish water quality […]
OPINION: Faced With Crisis, California Water Managers Stepped Up
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Dan WaltersOperators of Oroville Dam – the nation’s highest – shut down its main spillway Monday so that debris could be cleared and the dam’s hydroelectric turbines could be restarted. It was merely the latest of many operational adjustments state and federal officials have made this year to cope with an unprecedented series of rain and […]
P.S. (Pumped Storage), I Love You
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /T&D World (Overland Park, Kan.)by Rick Bush Mentioned: San Diego County Water AuthoritySome technologies just seem to make sense. But everything has to line up correctly for a technology to move forward. When I was in Switzerland five or six years ago, the Swiss were considering putting in pumped storage so that low-cost wind from the north and low-cost solar from the south could be stored and […]
Will California’s Giant Sequoias Survive The Next Drought?
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /ForbesAlthough California’s five-year drought has come to an end, how has it affected the state’s giant sequoia trees? In this video, we meet a scientist who is seeking to understand these seemingly indestructible giants. Although though the skies have finally opened and the rains have started to fall on California, more than 100 million trees […]
OPINION: Jerry Brown Shouldn’t Squander The Oroville Dam Crisis
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento BeeGood politicians like Jerry Brown know not to waste a good crisis. And so last week he urged that lawmakers spend $437 million for flood control. It is a modest request, though not nearly enough, as he readily acknowledged by displaying charts showing that upgrading California’s water infrastructure, including 1,500 dams and thousands of miles […]
Can Oroville Dam’s Badly Damaged Spillway Hold Up Through The Rainy Season?
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Ryan Sabalow, Dale Kasler and Peter HechtFor three weeks, Oroville Dam’s fractured main spillway and the surrounding hillsides have taken a nearly nonstop pounding. The stunning waterfall crashing down what’s left of the 3,000-foot concrete span has split the spillway in two and carved massive canyons on either side. The Department of Water Resources, which operates the dam, has had little […]
Rincon Moves To Protect Reservation Water
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Valley Roadrunner (Valley Center)The Rincon tribe has taken a major step to protect water quality on the reservation and downstream, earning approval by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to administer surface water standards on the reservation. According to Chairman Bo Mazzetti, in recognition of tribal sovereignty, the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) encourages tribes to establish water quality […]