The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors proclaimed a local state of emergency effective for 30 days on Tuesday in response to a spate of winter storms this month. Approving a state of emergency allows the county to seek reimbursement from state and federal governments for damage caused by the storms. With more storms expected to […]
/in California and the U.S./by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Bee (As published by Merced Sun-Star - Merced, Calif.)by Dan Walters
After a half-decade of drought, California has been buffeted this winter by a series of powerful rain and snowstorms that dumped countless gallons of water on the state’s watersheds. Some of the deluge was captured in the form of mountain snows that will feed rivers and streams during the annual spring melt. But at lower […]
After a week of being walloped by major storms that have dumped copious rain and snow on the state, California is finally emerging from a deep, years-long drought. Ski resorts in the Sierra Nevada mountains are flush with snow, while key reservoirs have filled back up. On Jan. 12, the U.S. Drought Monitor erased all […]
Droughts are common in California, a large, generally dry, and hydrologically complex place. So it is hard to rely on a single index of the end or beginning of a drought. A single storm is rarely enough to end a drought in California, especially a long drought like the one that seems to be mostly […]
Early last Monday morning, a friend of mine sent news that a tree we knew, a sequoia, had collapsed in a winter mountain storm. I was in New York, where two inches of hard snow sat on cars and tree branches that themselves looked like death. He was in Northern California, near the place where […]
In Southern California in the fall of 2015, a giant natural gas leak not only caused one of the worst environmental disasters in the nation’s history, it also knocked out a critical fuel source for regional power plants. Energy regulators needed a quick fix. But rather than sticking with gas, they turned to a technology […]
Sacramento County Supervisors Declare State Of Emergency Due To Storm Damage
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Ellen GarrisonThe Sacramento County Board of Supervisors proclaimed a local state of emergency effective for 30 days on Tuesday in response to a spate of winter storms this month. Approving a state of emergency allows the county to seek reimbursement from state and federal governments for damage caused by the storms. With more storms expected to […]
OPINION: Drought, Storms Prove California Desperately Needs More Water Storage
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Bee (As published by Merced Sun-Star - Merced, Calif.)by Dan WaltersAfter a half-decade of drought, California has been buffeted this winter by a series of powerful rain and snowstorms that dumped countless gallons of water on the state’s watersheds. Some of the deluge was captured in the form of mountain snows that will feed rivers and streams during the annual spring melt. But at lower […]
The California Drought Is On Its Way Out, But Deeper Droughts Lie Ahead
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Grist (Seattle, Wash.)by Andrea ThompsonAfter a week of being walloped by major storms that have dumped copious rain and snow on the state, California is finally emerging from a deep, years-long drought. Ski resorts in the Sierra Nevada mountains are flush with snow, while key reservoirs have filled back up. On Jan. 12, the U.S. Drought Monitor erased all […]
BLOG: Indicators Of A Drought Ending In Northern California
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /California WaterBlog (Davis)by Jay LundDroughts are common in California, a large, generally dry, and hydrologically complex place. So it is hard to rely on a single index of the end or beginning of a drought. A single storm is rarely enough to end a drought in California, especially a long drought like the one that seems to be mostly […]
The Death Of The Tunnel Tree
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The New Yorkerby Nathan HellerEarly last Monday morning, a friend of mine sent news that a tree we knew, a sequoia, had collapsed in a winter mountain storm. I was in New York, where two inches of hard snow sat on cars and tree branches that themselves looked like death. He was in Northern California, near the place where […]
A Big Test For Big Batteries
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The New York Timesby Diane Cardwell and Clifford KraussIn Southern California in the fall of 2015, a giant natural gas leak not only caused one of the worst environmental disasters in the nation’s history, it also knocked out a critical fuel source for regional power plants. Energy regulators needed a quick fix. But rather than sticking with gas, they turned to a technology […]