California and the U.S.
The latest news and analysis covering water issues in Caliornia and the rest of the United States.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
OPINION: What You Should Know About the Sustainable Groundwater
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Appeal Democrat (Marysville)by Mary FaheyThe Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, known as SGMA, is comprehensive statewide groundwater legislation that went into effect Jan. 1, 2015. SGMA requires for the first time sustainable groundwater management throughout California. The legislation allows local agencies to develop Groundwater Sustainability Plans specific to local conditions, however, if local agencies cannot or will not manage groundwater […]
Farmers Pitted Against Fishermen in House
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Courthouse News Service (Pasadena)by Nick CahillThe plan to buoy historically low salmon populations imperiled by California’s historic drought made for a contentious hearing Tuesday on Capitol Hill. House Republicans accused federal agencies of depriving farmers of water while the Golden State’s reservoirs sit full. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Maine Fisheries Service teamed up for the […]
California’s Drought May Be Easing, But Fight Over Water Persists
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /McClatchy DCby Michael DoyleCalifornia Republicans are spreading out their bets in their annual effort to steer more water to the state’s farmers. In the absence of negotiations, such tactics matter most right now. Framed by a hearing Tuesday, the GOP-controlled House of Representatives will vote this week on whether to retain farmer-friendly California water provisions in an Interior Department funding […]
California, Federal Agencies Launch Effort to Save Endangered Fish
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Capital Public Radio (Sacramento)by Amy QuintonCalifornia wildlife agencies say the drought has pushed the endangered Delta smelt close to extinction. State and federal agencies announced Tuesday a joint effort to improve habitat conditions for the fish. The plan is designed to prevent predators from eating the fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Most of those predators are not native. The […]
Rice Farms Receive Federal Help to Provide Waterbird Habitat
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento BeeWith habitat for California waterbirds drying up, conservation groups and rice farmers are collaborating to flood fields and enhance waterbird habitat on roughly 550,000 acres of California’s rice fields. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is contributing $7 million, matched by partner agencies, for helping share farmers’ costs of implementing new practices […]
BLOG: Suit Challenges Delta Pumping Restrictions
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York)by Ryan SabalowIn a failed effort to protect endangered fish, the federal government decided without proper study to default to restricting the giant pumps at the bottom of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. So argues a lawsuit filed Friday at the U.S. District Court in Sacramento by a powerful consortium of water agencies. They’re hoping for a larger […]