The first couple months of the new water year has yielded better-than-average rain and snow for parts of California. Water years begin Oct. 1 and run through the end of the following September. For California, the new water year got off to a rather wet start. While it’s being called the wettest start in 30 […]
Some 102 million trees have died in California since 2010, and that number will likely grow. Dead trees in a forest are natural, but the extraordinary numbers we see in parts of the Sierra Nevada threaten many benefits of our forests. Some places that had 20 trees per acre a century ago now have 260 […]
Farmers and rural residents told California regulators they’re concerned about a proposal to increase water flows in the San Joaquin River and its tributaries to protect threatened fish. Native fish populations in the system have been declining for decades.The river system is part of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which provides water to Central Valley farms and […]
In Palm Springs, one of the hottest regions in California, precious groundwater has been depleted for decades to build lush golf courses, swimming pools and tract homes. Now the local American Indian tribe is pressing for a right to help manage that water.The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, which owns two casinos in the popular […]
Marin Country reservoirs are rising with multiple storms arriving early in the rainy season. Two are already spilling over and funneling water into creeks and streams. “So far this year we have received more than 17 inches of rainfall at Lake Lagunitas – we’re off to a great start with 78 percent of capacity at […]
California regulators say their sweeping proposal to devote more flows from the state’s major rivers to fish and wildlife is an attempt to balance competing interests for a scarce resource. So far, all they’ve done is get practically everyone mad at them. Opponents of the plan came out in force Tuesday, in the first of […]
BLOG: When Drought Becomes A Weapon Of Mass Destruction
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Western Farm Press (Fresno)by Todd FitchetteThe first couple months of the new water year has yielded better-than-average rain and snow for parts of California. Water years begin Oct. 1 and run through the end of the following September. For California, the new water year got off to a rather wet start. While it’s being called the wettest start in 30 […]
OPINION: Here’s A New, Better Way To Deal With Dead Trees In Sierra Nevada
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Amy Horne and Jim BranhamSome 102 million trees have died in California since 2010, and that number will likely grow. Dead trees in a forest are natural, but the extraordinary numbers we see in parts of the Sierra Nevada threaten many benefits of our forests. Some places that had 20 trees per acre a century ago now have 260 […]
Concerns Raised Over California’s Plan To Provide More Water For Fish
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Capital Public Radio (Sacramento)by Amy QuintonFarmers and rural residents told California regulators they’re concerned about a proposal to increase water flows in the San Joaquin River and its tributaries to protect threatened fish. Native fish populations in the system have been declining for decades.The river system is part of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which provides water to Central Valley farms and […]
BLOG: California Case Could Set National Precedent on Indian Water Rights
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York)by Matt WeiserIn Palm Springs, one of the hottest regions in California, precious groundwater has been depleted for decades to build lush golf courses, swimming pools and tract homes. Now the local American Indian tribe is pressing for a right to help manage that water.The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, which owns two casinos in the popular […]
Marin County Reservoirs Filling Rapidly, Two Already Spilling Over
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /SFGate (San Francisco)by Amy GraffMarin Country reservoirs are rising with multiple storms arriving early in the rainy season. Two are already spilling over and funneling water into creeks and streams. “So far this year we have received more than 17 inches of rainfall at Lake Lagunitas – we’re off to a great start with 78 percent of capacity at […]
Who Likes State’s Plan To Keep More Water For Fish In California Rivers? Practically Nobody
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Dale KaslerCalifornia regulators say their sweeping proposal to devote more flows from the state’s major rivers to fish and wildlife is an attempt to balance competing interests for a scarce resource. So far, all they’ve done is get practically everyone mad at them. Opponents of the plan came out in force Tuesday, in the first of […]