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.
BLOG: California Water Made Simple
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /California Water Blog (UC Davis)by Jay LundThere’s only so many acre-feet of water jargon the public can absorb during a drought. Here’s a primer that avoids wading into cubic-feet-per-second, appropriative water rights, overdraft, conjunctive water use and the like.
California Drought Causes Largest Die-Off of Sierra Nevada Forests
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Associated Press (As Published by NBC Bay Area - San Jose)California’s drought and a bark beetle epidemic have caused the largest die-off of Sierra Nevada forests in modern history, raising fears that trees could come crashing down on people or fuel deadly wildfires that could wipe out mountain communities. Aerial images show vast forests that have turned a rust-color. The epidemic has killed an estimated […]
OPINION: Tunnel Vision a Mirage to Water Woes
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Stockton Recordby David StreckerAs a Delta farmer managing my family’s farming operation so it can be here for the next generation I am infuriated by what I see about the Delta water issues.An editorial by Jerry Meral of the Natural Heritage Institute has started appearing in local papers. This name may sound familiar if you follow Delta water […]
How Long Can Droughts Last? Trees May Have the Answer
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Daily Democrat (Woodland)by Steve ScauzilloIf trees could talk about the weather, Dave Meko would be out of a job. Meko, a professor from the University of Arizona Laboratory of Tree Ring Research, has made a career out of interpreting stories about rainfall, stream flows, climate patterns and most importantly, droughts silently hidden within California’s ancient pine trees.
BLOG: New Regs Aim to Make Water Recycling Easier
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York)Only 10 years ago, the idea that Californians might one day drink treated wastewater from their kitchen taps seemed unfathomable. The notion of using recycled water to this degree was unpopular with the public, and seemed unnecessary. The state’s ongoing drought has changed all that. Many water agencies over the past few years have rolled […]
“Rare, Dangerous” Heat Headed to Parts of the Western US
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Associated Press (As Published by NBC 4 - Columbus, Ohio)It’s a dry heat, Phoenix residents like to say about Arizona’s hot weather. That bravado may vanish as the thermometer flirts with 120 degrees this weekend. Phoenix won’t be alone in the oven. A strengthening ridge of high pressure lifting out of Mexico is on course to also scorch other parts of Arizona and southeast […]