In bone-dry California we are counting the days until October when the rainy season should begin. When wells run dry in the Central Valley, fires rage in Big Sur and pine forests in the Sierra Nevada die off, you can’t help but wonder where all the water has gone. But what if we asked a […]
Sacramentans continued to conserve water last month, although their total consumption grew compared with a year earlier.The Sacramento Regional Water Authority said Thursday that water consumption fell by 18 percent in August compared with August 2013, the baseline used by state drought regulators. The conservation rate was below the 22 percent savings achieved in August […]
California’s goal of ensuring universal access to safe drinking water, as mandated in the 2012 Human Right to Water Bill, will come a step closer to being met if Gov. Jerry Brown signs a new measure into law that halts the creation of new small, unsustainable – and in many cases dangerous – water districts […]
Not many simple statements can be made about the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, except these: It’s hard to overstate the importance of the region’s resources to California – or the complexity of sharing those resources. Two out of three Californians depend upon water from the Delta, but nearly every discussion of Delta water centers on fish. That […]
Each spring, a group of UC Davis student scientists and their professors take a whitewater rafting trip through the Grand Canyon to study a river that sustains 40 million people. Capital Public Radio’s Amy Quinton traveled with them. I’m in a raft on the Colorado River, about to hit the fastest, steepest and most treacherous […]
California grows more than 90 percent of the tomatoes, broccoli and almonds consumed in the U.S., as well as many other foods. These crops require a lot of water. In the spring of 2015, after four years of little winter rain, the state was in a severe drought. Reservoirs were far below capacity, and underground […]
An Overlooked Water Resource
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Christian Science Monitor (Boston)by Diana DonlonIn bone-dry California we are counting the days until October when the rainy season should begin. When wells run dry in the Central Valley, fires rage in Big Sur and pine forests in the Sierra Nevada die off, you can’t help but wonder where all the water has gone. But what if we asked a […]
Sacramentans Still Conserving, But Water Use Grew In August
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Dale KaslerSacramentans continued to conserve water last month, although their total consumption grew compared with a year earlier.The Sacramento Regional Water Authority said Thursday that water consumption fell by 18 percent in August compared with August 2013, the baseline used by state drought regulators. The conservation rate was below the 22 percent savings achieved in August […]
Why California May Ban New Small Water Agencies
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York)by Michael LevitinCalifornia’s goal of ensuring universal access to safe drinking water, as mandated in the 2012 Human Right to Water Bill, will come a step closer to being met if Gov. Jerry Brown signs a new measure into law that halts the creation of new small, unsustainable – and in many cases dangerous – water districts […]
California WaterFix Protects Ecosystems and Improves Infrastructure
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York)by Gerald H. MeralNot many simple statements can be made about the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, except these: It’s hard to overstate the importance of the region’s resources to California – or the complexity of sharing those resources. Two out of three Californians depend upon water from the Delta, but nearly every discussion of Delta water centers on fish. That […]
It Takes A River: A 135-Mile Journey Down The Colorado
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Capital Public Radio (Sacramento)by Amy QuintonEach spring, a group of UC Davis student scientists and their professors take a whitewater rafting trip through the Grand Canyon to study a river that sustains 40 million people. Capital Public Radio’s Amy Quinton traveled with them. I’m in a raft on the Colorado River, about to hit the fastest, steepest and most treacherous […]
How Much Do El Niño and La Niña Affect Our Weather?
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Scientific American (Armonk, N.Y.)by Emily BeckerCalifornia grows more than 90 percent of the tomatoes, broccoli and almonds consumed in the U.S., as well as many other foods. These crops require a lot of water. In the spring of 2015, after four years of little winter rain, the state was in a severe drought. Reservoirs were far below capacity, and underground […]