California is moving forward with rules for how water districts can turn what goes down your toilet back into drinking water. State regulators are taking comments on a kind of water recycling where wastewater sits in a lake before being treated. Next up might be a way to skip the wait. The state already has […]
The blob is back. Since 2014, a mass of unusually warm water has hovered and swelled in the Pacific Ocean off the West Coast of North America, playing havoc with marine wildlife, water quality and the regional weather. Earlier this year, weather and oceanography experts thought it was waning. But no: The Blob came back, and […]
As California enters the sixth year of its historic drought, something unusual is happening: It’s raining. And raining. Rainfall is expected across much of the Bay Area again Sunday, with another storm coming Halloween night. Marin, Sonoma and other North Bay counties should get the biggest soaking. Meteorologists stress that it’s only the very beginning […]
California water agencies that spent more than $350 million in the last two years of drought to pay property owners to rip out water-slurping lawns are now trying to answer whether the nation’s biggest lawn removal experiment was all worth the cost. Around the state, water experts and water-district employees are employing satellite images, infrared […]
Recent news items raise concerns about California’s ongoing struggle to deal with the punishing drought. The Desert Sun’s Ian James reported this month that Coachella Valley water agencies have logged a huge drop in conservation compared to the great efforts seen during 2015 and the first half of this year. Coachella Valley Water District customers […]
One small change in the world has led to mind-blowing effects for Northern California, nature and the outdoor prospects for winter and the next year. That small change was a shift in mid-October in the location of the jet stream, the conveyor belt of storms. The deluges that have followed stopped a Tahoe fire, saturated […]
California State Considers New Rules For Waste Water Recycling
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Capital Public Radio (Sacramento)by Daniel PotterCalifornia is moving forward with rules for how water districts can turn what goes down your toilet back into drinking water. State regulators are taking comments on a kind of water recycling where wastewater sits in a lake before being treated. Next up might be a way to skip the wait. The state already has […]
BLOG: ‘The Blob’ Is Back: What Warm Ocean Mass Means for Weather, Wildlife
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York)by Matt WeiserThe blob is back. Since 2014, a mass of unusually warm water has hovered and swelled in the Pacific Ocean off the West Coast of North America, playing havoc with marine wildlife, water quality and the regional weather. Earlier this year, weather and oceanography experts thought it was waning. But no: The Blob came back, and […]
California Drought: Is October Rain Making A Difference?
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The San Jose Mercury Newsby Paul RogersAs California enters the sixth year of its historic drought, something unusual is happening: It’s raining. And raining. Rainfall is expected across much of the Bay Area again Sunday, with another storm coming Halloween night. Marin, Sonoma and other North Bay counties should get the biggest soaking. Meteorologists stress that it’s only the very beginning […]
In California, A $350 Million Social Experiment Over Lawns
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Associated Press (As published by The Seattle Times)by Ellen KnickmeyerCalifornia water agencies that spent more than $350 million in the last two years of drought to pay property owners to rip out water-slurping lawns are now trying to answer whether the nation’s biggest lawn removal experiment was all worth the cost. Around the state, water experts and water-district employees are employing satellite images, infrared […]
OPINION: Californians Must Recommit To Water Conservation
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)Recent news items raise concerns about California’s ongoing struggle to deal with the punishing drought. The Desert Sun’s Ian James reported this month that Coachella Valley water agencies have logged a huge drop in conservation compared to the great efforts seen during 2015 and the first half of this year. Coachella Valley Water District customers […]
Wet Fall Changes Everything For Northern California
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /San Francisco Chronicleby Tom StienstraOne small change in the world has led to mind-blowing effects for Northern California, nature and the outdoor prospects for winter and the next year. That small change was a shift in mid-October in the location of the jet stream, the conveyor belt of storms. The deluges that have followed stopped a Tahoe fire, saturated […]