If you were thirsting for some good news about the water crisis, the panelists at the Lobero Theater on Sunday had some. It’s true, they said, that 700 million people around the globe are without access to safe drinking water. Polluted rivers still catch on fire. People still get sick from water-borne diseases such as cholera, […]
Several months after storms fueled by a fierce El Niño exploded over the northern Sierra Nevada, California’s mountain snowpack has nearly disappeared. Scientists bid adieu last week to an El Niño that had been among the strongest on record, but that brought disappointingly few wintertime snowflakes and raindrops to the Southwest. Snow that bucketed down […]
Fresh grape production in California continues to supply global consumers with a premium standard that has set the bar high. Looking at production during 2015, Barry Bedwell, president of the California Fresh Fruit Association told The Produce News, “We had 110.5 million boxes of grapes.” This bodes well for an industry, which set a […]
The linchpin of California’s climate change agenda, a program known as cap and trade, has become mired in legal, financial and political troubles that threaten to derail the state’s plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The program has been a symbol of the state’s leadership in the fight against global warming and a key source of funding, most notably for the high-speed rail […]
Two farm groups have joined a broad coalition that wants the state Fish and Game Commission to address the issue of non-native, predatory fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The California Farm Bureau Federation and Western Growers have teamed with water districts and conservation groups to petition the state body, asking that fishing controls […]
Last June, the State Water Resources Control Board (water board, from here on) warned some senior rights holders that the surface supplies did not contain enough water to meet their needs. Several kept slurping, and the water board slapped one offender (the Byron Bethany Irrigation District) with a $1.5 million fine. Byron Bethany appealed. Last week, […]
The ‘Third Age’ of Water: Stretching Every Drop Efficiency Plus Conservation is Smarter, Cheaper than Dams and Desal, Experts Say
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Santa Barbara Independentby Melinda Burns Mentioned: Carlsbad Desalination PlantIf you were thirsting for some good news about the water crisis, the panelists at the Lobero Theater on Sunday had some. It’s true, they said, that 700 million people around the globe are without access to safe drinking water. Polluted rivers still catch on fire. People still get sick from water-borne diseases such as cholera, […]
The Weird Weather That Entrenched California’s Drought
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Climate Central (New York)by John UptonSeveral months after storms fueled by a fierce El Niño exploded over the northern Sierra Nevada, California’s mountain snowpack has nearly disappeared. Scientists bid adieu last week to an El Niño that had been among the strongest on record, but that brought disappointingly few wintertime snowflakes and raindrops to the Southwest. Snow that bucketed down […]
California Grape Production Continues to Set the Bar High
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Produce News (Oradell, N.J.)by Lora AbcarianFresh grape production in California continues to supply global consumers with a premium standard that has set the bar high. Looking at production during 2015, Barry Bedwell, president of the California Fresh Fruit Association told The Produce News, “We had 110.5 million boxes of grapes.” This bodes well for an industry, which set a […]
California’s Cap-and-Trade Program Faces Daunting Hurdles to Avoid Collapse
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Times by Chris Megerian and Ralph VartabedianThe linchpin of California’s climate change agenda, a program known as cap and trade, has become mired in legal, financial and political troubles that threaten to derail the state’s plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The program has been a symbol of the state’s leadership in the fight against global warming and a key source of funding, most notably for the high-speed rail […]
Groups Petition State to Address Predatory Fish in Delta
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Capital Press (Salem, Ore.)by Tim HeardenTwo farm groups have joined a broad coalition that wants the state Fish and Game Commission to address the issue of non-native, predatory fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The California Farm Bureau Federation and Western Growers have teamed with water districts and conservation groups to petition the state body, asking that fishing controls […]
Fun Fact: Lots of California Isn’t Metering Its Water
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /WIRED (Boone, Iowa)by Nick StocktonLast June, the State Water Resources Control Board (water board, from here on) warned some senior rights holders that the surface supplies did not contain enough water to meet their needs. Several kept slurping, and the water board slapped one offender (the Byron Bethany Irrigation District) with a $1.5 million fine. Byron Bethany appealed. Last week, […]