Wedged between Arizona and Utah, less than 20 miles up river from the Grand Canyon, a soaring concrete wall nearly the height of two football fields blocks the flow of the Colorado River. There, at Glen Canyon Dam, the river is turned back on itself, drowning more than 200 miles of plasma-red gorges and replacing […]
If item number one on your summer to-do list is to witness the booming waterfalls of Yosemite National Park, you’re in for a treat. Water levels appear to have rebounded from four years of drought and we’re now in a window of peak waterfall conditions. United States Geological Survey numbers indicate water under the Pohono […]
I want to be absolutely clear that whatever it takes, we cannot allow the twin tunnels to ever be built. Sized for a capacity of 15,000 cubic feet per second, they are capable of taking all the water that flows down the Sacramento River for half of every year. The tunnels are the ultimate vampire […]
Those tasked with keeping gritty stormwater from reaching Lake Tahoe are looking into whether the roads are actually a problem. “Pavement wear” is what Russ Wigart, with El Dorado County, called it. “We completely annihilate our roads on an annual basis,” Wigart said. “Fifteen to 25 percent of fine sediment is from pavement. Maybe we could […]
In another sign of the warming climate, key species of trees in California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range — including lodge pole pine, red fir and western white pine — are shifting to higher elevations in search of cooler temperatures, a broad new study by state biologists has found. From south of Lake Tahoe to the […]
Think the current California drought has been tough? It will get worse in the future, because the state is always growing. But quantifying that effect has largely been guesswork. Until now. A new study in Environmental Research Letters by scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Nature Conservancy estimates how water demand will […]
How the Water Crisis in the West Renewed the Debate About the Effectiveness of Major Dams
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Truthdig (Santa Monica) by Abrahm LustgartenWedged between Arizona and Utah, less than 20 miles up river from the Grand Canyon, a soaring concrete wall nearly the height of two football fields blocks the flow of the Colorado River. There, at Glen Canyon Dam, the river is turned back on itself, drowning more than 200 miles of plasma-red gorges and replacing […]
Yosemite Waterfalls Roaring Following Four Years of Drought
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /SFGate (San Francisco)by Bill DisbrowIf item number one on your summer to-do list is to witness the booming waterfalls of Yosemite National Park, you’re in for a treat. Water levels appear to have rebounded from four years of drought and we’re now in a window of peak waterfall conditions. United States Geological Survey numbers indicate water under the Pohono […]
Guest view: ‘No twin tunnels,’ but legislation would help temper many concerns
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Stockton Recordby Rep. John GaramendiI want to be absolutely clear that whatever it takes, we cannot allow the twin tunnels to ever be built. Sized for a capacity of 15,000 cubic feet per second, they are capable of taking all the water that flows down the Sacramento River for half of every year. The tunnels are the ultimate vampire […]
Stormwater Collection in Tahoe Keeps Evolving
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Lake Tahoe NewsThose tasked with keeping gritty stormwater from reaching Lake Tahoe are looking into whether the roads are actually a problem. “Pavement wear” is what Russ Wigart, with El Dorado County, called it. “We completely annihilate our roads on an annual basis,” Wigart said. “Fifteen to 25 percent of fine sediment is from pavement. Maybe we could […]
New study: Sierra Nevada Forests Shifting to Higher Elevations as Temperatures Warm
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /East Bay Times (Walnut Creek)by Paul RogersIn another sign of the warming climate, key species of trees in California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range — including lodge pole pine, red fir and western white pine — are shifting to higher elevations in search of cooler temperatures, a broad new study by state biologists has found. From south of Lake Tahoe to the […]
BLOG: Study: Urbanization to Boost Water Demand
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York) by Matt WeiserThink the current California drought has been tough? It will get worse in the future, because the state is always growing. But quantifying that effect has largely been guesswork. Until now. A new study in Environmental Research Letters by scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Nature Conservancy estimates how water demand will […]