Water management plans for agricultural water districts will be expanded, and more districts will be required to submit the plans, under an executive order issued last week by California Gov. Jerry Brown. The requirements came as part of an order that also requires urban water agencies to make permanent a number of water-efficiency measures instituted […]
House Republicans this week are adding a controversial California water bill to an unrelated Senate energy package, opening a new front in a fight that’s already put Democrats on the defensive. The unexpected energy bill maneuver gives San Joaquin Valley lawmakers a third vehicle they might propel all the way to the White House. At […]
The last time two states went to war over water, it was 1934. The combatants were California and Arizona and the casus belli was the start of construction of Parker Dam, which would direct water from the Colorado River into California via the Colorado River Aqueduct. The episode unfolded with a sort of Gilbert and Sullivan absurdity. Arizona’s […]
There have been repeated false claims by The Bee’s guest opinion writers and letter writers stating that San Joaquin River water is being “wasted” to the sea. In fact, not one drop of restoration water in the San Joaquin River over the last five years has reached the ocean. Just drive across the riverbed out […]
It’s already late May. But parts of Northern California got another blast of rain and snow this weekend, helping the state’s drought relief efforts. A spring storm dropped rain in parts of Northern California on Saturday afternoon, but it was less severe than the one a day earlier that dumped up to 13 inches of […]
Congress could be taking another swing at modernizing the state’s water management policies to provide both short- and long-term solutions, under legislation introduced by 3rd District Congressman John Garamendi, D-Fairfield. Whether the package introduced Tuesday will make it through Congress, however, is anyone’s guess. California lawmakers have been trying for the last three years to […]
Governor’s Order Expands Water Efficiency Rules
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Porterville Recorder by Kate CampbellWater management plans for agricultural water districts will be expanded, and more districts will be required to submit the plans, under an executive order issued last week by California Gov. Jerry Brown. The requirements came as part of an order that also requires urban water agencies to make permanent a number of water-efficiency measures instituted […]
California Water Bill Has Three Possible Paths for Passage
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Bee by Michael DoyleHouse Republicans this week are adding a controversial California water bill to an unrelated Senate energy package, opening a new front in a fight that’s already put Democrats on the defensive. The unexpected energy bill maneuver gives San Joaquin Valley lawmakers a third vehicle they might propel all the way to the White House. At […]
As Lake Mead Swindles, Can An Interstate Water War Be Far Behind?
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Times by Michael HiltzikThe last time two states went to war over water, it was 1934. The combatants were California and Arizona and the casus belli was the start of construction of Parker Dam, which would direct water from the Colorado River into California via the Colorado River Aqueduct. The episode unfolded with a sort of Gilbert and Sullivan absurdity. Arizona’s […]
OPINION: Many Myths in San Joaquin River Politics
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Fresno BeeThere have been repeated false claims by The Bee’s guest opinion writers and letter writers stating that San Joaquin River water is being “wasted” to the sea. In fact, not one drop of restoration water in the San Joaquin River over the last five years has reached the ocean. Just drive across the riverbed out […]
Northern California Hit By More Rain and Snow
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Associated Press (As Published by Los Angeles Times)It’s already late May. But parts of Northern California got another blast of rain and snow this weekend, helping the state’s drought relief efforts. A spring storm dropped rain in parts of Northern California on Saturday afternoon, but it was less severe than the one a day earlier that dumped up to 13 inches of […]
Garamendi, Congress Take Another Stab at Water Legislation
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Chico Enterprise-Recordby By Jim SmithCongress could be taking another swing at modernizing the state’s water management policies to provide both short- and long-term solutions, under legislation introduced by 3rd District Congressman John Garamendi, D-Fairfield. Whether the package introduced Tuesday will make it through Congress, however, is anyone’s guess. California lawmakers have been trying for the last three years to […]