The water level in Lake Shasta, California’s largest reservoir, had plunged to less than a third of normal by the end of last year. Then came the El Niño rainfall, which by April had tripled the volume of water in the lake. The story is similar in Trinity Lake, part of the same network of federal […]
/in California and the U.S./by Mike Lee /Union of Concerned Scientists (Cambridge, Mass.)by Juliet Christian-Smith Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority
Necessity is the mother of invention and California’s ongoing drought is teaching us that water suppliers can be very creative when they need to be. Sometimes that is a good thing, particularly when we see water utilities meeting and exceeding Governor Brown’s call for 25 percent water conservation. In other cases, pursuing new, “drought-proof” water […]
It would be easy to think California may not have a lot to learn from farmers in places like the Great Plains. After all, the Golden State is a leader in so many things: computer technology, environmental policy, social justice issues, lifestyle and culinary trends. But farmers in the Great Plains and other parts of […]
The Sierra snowpack, which is responsible for more than 60 percent of California’s water, won’t likely make it back to its pre-drought levels until 2019, scientists said in a study published this week, dashing the hopes of those who believed one extremely wet El Niño year could alleviate the state’s water crisis. In the study, […]
Families in a poor farming community where hundreds of domestic wells have dried up during California’s historic drought will soon have clean water again flowing into their homes, officials said Wednesday. The state announced plans to spend $10 million to begin connecting unincorporated East Porterville in Tulare County to the water system of neighboring Porterville. […]
A lethal combination of drought, heat and voracious bark beetles has killed 26 million trees in the Sierra Nevada over the last eight months — an alarming finding for a state already raging with wildfires fueled by desiccated landscapes. The dire estimate offered Wednesday by federal officials brings the loss of trees since 2010 to at […]
OPINION: California needs to conserve water like the drought is here to stay
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Los Angeles TimesThe water level in Lake Shasta, California’s largest reservoir, had plunged to less than a third of normal by the end of last year. Then came the El Niño rainfall, which by April had tripled the volume of water in the lake. The story is similar in Trinity Lake, part of the same network of federal […]
BLOG: Water Sector Is at a Crossroads as Drought Drags On
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Union of Concerned Scientists (Cambridge, Mass.)by Juliet Christian-Smith Mentioned: San Diego County Water AuthorityNecessity is the mother of invention and California’s ongoing drought is teaching us that water suppliers can be very creative when they need to be. Sometimes that is a good thing, particularly when we see water utilities meeting and exceeding Governor Brown’s call for 25 percent water conservation. In other cases, pursuing new, “drought-proof” water […]
BLOG: California: Catching Up With the Irrigation World
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York)by Matt WeiserIt would be easy to think California may not have a lot to learn from farmers in places like the Great Plains. After all, the Golden State is a leader in so many things: computer technology, environmental policy, social justice issues, lifestyle and culinary trends. But farmers in the Great Plains and other parts of […]
Study shows Sierra snowpack 3 years away from pre-drought levels
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /SFGate (San Francisco)by Kevin SchultzThe Sierra snowpack, which is responsible for more than 60 percent of California’s water, won’t likely make it back to its pre-drought levels until 2019, scientists said in a study published this week, dashing the hopes of those who believed one extremely wet El Niño year could alleviate the state’s water crisis. In the study, […]
State: Dry California Town Soon to Have Running Water Return
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Associated Press (As Published by ABC News)by scott smithFamilies in a poor farming community where hundreds of domestic wells have dried up during California’s historic drought will soon have clean water again flowing into their homes, officials said Wednesday. The state announced plans to spend $10 million to begin connecting unincorporated East Porterville in Tulare County to the water system of neighboring Porterville. […]
26 million trees have died in the Sierra since October, raising fire risk
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Los Angeles Timesby Matt Stevens and Corina KnollA lethal combination of drought, heat and voracious bark beetles has killed 26 million trees in the Sierra Nevada over the last eight months — an alarming finding for a state already raging with wildfires fueled by desiccated landscapes. The dire estimate offered Wednesday by federal officials brings the loss of trees since 2010 to at […]