A wet weekend flooded roads and reactivated slides that temporarily closed State Route 299, and even more precipitation is ahead for across Humboldt County this week. “Our crews have been out there working throughout the night responding to literally dozens of incidents,” Caltrans public information officer Phil Frisbie said on Sunday. The landslide that closed […]
Populations of the threatened Delta smelt have plummeted to the lowest in history. The three-inch fish is often the focus of California’s water wars. Every fall and spring, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife conducts trawls to determine populations of the threatened Delta Smelt. This year the department hasn’t netted more than seven fish […]
After three years of an unprecedented drought, a “Godzilla” El Niño formed in the western Pacific. Previous years with strong El Niños had been unusually wet, with the warm patch sending one wet system after another rolling into the region. California had essentially missed two years’ worth of precipitation. Surveying the wet season to come […]
The weekend storm bolstered Lake Oroville’s water level to its highest level in nearly three years. As of 4 p.m. Monday, the lake elevation was at 792.32 feet, 107.68 feet from the dam’s crest of 900 feet above sea level. Since Thursday, the lake has risen 20.5 feet. The last time Lake Oroville was this […]
With El Niño rains returning in earnest, dam operators ramped up water releases Monday from Folsom Lake as a precaution against flooding. They will double the intensity of the releases early Tuesday. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said it raised the release levels to 8,000 cubic feet per second early Monday afternoon, nearly doubling the […]
March storms are building the Sierra Nevada snowpack and helping to fill key reservoirs that are tapped in the spring and summer for water supply. The recent series of storms brought more snow to the Sierra Nevada – mostly in the northern Sierra. Maury Roos, a hydrologist with the California Department of Water Resources, says […]
Rain, Wind, Waves, Snow and Possibly Hail Ahead This Week
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Times Standard (Eureka)by By Hunter CresswellA wet weekend flooded roads and reactivated slides that temporarily closed State Route 299, and even more precipitation is ahead for across Humboldt County this week. “Our crews have been out there working throughout the night responding to literally dozens of incidents,” Caltrans public information officer Phil Frisbie said on Sunday. The landslide that closed […]
Delta Smelt Populations Plummet 2nd Year in a Row
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Capital Public Radio (Sacramento)by By Amy QuintonPopulations of the threatened Delta smelt have plummeted to the lowest in history. The three-inch fish is often the focus of California’s water wars. Every fall and spring, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife conducts trawls to determine populations of the threatened Delta Smelt. This year the department hasn’t netted more than seven fish […]
Is El Niño Finally Ending California’s Drought?
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Atlantic (Washington, D.C.)by By Robinson MeyerAfter three years of an unprecedented drought, a “Godzilla” El Niño formed in the western Pacific. Previous years with strong El Niños had been unusually wet, with the warm patch sending one wet system after another rolling into the region. California had essentially missed two years’ worth of precipitation. Surveying the wet season to come […]
Storm Pushes Lake Oroville to Highest Water Level in Nearly Three Years
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Chico Enterprise-Record by By Ryan OlsonThe weekend storm bolstered Lake Oroville’s water level to its highest level in nearly three years. As of 4 p.m. Monday, the lake elevation was at 792.32 feet, 107.68 feet from the dam’s crest of 900 feet above sea level. Since Thursday, the lake has risen 20.5 feet. The last time Lake Oroville was this […]
Folsom Lake Water Releases Rise As Rain Continues
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby By Dale KaslerWith El Niño rains returning in earnest, dam operators ramped up water releases Monday from Folsom Lake as a precaution against flooding. They will double the intensity of the releases early Tuesday. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said it raised the release levels to 8,000 cubic feet per second early Monday afternoon, nearly doubling the […]
Storms Boost Sierra Nevada Snowpack, Reservoirs
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Capital Public Radio (Sacramento)by By Ed JoyceMarch storms are building the Sierra Nevada snowpack and helping to fill key reservoirs that are tapped in the spring and summer for water supply. The recent series of storms brought more snow to the Sierra Nevada – mostly in the northern Sierra. Maury Roos, a hydrologist with the California Department of Water Resources, says […]