California’s devastating 4-year-old drought showed signs Thursday of easing its grip on the nation’s most populous state — if only a little. For the first time in three years, less than 90% of California is in drought, the U.S. Drought Monitor, a federal website that tracks the dry conditions, reported. The decrease may not sound like a lot, but it’s […]
The El Nino rains have brought some relief to drought-stricken California. The U.S. Drought Monitor is reporting that the percentage of the state in exceptional drought is half of what it was at the beginning of the year – 21 percent versus 44.8 percent in January. At least one water district has decided to loosen […]
There’s something different about Will Bucklin’s grape vines. At first it’s hard to notice, but a drive through northern California’s Sonoma Valley, past waves of green, manicured vineyards, makes it clear. The black ribbon of PVC irrigation pipe that typically threads the vines is curiously absent here – because Will doesn’t water his crops. Bucklin’s […]
Water supplies in many California public schools have repeatedly exceeded safe drinking standards. The report from the Community Water Center looked at nearly 7,000 public schools around California. It found between 2003 and 2014, up to 24 percent of the schools had water that violated safe standards. “Bacterial and arsenic violations were the most common types […]
California’s attempt to exert tighter control over groundwater use, the purpose of a landmark 2014 state law, was designed to be a compromise between state authority and local oversight. The tension dogged the writing of the law two years ago, and is playing out again as the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) drafts the […]
Thunder and lightning hit the north valley this week and flashing, booming skies could continue through Saturday evening. “There’s an unsettled pattern, we do have a large trough of low pressure over the West Coast right now,” said Karl Swanberg, a forecaster with the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office. “These enhanced features, they just rotate […]
Less than 90% of California in Drought for 1st Time in 3 Years
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /USA Todayby By Doyle RiceCalifornia’s devastating 4-year-old drought showed signs Thursday of easing its grip on the nation’s most populous state — if only a little. For the first time in three years, less than 90% of California is in drought, the U.S. Drought Monitor, a federal website that tracks the dry conditions, reported. The decrease may not sound like a lot, but it’s […]
California Drought Eases, But It’s Far From Over
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /WBUR (Boston)The El Nino rains have brought some relief to drought-stricken California. The U.S. Drought Monitor is reporting that the percentage of the state in exceptional drought is half of what it was at the beginning of the year – 21 percent versus 44.8 percent in January. At least one water district has decided to loosen […]
When in drought: the California farmers who don’t water their crops
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Guardian (San Francisco)by Charlotte SimmondsThere’s something different about Will Bucklin’s grape vines. At first it’s hard to notice, but a drive through northern California’s Sonoma Valley, past waves of green, manicured vineyards, makes it clear. The black ribbon of PVC irrigation pipe that typically threads the vines is curiously absent here – because Will doesn’t water his crops. Bucklin’s […]
Report Finds Unsafe Water May Affect 24 Percent of California Public Schools
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Capital Public Radio (Sacramento)by By Amy QuintonWater supplies in many California public schools have repeatedly exceeded safe drinking standards. The report from the Community Water Center looked at nearly 7,000 public schools around California. It found between 2003 and 2014, up to 24 percent of the schools had water that violated safe standards. “Bacterial and arsenic violations were the most common types […]
BLOG: California Groundwater Regulation Hangs on a Few Words
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Circle of Blue by By Brett WaltonCalifornia’s attempt to exert tighter control over groundwater use, the purpose of a landmark 2014 state law, was designed to be a compromise between state authority and local oversight. The tension dogged the writing of the law two years ago, and is playing out again as the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) drafts the […]
More Thunderstorms Due; Lake Oroville Could Keep Rising
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Chico Enterprise-Recordby By Dan ReidelThunder and lightning hit the north valley this week and flashing, booming skies could continue through Saturday evening. “There’s an unsettled pattern, we do have a large trough of low pressure over the West Coast right now,” said Karl Swanberg, a forecaster with the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office. “These enhanced features, they just rotate […]