“You can’t always get what you want but if you try sometimes you just might find You get what you need,” Rolling Stones (1969, Let It Bleed album) The ongoing California drought has many lessons for water managers and policy-makers. Perhaps the greatest lesson is how unimportant a drought can be if we manage water […]
Fed by gushing runoff, some area reservoirs are filling fast: Lake Spaulding, which provides much of the water for the Auburn area is at 173 percent of normal, and Folsom Lake is at 118 percent. Given rising levels, water leaders in Placer County rescinded an emergency drought status on Thursday. The Placer County Water Agency […]
The return of rain and snow to California “could be helpful” to prospects for bringing federal water to farms this year, but officials could still be a couple of weeks from making that determination, a spokesman says. The Central Valley Project typically makes its initial allocations to cities, farms and other entities in late February, […]
Warning that a drought-driven surge in well drilling is causing the earth to sag and imperiling long-term water supplies, a California senator wants to place more stringent limits on new wells. In an effort sure to inflame ever-sensitive disputes over water rights, Senate Bill 1317, by Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, would have people hoping to […]
Two words. Nine letters. That’s what it takes to sum up Ventura County’s rainfall so far this year. Not enough. “The rain we’re getting now is not enough,” said Casitas Municipal Water District’s Ron Merckling as showers started earlier this week.
History is best not forgotten, especially when lives could be at stake. Earlier this month, operators of the federal dam at Folsom Lake significantly increased releases into the American River, even though California’s water crisis is far from over. Though the reservoir was sitting at 40 percent of capacity, a manual drawn up in 1987 […]
You Can’t Always Get What You Want – A Mick Jagger Theory of Drought Management
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /California WaterBlog (Davis)by Jay Lund“You can’t always get what you want but if you try sometimes you just might find You get what you need,” Rolling Stones (1969, Let It Bleed album) The ongoing California drought has many lessons for water managers and policy-makers. Perhaps the greatest lesson is how unimportant a drought can be if we manage water […]
Spaulding, Folsom Lakes Well Above Normal
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Auburn Journalby Michael MottFed by gushing runoff, some area reservoirs are filling fast: Lake Spaulding, which provides much of the water for the Auburn area is at 173 percent of normal, and Folsom Lake is at 118 percent. Given rising levels, water leaders in Placer County rescinded an emergency drought status on Thursday. The Placer County Water Agency […]
Feds Consider Initial CVP Water Allocation for Farms, Cities
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Capital Press (Salem, Ore.)by Tim HeardenThe return of rain and snow to California “could be helpful” to prospects for bringing federal water to farms this year, but officials could still be a couple of weeks from making that determination, a spokesman says. The Central Valley Project typically makes its initial allocations to cities, farms and other entities in late February, […]
New Limits on California Well-Drilling Sought
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Jeremy B. WhiteWarning that a drought-driven surge in well drilling is causing the earth to sag and imperiling long-term water supplies, a California senator wants to place more stringent limits on new wells. In an effort sure to inflame ever-sensitive disputes over water rights, Senate Bill 1317, by Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, would have people hoping to […]
No Drought Buster, But March, April Could Bring Rain
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Ventura County Starby Cheri CarlsonTwo words. Nine letters. That’s what it takes to sum up Ventura County’s rainfall so far this year. Not enough. “The rain we’re getting now is not enough,” said Casitas Municipal Water District’s Ron Merckling as showers started earlier this week.
OPINION: When Drought Became Deluge 30 Years Ago
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento BeeHistory is best not forgotten, especially when lives could be at stake. Earlier this month, operators of the federal dam at Folsom Lake significantly increased releases into the American River, even though California’s water crisis is far from over. Though the reservoir was sitting at 40 percent of capacity, a manual drawn up in 1987 […]