An atypical El Niño storm system brought Northern California’s snowpack close to normal, disappointing news for state water surveyors but an improvement some officials say may justify an easing of conservation requirements. On Wednesday, the state Department of Water Resources measured the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, east of Sacramento, and found it was 97 […]
One year ago Friday, Frank Gehrke hiked out to Phillips Station and stuck a tube onto a tuft of brownish-green grass. There was no snow, but Gehrke had quite an audience. A gaggle of reporters and even Gov. Jerry Brown had assembled at the outpost 90 miles from Sacramento to watch Gehrke work and bear […]
In a symbolic moment in California’s slow but steady drought recovery, a state surveyor on Wednesday found several feet of snow in the same Sierra Nevada meadow that was bare and brown just a year ago. The depth of the snowpack was declared to be just below average, a huge improvement from last year, but […]
/in San Diego County/by Mike Lee /Associated Press (As Published by The Orange County Register)by By Elliot Spagat and Aya Batrawy
Saudi Arabia’s largest dairy company will soon be unable to farm alfalfa in its own parched country to feed its 170,000 cows. So it’s turning to an unlikely place to grow the water-chugging crop — the drought-stricken American Southwest. Almarai Co. bought land in January that roughly doubled its holdings in California’s Palo Verde Valley, […]
Snowpack Totals are Good News, and California May Relax Water-Savings Rules
/in San Diego County /by Mike Lee /The Orange County Register by By Lily LeungAn atypical El Niño storm system brought Northern California’s snowpack close to normal, disappointing news for state water surveyors but an improvement some officials say may justify an easing of conservation requirements. On Wednesday, the state Department of Water Resources measured the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, east of Sacramento, and found it was 97 […]
State Snowpack has Changed a lot in the Last Year — as have Californians’ Attitude Toward Water
/in San Diego County /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Times by By Matt StevensOne year ago Friday, Frank Gehrke hiked out to Phillips Station and stuck a tube onto a tuft of brownish-green grass. There was no snow, but Gehrke had quite an audience. A gaggle of reporters and even Gov. Jerry Brown had assembled at the outpost 90 miles from Sacramento to watch Gehrke work and bear […]
The depth of the snowpack was declared to be just below average, a huge improvement from last year, but still far from enough to declare the drought over.
/in San Diego County /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby By Matt StevensIn a symbolic moment in California’s slow but steady drought recovery, a state surveyor on Wednesday found several feet of snow in the same Sierra Nevada meadow that was bare and brown just a year ago. The depth of the snowpack was declared to be just below average, a huge improvement from last year, but […]
Saudi Land Purchases in Drought-Stricken California Fuel Debate Over U.S. Water Rights
/in San Diego County /by Mike Lee /Associated Press (As Published by The Orange County Register)by By Elliot Spagat and Aya BatrawySaudi Arabia’s largest dairy company will soon be unable to farm alfalfa in its own parched country to feed its 170,000 cows. So it’s turning to an unlikely place to grow the water-chugging crop — the drought-stricken American Southwest. Almarai Co. bought land in January that roughly doubled its holdings in California’s Palo Verde Valley, […]