Tag Archive for: California drought

A Parched West Remains Divided on Desalinating Seawater

/in , , /by /PEWby Matt Vasilogambros

Gripped by drought, communities along California’s coast are exploring innovations and investments to ensure residents have access to drinking water. But desalinating seawater, one proposed solution, has provoked heated debate, as some environmentalists say the process is inefficient, expensive and unneeded.

The California Coastal Commission next month will decide whether to approve a private company’s application to build a $1.4 billion seawater desalination facility in Huntington Beach, southeast of Los Angeles. An approval would cap a 15-year permitting process to bring Southern California its second, large-scale seawater desalination facility—joining another in Carlsbad that fully opened in 2015.

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H2O and the Central Coast: the Critical Connections Between Water, Jobs and Housing

/in , /by /KSBYby Delaney White and Richard Gearhart

A fairly decent start to this year’s rainy season quickly dried up.

The Central Coast of California is a story of ebbs and flows, wet years and drought.

From man-made reservoirs to underground aquifers, we need to store rain that falls in wet years to help supply the never-ending demand for water during the dry years. But it’s a constant battle to make sure there’s enough set aside to go around.

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Why Are San Diego Water Rates So High?

/in , /by /KPBSby Emilyn Mohebbi Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Conservation efforts combined with projects across San Diego are playing a role in putting the county in a better position to weather a drought, but is also leaving the county with some of the highest water rates in the state — higher than Los Angeles County.

A new report by Arizona State University environmental economist Michael Hanemann offers an analysis of water rates in San Diego County. He found that the San Diego County Water Authority’s wholesale rate for untreated water is $400 more per acre-foot than the Metropolitan Water District in Los Angeles.

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California’s Drought-Relief Dreams Are Quickly Drying Up

/in , , /by /Bloombergby Brian K Sullivan, Mark Chediak, and Elizabeth Elkin

As recently as Christmas, it looked like California’s devastating drought could—if not fully disappear—at least be on track for serious improvement by spring. That’s no longer the case.

California’s snowpack was promisingly high at the start of the year after Pacific storms in October and December delivered a round of heavy rains and deep snows. But it has since dropped below where officials hoped it would be for this time of year after those early-season cloudbursts turned out to be isolated events.

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California’s 2022 Water Year – Both Wet and Dry

/in , , /by /California WaterBlogby Jay Lund

After two years of solid drought, and four months into California’s “wet” season, we don’t know if this year will be wet or dry.  This is normal for California.  But this year’s monthly precipitation “whiplash” is unusual.

For northern California, October was the 2nd wettest October in 102 years of record (400% of average October from one 2-day storm!).  November was the 31st driest November (50% of average). December was the 23rd wettest December (160% of average), and January was the 7th driest January on record (16% of average).

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California Snowpack Dwindles After a Dry January

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith

California’s second snow survey of the season arrived on the heels of one of the state’s driest Januarys on record, and officials are warning that a third dry year is possible unless more rain and snow arrive soon.

Surveyors from the California Department of Water Resources gathered Tuesday at Phillips Station near South Lake Tahoe to announce their latest findings. Statewide snowpack has dwindled to 92% of average for the date, they said.

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California Drought: Sierra Nevada Snowpack Falls Below Average After Dry January

/in , , /by /The Mercury Timesby Paul Rogers

Like the 49ers fourth-quarter lead in Sunday’s NFC Championship game, California’s once-impressive Sierra Nevada snowpack is steadily shrinking.

Only a month ago on New Year’s Day, after big atmospheric river storms in October and December, the statewide Sierra snowpack stood at an impressive 168% of normal for that date, boosting hopes that the state’s severe drought might be ending.

But on Monday, the magnificent became mediocre: The snowpack had fallen to just 93% of its historical average.

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Opinion: Water May Cost More Now, But 30 Years Ago San Diego Almost Ran Out

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Gary Croucher Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the cost of water — and that makes sense given the economic realities faced by many residents, farmers, and businesses. But it also seems that newer generations of San Diegans do not know that there was a time when we didn’t have water when and where we needed it.

Thankfully, that’s not a problem in San Diego County today even though elsewhere drought-stricken communities face the potential of only having enough water to meet basic health and safety needs.

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Proposed Ballot Measure to Build More California Dams, Desalination Projects Likely to Be Withdrawn Due to Lack of Money and Signatures

/in , , /by /Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers

Despite California’s drought, a proposed statewide November ballot measure to speed up the construction of new dams and other large water projects — and provide billions of dollars to fund them — has fallen short in its fundraising goals and is likely to be withdrawn by early next week.

The initiative would require that 2% of California’s general fund, or about $4 billion, be set aside every year to expand water supplies. Those could include new dams and reservoirs, desalination plants, recycled water plants and other projects such as upgrading canals and pipes. The measure also would streamline permitting for those projects.

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February Could Be the Make-Or-Break Month for California’s Drought

/in , , /by /ABC 10by Monica Woods

California is nearing that make-or-break point to pick up some rain and snow totals. January has turned out to be a total bust for big storms, continuing that winter whiplash of wet to dry weather.

Almost all the gains we’ve made reducing the severity of our two-year drought came from storms in October and December. In October, those gains were from one big atmospheric river sitting over the state for days. December saw multiple storms ending in a record setting snowiest month for the Sierra.

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