Farmers in California’s Central Valley are in for another brutal summer of drought.
The federal government announced initial 2022 water allocations Wednesday for customers of the Central Valley Project, and the figures were dismal: Most irrigation districts in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys can expect to receive no deliveries from the project’s vast network of reservoirs and canals.
La Niña is expected to stick around for at least a little while longer, with the transition back to neutral conditions most likely not taking place until at least later in spring.
That’s according to the latest forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center forecast, which was released late last week.
NOAA says there’s an approximately 77% chance that La Niña conditions will linger between March and May. Forecasters also favor the transition back to neutral occurring from June to August, giving that a 57% chance.
Atmospheric Rivers are a fact of life in California and the West Coast. They carry large enough amounts of water to end a drought, but at the same time cause significant destruction to life and property.
A relatively new partnership between the Scripps Institution for Oceanography, NOAA, and the Air Force is using the Hurricane Hunters to fly into the storms with aims to improve forecasts and our understanding of Atmospheric River events.
A new poll shows an overwhelming majority of Utah residents are concerned about the drought and a mostly dry January isn’t doing much to ease those worries.
The Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics survey tapped 815 registered voters from Jan. 20 to Jan. 28, finding 82% of respondents are concerned over current drought conditions in Utah in contrast to 17% who said they are not worried. Another 1% said they didn’t know.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.43 percentage points.
“Dry January” usually means abstinence from alcohol following the excesses of the holiday season, but this year it took on another meaning as well.
While December storms brought more than double the normal level of precipitation, January saw Arizona and other Western states return to drought conditions.
According to a Jan. 21 report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the overall area of the West in drought has increased from 77% to 88%. Despite this general increase, the percentage of areas experiencing exceptional drought dropped from 22% to 3%.
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.
As part of its preventive maintenance program to safeguard its water supply and reduce water loss, the Otay Water District is conducting leak inspections of its pipeline system. Leak detection and repair programs save water by ensuring water system integrity. The District uses state-of-the-art equipment to inspect its water distribution system for leaks in pipelines, meters, and valves. The equipment is designed to “listen” for leaks and can pinpoint the location of even the smallest water leak. Once identified, crews will schedule the needed repairs.
Otay’s contractor, Utility Services Associates, will inspect approximately 173 miles of potable water mains in Rancho San Diego, El Cajon, and Jamul, along with potable and recycled water mains in areas of Chula Vista. The work is now underway.
Water leaks often account for a substantial portion of lost revenue in water utility systems. If just small single-digit percentages of water carried by the Otay Water District’s pipelines were lost to leaks, it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per year and waste a precious resource.
The District’s contractor, Utility Services Associates, will inspect approximately 173 miles of potable water mains in Rancho San Diego, El Cajon, and Jamul, along with potable and recycled water mains in areas of Chula Vista. Photo: Otay Water District
Otay Water District customers may see workers inspecting the meter in front of their home or business, typically between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Some weekend and night work may also be required. The duration of the inspection can range from a few minutes to one day.
Workers will be wearing a Utility Services Associates logo and carry company identification. They will not need access to customers’ homes or property but may contact customers if they need to momentarily shut off their water supply for further testing. They will not shut off the water supply without permission from someone at the home or property.
Workers may be lifting water meter covers, inspecting, and attaching equipment to meters or valves. If a leak is suspected, the Otay Water District will contact the customer and advise them of the potential leak.
The inspection has an estimated completion date of Friday, April 29, 2022, subject to weather and other circumstances.
Customers with questions on the Leak Detection Program can contact Otay Water District’s customer service representatives at (619) 670-2222.
(Editor’s note: The Otay Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)
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.
Drought is exposing new layers of risk posed by PFAS contamination in drinking water nationwide, a public health hazard expected to cost billions of dollars and take years to solve, state and federal officials say.
As the historic drought hitting much of the country decreases the flow of rivers and streams, more municipalities are drawing water from underground aquifers and wells. And emerging data shows PFAS contamination could be prevalent in some of those groundwater sources.
Daniel Sinton’s family has raised cattle on their 18,000-acre ranch outside Paso Robles, California, for 140 years. But he likes to say he’s in the grass growing business.
“When you get so little rain, we’re not able to grow grass and we’re not able to feed the cattle. That means we ended up having to sell them off,” Sinton told CBS News. “We sold off about 40% of the cattle this last year.”
Putting steaks on plates has gotten more difficult, with 87% of the West currently in at least moderate drought. Industry analysts say a majority of California ranchers have had to sell at least some of their cattle because of the drought.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
