Posts

500 Mudslides, Flooded Communities, Broken Bridges: California Faces Long, Costly Storm Recovery

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Summer Lin

A pier in Santa Cruz split in half. Extensive flooding in Soquel Village, Capitola and Planada. Vital bridges badly battered or closed. More than 500 reported mudslides across California in the last few weeks, including some that damaged homes and cars in L.A. hillside communities.

The atmospheric river storms that pummeled California for weeks inflicted “extensive” damage to as many as 40 of the state’s 58 counties, and total repairs could reach as much as $1 billion, according to authorities.

Full Story

‘It’s Hard to Be Optimistic.’ Here’s What Merced-Area Growers Face After a Dry Winter

/in , , /by /Merced Sun-Starby Abbie Lauten-scrivner

With surface water allocations down and costs up, Merced County’s new irrigation season is reflecting the impacts of statewide drought. Merced County isn’t alone. The nearby Fresno Irrigation District (FID) announced Tuesday that the ongoing parched weather, including a record-dry January and February, led the Board of Directors to postpone its planned start of water deliveries.

 

Full Story

Stunning Photos Show Drought’s Impact on Huge California Reservoir

/in , , /by /Mercury Newsby Nhat V. Meyer

The California drought has been brutal over the past few years, but to see just how devastating it has been, you need to see before-and-after pictures side by side.

Bay Area News Group photojournalist Nhat V. Meyer went out to the San Luis Reservoir in Merced County this week and took pictures in approximately the same places that he did in January 2019. The reservoir is one of the largest in California.

The results are startling.

Full Story

Opinion: State Water Board Trying to Drain Away Merced County’s Chief Supply

/in , /by /Merced Sun-Starby Daron McDaniel

Less than a week before Christmas in 2016, the State Water Resources Control Board held a single public hearing in our community. The topic? Draining our community’s water supply and sending it to the Bay Delta.

Not only was the hearing deliberately held when our community’s attention was focused on the holiday — it was the only local hearing the Water Board held in Merced before adopting its ill-conceived Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan SED.

Full Story

‘The Water Wars Have Begun.’ Some Wonder How Water Plan Will Impact Merced County Farms

/in , , /by /Merced Sun-Starby Abbie Lauten-Scrivner

Agricultural and urban groundwater users in Merced County may soon have to sacrifice for the future, if a new state-mandated sustainability plan that limits consumption moves forward.

Full Story