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Newsom’s Budget Would Add Billions to Fight Drought, Fires and Boost California Farms

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Sophia Bollag

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday will propose spending billions of additional dollars on drought response, wildfire suppression and rural workforce development programs, according to budget documents reviewed by The Sacramento Bee. The governor’s plan includes $750 million in one-time money to help communities affected by the drought, including for water conservation, water efficiency, replenishing groundwater supplies and helping small farmers.

 

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No, California’s Drought Isn’t Over. Here’s Why.

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Rachel Becker

In a clear sign that the drought persists, California today adopted new emergency regulations aimed at stopping residents from wasting the state’s precious water.

The rules ban practices such as hosing down sidewalks and driveways with drinking water, washing cars without a shutoff nozzle on the hose and irrigating lawns and gardens too soon after rain.

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California Approves New Water-Wasting Rules as Conservation Falls Below Newsom’s Target

/in , , /by /Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Recent rains have eased California’s drought, but in the dry November before December’s deluge, many of the state’s residents still weren’t heeding calls to conserve water.

For the fifth month in a row since Gov. Gavin Newsom asked California residents to voluntarily cut water use, they missed the target — by a lot, largely due to lagging conservation by Southern Californians. Amid that news, and emphasizing that California’s drought still isn’t over, state water officials approved new rules Tuesday to prohibit wasteful water practices like washing cars without a hose shutoff nozzle.

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California is Suddenly Snow-Capped and Very Wet. But How Long Will the Water Rush Last?

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Times by Hayley Smith and Paul Duginski

The dusty hills of Griffith Park are sprouting shades of green. In Pasadena, water is streaming through arroyos that only weeks ago sat caked and dry. And from the perfect vantage point downtown, the distant San Gabriel Mountains are gleaming with crowns of snow.

After one of the driest years in recent memory, Los Angeles — and California — is off to a notably wet start. The state received more precipitation in the final three months of 2021 than in the previous 12 months, the National Weather Service said.

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California Adopts Water Restrictions as Drought Drags On

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Kathleen Ronayne

Californians will face mandatory restrictions governing how they can water their lawns and wash their cars for the second time in less than a decade as the state withers under another drought.

The rules adopted Tuesday by the State Water Resources Control Board are fairly mild — no watering lawns for 48 hours after a rainstorm or letting sprinklers run onto the sidewalk— and could take effect as soon as the end of the month. Scofflaws could face $500 daily fines, though regulators say they expect such fines will be rare, as they were in the last drought.

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Precipitation Since Oct. 1 Tops Previous Full ‘Water Year’ in California

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Jessica Flores

More precipitation has fallen on California during its current “water year” than in the full prior 12-month span, the National Weather Service says.

The downpours and mountain storms of recent weeks have helped boost the state’s precipitation volume to 33.9 trillion gallons thus far for the water year that began Oct. 1, compared to the previous water year’s 33.6 trillion gallons, the service said Sunday. Lake Tahoe by comparison contains roughly 40 trillion gallons.

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Plentiful Early-Season Sierra Snowpack Signals ‘Remarkable Turnaround’ Amid Historic Drought

/in , , /by /The Mercury Newsby Jakob Rodgers

A series of record-setting blizzards in recent weeks that buried roads, snarled holiday traffic and even temporarily shut down ski resorts have combined to offer California a glimpse of hope after two years of historic and punishing drought.

Snowpack across the Sierra Nevada appears far ahead of historical averages — an unexpected respite from years of bone-dry forecasts, leaving climatologists cautiously optimistic about drought conditions improving across the state.

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Otay Water District Instagram Photo Contest Highlights Importance of Water

/in , , /by /Water News Network Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Put your creative skills to use and help the Otay Water District encourage residents and businesses to save water in 2022. The District has launched a New Year’s-themed Instagram photo contest as one way to help make the community aware of water-saving efforts during the  drought in California.

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The deadline to submit photos for the Otay Water District Instagram photo contest is January 31, 2022, by 11:59 p.m. PT. Graphic: Otay Water District

Otay Water District Instagram Photo Contest Highlights Importance of Water

/in , /by

Put your creative skills to use and help the Otay Water District encourage residents and businesses to save water in 2022. The District has launched a New Year’s-themed Instagram photo contest as one way to help make the community aware of water-saving efforts during the  drought in California.

“The state is in a drought, and the District is doing its part to support the governor’s efforts asking residents and businesses to use 15% less water from 2020 volumes,” said Otay Water District General Manager Jose Martinez. “The contest is one of many ways we are educating the public on conservation efforts. We’d like this to be a fun way for participants to show the rest of the community how they will continue to save water.”

Otay Water District Instagram photo contest entry rules

To enter the contest, each participant must follow @otaywater on Instagram and post a photo on their public Instagram account demonstrating one way to save more water in 2022 as a New Year’s resolution. The photo must include a caption and the hashtag #OtaySaveWaterResoution. If a participant does not have an Instagram account, they can submit their entry through a public Facebook or Twitter account.

The deadline to submit photos is January 31, 2022, by 11:59 p.m.

The District will upload the qualifying entry photos to its @otaywater Instagram page, counting the total number of likes for each entry through February 4. The District will select first, second, and third place winners for each of the two categories: 1) photo with most likes on Otay’s Instagram page; and 2) photo selected by Otay staff based on theme, originality, and creativity. Winners will be announced on the Otay Water District’s Instagram account during the week of February 14.

Based on verified address, if winners are customers of the District, they will receive a gift card from a restaurant in the District’s service area. First place will receive $75; the second place receives $50, and the third receives $25. If winners are not District customers and live in the United States, their prize will be an Amazon gift card. First place will receive $50; the second place receives $35, and the third receives $20.

To learn more about what conservation practices remain in effect and for more information on water-use efficiency and other resources available to Otay’s customers, go to: otaywater.gov/conservation.

(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.)

UPDATE: DEADLINE EXTENDED!

The deadline to enter Otay’s New Year Instagram Photo Contest has been extended to Friday, Feb. 25.

Opinion: California Shouldn’t Have a One-Size-Fits-All Drought Response. It’s Unfair to San Diego County.

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

With California mired in a 2-year-old drought and with available water supplies dwindling in much of the Golden State, Gov. Gavin Newsom in July asked all Californians to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15 percent. Five months later, disappointed at the indifferent response from millions of residents, Newsom’s administration is ready to try to force compliance.

Within weeks, the State Water Resources Control Board is expected to impose temporary bans on some outdoor uses of water — including watering lawns within 48 hours of local rainfall, hosing off driveways and filling decorative fountains. Violators would face fines of up to $500 a day.

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