Tag Archive for: Water Supply

Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center-Sicco Rood-March-2020-WNN water supply

Water Supply Diversification Overcomes Dry Winter

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No ‘March Miracle’ for snow and rain in California, but the San Diego County Water Authority has diversified water supply sources to weather the boom-and-bust cycle of California winters.

March brought abundant precipitation throughout California, but not enough to offset a dry February. Most large urban water agencies in the state maintain a reliable water supply in wet and dry years.

“California’s climate variability is why a water resilience portfolio is needed to provide a safe and plentiful water supply,” said Goldy Herbon, Water Authority senior water resources specialist. “Whether a wet or dry year, the Water Authority and its 24 member agencies have successfully diversified water sources to ensure a reliable supply to meet the needs of the region’s 3.3 million people.”

The supply sources include water from the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant, where ten workers volunteered to live on-site to keep the water flowing during the coronavirus pandemic.

Lindbergh Field has received 9.76 inches of rain – or 108% of normal – from October 1, 2019 – April 2, 2020. Many areas in the San Diego region received snow in March, including the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Even with a lackluster winter, the state’s six largest reservoirs hold between 82% and 125% of their historical averages for April 1, according to the California Department of Water Resources. Lake Shasta is 98% of its historical average and is at 79% of capacity.

Major California Reservoirs-April 1 2020-WNN-CA DWR graphic

The Department of Water Resources April 1 conducted the fourth manual snow survey of 2020 at Phillips Station near Lake Tahoe. The manual survey recorded 43.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent (SWE) of 16.5 inches, which is 66% of the April average for this location.

The SWE measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack, which provides a more accurate forecast of spring runoff. Measurements from the 130 electronic snow sensors, scattered throughout the state, indicate that the statewide snowpack’s water equivalent is 15.2 inches, or 53% of the April average.

Sierra Nevada Snowpack Comparison-NASA satellite image-WNN-April 2020

The natural-color satellite images above, acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites, show the area covered by snow in March 2020 compared to March 2017 (a record high year). Graphic: NASA/NASA JPL

“While today’s survey results show our snowpack is better off than it was just last month, they still underscore the need for widespread, wise use of our water supplies,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “California’s climate continues to show extreme unpredictability, and February’s record dryness is a clear example of the extremes associated with climate change.”

On average, the snowpack supplies about 30% of California’s water needs as it melts in the spring and early summer, the state agency reported in news release.

There’s No Need to Stockpile Water During Coronavirus Pandemic

/in , , /by /Whittier Daily Newsby Vera Robles and Rob Katherman

During the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, worried consumers have been snapping up bottled water as soon as it hits grocery store shelves.

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Unsung Heroes: Carlsbad’s Desalination Plant Workers

/in , , /by /CBS 8 (San Diego)by Angie Lee

The Carlsbad Desalination Plant turns seawater into clean safe drinking water.

In an effort to keep delivering 50 million gallons of fresh water to the county daily the plant has gone on complete lockdown.

As of March 19, 10 workers volunteered to quarantine themselves inside the Carlsbad plant for the next three weeks. The company said workers will continue to monitor and adjust gauges and switches, watching for leaks – doing whatever is needed to safeguard San Diego County’s only significant local source of drinking water.

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California’s Winter Goes Down as one of the Driest, Thin Snowpack Shows

/in , /by /The San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

When California snow surveyors trekked into the Sierra Nevada on Wednesday, they officially logged this past winter as one of the driest in state history.

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NASA, University of Nebraska Release New Global Groundwater Maps and U.S. Drought Forecasts

/in , /by /NASAby Ellen Gray

NASA researchers have developed new satellite-based, weekly global maps of soil moisture and groundwater wetness conditions and one to three-month U.S. forecasts of each product. While maps of current dry/wet conditions for the United States have been available since 2012, this is the first time they have been available globally.

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Utilities Aim to Keep Specially Trained Employees Healthy and Working

/in , , /by /NPRby Clay Masters Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Some municipal water utilities are taking emergency measures to sequester some employees to assure that they can keep the water flowing as the coronavirus spreads.

In this country, millions of Americans can follow advice to stay at home so long as the electricity stays on and the water and the phone service. Utility workers need to keep moving about. And to stay on the job, they also need to stay safe. Iowa Public Radio’s Clay Masters reports that some utilities are taking extraordinary measures, including locking in employees at work.

MASTERS: After two weeks, a new group of workers with the same set of skills, who are currently sitting at home, will switch with the current onsite crew. Something similar is happening at a desalination plant in Carlsbad, California, that produces 50 million gallons of water a day. Ten workers are living there for three weeks. Sandy Kerl is general manager for the San Diego County Water Authority.

SANDY KERL: “These are critical services, highly trained individuals, not easily replaceable, so they have to be protected to ensure that water continues to flow.”

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Coronavirus: Is the Drinking Water Supply Safe?

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

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, water agencies across the Bay Area and California are taking unprecedented steps to keep the water flowing that millions of people need for drinking and washing their hands, but which is also critical for fighting fires, serving hospitals, running sewer systems and other vital uses.

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California Rules Anger Water Agencies, Environmental Groups

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Adam Beam

California regulators on Tuesday set new rules about how much water can be taken from the state’s largest rivers, angering water agencies for restricting how much they can take and environmental groups for not making those limits low enough to protect endangered species.

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Colorado River Flow Dwindles as Warming-Driven Loss of Reflective Snow Energizes Evaporation

/in , , /by /U.S. Geological Geological Surveyby USGS

New USGS research indicates that streamflow in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) is decreasing by about 5% per degree Fahrenheit as a consequence of atmospheric warming, causing a 20% reduction over the past century.

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The State’s New Delta Water Rules Don’t End Conflict with Washington

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Bettina Boxall

When the Trump administration rolled back endangered species protections in the Bay Area delta that serves as the hub of California’s water-supply system, the state decided to go its own way.

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