Tag Archive for: Water Supply

Newsom Launches Effort to Deal with Drought; Emergencies Declared in Two Counties

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Bettina Boxall

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday declared a drought emergency in two Northern California counties as he stood on the dry shoreline of Lake Mendocino. The declaration gives state regulators expanded powers to curtail diversions in the parched Russian River watershed and relax river flow standards that would require more releases from the region’s shrinking reservoirs. Newsom has been under pressure from some quarters to declare a statewide drought emergency. But the administration favors a more targeted approach.

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Governor Declares Drought Emergency in Northwest Counties

/in , /by /CalMattersby Rachel Becker

California Gov. Gavin Newsom today declared a drought emergency for parched water systems along the Russian River watershed that serve hundreds of thousands of Californians in two counties. The emergency declaration will allow state agencies to consider relaxing some requirements for reservoir releases, allowing more water to be stored in reservoirs serving Mendocino and Sonoma counties.

Most of the state is suffering severe drought conditions due to low rainfall and snowpack, but state water officials said that the other regions aren’t hit hard enough yet to declare a statewide emergency.

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Water Authority Applauds Governor’s Targeted Approach to Drought

/in , /by

Board Chair responds to Gov. Newsom’s executive action today

April 21, 2021 – “We applaud Governor Newsom for taking a targeted, flexible, and iterative
approach to drought management that provides support for individual regions that are suffering
from drought while also recognizing regions like San Diego County that have sufficient water
supplies due to three decades of investments in supply reliability. The governor’s Water Portfolio
Strategy aligns with our long-term investments in a diversified water portfolio, desalinated
seawater, conserved water from Imperial County, local water-use efficiency measures, and
increased water storage. Because of those actions and others, our residents have enough water for
2021 and future dry years. We also applaud the efforts of our ratepayers, who have cut per capita
water use by nearly half since 1990.

“In addition, the innovative and resilient supply portfolio created by the Water Authority and its
24 member agencies puts our region in a unique position to provide solutions that can help
California weather this drought and future droughts – for instance, by storing water in Lake
Mead. We look forward to working with the governor and his staff to collaborate on projects and
programs where we can use our assets and experience to help areas that are hit hard by drought
in the face of a changing climate.

“Finally, we are proud to be a founding member of the coalition of water agencies mentioned by
the governor that support the important scientific research being done on climate change by our
own Scripps Institution of Oceanography.”

— Gary Croucher, Board Chair, San Diego County Water Authority

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Gavin Newsom Declares a Drought Emergency – But It’s Limited to Two Counties in California

/in , , /by /Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler and Sophia Bollag

Gov. Gavin Newsom officially declared a drought emergency Wednesday in one of the driest regions of California, the Russian River watershed in Northern California.

While the governor stopped short of declaring a statewide drought, the move makes various forms of drought assistance available for Sonoma and Mendocino counties and could allow the state to take swifter action on curtailing farmers and others from pulling water from the river.

However, Newsom said his order won’t bring the imposition of water-conservation mandates.

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Opinion: Recycling Water has to Become the Norm Because it is Too Scarce and Too Valuable to Waste

/in , , /by /The Colorado Sunby Ari Goldfarb

Like millions of teens around the world, my daughter enjoys long showers. Unlike many fathers of teens, however, I see a bright side to the family water bill. We’re not just taking showers. We’re growing grapes.

Our family lives in Israel, the international capital of water recycling, where nearly 90% of our supply is used more than once. In our area of southern Israel, that means the water flowing down our home drain is used on nearby farms to grow some of the tastiest table grapes on Earth. Turns out my daughter is a friend of agriculture.

All over the globe, climate change is turning fresh water into an increasingly precious commodity. Many countries and regions suffer from extended drought. Rising temperatures increase evaporation from reservoirs. Snow falls less and melts sooner on mountains. And rising sea levels increase saltwater intrusion contamination in fresh water wells along coastal communities.

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“We’ve Been Here Before”: Valley Counties Pile on Newsom to Declare Drought Emergency

/in , /by /San Joaquin Valley Sunby Daniel Gligich

A coalition of Central Valley counties is urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare an emergency declaration in response to the drought crisis.

The chairs of the Board of Supervisors for Fresno, Madera, Stanislaus, Tulare, San Joaquin, Kings, Kern and Merced counties sent a joint letter to the governor in support of a letter from a bipartisan mix of Valley legislators spurring a yet-to-be-issued emergency declaration.

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Marin to be First Big Bay Area Water Agency to Push Ahead with Water Restrictions

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

As drought conditions worsen across Northern California, the Marin Municipal Water District is about to become the Bay Area’s first major water agency to make the leap to mandatory water restrictions.

The utility is expected to adopt a plan Tuesday that would require nearly 200,000 residents of southern and central Marin County to limit outdoor watering to one day a week as well as to stop washing their cars, refilling their swimming pools and power-washing their homes, among other things. Offenders could face fines of up to $250.

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Water Levels Low at Folsom Lake as California Faces Threat of Drought

/in , , /by /KCRA (Sacramento)by Emily Maher

Sunday marked the hottest day of the year, so far. Many people made their way to Folsom Lake to enjoy the weather to find lake levels low as the state faces the threat of a drought. After two dry years in a row with little rain and snow, drought is a concern. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he has executive orders drafted, if needed.

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A Number of Factors in Declaring Drought in California

/in , , /by /AgNet West Radio Networkby Danielle Leal

There are a number of factors to consider when declaring a state of emergency. After a dry water year, little to zero water allocations, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack declaring drought conditions in counties up and down the state and even the entire republican delegation sending letters Governor Gavin Newsom, Congressman Jim Costa said declaring drought can be tricky.

Solvang Asks Residents to Cut Back on Water as California Faces Drought

/in , , /by /KSBYby Erin Fe

At the Solvang City Council meeting last Monday, the council members approved a resolution to ask neighbors to voluntarily cut back on their water intake by 15%.

They also voted to impose mandatory restrictions and spend $400 thousand on supplemental water.

Solvang declared a stage one drought `condition as Santa Barbara County faces a moderate drought that is getting worse.

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