Federal Legislation Eases California Water Shortages
California’s water future will get brighter with the passage of the bipartisan, comprehensive federal legislation, America’s Water Infrastructure Act 2018 (AWIA). The bill passed the U.S. House of...
View ArticleState Water Board Delays Action on River Flows Again
In an unexpected turn of events, after receiving a letter from Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. and Governor-elect Gavin Newsom, the State Water Resources Control Board again delayed action November 7 on a...
View ArticleMore Water in Sierra Snowpack This Year
More water is available in the Sierra snowpack this year than last due to the January storms, according to the state Department of Water Resources (DWR). At the second Phillips Station snow survey of...
View ArticleFederal Agency Releases New Approach for Dealing with California Water...
This week, the federal Bureau of Reclamation released a lengthy document outlining a new approach applying scientific principles to state operations affecting water supply and fishery protections. The...
View ArticleDefining Wetlands: Process Leaves Questions Unanswered
It was clear toward the end of the March 5 workshop on the proposed controversial wetlands regulations that the State Water Resources Control Board (Board) intends to adopt them at its April 2 hearing....
View ArticleSugar-Sweetened Beverages Focus of Pending Legislation
A number of California Chamber of Commerce-opposed bills placing various restrictions on sweetened beverages will be considered by legislative committees next week. Four bills, including a job killer...
View ArticleSweetened Beverage Bill Tabled, Workers’ Comp Bill Falls Short
Two more job killer bills failed to advance this week in the face of strong concern about their negative impacts. • The author of AB 138 (Bloom D-Santa Monica) announced he will not pursue the targeted...
View ArticleThe Blob: Wet or Dry Year in 2020?
The Blob is back in the Pacific Ocean. The Blob is a massive pool of water that is warmer than normal in the Pacific Ocean and runs from Alaska past Southern California down to Baja. It’s caused by...
View ArticleWater Wars Continue over Managing Water Flows in Delta
Another lawsuit in the water arena is not news. Anything to do with water is complicated, controversial, and likely to take years to resolve if it’s possible to resolve. Nevertheless, the Newsom...
View ArticleCalChamber, Coalition in Support of Plan to Fix Aging Water Delivery...
A broad coalition that includes the California Chamber of Commerce and labor, business, environmental, community and water leaders has announced the formation of Californians for Water Security (CWS)....
View ArticleState Begins Year with Good Sierra Snowpack
The first manual snow survey of the year on January 2 showed a healthy snowpack of 33.5 inches, according to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR). That snow depth translates to a snow...
View ArticleReady or Not, Here It Comes—State Groundwater Regulation
January 31, 2020 marks the first time in California’s history that groundwater will be regulated. Twenty-one critically overdrafted groundwater basins must submit detailed plans showing how they will...
View ArticleVoluntary Water Agreements Get Nudge Forward from Administration
Ongoing discussions on improving conditions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, central to water access and supply considerations in California, inched ahead this month. The focus was on the voluntary...
View ArticleFederal CARES Act Offers Relief to Small Businesses
Last week, Congress passed and President Donald J. Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which, among other provisions, provides financial relief for small...
View ArticleControversial Permit Jeopardizes Efforts to Secure Water Supplies for...
Action by a state department to dictate when and how much water can be pumped out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the hub of the state’s water delivery system, threatens the collaborative approach...
View ArticleAssembly Rejects Job Killer Housing Bill
The Assembly has narrowly rejected a California Chamber of Commerce-opposed job killer bill that would have limited financial opportunities for Californians, further harming the housing market and...
View ArticleGovernor Issues Framework to Help State Get Ready for Water Supply Challenges
Governor Gavin Newsom has released a framework to help prepare the state’s water supply for the anticipated impacts of climate change. The Water Resilience Portfolio, released July 29, was prepared by...
View ArticleCalifornia Water Outlook Trending Dry; Supply Depends on Rainy Season Outcome
It’s trending toward a dry water year. Long-range weather forecasts aren’t pointing to heavy precipitation in the coming months. However, forecasting weather is iffy. It is possible that a series of...
View ArticleForest Action Plan Outlines Approach to Battling Year-Round Wildfire Season
The wildfire season seems endless. It starts earlier in the year and ends later. Practically, it’s morphed into a year-round phenomenon. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection...
View ArticleDrought Preparations Picking Up as State Dry Spell Continues with No Relief...
California’s water supply levels are continuing to drop closer to those at the beginning of 2014, which was the start of the last drought cycle. The whole state is in some sort of drought, with...
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