On the calendar today …
- UCANR webinar: Advancing the human right to water in California from 12pm to 1pm. Presenter Kristin Dobbin will talk about advancing the human right to water in California: Water system consolidation, local climate adaptation, and sustainable groundwater planning for a more equitable water future. Zoom information: https://ucmerced.zoom.us/j/93722796133?pwd=a2FsKzBTUGVtOEovSTNVanRSNjZMdz09 Meeting ID: 937 2279 6133 Passcode: 92837
- WEBINAR: Black Environmental Stewardship from 12:30pm to 1:30pm. You are invited to join a special Secretary Speaker Series event, where we will connect over shared stories and learn from Black environmental stewards on perspectives and priorities in the natural resource and conservation movement. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
This reservoir on the Sacramento River has been planned for decades. What’s taking so long?
“Last century, California built dozens of large dams, creating the elaborate reservoir system that supplies the bulk of the state’s drinking and irrigation water. Now state officials and supporters are ready to build the next one. The Sites Reservoir — planned in a remote corner of the western Sacramento Valley for at least 40 years — has been gaining steam and support since 2014, when voters approved Prop. 1, a water bond that authorized $2.7 billion for new storage projects. Still, Sites Reservoir remains almost a decade away: Acquisition of water rights, permitting and environmental review are still in the works. Kickoff of construction, which includes two large dams, had been scheduled for 2024, but likely will be delayed another year. Completion is expected in 2030 or 2031. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
‘Extremely dangerous’ blizzard to pummel Sierra. Here are the impacts and timing
“The Sierra Nevada is hunkering down as snow again pelts the region, bracing for a dangerous blizzard that weather officials expect to close roads, fell trees and cut power, with whiteout conditions making travel “near to impossible.” Sunday’s burly weather system brought subfreezing temperatures and blew in snow that shut down part of I-80 during the evening commute, meteorologists reported. A blizzard warning is in effect from Monday morning into early Wednesday morning — a serious notice that weather officials haven’t issued since January 2021. “We save blizzard warnings for the bigger storms,” said Zach Tolby, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “With blizzard warnings we expect high impacts of wind and snow for a sustained period of time, which could make travel difficult or impossible.” … ” Read more from the SF Chronicle (gift article).
SEE ALSO:
- More rain, wind and snow headed for Bay Area, blizzard expected in Lake Tahoe, from the San Jose Mercury News
- Stormy weather to start the week: Here’s the timeline for Bay Area rain, snow and wind, from the San Francisco Chronicle
- Get ready for another wintry week: Blizzard, rain and wind to hit Northern California, from the Sacramento Bee
Recent snow storms chip away at California drought
“Across the Sierra, the dig out continued on Sunday. The region has been hit with four feet of snow over the last few days, and an incoming blizzard is expected to drop several more feet on the area through Wednesday. It’s bad news for those traveling to Tahoe, but good news for California’s reservoir system. “Each successive storm is going to help us.” said Andrew Schwartz, the lead scientist at the UC Berkeley Snow Lab. “We’re looking really good moving forward. We’ve effectively eliminated a lot of our short term drought.” … ” Read more from KTVU.
Analysis: California Water Rights Still 90% White: Current water management protects status quo
“To inform the “Adapting Water Rights to our 21st Century Climate” hearing at the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife on Tuesday 2/28/23, Restore the Delta today is releasing the results of a California water rights analysis by race, completed by employees with the Department of Water Resources, but deleted from the agency’s website soon after posting. This analysis of public records shows that the majority of water rights in California are held still by white landowners and white officials who manage special-interest water districts. For the third annual California Water Data Challenge contest, two DWR employees chose to study control of water by race and ethnicity during the summer of 2022. They concluded from their study that of 1500 local and state officials that 86 percent were white, and 79 percent were male. This data came from local district agency websites and the California State Workforce Analysis. … ” Read more from Restore the Delta.
Shrinking age distribution of spawning salmon raises climate resilience concerns
“By returning to spawn in the Sacramento River at different ages, Chinook salmon lessen the potential impact of a bad year and increase the stability of their population in the face of climate variability, according to a new study by scientists at UC Santa Cruz and NOAA Fisheries. Unfortunately, spawning Chinook salmon are increasingly younger and concentrated within fewer age groups, with the oldest age classes of spawners rarely seen in recent years. The new study, published February 27 in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, suggests changes in hatchery practices and fishery management could help restore the age structure of the salmon population and make it more resilient to climate change. The researchers focused on Sacramento River fall-run Chinook salmon, which contribute heavily to the salmon fisheries of California and southern Oregon. This population is particularly susceptible to the effects of increasingly severe drought conditions driven by climate change. … ” Read more from UC Santa Cruz.
Why it’s hard for California to store more water underground
“Despite the storms that have deluged California this winter, the state remains dogged by drought. And one of the simplest solutions — collecting and storing rainfall — is far more complicated than it seems. Much of California’s water infrastructure hinges on storing precipitation during the late fall and winter for use during the dry spring and summer. The state’s groundwater aquifers can hold vast quantities of water — far more than its major reservoirs. But those aquifers have been significantly depleted in recent decades, especially in the Central Valley, where farmers have increasingly pumped out water for their crops. And as Raymond Zhong, a New York Times climate journalist, recently reported, the state’s strict regulations surrounding water rights limit the diversion of floodwaters for storage as groundwater, even during fierce storms like the atmospheric rivers this winter. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
Once scorned, birds are returning to farms
“For more than two decades, Wild Farm Alliance (WFA) has provided just that—an alliance—between farmers and wildlife advocates. Based in California, the group is focused on finding common ground between two groups that have often been at odds in an effort to address the biodiversity crisis while helping farms benefit from adding more wildlife to their operations. Executive director Jo Ann Baumgartner has been with WFA since 2001, and she’s a passionate advocate for what she and WFA call “bringing nature back to the farm.” Baumgartner spoke with us about the one of the group’s core efforts in recent years: building awareness about the value of birds on farms. … ” Read more from Civil Eats.
Will more wildfire and precipitation extremes mussel-out California’s freshwater streams?
“Apocalyptic scenes of wildfires and floods are now familiar to Californians. However, the ecological impacts from these events remain understudied in California and across the world. Gaps in awareness and understanding on the issue are especially intense for freshwater mussels, whose cryptic and sedentary life-histories belie their importance to freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity (see previous post on freshwater mussels). One difficulty in studying effects of wildfire on freshwater ecosystems is that there is often a “right time in the right place” factor to appropriately conduct the science. For example, researchers and biologists often need to be studying a population or ecosystem before a burn so effects afterwards can be quantified – ideally alongside nearby unaffected control sites. Yet such natural experiments are rare because we never know when and where major wildfires will strike. The 2020 Dolan Fire in Monterey County became an opportunity to document effects of this ‘one-two punch’ on freshwater mussels and some native fishes, described in our recently published paper (Lawrence et al. 2022). … ” Read more from the California Water Blog.
Tech perspectives: Evaluating static water meters
“With conservation a way of life in California and recent legislation around water loss control and performance standards (Senate Bill 555), every drop of water matters. Understanding the quantities of water delivered to customers and minimizing inaccuracies associated with metering is a critical step for proper water resources management. Fortunately, advances in water metering technologies are allowing utilities to measure water volumes more accurately than ever before. … ” Read more from Water Finance and Management.
State focuses on possible methane leaks at Kern County oil wells
“California’s recent focus on plugging methane leaks from orphan oil wells is about to move from a statewide perspective to the local level with a meeting this week on where Kern County and Bakersfield officials think remediation work should begin. A meeting set for Monday with representatives of the California Geologic Energy Management Division is expected to go over a recent assessment, based on criteria like past problems and proximity to homes, that found Kern has by far the state’s greatest concentration of potentially leaky wells deemed most urgent to address. As one of at least five such meetings across California, the conference will help guide decisions on where regulators will spend some $125 million in federal and state money set aside for plugging and properly abandoning oil and gas wells that pose health, environmental, groundwater contamination and other risks from uncontrolled methane releases. … ” Read more from the Bakersfield Californian.
Lessons from 2022 wildfire season offer hope
“As we prepare for wildfire in 2023, we reflect on what we learned from the 2022 fire season. From a statistical point of view, fewer acres were burned, and fortunately, fewer lives and homes were lost. Less than 400,000 acres were burned, a sevenfold reduction from 2021. On a similar note, less than 1,000 structures were destroyed by wildfire, representing a fourfold reduction from 2021. Those are significant changes, but as I reflect on my experience studying the vulnerabilities in our communities to wildfire, sadly, I need to share that “we’re not out of the woods yet,” so to speak, but the formula for success is becoming clearer. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press.
In commentary today …
Senators Feinstein, Padilla: Solving the worsening drought in the western states will require all of us working together
Senator Alex Padilla and Senator Dianne Feinstein write, “For Californians, drought has been a constant and inescapable fact of life for decades. Worsening drought in the Western United States is just one of the many life-threatening impacts of the climate crisis. And as drying conditions bring water reservoirs along the Colorado River to dangerously low levels, the impact of extended drought conditions is now threatening 40 million Americans’ access to water — unless we can come up with a plan to protect it. That’s going to take all of us working together. But last month, in response to federal requests for a regional plan to curb water use and protect our dwindling water supply, the six other Western states (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) that rely on the Colorado River for survival chose to go it alone and submit their own plan without consulting California officials — avoiding tough choices within their own states. In a cause as monumental as this — with the fate of water access for an entire region in the balance — we must have everyone on board pulling in the same direction. … ” Read the full commentary at the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Imperial Valley takes its Colorado River senior water rights seriously
Stephen Benson, an Imperial Valley farmer, board member of Imperial Valley Water (IVH2O), former board member of the Imperial Irrigation District, and a current board member of the Family Farm Alliance and Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association, writes, “Drought and population growth have taken their toll on the Colorado River, pushing it to historic lows. As we work together with our neighboring states and the federal government on a long-term solution, many eyes are focused on the Imperial Valley, because of its senior water rights. And as much as we believe in upholding the rule of law, we are equally committed to being responsible water users and doing our part to keep the river healthy enough to meet the needs of all seven states. The Imperial Irrigation District and individual farmers have spent over $500 million for system and on-farm conservation investments since 2003. These funds paid for aggressive water conservation measures throughout the Imperial Valley and have resulted in hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of water conserved every year. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun.
Editorial: An unfair plan to cut California’s use of Colorado River water
The LA Times editorial board writes, “The immediate question before the seven states that use rapidly vanishing Colorado River water is not how to renegotiate the century-old agreement and accompanying laws that divvy up the supply. California and other states will have to grapple with that problem soon enough, and it won’t be easy. Those accords were hammered out in an era when the Western U.S. was lightly populated, farmland was not yet fully developed and the climate — although few realized it at the time — was unusually wet. Now, when the thirst is greatest and still growing, the region is reverting to its former aridity, exacerbated by higher temperatures caused by global industrialization. But the deadline for that reckoning is still nearly four years off. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
California and its neighbors are at an impasse over the Colorado River. Here’s a way forward
“California and the other Colorado River Basin states are at odds over how to halt the precipitous decline of Lake Mead. The impasse reflects a century of failure to take a basic step left undone by the original Colorado River Compact. The seven states in the basin have made dueling proposals for balancing water demand with the available supply. Both require large cuts in water use in all three Lower Basin states: California, Arizona and Nevada. While California’s proposal puts a greater burden on the system’s junior users, primarily the Central Arizona Project, the other states would lean more heavily on California. What’s missing is a water-sharing agreement among the Lower Basin states. In contrast to the Upper Basin states — Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — the Lower Basin states never decided how to divvy up their part of the river. … ” Continue reading at the LA Times.
Water makes the rules
Michelle Nijhuis, acting editor-in-chief at High Country News, writes, “One hundred years and a few months ago, in November 1922, representatives of seven Western states gathered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to divide up a river. As we now know, the Colorado River Compact calculated each state’s share of the basin’s water based on an unusually wet period, rendering the compact’s promises suspect from the start. And those dubious promises benefited an exclusive few; left out of the discussion were all of the basin’s Indigenous nations, the nation of Mexico, and anyone who might view the river as anything other than a servant of development. Had the conversation been broader, someone might have suggested that though humans can try to make rules for water, water obeys its own. … ” Read more from the High Country News.
Column: Newsom cares more about almond growers than California’s salmon fishery
Columnist George Skelton writes, “Gov. Gavin Newsom bills himself as a protector of wildlife, so you wouldn’t think he’d take water from baby salmon and give it to almonds. Or to pistachios, or cotton or alfalfa. Especially when California was just drenched with the wettest three-week series of storms on record and was headed into another powerful soaking of snow and rain. But Newsom and his water officials still contend we’re suffering a drought — apparently it’s a never-ending drought. So, they used that as a reason last week to drastically cut river flows needed by migrating little salmon in case the water is needed to irrigate San Joaquin Valley crops in summer. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Water for fish gulped by Delta pumps; CSPA objects to circular excuses
Chris Shutes, Executive Director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, writes, “The State Water Resources Control Board has approved a petition that diverts water required to flow into San Francisco Bay to the fish-killing Delta pumps of the State Water Project (SWP) and Central Valley Project (CVP). The higher “Delta outflow” required by the existing Bay-Delta Plan in high-runoff winter and spring periods is designed to move juvenile salmon to the ocean and to keep smelt in the food-rich waters of Suisun Bay. On February 23, 2023, CSPA and allies filed a Protest and Objection to the “Temporary Urgency Change Petition” (TUCP) filed by the Department of Water Resources and the Bureau of Reclamation. The TUCP requested that water for fish protection and water quality instead be exported south of the Delta, mostly to San Joaquin Valley agriculture. By the time CSPA et al. submitted its Objection 10 days after the TUCP was filed, the State Water Board had already issued an Order approving the TUCP. The State Water Board’s Order is particularly perfunctory in approving the TUCP. … ” Read more from the CSPA.
Editorial: State orders will harm salmon fisheries
The Santa Rosa Press Democrat editorial board writes, “You might think a wet winter would benefit Northern California’s iconic salmon and the communities that rely on them. Alas, you would be mistaken. During recent droughts, low river flows and warm water have proved to be a lethal combination for salmon and other fish in the Sacramento River and its tributaries. State waivers of water quality regulations in six of the past 10 years didn’t help beleaguered fisheries. January’s drenching rains dramatically improved river conditions across the state, raising hopes for winter run chinook salmon. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
The science of saving salmon as Klamath Dams come down
“The world’s largest dam removal in history is slated for 2023. Led by Indigenous tribes in partnership with organizations, lawyers, scientists and activists, the project will remove four dams, clearing the way for the lower Klamath River to flow freely for the first time in more than a century. The Institute of the Environment’s monthly seminar series recently brought together a panel of experts intimately tied to the project to discuss the history and outlook for these changes. Participants on the Feb. 8 panel were Brittani Orona, assistant professor of American Indian Studies at San Diego State University; Robert Lusardi of the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences; Tommy Williams from NOAA Fisheries; Toz Soto, Karuk Tribe fisheries manager; Scott Williams, an attorney from Berkeley. … ” Read more from UC Davis.
NAPA/SONOMA
Small building does a big, dirty job for Napa
“There’s a new, small building at the well-traveled corner of Imola Avenue and Coombs Street in Napa that performs a vital function for residents and businesses. Passers-by might find it a mystery. There’s a stone-exterior building, elevated solar array and concrete pad, all behind a chain-link fence. But there’s no sign declaring what this compact complex is all about. Welcome to a rebuilt, reborn West Napa Pump Station, local sewage shipper supreme. It replaces an older version that sat on the same spot. … ” Read more from the Napa Valley Register.
BAY AREA
Parks Service readies removal of small dam in Marin
“Hike through Marin’s Tennessee Valley and you’ll pass by a small duck pond set just back from the beach. Holding in the pond: a small earthen dam – whose days are numbered. The dam was originally built by a private landowner around 1960 according to Julian Espinoza with the National Parks Service – the same time that developers attempted to build a planned city of 30,000 called Marincello in Tennessee Valley and the surrounding Marin Headlands. “The pond that is impound by the dam was used for duck hunting, and as you might imagine, wasn’t engineered to today’s standards,” Espinoza said. “So the dam can’t be stabilized without completely rebuilding it, but there’s not any ecological reason to maintain it. So as a result, we are planning for its removal.” … ” Read more from Northern California Public Media.
Stanford proposes improvements to Searsville Dam and Reservoir
“In the foothills above the Stanford campus, on university land within the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, lies the Searsville Reservoir and Dam. The dam was originally built in 1891 by the Spring Valley Water Company to provide drinking water for the region. However, the reservoir never proved to be a good source of drinking water due to the high concentration of sediment in the Corte Madera Creek that feeds the reservoir. Searsville was acquired by Stanford in 1919 to provide irrigation water for the campus, and it became a popular recreational destination for local residents until the mid-1970s when the biological preserve was established. In more recent years, Searsville has posed a difficult challenge: How to address 132 years of gradually accumulating sediment that now fills 90 percent of the reservoir’s capacity? … ” Read more from In Menlo.
CENTRAL COAST
Record rainfall out to sea has water agencies talking about tapping the potential
“The Carmel River Watershed has seen record rainfall this winter beating out 1998 for the wettest year to date and the rain is not done yet. But most of that water won’t end up in your tap instead it’s flowing out to the ocean.” So far this year, beginning October 1, we’ve had 91,000 acre-feet go out past the Highway 1 gage, so you know it is almost double a normal year, so it’s been very wet but most of it just goes out to the fish,” said David Stoldt with Monterey Peninsula Water Management District. … Stoldt said this year’s above-average rainfall has reinvigorated conversations to do more to collect rainwater in the future. … ” Read more from MSN News.
Utilities officials tells Lompoc rates will continue roller coaster
“Public utility rates look to continue a roller coaster ride for the foreseeable future, Lompoc City Council members learned Tuesday during a presentation by Northern California Power Agency CFO/Assistant General Manager Monty Hanks. The markets are riding waves of market volatility linked to natural gas reserve instability and drought pressures on hydroelectric production statewide, Hanks told the council, as he addressed recent rate increases impacting the city, which for 100 years has maintained its own nonprofit electric utility. “As I was sitting out there listening to that wind, that’s how I feel the energy market’s been. It’s extremely volatile. It’s things that I have never seen before and how it’s impacting all the utilities throughout California,” Hanks said. … ” Read more from the Lompoc Record.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Kern water recipients react to changes in Delta water rules
“California’s Water Resource Board approved temporary changes to the Delta water outflow protecting endangered salmon and other fish. These changes triggered by recent storms and a higher runoff. These changes resulting in the Department of Water Resources increasing water allocation from 30% to 35% until March 31. While more water is always welcomed news, Kern County farmer Jason Giannelli says this is a small step in the right direction. “Its a good thing, obviously, but it should have happened sooner,” he said. “It’s obviously going to have an impact, but we still have reservoirs south of the delta that aren’t even at 100% capacity. So we have all these different water banking areas that we could put that water [in].” … ” Read more from Channel 23.
Public hearing on Cummings Basin groundwater allocations March 7
“A special meeting for a public hearing on Cummings Basin groundwater allocations has been set by the Board of Directors of Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District. The meeting will be held at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7, at district headquarters, 22901 Banducci Road, Tehachapi. At its Feb. 15 meeting the district board heard a report from General Manager Tom Neisler concerning those allocations. … ” Read more from the Tehachapi News.
State Water Project provides ‘modest’ increase in imported water allocation
“As Californians braced for record-breaking rain and snowstorms on Feb. 22, the Department of Water Resources announced what it called a modest increase in forecast State Water Project deliveries this year. The SWP now expects to deliver 35 percent of requested water supplies, up from 30 percent forecast in January, to the 29 public water agencies that serve 27 million Californians including residents of Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District. The district’s general manager, Tom Neisler, stopped short of calling the increase stingy, but noted that many water-watchers believe the allocation could be much higher — particularly since Gov. Gavin Newsom just a week earlier issued an executive order to suspend environmental laws to allow state officials to hold more water in reservoirs. … ” Read more from the Tehachapi News.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Epic winter storm turns Southern California snow white; more rain and snow on the way
“Vandi Mahoney watched television images of snow falling across parts of Southern California the last few days as a massive winter storm moved through the region, but on Sunday she just had to see it for herself. Standing at Kenneth Hahn State Recreational Park, the 25-year-old was in awe of the snow-covered Santa Monica and San Gabriel mountains. Peak after peak was blanketed in sparkling white snow under a sunny blue sky and puffy clouds. “Usually you can see far away a little hint of snow, but this is, wow. It’s not the scenery of the snow itself but just the beauty of Los Angeles: the clouds, the sky, the sun, and on top of that we got these snowy mountains, too,” she said. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Blue-Ribbon Commission on lithium extraction completes its mission
“The Blue-Ribbon Commission on lithium extraction in California has been dissolved per a resolution by the California Energy Commission on Friday, February 17, after completing an equitably written final report. The commission was established in January 2021 to address the issues and opportunities that come along with lithium extraction at the Salton Sea, including the impacts that developing this new resource would have on local communities. As one of only two commission members who represent environmental justice interests, Comite Civico del Valle, Inc. Executive Director Luis Olmedo expressed satisfaction with the completion of the report on December 1, 2022, and the ending of the Blue-Ribbon Commission on February 17. … ” Read more from the Imperial Valley Press.
Along the Colorado River …
Reclamation seeks public comment on Glen Canyon Dam/Smallmouth Bass Flow Options Environmental Assessment
“The Bureau of Reclamation is seeking public comment on the draft Glen Canyon Dam/Smallmouth Bass Flow Options Environmental Assessment that presents four potential operational flow options aimed at preventing smallmouth bass from successfully spawning and establishing downstream of Glen Canyon Dam. Water levels in Lake Powell continue to decline to historically low levels, which has contributed to water being released at record high temperatures through Glen Canyon Dam. Below the dam, these warmwater releases are creating ideal spawning conditions for smallmouth bass, a predatory invasive fish species. … ” Read more from the Bureau of Reclamation.
Deadpool Diaries: “the law is an ass”
Jon Fleck writes, “Apologies, no tl;dr is possible. To borrow from Blaise Pascal, I would have written a shorter blog post, but I did not have the time. On a bike ride a week ago I took a favorite “long cut” (the slow ways are mostly better, best to not be in a hurry) through downtown Albuquerque. Crossing the railroad tracks I saw two trains, sitting, and pulled over waiting to watch them roll past me. I love watching giant trains roll past me when I’m little and on two wheels. But the trains just sat. It’s a metaphor for something. Bear with me while I try to work out what. … ” Read more from the Inkstain blog.
In national water news today …
Republican-led states sue EPA over WOTUS rule
“A group of two dozen Republican-controlled states is suing the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the Biden administration’s Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule that the group is calling an overreach that could end up harming ranchers, farmers and homeowners. On Dec. 30, EPA and the U.S. Department of the Army announced a final rule establishing a durable definition of WOTUS to reduce uncertainty from changing regulatory definitions, protect public health and support economic opportunity. The final rule restores protections that were in place prior to 2015 under the Clean Water Act that the agencies say bring the nation closer to achieving the goal that American waters be fishable, swimmable and protective of public health. The agencies added the action will strengthen fundamental protections for waters that are sources of drinking water while supporting agriculture, local economies and downstream communities. … ” Read more from Water Finance & Management.
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
In California water news this weekend …
Series of storms and persistent cold to grip the West through midweek- A rare blizzard hits California as summerlike heat roasts the eastern U.S.
- Pathbreaking Groundwater Research by Center for Law, Energy & the Environment Team Goes National
- Press release: 6 ways California is capturing & storing water from storms
- Biden-Harris Administration announces almost $166 Million for clean water infrastructure upgrades through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
- Growing lettuce in a vertical farm uses drastically less water. Is it a solution for a hotter climate?
- Pipeline debate at center of California carbon capture plans
- BLM, Wiyot Tribe, and UC Berkeley partner to improve Eel River fishery
- It’s officially a ‘wet’ year and that’s good for the Peninsula
- First, a rare blizzard warning in Southern California; now thundersnow? What’s going on?
- The Salton Sea, an accident of history, faces a new water crisis
- Who shoulders Mother Nature’s cut of the Colorado River?
- And more …
Click here to read the weekend digest.
