In California water news today …
The past 12 months in California were among the wettest ever
“It wasn’t your imagination: Between the torrent of atmospheric rivers that slammed California over the winter and the more recent downpours from Hurricane Hilary, the past 12 months were among the wettest ever experienced in the Golden State. California measures its annual rainfall over a water year, which runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 so that the winter rainy season is captured within a single year. (The state typically gets 75 percent of its annual precipitation between November and March, a feature of its Mediterranean-type climate.) During the most recent water year, which ended two weeks ago, California received 141 percent of its average annual rainfall, according to state data. The state’s snowpack this spring reached the deepest level recorded in at least 40 years. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
El Niño is flexing its muscles. What does this mean for California?
“El Niño is expected to gain strength and flaunt its muscle this winter, and forecasters are closely watching ocean temperatures to determine just how strong the El Niño weather pattern that developed over the summer will get in the coming months. The El Niño forecast is always of particular interest in California, where it has near-celebrity status. The state has seen some of its wettest winters in El Niño years, such as the winters of 1982-83 and 1997-98, and many in California associate the weather phenomenon with flooding, mudslides and massive snowpacks. But researchers say the state can also see above- or below-normal precipitation in an El Niño year, as it did in 2015-16. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
Strategic decision making for dam removal planning
“California has a dam problem. Since the start of the 20th century, the state has built thousands of dams on its rivers and streams. Now, more than 75% of the largest dams (totaling over 900) are greater than 50 years old, and the mean age is close to 80 years old. This means that a significant proportion of the state’s dams are reaching – or have already reached – the end of their designed lifespan. Many are no longer performing their intended functions due to sediment build-up, lack of maintenance, or obsolescence. What do we do about these “deadbeat dams”? As discussed in an earlier post, given the poor condition of many of these dams, and the often devastating consequences of their failure, doing nothing is not a good option. So, the authors of that article suggest California take a proactive approach. In particular, they cite the need for a “structured assessment tool” to assess the risks of aging dams and help identify those whose time for removal has come. … ” Continue reading at the California Water Blog.
California levee disaster: One family’s flight from climate-fueled flooding
“Denia Escutia dreamed of moving to Southern California to learn how to care for sick kids at UCLA. But when a river swallowed her town and destroyed her home, she deferred those dreams to take care of her family instead. … Water breached the levee in March. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office ordered Pajaro’s 3,000 residents to evacuate, before flooding swamped more than 200 homes, rendering Escutia’s unlivable. Her family worried the levee would fail again, so rather than stay and rebuild, they decided to abandon Pajaro in search of someplace safer. The family’s choice — to make their future away from the floodplain — is one that other Californians will face. Rivers and streams across the state are penned in by thousands of miles of levees. Much of that infrastructure is aging and is not built for future storms, which could cause major flooding in any given year. With a potentially wet winter ahead, the state’s top water officials are grasping for solutions. And they are quietly considering a blasphemous idea in California politics: moving whole communities away from dangerous waterways. … ” Read more from KQED.
Risky runoff: pollution in waterways
“Over 50% of fish species reside in freshwater, and over 50% of the world’s human population lives within two miles of a source of freshwater. Freshwater only covers about 2.5% of the earth’s surface, meaning that humans and fish are densely concentrated in and around these essential water sources. Human civilizations have lived and fished in these areas since time immemorial, but as cities develop and expand, modern aquatic ecosystems are increasingly altered and subjected to daily pollution events and other human-driven stressors. … ” Read more from FishBio.
What did Newsom sign — and veto — this legislative season?
“California will soon be home to a task force dedicated to fentanyl overdose prevention. School districts will need to think through body shaming, and prepare policies on how to prevent it. And community colleges will be required to provide in-state tuition for some in Mexico, including low-income students that live less than 45 miles from California’s border. Those were among 100 new measures Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law Friday, working through the last of a stack of 1,046 bills sent to his desk from the legislature dominated by his fellow Democrats. In his final day of bill signings Friday — the deadline was midnight Saturday — Newsom vetoed just two bills, for a total of 890 signed and 156 vetoed in 2023. That’s a slight uptick in rejecting proposed legislation that reflects both his concerns about the state’s finances in an uncertain economy, as well as his national political ambitions. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
How conservation land trusts protect California landscapes for generations to come
“From the snow-capped Sierra Nevada to the rolling hills of the Central Valley, and all the way to the redwoods by the sea, California contains a diverse abundance of stunning natural landscapes. Although urban sprawl threatens to encroach on some of the state’s most precious natural areas, others will continue to exist unfettered by human development thanks to the protection granted by conservation land trusts. The Golden State is home to more than 150 land trusts, all of which are nonprofit organizations that own and manage land with the goal of preserving and maintaining the land’s natural, recreational, historical or agricultural value. Each trust varies in its individual goals, but all work toward benefiting their communities through land preservation. Land trusts can be local, state or regional in scope, and work directly with private landowners and community partners to protect the land. … ” Read more from California Local.
‘Every square inch is covered in life’: the ageing oil rigs that became marine oases
“On a recent August afternoon, Ann Scarborough Bull motored out two miles from the coast of Santa Barbara aboard a research vessel called the Danny C. The marine biologist and her colleagues had an unusual destination in their sights: a disused oil platform that loomed ahead like a forgotten skyscraper reaching up from the horizon. The team wasn’t interested in the platform itself, but what lurked beneath. When they reached the ageing structure, named Holly, they lowered a car-sized remote- controlled vehicle under the waves. There, they saw hundreds of thousands of juvenile rockfish finding shelter amid the hulking metal structure, alongside waving white anemones, clusters of mussels, and silver jack mackerel. … After two and a half decades of studying the rigs, Bull says it’s clear to her: “These places are extremely productive, both for commercial and recreational fisheries and for invertebrates.” … ” Read the full story at The Guardian.
How megafires are remaking the world
“On Aug. 15, a small wildfire was detected in the hills above West Kelowna, in British Columbia. The landscape was parched and the wind was fierce, and over the next few days the modest blaze exploded into a raging conflagration. It raced down into the valley and toward Okanagan Lake. Wind blew red-hot embers across the water, sparking new fires around the city of Kelowna. “I didn’t sleep much the night that the West Kelowna fires crossed the lake,” said Karen Hodges, who lives in Kelowna. “I could see the fires from my window. And so I was thinking about people I know in the valley and where their houses were.” … ” Read more from the New York Times.
In commentary today …
Editorial: Should L.A. care about salt in New Orleans’ tap water? Yes. Here’s why
The LA Times editorial board writes, “Los Angeles residents would be wise to keep an eye on New Orleans, where saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico is creeping up the Mississippi River and threatening the drinking water supply. Officials are tracking the daily movements of the saline wedge, which was predicted to reach some of the city’s water intake valves by Thanksgiving. More recent forecasts hold out hope that most intakes will escape saltwater contamination. The central United States baked in record-breaking heat and suffered through below-average rainfall this summer, dropping the usually mighty Mississippi to extremely low levels for the second year in a row. The greatly diminished flow to the gulf currently lacks the volume to push back the heavy, salt-laden gulf water, which sneaks upstream along the river bottom. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
To shut down the supply side of climate change, start here
Rev. Lennox Yearwood, president and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus, and Bill McKibben, founder of Third Act, writes, “September was a scary month — or as one prominent climate scientist termed it, “gobsmackingly bananas.” It broke all temperature records for the month and by a record margin. The Earth busted through — at least temporarily — the 1.5-degree Celsius (2.7-degree Fahrenheit) red line that the nations of the world drew with the Paris accords. Almost as scary as the temperature, however, has been the reaction — or, more precisely, the lack of it in Washington. But now an enormous opportunity looms for the Biden administration: Its chance to prove to the world that it takes the supply side of the climate challenge as seriously as the demand side. Having begun to credibly cut demand for fossil fuels by boosting electric vehicles, heat pumps and solar panels with the the Inflation Reduction Act, the White House needs to start turning down the supply by stanching the spiking exports of fossil fuels. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Climate change isn’t just about emissions. We’re ignoring a huge part of the fight
David G. Victor, nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, professor at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy and Scripps Institution of Oceanography; and Veerabhadran Ramanathan, professor emeritus of climate sustainability at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and climate solutions scholar at Cornell University, write, “Last month, we heard yet again about the need to stop global warming at about 1.5 degrees centigrade above preindustrial levels. The International Energy Agency outlined a plan to meet that goal, and the United Nations secretary-general implored nations to get serious about cutting emissions to make it a reality. That goal is a fantasy. This summer, global warming already yielded monthly average temperatures that exceeded preindustrial averages by 1.5 degrees. It took more than a century for global annual average temperatures to reach the first degree, which happened around 2015. Climate data suggest that the next half-degree is likely to happen by the early 2030s, if not sooner, and that 2023 will be the warmest year on record. The reality of rapid warming requires that every country create an adaptation strategy to become more resilient to the effects of climate change. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Shasta Indian Nation sees hope in dam removal
“The Klamath dam removal is uncovering painful history for the Shasta Indian Nation. But the tribe’s leaders also see a chance to recover some of their lost lands, restoring ceremony, language, and community in the process. When Sami Jo Difuntorum looks out across Copco Lake, she reads her own history in a sacred landscape that was nearly erased from public consciousness. “You can see over there where the canyon narrows is where the historic river channel is—our traditional fishing site,” says Difuntorum. “It’s where we fished since time immemorial, as we say. We’re looking forward to that returning for future generations.” … ” Continue reading from Jefferson Public Radio.
Humboldt supervisors to consider changes to the county’s ‘overly ambitious’ climate action plan during this week’s meeting
“The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors is in store for a big ol’ agenda this week. The board will review a medley of agenda items, including an update on earthquake recovery efforts, some changes to the county’s Climate Action Plan, and much, much more. Let’s take a look! After five years of planning, Planning and Building Department staff are proposing a different approach to the Humboldt Regional Climate Action Plan (CAP), the county’s guiding document for measuring, tracking and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and related climate impacts. … ” Continue reading at the Lost Coast Outpost.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Redding households may face rate boost for water, wastewater and garbage services
“Redding residents could be paying more for water, wastewater and garbage services starting Jan. 1. But the city’s more than 30,000 customers also have a chance to protest the proposed new rate, which includes increases each year through 2027. If the rate hike is approved by the city council next month, money from the increase would pay for critical improvements in Redding’s infrastructure, including replacing its 85-year-old pump house, said Redding Public Works Director Chuck Aukland. The money would also be used to bring existing equipment into compliance with new state environmental regulations, he said. … ” Read more from the Redding Record Searchlight.
Salmon endangered at Butte, Deer, Mill creeks; emergency conservation to take place
“Spring-run chinook salmon, native to Butte Creek, Deer Creek and Mill Creek, whose populations reported sharp declines in the 2023 season as a result of recent drought years, are being taken to UC Davis in an “urgent action” to conserve their genetics. Biologists began early October making trips to capture juvenile fish before they head towards the ocean at Deer Creek, where fewer than 25 adult salmon returned this year, said Peter Tira, information officer for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “This is the first time we’ve ever done it with spring-run salmon, where we bring them into a hatchery environment to kind of safeguard the population in case it disappears in the wild,” Tira said. While at UC Davis, the fish will be staged at the university Center for Aquatic Biology and Aquaculture for the next two years until a new home is found for them. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record.
NAPA/SONOMA
Invasive species reported in Bay Area fish hatchery for the first time
“An invasive species seen for the first time in Lake Tahoe earlier this year could also pose a risk for a Bay Area fish hatchery that operates production and release programs for endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout. New Zealand mudsnails, a species of tiny freshwater mollusk, were spotted inside an intake pipeline and aeration pond at Warm Springs Fish Hatchery near Lake Sonoma this summer, California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said in a statement Friday. The snails were previously detected in other parts of the watershed, but had never been observed at the hatchery before. It’s causing concern for scientists, who worry the snails could displace native species like the salmon and trout, consuming up to half of their food resources, including aquatic insects such as mayflies, caddisflies and chironomids. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
North Bay officials say October wildfire risk has been eased this year by favorable weather
“Knock wood before saying this out loud, but the chances of the region escaping a third year without a major wildfire are looking good, thanks to cool temperatures and the damp autumn landscape. It’s still October, which has been marked in past years by catastrophic fire and loss, as we all know too well. And though the North Bay had recent rain, it’s been minimal. But fire officials say higher fuel moisture and cooler temperatures bode well for reduced wildfire risk ahead, in what’s already been a favorable year for most of California. “We’re not out of the threat yet, but we’re getting closer,” Sonoma County Fire District Chief Mark Heine said Thursday. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
BAY AREA
Editorial: Marin public must share opinions about Novato wetlands
The Marin Independent Journal editorial board writes, “The proposed addition of 2,000 acres of Novato wetlands to the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge is a sign of the North Bay’s success in restoring and protecting its baylands. Marin’s congressman, Jared Huffman, has joined forces with Reps. John Garamendi and Mike Thompson in drafting legislation to add 7,000 acres to the refuge. The proposal would add the Hamilton and Bel Marin Keys wetlands to the federally protected wetlands. They are currently seeking public comment via Garamendi’s website – bit.ly/3PDXnTc. A Dec. 12 deadline has been set for those comments. The refuge, created in 1974, has grown to 19,000 acres, including much of the wetlands that border Highway 37. … ” Continue reading at the Marin Independent Journal.
Commentary: Huffman opponent has water supply questions for Congressman
Chris Coulombe, a Sonoma County Republican running for the House of Representatives District 2 seat next year, writes, “Why should Californians have to pay $500 million for less water storage along the North Coast? I would like to ask Rep. Jared Huffman, Marin County’s elected official in Congress. A group led by Huffman is promoting the destruction of our regional water infrastructure. The aim is to substantially reduce our regional water storage by removing Scott Dam and Lake Pillsbury. The estimated cost is $500 million. Huffman’s plan goes against the interests of the North Coast’s nearly 1 million residents, and runs counter to the Biden-Harris administration’s White House global action plan on water security. The report makes clear that the U.S. continues to suffer from inadequate water infrastructure. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
Commentary: Don’t let the Rental Housing Commission dump water conservation down the drain
Steve Welter, longtime property owner in Mountain View, writes, “Mountain View’s Rental Housing Committee (RHC) has cooked up a proposal to radically change how costs for utilities, like water, are charged to some renters in Mountain View. Their plan will give residents in some apartments the unlimited use of water for free, regardless of how much they use each month. This will increase Mountain View’s water consumption as we recover from the historic drought. Most of rental housing in Mountain View has a master water meter for the building. Currently, renters living in buildings with a master water meter typically pay a share of the water they use based on occupancy and size of the apartment. For example, an apartment home with one person and one bathroom pays less for water than an apartment home with five people and two bathrooms. This method of sharing costs based on usage is called ratio utility billing system, or RUBS. It’s been shown to encourage conservation. … ” Continue reading from Palo Alto Online.
CENTRAL COAST
Environmentalists are turning a rugged stretch of California coast into a lab for conservation
“In the spiritual tradition of the Chumash people, it’s revered as the “Western Gate” — a portal through which the souls of the dead enter paradise. To sea captains, its known as the dreaded “Cape Horn of the Pacific,” a passage where many vessels have been lost to powerful gales. And to the Vandenberg Space Force Base, it’s the perfect isolated launch pad for spacecraft. The rugged and breathtaking beauty of Point Conception — and the larger Gaviota Coast — has enthralled humans for thousands of years. Now, a new conservation and research effort hopes to restore this region of rolling hills, twisted oaks, brackish lagoons and shale cliffs overlooking wind-whipped sandy beaches to its original state. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
New Tesla battery installed at SLO water treatment plant
“The City of San Luis Obispo’s Utilities Department recently marked a milestone in its commitment to “leading by example in climate action work.” The Department successfully installed a Tesla battery storage system at the Water Treatment Plant to support resiliency, sustainability, and energy efficiency. “The installation of the Tesla battery system at our water treatment plant is a testament to our city’s commitment to sustainability, innovation, and resilience. I’m proud of the work our team has done to make this vision a reality,” said City Utilities Director Aaron Floyd. “This project not only exemplifies the positive impact of grant-funded initiatives but also demonstrates our dedication to providing clean, reliable, and cost-effective services to our community. It’s a win-win for both our residents and the environment.” … ” Read more from the Paso Robles Daily News.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Stone fruit helps push Fresno ag values to new high
“Despite low commodity prices in two of Fresno County’s primary crops, the region’s gross agricultural output inched slightly higher in 2022. Fresno leads the state (and the U.S) in almond production, but poor producer prices for almonds dropped the commodity to No. 2 on the county’s list of top crops by value as grape production once again grossed the highest value in the annual crop and livestock report. Still, both crops individually achieved billion-dollar status. Thanks in part to higher stone fruit and milk prices, the county’s gross agricultural output rose $9.9 million to $8.09 billion last year. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
More green, less gray: LA County maps big plans for its water supply
“The winter storms that drenched much of California from December 2022 through March 2023 refilled reservoirs. As more rain and snowmelt come, though, most will go uncaptured because the state’s outdated infrastructure was designed to swiftly carry rainwater to the ocean. LA County aims to change that. In a typical year, about 15 inches of rain falls in the Los Angeles area. Nearly half of that fell in August 2023 as the aftermath of the historical tropical storm, a remnant of Hurricane Hilary, passed through Southern California. Roughly a third of the water supply in the area comes from locally pumped groundwater that is continually replenished by percolation when it rains. Nevertheless, not all of that rain can be captured so it can be reused as drinking water or to restock the groundwater. Some years have seen more than 100 billion gallons of flow into the Pacific Ocean —which is equivalent to the water needs of more than 2 million people. That’s a big reason voters approved Measure W in 2018. … ” Read more from ESRI.
Video: ‘Bending the River’ project reimagines LA River
“A progression of Lauren Bon’s “Not a Cornfield” project from 2005, “Bending the River” is an infrastructural art project that lifts a portion of the LA River water to the Metabolic Studio, passing through a native wetland treatment and then will be distributed to local parks including the 52 acre adjacent LA State Historic Park. The project involved working with multiple agencies, including the Army Corps of Engineers, and getting over 70 permits to work in the LA River. … ” Read more and watch video from Spectrum 1.
After ‘miracle’ water year, can agencies capture more from next El Niño?
“It was a perfect storm of, well, pretty perfect storms. There was a lot of rain and snow during California’s just completed “water year,” from Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30 — nearly double the historical average in the southern half of the state. But all of that rain didn’t fall too fast, and snowpack-melting temperatures didn’t spike too high, making it possible for most areas to avoid major flooding. The agencies that capture and store stormwater also have become better at finding ways to keep more of that precipitation in Southern California rather than letting it all run out to the ocean. Recent projects by the Chino Basin Watermaster, for example, which manages the aquifer that sits under much of northwestern Inland Empire, allow the agency to capture an additional 4,000 acre feet of stormwater. (Each acre foot is enough to serve two households for a year.) And given how much rain fell, Justin Nakanowater, who serves as the agency’s manager of technical resources, said the Chino Basin was able to hold onto 20,000 acre feet of water this year — two and half times more than last water year. … ” Read more from the OC Register.
Remembering Orange County’s environmental matriarch
“Along the shores of Newport Back Bay this past weekend, about 300 locals sat with memories of either stopping or saving something with Orange County’s longest serving activist, Jean Watt. If anything was off in the waters that linked Upper Newport Bay with the harbor, the longtime resident, community organizer and former city council member could feel it – as if the inland delta was an extension of Watt herself, as if its ailments were her own, said Lisa Hinshaw, a 60-year volunteer at the local Girl Scouts where she and Watt met. “For her, it was deeply personal,” said Hinshaw, who watched Watt’s ‘Celebration of Life’ from afar on Saturday, at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina, where local activists joined lawmakers, and loved ones wore white roses for the mother and grandmother who died in April, at age 96. … ” Read more from the Voice of the OC.
SAN DIEGO
September was hot in the U.S., but not so much in San Diego
“September was one of the warmest ever in the United States, with records falling in 111 counties, but conditions were moderate in Southern California. Most of the country baked under record heat in September as large swaths of hot air covered the Midwest and East. The final tally put September 2023 as the seventh warmest in the last 129 years. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) said it was also the third-driest September ever recorded in the lower 48 states. … ” Read more from KPBS.
Commentary: The Tijuana River sewage crisis won’t be solved in a vacuum. We need a holistic approach.
Margarita Díaz, executive director of Proyecto Fronterizo de Educación Ambiental and Tijuana Waterkeeper, writes, “Over the past few years, a recurring topic has dominated the binational regional meetings, articles and reports: the urgent need to focus only on cross-border wastewater. It has almost become a mantra, as if it is the sole problem we must tackle. However, wastewater is not an isolated issue that exists in the ether. It is time we challenge this perspective and question our assumptions and presuppositions toward taking a holistic approach to find a sustainable, transborder solution. In the context of wastewater management, it is vital to focus not only on the wastewater flows but also on how the communities are profoundly affected on both sides of the border and the related uncertainties in the face of climate change. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Commentary: As neighbors of the Tijuana River, my family is ‘marinating in the stench of raw sewage.’
Vivian Moreno, San Diego city councilwoman, writes, “Last fall, San Diego was facing a record heat wave. I was on maternity leave with my newborn daughter, Michelle, and I remember waking up in the middle of one particularly warm night to feed her. As I walked by the window, the relief I felt from the cool breeze was matched by disgust at the thick, pungent smell of fecal matter in the air. The stench was so strong it almost knocked me over. I closed the window, of course, but the stench still found a way into my home. I sat at home, feeding Michelle in the middle of the night with all windows and doors closed, and I felt like my newborn baby and I were marinating in the stench of raw sewage. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Along the Colorado River …
To tackle groundwater overuse, Nevada takes new approach: buying back farmers’ rights
“The Pershing County Water Conservation District’s headquarters in Lovelock sits off Interstate 80 a few miles before the Humboldt River disappears into a desert sink. Farmers here have priority rights to water in times of drought, according to the laws that govern the Humboldt River, which rises in northeastern Nevada and cuts a meandering blue line through valleys of sagebrush. But despite their high-priority rights, these irrigators face shortage after shortage. In three of the past 20 years, Lovelock farmers received no water from the river. In nine of those years, they received less than 50 percent of their allocations, according to a presentation the water district gave to state lawmakers in May. For some farmers, it meant no crops that year. Lovelock is a town of about 2,000 and the consequences were felt across the local economy. … ” Read more from the Nevada Independent.
In national water news today …
A sudden spike in global warmth is so extreme, it’s mysterious
“Record warmth is to be expected as greenhouse gases heat up the planet. But a spike in global temperatures observed in September was so much more dramatic than past extremes that some climate scientists said it defies a simple explanation. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration analysis released Friday further cemented what several other data sets had already affirmed: September was not just the globe’s warmest on record, but its most atypically warm month in nearly two centuries of observations. It was 0.83 degrees above the old record for the month, a staggering departure from what was already extreme. No single factor — not human-caused global warming, not a burgeoning El Niño weather pattern — can immediately assume credit for such a drastic diversion from anything humans have ever seen before, scientists said. It is so far outside the realm of what has occurred, it creates a new conundrum that will take time for research to unpack. … ” Read more from the Washington Post.
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
In California water news this weekend …
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Kern River. Photo by tdlucas5000. Kern River legal wrangling raises questions about how – or whether – the river can serve the needs of people, fish and ag
- Environmental groups seek change to water flows for California’s Kern River
- Gavin Newsom signs law to permanently ban watering grass at certain California businesses
- Governor signs Senator Cortese’s bill building water efficiency in new buildings
- Gov. Newsom signs bill to accelerate Pajaro levee upgrades
- How California reservoir water levels will change, according to predictions
- Wet and windy pattern returning to Northwest, while intense heat builds in California, Arizona
- And more …
Click here for the weekend digest.
