water

What Snow? Final Snow Survey Yields Dry Results

Amy Quinton — Fri, 03 May 2013 00:12:18 +0000

The season’s final snow survey in California found what most expected – dry conditions. Snow surveyors found absolutely no snow on the ground at Phillips Station, nearly 7,000 feet up Echo Summit in the Sierras.

Water content in California’s snowpack is only 17 percent of normal, meaning a below average water supply this summer.

Frank Gehrke with the Department of Water Resources says despite that, most reservoirs are near normal levels for the date thanks to early winter storms.

Brown Administration Sidesteps Controversial Delta Comments

Ben Adler — Wed, 01 May 2013 22:26:12 +0000

California lawmakers who represent the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region are seething over recent comments from Governor Jerry Brown’s point man on the state’s proposed water delivery tunnel project. Ben Adler has more from Sacramento.

California in Violation Of Safe Drinking Water Act

Amy Quinton — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:05:58 +0000

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says California is in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The federal government has provided the state one-point-five billion dollars to make loans and grants to water systems across the state. But since October 2012, about a half billion dollars remains unspent.

EPA Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld says in many cases the money has been committed, but the projects are not “shovel-ready”. As a result, other communities’ drinking water needs remain unmet.

Central Valley Water Board Launches Investigation Over Fracking Wastewater Disposal

Joe Moore — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 01:05:34 +0000

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board has launched an investigation into a Kern County oil producer over concerns about how the company disposes of potentially dangerous fracking wastewater.

Vintage Production California allegedly discharged chemical laced wastewater into an unlined retention pond at a well near Shafter, without required permits.

Snow Survey Shows Dramatically Dry Conditions for California

Amy Quinton — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 01:09:06 +0000

The next to the last snow survey of the season shows extremely dry conditions for California. As Amy Quinton reports from Sacramento, it has prompted the Department of Natural Resources to call the security of the state’s water supply “threatened.”

Bay Delta Conservation Plan Details Efforts to Protect Endangered Fish

Amy Quinton — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 01:10:40 +0000

California Governor Jerry Brown’s administration released new details today of its plan to protect fish and wildlife in the Sacramento-San-Joaquin Delta. As Amy Quinton reports from Sacramento, the plan revolves around new tunnels to carry more water to the Central Valley and southern California.

Rewritten Water Bond to Include Less Money for Storage

Ben Adler — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 01:40:24 +0000

California Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg says lawmakers plan to rewrite the $11 billion water bond for the November 2014 ballot – and the new version will likely have less money for storage projects such as dams.

“There will continue to be a chapter for storage. I don’t think there will be nearly the same amount of money in that chapter as there was in the original bond. And I think there will be de-emphasis, frankly – or at least, on the same surface storage projects,” says Steinberg.

First Portion of $14 Billion Bay Delta Conservation Plan Released

Joe Moore — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 23:05:21 +0000

State officials in Sacramento today released a portion of a new plan to restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and improve water reliability for southern California residents and farmers.

Sierra Snowpack Below Normal; Driest Year on Record

Amy Quinton — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 23:16:57 +0000

January and February are the driest on record for the northern Sierra Nevada. As Amy Quinton reports, snowpack is well-below normal for this time of year.

Report: Cleanup Nitrate Pollution With Fee on Fertilizer Sales

Joe Moore — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 02:54:31 +0000

The State Water Resources Control Board is recommending that California fund efforts to mitigate nitrate pollution through a statewide fee on fertilizer.

In a report to the Legislature, the board said that groundwater nitrate pollution in the Tulare Lake Basin and Salinas Valley is likely to get worse in the future, and a dedicated funding stream is needed to address the problem.

Agricultural fertilizer and confined animal facilities are considered some of the top sources of nitrate pollution.