TOP STORIES
The Scientific American, 4/4/2022
Little snow remains in California, officials say—another sign the state could face a dry and dangerous summer.
The California Department of Water Resources announced Friday that the amount of statewide snowpack had fallen to just 38 percent of the average for that date.
As if to underscore the point, California officials stood on browning grass after a snow survey Friday in the South Lake Tahoe area.
WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
Popular Science, 4/3/2022
California and the rest of the American West are facing the worst drought in over 1,200 years. This drought is devastating the agricultural industry and creating conditions that lead to massive wildfires. According to the IPCC, climate change makes it likely that droughts will only continue to get worse. To maintain an adequate supply of fresh water, the region needs to develop technological solutions to dwindling water levels.
WATER SUPPLY & QUALITY
The Independent (Livermore), 4/3/2022
The State Department of Water Resources (DWR) plans to use helicopter-based technology to gather information about California’s groundwater aquifer structure, including the Livermore Valley basin.
“The data collected during these surveys will provide a better understanding of California’s groundwater systems, and in turn support more informed and sustainable groundwater management and drought preparedness and response approaches,” said Steven Springhorn, DWR’s technical assistance manager for the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
CLIMATE & WEATHER
Yale Climate Connections, 4/5/2022
Deep in the San Francisco Bay, two rivers splinter into a vague triangle, creating one of the richest watersheds in California. This estuary – the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta – is an important source of freshwater for the 4 million folks who live in the region. Local agricultural, fishing, and recreation industries bring in billions of dollars a year, and the area also provides a rich habitat for local wildlife.
Over the past few decades, this watershed has seen a dramatic change in its climate. Years-long droughts and record-high temperatures have transformed the region – a shift that’s told no better, perhaps, than through the story of the Delta smelt.
CALIFORNIA WATERSHEDS
PPIC Blog, 4/4/2022
Adding more water to rivers, wetlands, and streams at key times can support California’s struggling native fishes and birds. Regulation is one way to do this, by requiring water users to leave a certain amount of water instream. A complementary approach is water trading. Paying water users to make water available can enhance the environment while reducing conflict over the allocation of scarce supplies. Despite trading’s promise, however, there are questions about the path forward.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES
Accuweather, 4/5/2022
A wave of warmth is set to build over the western United States from Wednesday to Saturday, putting multiple records at risk of being broken and increasing the fire threat as temperatures climb well above average.
"An unusually strong ridge of high pressure for early spring will be strengthening off the West Coast," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Heather Zehr said.
AGENCIES, PROGRAMS, PEOPLE
Maven’s Notebook, 4/5/2022
Water trading can help struggling freshwater ecosystems; Judge’s order stops a Kings County pipeline; Central CA lawmaker pushes new legislation to ‘modernize’ state’s water management; Developers are flooding Arizona with homes even as historic Western drought intensifies; and more …
EVENTS
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR), in collaboration with the State Water Board, is hosting a series of stakeholder meetings to inform the development of an abridged Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP) template as part of a comprehensive effort to assist small water systems.
Start: Wed 20 Apr 2022, 2:00 PM
End: Wed 20 Apr 2022, 4:00 PM
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