TOP STORIES
The Associated Press, 5/23/2022
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened Monday to impose mandatory water restrictions if residents don't use less on their own as a drought drags on and the hotter summer months approach.
Newsom raised that possibility in a meeting with representatives from major water agencies, including those that supply Los Angeles, San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area. The Democratic governor has avoided issuing sweeping, mandatory cuts in water use and instead favored giving local water agencies power to set rules for water use in the cities and towns they supply.
WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
Scripps Institute of Oceanography, 5/23/2022
Mountain snowpacks provide an “extra” form of water storage in California and across the Western US, acting as natural reservoirs that hold winter precipitation (as snow) from the cold wet season for release as snowmelt in the warm dry seasons when water demands for human and environmental uses, including irrigation, are high. The combination of water stored as snow and water stored in human-built reservoirs therefore is a useful indicator of developing droughts, persistent droughts, and the termination of droughts in many water-supply systems of the western states.
The Chico Enterprise-Record, 5/24/2022
OROVILLE — As the California drought worsens, local water agencies are tightening down on restrictions for usage while the state continues to monitor its resources.
Cal Water, which handles much of the local water, announced Monday that both Chico and Oroville will be entering what the company is calling Stage 2 of its Water Shortage Contingency Plan. With the shift comes a list of stricter irrigation rules.
WATER SUPPLY & QUALITY
The Washington Post, 5/23/2022
The effects of climate change are advancing at a pace no one could have anticipated in California, as the state enters its third consecutive summer of a painful drought.
Research published in February showed that California’s current drought season is linked to a longer megadrought, which has persisted since 2000.
CNN, 5/23/2022
As California stretches into its third year of drought, Gov. Gavin Newsom is warning local officials that more needs to be done to save water, and to make sure all residents realize how urgent the crisis is.
If not, Newsom said, Californians could face mandatory statewide water restrictions this summer.
Newsom met with the leaders of the largest urban water suppliers on Monday and implored that they "take more aggressive actions to combat drought and better engage their customers to ensure all Californians are doing their part to save water."
CLIMATE & WEATHER
The Sacramento Bee, 5/23/2022
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for the Sacramento Valley, a sign that the weekend’s scattered grass fires may turn into something more serious. Northern winds of 15 to 25 mph and gusts of 25 to 35 mph will begin as early as 11 a.m. Monday from Fairfield to Redding, according to the weather service. Daytime humidity will be at least 5% to 12%.
CALIFORNIA WATERSHEDS
Los Angeles Times, 5/24/2022
The lowly sidewalk tree often stands invisible. We rest in its shade, bask in the scent of springtime flowers, and we don’t notice it until it’s gone.
But the tree works hard. It captures and filters stormwater runoff and helps replenish groundwater. It cleans our air and cools our neighborhoods. It improves our mental health. It saves lives.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES
Los Angeles Times, 5/24/2022
A Redding man pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to setting nearly a dozen fires in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest between 2019 and 2020, prosecutors said.
Eric Michael Smith, 41, was arrested in July 2020 after an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service. He was charged with four counts of setting fire to federal land and faces a possible 20-year prison sentence and $1-million fine.
AGENCIES, PROGRAMS, PEOPLE
Maven’s Notebook, 5/24/2022
Newsom urges aggressive action as historic drought looms over summer; CA Senate proposes $2 billion program to balance water supply and water rights; Tracking water storage for Sierra Nevada and Upper Colorado River Basins; Sustaining steelhead populations in the Bay Area’s backyard; and more …
EVENTS
The California Financing Coordination Committee (CFCC) conducts free funding fairs statewide each year to educate the public and offer potential customers the opportunity to meet with financial representatives from each agency to learn more about their available funding.
Start: Wed 25 May 2022, 9:00 AM
End: Wed 25 May 2022, 2:00 PM
This is the first of three webinars to inform and solicit input from stakeholders on the development of a guidebook to support the preparation of County Drought Plans which focus on state small water systems and domestic wells as required under SB 552. During this first webinar, DWR and State Water Board will review the SB 552 requirements for counties and the plan to develop a guidebook as technical assistance, and solicit input on needed tools and considerations that could help counties meet the requirements.
Start: Thu 2 Jun 2022, 10:30 AM
End: Thu 2 Jun 2022, 12:30 PM
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