TOP STORIES
By Reuters, 1/6/23. Torrential downpours and damaging winds left tens of thousands of homes and businesses without power in northern California on Friday even as the area braced for the next onslaught of severe weather later in the day and through the weekend.
The next system of heavy downpours was expected to dump 3 to 6 inches (15 cm) of rain on the region, potentially causing scattered flash flooding and mudslides in areas where the soil was already saturated, the National Weather Service (NWS) said in its forecast.
By Los Angeles Times, 1/6/23. The latest in a series of atmospheric river storms pummeled Northern California on Thursday, toppling trees, battering the coastline and swelling rivers and streams into furious torrents as residents braced for more intense weather set to arrive in the near future.
WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
By Los Angeles Times, 1/6/23. The Los Angeles River roared to life this week as a series of powerful storms moved through the Southland. In Long Beach, 3 feet of water shut down the 710 Freeway in both directions, while flooding in the San Fernando Valley forced the closure of the Sepulveda Basin.
It was by all accounts a washout, but despite heaps of water pouring into the area, drought-weary Los Angeles won’t be able to save even half of it. The region’s system of engineered waterways is designed to whisk L.A.'s stormwater out to sea — a strategy intended to reduce flooding that nonetheless sacrifices countless precious gallons.
By Bloomberg, 1/6/23. Usually, bouts of rain are a good thing for drought-stricken farmers. But in California, where a downpour has triggered widespread flooding, much of the water will end up in the sea rather than helping crops, like the state’s famed almond groves.
The recent deluge highlights a decades-long dilemma: A lack of infrastructure to store and shuttle water to growers who produce three-quarters of US fruits and nuts and more than one-third of its vegetables.
By KCRA, 1/6/23. From atop the northside Cosumnes River levee, Leland Schneider looked across a parcel of Wilton farmland on Thursday that just days ago was underwater.
From Sunday into Monday, the area looked like a lake, he said.
WATER SUPPLY & QUALITY
By Vox, 1/6/23. California is looking drenched at the moment, but for the past two decades, it’s been suffering through a megadrought of the kind that hasn’t been seen in more than 1,000 years. The drought threatens the region’s agricultural industry and ordinary citizens alike, putting livelihoods at risk and raising concerns about what the future of life in the West might look like.
Which might, understandably, raise a simple question: Can all this rain, despite the suffering it brings, help alleviate the drought?
The simple answer: Unfortunately not. A flood during a time of drought is a double disaster.
By CapRadio, 1/6/23. It’s been years since California has seen a series of storms like those hitting the state now. They’ve caused evacuations, power outages and flooding, all of which are a hazard to people in impacted areas.
“In terms of overall flood risk, one atmospheric river is typically not enough in order to drive severe concerns,” said Paul Ullrich, a professor of Regional and Global Climate Modeling at UC Davis.
But multiple storms in a row is a different story, he said.
CALIFORNIA WATERSHEDS
By Sacramento News & Review, 1/4/23. A recently released American River Basin study highlights the growing imbalance between water supply and consumer demand. With the stresses of population growth, regulatory updates, and the effects of climate change, this disparity will only get worse without new strategies and approaches to keep water flowing.
CLIMATE & WEATHER
By Washington Post, 1/6/23. At least three other storm systems, one of which looks to be especially significant, are on the way in the next seven days. The most significant is anticipated between Sunday night and Monday night, which will probably bring “widespread flooding, damaging winds, and dangerous beach and marine conditions.” according to the National Weather Service. Thereafter, signs point to a continued active pattern that will keep the moisture fire hose aimed at the state through at least mid- to late January.
By New York Times, 1/6/23. Stressed by drought, whipped by wind and weakened at the roots by relentless rain and flooding, trees — tall and short, ancient and young, in mountain preserves and suburban yards — have toppled across California this week in breathtaking numbers, the most visible sign of a state veering between environmental extremes.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES
By Asian Journal Press, 1/6/23. With powerful winter storms increasing the threat of mudslides, especially for people in wildfire burn areas who are even more vulnerable, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a formal Notice to insurance companies reminding them of their legal duty to cover damage from any future mudslide or similar disaster that is caused by recent wildfires that weakened hillsides.
AGENCIES, PROGRAMS, PEOPLE
By Appeal-Democrat, 1/4/23. Officials said Wednesday that the Sites Reservoir project, which could provide 1.5 million acre-feet of additional water storage capacity, was awarded $80 million in federal funding from the Bureau of Reclamation via the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act.
EVENTS
By Mid-Pacific Water Users Conference - The Mid-Pacific Water Users’ Conference is an annual conference attended by Managers, Directors, O&M Personnel, Consultants, and Government Agency Representatives from districts served by the United States Bureau of Reclamation facilities in California, Nevada, and Oregon.
When: January 25 - 27, 2023
Where: Silver Legacy Resort in Reno, NV
Registration is open for the 19th Annual California Water Law Symposium! Participating school panels will be presenting on behalf of our theme, Diverse Needs: Species Protection and Water Supply. This highly-anticipated event will be hosted by the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, in-person.
When: February 4, 2023 | 8.00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
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