Martin Luther King Jr. Day Weekend Wrap-Up: California Drought Declaration
Welcome back! Here’s the wrap-up from the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend:
At the top of the scroll: “Governor Brown Declares Drought State of Emergency” was the news release from the Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Jan. 17. Following his Friday announcement in San Francisco, the governor’s drought proclamation made headlines throughout the long weekend.
A snapshot included “California Declares Drought Emergency,” an article in the Los Angeles Times; “Jerry Brown Declares California Drought Emergency, Urges 20 Percent Cut in Water Use,” The Sacramento Bee; “San Joaquin Valley Farmers Take Drastic Measures to Deal with Drought,” The Fresno Bee; “California Drought: Water Officials Look to Rules of ’70s” and “California Drought: Farmers, Ranchers Face Uncertain Future,” from the San Francisco Chronicle; and the Capitol Weekly’s “Drought: The Behemoths Combine.”
From editorial and op-ed pages were these examples: “Drought Declaration a Warning of Things to Come,” a San Francisco Chronicle editorial; “Water Conservation Needed Now,” San Jose Mercury News editorial; The Sacramento Bee editorial, “Confront Drought By Plugging Leaks, Shutting Off Sprinkler,” and commentary, “California Droughts Precipitate Innovation”; and the Los Angeles Times’ Capitol Journal column by George Skelton, “Drought Offers an Opportunity to Consider Water Policy.”
Water Education Foundation Executive Director Rita Schmidt Sudman was interviewed by KCBS about water conservation. Here’s the clip.
Water Word of the Week: Aquafornia’s Water Word of the Week from sister site Aquapedia is Hoover Dam. Reserve your seat on the Foundation’s Lower Colorado River Tour Feb. 26-28, which includes a private tour of Hoover Dam. Read the post, “Hoover Dam: Aquafornia Water Word of the Week.”
Last Week’s Top Stories: The most viewed story was “Jerry Brown Declares Drought Emergency, Urges Residents to Reduce Water Use By 20 Percent,” from The Sacramento Bee. Excluding news articles, “What Californians Can Expect from the Drought,” a commentary from the Pacific Institute, received the most views.
What’s on the Calendar? This week’s events include today’s State Water Resources Control Board meeting and Brown Bag Seminar, “Using Reservoir Operations to Address Ecosystem Impacts at Shasta Lake.” The Delta Stewardship Council and Delta Protection Commission both hold meetings Thursday, Jan. 23, and the California Irrigation Institute Annual Conference is Jan. 23-24.