Lingering drought is taking a toll on wildlife across Northern
Nevada, shrinking deer herds on the high desert, drying up
fisheries in the valleys and starting to push everything from
bears to snakes into urban areas they normally don’t frequent.
Homeless camps are becoming a growing source of wildland fires in
San Rafael, and given the severity of this year’s fire threat
they are a hazard that needs to be cleaned up. … The
drought has left the landscape parched and there is extreme risk
of a wildland fire growing out of control.
From U-T San Diego, in a column by Steven Greenhut:
Few issues are more important to the future of California than
providing a reliable source of water for the state’s growing
population. But despite the sense of urgency caused by this
year’s particularly severe drought, legislators still aren’t sure
exactly what to do about the problem.
As Southern California suffers through the third year of drought,
rattlesnakes are moving farther from their territory searching
for food and water, many biologists report.
Sixty million gallons of wastewater are pulled from sewer pipes
and into the Fresno municipal wastewater treatment plant every
day. … The plant managers plan to treat to a higher level
and disinfect the water so it can be used to irrigate
schoolyards, golf courses, and cemeteries.
The Bay Area’s largest water provider announced Monday that
because residents have been doing a better job of conserving
water, it has decided not to impose mandatory rationing this
summer.
The strange ways of Mother Nature were on display this year when
a record number of Marin County’s storied coho salmon migrated to
the ocean, an astonishing quirk for a fishery otherwise ravaged
by drought.
The decision to drain most water features at Getty Center in
Los Angeles and the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades this summer
may not be going over well with some visitors, but the
organization says thousands of gallons a day have been saved as a
result.
The California drought is helping save the state’s signature tree
– the mighty oak – by slowing down the spread of the plague-like
disease scientists call sudden oak death.
Driven by exceptionally warm ocean waters, Earth smashed a record
for heat in May and is likely to keep on breaking high
temperature marks, experts say.
From the California Department of Water Resources (DWR):
As a drought-stricken California moves further into a hot summer,
Save Our Water – a partnership between the Association of
California Water Agencies (ACWA) and the California Department of
Water Resources (DWR) – is launching Don’t Waste Summer, a
campaign devoted to providing daily tips and news on the new
campaign microsite – SaveOurWater.com – to help Californians find
ways to conserve at home and at work every day.
When a single snowflake falls peacefully atop a Sierra peak, it
begins a turbulent journey to help quench the thirst of a
drought-stricken state. … Today, on the cusp of a long,
dry summer, we follow the melting snow — and meet its dependents
— along one of its many routes from remote peaks to thriving
communities around the Golden State.
Marin’s two largest water agencies report their customers have
done slightly better than other Bay Area residents in conserving
water since Gov. Jerry Brown called for a 20 percent voluntary
cutback in January.
In the Sacramento Valley, where water districts have been
shrinking water allocations, the gritty olive tree, with its
gnarly bark and thin, dusty-looking leaves, has become a go-to
crop.
