“When it comes to the current drought, the North Coast is doing
its part, and ready to do more. …
“At 110 gallons per day, Humboldt County is on the good end of
the list. We use less water than the North Coast — 160 — and
less than the state average, 196.”
“As the state
begins to regulate and track the well stimulation practice
called “fracking,” [Kelly] Swanson is not the only Yuba-Sutter
resident wondering if the extraction method is employed in
local gas fields.
“So far, fracking of local wells has been relatively uncommon
and has produced mixed results, according to officials.”
“The Willits City Council unanimously approved a resolution to
move forward immediately on a $2.1 million drought emergency
project. While the city has only received $250,000 in drought aid
to date, the resolution relies upon state and federal promises of
funding assistance for the full scope of the project.”
“What a difference a month makes, when it comes to the weather.
“A month ago, less than half an inch of rain had fallen since
Jan. 1 at the Redding Municipal Airport, where the National
Weather Service keeps its official rain gauge. … But in
the past month, more than 9 inches of rain has fallen, slaking
the thirst of a dry North State, according to the weather
service.”
“As two other systems appear poised to dampen Northern California
this week beginning Monday, the numbers are in for February and
they are good and wet.”
“When the namesake of your festival is a river god, the weather
on parade day can be a tricky sort of issue. Will it rain or
not, and does that mean Bok Kai cares about us? …
“But why bother with the dilemma? We can trust Bok Kai to do
the right thing — stop the rain long enough for us all to
remain dry during Saturday’s festival; or keep on delivering
the moisture we so sorely need during this drought.
“Any water bond measure that appears on California’s ballot in
November should simply contain three measures to combat future
droughts, Congressman John Garamendi said.”
“Our view: The drought hasn’t vanished because of one storm,
and everybody needs to do their part to quit wasting water.
“It’s easy to point fingers at water wasters during a drought.
A San Jose Mercury News article printed over the weekend and
posted on our website was an eye opener. A map showing water
use per capita demonstrated that inland areas used more water
than coastal areas.
“Roseville residents are likely see dramatic price increases on
their water bills if a drought emergency is declared in the
city. …
“Like other
neighboring communities, Roseville for decades has sourced
water from Folsom Lake. But because of historic low water
levels, officials are working on a multipronged drought
plan.”
“As California continues to struggle with severe drought
conditions, the city of Corning will start asking residents
here to curb their water use by 15 percent.
“The Corning City Council voted Tuesday to implement the first
stage of its water conservation program, which calls on the
city’s customers to voluntarily reduce their water use.”
“In response to the worst drought on record, the Sutter County
Board of Supervisors on Tuesday night declared a local emergency
and encouraged a voluntary 20 percent reduction in water use by
county residents.”
“Last month, the small Mendocino County city of Willits faced a
real possibility of running out of water. …
“Enter this weekend’s storm. The powerful mass of moist,
tropical air from the Pacific Ocean known as a Pineapple
Express delivered more rain than Northern California had seen
in a year and gave some communities a needed boost to
drought-stricken supplies.”
“The storm system that soaked much of Northern California over
the weekend didn’t end the state’s punishing drought. But it just
may have kept it out of the record books.”
“To hear the Democratic critics, the water bill that the House
Republicans passed this week would highhandedly meddle in state
water laws and undermine environmental protections.
“A Pacific storm system spreading across Northern California this
weekend is delivering a welcome drenching to parts of the
drought-stricken state, dumping copious amounts of rain on the
coastal range north of San Francisco and several feet of snow on
the Sierra Nevada.”
From the San Francisco Chronicle Crime Scene blog:
“Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman told KPIX-5 that water
thieves could be making off with up to 5 million gallons of water
a day to irrigate thirsty pot plants.”
“Water, or the lack of it, was the topic of concern for more than
100 people who attended Tuesday’s South Sacramento Valley Winter
Almond Meeting. … Tree planting density, groundwater
conditions and management, and irrigating in a drought year were
all discussed.”
From the Northern California Water Association (NCWA) Blog:
“The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the State
Water Resources Control Board on Friday made announcements and
took additional action in response to the dry conditions in
California.