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Topic: Flood Management

Overview April 24, 2014

Flood Management

Devastating floods are almost annual occurrences in the West and in California. With the anticipated sea level rise and other impacts of a changing climate, particularly heavy winter rains, flood management is increasingly critical in California. Compounding the issue are man-made flood hazards such as levee stability and stormwater runoff.

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Aquafornia news February 3, 2023 San Francisco Chronicle

California storms recovery difficult for those in hardest hit areas

Moldering houses, sodden with rainwater. Muddy back roads awaiting bulldozers to clear away debris. Families without flood insurance wondering how they will afford to repair their wrecked homes and replace belongings. This is the reality for many low-income and working-class residents in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, the bull’s-eye of a series of historic atmospheric river storms that began on Dec. 26 and lasted through Jan. 18. The storms dumped as much as 3 feet of water in parts of the Santa Cruz Mountains, flooding homes, blocking critical access roads and trapping communities. Across the state, at least 21 people died in the deluges. The floodwaters have receded, but one month later, residents are still struggling to move forward with scant resources while navigating bureaucratic labyrinths to procure promised federal aid.

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Aquafornia news February 3, 2023 Fox Weather

Don’t hold the guac: California’s avocado industry poised to take advantage of winter’s historic rains

A Super Bowl party mainstay that nearly every fan can get behind is poised to take advantage of California’s decreasing drought despite early predictions that crop output may come in below the previous season’s totals. The California Avocado Commission recently announced it’s expecting a crop harvest of 257 million pounds of avocados during the 2022-23 fiscal year, which is a drop of around 7% from the 2021-2022 season. Central and Southern California are home to nearly 3,000 farms, with many experiencing years of drought and strict water restrictions. A decrease in the severity of the drought triggered by atmospheric river events that dropped some 32 trillion gallons of water over the state has some hopeful that initial estimates may not capture the full success of farmers.

Related article: 

  • Western Farm Press: Nut growers take stock of damage after storms
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Aquafornia news February 3, 2023 SJV Sun

Opinion: Calif.’s storms are gone. Here’s how much water we flushed to the Pacific.

California’s mandated first flush of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in January resulted in the vast majority of incoming Delta water being sent out into the San Francisco Bay.  Data from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for the month of January revealed that more than 90 percent of all water that entered the Sacramento Delta was pumped out to the Bay and into the Pacific Ocean.  The backstory: In early January, following weeks of heavy rainfall throughout the Golden State, up to 95 percent of all incoming water to the Delta was being purposefully pumped into the ocean at points.
-Written by SJV Sun reporter Daniel Gligich. 

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Aquafornia news February 3, 2023 Capital Public Radio

Winter storms in California will become more intense as climate change accelerates, study finds

An estimated 32 trillion gallons of water — in the form of rain and snow — came down on California in a series of nine back-to-back atmospheric rivers between late December and mid-January.  To put this in perspective, that amount is just shy of the quantity of water held within Lake Tahoe, one of the deepest lakes in North America. The lake has, on average, about 37 trillion gallons of water.  These storms were destructive and deadly, claiming the lives of at least 20 people, and the estimated cost is likely to end up being in the billions. And new research is revealing these storms will likely become larger and drop even more rain than what we have experienced so far this winter. Dr. Ruby Leung, an atmospheric scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington state, joined CapRadio’s Vicki Gonzalez to discuss what this means for California’s future.

Related article: 

  • KTVU – Oakland: Too much rain, snow could have flooding consequences 
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Aquafornia news February 2, 2023 San Francisco Chronicle

Recent rains are ‘nowhere near’ what California might see in the future, climate expert says

The atmospheric rivers that pummeled California are a far cry from what a series of extreme storms could potentially bring, climate scientist Daniel Swain said at a legislative hearing on Wednesday that explored the impacts of the recent storm sequence. … Climate change is increasing the odds that severe storms, like what Californians encountered, will happen more frequently. A warmer atmosphere can hold onto more water, which can translate to stronger storms and heavier downpours. “There’s about a two in three chance of seeing an event that is about 20 or 30% larger than what we just experienced over the next forty years or so,” Swain said, noting that there is still uncertainty with the numbers. … Such an event would be comparable to the Great Flood of 1862, where weeks of storms pounded the state — far worse than the downpours that began on Dec. 26.

Related articles: 

  • ABC7 – San Francisco: Study uncovers underground flood risk in Bay Area due to storms, climate change
  • Agri-Pulse: California flood assistance available to farmers and ranchers
  • Modesto Bee: FEMA considers Stanislaus County for storm damage assistance
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Aquafornia news February 2, 2023 ABC 10 - Sacramento

Woodland expanding underground aquifer storage, use of wells

After historic rains hit California over a three week period, many have been wondering if enough is being done to store the excess water. The city of Woodland has been prepared for water storage for over a decade. What started off as a treatment facility to clean water soon became a treatment and underground storage facility. Tim Busch, a utilities engineer with the city of Woodland, says they received rights to divert water from the Sacramento River in 2011 to provide water to Woodland-Davis residents. That treated water was put through their first Aquifer Storage and Recovery well, or ASR well. The project broke ground in 2014 and since then, three ASR wells now help hold hundreds of millions of gallons of water. … The goal this year is to supply 800 million gallons of water. Busch says that’s would cover about 30% of the water used in the summer months.

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Aquafornia news February 2, 2023 Comstock's magazine

Editorial: Who will save (not stop) the rain?

Our beloved Capital Region has been literally awash with rain, snow, flooding and downed trees, and I’m sure many of us think that California’s persistent drought has at last been rinsed away. After all, we’ve received huge amounts of snow in the Sierra, which will thaw and flow westward to fill our reservoirs, basins and valleys as it makes its way to sea. Add to that the atmospheric rivers of rain that have been pouring into our towns, overflowing our riverbanks, curbs, basements and canals, we’re tempted to assume that our state is no longer destined to be a desert. But that’s probably not going to be the case.

Related article: 

  • Ag Alert: Farm Bureau president’s message - California must capture water in wet years and expedite projects
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Aquafornia news February 1, 2023 Los Angeles Times

How do you track an atmospheric river? Climb aboard this highflying reconnaissance jet

The interior of the plane looked like a cross between a private luxury jet and a space mission control room. The Gulfstream IV cruised at 43,000 feet, high above a seemingly peaceful layer of thick clouds that stretched to the horizon. Crew members in blue jumpsuits stared at computer screens that revealed their hidden target miles below: a powerful atmospheric river that was churning across the Pacific Ocean toward California, bearing torrential rains and fierce winds. Soaring more than 1,000 miles northeast of Hawaii, the specially equipped hurricane-reconnaissance jet “Gonzo” was preparing to drop dozens of data-collecting devices into the heart of the storm. By capturing the equivalent of a CT scan, the crew would help to predict when and where the rains would hit. And how hard.

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Aquafornia news February 1, 2023 Patch - San Diego

San Diego can expect more water after recent rains

Recent rains could mean a more flexible water budget for San Diego as state authorities announced increased water deliveries throughout California. The state will allocate additional water deliveries to some 29 public water agencies, delivering 30 percent of requested water supplies after initially projecting only five percent delivery. The areas receiving additional water allocations include the Bay Area, central coast, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, including the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, according to Maggie Macias, a representative of the California Department of Water Resources.

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Aquafornia news February 1, 2023 Scientific American

Opinion: How water finally became a climate change priority

Last year, the world watched as punishing heat and drought killed people in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and floods destroyed parts of Pakistan and the Philippines. This year, we’ve seen torrential rain drowning sections of coastal California. These events underscore the devastating role water can play in a changing climate, something I have been studying for the last two decades. … Last year, the Sixth IPCC report showed clearly that climate change is causing water insecurity. The report, which comes from the United Nations, also showed how the extremes of water—floods, shortages and droughts—are linked to the natural water cycle. 
-Written by Vidhisha Samarasekara, a strategic program director at the International Water Management Institute. 

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Aquafornia news January 31, 2023 Press Democrat

Recent flood forecasts missed the mark in Sonoma County. Here’s why

The wavy, colored lines rose with each big storm and fell slightly with each break in the rain. Each time, the “forecast” and “guidance” lines in the river charts approached the somewhat arbitrary, broken red line describing Russian River’s 32-foot flood stage in Guerneville. During the seemingly endless parade of atmospheric rivers earlier this month, the colored, sinusoidal graphs — produced by the California Nevada River Forecast Center — became a go-to resource for predicting flooding along the river, advising first responders, business owners, residents and government officials. But each time, predictions were off, in some cases, by several feet. Sometimes, predictions changed dramatically throughout the same day. 

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Aquafornia news January 31, 2023 Sacramento Bee

These Sacramento County levees have serious damage

A single Cosumnes River levee sustained $1.5 million in damage after recent winter storms tore out a hole the size of a football field. But the federal government’s emergency management has not yet agreed to give local officials the money to fix that embankment. The agency has refused to fund this stretch of the river for years, saying the barriers do not meet the criteria for intervention because they were not built to meet the agency’s standards. It regards them as “levee-like” structures, not levees. The policy has had lasting repercussions in this corner of south Sacramento County, where certain parts of flood infrastructure stay broken for years. In 2017, for instance, storms battered levees along a 15-mile stretch of the Cosumnes. Local officials asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, for help fixing 16 pieces of infrastructure damaged during the floods.

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Aquafornia news January 31, 2023 KQED - San Francisco

Why sewage flooded the Bay

An estimated 62 million gallons of sewage — or about 94 Olympic-sized swimming pools — spilled into the San Francisco Bay during the storms in late December and January.  Those storms are now behind us, and officials say the water is now safe. But now is actually the perfect time to unpack what went wrong with our sewage system, and how we can better prepare our infrastructure for the next big storm.

Related articles:

  • San Francisco Chronicle: California beaches were dramatically damaged by recent storms. Can they recover?
  • San Diego Union-Tribune: Oceanside continues search for sand, downplays possibility of groins
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Aquafornia news January 30, 2023 San Francisco Chronicle

Scientists are worried about a new risk to California’s snowpack

A flurry of storms unloaded historic amounts of rain and snow across California over the past month. The deluges, fueled by a parade of atmospheric rivers, filled reservoirs and have improved drought conditions across large swaths of the state. The Sierra snowpack has ballooned to more than double its usual size for this time of year. The snow will continue to replenish California’s water supplies as it melts during the warmer months. …Picturesque locales where Californians ski and enjoy other snow activities are burning in wildfires more often, undergoing long-lasting changes that make snowpack melt earlier. Snow can even melt in the middle of winter, before reservoir managers are ready to shift from flood control to water storage. 

Related articles: 

  • High Country News: In a warming world, California’s trees keep dying
  • Los Angeles Times: Cold weather arrives in Southern California, bringing snow in the mountains
  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 30, 2023 Bay City News

State approves sustainability plans for major North Bay groundwater basins

Plans for ensuring the long-term viability of four major groundwater basins in the North Bay were approved Thursday by state water regulators. The State Department of Water Resources announced that it gave the okay to plans developed for the Napa Valley Subbasin in Napa County and the Santa Rosa Plain Subbasin, the Petaluma Valley Basin and Sonoma Valley Subbasin in Sonoma County. The plans were developed by four different local groundwater sustainability agencies under the requirements of the 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.

Related articles: 

  • Engineering News-Record: Rosemary Knight – Strong believer in value of science and data for sustainably managing California’s groundwater
  • Napa Valley Register: Napa Valley Grapegrowers Report: Investing in the aquifer
  • Forbes: Opinion – Can we store enough extreme rainfall to break droughts?
  • Marin Independent Journal: Marin Independent Journal here:  Marin water district tests supply options against severe drought
  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 30, 2023 San Francisco Chronicle

Why forecasts for La Niña turned out to be all wet

The new year started off with a parade of storms, leading to San Francisco and the wider Bay Area seeing one of its rainiest time frames since the Gold Rush era. This onslaught of storms seemed a bit out of place with the trend of La Niña, an outlook that traditionally brings warm, dry conditions to most of California. Instead, the first half of the 2022-23 winter season was marked by atmospheric river-enhanced storms and notable reductions in drought conditions across the state. … For meteorologists in both the Bay Area and across the Western U.S., this January’s shift toward wet and stormy conditions brings with it questions over what other factors might be stomping out the typical La Niña outlook.

Related article: 

  • San Francisco Chronicle: It’s about to get extremely cold in the Bay Area and Sierra Nevada
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Aquafornia news January 30, 2023 Sacramento Bee

Editorial: Newsom’s CA budget cuts come at expense of climate change

Just six months ago, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his administration were boasting a budget surplus of $97.5 billion. Today, thanks to a falling stock market and a weakened tech sector, California has an apparently unforeseen budget deficit of $22.5 billion. Cuts must be made. But Newsom’s proposed cuts seemingly come at the expense of climate-related projects, a curious decision from a governor who often speaks about how confronting climate change is one of his key priorities. Unsurprisingly, his actions do not meet the weight of his words. Newsom’s budget proposal, ironically released on the heels of an atmospheric river that unleashed catastrophic flooding across the state, suggests slashing approximately $6 billion dollars from climate-related projects, including $40 million that had been promised to floodplain restoration projects in the San Joaquin Valley.

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Aquafornia news January 30, 2023 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

News release: USACE awards $27.5 million contract for 2023 levee improvement work along Sacramento River East Levee

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District awarded a $27.575 million construction contract on January 20, 2023, to Maloney Odin Joint Venture of Novato, for more than 2.6 miles of levee improvements at five locations along the Sacramento River East Levee between the I Street Bridge and just south of the town of Freeport. Work is scheduled to begin this spring and is expected to be complete in December 2023. USACE is planning to host an informational meeting in March to discuss what this construction work will look like, including trail access, haul routes, and staging areas. Details for this meeting are still being finalized and will be posted to www.sacleveeupgrades.com prior to the meeting. 

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Aquafornia news January 27, 2023 Chico Enterprise-Record

Flood control cuts slow progress in north state

As California grappled with drought conditions over the past three years, flooding was the last thing on most people’s minds. That changed this month when bomb cyclone rainstorms saturated the state and left communities reeling from rushing water. Unbeknownst to many, work on flood control progressed during the dry times. Chico-based River Partners has supplemented repairs to levies by restoring watersheds in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. … Much of this work is on hold, however, after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced deep cuts to the state budget that hit flood plain projects particularly hard. From funding levels of $250 million a year, the governor cut flooding mitigation to $135 million — a fraction of the $360 million to $560 million called for in the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan adopted in 2012 and updated last year.

Related article: 

  • CBS Sacramento: FEMA surveying levee repairs in Sacramento County area impacted by major flooding 
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Aquafornia news January 27, 2023 WIRED

How sensor-dangling helicopters can help beat the water crisis

After weeks of near-constant rain and flooding, California is finally drying out—but hopefully not getting too dry, because the state needs all the rain it can get to pull itself out of a historic drought. This is California at its most frenetic and contradictory: Climate change is making both dry spells and rainstorms more intense, ping-ponging the state’s water systems between critical shortages and canal-topping deluges.  A simultaneous solution to both extremes is right beneath Californians’ feet: aquifers, which are made up of underground layers of porous rock or sediments, like gravel and sand, that fill with rainwater soaking through the soil above. … In paleo valleys, those coarser sediments are topped with perhaps just a few feet of soil, so they readily channel water into the aquifer system—this is where you’d want to refill.

Related article: 

  • California Department of Water Resources: News release - DWR approves groundwater sustainability plans for four Northern California basins
  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 27, 2023 Monterey Herald

Monterey County asks for state, federal help for key projects

With federal and state elected officials listening in, representatives from 10 Monterey County departments lobbied for assistance – financially and legislatively – for what they consider the top priorities for 2023. Homeless funding, reservoir improvements, clean drinking water, refurbishing all or parts of the historic jail in Salinas, a new health clinic in Marina, immigration reform and a reauthorization of the Farm Bill, a veterans home, and ensuring ongoing flood relief assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Administration, or FEMA, were all selected as the most important projects that will need federal or state assistance, or both. Last week’s annual workshop was an opportunity for department heads to outline these needs for elected officials that included U.S. Congressman Jimmy Panetta, U.S. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, state Sen. John Laird, state Assemblyman Robert Rivas and state Assemblywoman Dawn Addis.

Related article: 

  • Monterey Weekly: Monterey commentary - More than ever, floods show why we need to invest in our water infrastructure.
  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 27, 2023 Food and Environment Reporting Network

Extreme weather creates a food crisis for California farmworkers

On a brisk afternoon in mid-January, Eloy Ortiz is pacing the back alley behind a white house in Watsonville, California, in the heart of California’s strawberry industry. The house is under an evacuation warning after weeks of torrential rain, but that hasn’t stopped hundreds of women and children from crowding around the back gate. … Ortiz is a board member and volunteer with the Center for Farmworker Families, a nonprofit that assists farmworker communities throughout Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties on California’s Central Coast. The group has been distributing food for over a decade, but this is a big crowd, even by their standards. Many of the women in line pick strawberries for a living, and the crop has taken a beating from California’s winter storms. Farmers face up to $200 million in damages, according to the California Strawberry Commission.

Related articles: 

  • Ag Alert: Salinas commentary - A cautious smile after our Salad Bowl ‘storm watch’
  • ABC 30 – Fresno: Farmers’ crops and cattle impacted by wet weather and heavy rain
  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 27, 2023 NRDC

Blog: Fighting a flood of misinformation about CA water

The past weeks following our recent large storms have been awash in misinformation and hypocrisy about operating and permitting water infrastructure in California. Even those who closely follow the news about California water are likely unaware that the data shows that more than half of the runoff from the storms in early January was captured and stored in the Central Valley. Or that the loudest voices criticizing environmental protections for our rivers and fisheries during the storms – which are requirements of the Trump Administration’s 2019 biological opinions – are the very same voices demanding that legislators and the courts keep those biological opinions in place. 

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Aquafornia news January 26, 2023 Yale Climate Connections

The other ‘big one’: How a megaflood could swamp California’s Central Valley

Sediment research has found that six storms similar to or even more severe than the 1861-62 storm hit California in the past 2,000 years, arriving about every 200 to 400 years…. Given this history, it is inevitable that another great flood will hit the state someday, and climate change is thought to boost the odds of such an event. And when the next great flood comes, the damages could well dwarf those of any previous global weather disaster, adding up to more than $1 trillion — an extraordinary catastrophe with triple the cost of the feared great quake on the San Andreas fault. 

Related articles: 

  • Los Angeles Times: An entire flooded California town was evacuated; they defied the order
  • Slate: 100-year floods - The metric behind America’s infrastructure is out of date, and thanks to climate change we’re paying the price.
  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 26, 2023 Comstock's magazine

Taking stock after the storm

[C]limate experts and state officials are taking stock of flood protection systems and our ability to take advantage of the rainfall. The good news, they report, is “the ongoing rains are already boosting California’s water storage system.” The bad news, they warn, is “it would be hasty, though, to assume the ongoing storms and wet forecast mark an end to the drought.” … A significant casualty of the storm systems has been our trees. Perpetually saturated soils have loosened their roots, and vicious winds have taken them down. Over the summer, we published an opinion piece by the Sacramento Tree Foundation and Regional Water Authority that urged Sacramentans to care for trees during drought, illustrated by a satellite view of the area’s canopy loss. 

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Aquafornia news January 26, 2023 Modesto Bee

Opinion: Restore floodplains money in California budget, Gov. Newsom

What’s worse? Horrifying killer storms or slow death by drought? California’s climate can be extreme — drought or deluge. Both are deadly, each exacerbating damage caused by the other. Fortunately, some people are doing the necessary, innovative and difficult work to combat drought and deluge at the same time. Infuriatingly, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal abandons some of the most important flood-control, drought-fighting measures taking place in our state. He removed a $40 million allocation approved last year for floodplain restoration — work designed to reduce lethal flooding, store water underground, remove carbon from the atmosphere and create wildlife habitat. This comes on top of a decision two years ago to remove $60 million for other San Joaquin Valley floodplain projects.
-Written by Adam Gray, formerly representing Merced County and part of Stanislaus County in the California Assembly.​

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Aquafornia news January 25, 2023 Reinsurance News

Moody’s RMS estimates $5-7bn in economic losses from California flooding

Global catastrophe and risk modelling solutions firm, Moody’s RMS estimates total US economic losses from the recent California flooding to be between $5-7 billion. This estimate reflects inland flood impacts for the US, which includes damage to infrastructure. The insured losses are anticipated to be between $0.5-1.5 billion, including losses to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the private flood market. Since late December, California has been hit with extreme rain and winds, leaving entire neighbourhoods under water, downing trees, and causing severe mudslides.

Related articles: 

  • Monterey Herald: Monterey County storm damage hits $120 million and counting
  • KSBY: Storm repairs in Boulder Creek are off to slow start
  • KVPR – Central California: Valley farmworkers lose out on work during rainstorms
  • Los Angeles Times: Opinion - Why didn’t weather forecasts prepare California for the rain
  • KEYT-Santa Barbara: Emergency work rapidly clears debris basins from local storm impacts
  • Ventura County Star: ‘Absolutely unbelievable:’ Flooding, sink holes close popular Ventura preserves
  • Daily Journal: ‘A lot of heartache’ - San Carlos residents, officials still assessing storm damage
  • Market Watch: Heavy rains hammered California, causing billions of dollars in damage. But less than 2% of homeowners in the state have flood insurance.
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 25, 2023 Chico Enterprise-Record

DWR expects to begin spillway work between May and October

The California Department of Water Resources is set to begin phase one of its plan to replace the hoists on the Oroville Dam spillway sometime between May and October. Project Manager Zerguy Maazouddi, who works under DWR’s Division of Operations and Maintenance, said the first phase of prerequisites such as site surveys and approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. … The idea behind the project is that during the winter times when the lake level is higher, a new hoist is created. During the later parts of the year, the hoist will be installed. This will last for eight cycles.

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Aquafornia news January 25, 2023 Colusa Sun-Herald

New analysis projects capabilities of Sites Reservoir during heavy river flows

The Sites Project Authority released findings from a new analysis that projected Sites Reservoir could have diverted and captured 120,000 acre-feet of water in just two weeks if the reservoir had been operational from Jan. 3 through Jan. 15 and would continue to capture water over the next few weeks as flows continue to run high. … The project, which has been in the works for more than 60 years, hopes to turn the Sites Valley, located 10 miles west of Maxwell where Colusa and Glenn counties meet, into a state-of-the-art off-stream water storage facility that captures and stores stormwater flows in the Sacramento River – after all other water rights and regulatory requirements are met – for release in dry and critical years for environmental use and for communities, farms and businesses statewide to utilize when needed.

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Aquafornia news January 25, 2023 North Bay Bohemian

King tides offer North Bay residents a preview of sea level rise

On Sunday, Jan. 22, a group of hikers stood on a hillside in China Camp State Park near San Rafael watching, not wildlife thriving in the park’s salt marshes, but cars and bicycles below. It was close to 12:30pm, and a short segment of the low-lying North San Pedro Road was covered in water, forcing visitors to brave the shallow water or turn back. … In the Bay Area, though, untouched wetlands and salt flats, like those at China Camp, are fairly rare. Before human development accelerated in the 20th century, there were 200,000 hectares, or approximately 770 square miles, of salt marshes along the edges of the bay, according to the San Francisco Bay Keeper.

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Aquafornia news January 25, 2023 Denver Post

Opinion: California floods portend a catastrophic future for the Colorado River

Moab, Utah, gets just eight inches of rain per year, yet rainwater flooded John Weisheit’s basement last summer. Extremes are common in a desert: Rain and snow are rare, and a deluge can cause flooding. Weisheit, 68, co-director of Living Rivers and a former Colorado River guide, has long warned the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that its two biggest dams on the Colorado River could become useless because of prolonged drought. Although recently, at a BuRec conference, he also warned that “atmospheric rivers” could overtop both dams, demolishing them and causing widespread flooding. Weisheit points to BuRec research by Robert Swain in 2004, showing an 1884 spring runoff that delivered two years’ worth of Colorado River flows in just four months.
-Written by David Marston, of Writers on the Range.

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Aquafornia news January 25, 2023 KCRA - Sacramento

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: 2 big California reservoirs hit highest levels in 2.5 years

California’s water supply has hit a new milestone for the year in the wake of three weeks of wet weather. Water levels at two of the state’s largest reservoirs are now at their highest point in 2.5 years, Chief Meteorologist Mark Finan said. … Lake Shasta and Oroville have both added more than 1 million acre-feet of water in the past month and the levels continue to rise. Inflow rates into those reservoirs have decreased considerably, which is to be expected during periods of dry weather. As of Tuesday, Lake Shasta is at 55% of its total capacity and Lake Oroville is at 62% of capacity. Last summer, Lake Shasta peaked at about 40% of its total capacity.

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Aquafornia news January 25, 2023 The Sacramento Bee

Opinion: CA rain storms delivered missed opportunity to save water

The recent series of atmospheric rivers dumped enough rain and snow on Northern California to give us hope that the end of the drought may be near. … The tremendous amount of water flowing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the Pacific Ocean is additional evidence of this winter’s bounty. … The outflow is so abundant now that it’s more than 20 times the threshold set by the state to meet environmental standards. … [D]ecades-old regulations limit how much water can be captured — even water is flowing over the banks of creeks and streams and trees are being toppled. The rule preventing us from saving more of this near-biblical flood is based on fish behavior under certain historic conditions. However, we are clearly living through exceptional circumstances, and these rules — and California’s rule-makers — are utterly incapable of adjusting.
-Written by Ian LeMay, president of the California Fresh Fruit Association and the chairman of the Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley.

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Aquafornia news January 24, 2023 Los Angeles Times

Tuesday Top of the Scroll: January storms leave L.A. County flood-control dams at risk of overflowing

Now that the shock of a series of January storms has worn off, Los Angeles County officials face a herculean chore: Five reservoirs along south-facing San Gabriel Mountain slopes are filled with so much debris and soupy mud that they pose a flood risk to the communities below. Another intense storm, they say, could unleash new surges of dirt, toppled trees and boulders down canyons stripped of their binding vegetation by the 2020 Bobcat fire, sending chocolate-colored floodwaters over the dams and into the cities of Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Pacoima, Sun Valley and Sunland. An urgent concern is emptying the reservoir behind 96-year-old Santa Anita Dam of about 600,000 cubic yards of muck more than 80 feet deep. Two of the three valves that control releases of stormwater from the 20-story-tall dam are blocked with silt.

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Aquafornia news January 24, 2023 Capital Press

Newsom budget would cut some money for California flood protection

Multiple flood protection projects in California are on hold after Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed cutting their funding to help cover a $22.5 billion budget deficit — a decision disappointing environmental advocates as weeks of powerful storms have caused widespread flooding that damaged homes and washed away roads. Newsom’s budget proposal, released last week, cuts $40 million that had been pledged for floodplain restoration projects along rivers in the San Joaquin Valley, an area at high risk of catastrophic flooding. Those projects would allow for rivers to flood in strategic places during winter storms or the spring Sierra Nevada snowmelt, reducing the risks for populated areas downstream while also benefiting environmental ecosystems.

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Aquafornia news January 24, 2023 The Hill

La Niña shows signs of ending. Is El Niño next?

The long reign of La Niña may soon be over. According to the latest outlook released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center, there’s an 82% chance that by springtime – sometime between March and May – La Niña will have faded away. In the spring, La Niña is most likely to be replaced by conditions meteorologists refer to as “ENSO neutral,” which is when neither La Niña nor El Niño is present. Looking further down the forecast into late summer and early fall and there are signs of something we haven’t seen in years: the return of El Niño. By the August through October timeframe, there’s about a 50% chance El Niño will take hold. Of course, that means there’s also about a 50% chance it won’t.

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Aquafornia news January 24, 2023 The Packer

Will there be a lettuce shortage this year as parts of drought-plagued California are now flooding?

After three consecutive years of drought, relentless rains have hammered California for the past three straight weeks. From flooding to mudslides, the unforgiving weather is wreaking havoc on agriculture and infrastructure in the state. The culprit? An atmospheric river. Even with the intense moisture, the rains hit ahead of the area’s main growing season, which is good news for crops like lettuce and strawberries. … Livestock producers worked to get their livestock to higher ground, while produce fields in some areas flooded as levees caved to rushing waters. California is finally getting a break from the back-to-back storms, Rippey says an atmospheric river is nothing new, but it is rare during a La Niña year.

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Aquafornia news January 24, 2023 San Francisco Chronicle

These Bay Area regions didn’t flood in California’s storms, here’s why

When San Francisco’s new Southeast Community Center opened in October, the three acres of parkland included an expansive landscaped bioswale that, in theory, would handle the water running off even the most extensive storm. Less than a month later, the theory was put to the test — and it passed with flying colors. … The amount of runoff from the overall site was 45% below what it would have been before the project converted a former office site; on New Year’s eve, water cascaded through the site and filled the retention basin, but it never surged over its banks.

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Aquafornia news January 24, 2023 Los Angeles Times

Opinion: Uncaptured water isn’t all wasted in California

A gazillion gallons of stormwater have been rampaging down rivers into the sea. But that uncaptured bounty hasn’t been “wasted.” “Wasted water” being dumped in the ocean is an old cliché that resurfaces whenever there’s a big storm in this weather-eccentric state — or during the inevitable dry periods when crops are thirsty and homeowners are told to shut off their lawn sprinklers. But “wasted water” is a myth. Uncaptured runoff flowing to the sea flushes pollutants out of rivers and bays, helping to cleanse water for local domestic use. It also saves many kinds of fish, including salmon, not only for recreationists but for the coastal fishing industry. And it deposits sand on beaches.
-Written by LA Times columnist George Skelton.

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Aquafornia news January 24, 2023 The New York Times

A ‘big night’ for newts, and for a California newt brigade

California is experiencing one of its wettest winters in recent history following a series of atmospheric rivers that hit the state in rapid succession. The recent downpours and deluges wreaked havoc on many parts of Northern California. But north of San Francisco, the town of Petaluma was spared the worst of the storms. There, the rain has been a boon for newts. … What the newts need now is a safe way to get to their rendezvous points. In many places, busy roads lie between newts and their breeding grounds. In Petaluma and other parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, thousands of newts are killed by cars each year as they try to cross these roads. The carnage in Petaluma is so severe that a group of local residents has taken it upon themselves to stop it.

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Aquafornia news January 23, 2023 San Francisco Chronicle

California’s recent storms were historic. They could get much worse

Storms have dumped historic amounts of rain and snow on California over the past month. But in the not-so-distant future, winter storms in the Western U.S. could get bigger and more intense as greenhouse gas emissions warm the planet, a new study reported in Nature Climate Change. Between Dec. 26 and Jan. 19 in downtown San Francisco, 17.74 inches of rain fell during a series of historic storms, an amount totaling 78% of the rainfall that the city typically receives during an entire year. Deluges across the state over the past few weeks have led to deadly floods and landslides, killing at least 20 and causing widespread damage.

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Aquafornia news January 23, 2023 Orange County Register

As the state’s budget work gets underway, recent weather puts spotlight on water infrastructure

As work gets underway on the state budget, the recent weather events in California — which left more than a dozen people dead and caused tens of thousands to evacuate their homes — have put a spotlight on the state of water infrastructure. In the new budget proposal he recently announced, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed $202 million to go toward flood protection. The investments will be divided between urban flood risk reduction, delta levees and Central Valley flood protection, according to the plan. … The governor’s proposal isn’t the final product. Legislators will hold hearings and work through the proposal. Newsom’s office will release a revised plan based on the latest economic forecast in May, and the legislature has until June 15 to pass the budget.

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Aquafornia news January 23, 2023 Los Angeles Times

Storm flooding compounds misery for California farms and workers

The sun was shining again recently when Fidencio Velasquez visited what used to be 90 acres of prime Ventura County strawberry fields. He pointed to a 40-foot storage container that Santa Clara River floodwaters had swept off a neighboring farm and deposited before him. Overturned tractors and fertilizer bins were strewn about like toys, while the deep channels between crop rows were filled with mud. A harvesting machine was damaged beyond repair. Metal pipes, hoses and trash littered the farm’s outskirts. … Velasquez, a supervisor at Santa Clara Farms in Ventura, estimates that the expense of cleaning up and replacing damaged crops, machinery and equipment could run upward of $900,000. 

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Aquafornia news January 23, 2023 California WaterBlog

Blog: Is the drought over? Reflections on California’s recent flood-drought combo

Early January was an unusually wild ride of atmospheric rivers. Nine sizable systems produced a train of storms beginning about New Years and lasting for several weeks across almost all of California. After three years of drought, the storms reminded us that California has flood problems similar in magnitude to its drought problems, and that floods and droughts can occur in synchrony. As the dust begins to settle, let’s look at the impacts of these early January floods and examine if the recent three-year drought and its longer-term drought impacts might be ending.

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Aquafornia news January 23, 2023 Los Angeles Times

Harris visits Southern California stormwater runoff project

Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday joined state and local leaders at a Los Angeles County site recently upgraded to increase groundwater retention, where they touted ongoing efforts to improve drought resiliency across California and neighboring states. Harris’ visit came on the heels of a series of storms that battered the state for weeks, causing fatalities, flooding and extensive damage — but also provided record-setting precipitation needed in the water-starved West. Harris said the climate whiplash — from years of severe drought to pummeling rain — was indicative of the climate crisis, requiring better preparation for such weather extremes. And with much of that recent stormwater already flowing into the Pacific, the situation has renewed calls to change how the state collects and stores rainwater.

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Aquafornia news January 23, 2023 The New York Times

Opinion: My state is 1,000 miles long, and not everyone living in it hates the rain

Here in Fig Garden, a suburb that creeps up to the edge of the San Joaquin River, on land my neighbors prefer not to think of as a floodplain, the rain started falling in late December and didn’t stop for two weeks. My lawn turned into pond. Geese were honking like they haven’t honked in years. As the last big storm was nearing, I got a call from my aunt and uncle, California natives who high-tailed it to Cleveland a half century ago. “You guys all right?” they asked. The pond had yet to reach my front door. “I think we’re going to be OK,” I said. I reminded them that there are seven dams on the San Joaquin. I don’t know of any other river in America that has been more corralled by man. Over 90 percent of its flow is shunted via canals and ditches to farmland that produces almonds, pistachios, table grapes and mandarins.
-Written by Mark Arax, author of “The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California.”

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Aquafornia news January 23, 2023 Los Angeles Times

Editorial: L.A. doesn’t need a water czar to solve its water woes. It’s already on it

The recent onslaught of storms and the backdrop of relentless drought might make Los Angeles residents wish we had an old-school water czar to tap distant rivers. But the days of having William Mulholland single-mindedly create a system to quench Los Angeles’ perpetual thirst are long gone. … Still, as Los Angeles residents watched the winter storms drench the region with billions of gallons of water — most of which rushed, unused, to the Pacific — it’s natural to wonder why our water systems don’t capture that water to use when we need it. … Adopted by voters in 2018 as Los Angeles County Measure W, the program is building a network of small, local rainwater- and runoff-retention projects, anchored by several larger catch basins that together will increase by at least a third the amount of water that seeps into groundwater basins. 

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Aquafornia news January 20, 2023 Capital Public Radio

How will California’s water storage hold up in future dry-wet cycles?

By some estimates, more than 32 trillion gallons of water have fallen on the state since the first storms hit in late December. On a levee overlooking the swollen Sacramento River last week, a group of Republican state lawmakers criticized their Democratic colleagues and Governor Gavin Newsom for not prioritizing new projects to capture the deluge. … Republicans called it a “failure of leadership” by Democrats and called for more investments in water storage, both above ground and below. A large reservoir is planned for the northern Sacramento Valley but has been undergoing a lengthy permitting process. Construction at the Sites project is estimated to begin in 2024 with operations beginning in 2030. According to the Sites Project Authority, the reservoir could have captured 120,000 acre-feet of water between Jan. 3 and Jan. 15 if it had been operational.

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Aquafornia news January 20, 2023 Los Angeles Times

Environmental rules stoke anger as California lets precious stormwater wash out to sea

Environmental rules designed to protect imperiled fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta have ignited anger among a group of bipartisan lawmakers, who say too much of California’s stormwater is being washed out to sea instead of being pumped to reservoirs and aqueducts. In a series of strongly worded letters, nearly a dozen legislators — many from drought-starved agriculture regions of the Central Valley —have implored state and federal officials to relax environmental pumping restrictions that are limiting the amount of water captured from the delta. … Since the beginning of January, a series of atmospheric rivers has disgorged trillions of gallons of much-needed moisture across drought-stricken California, but only a small fraction of that water has so far made it into storage. 

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Aquafornia news January 20, 2023 Associated Press

Warming to make California downpours even wetter, study says

As damaging as it was for more than 32 trillion gallons of rain and snow to fall on California since Christmas, a worst-case global warming scenario could juice up similar future downpours by one-third by the middle of this century, a new study says. The strongest of California’s storms from “atmospheric rivers,” long and wide plumes of moisture that form over an ocean and flow through the sky over land, would probably get an overall 34% increase in total precipitation, or another 11 trillion gallons more than just fell. 

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Aquafornia news January 20, 2023 Los Angeles Times

Biden visits California to survey storm damage

During a tour of the storm-ravaged Central Coast, President Biden vowed that federal assistance to rebuild California would not end until the job is complete. Biden visited the state Thursday and joined Gov. Gavin Newsom and U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla in a helicopter to survey areas battered by winter storms that caused major flooding and landslides across the state. The president walked along a broken boardwalk in Capitola and spoke with business owners about the estimated $1 billion in damage from the string of storms that started on Dec. 26 and led to at least 22 deaths. … The governor praised the Biden administration for its support of California during and after atmospheric rivers pummeled the state. The storms ultimately dropped more than 17 inches of rain in San Francisco and 20 inches in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

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Aquafornia news January 19, 2023 The Sacramento Bee

Thursday Top of the Scroll: California went from drought to ‘epic’ snow. What it could mean for spring flooding

Nearly every square mile of California was in a severe drought four months ago. … Now we’re worrying about whether we have too much water in some places. California, always a state of extremes, rarely faces one quite like this. After three years of drought, the state’s snowpack is suddenly the deepest it’s been on record for mid-January. Most spots in the Sierra already have far more snow today than is usually measured on April 1, the date the snowpack typically peaks. In the central Sierra. The snowpack is 255% of normal for Jan. 17. … The [flooding] concern might increase in April, when the snowpack typically begins to melt, sending water flowing from the mountains and into rivers, streams and reservoirs. Lake Oroville is at just 58% of total capacity, but already has more water than it had in either 2021 or 2022.

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Aquafornia news January 19, 2023 Mercury News

President Biden to visit California Central Coast with Gov. Newsom

President Joe Biden will visit California’s storm-wracked Central Coast on Thursday to survey recovery efforts with Gov. Gavin Newsom. The White House said Biden and Newsom will meet with local officials, residents affected by the storms and public safety responders in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, where storms have caused severe floods and landslides. Biden is expected to arrive around noon at Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View, where he will speak with reporters before taking a helicopter to view storm damage from the air on his way to Watsonville Municipal Airport. From there, the president will travel to Capitola to meet with merchants and residents affected by the storms, which damaged the Capitola Wharf and nearby businesses. Biden will also travel to Seacliff State Park, where another pier was damaged by tidal surges.

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Aquafornia news January 19, 2023 Los Angeles Times

For all their ferocity, California storms were not likely caused by global warming, experts say

As California emerges from a two-week bout of deadly atmospheric rivers, a number of climate researchers say the recent storms appear to be typical of the intense, periodic rains the state has experienced throughout its history and not the result of global warming. Although scientists are still studying the size and severity of storms that killed 19 people and caused up to $1 billion in damage, initial assessments suggest the destruction had more to do with California’s historic drought-to-deluge cycles, mountainous topography and aging flood infrastructure than it did with climate-altering greenhouse gasses. Although the media and some officials were quick to link a series of powerful storms to climate change, researchers interviewed by The Times said they had yet to see evidence of that connection.

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Aquafornia news January 19, 2023 Chico Enterprise-Record

North state rice farmers encouraged by rain

Rainfall from the recent storms in California have been an encouraging sign for rice farmers in the north state. Lake Oroville, which feeds water to farmers along the Feather River, has surpassed its historical average capacity for this time of year with its elevation measured at about 779 feet on Sunday, a rise of more than 100 feet since Dec. 1. The lake is at 56% of its total capacity and carries more water now than last year’s highest recorded capacity of 55% in May 2022… Colleen Cecil, executive director of Butte County Farm Bureau, said conversations about how much water will be allocated to farmers are happening now, but that the area will likely have enough water to produce as much or more than last year.

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Aquafornia news January 19, 2023 San Francisco Chronicle

Bay Area flood risks increase due to rising groundwater, new map shows

During the recent storms that left widespread flooding in their wake, water wasn’t just coming down from the sky or in from the ocean. It was also bubbling up from underground into basements and inundating wastewater systems. Shallow groundwater, the layer of water just underground, rises up during wet winter weather, contributing to flooding problems. The groundwater table is expected to go up as the sea level rises, according to climate scientists. … The report maps out current and future groundwater levels along the bay shoreline in San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda and Marin counties, based on climate change models, to give local governments newly available data to incorporate into planning for sea level rise.

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Aquafornia news January 19, 2023 Agri-Pulse Communications

How government regulations are preventing flood waters from replenishing drought-stricken areas

A chorus of Republicans and moderate Democrats in the San Joaquin Valley has called for the Newsom administration to ease pumping restrictions and export more water to drought-stricken regions of the state. For two weeks a surge of floodwater flowed nearly unimpeded through the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta and into the bay. It was another missed opportunity to seize on a wet year to export and store more water, argued the lawmakers. Climate extremes and a lack of preparation underline the challenge. But the fault lies with an inflexible process for updating the pumping permits rather than on water managers, according to a group of irrigation districts and water agencies with contracts for the exports. This week the same regulatory inertia put up another obstacle in the way of Delta pumping.

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Aquafornia news January 19, 2023 Bay Area News Group

Editorial: Steinbeck, rainstorms and California’s water challenges

“During the dry years, the people forgot about the rich years, and when the wet years returned, they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way.” Sadly, nothing much has changed in California and the Salinas Valley since 1952, when John Steinbeck wrote those words for the opening chapters of his novel, “East of Eden.” As a result, the atmospheric rivers drenching the state have been a decidedly mixed blessing. The rainfall means for the first time in more than two years, the majority of California is no longer in a severe drought. The Sierra snowpack is at 226% of average for this time of year, the largest we’ve seen in more than two decades. Reservoirs are filling at a rapid rate. … Then there’s the bad news, starting of course with the deaths of 17 Californians …

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Aquafornia news January 18, 2023 Los Angeles Times

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: California faces monumental dangers in future floods

The storms that have been battering California offer a glimpse of the catastrophic floods that scientists warn will come in the future and that the state is unprepared to endure. Giant floods like those that inundated the Central Valley in 1861 and 1862 are part of California’s natural cycle, but the latest science shows that the coming megafloods, intensified by climate change, will be much bigger and more destructive than anything the state or the country has ever seen. A new state flood protection plan for the Central Valley presents a stark picture of the dangers. It says catastrophic flooding would threaten millions of Californians, putting many areas underwater and causing death and destruction on an unprecedented scale. The damage could total as much as $1 trillion.

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Aquafornia news January 18, 2023 Los Angeles Times

California faces long, costly storm recovery

A pier in Santa Cruz split in half. Extensive flooding in Soquel Village, Capitola and Planada. Vital bridges badly battered or closed. More than 500 reported mudslides across California in the last few weeks, including some that damaged homes and cars in L.A. hillside communities. The atmospheric river storms that pummeled California for weeks inflicted “extensive” damage to as many as 40 of the state’s 58 counties, and total repairs could reach as much as $1 billion, according to authorities. The estimated cost is likely to change as teams of local, state and federal officials on Saturday began damage assessment that is expected to continue for several weeks, according to Brian Ferguson, a spokesperson for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

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Aquafornia news January 18, 2023 Public Policy Institute of California

Blog: Can we capture more water in the Delta?

A massive amount of water is moving through the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta in the wake of recent storms, and calls have risen from all quarters to capture more of this bounty while it’s here. We spoke with PPIC Water Policy Center adjunct fellow Greg Gartrell to understand what’s preventing that—and to dispel the myth of “water wasted to the sea.” … People complain that we’re wasting water to the ocean. While it’s true that there are pumping restrictions right now to protect fish, the maximum the projects could be pumping is about 14,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), not quite double what they’re currently pumping (8,000 cfs on Jan 12). With current outflows at about 150,000 cfs, we’d still see 144,000 cfs flowing to the ocean if they were pumping without restrictions.

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Aquafornia news January 18, 2023 California Department of Water Resources

Blog: California’s forecast-informed reservoir operations are key to managing floods and water supplies

As California experiences more extreme swings between wet and dry periods, it is critical for the State to deploy innovative forecasting and water management strategies to adapt to our changing climate. The Department of Water Resources along with federal and local water agencies, have developed a Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) program to take advantage of scientific improvements in forecasting atmospheric rivers to better anticipate and manage large storm events while maximizing opportunities to increase water supply. Atmospheric rivers like those we’ve seen in January 2023 have a profound impact on water management in California.

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Aquafornia news January 18, 2023 The New York Times

Can we talk about how we talk about the weather?

Last week, days after a bomb cyclone (coupled with a series of atmospheric rivers, some of the Pineapple Express variety) took devastating aim at California, a downtown conference center here was inundated by the forces responsible — not for the pounding rain and wind but for the forecast. Scores of the world’s most authoritative meteorologists and weather scientists gathered to share the latest research at the 103rd meeting of the American Meteorological Society. The subject line of an email to participants on the first day projected optimism — “Daily Forecast: A Flood of Scientific Knowledge.” But there were troubling undercurrents. Scientists are in consensus on the increasing frequency of extreme weather events — the blizzard in Buffalo, flooding in Montecito, Calif., prolonged drought in East Africa — and their worrisome impacts. At the Denver meeting, however, there was another growing worry: how people talk about the weather.

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Aquafornia news January 18, 2023 ABC7 - Los Angeles

Recent rain inundates SoCal fields, destroying crops and keeping farmworkers out of work

Some might think that the recent rain would be good for Southern California’s farms. But, water has inundated fields, destroying crops and putting some farmworkers out of work. Some workers were out in the muddy fields Monday trying to pick fruits and vegetables as quickly as possible to get them out to market. Berta Leon works in a strawberry field and says the fruit can get damaged when the fields get too much water. It’s a complete loss for the owner of the field, as well as the workers because they lose out on work. Some workers said while the rain is welcome, some can’t be out in the fields because it’s too dangerous.

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  • Agri-Pulse: Storms hammer major California farming areas, while offering drought relief
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Aquafornia news January 18, 2023 KQED - San Francisco

New study finds rising groundwater is a major Bay Area flooding risk

As recent storms have shown just how vulnerable the Bay Area is to flooding, a new study finds that rising groundwater is a crucial contributor to the region’s flooding challenges. The study’s goal in four counties — Alameda, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo — is huge. “It’s to make the Bay Area the most climate-resilient coastal region in the world,” said Adrian Covert, senior vice president of the Bay Area Council, a business association that helped fund the research. In partnership with local climate scientists at Pathways Climate Institute, the San Francisco Estuary Institute, UC Berkeley, regional agencies and the counties, the study took existing groundwater levels and imagined how they would push up around the lip of the bay as seas rise. The authors also created maps to provide a high-level overview of this challenge.

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Aquafornia news January 17, 2023 The Washington Post

In California, a drought turned to floods. Forecasters didn’t see it coming.

Coming into this winter, California was mired in a three-year drought, with forecasts offering little hope of relief anytime soon. Fast forward to today, and the state is waterlogged with as much as 10 to 20 inches of rain and up to 200 inches of snow that have fallen in some locations in the past three weeks…. The [Climate Prediction Center's] initial outlook for this winter, issued on Oct. 20, favored below-normal precipitation in Southern California and did not lean toward either drier- or wetter-than-normal conditions in Northern California. … The stark contrast between the staggering amount of precipitation in recent weeks and the CPC’s seasonal precipitation outlook issued before the winter, which leaned toward below-normal precipitation for at least half of California, has water managers lamenting the unreliability of seasonal forecasts.

Related articles: 

  • Reuters: California rainstorm death toll reaches 20, Biden plans visit 
  • KCRA – Sacramento: Biden to survey storm damages, roadway closures due to flooding
  • Axios: California faces weeks of cleanup as “one last” major storm lashes state
  • KCRA – Sacramento: More than a dozen homes uninhabitable after major flooding in Calaveras County
  • ABC 15 – Arizona: Arizonans volunteer to help amid historic California flooding
  • The Guardian: How fast-moving floods took a deadly toll on California’s capital: ‘No one expected it’
  • Sacramento Bee: These are 6 of the worst floods in Sacramento history. One made an ‘inland lake’ to the Sierra
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Aquafornia news January 17, 2023 Christian Science Monitor

Drought, fires, floods: Californians manage amid ‘weather whiplash’

As Wallace Stegner, “the dean of Western writers,” once observed, California is like the rest of America, only more so. It’s a reference to the state’s character, but it could just as easily apply to its weather. Extreme wildfires. Prolonged drought. And now, massive rain and flooding. In a surprise pummeling, along with the new year has come an unusually large number of powerful, back-to-back atmospheric rivers: narrow bands through the atmosphere that carry water vapor. They have flowed the length of the state – and blown destruction eastward across the United States. In the Golden State, they’re dumping rainfall that’s 400% to 600% above average in some places, forcing mass evacuations, closing highways, shutting down power, and killing 19 people.

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  • Fox Weather: Why atmospheric rivers could become more frequent as world transitions out of La Nina
  • Salon Magazine: Why West Coast weather will be chaotic in the future, according to a climate scientist
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Aquafornia news January 17, 2023 California WaterBlog

Blog: Nature’s gift to nature in early winter storms

The current wet spell, made up of a parade of atmospheric rivers, is a welcome change from the last three years of record dry and warm conditions. For very good reasons, the focus during these big, early winter storms is first and foremost on flood management and public safety. There is of course also great interest in the potential of these storms to relieve water shortages for communities and farms. What is not always appreciated is the role of these early winter storms in supporting the health of freshwater ecosystems. For millennia, California’s biodiversity evolved strategies to take advantage of these infrequent, but critical high flow events. Benefits from recent storms are now being realized throughout the state, from temperate rainforests of the North Coast to semi-arid and arid rivers in the south. 

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Aquafornia news January 17, 2023 Los Angeles Times

Opinion: California needs to catch up on flood management

When Leland Stanford became California’s governor in 1862, he needed a rowboat to carry him to the Capitol to be sworn in. Sacramento’s streets were flooded. In fact, much of California was. A 300-mile-long lake was created in the Central Valley from near Bakersfield to Red Bluff. At least 4,000 people were killed. It was the largest flood in the recorded history of California, Nevada and Oregon, dumping 10 feet of water on this state over a 43-day period. … Burning fossil fuel has warmed the planet and appears to have mucked up our climate. But we’d still suffer terrible droughts and disastrous storms even if all the energy we used was carbon free.
-Written by Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton. 

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Aquafornia news January 17, 2023 Los Angeles Times

New sea level rise maps show hidden flood risk in Bay Area

Amid dramatic ocean swells and drenching atmospheric rivers, a new report lays bare a hidden aspect of sea level rise that has been exacerbating flooding in the Bay Area. The report, which was released Tuesday, maps areas that could flood from groundwater hovering just a few feet, or even inches below ground. This layer of water gets pushed upward as denser water from the ocean moves inland from rising tides. On its way up, even before the water breaks the surface, it can seep into the cracks of basements, infiltrate plumbing, or, even more insidiously, re-mobilize toxic chemicals buried underground. Communities that consider themselves “safe” from sea level rise might need to think otherwise, said Kris May, a lead author of the report and founder of Pathways Climate Institute, a research-based consulting firm in San Francisco that helps cities adapt to climate change.

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Aquafornia news January 17, 2023 Northern California Water Association

Blog: Governor’s January budget overview

The Governor’s January Budget forecasts General Fund revenues will be $29.5 billion lower than at the 2022 Budget Act projections, and California now faces an estimated budget gap of $22.5 billion in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-24. … Some highlights from the Governor’s January Budget include: The Budget maintains $8.6 billion (98 percent) of previously committed funding to minimize the immediate economic and environmental damage from the current drought and support hundreds of local water projects to prepare for and be more resilient to future droughts. Delta Levees—$40.6 million General Fund for ongoing Delta projects that reduce risk of levee failure and flooding, provide habitat benefits, and reduce the risk of saltwater intrusion contaminating water supplies.

Related article: 

  • NPR: Heavy storms have been taxing California’s levees. Are they up to the task?
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Aquafornia news January 17, 2023 New York Times

A break in California’s storms is in sight. Here are regions to watch.

More than two weeks of storms have already hammered California, and one more arrived Sunday night. The relentless downpours and their impact — flooded homes, flattened cars, downed power lines and more — have killed at least 19 people and disrupted the lives of millions more since late December. Experts have said that almost none of the storms, on their own, would have been considered catastrophic, but the continual pounding has taken a toll on California’s landscape. Soil now struggling to hold water is more vulnerable to mudslides. Days of strong winds have sent trees tumbling. And the relentless precipitation has turned trickling creeks into raging waterways.

Related articles: 

  • KQED: The great soaking is almost over. Let the great dry-out begin
  • Los Angeles Times: Skies finally clear after California’s “parade of storms”
  • The New York Times: Montecito faces mudslide risks 5 years after 2018 disaster
  • Fox Weather: Why California is primed for landslides
  • ABC 7 – San Francisco: Experts explain why CA is prone to mudslides, what areas are most vulnerable 
  • New York Times: Reflecting on Three Weeks of Extraordinary Weather
  • Orange County Register: Dry weather is on the way to Southern California
  • Wall Street Journal: California Storms Ease, but Flood Fears Persist
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Aquafornia news January 13, 2023 Los Angeles Times

New storms set to hit a rain-battered California, with Monterey Peninsula at serious risk

More storms were expected to hit Northern California and the rest of the state Friday, bringing fears of flooding, mudslides and power outages in communities already battered by a series of atmospheric rivers. All eyes will be on Monterey County as officials warn that flooding could cut off the Monterey Peninsula from the rest of the state and shut down major roadways, including Highways 1 and 68. With more storms on the way, the Salinas River region is forecast to receive 1 to 1.5 inches of rain Friday and up to 2 more inches over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. That could swell the river to one of the highest peak flood levels in its history.

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  • Noozhawk: California’s Lake Cachuma predicted to spill due to rain
  • CNN: Monterey Peninsula could become an island as epic flooding engulfs California cities. And more rain is on the way
  • CBS – San Francisco: California storms: Runoff continues deadly flood threat; Monterey Peninsula could become island
  • LAist: Crews Race To Clear Debris Basins Before More Rain Comes To LA
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Aquafornia news January 13, 2023 Spectrum News 1

State Republican leaders call for more water storage amid record rainfall

A group of Assembly Republican lawmakers gathered on a levee on the American River in Sacramento to call out the state’s Democratic leadership for failing to invest in water infrastructure to aid with flooding and water storage. Around 22 trillion gallons of rain will fall in California according to estimates. However, state Assembly Republicans blame the lack of infrastructure as the root cause for why most of the water will go uncaptured. … In 2014, voters supported a water bond that authorized billions of dollars to go toward state water supply infrastructure and water storage projects. Since then, no new reservoir or other water project has been built. 

Related articles: 

  • Sacramento Bee: California Republicans renew call for quicker movement on water storage projects
  • New York Times: Opinion - In a drought, California is watching water wash out to sea 
  • NPR: Heavy rain is still hitting California. A few reservoirs figured out how to capture more for drought
  • Marketplace: Capturing stormwater to deal with California’s drought is complicated 
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Aquafornia news January 13, 2023 BBC News

California’s homeless battle floods and storms

Up and down the coast, they have endured torrential rain, flood waters, mudslides, lighting strikes, and downed trees, often with little more than tents or bridges for shelter. “The water backed up to my tent, it’s still going,” said Maurice, who lives in San Francisco and who declined to provide his last name. “Ninety percent of my stuff is still wet. I’m trying to salvage the stuff I do need to keep on going.” … The storm has placed a spotlight on the Golden State’s staggering inequality, and its decades-long failure to adequately shelter and support its homeless residents.

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Aquafornia news January 13, 2023 The Sacramento Bee

Six of the worst storms and floods in Sacramento history

The capital region has faced a series of brutal storms since New Year’s Eve, which have flooded homes, cut power to thousands of families and killed five people in Sacramento County alone. California has sought to control its rivers for 173 years, and the storms will only get worse: The Department of Water Resources has acknowledged that climate change has intensified the risk of flooding in the Central Valley. The state and federal government have built levees and dams, but the possibility of a major flood remains. Here are some of the worst storms to hit the Sacramento area since John Sutter showed up.

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Aquafornia news January 13, 2023 Public Policy Institute of California

Blog: Crisis communication suffers during natural disasters

California, with its serial atmospheric rivers, is grappling with an unfolding natural disaster. Over the longer term, there are many ways to reduce or mitigate risks from storms like these, including promoting good land use planning and zoning to avoid hazards, building infrastructure to better handle storms, and ramping up efforts to address the greater vulnerabilities of many low-income communities. But in the moment, one of the most important risk mitigation strategies involves communication. Communication is the lynchpin of disaster preparedness and response. This includes raising awareness about a storm’s potential consequences, encouraging safe behavior, and enabling all-important communication during and immediately after the storm. 

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Aquafornia news January 13, 2023 The Guardian

Frantic search continues for boy, five, swept away in California floods

The danger lurking along a country road in central California’s wine country was not clear to Lindsy Doan as she drove her five-year-old son to school on Monday morning. The region, like much of the state, had been hit by a deadly series of storms that were , but the family had traveled through the area the previous day, her husband told the Guardian, and countless times before on their commutes. … It only became clear the road was not safe as floodwaters began to carry the vehicle into a creek near the village of San Miguel. … The search is one of several that has taken place across the state in recent weeks as a devastating series of storms battered the state. The rains and wind have toppled trees and power lines and flooded rivers and creeks, killing at least 18 people, including three in Sacramento county who were found dead in or near their cars.

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Aquafornia news January 13, 2023 Bloomberg

Opinion: California storms, floods: managed retreat is the best solution

Like it or not, adapting to climate change will involve human beings retreating from places the weather has made too dangerous for habitation. This will be easier to accomplish in some places than others. On the most difficult end of the scale sits California. In a matter of weeks, the state has gone from being perilously dry to drowning in “atmospheric rivers” of water falling from the sky, in a series of storms likely to continue for another week. Mud and rocks are pouring down hillsides that recent wildfires swept clean of protective vegetation. Storm surges are flooding the coast.
-Written by Mark Gongloff, a Bloomberg Opinion editor and writer. 

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Aquafornia news January 12, 2023 Mercury News

Thursday Top of the Scroll: California’s drought has eased significantly due to heavy rains, federal government concludes

A series of atmospheric river storms since Christmas has significantly reduced California’s drought, the federal government concluded Thursday. For the first time in more than two years — since Dec. 1, 2020 — the majority of the state is no longer in a severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a weekly report put out by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Overall, 46% of California’s land area remains in severe drought, the report found, a dramatic improvement over the past month, when it was 85% on Dec. 6.

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  • CalMatters: Is California’s drought over? Here’s what you need to know 
  • New York Times: Will Storms End California’s Drought? That May Be the Wrong Question
  • Associated Press: After the recent California storms, how much will the rain help the state’s long-term drought?
  • Los Angeles Times: California suddenly has so much snow. A ‘great elixir for drought’ but unlikely the cure
  • Berkeleyside: Reservoirs serving Berkeley, Oakland are filling up after consistent rain
  • Reuters: Explainer - Why weeks of rain in California will not end historic drought 
  • The Week: What climate change means for California
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Aquafornia news January 12, 2023 Los Angeles Times

‘Endless stream’ of new storms hits California again this week. What to expect

The seventh atmospheric river storm since Christmas hit California on Wednesday, and more flooding is possible as two more are forecast through the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, officials said. Speaking to reporters in hard-hit Capitola, a beach town east of Santa Cruz devastated by storm damage, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday warned about more destruction to come. By Wednesday, the number of confirmed storm-related fatalities rose to 19. … Newsom previewed three more atmospheric river-fueled storms, which should continue through at least Jan. 18, meaning another week of rain, at least for Northern California. Officials said numerous rivers still could flood with the continuing rains.

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  • CNN: California’s deadly, record-setting storms are about to get an encore
  • The New York Times: When Will the Rain End in California? Soon, but Not Soon Enough
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Aquafornia news January 12, 2023 Association of California Water Agencies

Newsom announces proposed budget with funding for water categories

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Jan. 10 unveiled his proposed budget for the next fiscal year … [T]he governor has proposed timely new funding for flood risk reduction and protection, as well as several other important water management issues. Specifically, the governor’s proposed budget calls for funding in the following categories. Urban Flood Risk Reduction — $135.5 million over two years to support local agencies working to reduce urban flood risk. Delta Levee — $40.6 million for ongoing Delta projects that reduce risk of levee failure and flooding, provide habitat benefits, and reduce the risk of saltwater intrusion contaminating water supplies. Central Valley Flood Protection — $25 million to support projects that will reduce the risk of flooding for Central Valley communities while contributing to ecosystem restoration and agricultural sustainability.

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Aquafornia news January 12, 2023 CBS - San Diego

NOAA predicts California storm could cost $1B

A climatologist with The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting that the ongoing storms in California will likely be the first billion-dollar storm of 2023 in the United States. … Smith is an applied climatologist at NOAA’s National Center for Environmental Information. He’s the lead researcher for the annual “Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disaster’s” report. “It takes into account many different impacts such as damage to homes, businesses, government assets like schools, all the contents of those structures,” Smith said. 

Related articles: 

  • The Sacramento Bee: Sacramento storms reveal flooding dangers of Cosumnes River 
  • Stocktonia: State originally omitted San Joaquin from federal flood relief plea
  • Engineering News-Record: Struggling With Storms, California Plans to Bolster Flood Protections
  • The Conversation: Atmospheric rivers over California’s wildfire burn scars raise fears of deadly mudslides – this is what cascading climate disasters look like
  • New York Times: California, Inundated
  • NPR: How California’s Deadly Floods Are Tied To The State’s Ongoing Drought
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Aquafornia news January 12, 2023 NPR

How dynamically managing California’s reservoirs could save more water

Despite several weeks of torrential rain and flooding, California is still facing a severe multi-year drought. That has many people thinking about how to better capture winter floodwaters to last through the dry season. An innovative approach at two California reservoirs could help boost the state’s water supply, potentially marking a larger shift from decades-old water management approaches to a system that can quickly adapt to precipitation in a changing climate. At issue are rules that, at face value, seem perplexing to many Californians. Even in a chronically dry state, reservoirs are not allowed to fill up in the winter. … Two sites, Folsom Reservoir and Lake Mendocino, are rethinking this by using weather forecasts to guide their operations. Instead of sticking to set rules, they only empty out if a major storm is forecasted for the days ahead.

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Aquafornia news January 12, 2023 San Francisco Chronicle

How bad was California’s ‘Great Flood’ of 1862? It was a torrent of horrors

The Great Flood of 1862, seemingly lost in time, is the answer to the question: What was the most destructive flood in California history? Even as flood waters rise throughout the state in January 2023 and President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency on Monday, the event has created only a fraction of the impact of the 19th century deluge. News reports from the time describe a surreal scene: Entire towns were destroyed, and farmland and plains turned into lakes as far as the eye could see. Almost everyone in the state was impacted by the flood, from victims who lost their homes to state employees who, in the chaos and confusion, didn’t get paid for more than a year. … San Francisco began flooding in December 1861, when steady rains drenched the city. The first week of January dumped 12 more inches of rain in S.F., and one local newspaper made Biblical comparisons.

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  • The New Yorker: California’s Devastating Storms Are a Glimpse of the Future
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Aquafornia news January 12, 2023 ABC 10 - Sacramento

How does California store all the rainwater from the storms?

Why Guy is getting many questions about why we can’t store all the rainwater we’re getting. California is still officially in a drought and we need water for drinking and agriculture and other basic needs. Even though it’s been dumping rain like watery gold, we can’t seem to store it all. We have reservoirs and dams that do much of the water storage, but most of the rain we’ve been getting is flowing into the Pacific Ocean. It’s wasted. The rain is also falling so quickly that we can’t store it and what we want to do with it is get it out of here to clear our roadways and landscapes as soon as possible. The best-case scenario is that we get a ton of snow in the high Sierra that naturally melts as the weather warms and disperses the water in doses to a thirsty state.

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Aquafornia news January 11, 2023 Los Angeles Times

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: Crushed by falling trees. Drowned in floodwaters. The deadly toll of California storms worsens

As a series of storms continues to pummel California, officials say the havoc is a testament to the unexpected ferocity of extreme weather. By Tuesday evening, at least 17 people have been killed in circumstances directly related to a train of atmospheric rivers that has inundated the state since New Year’s Eve, bringing the death toll from the storms higher than the last two wildfire seasons combined….The deadly weather is foiling evacuation plans and straining the state’s aging infrastructure as strong winds topple power lines and fast rising waters overtop levees. Officials say the storms highlight the way in which climate change is increasingly catching people off guard as the state swings from one extreme weather event to another, leaving little time to prepare.

Related articles: 

  • San Francisco Chronicle: California storm – At least 17 dead as thunderstorms thrash state with lightning, hail
  • Los Angeles Times: Tiny California town underwater after storm flooding from breached levee
  • Fresno Bee: Here’s how long it will take for Merced’s Bear Creek, Planada floodwaters to recede
  • NPR: Storms keep pummeling California, causing widespread flooding and evacuations
  • SF Gate: Calif. storm updates: Nearly 37,000 evacuated from hardest-hit areas
  • Time: At Least 14 People Killed in Violent Flooding Across California. Here’s What to Know
  • Washington Post: Maps and charts show the awful impact of the California storms
  • The Guardian: Streets submerged by floods in Central California – video
  • New York Times: Videos, Photos and Maps of the Damage From the California Storms
  • CNN: Massive California storm brings flooding and triggers evacuations
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Aquafornia news January 11, 2023 San Francisco Chronicle

Newsom budget plan: Climate, transportation bears the brunt of cuts

As California wrangles with a projected $22 billion budget deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed cutting most heavily from programs designed to help the state confront the worsening effects of climate change. Newsom’s proposed budget, which he released Tuesday, would cut a net $6 billion from the state’s climate efforts. Among the cuts: subsidies for electric vehicles; funding for clean energy programs, such as battery storage and solar panels; and money for programs to help low-income people deal with extreme heat waves. Climate activists and some progressive legislators said they were wary of the move, particularly as another atmospheric river drenched much of the state and brought flooding to communities from Santa Cruz to San Diego….Among the other proposed cuts to climate programs and projects in Newsom’s budget: … $194 million for drought preparation and response 

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Aquafornia news January 11, 2023 KCRA - Sacramento

Reservoirs, snowpack are benefitting big time from California’s stormy pattern

It’s been a wild couple of weeks of weather in Northern California. But there is a rather bright silver lining to this train of storms: our surface water supply is getting a big boost. Here’s a look at some of the highlights. On Oct. 1, 2022, the start of the new water year for California, reservoir levels were woefully low throughout the state. But after an active December and now a very busy January, water levels are rising quickly. Folsom was the fastest reservoir to fill up to the seasonal benchmark. There’s no surprise there, given that it’s one of the smallest in the region. … Reservoirs are steadily filling up with runoff from rainfall and later this season, there will be plenty of snowmelt to look forward to. As of Tuesday, the statewide snowpack is at 214% of average for the date. 

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  • The New York Times: A silver lining of the storms: Mountain snowpack will feed California’s reservoirs.
  • Fox KTVU: California reservoirs filling quickly from storms
  • Newsweek: Is Southern California Still in a Drought?
  • Action News Now: Lakeside Access Road to close this week as Lake Oroville rises
  • KRCR:  Start of 2022-23 Water Year encouraging, not remarkable for California
  • Bloomberg: California storm – Atmospheric rivers aren’t helping the drought problem 
  • LA Magazine: California Storms Are Watery Hell, But Our Reservoirs Need Them Badly
  • Dairy Herd Management: Bomb Cyclone – Not Helpful in Ending California’s Drought
  • Politico: Too much rain, but not enough water
  • Gizmodo: The Year Ahead in Water and Drought
  • South Tahoe Now: Winter Storm Warning in place for Lake Tahoe until Wednesday, new storm by end of week
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Aquafornia news January 11, 2023 The Washington Post

California storms, droughts expected to intensify as planet warms

It wasn’t so long ago that California prayed for rain. Something to quench the climate-change-fueled drought — the worst in at least 1,200 years — that has caused farm fields to wither and wells to run dry…. Now, the water that Californians so desperately wanted is pummeling them like a curse….The recent onslaught of atmospheric rivers has underscored the perils of California’s climate paradox: Rising global temperatures are making the region drier, hotter and more fire-prone, but they also increase the likelihood of sudden, severe rainfall. Experts say the state is not prepared for periods of too much water, even as it struggles to make do without enough.

Related articles: 

  • The Weather Channel: California Storm Siege A Stunning Reversal From Recent Winters
  • Scientific American: Why California Is Being Deluged by Atmospheric Rivers
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Aquafornia news January 11, 2023 Colorado Sun

Billion dollar climate change disasters growing in Colorado, West

Record drought in the American West contributes to a growing number of billion-dollar weather and climate disasters across the country, and the quickening pace of large-scale events makes recovery slower and pricier, according to a new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  Drought covered 63% of the contiguous United States on Oct. 25, the largest such footprint since the severe drought of 2012, according to the report, released Tuesday at Denver’s national convention for the American Meteorological Society.  Forty percent or more of the lower 48 states has been in drought for the past 119 weeks, a record in more than 20 years of the U.S. Drought Monitor reports. That’s approaching double the previous record of 68 weeks begun in 2012’s drought.

Related article: 

  • Newsweek: Lake Mead Water Levels Before and After Drought Is Sobering Shot of Future 
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Aquafornia news January 11, 2023 Los Angeles Times

Opinion: It’s flooding in California. But the 1938 flood was worse

My umbrella was wide and sturdy, my rain slicker insulated and as yellow as a Minion. I wore thick Dickies and my good pair of Doc Martens. It didn’t matter. Just minutes after I stepped out of my Yukon to walk around Parque de los Niños in Placentia’s Atwood barrio last week, I was thoroughly soaked. A strong wind made the rain whip at a 45-degree angle. Drops hit the baseball diamond with such force that mud leaped into the air. … Eighty-five years ago this March, this historic Mexican American neighborhood took the brunt of the deadliest flood in Southern California history. Five days of heavy storms caused all of the region’s major rivers — the Los Angeles, the San Gabriel and especially the Santa Ana — to overflow their banks.
-Written by Gustavo Arellano, columnist for the Los Angeles Times. 

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Aquafornia news January 11, 2023 The American Prospect

Floods’ worst ravages will be visited upon California’s poorest

California’s vulnerability to destructive flooding is anything but a secret. Meteorologists and climatologists have been warning of the enhanced risk for years, as climate change drives the state through cycles of extreme drought and then warms the winter air to produce violent downpours like the bomb cyclone and atmospheric river events of the past few weeks. The effects are felt up and down the map, including in key agricultural areas and low-lying rural patches. But they are not felt equally—another reality experts have been speaking about for some time. The worst of California’s flood woes, both this month and into the long future, will be visited upon the state’s poorest residents.

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  • Fox 4 News: California flooding threatens celebrity homes
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Aquafornia news January 11, 2023 San Francisco Chronicle

Landslides are wreaking havoc in California. Here’s how they work

Downpours from an atmospheric river storm triggered landslides in the Santa Cruz Mountains Monday, burying highways in heaps of mud and trapping residents in place. The damage is the consequence of weeks of rain fueled by atmospheric rivers. … Rain is one of the primary forces that trigger landslides. As water trickles into the tiny gaps between soil and rocks, it adds pressure, which makes soils more unstable. … The New Year’s Eve storm produced hundreds of landslides across the Bay Area, with a focus in the East Bay, Collins said. This week in the Santa Cruz Mountains, waterlogged soil from weeks of frequent rain is breaking free from deeper layers of earth and slipping down slopes onto roads.

Related article: 

  • New York Times: California’s lengthy drought made mudslides more likely when the rains came.
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Aquafornia news January 11, 2023 LAist

Willowbrook Park, fed by rainwater, is an example of LA’s stormwater treatment future

The prevailing goal in Southern California has been to get water that falls from the sky away from our roads and buildings as quickly as possible. Much of the rain washes out to the ocean — often carrying trash and other pollutants. The L.A. Times reported up to 10 billion gallons poured into the Los Angeles Basin in recent storms and only about 20% will be captured. L.A. County has plans to double the amount of rainwater currently captured every year and use it to provide nearly two-thirds of the county’s drinking water. Voters approved a new property tax in 2018 meant to raise up to $300 million a year to fund the capture and treatment of stormwater.

Related article: 

  • SF Gate: San Francisco isn’t doing enough to stop supercharged floods
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Aquafornia news January 11, 2023 Newsweek

California flooding could bring deluge of snakes

As torrential rainfall continues to batter the West coast, you may be wondering how all of this wet weather is affecting California’s wildlife. In Australia at the end of last year, heavy rain and floods caused snake sightings to soar across the country—could the same thing happen in California? “Rapidly rising flood water from heavy rain can displace wildlife, including rattlesnakes,” Bryan Hughes, owner of Arizona-based snake rescue service Rattlesnake Solutions, told Newsweek. “This can mean that in some areas, there will be a temporary increase of the likelihood of random encounters.”

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Western Water January 13, 2023 Nick Cahill Layperson's Guide to Water Conservation WESTERN WATER-In One of the Snowiest Places in the West, A Scientist Hunts for Clues to the Sierra Snowpack’s Future By Nick Cahill

In One of the Snowiest Places in the West, A Scientist Hunts for Clues to the Sierra Snowpack’s Future
WESTERN WATER Q&A: Central Sierra Snow Lab Manager Andrew Schwartz Aims to Help Water Managers Improve Tracking of Snowpack Crucial to California's Drought-Stressed Water Supply

Photo of Andrew Schwartz, manager and lead scientist at the Central Sierra Snow Laboratory.Growing up in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, Andrew Schwartz never missed an opportunity to play in – or study – a Colorado snowstorm. During major blizzards, he would traipse out into the icy wind and heavy drifts of snow pretending to be a scientist researching in Antarctica.  

Decades later, still armed with an obsession for extreme weather, Schwartz has landed in one of the snowiest places in the West, leading a research lab whose mission is to give California water managers instant information on the depth and quality of snow draping the slopes of the Sierra Nevada.

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Aquafornia news January 10, 2023 Los Angeles Times

Intense storm hits Southern California with flooding threats

A powerful winter storm barreled into Southern California on Monday, forcing the mass evacuation of Montecito and other communities exactly five years after mudslides in the same area left 23 people dead. Pounding rain wreaked havoc throughout the coastal counties north of Los Angeles, bringing flooding, road closures and tragedy, including the death of a motorist who entered a flooded roadway and the presumed death of a 5-year-old boy who was swept away by flood waters in San Luis Obispo County. The storm, which was expected to move through Los Angeles, Orange and other southern counties through Tuesday, dumped more than 16 inches of rain in some mountain areas Monday and prompted pleas for people to stay indoors.

Related articles: 

  • CNN: Thousands urged to flee their homes as more severe weather wallops California, pushing the death toll to 14 in recent storms
  • Sacramento Bee: Six down, three to go: Storm dangers (and drought) persist in Northern California
  • San Francisco Chronicle: California storm: Fierce weather has taken 14 lives in state, Newsom says
  • SF Gate: ‘We’re not done’ - Russian River forecast to flood amid California storms
  • Washington Post: Opinion, by Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute - Flooding in California has been worse before — and likely will be again
  • Axios: Major atmospheric river lashes California: 90% of state under flood watch
  • Santa Cruz Sentinel: Major flooding in Santa Cruz Mountains as atmospheric river storm pounds Bay Area
  • Sacramento Bee: What is Sacramento’s plan to stop flooding? Are rivers overflowing? Your questions, answered
  • SF Gate: Kayakers paddle along flooded streets of Santa Barbara amid California storm
  • Noozhawk: County Orders Evacuations for Montecito, Toro Canyon, Sycamore Canyon, Local Campgrounds During Flash Flood Warning
  • CalMatters: Deadly deluge - California flooding risk rises
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Aquafornia news January 10, 2023 CNN

California’s dilemma: How do you harness an epic amount of rain in a water-scarce state? Let it flood, scientists say.

California has gone from extreme drought to extreme flooding in a matter of days. On Monday, 90% of the state’s population was under a flood watch as another round of storms rolled through. Yet it was just last week when several counties in the state were experiencing the exact opposite – exceptional drought, which the US Drought Monitor considers the most severe category. … But the abrupt shift from drought warnings to flood warnings highlights the dilemma California faces: How do you manage an overwhelming amount of rain in a water-scarce state? And is it possible to harness that water so it’s available in the dry summer months? Part of the solution, climate scientists told CNN, is drawing levees back to allow rivers more room to flood safely into surrounding land.

Related article: 

  • ABC 30 – Fresno: Fresno ponding basins filling up as storm brings steady rain
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Aquafornia news January 10, 2023 The Washington Post

How stormwater technology could help California’s rain ease drought

California could get 22 trillion gallons of rain in the coming days. But what does that mean for the state’s drought? In a perennial problem that even when California does get rain, much of it runs off into the ocean or is otherwise uncollected. But there’s new storm water technology that could help change that, scientists say, as the decades-old discipline shifts to help water managers collect rainwater, purify it and store it for times of drought. Much of the new technology is often referred to as “green infrastructure,” … To learn more, The Washington Post talked with Andrew Fisher, a professor of hydrogeology at the University of California in Santa Cruz, and David Feldman, the director of the University of California Irvine’s water institute.

Related article: 

  • Fast Company: How California could save its rainwater to protect from future droughts
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Aquafornia news January 10, 2023 Public Policy Institute of California

Blog: Adapting to a water-scarce California

With the arrival of a series of atmospheric rivers in recent weeks, drought-weary Californians are now confronting the weather whiplash that is a hallmark of our state’s climate. Flooding, power outages, and downed trees are now dominating the news. It’s a remarkable shift from the past few years, which saw the driest three-year period in the state’s recorded history. And while it’s tempting to think the drought is now over, it’s not—and if anything, the recent shift in conditions highlights just how much Californians need to prepare for wetter wets and drier dries. The past year was very important for California water. Water managers found ways to innovate and adapt. 

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Aquafornia news January 10, 2023 CNN

NOAA’s hurricane hunters are now targeting the West Coast’s atmospheric rivers

NOAA’s hurricane hunters might be just as busy now as they were during hurricane season. However, it’s not hurricanes they are flying through, but the atmospheric river systems plaguing California since Christmas week. Atmospheric rivers may not make headlines in the same way hurricanes do, but they can have extreme consequences. “Atmospheric rivers can span the whole Pacific. They are long and narrow, but they’re way larger than hurricanes,” Atmospheric River Reconnaissance Coordinator Anna Wilson said. They are crucial to the West Coast. Half the rain and snow the West gets comes from atmospheric rivers, which are plumes of moisture coming in from the Pacific Ocean. And they cross an area with very few observation sites, making them challenging to forecast.

Related articles: 

  • Columbia Climate School: California’s Atmospheric Rivers Warn of Future Climatic Calamity
  • BBC: What are atmospheric rivers?
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Aquafornia news January 10, 2023 CalMatters

California homeless at risk in storms

Rebekah Rohde, 40, and Steven Sorensen, 61, are two of at least 14 people killed by the recent storms — and both were unhoused. The Sacramento County Coroner reported Monday that both were found with trees collapsed onto their tents. It’s a tragic — and telling — convergence of two California crises: extreme weather and worsening homelessness. The current series of storms (“parade of cyclones” is the latest National Weather Service warning) pummeled communities with as much as 8 inches of rain and wind gusts of nearly 70 mph, causing power outages, school shutdowns and flood risks, especially in coastal regions and areas burned by wildfires. They include the coastal enclave of Montecito in Santa Barbara County, where evacuations were ordered on Monday, five years to the day that mudslides killed 23 people and destroyed 130 homes.   

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Aquafornia news January 9, 2023 Fox 40 - Sacramento

The Sacramento Weir has helped the capital city avoid flooding for more than 100 years

During Sacramento’s centuries-long history of battling flood waters, inhabitants have devised nearly every possible method of slowing or diverting water, and one of those methods is using the Sacramento Weir. Completed in 1916, the more than 1,900-foot long weir featuring 48 gates sits along the west bank of the Sacramento River about three miles north of the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers. However, the placement and purpose of the Sacramento weir differs from typical weirs found along other streams and rivers.

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Aquafornia news January 9, 2023 SF Gate

In 1997, California was devastated by historic floods

If you lived in the Bay Area during the winter of 1996-1997, one memory probably jumps to mind: flooding. Much like this year, the week of New Year’s started out stormy. And the rain didn’t stop. For a week, California was inundated, and its rivers and creeks rose. On Jan. 1, 1997, catastrophe struck Sonoma County. The Russian River burst its banks, cresting at 45 feet, well over its flood stage of 34 feet. (This week, the river is forecast to hit about 36 feet.) … In Oroville, there were evacuations amid fears a dam on the Feather River was about to overflow, while people living along creeks and streams around the Bay Area were forced to find higher ground as water seeped into backyards and homes. In Fresno, Millerton Lake spilled over the Friant Dam, sending millions of gallons of water down the San Joaquin River, wreaking havoc on homes and bridges in its path. 

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Aquafornia news January 9, 2023 The New York Times

How did a normally dry La Niña winter become so rainy?

As rain has deluged our parched state since New Year’s Eve, many Californians have found themselves asking a familiar question: Is this somehow because of El Niño? In the California imagination, the climate pattern known as El Niño has an almost mythological status as a harbinger of prolonged wet spells, while its counterpart, La Niña, is associated with drought. The past three years have been La Niña years. The continuing procession of storms this winter has drawn comparisons to the famed wet winter of 1997-98, when rain driven by El Niño drenched the Golden State. Californians are bracing for one of the season’s most intense storms to date on Monday and Tuesday. But Daniel L. Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that El Niño hasn’t taken over — yet.

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Aquafornia news January 9, 2023 SJV Water

Storms bring river flows, frustration for San Joaquin Valley water managers

The string of wet storms streaming over California since the end of 2022 have brought the San Joaquin Valley both relief and frustration, depending on location. In the Fresno area, flows out of Millerton Lake into the San Joaquin River have nearly tripled from 600 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 1,600 cfs.  In the coming days the Bureau of Reclamation, which operates Millerton’s Friant Dam, expects releases to exceed 4,500 cfs.  That’s great for agricultural water districts that take Millerton water on the northern end of the Friant system. And it’s great for the San Joaquin River Restoration Program, which aims to bring back native spring Chinook salmon runs. … Meanwhile, water managers on the southern end of the Friant system are watching those flows with more than a little frustration.

Related article: 

  • Bakersfield Californian: Water levels rising in the Kern River, Isabella Lake and small lakes in Bakersfield
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Aquafornia news January 9, 2023 NPR

Why we can — and cannot — collect rainwater in places like California

A bomb cyclone hit California this week, knocking out power, downing trees, dumping massive amounts of water. Now, that last one, massive amounts of water – it’s interesting because all that rain is hitting in a state that has been stricken with drought. Some California residents are watching this precious resource wash away and wondering, why can’t we save the water for later, for times when we desperately need it? Well, Andrew Fisher, hydrogeologist and professor at UC Santa Cruz, attempted to answer that question in an op-ed for The LA Times. And we have brought him here to try to answer it for us. Professor Fisher, welcome.

Related articles: 

  • New York Times: Opinion: California Could Capture Its Destructive Floodwaters to Fight Drought
  • Modesto Bee: Can we catch more of this winter’s huge runoff? Two Stanislaus area projects show how
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Aquafornia news January 9, 2023 Southern California News Group

18-foot waves pummel piers, chunk out sand and flood parking lots along Southern California coast

Big waves – some topping 18 feet in Los Angeles County – wreaked havoc on Friday, Jan. 6, as high tides and a winter swell continued to work over the Southern California coastline leading to beach erosion, pier closures, crumbled asphalt parking lots and boats torn from their docks. In the South Bay, piers at three west-facing beaches remained closed Friday as waves more than 15 feet tall pummeled the structures. … Additionally, the high surf and tide surge swamped a block jetty at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, flooding and closing the nearby parking lot. Mounds of sand buried a bike path that runs from Torrance Beach to Avenue H in Redondo Beach and sea water flooded into a parking lot and public bathroom facility.

Related articles: 

  • SF Gate: Shock flooding from huge California storm surge rocks Stinson Beach
  • KQED: Hard-Hit Santa Cruz County Cleans Up From One Storm While Preparing for the Next
  • Santa Cruz Sentinel: Another round of ‘dangerous’ wind, rain expected to hit Santa Cruz County, Bay Area
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Aquafornia news January 9, 2023 Los Angeles Times

Monday Top of the Scroll: ‘The worst of it still in front of us’ as new storms set to pound a rain-weary California

California is bracing for another week of destructive storms that will probably bring flooding and hazardous winds Monday to an already battered state. A series of atmospheric rivers that pummeled coastal communities last week and left more than 400,000 without power in California on Sunday will be followed by particularly brutal weather as rivers reach flood levels and powerful winds wreak havoc, forecasters fear…. For days, forecasters had warned of a “relentless parade of cyclones” barreling out of the Pacific toward California, and continuing until about Jan. 19, intensifying the risk of flooding in parts of the state this week. A flood watch remains in effect for the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys and nearby foothills until 4 p.m. Wednesday. 

Related articles: 

  • San Francisco Chronicle: California water officials say they are prepared for record flooding as rain continues
  • KCRA – Sacramento: Biden approves emergency declaration, school districts close, gusts below 50 mph
  • KRCR – Redding: California’s DWR says Shasta and Oroville reservoir storage can absorb incoming storms
  • Reuters: California braces for ‘parade of cyclones’ after storms kill 12
  • Weather West: Very wet pattern continues, with another high-impact storm centered on Central CA Mon-Tue; hints of moderation in medium term?
  • New York Times: As California Faces Storms, Extreme Winds Cause Power Outage in Sacramento
  • SF Gate: Russian River forecast to hit 39 feet during next series of storms
  • ABC: Sacramento County warns residents amid storms: ‘Get out now’
  • Axios: “Major” atmospheric river storm hits California with flooding, high winds
  • Press Democrat: California hit by more storms, braces for potential floods
  • SLO Tribune: Parts of SLO County see flooding ahead of major rain storm. Here’s what in store
  • Fox 11 – Los Angeles: Flood watches issued for LA, Orange counties as SoCal braces for heavy rains, high winds
  • NBC Bay Area: East Bay Residents Prepare for Expected Surges in Local Creeks
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Aquafornia news January 6, 2023 YourCentralValley.com

More water is being released from Friant Dam, warnings issued

Federal officials announced Thursday that water releases from Friant Dam are being substantially increased to control the fill rate of Millerton Lake and create room for more forecast rain. Starting Thursday, releases from Friant Dam to the San Joaquin River are set to increase by 1,000 cubic-feet-per-second – from around 600 cfs to 1,600 cfs. Similarly, releases to the Madera Canal are set to increase by 800 cubic-feet-per-second – from around 200 cfs to 1,000 cfs. Officials add that Friant Dam releases to the San Joaquin River are expected to further increase to at least 4,500 cfs over the next few days. 

Related article:

  • Bureau of Reclamation: News release: Reclamation announces increased flows from Friant Dam into the San Joaquin River  
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Aquafornia news January 6, 2023 Lost Coast Outpost

A major sewage spill is happening in Rio Dell as stormwater flows into quake-damaged collection pipes

The City of Rio Dell is experiencing an ongoing hazardous materials spill as heavy rainfall infiltrates outdated sewer pipes that were damaged during the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck on December 20. An estimated 140,000 gallons rain-diluted wastewater has spilled out of a manhole cover at the end of Painter Street, near the city’s wastewater treatment plant, and the spill is continuing at a rate of about 50 gallons per minute, according to Rio Dell City Manager Kyle Knopp.

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Aquafornia news January 6, 2023 San Francisco Chronicle

Friday Top of the Scroll: California storm: ‘Widespread significant flooding’ possible by Tuesday

In a special message about California weather, the National Weather Service said that another atmospheric river would arrive in Northern California Friday night and bring the “threat of heavy rain (and) flooding on Saturday, along with 1-2 feet of snow and “dangerous” mountain travel conditions. But that’s just a warm-up: A “stronger” atmospheric river is expected to arrive Monday and persist into Tuesday, bring more precipitation and gusty winds.

Related articles:

  • San Francisco Chronicle: Several California rivers at increased risk of flooding after major storms
  • CNN: Another storm threatens more heavy rain in California and West Coast areas already reeling from flooding
  • Bloomberg: ‘Hydroclimate Whiplash’ Worsens California’s Storms and Drought
  • E&E News: Lethal storms challenge California’s levees 
  • Los Angeles Times: After storm slams Southern California, here are the risks that remain 
  • Sacramento Bee: Rain, downed trees: Atmospheric river continues as California storms’ death toll reaches 6 
  • Reuters: Explainer: What are atmospheric rivers and bomb cyclones?
  • The New York Times: Hell and High Water: California’s Wild Weather Uproots Trees, Strains State
  • San Jose Mercury News: Floods are forecast in the Bay Area. Are any near you? 
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Aquafornia news January 6, 2023 Sacramento News & Review

The American River Basin Study: Diversifying where we get our water is key to combating climate change

We don’t always treat water like the life-sustaining resource it is. Instead, we take it for granted: With the turn of a tap, it’s at our fingertips to drink, grow our food and keep our communities clean. But according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, it’s time for changes if we want that to continue. Their 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.

Related article:

  • Western Water Rewind: As Climate Change Erodes Western Snowpacks, One Watershed Tries A ‘Supershed Approach’ To Shield Its Water Supply 
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Aquafornia news January 6, 2023 The Sun-Gazette Newspaper

Deer Creek siphon averts overflow from Friant-Kern Canal

The project to address flooding and subsidence in the Friant-Kern Canal hit a milestone with the recent completion of a critical siphon structure, sparing surrounding areas of flood damage in the event of heavy rainfall. In November, the Friant Water Authority (FWA) made a key accomplishment on their 33-mile middle reach project that has plagued conveyance on the Friant-Kern Canal (FKC). Aptly named the Deer Creek siphon, the siphon ensures the FKC can handle high flows in the event of potential winter storms or flood events by allowing water from the canal to pass under the creek. 

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Aquafornia news January 6, 2023 Public Policy Institute of California

Blog: The promise of a wet January

California is in an impressive wet period.  According to the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes, four powerful atmospheric rivers have hit California since Christmas. And their modeling suggests that at least three more significant storms are on their way. It looks like January is going to be a very wet month…. These atmospheric rivers—with their intense low-pressure systems and warm, subtropical moisture—are California’s version of hurricanes. The combination of high rainfall rates and winds causes urban and river flooding, as well as landslides and debris flows (especially in areas that have recently burned), and routinely knocks out power to thousands. But these storms also create an awful lot of benefit for Californians.

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Aquafornia news January 6, 2023 San Francisco Chronicle

Recent rains have improved California’s drought. Where do we stand now?

California drought conditions have improved significantly in the past week, after a series of storms drenched the state. The state has received 119% of the precipitation it normally gets by this point in the water year, which begins on Oct. 1. The statewide snowpack is also 179% of average for this time of the year…. According to the map released Thursday morning by the U.S. Drought Monitor, no part of California currently falls under the category of exceptional drought, something that hasn’t been the case since the map released on May 10, 2022. And that update doesn’t include the impact of heavy storms that swept through the Bay Area on Wednesday, downing trees and flooding roadways.

Related articles:

  • San Jose Mercury News: Look at how much California’s snowpack has grown in the last 12 days. Is the drought over yet?
  • San Diego Union-Tribune: Four more storms might soon hit California, but the drought is far from over
  • KCRA – Sacramento: Here’s how much rain is flowing into reservoirs in Northern California
  • Washington Post: California is being inundated with rain. Will it ease the drought?
  • Bay City News Service: State water officials ‘cautiously optimistic’ that atmospheric river could improve drought conditions 
  • Capital Public Radio: What this series of atmospheric rivers says about California’s drought and water future
  • NBC4 – Los Angeles: Map: Here’s What Early Winter Storms Meant for California’s Drought
  • Western Farm Press: Fast start, but how long will it last? 
  • KERO – Bakersfield: Heavy snowpack and recent storms may not translate to more farm water
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Aquafornia news January 6, 2023 Los Angeles Times

L.A. lets rain flow into the Pacific Ocean, wasting a vital resource. Can we do better?

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.

Related articles:

  • The Conversation: How California could save up its rain to ease future droughts — instead of watching epic atmospheric river rainfall drain into the Pacific​ 
  • Ventura County Star: Editorial: How to make the most of rainfall 
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Aquafornia news January 5, 2023 Los Angeles Times

Thursday Top of the Scroll: Toddler killed, cities evacuated as massive storm lashes Northern California

A powerful winter storm unleashed heavy rain and strong winds across Northern California on Wednesday, triggering evacuations and power outages, and heightening fears of widespread flooding and debris flows. … Wednesday’s storm is the third atmospheric river that’s hit California in the last two weeks. The successive storms have brought a deluge of water to the drought-stricken state, prompting Gov. Newsom to declare a state of emergency to “support response and recovery efforts.” … The series of atmospheric rivers that started toward the end of December was somewhat surprising after one of California’s driest years on record, which left reservoirs drained and soils parched.

Related articles: 

  • San Francisco Chronicle: Two dead as storm wallops Bay Area, downing trees, flooding roads, cutting electrical service 
  • Los Angeles Times: Storm slams Southern California with heavy rain, flood fears and strong winds
  • CNN: Hurricane-force wind gusts blow through California as part of the ‘bomb cyclone’ hitting the coast
  • California Department of Water Resources: News release: DWR Prepares for More Storms and Potential Flooding
  • Associated Press: Evacuations ordered as California braces for rain, floods
  • Associated Press: Wild weather driven by roiling Pacific, nature and warming
  • USA Today: ‘Rivers in the sky’: Graphics show atmospheric river soaking California’s Bay Area
  • Modesto Bee: Gov. Gavin Newsom declares emergency for major California storm, flooding in forecast
  • Orange County Register: Forecast of 16-foot swells prompts California coast to brace for floods
  • Los Angeles Times: Atmospheric river poses lethal danger for homeless people. California scrambling to help
  • San Francisco Chronicle: Pacheco Reservoir dam spillway fails, San Benito County residents warned to prepare for evacuations
  • The Washington Post: As powerful storms deluge California, a river community evacuates — again
  • San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area storms: What to do if you’re caught in a flood in your car or home
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Aquafornia news January 5, 2023 Los Angeles Times

Storm is an ‘extreme test’ of waste capture system protecting the Pacific from L.A. runoff

The atmospheric river storm hitting California this week presents a test for an experimental waste-capturing system that’s intended to keep plastic bottles, diapers and other trash from flowing into the Pacific. It has even captured a couch. The solar-powered system, designed to work mostly autonomously, was introduced in October at the mouth of Ballona Creek near Playa del Rey.

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Aquafornia news January 5, 2023 Scripps Institution of Oceanography

News release: Scripps Climate Program renewed with new focus on adaptation

With $5 million in funding from NOAA’s Climate Adaptation Partners (CAP) initiative, the California Nevada Adaptation Program (CNAP), a collaborative initiative between UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the DRI in Reno, Nevada will work to expand climate research and focus on building adaptation strategies. The program will last five years and aim to empower local communities to use this knowledge to make informed decisions in the face of long-term drought, unprecedented wildfires, and extreme heat impacting public health.   

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Aquafornia news January 5, 2023 The New York Times

Floods show California’s climate dilemma: Fight the water, or pull back?

As California battles a second week of lashing rain and snow that have flooded communities, broken levees and toppled power lines, the state is facing questions about whether its approach to handling crippling storms is suited to 21st-century climate threats. For decades, federal and state planners built dams and levees in California to store water and keep it at bay. But as climate change increases the risk of stronger and more destructive storms — like the one that was battering Northern California on Wednesday — experts and some policymakers are urging another approach: giving rivers room to overflow.

Related article:

  • Los Angeles Times: California’s aging levees are being pushed to the breaking point by climate whiplash
  • The Sacramento Bee: A Sacramento County levee has a hole the size of a football field — What it will cost to fix it
  • Los Angeles Times: California ‘storm train’ may rival notorious El Niño winter of 1997–98
  • US Geological Survey: News release: USGS crews continue to measure record-high streamflows in California 
  • Fox Weather: See some of the most catastrophic atmospheric rivers and flooding in California history 
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Aquafornia news January 4, 2023 Patch - Livermore

Calif. DWR releases water from Del Valle Dam, as new storm approaches

With another storm on the way later this week, record rainfall totals from a storm that hit the area New Year’s Eve caused numerous roads to close due to mudslides and flooding, officials said. In Livermore where nearly 2 inches of rain were recorded in a 24 hour period, police were asking residents on Sunday to stay away from Arroyo Mocho creek and trail as the California Department of Water Resources released water from the Del Valle Dam at a rate of 500 cubic feet per second. State officials said the dam was not at risk Sunday. Recovery efforts were focused on ensuring streets would remain passable, something that could be hampered by the upcoming pineapple express-fueled storm expected to hit the Bay Area Wednesday and Thursday.

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Aquafornia news January 4, 2023 The New York Times

How climate change is shaping California’s winter storms

What is an atmospheric river? These storms get their name from their long, narrow shape and the prodigious amount of water they carry. They form when winds over the Pacific draw a filament of moisture from the band of warm, moist air over the tropics and channel it toward the West Coast. When this ribbon of moisture hits the Sierra Nevada and other mountains, it is forced upward, cooling it and turning its water into immense quantities of rain and snow. … Is climate change making them more extreme? As humans continue burning fossil fuels and heating the atmosphere, the warmer air can hold more moisture. This means storms in many places, California included, are more likely to be extremely wet and intense. 

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Aquafornia news January 4, 2023 Press Democrat

Editorial: Don’t count on a drought-buster

The storm door is open — at least for now. An atmospheric river battered Northern California this past weekend. The North Bay was largely spared, but torrential rain across much of the region lifted streams over their banks, trapped cars as roadways became routes for kayaks and canoes, and flooded homes and businesses from San Francisco to Sacramento. The National Weather Service says another “truly … brutal system” will slam Northern California on Wednesday. This time, Sonoma County appears to be in the path. That could mean fierce wind gusts, intense rain, flooded roads, mudslides and power outages. By Friday, the Russian River is expected to reach flood stage in Guerneville.

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Aquafornia news January 4, 2023 Los Angeles Times

String of brutal atmospheric rivers imperils a California already weakened by drought

A successive series of powerful atmospheric river storms poses a growing threat to California as the ground becomes more saturated, river levels rise and heavy winds threaten the power infrastructure. This week’s storms are expected to dump intense levels of rain in a fairly short period of time. The greatest potential for disaster is in Northern California, which has already been battered by several destructive storms — including one this weekend that caused a deadly levee breach. But each new storm, including one set to arrive Wednesday, adds new pressure.

Related articles: 

  • CalMatters: Sacramento Valley, already deluged, braces for more floods
  • New York Times: California Braces for Yet More Rain
  • San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area flood risk - This detailed map shows danger zones
  • Sacramento Bee: Flash flood watch for possible debris flow in Northern California wildfire burn scars
  • Modesto Bee: Officials brace for more storms and flood threat over next 14 days in Modesto area
  • Courthouse News Service: Waterlogged California bracing for another round of storms
  • Bloomberg: California Braces for Its Next Deluge as Pacific Storms Line Up
  • CNN: California braces for more ‘brutal’ flooding and mudslides as experts warn it won’t quench historic drought
  • USA Today: ‘Truly a brutal storm’ heading for California; forecasters predict flooding, landslides, deaths: Updates
  • NASA: Floodwater Inundates North-Central California
  • Los Angeles Times: Massive ‘atmospheric river’ to bring heavy rains, winds, flooding across California
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Aquafornia news January 3, 2023 California WaterBlog

Blog: The collapse of water exports – Los Angeles, 1914

This is a re-post from 2019 with updated links for pictures and further readings. … Collapse of Los Angeles aqueduct pipeline through Antelope Valley from a major flood in February, 1914 (3-months after the aqueduct’s official opening) “In February, 1914, the rainfall in the Mojave Desert region exceeded by nearly fifty per cent in three days the average annual precipitation. Where the steel siphon crosses Antelope valley at the point of greatest depression, an arroyo or run-off wash indicated that fifteen feet was the extreme width of the flood stream, and the pipe was carried over the wash on concrete piers set just outside the high water lines. The February rain, however, was of the sort known as a cloud-burst, and the flood widened the wash to fifty feet, carried away the concrete piers, and the pipe sagged and broke at a circular seam.

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Aquafornia news January 3, 2023 San Francisco Chronicle

Tuesday Top of the Scroll: Storm hitting California on Wednesday may be worse than New Year’s deluge

Propelled by a bomb cyclone, the storm expected to barrel into the California coast Wednesday is expected to drop several inches of rain on top of already saturated soil and will probably cause another round of widespread flooding across the northern part of the state. But this storm is projected to bring even more powerful, tree-toppling winds — 50 mph gusts — than seen during the New Year’s Eve deluge…. “To put it simply, this will likely be one of the most impactful systems on a widespread scale that this meteorologist has seen in a long while,” according to a National Weather Service forecast. … “This is truly a brutal system that we are looking at and needs to be taken seriously.”

Related articles: 

  • San Francisco Chronicle: Will the Bay Area get hit by the imminent bomb cyclone?
  • Weather West: Major NorCal storm Wed; potentially high impact storm/flood pattern to continue for 10+ days
  • Axios: Atmospheric rivers threaten California as state reels from deadly storm
  • NPR: A third atmospheric river storm is set to add to misery in California’s flooded areas
  • KRCR – Eureka: Strong wind and rain storm headed to North Coast this week
  • CBS – San Francisco: Forecasters warn of ‘brutal,’ potentially deadly storm system arriving Wednesday
  • Associated Press: California braces for more storms following Saturday’s flood
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Aquafornia news January 3, 2023 Fox 5 - San Diego

San Diego weather: Gusty wind, rain lead to flooded streets, debris, polluted water

Just days after rain left the city with flooding waters and streets covered in debris, runoff is also leading to unsafe swimming conditions along our coast. Right now, there are currently four beach closures in our region: Imperial Beach Shoreline, Tijuana Slough Shoreline, Silver Strand Shoreline, and Coronado Shoreline. The San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality warning beachgoers to stay away until further testing. Along the Coronado shoreline water contact warning signs line the sand, alerting beachgoers to steer clear. … Ringing in the new year with moderate rain and gusty winds has led to these south swell conditions and urban runoff across the U.S. Mexico border raising bacteria levels in ocean and bay water here at home.

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Aquafornia news January 3, 2023 Sacramento Bee

Evacuation the ‘only option’ for Sacramento County communities near still-rising rivers

With more storms barreling toward Northern California, south Sacramento County communities near the Cosumnes and Mokelumne rivers are on edge for new flood evacuations this week. Point Pleasant residents were ordered to evacuate on Sunday and Wilton residents were told to remain prepared to evacuate if they haven’t already even as reclamation district officials raced around the clock to shore up levee breaks ahead of the storm system expected to arrive Wednesday. … Levees are crucial along this 80-mile river because there’s no dam to slow the flow from headwaters in the Eldorado National Forest, said Jay Lund, vice-director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at the University of California, Davis. Consequently, he said, flash flooding is a common after warm storms like the one this past weekend that produced more rain than snow.

Related articles: 

  • The Guardian: Flood warnings in northern California after powerful New Year’s storm
  • ABC 10 – Sacramento: Cosumnes River Flooding: Why the river is unlike most in CA
  • 48 Hills: What if floods are part of the new normal in San Francisco?
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Tour October 12, 2022 - 7:30am - October 14, 2022 - 6:30pm Nick Gray Northern California Tour Explores Water Resources Across Sacramento Valley to Shasta Dam

Northern California Tour 2022
Field Trip - October 12-14

This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries through a scenic landscape while learning about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.

All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.

Water Education Foundation
2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205
Sacramento, CA 95833
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Tour November 2, 2022 - 7:30am - November 3, 2022 - 6:30pm Nick Gray

San Joaquin River Restoration Tour 2022
Field Trip - November 2-3

This tour traveled along the San Joaquin River to learn firsthand about one of the nation’s largest and most expensive river restoration projects.

The San Joaquin River was the focus of one of the most contentious legal battles in California water history, ending in a 2006 settlement between the federal government, Friant Water Users Authority and a coalition of environmental groups.

Hampton Inn & Suites Fresno
327 E Fir Ave
Fresno, CA 93720
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Tour March 8, 2023 - 7:30am - March 10, 2023 - 6:30pm Nick Gray

Lower Colorado River Tour 2023
Field Trip - March 8-10

SOLD OUT! – Click here to join the waitlist.

Explore the lower Colorado River firsthand where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.

The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to some 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states, 30 tribal nations and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs is the focus of this tour.

Hyatt Place Las Vegas At Silverton Village
8380 Dean Martin Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89139
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Tour March 16, 2022 - 7:30am - March 18, 2022 - 6:30pm Nick Gray

Lower Colorado River Tour 2022
Field Trip - March 16-18

The lower Colorado River has virtually every drop allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.

The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states, 30 tribal nations and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs was the focus of this tour.

Hyatt Place Las Vegas At Silverton Village
8380 Dean Martin Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89139
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Western Water November 19, 2021 Alastair Bland California Water Map WESTERN WATER-California Spent Decades Trying to Keep Central Valley Floods at Bay. Now It Looks to Welcome Them Back By Alastair Bland

California Spent Decades Trying to Keep Central Valley Floods at Bay. Now It Looks to Welcome Them Back
WESTERN WATER IN-DEPTH: Floodplain restoration gets a policy and funding boost as interest grows in projects that bring multiple benefits to respond to climate change impacts

Land and waterway managers labored hard over the course of a century to control California’s unruly rivers by building dams and levees to slow and contain their water. Now, farmers, environmentalists and agencies are undoing some of that work as part of an accelerating campaign to restore the state’s major floodplains.

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Western Water November 19, 2021 By Alastair Bland

SIDEBAR: Creating A Floodplain Buffet for Salmon Smolts

Biologists have designed a variety of unique experiments in the past decade to demonstrate the benefits that floodplains provide for small fish. Tracking studies have used acoustic tags to show that chinook salmon smolts with access to inundated fields are more likely than their river-bound cohorts to reach the Pacific Ocean. This is because the richness of floodplains offers a vital buffet of nourishment on which young salmon can capitalize, supercharging their growth and leading to bigger, stronger smolts.

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Tour October 14, 2021 - 2:30pm - 5:30pm Nick Gray Jenn Bowles

Northern California Tour 2021
A Virtual Journey - October 14

This tour guided participants on a virtual exploration of the Sacramento River and its tributaries and learn about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.

All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.

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Aquafornia news December 21, 2020 Army Corps of Engineers

Blog: Sacramento District quick to adapt in face of COVID

USACE Sacramento District has a proven track record of facing challenges head-on. When 2020 brought with it the Novel Coronavirus, the District responded quickly to address the needs of a rapidly changing work environment…This year marked the start of major construction on the [American River Common Features] project, and the pandemic hit just as crews were mobilizing, meaning both USACE and its contractors faced unexpected public impacts.

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Tour May 20, 2021 - 2:30pm - 5:30pm Nick Gray Learn About Infrastructure and Environmental Restoration During Lower Colorado River Tour

Lower Colorado River Tour 2021
A Virtual Journey - May 20

This event explored the lower Colorado River where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.

The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs was the focus of this tour. 

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Western Water February 27, 2020 Layperson's Guide to Climate Change and Water Resources California Water Map Gary Pitzer

Can Carbon Credits Save Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Islands and Protect California’s Vital Water Hub?
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: An ambitious plan would use carbon credits as incentives to convert Delta islands to wetlands or rice to halt subsidence and potentially raise island elevations

Equipment on this tower measures fluctuations in greenhouse gas emissions for managed wetlands on Sherman Island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.The islands of the western Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta are sinking as the rich peat soil that attracted generations of farmers dries out and decays. As the peat decomposes, it releases tons of carbon dioxide – a greenhouse gas – into the atmosphere. As the islands sink, the levees that protect them are at increasing risk of failure, which could imperil California’s vital water conveyance system.

An ambitious plan now in the works could halt the decay, sequester the carbon and potentially reverse the sinking.

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Western Water November 21, 2019 California Water Map Gary Pitzer

Can a New Approach to Managing California Reservoirs Save Water and Still Protect Against Floods?
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Pilot Projects Testing Viability of Using Improved Forecasting to Guide Reservoir Operations

Bullards Bar Dam spills water during 2017 atmospheric river storms.Many of California’s watersheds are notoriously flashy – swerving from below-average flows to jarring flood conditions in quick order. The state needs all the water it can get from storms, but current flood management guidelines are strict and unyielding, requiring reservoirs to dump water each winter to make space for flood flows that may not come.

However, new tools and operating methods are emerging that could lead the way to a redefined system that improves both water supply and flood protection capabilities.

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Western Water October 24, 2019 California Water Map Gary Pitzer

Understanding Streamflow Is Vital to Water Management in California, But Gaps In Data Exist
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: A new law aims to reactivate dormant stream gauges to aid in flood protection, water forecasting

Stream gauges gather important metrics such as  depth, flow (described as cubic feet per second) and temperature.  This gauge near downtown Sacramento measures water depth.California is chock full of rivers and creeks, yet the state’s network of stream gauges has significant gaps that limit real-time tracking of how much water is flowing downstream, information that is vital for flood protection, forecasting water supplies and knowing what the future might bring.

That network of stream gauges got a big boost Sept. 30 with the signing of SB 19. Authored by Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa), the law requires the state to develop a stream gauge deployment plan, focusing on reactivating existing gauges that have been offline for lack of funding and other reasons. Nearly half of California’s stream gauges are dormant.

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Western Water October 10, 2019 California Groundwater Map Gary Pitzer

Recharging Depleted Aquifers No Easy Task, But It’s Key To California’s Water Supply Future
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: A UC Berkeley symposium explores approaches and challenges to managed aquifer recharge around the West

A water recharge basin in Southern California's Coachella Valley. To survive the next drought and meet the looming demands of the state’s groundwater sustainability law, California is going to have to put more water back in the ground. But as other Western states have found, recharging overpumped aquifers is no easy task.

Successfully recharging aquifers could bring multiple benefits for farms and wildlife and help restore the vital interconnection between groundwater and rivers or streams. As local areas around California draft their groundwater sustainability plans, though, landowners in the hardest hit regions of the state know they will have to reduce pumping to address the chronic overdraft in which millions of acre-feet more are withdrawn than are naturally recharged.

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Western Water September 12, 2019 Layperson's Guide to the Colorado River Colorado River Basin Map Gary Pitzer

Could “Black Swan” Events Spawned by Climate Change Wreak Havoc in the Colorado River Basin?
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Scientists say a warming planet increases odds of extreme drought and flood; officials say they’re trying to include those possibilities in their plans

Runoff from what some describe as an "epic flood" in 1983 strained the capacity of Glen Canyon Dam to convey water fast enough.  The Colorado River Basin’s 20 years of drought and the dramatic decline in water levels at the river’s key reservoirs have pressed water managers to adapt to challenging conditions. But even more extreme — albeit rare — droughts or floods that could overwhelm water managers may lie ahead in the Basin as the effects of climate change take hold, say a group of scientists. They argue that stakeholders who are preparing to rewrite the operating rules of the river should plan now for how to handle these so-called “black swan” events so they’re not blindsided.

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Western Water August 22, 2019 California Water Map Gary Pitzer

How Private Capital is Speeding up Sierra Nevada Forest Restoration in a Way that Benefits Water
WESTERN WATER SPOTLIGHT: A bond fund that fronts the money is expediting a headwaters restoration project to improve forest health, water quality and supply

District Ranger Lon Henderson with Tahoe National Forest points toward an overgrown section of forest within the Blue Forest project area. The majestic beauty of the Sierra Nevada forest is awe-inspiring, but beneath the dazzling blue sky, there is a problem: A century of fire suppression and logging practices have left trees too close together. Millions of trees have died, stricken by drought and beetle infestation. Combined with a forest floor cluttered with dry brush and debris, it’s a wildfire waiting to happen.

Fires devastate the Sierra watersheds upon which millions of Californians depend — scorching the ground, unleashing a battering ram of debris and turning hillsides into gelatinous, stream-choking mudflows. 

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Announcement July 10, 2019

Explore a Scenic But Challenged California Landscape on Our Edge of Drought Tour
August 27-29 Tour Examines Santa Barbara Region Prone to Drought, Mudslides and Wildfire

Pyramid LakeNew to this year’s slate of water tours, our Edge of Drought Tour Aug. 27-29 will venture into the Santa Barbara area to learn about the challenges of limited local surface and groundwater supplies and the solutions being implemented to address them.

Despite Santa Barbara County’s decision to lift a drought emergency declaration after this winter’s storms replenished local reservoirs, the region’s hydrologic recovery often has lagged behind much of the rest of the state.

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Tour March 11, 2020 - 7:30am - March 13, 2020 - 6:30pm Nick Gray New Experience Announced for Lower Colorado River Tour: Topock Gorge Boat Trip Get a 'Hard Hat' Tour of Hoover Dam and Visit Lake Mead on Lower Colorado River Tour Take the Pulse of the ‘Lifeline of the Southwest’ on the Lower Colorado River Tour

Lower Colorado River Tour 2020
Field Trip - March 11-13

This tour explored the lower Colorado River where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.

The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs is the focus of this tour. 

Silverton Hotel
3333 Blue Diamond Road
Las Vegas, NV 89139
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  • Dan Bunk & Mike Bernardo Presentation
  • Seth Shanahan Presentation
  • Chuck Cullom Presentation
  • Vineetha Kartha Presentation
  • Tina Shields Presentation
  • Kevin Hempe Presentation
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Western Water February 28, 2019 California Groundwater Map Layperson's Guide to Flood Management Gary Pitzer

Southern California Water Providers Think Local in Seeking to Expand Supplies
WESTERN WATER SIDEBAR: Los Angeles and San Diego among agencies pursuing more diverse water portfolio beyond imports

The Claude “Bud” Lewis Desalination Plant in Carlsbad last December marked 40 billion gallons of drinking water delivered to San Diego County during its first three years of operation. The desalination plant provides the county with more than 50 million gallons of water each day.Although Santa Monica may be the most aggressive Southern California water provider to wean itself from imported supplies, it is hardly the only one looking to remake its water portfolio.

In Los Angeles, a city of about 4 million people, efforts are underway to dramatically slash purchases of imported water while boosting the amount from recycling, stormwater capture, groundwater cleanup and conservation. Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2014 announced a plan to reduce the city’s purchase of imported water from Metropolitan Water District by one-half by 2025 and to provide one-half of the city’s supply from local sources by 2035. (The city considers its Eastern Sierra supplies as imported water.)

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Western Water January 17, 2019 Layperson's Guide to the Central Valley Project San Joaquin River Restoration Map Gary Pitzer

Key California Ag Region Ponders What’s Next After Voters Spurn Bond to Fix Sinking Friant-Kern Canal
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Subsidence chokes off up to 60% of canal’s capacity to move water to aid San Joaquin Valley farms and depleted groundwater basins

Water is up to the bottom of a bridge crossing the Friant-Kern Canal due to subsidence caused by overpumping of groundwater. The whims of political fate decided in 2018 that state bond money would not be forthcoming to help repair the subsidence-damaged parts of Friant-Kern Canal, the 152-mile conduit that conveys water from the San Joaquin River to farms that fuel a multibillion-dollar agricultural economy along the east side of the fertile San Joaquin Valley.

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Announcement October 31, 2018

Can El Niño Tell Us Anything About What’s Ahead for Water Year 2019?
Learn what is and isn't known about forecasting Water Year 2019 at Dec. 5 workshop in Irvine

Nimbus Dam winter releasesJust because El Niño may be lurking off in the tropical Pacific, does that really offer much of a clue about what kind of rainy season California can expect in Water Year 2019?

Will a river of storms pound the state, swelling streams and packing the mountains with deep layers of heavy snow much like the exceptionally wet 2017 Water Year (Oct. 1, 2016 to Sept. 30, 2017)? Or will this winter sputter along like last winter, leaving California with a second dry year and the possibility of another potential drought? What can reliably be said about the prospects for Water Year 2019?

At Water Year 2019: Feast or Famine?, a one-day event on Dec. 5 in Irvine, water managers and anyone else interested in this topic will learn about what is and isn’t known about forecasting California’s winter precipitation weeks to months ahead, the skill of present forecasts and ongoing research to develop predictive ability.

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Tour October 2, 2019 - 7:30am - October 4, 2019 - 6:30pm Nick Gray Northern California Tour Explores Water Resources Across Sacramento Valley to Shasta Dam

Northern California Tour 2019
Field Trip - October 2-4

This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries through a scenic landscape as participants learned about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.

All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project. Tour participants got an on-site update of Oroville Dam spillway repairs.

  • David Guy Presentation
  • Willie Whittlesey Presentation
  • Kevin Phillips Presentation
  • Mark Oliver Presentation
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Western Water October 5, 2018 Douglas E. Beeman Douglas E. Beeman

What Would You Do About Water If You Were California’s Next Governor?
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Survey at Foundation’s Sept. 20 Water Summit elicits a long and wide-ranging potential to-do list

There’s going to be a new governor in California next year – and a host of challenges both old and new involving the state’s most vital natural resource, water.

So what should be the next governor’s water priorities?

That was one of the questions put to more than 150 participants during a wrap-up session at the end of the Water Education Foundation’s Sept. 20 Water Summit in Sacramento.

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Western Water September 21, 2018 Colorado River Basin Map California Water Map Gary Pitzer

Despite Risk of Unprecedented Shortage on the Colorado River, Reclamation Commissioner Sees Room for Optimism
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Commissioner Brenda Burman, in address at Foundation’s Water Summit, also highlights Shasta Dam plan

Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda BurmanThe Colorado River Basin is more than likely headed to unprecedented shortage in 2020 that could force supply cuts to some states, but work is “furiously” underway to reduce the risk and avert a crisis, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman told an audience of California water industry people.

During a keynote address at the Water Education Foundation’s Sept. 20 Water Summit in Sacramento, Burman said there is opportunity for Colorado River Basin states to control their destiny, but acknowledged that in water, there are no guarantees that agreement can be reached.

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Western Water August 24, 2018 California Water Map Gary Pitzer

When Water Worries Often Pit Farms vs. Fish, a Sacramento Valley Farm Is Trying To Address The Needs Of Both
WESTERN WATER SPOTLIGHT: River Garden Farms is piloting projects that could add habitat and food to aid Sacramento River salmon

Roger Cornwell, general manager of River Garden Farms, with an example of a refuge like the ones that were lowered into the Sacramento River at Redding to shelter juvenile salmon.  Farmers in the Central Valley are broiling about California’s plan to increase flows in the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems to help struggling salmon runs avoid extinction. But in one corner of the fertile breadbasket, River Garden Farms is taking part in some extraordinary efforts to provide the embattled fish with refuge from predators and enough food to eat.

And while there is no direct benefit to one farm’s voluntary actions, the belief is what’s good for the fish is good for the farmers.

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Tour April 11, 2018 - April 13, 2018

Lower Colorado River Tour 2018

Lower Colorado River Tour participants at Hoover Dam.

We explored the lower Colorado River where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.

The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs was the focus of this tour.

Hampton Inn Tropicana
4975 Dean Martin Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89118
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Western Water April 6, 2018 California Water Bundle Gary Pitzer

Statewide Water Bond Measures Could Have Californians Doing a Double-Take in 2018
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Two bond measures, worth $13B, would aid flood preparation, subsidence, Salton Sea and other water needs

San Joaquin Valley bridge rippled by subsidence  California voters may experience a sense of déjà vu this year when they are asked twice in the same year to consider water bonds — one in June, the other headed to the November ballot.

Both tackle a variety of water issues, from helping disadvantaged communities get clean drinking water to making flood management improvements. But they avoid more controversial proposals, such as new surface storage, and they propose to do some very different things to appeal to different constituencies.

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Western Water February 9, 2018 Layperson's Guide to Climate Change and Water Resources Ridiculously Resilient Ridge, On the Road in the Central Valley, Don't-Miss Water Reads Gary Pitzer

‘Ridiculously Resilient Ridge,’ Climate Change and the Future of California’s Water
WESTERN WATER Q&A: Climate scientist Daniel Swain

Daniel SwainEvery day, people flock to Daniel Swain’s social media platforms to find out the latest news and insight about California’s notoriously unpredictable weather. Swain, a climate scientist at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA, famously coined the term “Ridiculously Resilient Ridge” in December 2013 to describe the large, formidable high-pressure mass that was parked over the West Coast during winter and diverted storms away from California, intensifying the drought.

Swain’s research focuses on atmospheric processes that cause droughts and floods, along with the changing character of extreme weather events in a warming world. A lifelong Californian and alumnus of University of California, Davis, and Stanford University, Swain is best known for the widely read Weather West blog, which provides unique perspectives on weather and climate in California and the western United States. In a recent interview with Western Water, he talked about the Ridiculously Resilient Ridge, its potential long-term impact on California weather, and what may lie ahead for the state’s water supply. 

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Aquapedia background December 1, 2017 Layperson's Guide to Flood Management

Atmospheric Rivers

A massive 1986 Northern California flood near Marysville, north of Sacramento, caused the south levee of the Yuba River to breach, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate their homes.Atmospheric rivers are relatively narrow bands of moisture that ferry precipitation across the Pacific Ocean to the West Coast and are key to California’s water supply.

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Tour February 27, 2019 - 7:30am - March 1, 2019 - 6:30pm Nick Gray

Lower Colorado River Tour 2019

This three-day, two-night tour explored the lower Colorado River where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.

The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs is the focus of this tour. 

Best Western McCarran Inn
4970 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89119
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  • Warren Turkett
  • Dan Bunk
  • Seth Shanahan
  • Deanna Ikeya
  • Doyle Wilson
  • Gerald Filipiak
  • Sarah Bartlett
  • Tina Shields
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Tour October 10, 2018 - October 12, 2018 New Stop Announced for Northern California Tour: Salmon Rearing Structures in the Sacramento River

Northern California Tour 2018

This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries through a scenic landscape as participants learned about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.

All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project. Tour participants got an on-site update of repair efforts on the Oroville Dam spillway. 

  • David Guy
  • Christopher Williams
  • Carson Jeffres
  • Curt Aikens
  • Kelly Peterson
  • Mark Oliver
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Tour November 7, 2018 - November 8, 2018

San Joaquin River Restoration Tour 2018

Participants of this tour snaked along the San Joaquin River to learn firsthand about one of the nation’s largest and most expensive river restoration projects.

Fishery worker capturing a fish in the San Joaquin River.

The San Joaquin River was the focus of one of the most contentious legal battles in California water history, ending in a 2006 settlement between the federal government, Friant Water Users Authority and a coalition of environmental groups.

  • Don Portz
  • Bill Luce
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Western Water November 14, 2017 Gary Pitzer

Better Forecasting Is Key to Improved Drought and Flood Response

Marysville flooding

In a state with such topsy-turvy weather as California, the ability of forecasters to peer into the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean and accurately predict the arrival of storms is a must to improve water supply reliability and flood management planning.

The problem, according to Jeanine Jones, interstate resources manager with the state Department of Water Resources, is that “we have been managing with 20th century technology with respect to our ability to do weather forecasting.”

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Western Water February 15, 2017 Gary Pitzer

Crews Race to Stabilize Vulnerable Oroville Dam Spillway
Crews dumping "super" sand bags, filling four gouges in the hillside as storm expected tonight

Work crews repairing Oroville Dam’s damaged emergency spillway are dumping 1,200 tons of rock each hour and using shotcrete to stabilize the hillside slope, an official with the Department of Water Resources told the California Water Commission today.

The pace of work is “round the clock,” said Kasey Schimke, assistant director of DWR’s legislative affairs office.

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Aquapedia background December 29, 2016 Layperson's Guide to Flood Management

ARkStorm

Sacramento's K Street during the 1862 flood that inundated the Central Valley.ARkStorm stands for an atmospheric river (“AR”) that carries precipitation levels expected to occur once every 1,000 years (“k”). The concept was presented in a 2011 report by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) intended to elevate the visibility of the very real threats to human life, property and ecosystems posed by extreme storms on the West Coast.

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Aquapedia background September 12, 2016

Runoff

Snowmelt and runoff near the California Department of Water Resources snow survey site in the Sierra Nevada east of Sacramento.Runoff is the water that is pulled by gravity across land’s surface, replenishing groundwater and surface water as it percolates into an aquifer or moves into a river, stream or watershed.

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Aquapedia background September 7, 2016

Hydrographs

A hydrograph illustrates a type of activity of water during a specific time frame. Salinity and acidity are sometimes measured, but the most common types are stage and discharge hydrographs. These graphs show how surface water flow responds to fluxes in precipitation.

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Aquapedia background August 30, 2016 Seven Oaks Dam

Prado Dam

Prado Dam in Southern CaliforniaPrado Dam – built in 1941 in response to the Santa Ana River’s flood-prone past – separates the river into its upper and lower watersheds. After the devastation of the deadly Los Angeles Flood of 1938 that impacted much of Southern California, it became evident that flood protection was woefully inadequate, prompting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct Prado Dam.

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  • Layperson's Guide to Flood Management
Aquapedia background August 30, 2016 Layperson's Guide to Flood Management Dams

Seven Oaks Dam

Image shows Seven Oaks Dam in the San Bernardino Mountains. Completed in 1999, the Seven Oaks Dam is a 550-feet-high earthen dam on the Santa Ana River.

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  • Layperson's Guide to Flood Management
Aquapedia background August 25, 2016

One Hundred Year Flood

Risk Assessment, Not a Timeline

Contrary to popular belief, “100-Year Flood” does not refer to a flood that happens every century. Rather, the term describes the statistical chance of a flood of a certain magnitude (or greater) taking place once in 100 years. It is also accurate to say a so-called “100-Year Flood” has a 1 percent chance of occurring in a given year, and those living in a 100-year floodplain have, each year, a 1 percent chance of being flooded.

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  • Layperson's Guide to Flood Management
Aquapedia background September 10, 2014

El Niño/La Niña

California’s seasonal weather is influenced by El Niño and La Niña – temporary climatic conditions that, depending on their severity, contribute to weather that is wetter or drier than normal.

El Niño and La Niña episodes typically last nine to 12 months, but some events may last for years. While their frequency can be quite irregular, El Niño and La Niña events occur on average every two to seven years. Typically, El Niño occurs more frequently than La Niña, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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Publication August 18, 2014

Water & the Shaping of California
Published 2000 - Paperback

The story of water is the story of California. And no book tells that story better than Water & the Shaping of California.

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Publication August 18, 2014

Water & the Shaping of California
Published 2000 - hardbound

The story of California is the story of water. And no book tells that story better than Water & the Shaping of California.

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Video May 29, 2014

Overcoming the Deluge: California’s Plan for Managing Floods (DVD)

This 30-minute documentary, produced in 2011, explores the past, present and future of flood management in California’s Central Valley. It features stories from residents who have experienced the devastating effects of a California flood firsthand. Interviews with long-time Central Valley water experts from California Department of Water Resources (FloodSAFE), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, Central Valley Flood Management Program and environmental groups are featured as they discuss current efforts to improve the state’s 150-year old flood protection system and develop a sustainable, integrated, holistic flood management plan for the Central Valley.

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Video May 27, 2014

Stormwater Management: Turning Runoff into a Resource

20-minute DVD that explains the problem with polluted stormwater, and steps that can be taken to help prevent such pollution and turn what is often viewed as a “nuisance” into a water resource through various activities.

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Video May 22, 2014

Delta Warning

15-minute DVD that graphically portrays the potential disaster should a major earthquake hit the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. “Delta Warning” depicts what would happen in the event of an earthquake registering 6.5 on the Richter scale: 30 levee breaks, 16 flooded islands and a 300 billion gallon intrusion of salt water from the Bay – the “big gulp” – which would shut down the State Water Project and Central Valley Project pumping plants.

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Video May 21, 2014

Water on the Edge (60-minute DVD)

Water truly has shaped California into the great state it is today. And if it is water that made California great, it’s the fight over – and with – water that also makes it so critically important. In efforts to remap California’s circulatory system, there have been some critical events that had a profound impact on California’s water history. These turning points not only forced a re-evaluation of water, but continue to impact the lives of every Californian. This 2005 PBS documentary offers a historical and current look at the major water issues that shaped the state we know today. Includes a 12-page viewer’s guide with background information, historic timeline and a teacher’s lesson.

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Maps & Posters May 20, 2014

San Joaquin River Restoration Map
Published 2012

This beautiful 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, features a map of the San Joaquin River. The map text focuses on the San Joaquin River Restoration Program, which aims to restore flows and populations of Chinook salmon to the river below Friant Dam to its confluence with the Merced River. The text discusses the history of the program, its goals and ongoing challenges with implementation. 

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Publication May 20, 2014

Layperson’s Guide to the State Water Project
Updated 2013

The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the State Water Project provides an overview of the California-funded and constructed State Water Project.

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Publication May 20, 2014

Layperson’s Guide to Integrated Regional Water Management
Published 2013

The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) is an in-depth, easy-to-understand publication that provides background information on the principles of IRWM, its funding history and how it differs from the traditional water management approach.

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Publication May 20, 2014

Layperson’s Guide to Flood Management
Updated 2009

The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to Flood Management explains the physical flood control system, including levees; discusses previous flood events (including the 1997 flooding); explores issues of floodplain management and development; provides an overview of flood forecasting; and outlines ongoing flood control projects. 

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Publication May 20, 2014

Layperson’s Guide to California Water
Updated 2021

The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to California Water provides an excellent overview of the history of water development and use in California. It includes sections on flood management; the state, federal and Colorado River delivery systems; Delta issues; water rights; environmental issues; water quality; and options for stretching the water supply such as water marketing and conjunctive use. New in this 10th edition of the guide is a section on the human need for water. 

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Publication May 20, 2014

Layperson’s Guide to the Central Valley Project
Updated 2021

The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the Central Valley Project explores the history and development of the federal Central Valley Project (CVP), California’s largest surface water delivery system. In addition to the project’s history, the guide describes the various CVP facilities, CVP operations, the benefits the CVP brought to the state and the CVP Improvement Act (CVPIA).

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Publication April 17, 2014

Layperson’s Guide to the Delta
Updated 2020

The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the Delta explores the competing uses and demands on California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Included in the guide are sections on the history of the Delta, its role in the state’s water system, and its many complex issues with sections on water quality, levees, salinity and agricultural drainage, fish and wildlife, and water distribution.

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Maps & Posters April 17, 2014 California Water Bundle

California Water Map
Updated December 2016

A new look for our most popular product! And it’s the perfect gift for the water wonk in your life.

Our 24×36 inch California Water Map is widely known for being the definitive poster that shows the integral role water plays in the state. On this updated version, it is easier to see California’s natural waterways and man-made reservoirs and aqueducts – including federally, state and locally funded projects – the wild and scenic rivers system, and natural lakes. The map features beautiful photos of California’s natural environment, rivers, water projects, wildlife, and urban and agricultural uses and the text focuses on key issues: water supply, water use, water projects, the Delta, wild and scenic rivers and the Colorado River.

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Aquapedia background February 14, 2014 California Spent Decades Trying to Keep Central Valley Floods at Bay. Now It Looks to Welcome Them Back

Floodplains in California

With the dual threats of obsolete levees and anticipated rising sea levels, floodplains—low areas adjacent to waterways that flood during wet years—are increasingly at the forefront of many public policy and water issues in California.

Adding to the challenges, many floodplains have been heavily developed and are home to major cities such as Sacramento. Large parts of California’s valleys are historic floodplains as well.

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Aquapedia background February 14, 2014 Layperson's Guide to Flood Management Layperson's Guide to Climate Change and Water Resources

Flooding

Yuba City flooded in 1955.

Flooding inundates a neighborhoodWhen people think of natural disasters in California, they typically think about earthquakes. Yet the natural disaster that residents are most likely to face involves flooding, not fault lines. In fact, all 58 counties in the state have declared a state of emergency from flooding at least three times since 1950. And the state’s capital, Sacramento, is considered one of the nation’s most flood-prone cities. Floods also affect every Californian because flood management projects and damages are paid with public funds.

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Aquapedia background February 14, 2014 Layperson's Guide to Flood Management

Flood Management

Sacramento River flood control measures

Devastating floods are almost an annual occurrence in the West and in California. With the anticipated sea level rise and other impacts of a changing climate, particularly heavy winter rains, flood management is increasingly critical in California. Compounding the issue are human-made flood hazards such as levee instability and stormwater runoff.

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Aquapedia background February 14, 2014

Flood Forecasting

Flood Forecasting

Flood forecasting allows flood control managers to predict, with a high degree of accuracy, when local flooding is likely to take place.

Forecasts typically use storm runoff data, reservoir levels and releases to predict the rise in river levels.

In Northern California the National Weather Service, in cooperation with the state’s California-Nevada River Forecast Center in Sacramento, forecasts flooding.

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Aquapedia background February 11, 2014

Yolo Bypass

Yolo Bypass

Yolo Bypass occupies a historic floodplain between Davis and Sacramento, California.

With the city of Sacramento and other area communities prone to flooding, the 59,000-acre Yolo Bypass helps offset that risk while also providing habitat for wildlife. Managed by California’s Department of Water Resources and a part of the Sacramento River Flood Control System, bypass boundaries are defined by constructed levees. The huge floodway is three-miles wide in some parts.

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Aquapedia background February 11, 2014

State Liability, Flood Protection and the Paterno Decision

Liability for levee failure in California took a new turn after a court ruling found the state liable for hundreds of millions of dollars from the 1986 Linda Levee collapse in Yuba County. The levee failure killed two people and destroyed or damaged about 3,000 homes.

The collapse also had long-term legal ramifications.

The Paterno Decision

California’s Supreme Court found that, “when a public entity operates a flood management system built by someone else, it accepts liability as if it had planned and built the system itself.”

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Aquapedia background February 3, 2014 Oroville Dam Shasta Dam Hoover Dam Layperson's Guide to the Central Valley Project Layperson's Guide to the State Water Project

Dams

Folsom Dam on the American River east of Sacramento

Dams have allowed Californians and others across the West to harness and control water dating back to pre-European settlement days when Native Americans had erected simple dams for catching salmon.

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Western Water Magazine July 1, 2013

Adjusting to the New Reality: Climate Change in the West
July/August 2013

This printed issue of Western Water This issue of Western Water looks at climate change through the lens of some of the latest scientific research and responses from experts regarding mitigation and adaptation.

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