In California water news today, Monster storm brings widespread flooding across Northern California; more rain on the way; Severe flooding, but does that mean the drought is over?; North state on flood watch as rains linger; Sacramento Weir will open for first time in 11 years to flood Yolo Bypass; Sacramento avoids major flooding but risks remain; Bay Area storm: Deaths, high winds, floods and water rescue; Yosemite Valley hits flood stage as Merced River rises; crest expected Monday morning; New California dam proposed to combat climate change; Earthquake-resistant pipes aim to keep LA’s water flowing; and more …
On the calendar today …
- The Colorado River Basin Water Supply Forecast Briefing will be held this morning from 10:00am to 11:30am. Click here to register.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- RESERVOIR AND WATER CONDITIONS for January 9, 2017
- DELTA PLAN INTERAGENCY IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE: The Science Enterprise Workshop: Supporting and implementing collaborative science
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: State Water Board schedules Urban Water Conservation Workshop; California water rights compliance checklist for 2017; U.S. EPA awards $200,000 Brownfield grant for redevelopment along L.A. River
Monster storm brings widespread flooding across Northern California; more rain on the way: “The most powerful in a series of winter storms lashed Northern California and Nevada on Sunday with heavy rains and strong winds, causing widespread flooding, downing trees and unleashing mudslides. Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes as rivers overflowed their banks. Several key highways including Interstate 80, Interstate 280, U.S. 395 and U.S. 101 were closed for periods due to hazardous conditions. ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: Monster storm brings widespread flooding across Northern California; more rain on the way
California today: Severe flooding, but does that mean the drought is over? “The rain is back, and it seems to be coming all at once. A band of dense, airborne moisture from the tropics — known as an atmospheric river — swirled into Northern California on Saturday and was expected to linger through Monday. In just 48 hours, the system dropped up to four inches of rain across much of the region, with as much as nine inches in the foothills and mountains, where warmer air meant snow fell only at the highest elevations. … ” Read more from the New York Times here: California today: Severe flooding, but does that mean the drought is over?
North state on flood watch as rains linger: “Wind and rain knocked over trees and downed power lines, but the Redding area was spared serious flooding Sunday. The North State remains under a flood watch, though, as storms continue to fill already swollen streams. In Shasta County south of Palo Cedro, water levels hovered around flood levels in Cow Creek and those are expected to remain high throughout the week. A flood watch will remain in effect for Redding until late Tuesday afternoon. “Oftentimes those levels in the rivers and streams are slow to respond as the rainfall slows down,” said Travis Wilson, National Weather Service meteorologist. … ” Read more from the Redding Record Searchlight here: North state on flood watch as rains linger
Sacramento Weir will open for first time in 11 years to flood Yolo Bypass: “The gates of the Sacramento Weir are expected to open on Monday, allowing flooding of the Yolo Bypass. A combination of rain and snowmelt from a warm storm have water levels rising quickly throughout the region. Opening the wooden gates allows water to flow into the area, flooding out the Yolo Bypass in times of extreme rain. … ” Read more from CBS Sacramento here: Sacramento Weir will open for first time in 11 years to flood Yolo Bypass
Sacramento avoids major flooding but risks remain: “Trees crashed and roads flooded as small streams and ditches spilled from their banks, but the Sacramento region largely avoided any widespread flooding in Sunday’s storm. The risks aren’t over from the atmospheric-river-fueled storm that weather forecasters had predicted could be the largest to strike California in more than a decade. Weather forecasters and emergency personnel continued to warn of flooding through at least Tuesday. “Streams are rising, and they’re going to continue to rise even when the rains stop,” said Johnnie Powell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento. Much of Northern California and the San Joaquin Valley remains under flood watch. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Sacramento avoids major flooding but risks remain
Bay Area storm: Deaths, high winds, floods and water rescue: “Rains are pausing in the Bay Area after a weekend storm that packed high winds, drenching rains and rushing rivers, inundating parts of the North Bay but largely sparing the South Bay and East Bay from catastrophic flooding. Trees crashed to the ground throughout the region, in one case blocking all the southbound lanes of Interstate 280 near Burlingame. Surging waterways flooded Highway 101 south of Gilroy and the streets of Petaluma in Sonoma County. Mudslides blocked Highway 80 near Donner Lake and Highway 152 near Watsonville and Gilroy. Two people died in East Bay car wrecks. … ” Read more from the East Bay Times here: Bay Area storm: Deaths, high winds, floods and water rescue
Yosemite Valley hits flood stage as Merced River rises; crest expected Monday morning: “Yosemite Valley got a reprieve from rain for a few hours Sunday, but not from rising waters as the Merced River swelled to flood levels from Sierra storm runoff. The Merced, which normally ambles its way through the valley, swamped meadows and swallowed picnic tables Sunday. Yosemite Valley reached flood stage about 9 p.m., when the Merced rose above 10 feet, park spokeswoman Jamie Richards said. The National Weather Service said the river was expected to crest at about 13 feet early Monday morning. … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee here: Yosemite Valley hits flood stage as Merced River rises; crest expected Monday morning
New California dam proposed to combat climate change: “Americans have had one primary reason for building dams over the past century: capturing water for growth, whether on farms or in cities. Now a new dam proposed on California’s Bear River offers another reason: adapting to climate change. The Centennial Dam project, proposed by the Nevada Irrigation District, is intended to capture rainfall at lower elevations to make up for declining snowpack at higher elevations. It would be built at an elevation of about 2,000 feet between two existing reservoirs on the Bear River – Rollins and Combie – in a region of the Sierra Nevada where winter rainfall can be prolific but snowfall is light. … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: New California dam proposed to combat climate change
Earthquake-resistant pipes aim to keep LA’s water flowing: “Southern California is notoriously dry, and the city of Los Angeles imports its water from Northern California. But there’s a potentially disastrous hurdle to cross: The San Andreas Fault runs just north of Los Angeles, slicing across all four of the major aqueducts that deliver water to the city. In the event of a major earthquake, water supplies to 4 million people could be cut altogether. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is working to disaster-proof the aqueducts as well as the 12,000 kilometers of pipelines that run throughout the city. A recent round of testing of a new type of earthquake-resilient pipeline at a specially designed laboratory at Cornell University is reassuring the LADWP that they’re on the right track. ... ” Read more from On Earth Magazine here: Earthquake-resistant pipes aim to keep LA’s water flowing
And lastly … Iconic Sequoia ‘Tunnel Tree’ Brought Down By California Storm: “A powerful winter storm in California has brought down an ancient tree, carved into a living tunnel more than a century ago. The “Pioneer Cabin Tree” sequoia, in Calaveras Big Trees State Park, saw horses and cars pass through it over the years. More recently, only hikers were allowed to walk through the massive tree. Over the weekend, a powerful winter storm slammed into California and Nevada, prompting flooding and mudslides in some regions. The Associated Press reports it might be the biggest storm to hit the region in more than a decade. On Sunday, a volunteer at the state park reported that Pioneer Cabin had not survived. … ” Read more from Capital Public Radio here: Iconic Sequoia ‘Tunnel Tree’ Brought Down By California Storm
In commentary today …
Too soon to call an end to the drought, says the San Francisco Chronicle: They write, “With the mother of all storms rolling across California over the weekend and more rain expected this week, can we declare the drought over? Not by a long shot. Granted, the landscape is looking greener, the reservoirs fuller and the Sierra snowpack deeper (it was at 103 percent of normal for this time of year Friday). But we are not even three weeks into winter. Deluge quickly can turn into a dry spell. Remember 2012, when we saw our last rain for a year in January? A few storms — even doozies like these — are not enough to make up for five years of drought (especially when there was only one wet year between this and the last). ... ” Read more from the SF Chronicle here: Too soon to call an end to the drought
Trump administration’s help will be crucial for Lake Mead, says the Las Vegas Sun: They write, “Amid the upcoming confirmation hearings for the president-elect’s Cabinet appointees, pending congressional debate on the Affordable Care Act and any number of other front-burner issues, a matter that won’t come to a head for seven months might not seem like an urgent priority for Donald Trump and his team. But it’s critical for the new administration to start working immediately to avert a problem that could affect millions of Americans unless there’s progress to resolve it by August of this year. … ” Read more from the Las Vegas Sun here: Trump administration’s help will be crucial for Lake Mead
Much more news and commentary in the weekend edition …
Precipitation watch …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- RESERVOIR AND WATER CONDITIONS for January 9, 2017
- DELTA PLAN INTERAGENCY IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE: The Science Enterprise Workshop: Supporting and implementing collaborative science
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: State Water Board schedules Urban Water Conservation Workshop; California water rights compliance checklist for 2017; U.S. EPA awards $200,000 Brownfield grant for redevelopment along L.A. River
Sign up for daily email service and you’ll never miss a post …
Sign up for free daily email service and you’ll get all the Notebook’s aggregated and original water news content delivered to your email box by 9AM. And with breaking news alerts, you’ll always be one of the first to know …
About the Daily Digest: The Daily Digest is a collection of selected news articles, commentaries and editorials appearing in the mainstream press. Items are generally selected to follow the focus of the Notebook blog. The Daily Digest is published every weekday with a weekend edition posting on Sundays.
