Drought

West Side Irrigation District (WSDI) and Byron Bethany Irrigation District (BBID), both located in Tracy, have discussed a potential merger over the last month. Talks began because both irrigation districts are struggling to meet water supply demands during the severe drought. If the merger is completed, one 36,000 acre district …

Earlier this week, the Department of Water Resources released their draft of proposed regulations under the Groundwater Management Act (GMA). The primary focus of this act is to design and implement a plan to achieve sustainable groundwater management within 20 years of its implementation. The plan must: Identify when and …

On Friday, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) filed a lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers, saying the federal Clean Water Act was violated on two separation occasions. Both instances took place between 2011 and 2012. During a two-week period in late 2011, the Army Corps dredged 6.5 …

In preparation for El Nino, a record number of Californians have purchased flood insurance policies, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said. Since August, the agency has seen a 25 percent increase in policies or about 55,500 new policies. FEMA attributes the rise in flood insurance policies to El Nino. …

The California Department of Food and Agriculture released their annual report regarding agricultural statistics for the year. The numbers reflect changes in the agricultural industry in 2015 due to the severe drought. Overall, the value of California’s field crop production dropped to $3.7 billion, a 14.9% decrease from 2013. Crops …

The U.S. Drought Monitor’s weekly update shows California is making slight progress. Although El Nino has brought an onslaught of rain throughout the state, experts say it will take time for the impact to become apparent. Current reservoir conditions are as follows: Shasta Reservoir: 55% compared to its historical average …