Drought

Yesterday the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced their initial State Water Project (SWP) allocation for contractors and the picture isn’t so great. Only 10 percent of requested supplies is expected to be delivered for the 2021 water year. Initial allocations are based on conservative assumptions regarding hydrology and …

Last week the California Natural Resources Agency, California Environmental Protection Agency and California Department of Food and Agriculture signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Pasadena-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA JPL) that will help state agencies better understand climate change impacts and identify opportunities to build resilience, conserve biodiversity and …

California American Water (Cal Am) refiled its application for the Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project last week and is urging the California Coastal Commission to schedule a new hearing as soon as possible. “We needed to take time to put forth the best possible project for the Monterey Peninsula,” said …

A Central Valley environmental testing laboratory accused of failing to notify water systems of drinking water samples that exceeded crucial maximum contamination levels has been fined $18,000 by the State Water Resources Control Board’s Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP). Bakersfield-based BC Laboratories. Inc. (BCL) has been the recipient of multiple …

The Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) recently launched new tools focused on forecasting the Atmospheric River (AR) Scale. The new tools offer a 7-day forecast and review of the past 7 days for the AR Scale. The AR Scale was originally launched in 2019 and is similar …

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently released their winter forecast for the U.S. and it’s not a particularly rosy picture for California. NOAA’s forecast shows warmer, drier conditions across the southern tier of the U.S. thanks in part to an ongoing La Nina. Forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction …