Tag Archives: drought

Central Valley water agencies consider merger

BREAKING: senior water rights holders allowed to divert water

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 …

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Groundwater Management Act draft released

Department of Water Resources

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 …

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FEMA: More homeowners, businesses purchasing flood insurance

FEMA

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. …

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How the drought impacted agriculture in 2015

How the drought impacted agriculture in 2015

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 …

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Slight progress shown in weekly drought update

Slight progress shown in weekly drought update

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 …

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