The Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA) conducted the first cloud seeding events of the Santa Ana River Watershed Weather Modification Pilot Program during recent storms in late December and early January. The Pilot Program, launched in November 2023, is intended to evaluate the effectiveness of enhancing local water supplies …
Read More »Below-average snowpack in Sierras raises concerns
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) completed their first manual snow survey for 2024 and the numbers are just not up to snuff. DWR staff conducted manual readings in a partially snow-covered meadow at Phillips Station and recorded only 7.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of …
Read More »Board readopts emergency curtailment regulations for Scott and Shasta rivers
Earlier this week the State Water Resources Control Board readopted emergency curtailment regulations that establish minimum flow requirements for the Scott and Shasta rivers to protect imperiled fish, ensure supplies for human health and livestock needs, and encourage voluntary efforts that may be used in lieu of curtailments. According to …
Read More »State Water Project allocation set for 10 percent of requested supply
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced Friday that State Water Project members can expect a 10 percent allocation of requested water supplies for 2024. DWR is being very cautious in their initial water supply forecast, basing the December 1 allocation on October and November precipitation amounts, dry soils, …
Read More »Central Valley Project well-positioned for start of new water year
The 2024 water year is off to a good start for the Bureau of Reclamation’s Central Valley Project (CVP), which has 8.17 million acre-feet of water in storage. Reclamation made the announcement Tuesday that the CVP was well-positioned for the 2024 water year thanks to a record-setting winter in 2023. …
Read More »EPA awards grant funding for Research into Boosting Water Supplies
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded a grant to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works to research the use and risks of enhanced aquifer recharge (EAR) to improve groundwater availability and quality. “Groundwater is an essential and increasingly scarce commodity in arid regions such as Southern …
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