The environmental review of the Kern Water Bank has been struck down by the Sacramento County Superior Court, which says the California Department of Water Resource didn’t do enough in 2010 to examine how the water bank’s operation effects the state’s water resources and wildlife. It’s seen as a major victory for environmental groups and
Exports of California food products took a dive in August, with fruit and tree nuts decreasing by 8 percent when compared to the same time last year and vegetables dropping by 7.8 percent, according to data released Friday by Beacon Economics. The cause is fairly obvious, said Beacon trade expert Jock O'Connell. An unprecedented drought has
Californians facing fines for wastefulness significantly cut their water usage this summer, as community wells run dry, farm fields turn to dust and key reservoirs shrink to a fraction of their capacity. Water suppliers reported that consumption fell 11.5 percent in August compared with the year before, according to data released Tuesday. That was the
One commodity after another is feeling the impact of the state’s epic water shortage. The great Sacramento Valley rice crop, served in sushi restaurants nationwide and exported to Asia, will be smaller than usual. Fewer grapes will be available to produce California’s world-class wines, and the citrus groves of the San Joaquin Valley are producing fewer oranges. There
The stubborn high-pressure systems that block California rains are linked to the abundance of human-caused greenhouse gases that heat the oceans, according to a major paper released Monday by Stanford scientists. But two other new studies disagree -- saying there's no evidence that warming ocean waters are to blame for our drought. The three teams
California’s top water official told a key gathering of south state water representatives that “hard-earned progress” is being made on the Brown administration’s controversial plan to build twin tunnels through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The comments by Mark Cowin, director of the state Department of Water Resources, were aimed in part at dispelling rumors
California Citrus Mutual (CCM) will contribute $150,000 in support of California’s Proposition 1, the water bond measure. The CCM Board of Directors voted unanimously to support the measure in order to secure a reliable and sustainable water supply for California agriculture and communities across the state. “We are in a state of unprecedented crisis in terms
A federal judge in Fresno has ruled that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation did not violate the law when it made special reservoir releases last year to help salmon in Northern California’s Klamath River survive the drought rather than save the water for farms. But U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill wrote in his ruling
As the state ends the fourth-driest water year on record with no guarantee of significant rain and snowfall this winter, Californians face the prospect of stricter rationing and meager irrigation deliveries for agriculture. California begins a new October-September water year Wednesday with total reservoir storage at 36% of capacity, or 57% of average for this
Congress adjourned on Thursday and won't return to Washington until Nov. 12, and California lawmakers are coming home to wildfires, record high temperatures, and to a state without rain -- reminders that members haven't reached a compromise on a drought bill. However, all sides are still talking. California Democrat Barbara Boxer, who heads the Senate