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Welcome to the archives of Water Deeply. While we paused regular publication of the site on November 1, 2018, we are happy to serve as an ongoing public resource on water resilience. We hope you’ll enjoy the reporting and analysis that was produced by our dedicated community of editors and contributors.
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The $5 billion Sites Reservoir project recently won by far the largest award in a state funding competition. But separate state regulatory actions could limit how much water it can tap from the Sacramento River.
The state’s reservoirs have done their job to help water users survive record drought in 2018. Now they are almost totally dry, and tensions are building over the year ahead. ‘Climate change is really happening,’ one water official says.
Jay Lund Director, Center for Watershed Sciences at U.C. Davis
California recently promised billions of dollars in bond funds to new water storage projects. But it remains to be seen if these projects can obtain water rights and regulatory approval to actually start construction.
Water shortages at Lake Mead have drawn all the attention in recent years. Now water rationing has reached far into the Colorado River’s snowy headwaters, prompting concern about the long-term operation of Lake Powell.
Construction is set to begin next year, but environmentalists have filed a lawsuit over Chimney Hollow reservoir, which would store water for communities in Colorado’s Front Range.
John McManus President, Golden Gate Salmon Association
Rachel Zwillinger Water Policy Adviser, Defenders of Wildlife
Environmental and fisheries groups have often opposed water storage projects. But two proposed projects in California have earned their backing, and Rachel Zwillinger of Defenders of Wildlife and John McManus of the Golden Gate Salmon Association, explain why.
An initial review by the California Water Commission slashed the ‘public benefits’ claimed by project applicants, prompting outrage in some quarters. Others say the process is working exactly as voters intended.
A study of two different rivers – one dammed and one free flowing – may help provide insight into how riparian ecosystems across the west respond to climate change.
New research predicts that an increase in the frequency and magnitude of wildfires will double the rates of sedimentation in one-third of the West’s large watersheds, reducing reservoir storage and affecting water supplies.
The Sites Reservoir project in Colusa County has funding commitments from 32 water agencies throughout California. But the developers still plan to seek state bond funds to leverage environmental benefits.
Atmospheric rivers are responsible for a huge share of California’s precipitation. Weather expert Marty Ralph explains new efforts that aim to forecast these storms for the first time.
The state is currently investigating whether it is feasible to develop standards for direct potable reuse, which would allow treated wastewater to be sent direct to customers for drinking without first being stored in a reservoir or aquifer.
Konrad Fisher Director, Klamath Riverkeeper
The much-celebrated agreement to remove dams along the Klamath River has been hailed as a win for fish, but the river ecosystem needs more than just dam removal. Increased water flows are also paramount.
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