(With expanded coverage of all the Western States)
by Patrick Ruckert
www.californiadroughtupdate.org/California-Water-and-Infrastructure-Report-February-1%2C-2024.pdf
A Note to Readers
Note the U.S. Drought Monitor map for California this week. Despite atmospheric rivers and accompanying flooding, not only is the precipitation totals below average for this date in the year, but the snowdrought threatens water shortages later in the summer, and, as the drought monitor indicates, the state is a little drier than it was the week before.
Two atmospheric rivers are hitting the state this week, with the first one nearly over as this report is being written. But, the expectation by weather forecasters is that the storms will not add much to the Sierra snowpack.
In addition, the first of the month measurement of the snowpack shows that both the snowpack is much lower than the average on this date, and the water content of the snow is also below average.
The Feature this week is two interventions that challenge the Globalist’s control in regard to energy and agricultural policy. First is a video presentation by my colleague Ben Deniston: “Biden’s Green Energy Inflation Eating Your Paycheck!” The second one is, “State agriculture officials press banks on involvement with climate bloc: ‘We hold serious concerns’ “
Following the section that begins with the report from U.S. Drought Monitor, and several reports on the atmospheric rivers, the snowpack and more, we move to water policy.
That features “Comparing the Delta Tunnel versus Desalination,” by Edward Ring, a reporter I have great respect for. The second article is an interview titled, “Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) talks about EMWD’s emphasis on groundwater desalination.”
A third article discusses how California’s Water Resources Control Board $7 billion plan to force local water agencies to further cut household water use, with penalties if they fail to meet quotas. The saving of water for those billions will be a messily 400,000 acre feet. For just a little more than that seven billion, the Sites Reservoir– set to begin construction this year– will store more than one million acre feet, and not drive local water districts nuts figuring out how to get you and your neighbor to save five gallons of water a day.
On the Colorado River we have two articles this week. The first is, “Will a shrinking Colorado River shrivel the produce aisle?” This is an important article, which presents how the river’s lower flow threatens most of the nation’s winter vegetable crops as land is taken out of production in Arizona and the Imperial Valley of California.
And the second is,article is, “Lake Mead Water Levels Update as Reservoir ‘On the Mend,’ Says Scientist.’”
And we have an article on how Biden is bailing out a nuclear power plant.
The report concludes with this week’s Feature, described above.
