(With expanded coverage of all the Western States)
by Patrick Ruckert
www.californiadroughtupdate.org/California-Water-and-Infrastructure-Report-May-9%2C-2024.pdf
A Note to Readers
Nationally, drought has mostly disappeared from the nation, except in the Pacific Northwest and some of the northern Rocky mountain states.
The U.S. Drought Monitor’s national and Western states report provides some details.
In addition, since the the Pacific Northwest lays claim to well over two-fifths of America’s dam-derived electricity, with the Columbia River dams provide providing one-fifth of that, lower production last year from the northwest region resulted in the lowest level of hydropower in the nation in 22 years. Similar figures are expected this year.
A second article following the U.S. Drought Monitor, “Snow Drought Current Conditions and Impacts in the West,” shows the affect of especially the northwest states of the continuing drought conditions there.
In California, the reservoirs are mostly full and Lake Oroville, the second largest reservoir in the state has, like last year reached full capacity. Two articles cover the story.
While the state water board and the political class appear to think that the only water policy to embrace is conservation, Edward Ring once again blows that idea away with his article, “Water Czars Ignore Solutions to Scarcity.”
Underlining Ring’s argument is the continued progress of the funding and planning for a new giant reservoir near Sacramento: The Sites Reservoir. A progress report tells the story.
