Santa Cruz County Water Digest

The recent anchovy die-off has perplexed many in the Santa Cruz harbor community, as they usually occur during the summer.

At 90% of the state historical average, the Sierra Nevada snowpack is far better than last year. But it’s nothing like the record-smashing 2023.

Billions of state and federal dollars are spent on Lake Tahoe. But is all this attention actually protecting this unique treasure? Pollutants pour in, while development continues. Funding has shifted in focus to tourism and traffic projects, while money spent directly on fixing the lake has declined.

Read on to learn the story behind the Army Corps of Engineers abrupt release of billions of gallons of water from two California dams despite pushback from water managers and state elected officials.

The governor’s planned $20 billion tunnel to divert more water south and bypass the Delta would bring years of construction noise, pollution and traffic. Residents worry their rural farm towns will never be the same.

A new conservancy will oversee work to improve vegetation, water quality and natural habitat in the Salton Sea. Will nearly half a billion dollars in projects be enough?

Oakland Democrat Buffy Wicks said lawmakers will soon see 20 bills to speed up housing construction, along with more on energy, water and transit.

State and federal water managers have announced significant increases to water allocations across California thanks to early February storms and healthy reservoir levels.

The governor vowed to clear the way for more groundwater recharge. Has it worked? “We’re still tinkering around with small numbers,” one expert says.

A new bill by a Bay Area state senator aims to create a special fund to help clean up so-called forever chemicals in California’s water supply. Senate Bill 454 was introduced by Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, on February 18 and, if passed by the state Legislature and signed by the governor, would create the PFAS Mitigation Fund.

Read on to learn more about the "perfect storm" of issues confronting the local fishing industry.

Snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, which supplies about one-third of California’s water needs, was far lower than average for the end of January at one of the state’s measurement points on January 31.

Read on to learn more about the Trump-ordered "emergency" release of water from two San Joaquin Valley reservoirs and how it is literally going down the drain (and not to preserve LA from fires as claimed).

It would be impossible to overstate the complexity of water supply management in California.

Emergency infrastructure repairs are slowly transitioning into permanent upgrades in the unincorporated Monterey County community of Pajaro, where two years ago a series of torrential storms caused a pipe to fail and a road to collapse.

Trump apparently wants to override new Biden-Newsom rules that have widespread support among Southern California cities and some Central Valley farmers.

Read on for more information about an upcoming February 4 community meeting to discuss the Santa Cruz Water Department and Scotts Valley Water District system intertie project.

Read on for the latest progress in the B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project to raise the dam at the San Luis Reservoir to add storage capacity.

President-elect Donald Trump faulted California water policies for the devastating wildfires that are burning in Los Angeles County. The fires started because of fierce winds and extremely dry conditions.

Some Northern California cities have been soaked with almost twice their average rainfall, while southern cities are bone-dry. This season’s huge — possibly unprecedented — disparity works in favor of the state’s water supplies.

Following the devastation to the Santa Cruz Harbor on December 23, questions are raised about what's next for the 50 people who live on their boats. Read on to learn more.

Following the collapse of a 150 foot section of the Santa Cruz Wharf, questions about contributing factors are raised. Who or what is to blame? Read on to learn more.

As efforts to clean up and take stock of damage to the Santa Cruz Harbor from the storm swells on December 23 continue, the estimate of damages stands at $26 million. Read on to learn more.

UCSC Professor Gary Griggs recounts a histories of the tsunamis which have struck the City of Santa Cruz. Read on to learn more, and about his thought on tsunami risk computer models.

An after-action interview with City of Santa Cruz lifeguards Isaiah Mullen and Sam Hofmann following their rescue of two construction workers when the end of the wharf collapsed.

The damage assessment is still under way and have so far amounted to $20 million following the December 23 storm surge which smashed into the Santa Cruz Harbor, sinking several moored vessels. Read on to learn more.

Learn more about how officials describe the damage from ocean swells to the municipal wharf and harbor.

Learn about the bill introduced by Rep. Jimmy Panetta which would initiate the process to designate the communities neighboring the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary as a National Heritage Area, and what that would entail.

New operating rules for massive Delta systems will increase water deliveries to Southern California cities and some growers. Salmon numbers could drop, especially in dry years.

In a December 10 press conference, Governor Newsom urged lawmakers to press forward in building the Sites Reservoir in Colusa County. Read on to learn more about the project, the largest new reservoirs to be built in California in the last 50 years.

Each December there’s a new version of an old guessing game about how much water will be provided to agricultural and municipal users in the year ahead.

Most ships discharging ballast water into California waters are inspected, but state officials have tested the water of only 16 ships. Experts say invaders like mussels are inevitable under current rules and enforcement.