Prop.1, Prop. 2 backers simplify wildfire costs

The campaign for a $7.5 billion water bond and a budget reserve measure is running a TV ad that says reserves will help “protect the water and the fire services we need” in future economic downturns. The 30-second ad, airing statewide, is narrated by Ken Pimlott, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and features images of Pimlott, wildfires and unidentified firefighters. Following is text of the ad and an analysis... Read More

Water czars preach one thing but do another

By Bruce Maiman Special to The Bee / October 14, 2014 Government bigwigs are once again doing what they do best – bending their own rules. Shocking, right? The Center for Investigative Reporting analyzed water bills from 2012 and 2013 for roughly 150 local officials and found that nearly half of them used more water than the average household. Nearly 60 percent used more water in 2013 than in 2012, even as drought conditions worsened. There are... Read More

Revitalized fishing pond hopes to ‘catch on’

Calaveras Enterprise When thinking of someone fishing, the image of an old guy and his fishing pole typically comes to mind, but what about the children? Lake Camanche and East Bay Municipal Utility District seek to answer that question, and that response started to materialize Saturday, Oct. 4, when renovations began on the catfish pond located on the south shore of Lake Camanche. The impetus behind the effort is to create a new child-only fishing... Read More

Waiting on walking upgrades

Calaveras Enterprise In 2000, a group of Murphys residents formed a committee to survey the pedestrian facilities in Murphys and surrounding areas. After months of walking, note taking and discussing, a plan was formed to make walking to the post office or downtown easy from most neighborhoods and the motels. The plan was offered to Calaveras County Public Works who referred us to COG, or the Council of Governments that is our transportation planning... Read More

CCWD candidates share goals, but not approach

By Stephen Crane | Posted: Friday, October 17, 2014  Calaveras Enterprise Neither candidate running for the director’s seat in Division 2 of the Calaveras County Water District – which includes Mokelumne Hill, San Andreas, Valley Springs and Burson – had much experience with water issues prior to seeking the position. Incumbent Scott Ratterman was appointed to the position in July 2011 and he’s clearly learned a lot since that time. “I’ve... Read More

Hat Man: Rift in pay is a rift in reality

County employees gain while the rest of us wilt I know I’m not the only person who notices the jarring disconnect between the sunny financial predictions that come from top economists and bankers and the reality here in the Mother Lode. I was relieved when Enterprise columnist Ken Johnson noted it in his column on Aug. 22. In some ways, it is old news that the elites in Washington, D.C., New York and San Francisco live in artificial prosperity bubbles... Read More

How rising alpine vegetation could hit California’s water supply:

“A warming-climate-induced march of alpine vegetation up a large river basin on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada could slash by one-fourth the annual flow of water the basin delivers to California’s thirsty Central Valley by the last two decades of this century, a new study says.  The results of the Kings River Basin study imply that the same type of risk holds for another 10 major river basins along the western Sierra, although to varying... Read More

World’s Largest Dam Removal Unleashes U.S. River After Century of Electric Production

As Washington State’s Elwha River runs free, a habitat for fish and wildlife is restored. Read Here  Read More

This just in … San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority & Westlands file for Temporary Restraining Order against releases of water for Klamath salmon

The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority and the Westlands Water District has filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in U.S. District Court against Reclamation’s release of water for the Klamath salmon. Read the entire legal memorandum here:  Trinity TRO Memorandum ISO of TRO-PI Motion  Read More

California has allocated five times more surface water than the state actually has

“California has allocated five times more surface water than the state actually has, making it hard for regulators to tell whose supplies should be cut during a drought, University of California researchers reported. Read Here  Read More