More than 50,000 residents of Santa Cruz County are reliant on a single water source: the dwindling Mid-County Groundwater Basin, which the state deemed “critically overdrafted” nearly a decade ago. Now local agencies are embarking on efforts to boost the ability of the basin to capture more rain during the wet months along with an […]
Environment
Posted inEnvironment
Rare plant spotted for first time in Santa Cruz County reveals hidden ecosystem reborn in fire
A hobby naturalist walking in the Santa Cruz Mountains discovered a patch of what turned out to be Humboldt County milkvetch, a rare plant that had never been spotted south of Mendocino County. Scientists believe the plant — known as a fire-follower because it often appears after a great disturbance to the landscape — actually has a far wider range than initially understood, but its seeds lay dormant here for decades until the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex fire. The discovery sheds light on how forestry practices that emphasized fire suppression have reshaped the landscape, reducing the biodiversity of plant life.
Posted inEnvironment
Desperate for water, a desert city hopes to build a pipeline to the California Aqueduct
Plans to build a $200 million water pipeline across the Mojave Desert to supply the city of Ridgecrest are angering environmentalists, farmers and miners.
Posted inEnvironment
California’s extreme weather whiplash: So long, drought; hello, El Niño
Drought has long been the norm for California. But the state had a historically wet winter, and El Niño is threatening again.
Posted inEnvironment
A river runs through Bakersfield? Judge rules the Kern River must be allowed to flow
Conservation groups sued to try to prevent the Kern River from running dry in Bakersfield. A judge ordered the city to ensure water remains in the river.
Posted inEnvironment
Arrowhead bottled water company sues to continue piping from California forest
California ordered a bottled water company to stop taking much of the water it pipes from a national forest. BlueTriton Brands is suing to challenge the ruling.
Posted inEnvironment
After eluding capture attempts, Otter 841 finds peace as new mother
Santa Cruz’s famous sea otter, 841, has given birth to a wee pup — suggesting that erratic behavior including pilfering surfboards could have been hormonally driven.
Posted inEnvironment
U.N. report warns of catastrophic climate tipping points. California is nearing several
The tipping points include groundwater depletion, rising insurance costs, extreme heat, species extinction, melting glaciers and space debris.
Posted inEnvironment
Some Pajaro Valley farms are paid to solve California’s water crisis by returning stormwater to the ground
Can agriculture, long considered a drain on the state’s water resources, help solve California’s water crisis? In the Pajaro Valley, some farmers are being paid to return stormwater to the ground. The effort is part of a joint project among local agencies, landowners and UC Santa Cruz to install groundwater recharge basins on some local farms. Participating farms receive cash rebates based on how much water they capture. But while early results are promising, many challenges remain.
Posted inEnvironment
Officials urge California residents to brace for flooding as El Niño looms
More than 7 million California residents live in an area where they are at risk of flood, officials said — and many don’t even know it. That echoes a warning to the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors last week about battered local infrastructure ahead of an El Niño winter.