Five ways to save water around the yard this summer
Summer is in full swing in California, and many regions of our state have already seen multiple heatwaves. As temperatures rise, here are a few outdoor water saving tips to keep in mind: Water your landscape in the early morning or late evening when temperatures and wind are at their lowest. Up to 50% of […]
DWR Completes Installation of Emergency Salinity Drought Barrier
After three weeks of round-the-clock work, the emergency drought salinity barrier (EDSB) was completed in late June. The barrier will help prevent saltwater contamination of water supplies used by millions of Californians who rely on Delta-based federal and state water projects for at least some of their water supplies. “Keeping saltwater from intruding into the central […]
Helping Your Trees Survive the Drought
As temperatures rise amid drought conditions in California, it’s important to remember to take care of one of the most valuable resources in our neighborhoods — our trees. Homeowners can neglect watering their trees when attempting to conserve water because they’re worried about water waste. Because of this, trees that are dependent on regular watering […]
Drought + Heat = Increased Impacts
***This is part 5 in a series of articles DWR is publishing about California’s 2021 water year and dry conditions. As we approach the official start to summer, California and much of the Southwest are experiencing a heatwave that will set new temperature records in some areas. Warm temperatures are affecting drought impacts. Runoff this […]
A Dry Wrap-Up to the Wet Season
The first half of Water Year 2021 is over, and California’s wet season is almost finished. The first six months of the water year rank as the fourth driest of record based on statewide precipitation. Water Year 2020 was dry in the northern two-thirds of the state. The cumulative effects of these dry conditions are […]
Statewide Snowpack Well Below Normal as Wet Season Winds Down
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today conducted the fourth snow survey at the Phillips Station snow course. The manual survey recorded 49.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent (SWE) of 21 inches, which is 83 percent of average for this location. The SWE measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack and […]
Save Water with Backyard Composting
Want to save water in your garden this summer? Try composting. Composting provides many benefits including minimizing run-off and increasing soil’s capacity to hold water. Creating your own compost pile at home is not only easy but a great way to recycle your yard clippings and kitchen scraps. It usually takes three to four months […]
Water Year 2021: The Suspense Continues
By Jeanine Jones, DWR Interstate Resources Manager ***This is part 3 in a series of articles DWR is publishing about California’s 2021 water year and dry conditions. California’s hydrologic conditions remain dry as February draws to a close. Although late January storms improved a then-dismal snowpack, statewide snowpack remains at about two-thirds of average for […]
Water Year 2021: How Are We Doing?
We are now past the halfway mark in California’s normally wettest winter months, and the wet season to date has been anything but. Most of the state has received less than half of its average annual precipitation to date.
Will This Winter Be Wet or Dry? DWR Leads Innovative Effort to Advance Forecasting Research
California’s 2020 Water Year, which ran from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, emphasized the State’s extreme weather swings, with drenching rains in the southern part of the state and dry conditions in the north. So far, California’s fall and
