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Devastating Drought Continues to Plague California

Sun, 2013-12-29 19:25 — Kathy Gilbeaux

                   

California’s Central Valley—prime agricultural land—is being hit the hardest by the state-wide drought which could cause catastrophic losses to crops and food supply.

As California enters its third consecutive dry winter, with no sign of moisture on the horizon, fears are growing over increased wildfire activity, agricultural losses and additional stress placed on already strained water supplies.

ecowatch.com - by Kiley Kroh - December 27, 2013

The city of Los Angeles has received only 3.6 inches of rain this year—far below its average of 14.91 inches, USA Today reported. And San Francisco is experiencing its driest year since record keeping began in 1849. As of November, the city had only received 3.95 inches of rain since the year began.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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US - West
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Drought
Water
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Problem

Court Rules that Federal Agency Failed to Protect Thousands of Whales and Dolphins from Navy Sonar

Sat, 2013-10-12 07:55 — admin

www.earthjustice.org - September 26, 2013

Southern Resident orcas. (Kelly Balcomb-Bartok)

 

West Coast marine mammals continue to be harmed by deafening underwater noise

Southern Resident orcas. (Kelly Balcomb-Bartok)

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US - West
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Oceans
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Situation Report

Rim Fire - Fire Tracker

Mon, 2013-08-26 19:55 — Kathy Gilbeaux

View Rim Fire in a larger map

http://projects.scpr.org/firetracker/rim-fire/

Fire Tracker, KPCC's tool for following & researching California wildfires, contains fire information displayed by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection -- also known as CalFire -- which protects more than 31 million acres of California's privately-owned wildlands and provides emergency services in 36 of the State's 58 counties.

About the data

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US - West
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Disaster Response
Energy
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Water
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Problem
Situation Report

Enormous Fire Threatens Water Supply for San Francisco and Parts of East Bay

Mon, 2013-08-26 14:10 — Kathy Gilbeaux

                                                 (TO ENLARGE - CLICK ON MAP IMAGE BELOW)

       

Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct

eastbayexpress.com - by Robert Gammon - August 23, 2013

The massive Rim Fire is closing in on Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park and is threatening the main water supply for the City of San Francisco and numerous other Bay Area communities. As of this morning, the fast-moving blaze was about 2.5 miles from Hetch Hetchy, according to a map created by the US Forest Service. If the enormous fire reaches the tinder-dry forests surrounding the reservoir, it could pollute the freshwater with huge amounts of ash. That’s bad news for San Franciscans and other communities that depend on Hetch Hetchy because the reservoir is not equipped with a water-filtration system.

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US - West
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Disaster Response
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Water
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Japan Nuclear Body Says Radioactive Water at Fukushima an Emergency

Thu, 2013-08-08 07:36 — Kathy Gilbeaux

         

(SEE IMPORTANT LINKS BELOW)

reuters.com - by Antoni Slodkowski and Mari Saito - TOKYO | Aug 5, 2013

(Reuters) - Highly radioactive water seeping into the ocean from Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is creating an "emergency" that the operator is struggling to contain, an official from the country's nuclear watchdog said on Monday.

This contaminated groundwater has breached an underground barrier, is rising toward the surface and is exceeding legal limits of radioactive discharge, Shinji Kinjo, head of a Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) task force, told Reuters.

Countermeasures planned by Tokyo Electric Power Co are only a temporary solution, he said.

Tepco's "sense of crisis is weak," Kinjo said. "This is why you can't just leave it up to Tepco alone" to grapple with the ongoing disaster.

"Right now, we have an emergency," he said.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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US - West
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Radiation
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Problem
Situation Report

A New Community Change Effort to Improve Health and Well-being in the Largest Geographic County in the United States: San Bernardino County California

Wed, 2013-07-10 12:33 — Gina Angiola

Wednesday July 10th, Applied Survey Research met with 500 community stakeholders in San Bernardino County to present the results of their Community Vital Signs Data Report in the beginning step of a community engagement process to improve the well-being of the county. Applied Survey Research has been collecting data on the quality of life in San Bernardino County over the last six months and now those results are making their way into widespread community conversations about how to improve life in the county....

 

FULL ARTICLE HERE

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United States
US - West
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Earthquake-Proof Table Uses Geometry to Save Lives

Fri, 2013-07-05 19:55 — Kathy Gilbeaux

cnn.com - by Arion McNicoll and Stefanie Blendis - July 4, 2013

(CNN) -- "Drop to the ground; take cover by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and hold on until the shaking stops."

This is the official advice issued by FEMA for anyone unlucky enough to be caught in an earthquake.

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Scientists Predicted A Decade Ago Arctic Ice Loss Would Worsen Western Droughts. Is That Happening Already?

Thu, 2013-07-04 20:14 — Kathy Gilbeaux

thinkprogress.org - by Joe Romm - June 30, 2013

(SEE LINKS BELOW FOR 2004 STUDY, 2005 STUDY, AND 2013 CRYOSAT ARTICLE)

Scientists predicted a decade ago that Arctic ice loss would bring on worse western droughts. Arctic ice loss has been much faster than the researchers — and indeed all climate modelers — expected (see “CryoSat-2 Confirms Sea Ice Volume Has Collapsed“).

It just so happens that the western U.S. is in the grip of a brutal, record-breaking drought. Is this just an amazing coincidence — or were the scientists right and what would that mean for the future? I ask the authors.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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US - West
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Climate
Extreme Weather
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L.A. City Council OKs Ban on Plastic Grocery and Carryout Bags

Thu, 2013-06-20 18:39 — Kathy Gilbeaux

latimes.com - 

by David Zahniser and Catherine Saillant - June 18, 2013

Los Angeles on Tuesday became the largest city in the nation to move toward a ban on plastic grocery bags, with the City Council barring them in supermarkets, convenience stores and any big retailer that sells groceries.

Nearly three weeks after a similar measure was defeated in the California Legislature, the City Council voted 11-1 to prohibit the so-called "single use" plastic bags in pharmacies, food markets and any large store -- including Target and Wal-Mart -- that has a grocery section.

Councilman Paul Koretz described the ban as one of several environmental initiatives that have been embraced by the city, including a clean-truck program at the Port of Los Angeles and a push to build new rail lines.

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US - West
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Environment
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Solutions

Nuclear Power Plant in Limbo Decides to Close (San Onofre Nuclear Plant in California)

Sat, 2013-06-08 13:50 — admin

New York Times - June 7, 2013 - Matthew L. Wald

The owners of the San Onofre nuclear power plant in Southern California, which has been shut since January 2012, said on Friday that they would close it permanently because of uncertainty over when it could be reopened.

The two reactors at San Onofre had not run since a small amount of radioactive steam escaped from new tubes damaged by vibration and friction. Coming months after the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown in Japan, the event prompted a wave of public opposition and set off a legal and regulatory battle that included Southern California Edison, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which manufactured the parts that leaked.

Read entire article

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