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Pajaro River Levee Project Breaks Ground As Winter Flood Concerns Loom
The nearly 14-mile Pajaro River levee project is expected to be finished early next decade. Residents fear another flood could interrupt their lives before then.
The Pajaro Flood Forced Them to Flee. California’s High Rents Forced Them to Return
KQED followed the Escutia family after they fled Pajaro following ferocious winter flooding. After struggling to find a place to live, they're back behind the levee — which won't be rebuilt for...
See Which Bay Area Schools Are at Risk From Rising Seas
Fifty-two Bay Area public schools sit so close to high-tide line that they’re already at risk of being inundated with ocean and groundwater. And the risk will grow as seas continue to rise, acc...
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2024/08/05/see-which-bay-area-schools-are-at-risk-from-rising-seas/
Algal Blooms Love Heat Waves. When Is Bay Area Swimming Dangerous for Humans and Pets?
As California continues to experience heat waves this summer, officials warn people about harmful algal blooms in lakes, rivers and streams that “can pose a threat to people and pets.”
Some San Francisco Police, Fire Stations Are Flawed and Vulnerable to Flooding, Report Says
A new San Francisco Civil Grand Jury report found degraded infrastructure prone to flooding and lacking transparency into how millions of dollars are spent.
Amid Long and Costly Legal Battles, SF Urged to Update Wastewater System, Fix Sewage Discharges
For decades, San Francisco has been spilling raw sewage onto streets and beaches. The city now faces the prospect of spending billions to upgrade its infrastructure and comply with the Clean Wate...
California’s Second-Largest Reservoir Filled to Capacity
After a wet March, Lake Oroville’s storage is 99% of its capacity.
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2024/05/08/californias-second-largest-reservoir-filled-to-capacity/
From Tunnel Muck to Tidal Marsh, BART Extension Could Benefit the Bay
Mud from the making of a massive underground BART tunnel is being eyed to help bring marshes back to life in the South Bay.
California’s Commercial Salmon Season Is Closed Again This Year
Fishery managers announced a closure of the state’s commercial salmon fishing season for the second year in a row due to low fish populations.
California Snowpack: Gov. Newsom Unveils Water Plan for a Climate-Changed Future
Gov. Gavin Newsom unveils new state water plan as the California snowpack peaks at more than 100% of average for April 1.
Witness the Nighttime Magic of Spawning Coral
When the moon, sun and ocean temperatures all align, an underwater "snowstorm" occurs. Corals put on a massive spawning spectacle, by sending tiny white spheres floating up the water column all a...
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2024/02/06/to-survive-corals-turn-the-ocean-into-a-giant-snow-globe/
How Giant Balloons Are Helping California Prepare for Intense Storms
California scientists launch weather balloons into atmospheric river-fueled storms to better forecast where they will hit the Bay Area and how hard. The information is all the more important as c...
Bay Area Rain on Tap Through Much of Next Week
Two low pressure systems are expected to bring one to five inches of light to moderate rainfall to the Bay Area between Sunday and Thursday.
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2023/12/17/bay-area-rain-on-tap-through-much-of-next-week/
What Does ‘Unavoidable’ West Antarctic Ice Shelf Melt Mean for the Bay Area?
The new study puts more weight on rapid sea-level rise for the Bay Area.
California Mandates Coastal Cities Plan for Future Sea-Level Rise
California has a new law requiring cities to plan for rising sea levels. While seas have risen only about 8 inches since the 1880s, the ocean and the bay could rise by about a foot by midcentury.
Is Water Recycling the Answer to the Bay Area’s Drought Woes, Algae Blooms?
Water recycling could be a Bay Area climate adaptation solution that addresses increasing water shortages and harmful algae blooms.
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2023/08/22/water-recycling-bay-area-answer-drought-algae-blooms/
Bay Area Red Tide Crisis Ends, Watchdog Group Declares Algae Bloom Over
'I would say this bloom is done for now,' said SF Baykeeper staff scientist Ian Wren on a boat under the eastern half of the Bay Bridge.
From Sewage to Drinking Glass: California’s Plan to Recycle Water
Waste would undergo extensive treatment and testing before it's piped directly to taps, providing a new, costly but renewable water supply. The state's new draft rules are more than a decade in t...
What Happened to California’s Salmon Season This Year?
Storing, sharing and saving water in California has been a point of social tension for decades. But some conservation groups say the state has failed in its role for years and the situation has g...
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2023/07/11/what-happened-to-californias-salmon-season-this-year/
Rare Devils Hole Pupfish Offers Inspiring Story of Survival in Death Valley
Estimated to have inhabited Devils Hole in Death Valley for the last 10,000 years, the Devils Hole pupfish is an endangered species that has proven incredibly resilient.
California Lawmakers Wage Delta Water War With Newsom
Legislators threatened to reject Newsom's infrastructure package if he won't remove the Delta water tunnel. The issue could be ammunition as the budget deadline looms.
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2023/06/21/california-lawmakers-wage-delta-water-war-with-newsom/
How Sea Level Rise Poses a Looming Threat to San Leandro’s Underground Infrastructure
San Leandro is fighting an uphill battle as climate change leads to sea level rise. Sustainability manager Hoi-Fei Mok amplifies community voices and dreams of nature-based solutions amid emergin...
California Wants to Store Floodwaters Underground. It’s Harder Than It Sounds
Even during epic floods, California is trying to prepare for the next drought by capturing water from this year's epic winter storms.
Marin Health Officials Track Illicit Drug Use by Testing Wastewater
Following their success in using sewers for COVID-19 surveillance, Marin public health officials began testing weekly samples for everything from nicotine to methamphetamine and fentanyl in early...
Celebration and Concern: Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Turns 100, But Climate Change Complicates its Future
San Francisco's main water source may not be as reliable a tap of Sierra Nevada snowmelt in the coming century.
‘We’re Not Prepared’: Experts Call for Doubling Levee Protections as California Faces Increasing Floods
California water experts and environmental justice advocates are pressing the state to adopt a bare-minimum protection standard for all its levees, doubling what the federal government now asks.
Big Wildfires Can Devastate California’s Fish. But They Thrive With Frequent, Small Burns
A burgeoning area of research shows that wildfires can stimulate growth and abundance in freshwater creeks and rivers — particularly low- to moderate-severity fires.
California Snowpack May Hold Record Amount of Water, With Significant Flooding Possible
Recently wracked by drought, California is now bracing for the possibility that even more water will deluge communities already overwhelmed by floods.
‘You Have to Make This Work’: A Day in the Life of a Rural EMT During California’s Winter of Atmospheric River Storms
A paramedic in the Sierra foothills recently found herself trudging a mile on foot through thigh-deep snow to rescue a patient suffering from a heart attack — the kind of mission that's become ...
3 Reasons Why California’s Drought Isn’t Really Over, Despite All the Rain
California has been deluged by storms this winter, but fixing the state's severe drought will take more than rain; the state has deeper problems in how it uses water.