The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed got better protection today as the drought intensifies.

By Dale Kasler | August 3, 2021 | The Sacramento Bee

California regulators cut off thousands of farmers from their main irrigation supplies Tuesday, banning them from pulling water from the state’s main rivers and streams as the drought worsens.
The State Water Resources Control Board, following hours of debate and comment, voted 5-0 to impose an “emergency curtailment” order covering the rivers of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed — essentially the entire Central Valley.
It’s the most dramatic step taken to date by state regulators since the drought was officially declared in most of California’s counties — and surpasses any of the moves made during the previous drought.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/water-and-drought/article253221993.html

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Photo above of the American River by George Nyberg

The drought is different this time. Everyone in the Sacramento region must conserve water.

By Ralph Propper And Tom Gray | July 31, 2021 | Special To The Sacramento Bee

ECOS Board President Ralph Propper co-authored this op-ed, published in the Sacramento Bee on July 31, 2021.

Vigilance is required to reduce water consumption and water waste. Water your lawn less and early in the day to minimize evaporation; don’t let sprinklers run off onto sidewalks; fix household leaks; take shorter showers and wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.
You should also, however, be sure to efficiently water your trees. Many trees were lost in the last drought, an unintended casualty from reduced lawn watering. Let’s give them special care this time.
Invest in long-term water efficiency measures, like removing or reducing your lawn by half in favor of water-sipping native plants, or adding high-efficiency appliances, WaterSense-labeled smart sprinkler timers, high-efficiency sprinklers and drip irrigation. Many local water agencies offer rebates and other incentives to help residents pay for these improvements — some have recently even doubled rebate amounts.
Water providers are doing their part to preserve water in our lakes and rivers by sustainably shifting to using more groundwater.
Saving water today could leave some carry-over storage in Folsom Reservoir for next year. We don’t want to drain that bank account in case next winter is dry, too.
https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article253036003.html

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Featured Photo of tree shadows by Jill Burrow from Pexels

Proposed Elk Grove Station Virtual Community Open House – Aug 26, 5:30

Join the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission on August 26th from 5:30 to 7:00pm for a Virtual Community Open House to learn more about the proposed Elk Grove Station, ask questions, and provide your feedback.

The proposed Elk Grove Station is one of the six proposed stations that would be part of the Valley Rail Sacramento Extension Project which is a planned passenger rail service between Stockton and Sacramento. Register for the open house here: bit.ly/ElkGroveStation.