State of Emergency Declared in California over Methane Leak

Massive Methane Leak Continues in SoCal

Gov. Brown has declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles area after a massive methane gas leak in Aliso Canyon continued to sicken the residents for more than two months.

The leak, which was allegedly discovered on October 23, is spewing about 62 million cubic feet of methane gas into the environment each day, with a total of about 79,500 metric tons of the powerful climate pollutant released so far.

The leak is currently spewing between 33,000 and 50,000 kg/hr of the GHG, which is said to be the equivalent of a quarter of California’s total methane emissions from all sources.

The emissions are making the residents sick. Thousands of the residents have experienced nausea, dizziness, vomiting, nosebleeds, and headaches among other symptoms from the hazardous gas.

As of December 29m, some 6,500 families had filed for help, but only about 2,250 were relocated, with another 120 or so staying with family or friends.

Aliso Canyon storage field in Northridge, Los Angeles County, California is owned and operated by Southern California Gas Company, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy.

Methane – the main component of natural gas – is a powerful short-term climate forcer, with over 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide in the first 20 years after it is released. Methane is estimated to be leaking out of the Aliso Canyon site at a rate of about 62 million standard cubic feet, per day. The daily leakage has the same 20-year climate impact as driving 7 million cars a day. EDF

The following statement was issued by Brown’s office:

SACRAMENTO – Given the prolonged and continuing duration of the Aliso Canyon gas leak and at the request of residents and local officials, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today issued a proclamation that declares the situation an emergency and details the administration’s ongoing efforts to help stop the leak. The order also directs further action to protect public health and safety, ensure accountability and strengthen oversight of gas storage facilities.

Related Links

• Gas Well Blowout at Porter Ranch, California Sickening Residents  December 29, 2015
• GHG Concentrations Hit Yet Another Record  November 9, 2015
• Tap Water Catches Fire in North Dakota January 1, 2014
• Expect ‘Methane Explosions’ in Siberia, Researchers Warn September 23, 2015
• Hundreds of Flares Expelling Methane Gas off NZ Coast April 30, 2015

State of Emergency Declared in California due to Raging Wildfires

Wildfires from Hell: Gov. Brown Declares yet another State of Emergency in the Golden Brown State

Governor Brown has declared a state of emergency in California as 20 wildfires torch forests across the state killing a fire crew.

“California’s severe drought and extreme weather have turned much of the state into a tinderbox,” said Brown.

High winds, low relative humidity and triple-digit temperatures forced by a heatwave have plagued much of the drought-stricken region.

Rocky Fire
Location: near Morgan Valley Road and Rocky Creek Road, east of Lower Lake
Acres Burned – Containment: 18,000 acres – 5% contained
Structures Destroyed: 3 Structures destroyed, Multiple outbuildings destroyed/damaged.

Evacuations

Mandatory: Jerusalem Valley area east of Soda Creek, Bonham Road, Quarter Horse Lane, Mustang Court, Bronco Court, Sunset Court, Morgan Valley east of Bonham Road, Canyon Road, June Bug Road, Cambell Ranch Road, Sloan Ranch Road, Sky High Ranch Road, Rocky Creek Road, Dam Road from the gate to the dam.

Advisory: All areas including east of Hwy 29 @ Raita Road east of Hwy 53 north to Hwy 20 including Ogulin Canyon Road, Spruce Grove Road, Noble Ranch Road, Black Bass Pass, Jerusalem Valley area west of Soda Creek, Double Eagle Ranch, Homes along Hwy 20 corridor between New Long Valley Road and east of the county line, Spruce Grove Road to intersection of Jerusalem Grade, Lake Ridge

Evacuation Centers: Middletown High School, Kelseyville High School

Road Closures:
Jerusalem Valley Road is closed to all traffic at Spruce Grove Road.

An animal evacuation center is opened at the Lower Lake Social Services parking lot, 15975 Anderson Ranch Parkway, Lower Lake.

Total Fire Personnel: 1,300
Total Fire Engines: 131
Total Fire crews: 21
Total Airtankers: 4
Total Helicopters: 19
Total Dozers: 40
Total Water Tenders: 35
Long/Lat: -122.4762475/38.8863538
Conditions: Fire has progressed and is currently moving southwest towards Lower Lake and the eastside of Clearlake. A chance of thunderstorms, cooler temperatures, and higher humidity is expected for Saturday. The terrain is steep and rugged with limited ground access, fuels are at critical levels, and the area has limited fire history. Firefighters will continue to construct fire line, provide structure protection and assist in the restoration of services to facilitate re-population efforts. [CalFire]

Other Fires

• Rail Fire
• Barker Fire
• Frog Fire  burning in Modoc National Forest
• Fork Complex  burning in Shasta-Trinity National Forest
• Big Creek Fire
• Willow Fire  US Forest Service / CAL FIRE Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit
• Humboldt Lightning Fires
• Wragg Fire
• Lowell Fire
• Cabin Fire burning in Sequoia National Forest

Major Wildfires

Large wildfires are currently burning across the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

National Preparedness Level 3
Due to an increase in large fire activity in California and southern Oregon, the National Multi-Agency Coordination Group has increased the National Preparedness Level to PL3 as of 12 p.m. MDT on July 31, 2015.

 

California Drought: Brown Orders First Ever Statewide Water Cutbacks

UPDATED

EXTREME CLIMATIC EVENTS
CRIPPLING DROUGHT IN CALIFORNIA
NEAR ZERO SNOWPACK WATER CONTENT
WATER FAMINE
CROP DISASTERS
STATE OF EMERGENCY
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Statewide water content of Sierra snowpack drops to 5 percent of April 1st average

Worsening drought has forced California governor to implement the first mandatory water cutbacks in the parched state’s history, ordering residents and businesses to cut water use by 25 percent.

At just five percent of average for April 1, the snowpack water content  is at its lowest level since records began, reported California Department of Water Resources.

On April 1, 2015, the California Department of Water Resources measured the statewide water content of Sierra snowpack at five percent of average for April 1st. These levels are lower than any year in records going back to 1950. The April 1 snowpack measurement is crucial because this is when the snowpack is normally at its peak and begins to melt into streams and reservoirs. Snowpack, through runoff, provides about one-third of the water used by California’s cities and farms.

California’s 2014 Water Year, which ended September 30, 2014, was the third driest in 119 years of record. It also was the warmest year on record.

Located at the base of the Sierra foothills in Northern California’s Placer, El Dorado, and Sacramento Counties, Folsom Lake Reservoir is one of California’s most popular recreation areas with more than 2.5 million visitors annually. Releases from the reservoir, managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as part of the Central Valley Project, go to the nearby American River for urban use, flood control, hydropower, fish and wildlife, and water quality purposes. USGS Image by David Pratt. 

“We are standing on dried grass, and we should be standing in five feet of snow,” said Mr Brown, speaking in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

“People should realize we’re in a new era. The idea of your nice little green grass getting lots of water everyday—that’s going to be a thing of the past,” he said, adding that the cutbacks would save about 1.5 million acre-feet (~ 1.85 cubic kilometer) of water this year.

Mr Brown declared a statewide drought state of emergency on January 17, 2014.

California Snow Water Equivalent: Statewide Summary

Data For: 01-Apr-2015
Number of Stations Reporting: 97
Average snow water equivalent: 1.4″ (3.5 cm)
Percent of April 1 Average: 5%
Percent of normal for this date: 5%

Oil Industry in California Wastes 2 Million Gallons of Water Each Day

“Each day, the oil and gas industry uses more than 2 million gallons of water on average in California on dangerous extraction techniques such as fracking, acidizing, and cyclic steam injection. At a time when California is facing the worst drought on record, when farmers and cities are both struggling to find ways to conserve water, the oil and gas industry continues to use, contaminate, and dispose of staggering amounts of precious water resources each day,” says the environmental activist group Californians Against Fracking.

Brown’s order, however, neither requires the frackers to cut their water usage, nor calls for a freeze, at least temporarily, on the tremendously water intensive process of fracking say the activists.

Related Links

• California Statewide Snowpack Water Content Drops to 32% April 3, 2014

Drought Emergency Declared in Oregon

Oregon counties facing dry conditions and low snowpack

Gov. Brown has declared a drought emergency in Malheur and Lake counties due to dry conditions, low snowpack, and lack of precipitation, said her office in a statement.

“Projected forecasts for Malheur and Lake counties look bleak, meaning these rural communities will continue to experience severe drought conditions,”said Brown. “In addition to creating an increased wildfire risk, this drought presents hardships to crops, agriculture, communities, recreation, and wildlife, all of which rely on Oregon’s water resources. I will continue working with federal, state, and local partners to help Oregonians in this part of the state through this challenging situation.”

“Projected forecasts for Malheur and Lake counties look bleak, meaning these rural communities will continue to experience severe drought conditions,” she said.

“In addition to creating an increased wildfire risk, this drought presents hardships to crops, agriculture, communities, recreation, and wildlife, all of which rely on Oregon’s water resources. I will continue working with federal, state, and local partners to help Oregonians in this part of the state through this challenging situation.”

Executive Order on Drought Emergency: http://www.oregon.gov/gov/Documents/executive_orders/eo_15-02.pdf

Drought Emergency in Washington State

Brown’s Executive Order on Drought Emergency follows Washington state Governor Inslee’s drought emergency declaration for three key regions across the state last week.

Inslee declared a drought emergency for the Olympic Peninsula, and the east side of the central Cascade Mountains including Yakima and Wenatchee, as well as the Walla Walla region.

“We can’t wait any longer, we have to prepare now for drought conditions that are in store for much of the state. Snowpack is at record lows, and we have farms, vital agricultural regions, communities and fish that are going to need our support.”

Snowpack is only 7 percent of normal in the Olympic Mountains. It ranges from 8 to 45 percent of normal across the Cascades, and 67 percent of normal in the Walla Walla region.

With snowpack statewide averaging only 27 percent of normal, 34 of the state’s 62 watersheds are expected to receive less than normal water supplies.

California Declares Drought State of Emergency

EXTREME CLIMATIC EVENTS
CLIMATE-RELATED DISASTERS
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Gov. Brown Declares Drought State of Emergency amid worst dry conditions in 119 years

Brown had earlier described the drought as being “really serious,” adding that 2014 could be California’s third consecutive dry year. “In many ways it’s a mega-drought.”

With California facing water shortfalls in the driest year in recorded state history, Governor Brown has proclaimed a State of Emergency and directed state officials to take all necessary actions to prepare for these drought conditions, said a statement posted on the official website.

“We can’t make it rain, but we can be much better prepared for the terrible consequences that California’s drought now threatens, including dramatically less water for our farms and communities and increased fires in both urban and rural areas,” said Brown. “I’ve declared this emergency and I’m calling all Californians to conserve water in every way possible.”

Excerpts from California Gov Proclamation

• The State of California is experiencing record dry conditions, with 2014 projected to become the driest year on record.

• Meanwhile, the state’s water supplies have dipped to alarming levels, indicated by: snowpack in California’s mountains is approximately 20 percent of the normal average for this date; California’s largest water reservoirs have very low water levels for this time of year; California’s major river systems, including the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, have significantly reduced surface water flows; and groundwater levels throughout the state have dropped significantly.

• Dry conditions and lack of precipitation present urgent problems: drinking water supplies are at risk in many California communities; fewer crops can be cultivated and farmers’ long-term investments are put at risk; low-income communities heavily dependent on agricultural employment will suffer heightened unemployment and economic hardship; animals and plants that rely on California’s rivers, including many species in danger of extinction, will be threatened; and the risk of wildfires across the state is greatly increased.

• Extremely dry conditions have persisted since 2012 and may continue beyond this year and more regularly into the future, based on scientific projections regarding the impact of climate change on California’s snowpack.

• The magnitude of the severe drought conditions presents threats beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of any single local government and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to combat; and

• Therefore,  conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property exist in California due to water shortage and drought conditions with which local authority is unable to cope.

Water Shortages and Rationing

• 2013 was California’s driest year since records began 119 years ago.
• 2014 drought could be worse than last year’s.
• Many California reservoirs are at their lowest levels in years.
• The snowpack is less than 20 percent of the normal at this time of year.
• Lake Shasta, the state’s largest reservoir is holding just over a third of its full capacity,  down from the normal of more than a half at this time of year, according to officials.
• Sacramento City Council has voted to enact severe water rationing as the region is faced with historically low water levels on the American River with a long-range forecast showing little, if any, rain.

U.S. Drought Monitor

Nearly 63 percent of California is covered by Extreme Drought (D3 drought level), and more than 27 percent of the land by Sever Drought (D2 drought level), with  about 9 percent of the state experiencing Abnormal Dry to Moderate Drought conditions.

The land area covered by Extreme Drought (D3 drought level) has more than doubled since last week from 27.59 percent to 62.71 percent.

California Drought Monitor Map.  Source: The U.S. Drought Monitor, The National Drought Mitigation Center.

Crop Disaster Declared due to Drought

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued 45 county-level crop disaster designations in 39 California counties on January 15 due to drought.

The drought disaster areas are Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lassen, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sierra, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura and Yolo counties.

U.S. Drought Disaster Map 2014. Dated January 15, 2014. Source USDA/FSA

Notes:
1. USDA trigger point for a countywide disaster declaration is 30 percent crop loss on at least one crop.
2. The total number of counties designated as agricultural disaster areas includes both primary and contiguous disaster areas.

Related Links

• California Governor to Declare Drought Emergency January 17, 2014
• High Fire Danger in Southern California amid Driest Conditions on Record January 17, 2014
• 520 Counties across 16 States Declared Crop Disaster Areas due to Drought January 16, 2014

Related Links

• Drought 2013
• Agricultural Disasters Index

California Governor to Declare Drought Emergency

EXTREME CLIMATIC EVENTS
CLIMATE-RELATED DISASTERS
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Water rationing starts in California as Extreme Drought Browns the Golden State

California Governor Brown is expected to declare a State of Emergency, an official drought proclamation, for the scorched state on Friday. He described the drought as being “really serious,” adding that 2014 could be California’s third consecutive dry year. “In many ways it’s a mega-drought.”

• 2013 was California’s driest year since records began 119 years ago.
• Many California reservoirs are at their lowest levels in years.
• The snow cover is less than 20 percent of the normal at this time of year.
• Lake Shasta, the state’s largest reservoir is holding just over a third of its full capacity,  down from the normal of more than a half at this time of year, according to officials.
• Sacramento City Council has voted to enact severe water rationing as the region is faced with historically low water levels on the American River with a long-range forecast showing little, if any, rain.

U.S. Drought Monitor

Nearly 63 percent of California is covered by Extreme Drought (D3 drought level), and more than 27 percent of the land by Sever Drought (D2 drought level), with  about 9 percent of the state experiencing Abnormal Dry to Moderate Drought conditions.

The land area covered by Extreme Drought (D3 drought level) has more than doubled since last week from 27.59 percent to 62.71 percent.

California Drought Monitor Map.  Source: The U.S. Drought Monitor, The National Drought Mitigation Center.

Crop Disaster Declared due to Drought

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued 45 county-level crop disaster designations in 39 California counties.

The drought disaster areas are Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lassen, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sierra, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura and Yolo counties.

Related Links

• High Fire Danger in Southern California amid Driest Conditions on Record January 17, 2014
• 520 Counties across 16 States Declared Crop Disaster Areas due to Drought January 16, 2014