How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – On Wednesday Golden State Water Co. will break ground on a new $418,600 pipeline replacement project as part of its infrastructure improvement plan for its Clearlake Customer Service Area.
The project involves installing 2,175 feet of new 8-inch diameter pipeline at San Joaquin Avenue east of the intersection of Lakeshore Drive at Island Drive, proceeding east to Parkview Drive and Park Terrace Drive at 12480 San Joaquin Ave., the company reported.
Existing 2-inch steel water mains that are more than 50 years old will be replaced with new polyvinyl chloride pipe (PVC), Golden State Water said.
The company said the replacement project will result in reduced leaks and improved fire protection for the Clearlake Customer Service Area.
In addition to this project, which was budgeted in a previous year, Golden State is authorized to invest another $480,000 in local improvements in 2012. More information about these projects is available at www.gswater.com/csa_homepages/clearlake.html.
“This project is one of several scheduled in our Clearlake Water System this year to help us maintain our critical infrastructure for our customers,” said Golden State Water Company District Manager Paul Schubert.
Golden State believes that proactive system maintenance is critical to protecting water service now and for future generations. Delaying or deferring needed improvements can be more costly and jeopardize water quality.
The work will consist of cutting through the existing concrete to remove the older pipeline and to install the new one.
The streets will remain open to traffic during the construction period but traffic and parking may be restricted during the working hours. The construction crews will make every effort to keep dust to a minimum.
Residents may experience periods with an increased level of noise during construction. Weekly activities such as trash pickup will not be interrupted.
The work is scheduled to last up to 45 days. Normal water service will not be interrupted except as needed to connect the new water mains to the existing system.
Customers will receive advance notification if their service will be temporarily interrupted.
Customers with questions about the project can call Golden State’s 24-hour Customer Service Center at 800-999-4033.
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Google+, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
SACRAMENTO – Department of Water Resources snow surveyors on Tuesday confirmed that California’s mountain snowpack holds far less water than normal for this time of year.
Manual and electronic readings show that statewide, snowpack water content is only 30 percent of historic readings for the date.
That is a mere 26 percent of the average April 1 measurement, when the snowpack is normally at its peak before it begins to melt with rising spring temperatures, the state reported.
“The weather news so far this winter has not been good,” said DWR Director Mark Cowin. “We still have good reservoir storage due to last winter’s storms, but we would like to see more rain and snow this season.”
Due to persistent dry weather, DWR on Feb. 22 dropped by 10 percent its estimate of the amount of water the State Water Project (SWP) will deliver this calendar year.
The delivery estimate – or allocation – was reduced from 60 percent to 50 percent of the slightly more than 4 million acre-feet of water requested by the 29 public agencies that supply more than 25 million Californians and nearly a million acres of irrigated farmland. An acre-foot is 325,851 gallons, enough to cover one acre to a depth of one foot.
The 50 percent allocation is not severely low, and could be increased if late season storms significantly improve hydrologic conditions.
One area visited by DWR snow surveyors on Tuesday was off Highway 50 near Echo Summit, approximately 90 miles east of Sacramento.
Electronic readings from remote sensors indicate that snowpack water content in the northern mountain ranges is 31 percent of normal for the date and 28 percent of the April 1 seasonal average.
Electronic readings for the central Sierra show 26 percent of normal for the date and 23 percent of the April 1 average.
The numbers for the southern Sierra are 33 percent of average for the date and 28 percent of the April 1 average.
Statewide, the snowpack water content is 30 percent of normal for the date and 26 percent of the April 1 average.
DWR and cooperating agencies conduct manual snow surveys around the first of the month from January to May. The manual surveys supplement and check the accuracy of real-time electronic readings.
Mountain snow that melts into streams, reservoirs and aquifers in spring and summer normally provides approximately one-third of the water for California’s households, farms and industries.
But unless conditions change this winter, water from the snowpack will be substantially less than normal this year, DWR reported.
One bright spot is good reservoir storage carried over from last winter.
Lake Oroville in Butte County, the State Water Project’s principal storage reservoir, is at 100 percent of average for the date (71 percent of its 3.5 million acre-foot capacity), Lake Shasta north of Redding, the federal Central Valley Project’s largest reservoir with a capacity of 4.5 million acre-feet, is at 94 percent of its normal storage level for the date (69 percent of capacity), according to DWR.
San Luis Reservoir in Merced County, an important storage reservoir south of the Delta, is at 99 percent of average for the date (85 percent of its capacity of 2,027,840 acre-feet). DWR said San Luis is a critically important source of water for both the State Water Project and Central Valley Project when pumping from the Delta is restricted or interrupted.
Statewide, reservoir storage is 110 percent of normal for the date.
Unusually wet conditions last winter allowed the State Water Project to deliver 80 percent of the slightly more than 4 million acre-feet requested for calendar year 2011.
The final allocation was 50 percent in 2010, 40 percent in 2009, 35 percent in 2008, and 60 percent in 2007.
The last 100 percent allocation – difficult to achieve even in wet years because of fishery agency restrictions on Delta pumping to protect threatened and endangered fish – was in 2006.
This winter’s unusually dry conditions to date have principally been caused by a high pressure ridge along California’s coast that has diverted most storms to the north.
Electronic snowpack readings are available on the Internet at http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/snow/DLYSWEQ.
Electronic reservoir level readings may be found at http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/resapp/getResGraphsMain.action.
See DWR’s new Water Conditions page at http://www.water.ca.gov/waterconditions/ .
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Google+, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Forecasters are predicting a strong storm system will bring winter weather to Northern California and the county over the next few days.
The National Weather Service on Monday issued a winter storm warning for northern Lake County and other parts of the state’s northern half.
The agency said the storm system is expected to pass from north to south through Northern California between late Tuesday night and midday Wednesday.
The storm is expected to bring rain, large amounts of snowfall in areas with elevation over 3,000 feet – where snow showers could continue until later in the week – and gusting winds, the National Weather Service said.
In Lake County, rain is expected to arrive after 4 p.m. Tuesday, with 1 to 2 inches possible overnight, forecasters said.
In addition, the forecast predicts south southwest winds up to 20 miles per hour and wind gusts up to 28 miles per hour in the evening.
Rain and wind is expected to continue Wednesday, with snow fall down to the 2,500-foot level Wednesday night, the National Weather Service said.
Warmer weather and sunshine is expected to return later in the week and over the weekend, according to the forecast.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County Live! returned to the Soper-Reese Community Theatre last Sunday for its second show.
The new variety show's second performance featured musicians Travis Rinker, Vim Natura and Michael Barrish with Scott Sommers.
The show played to an audience of more than 100 people in the theater, and to the radio audience of KPFZ 88.1 FM as well as streamed on the web via www.kpfz.org.
A very lively and appreciate group in the theater laughed, applauded and enjoyed the stories of the “Ladies of the Lake” as well as “The Dogs of Clearlake” mixed with humor, talk and music.
Opening was the show’s host and creator, Doug Rhoades, who conceived the program a year ago, and brought it to the local theater last month for their first broadcast and live performance.
The first musical act this past Sunday was Travis Rinker, a gifted guitarist, who delighted the audience with two of his own compositions.
The second act featured Vim Natura, a trio of Clovice Lewis, Erin Call and Keely Southwick, who performed three original songs composed by Lewis, with Call and Southwick on vocals, and Call also on violin.
Closing out the show were Michael Barrish and Scott Sommers, performing original songs in a down-home style.
Along the way, Lewis played cello to accompany Rhoades in a reading called “Sleeping” to the delight of the audience.
Lake County Live! is and original one-hour radio show, performed before a live audience a the Soper-Reese Community Theatre on the last Sunday of each month.
The next performance will be on Sunday, March 25, at 6 p.m. featuring Andy Rossoff, a wonderful keyboard artist, and Uncorked, with music influenced by Ireland and bluegrass.
The program is provided under the sponsorship of KPFZ, the Soper-Reese Theatre and Lake County News.
Tickets for the next program will be available at the theater box office on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and at the Travel Center in Lakeport.
The in-theater audience will enjoy music for the performers after the broadcast as well as before the radio show.
For more information, visit www.lakecountylive.com.
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Google+, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .
