California

California’s second largest reservoir is shrinking

Published

2 years ago

July 2, 2024

California’s second largest reservoir is shrinking

A new study from California’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) has found that Lake Oroville is shrinking.

Water levels at the state’s second largest reservoir are in a much better place than they were two years ago, when severe drought gripped much of California. Two back-to-back wet winters, accompanied by atmospheric rivers, have supplemented the water levels at many California reservoirs and contributed greatly to their recovery, although the atmospheric rivers also caused flooding and mudslides.

Atmospheric rivers are a “long, narrow region in the atmosphere—like rivers in the sky—that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Despite Lake Oroville’s recovery, water officials recently discovered that its capacity was shrinking and that the lake had lost 3 percent of capacity since it was created in the 1960s.

The Enterprise Bridge is pictured over a full Lake Oroville on June 15, 2023, in Oroville, California. Water officials recently learned that the lake’s capacity is shrinking.

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“DWR utilized the latest terrain-mapping technology to determine if there have been any changes in the lake’s volume to optimize how the reservoir is operated and ensure accuracy in estimating California’s water supply availability,” a DWR webpage said.

“What resulted were highly detailed 3D topographic terrain models of the bottom of the lake, which DWR engineers used to calculate a new storage capacity of 3,424,753 acre-feet, approximately 3 percent less than previously estimated,” the webpage added.

The DWR attributed the loss to “weather swings and almost six decades of service.” Newsweek reached out to the DWR by email for comment.

Despite the loss, DWR officials said Lake Oroville remains the state’s second largest reservoir, behind only Lake Shasta.

“Having updated storage capacity data allows us to operate Lake Oroville in a more efficient manner,” said John Yarbrough, the DWR’s deputy director of the State Water Project.

“It ensures we are providing adequate flood storage protection during winter months and accurately accounts for the state’s water supply, which is especially important as we experience climate change-driven weather extremes,” he said.

During the winter months, water officials occasionally release water from the reservoir to provide flood mitigation for downstream communities, such as in February when atmospheric rivers brought a deluge of rain to the area. Once California enters its dry season, officials transition to retaining as much water as possible in the reservoir.

Lake Oroville’s water levels began rising last December and reached full capacity in May. The levels have been steadily declining over the past few weeks as California enters its dry season.

However, the lake is in a much better state than it was in 2022. As of Tuesday, Lake Oroville’s water levels were at 887 feet, only 12 feet below full pool of 900 feet. During the summer of 2022, the water levels were at only 750 feet.

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California

April kicks off in the Sierra with chain controls on I-80

Published

2 hours ago

April 1, 2026

Press Room

April kicks off in the Sierra with chain controls on I-80

Just days after Northern California saw a stretch of record high temperatures, the high Sierra Nevada is once again getting snow.

Chain controls went up on Interstate 80 in the Sierra early Wednesday morning.

As of 7 a.m., controls are in effect westbound from the Donner Lake Interchange to Rainbow. On the eastbound side, chain controls are in effect from Kingvale to Truckee.

Highway 50 is not seeing any restrictions at this time.

Other major Sierra roads seeing chain controls Wednesday include Highways 4, 49 and 88.

Wednesday also marks the day California’s Department of Water Resources will conduct its fourth snow survey of the season. As of Monday, the statewide snowpack is at about 18% of average.

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California

Meet the moderators; Fresno State to host bipartisan California governor candidate forum

Published

14 hours ago

March 31, 2026

Press Room

Meet the moderators; Fresno State to host bipartisan California governor candidate forum

FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — Preparations are underway for a major bipartisan gubernatorial candidate forum set for Wednesday at Fresno State, where several high-profile candidates for California governor will make their case to voters.

The event is expected to spotlight issues impacting not only the Central Valley but also communities across the state, with a strong focus on affordability, agriculture, and water policy.

Confirmed candidates scheduled to appear include:

Xavier Becerra, attorney and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
Chad Bianco, Riverside County sheriff
Steve Hilton, author and Fox News contributor
Matt Mahan, San Jose mayor
Katie Porter, former U.S. representative
Antonio Villaraigosa, former Los Angeles mayor

The forum will be moderated by Fresno County Supervisor Buddy Mendes and former State Assemblymember Kristin Olsen, who say their goal is to ensure Central Valley concerns remain front and center.

“There are so many issues related to affordability right now, energy costs, housing costs, regulatory costs, even food prices,” Olsen said. “These are real challenges affecting families, farmers, and farm workers in the Central Valley. We want to make sure candidates clearly explain how they’ll address them if elected.”

Moderators say they are prepared to press candidates for direct answers.

“That will be our challenge,” Olsen said. “We’ll clearly lay out expectations for candid responses, and if someone doesn’t answer the question, we’ll follow up.”

Mendes emphasized the importance of water policy, a critical issue for the region’s agricultural economy, noting that many statewide candidates may lack a full understanding of how California’s water systems operate.

“A lot of candidates don’t fully understand water movement in this state, how storage works, or the difference between surface water and groundwater,” Mendes said.

He added that keeping candidates focused may be one of the biggest challenges during the forum.

“We might have to stop them and remind them to answer the question instead of running out the clock,” Mendes said.

Mendes, who is a registered republican, and Olsen, who has since switched from republican to no party preference, have both moderated in the past, though this marks their first time moderating a gubernatorial forum.

They stressed that their approach will be firm but nonpartisan.

“This isn’t about being partisan, it’s about answering the questions,” Mendes said.

Organizers say hosting the forum in Fresno is intentional, aiming to elevate issues specific to the San Joaquin Valley — a region they say is often overlooked in statewide political discussions.

The forum is scheduled to run from noon to 1:30 p.m. and is sponsored by 30 agricultural associations statewide. It will be streamed live on the FOX26 YouTube page.

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California

Diesel prices set new record in California; gas surpasses $6 mark in Los Angeles County

Published

1 day ago

March 31, 2026

Press Room

Diesel prices set new record in California; gas surpasses mark in Los Angeles County

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — The average price for a gallon of gas has surpassed the $6 mark in Los Angeles County, and diesel prices also set a new record for California.

On Tuesday, the average price for diesel reached $7.45 a gallon, according to AAA. That’s an all-time high for the state.

The statewide average price for regular gas stands at $5.88, but drivers in L.A. County are paying an average of $6. Of course, prices could be even higher than that at specific gas stations.

GasBuddy, a website that helps drivers find the cheapest gas prices, says the rise in the price for gas is making history. Experts say the spike in gas prices is the largest monthly increase on record.

Here are the average prices for regular gas in other Southern California counties:

Orange County: $5.93
Riverside County: $5.84
San Bernardino County: $5.86
Ventura County: $5.95

Meanwhile, the national average for regular gas has crossed the $4 mark.

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, President Trump is willing to end military action in the Middle East even if the Strait of Hormuz, which carries 20% of the world’s oil supply, remains closed.

GasBuddy predicts that would guarantee higher energy prices.

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