By Ed Joyce – Recent storms have brought more improvement, however slight, in the historic four-year drought in California over the past week.

The U.S. Drought Monitor says the percentage of severe and extreme drought was reduced in extreme northwestern California and southwestern and south-central Oregon.

“This doesn’t mean the region is drought free by any means, but it’s certainly a good start to the Water Year as we sit near the mid-point of the snow season,” according to the weekly update. “Now we’ll see if Mother Nature finishes strong or changes her mind.”

Click here for full article.

The California Water Action Plan – originally released by the administration of Governor Brown in January 2014 – is a roadmap for the first five years of the state’s journey toward sustainable water management. The 2016 update reflects both considerable progress toward and reaffirmation of the goals first set forth in January 2014. Read the 2016 Update of the Plan here.

This week’s Water Plan eNews includes:

• Webcast option still available for this week’s briefing on the California Water Action Plan
• State Water Project and workplan on agenda for California Water Commission
• Sustainable groundwater management information offered at three webinars
• Webinar series examines U.S. water quality trends since the 19th century
• Direct potable reuse advisory group meeting next week in Orange County
• Registration is open for this month’s California Biodiversity Council meeting
• Water issue updates provided in latest issue of the WestFAST News

by Susan Greene, LA Times. California’s forests have already lost millions of trees in recent years due to rising temperatures, the drought and a plague of bark beetle infestations. But if the drought persists, millions of more trees throughout the state could die, according to a study published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Click here for full article.

This week’s Water Plan eNews includes:

• Water PIE – a new data platform for integrated regional water management
• Updated information on water quality goals provided by SWRCB website
• Irrigation conference will focus on solving the California water puzzle
• Survey is set up to get energy efficiency opinions from urban water suppliers
• Updates and alignment opportunities are on the next agenda for the CBC
• Delta Plan performance measures recommendations available for public comment

This week’s Water Plan eNews includes:

• California Water – A Tale of Extremes
• Managing Water – Working Together to Shape Our Future
• Ever-greening California Water Plan for Update 2018

This week’s Water Plan eNews includes:

• Briefing to discuss taking the California Water Action Plan to the next level
• White House sets the stage for a water summit in March
• Interactive presentation illustrates the Colorado River Basin drought
• Water pricing workshop will include success stories from around the world
• Contributors being sought for two studies on outdoor water use
• Wild and Scenic River findings released for three national forests

A Three-Session Intensive Grant Writing Course Offered for Plumas-Sierra, by Elissa Brown with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy.

Space is Limited – Register Online Now

Registration Fee of $10.00 will include a deli sandwich and a drink

Community, nonprofit, and local government representatives who would like to learn how to prepare effective grant applications should plan to participate. This workshop is geared to the beginning (no experience) and intermediate (moderate grant writing experience) levels. The first session January 20^th will be a half-day workshop (10am-2pm) held at the Plumas County Planning Department Conference Room, 520 Main Street, Quincy. The second and third sessions will be (2) two-hour webinars, dates/times to be decided at first session. A computer and internet access will be required for the webinars.

Click here for a flyer for the workshop series.

Click here for information to help you be prepared and make the most out of the training.  Please Register Now and share with others who may benefit.

With the passage of Proposition 1 in November of 2014, voters approved $7.5 billion for a variety of water projects and programs, with $2.7 billion of that set aside to pay for public benefits of water storage projects. The California Water Commission is the state agency tasked with allocating the money among eligible projects, and over one year since passage of the bond, the Commission preparing to begin the official rulemaking process for the regulations that will govern how the money will be spent. Click here for full article.

This week’s Water Plan eNews includes:

• Updated urban water management plan website offers access to population tool
• Drought technical assistance being made available to California’s tribal governments
• Water 101 workshop covers the basics of issue past and present
• Basin boundary modification requests to be discussed during tomorrow’s webinar
• Looking at what it will take to achieve groundwater sustainability in one valley area
• Save the dates for next year’s international groundwater conference