The Orange County Water District (OCWD, the District) has successfully captured 25,500 acre-feet of water during February storms so far, equivalent to 8.3 billion gallons—enough water for 204,000 people for a year. This significant achievement comes in the wake of a powerful series of storms that brought 7.28 inches of rain to the region, totaling 13.54 inches of rain since July 1, the beginning of the water year...

Although nobody knew it yet in January and February of 2020, the state of California was in the early months of what would become the driest three-year period in the state's recorded history. But when rain fell in one of the region's watersheds - the Russian River basin, which drains 1,485 square miles in Mendocino and Sonoma Counties - water managers at one of the system's reservoirs, Lake Mendocino, were able to exercise a choice they wouldn't have had under their existing management plan.

Using weather forecasts in reservoir management improves decisions about water supplies. Now researchers are studying the hydrology around reservoirs to help apply this strategy nationwide.

Global demand for fossil fuels is expected to peak by the end of this decade as we transition to cleaner sources of energy. One source we already heavily rely on is hydropower, but, as weather becomes more unpredictable, dam operators and planners have the increasingly challenging task of managing the extremes of flood and drought...

Climate change is robbing some hydro dams of water while oversupplying others—forcing managers to employ new forecasting technology and clever strategies to capitalize on what they have.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is testing ways to use improved weather forecasts to manage some of the nation's largest dams to store more water and prevent floods. This new approach could help officials respond to new precipitation patterns brought on by climate change.

As California experiences more extreme swings between wet and dry periods, it is critical for the State to deploy innovative forecasting and water management st ...

Despite several weeks of torrential rain and flooding, California is still facing a severe multi-year drought. That has many people thinking about how to better capture winter floodwaters to last through the dry season. An innovative approach at two California reservoirs could help boost the state's water supply, potentially marking a larger shift from decades-old water management approaches to a system that can quickly adapt to precipitation in a changing climate. At...

(CNN) - "I think there's optimism because we're starting with a really good foundation, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to translate into help with a drought," said Schwartz. "We still have time where it may not snow, and we may still wind up with below average precipitation, but so far, we're looking pretty good."