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Atmospheric River - An Atmospheric River defined by the Meteorology Glossary is, " A long, narrow, and transient corridor of strong horizontal water vapor transport that is typically associated with a low-level jet stream ahead of the cold front of an extratropical cyclone. Atmospheric Rivers are important as it can provide up to half of California's annual precipitation, but can also cause major flooding.
Biological Opinion - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries’ Office of Protected Resources issues Biological Opinions to document our Opinions on how federal agencies’ actions affect Endagered Species Act (ESA)-listed species and critical habitat.
Central Valley Project - Extending 400 miles through central California, the Central Valley Project (CVP) is a complex, multi-purpose network of dams, reservoirs, canals, hydroelectric power plants and other facilities.
Drought - Drought is an extended period of time with limited to no precipitation. California and most of the Western United States experience recurring droughts. For example, the Colorado River basin is currently experiencing a drought since the year 2000. California recently got out of a drought in 2012-2016, but some regions are still experiencing drought conditions.
Eutrophication - Eutrophication occurs when a body of water receives an excessive nutrient load, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen. This often results in an overgrowth of algae. As the algae die and decompose, oxygen is depleted from the water, and this lack of oxygen in the water causes the death of aquatic animals, like fish. View our Inorganic nutrients performance measure.
Hydrologic Region - A hydrologic region or also known as a watershed is the area of land where all of the water that falls in it and drains off of it goes to a common outlet.
San Francisco Bay-Sacramento and San Joaquin River Delta Watershed - The Bay-Delta watershed extends almost 500 miles and encompasses the entire California Central Valley. The Bay-Delta watershed includes the Sacramento River, San Joaquin River, and the Tulare Lake watersheds.
SB 606/AB 1668 - "Water management planning" Act. In 2018, the legislator passed SB 606/AB 1668 which refined and codified many of the approaches laid out in B-37-16 and the California Water Action Plan. The legislation required measures related to each of the 4 goals for “Making Water Conservation a Way of Life for California.”
State Water Project - The California State Water Project (SWP) is a water storage and delivery system of reservoirs, aqueducts, power plants and pumping plants extending more than 700 miles—two-thirds the length of California.
Subsidence - Much of the Delta is sinking through a process called subsidence which is caused by the drainage of Delta wetlands and subsequent oxidation of peat soil.
Water Year - A water year is a time period of 12 months where total precipitation is measured. The water year starts on October 1st and ends on September 30.