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Morning Report: Sycuan Finds Shortcut to Water

The Sycuan Indian reservation is situated deep in East County, and the tribe would very much like to undertake some new development projects like a hotel and casino expansion. One problem: they just don’t have the water to do it. Ry Rivard reports how the tribe has summoned significant support in the California legislature to bypass the normal processes and give them quick access to Colorado River water, desalinated water, and other water sources used by San Diego.

Contra Costa County Joins Other Agencies, Groups to Sue L.A. Water District over Delta Islands Purchase

On Thursday, Contra Costa County, the Planning and Conservation League and Food and Water Watch, as well as two other Delta local agencies, Central Delta Water Agency and San Joaquin County announced they will file a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Met) over their plan to purchase several islands in the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary.

On March 14, 2016, Metropolitan Water District had filed a Notice of Exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act for the purchase of the Delta islands, claiming the purchase was for Delta habitat restoration purposes.

Water Authority Sues MWD for 4th Time

It is the fourth lawsuit filed by the San Diego County Water Authority against the Metropolitan Water District. The latest litigation alleges the Los Angeles based Metropolitan Water District’s newly adopted rates for 2017-2018 violate California Law, The state Constitution and common law that will require rates to be set based upon cost of service. – See more at: http://kxoradio.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5696:water-authority-sues-mwd-for-4th-time&catid=8&Itemid=103#sthash.5npMRofZ.dpuf

Agency Files Another Lawsuit Against Water Wholesaler

San Diego County Water Authority has filed another lawsuit over rates charged by the Metropolitan Water District, a Los Angeles-based water wholesaler.

In its complaint filed in Superior Court in Los Angeles, the water authority contends that the rate structure approved Tuesday by the MWD board for 2017 and 2018 used the same methodology as costs from 2011-14 that were previously ruled illegal by a Superior Court judge.

County and IID will have Salton Sea workshop live-streaming locally

Locals interested in following the State Water Resources Control Board’s Salton Sea Workshop on Tuesday, will have the opportunity to do so online as the Imperial County and Imperial Irrigation District will be live streaming the workshop at IID’s William Condit Auditorium in El Centro.

“This gives people who don’t have access to the internet or a computer an opportunity and place to come watch it,” said IID spokeswoman Marion Champion.

 

How Do We Get Our Drinking Water In The U.S.?

Before you take a gulp of water, try to mentally trace where that water that just gushed out of your taps has been: How did it go from that weird-tasting raindrop to the clear, odorless water that is sitting in your glass now?

Safe drinking water is a privilege Americans often take for granted — until a health crisis like the one in Flint, Mich., happens that makes us think about where it comes from and how we get it.

State Bill Would Bolster Sycuan’s Water Supply — and Possibly a New Hotel

About half the Sycuan Indian tribe relies heavily on a single groundwater well for water.

The whole tribe now wants access to the same water most San Diegans enjoy – Colorado River water, Northern California water and desalinated Pacific Ocean water.

Most of San Diego’s state legislative delegation is pushing a bill that could make it happen. The water could secure the tribe’s supply and perhaps fuel future development, including a new 300-room hotel and possible casino expansion.

Salton Sea Geothermal: Cheaper than Solar Farms?

Building more geothermal power plants by the Salton Sea could eventually save Californians hundreds of millions of dollars per year, according to a new report.

The lake is home to one of the world’s most potent geothermal reservoirs, thanks to underground heat that brings salty water to temperatures greater than 500 degrees Fahrenheit. But while 11 geothermal plants already generate electricity along the Salton Sea’s southern shore, energy development has ground to a halt in recent years, due to the high cost of building geothermal facilities. Only one of those 11 plants opened after 2000.

Measuring Drought Impact in More Than Dollars and Cents

The standard way to measure the impact of drought is by its economic effect. Last year, for example, the severity California’s four-year drought was broadly characterized by an estimate that it would cost the state’s economy $2.7 billion and 21,000 jobs.

However, there are many experts who feel economic measures alone are inadequate to fully assess the impact of this complex phenomenon, which affected more than one billion people worldwide in the last decade.

California Drought Monitor and National Drought Summary for April 12, 2016

This week was generally uneventful in those parts of the country experiencing abnormal dryness and drought, with only a few patchy areas received 1 to 3 inches of precipitation. As a result, dryness and drought either remained unchanged or deteriorated where it existed.