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Legislators Call for Audit of Twin Tunnels

On Monday, two separate groups called for a state audit on the California Water Fix, better known as the Delta Twin Tunnels proposal.

Assemblywoman Susan Eggman (D-Stockton) and Sen. Lois Wolk (D-Davis) announced they will request a state audit on the project, citing a need for a higher level of scrutiny for the project, according to a press release sent by Eggman’s office.

 

BLOG: Price of Water 2016: Up 5 Percent in 30 Major U.S. Cities; 48 Percent Increase Since 2010

America’s water systems were built to last. Philadelphia is one of the older cities on the Atlantic Coast and Northeast that still use pipes that were installed before the Civil War. The pipes have held up remarkably well over 160 years. But without new parts and maintenance these systems will not last forever. The repair bill has come due and water prices are increasing to pay for it.

The price of water rose 5 percent last year, according to Circle of Blue’s annual survey of 30 major U.S. cities. The median increase was 3.5 percent.

California Drought Rules Eased Significantly

California’s historic drought rules are going to be a whole lot looser this summer. In a major shift, the administration of Gov. Jerry Brown announced Monday plans to drop all statewide mandatory water conservation targets it had imposed on urban areas last June. The new rules, which are expected to be approved May 18 by the State Water Resources Control Board, would instead allow more than 400 cities, water districts and private companies to each set their own water conservation targets, as long as they report them to state officials.

California Gov. Jerry Brown Makes Some Water Restrictions Permanent

California Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday issued an executive order making permanent some temporary water restrictions imposed to help the state through a severe drought, despite a wet winter that eased some dry conditions.

California Braces for Unending Drought

With California entering its fifth year of a statewide drought, Gov. Jerry Brown moved on Monday to impose permanent water conservation measures and called on water suppliers to prepare for a future made drier by climate change.

Under the governor’s executive order, emergency drought regulations, like bans on hosing down driveways or watering lawns within 48 hours of a rainstorm, will remain indefinitely. Urban water suppliers will be required to report their water use to the state each month and develop plans to get through long-term periods of drought.

Brown Issues Permanent Water Limits

On the same day that Gov. Jerry Brown sought to make water conservation a way of life for Californians by permanently banning some wasteful practices, regulators in Sacramento prepared to significantly ease the current drought restrictions for urban residents and businesses.

Brown issued an executive order Monday that places an indefinite moratorium on hosing off sidewalks and driveways, as well as washing cars with hoses that don’t have a shut-off valve. All fountains and decorative water features must use recirculated water, and watering lawns is restricted for 48 hours after a rainfall.

Drought helps predict how climate change might affect an endangered species

A new study documenting the negative effects of California’s drought on an endangered lizard in the San Joaquin Desert provides a glimpse into the potential effects of future droughts expected in California as a result of climate change. The findings, published May 2 in the online journal PLoS One, may also provide guidance on how to buffer these negative effects to avoid species extinctions.

Coauthor Barry Sinervo, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, said the endangered blunt-nosed leopard lizard could face major losses of suitable habitat due to climate change.

California Looks at Easing Drought Cuts After Wet Winter

California will consider lifting a mandatory statewide water conservation order for cities and towns after a rainy, snowy winter eased the state’s five-year drought, water officials said Monday.

But an executive order by Gov. Jerry Brown would make permanent some of the measures adopted to deal with the current drought, including prohibitions against excessive water use while washing cars and watering lawns.

Nestle Fights Feds Over Water Rights

Nestle is objecting to the U.S. Forest Service’s terms for issuing it a new permit to continue piping water out of a national forest, saying the agency is overstepping its authority and infringing on the company’s water rights.

Nestle Waters North America detailed its concerns publicly for the first time in a 79-page document submitted to the Forest Service. The company, the largest producer of bottled water in the country, has long drawn water from the San Bernardino National Forest to produce Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water.

Governor Brown Issues Order to Curtail Water Use

San Diego County residents will need to permanently curtail their water use under an order issued Monday by Gov. Jerry Brown that bans activities such as hosing off sidewalks and requires urban suppliers to continuing producing monthly reports on water-reduction efforts.

The order calls for long-term implementation of temporary water conservation measures put in place to combat the ongoing statewide drought, with Brown pointing to some parts of the state that are still dealing with dry conditions and the likelihood of continued water shortages.