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Water Fight May Leave Some O.C. Customers with Bigger Bills

/in /by /The Orange County Registerby Teri Sforza

The latest skirmish in the water wars asks the cryptic question: When is water not really water?

The answer, it seems, is when words in an 83-year-old law – a law conceived long before the notion that recycled sewage was anything but disgusting – essentially negate its existence. Such is the root of the latest conflict between two Orange County water giants. The rich and powerful Irvine Ranch Water District is suing the lord and master of Orange County’s groundwater basin, the Orange County Water District.

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Court Rules That Sale of Delta Islands Can Proceed

/in /by /The Sacramento Beeby Ryan Sabalow

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s $175 million purchase of five islands in the heart of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta has been cleared to move forward, even as legal challenges continue.

On Thursday, the 3rd District Court of Appeal lifted a temporary stay order it had issued in June that briefly prevented the sale from closing. A coalition of environmental groups and local water districts, along with San Joaquin and Contra Costa counties, had requested the stay as part of a broader lawsuit challenging the sale.

 

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Why San Diego Isn’t at the Table for Doomsday Colorado River Water Talks

/in /by /Voice of San Diegoby Ry Rivard Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

When a group of water officials from California, Nevada and Arizona get together behind closed doors to talk about potential cuts to California’s share of the precious and dwindling Colorado River, representatives from San Diego County Water Authority are not present.

They’re not invited, even though some of the multi-state negotiations have happened in San Diego. Even though the Water Authority depends on the Colorado River for about two-thirds of its water – any cuts to California’s supplies could affect how much water San Diego can use.

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Another record ag year for Monterey County

/in /by /The Californianby David Castellon

Monterey County marked a fourth year of record sales in 2015, with crop production values totaling more than $4.84 billion.

Total crop values in 2015 were $348 million more than in 2014 or a 7.75% increase, according to the 2015 Monterey County Crop report county Agricultural Commissioner Eric Lauritzen presented at its annual news conference on Tuesday.

Key representatives of the county’s agriculture organizations including the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California, the Farm Bureau, The Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association (MCVGA) and the California Strawberry Commission also attended.

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OPINION: California needs action now on groundwater protection

/in /by /The Sacramento Bee

As if California’s water supplies weren’t already sufficiently imperiled, a bill that would have taken a small step toward groundwater regulation unfortunately has now stalled.

Sen. Lois Wolk’s Senate Bill 1317 would have slowed the speed at which new wells are drilled, and denied permits for wells in critically overdrafted basins until groundwater regulations begin to take effect in 2022. But it ran into opposition from agricultural interests and local government agencies.

Water agencies and farmers should recognize the urgent need to better manage the overuse of this precious resource.

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Summer of Fire: Drought Transforms Southern Sierra

/in /by /Water Deeply (New York)by Matt Weiser

It was revealed in June that California’s southern Sierra Nevada is now stocked with an estimated 66 million dead trees, all killed directly or indirectly by the state’s ongoing drought.

The number is staggering and difficult to comprehend. Even more difficult is understanding what it means. In short, the southern Sierra – the highest section of California’s majestic mountain range – is undergoing ecological changes on a scale never seen before in human history. The estimate was obtained by the U.S. Forest Service using surveys conducted during airplane flights over the range.

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Top ten water wise trees for San Diego

/in /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

It’s something that’s in the news a lot these days: Water-wise landscaping. But what exactly does that mean for San Diegans and how do you know what plants will work for this kind of gardening?

Recently, the San Diego County Water Authority updated its informative brochure, “Nifty 50 Plants for WaterSmart Landscapes,” which is packed with information about a variety of plants and trees that will work in San Diego’s drought environment. The best part is that the brochure is available for free at watersmartsd.org.

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Water Restrictions Easing, but the Idea of “Green” Has Changed for Some

/in /by /The Orange County Registerby By Denisse Salazar

Just in time for hot summer days, the Yorba Linda Water District is easing up on watering restrictions.

State officials have scraped the emergency conservation mandates that had forced the district to cut water use by 36 percent. For months, customers have faced unprecedented restrictions and “administrative penalties” for over use. In response to the state’s step back, the district is allowing customers to increase watering from two to three days a week. Filling swimming pools will no longer be prohibited, district spokesman Damon Micalizzi said.

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Newport Moves Toward Allowing a Third Day of Watering Per Week

/in /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hannah Fry

Newport Beach water customers soon may be allowed to irrigate outdoors three days a week instead of two, but still will be required to conserve.

The City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to take initial steps to move the city to Level 2 of its water conservation plan, which restricts outdoor watering to before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. but allows ratepayers to irrigate their lawns three days per week from April through October. Outdoor watering from November through March would be restricted to one day per week.

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California Water Projects to Receive WaterSMART Grants for 2016

/in /by /Association of California Water Agenciesby Emily Allshouse

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has awarded more than $25.6 million in WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grants to support projects that increase water and energy conservation and efficiency, protect endangered species or address climate-related impacts on water.

A total of 53 projects in 11 states will receive the FY 2016 grants. Those states include California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

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