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San Jacinto Resident Reelected As Regional Water Agency Chairman

San Jacinto Valley native Randy Record was reelected Tuesday, Oct. 11, to a second two-year term as chairman of the board of Metropolitan Water District, which wholesales water to 26 member agencies in Southern California. Record has served on the Perris-based Eastern Municipal Water District board since 2001 and has represented that regional agency on Metropolitan’s board since 2003. During his first term as Metropolitan chairman, the district confronted unmatched drought conditions, according to a news release.

OPINION: The Curious Case Of Groundwater Sustainability

We are under a mandate from the state to reach certain milestones toward making all our California groundwater basins sustainable. Though that is a simplified version of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act passed in 2014, the reality is that this is a complex undertaking for the local agencies and advocacy organizations here in Monterey County. Groundwater here in Monterey County is our primary source for water for both consumers and business, as well as irrigation.

The Rest Of California Is Stealing Our Bay Water, Says Report

Where would we all be without the bay? Well, not here, that’s for sure: It’s quite literally the defining characteristic of all of our diverse communities. Which is why it’s downright annoying to learn that, gallon by gallon, the rest of the state is gradually robbing us of it.The situation is much more complex than that, of course. A lot of political nuance and competing community needs go into determining the balance of California’s “water wars.”

How Much Rain Will Napa County Get This Winter?

Rain season 2016-17 has a good shot at once again providing enough water to slake Napa County’s thirst, though busting California’s five-year drought is a taller order. A multi-year drought could require a multi-year fix. State Department of Water Resources spokesman Doug Carlson said more than one normal rain year is probably needed. “An extremely wet year might do the trick, but that’s seemingly unlikely based on the weather patterns we’ve seen over the last several years,” Carlson said.

San Diego Coastkeeper Says Latest Report Shows Immediate Need for Permanent Conservation Regulations

San Diego Coastkeeper has released a statement in response to latest release from California State Water Resources Control Board, Statewide Water Conservation Drops Below 18 Percent in August. This statement is submitted by San Diego Coastkeeper’s Legal and Policy Director Matt O’Malley: “We are still very much in a drought. Our southern coast lies somewhere between extreme to exceptional drought. The monthly conservation numbers released by the State Water Resources Control Board yesterday prove that without the statewide conservation mandate, we are seeing bad habits once again take hold.”

Environmental Impacts Of Western Drought Matter To Small Farmers

While not everyone might be upset by California-based drought expert and author John Austin’s recent observation that for trees and plants in California, “it is probably the worst 16-year period in more than 850 years,” it certainly sets off alarm bells for our organization. In fact, Austin’s haunting observation that we have entered a “new normal” when it comes to drought is one that should concern and motivate us all. Unfortunately, this “new normal” extends beyond California.

BLOG: Cowin on tunnels subsidy: ‘I can put that to rest’

Mark Cowin, director of the state Department of Water Resources, told water planners in Los Angeles on Monday that the state will not seek a federal subsidy for the Delta tunnels.

Cowin’s comments came after tunnels opponents last month released a draft economic analysis of the project by economist David Sunding, a consultant for the state. Sunding’s report suggested that a hefty government subsidy would be needed for the tunnels to pencil out, which would run contrary to the state’s longstanding position that water users who benefit from the tunnels must pay the full cost.

Northern California Will Get A Soaking, But Will It Ease The Drought?

A pair of warm storms expected to hit Northern California later this week could dump more than 8 inches of rain in the mountains and have North Coast rivers roaring. But weather forecasters and hydrologists say the first substantial storms of California’s rainy season are unlikely to put much of a dent in the state’s water-supply woes, nor will they bring much risk of flooding to the parched Sacramento Valley.

OPINION: California Far-Reaching Benefits’s New Water Data Law Will Have

At the end of September, water wonks cheered as Governor Jerry Brown signed into law an important new bill that will set California on the path towards a 21st-century water management system. Though it received little attention amid the flurry of new bills signed by the governor, the Open and Transparent Water Data Act (AB 1755) is a critical step forward in ensuring the long-term sustainability of California’s dwindling water resources. 

BLOG: What Falling Water Conservation Numbers Mean For California

California’s drought may not be over, but a troubling number of residents – and the suppliers that deliver water to them – appear to be acting like it is. Last week, the State Water Resources Control Board announced that, compared to 2013 numbers, urban water conservation dropped from 27 percent in August 2015 to 17.7 percent this past August. It’s a clear sign that voluntary reduction targets aren’t having the same effect as the 25 percent statewide mandatory cuts issued by Gov. Jerry Brown a year and half ago, which were lifted in June.