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Drought May Be Worsening Water Quality, Coastkeeper Says

/in /by /Encinitas Patch

The nine major watersheds in San Diego County had unusually low water quality in 2015 for the second year in a row, according to an annual report released Tuesday by an environmental organization.

The continuing drought may be worsening inland water quality, while runoff pollution remains a serious problem, the San Diego Coastkeeper report says. “Our inland waters empty to the ocean,” said Meredith Meyers, the group’s laboratory coordinator. “These inland water quality problems directly impact the water quality of our beaches, too, making them less safe to swim and fish.”

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OPINION: The Growing Stress on the World’s Water

/in /by /The Washington Post (Washington, D.C.)

THE WORLD Bank has warned countries that one of climate change’s most significant impacts will be on a precious resource that many people, particularly in advanced nations, take for granted: water. The concerns go far beyond sea-level rise, which is perhaps the most predictable result of the planet’s increasing temperature, or an uptick in extreme weather. Countries must worry about whether their people will have enough fresh water to farm, produce electricity, bathe and drink.

Global warming will not change the amount of water in the world, but it will affect water’s distribution across countries, making some much worse off.

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California’s New Drought Rules

/in /by /The Atlantic (Washington, D.C.)by By J. Weston Phippen

Governor Jerry Brown of California announced new changes to the state’s water-use policies Monday, extending some of the regulations the government had adopted to cope with the state’s ongoing, five-year drought and easing restrictions for those districts seeing more regular rainfall.

The changes include a ban on hosing down driveways or washing cars with hoses that lack a shut-off nozzle, and watering lawns within two days of a rainstorm. They also include reduced restrictions regarding mandatory water rationing.

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California Court Upholds Large Urban Water Transfer

/in /by /Associated Press (As Published by San Jose Mercury News)by By Elliot Spaga

A California appeals court on Tuesday upheld plans for a large transfer of Mojave Desert groundwater to homes and businesses in Southern California.

The ruling by a three-judge panel in Santa Ana moves urban districts a step closer to getting up to 75,000 acre feet of desert groundwater a year from the Cadiz and Fenner valleys in San Bernardino County — enough to supply about 150,000 homes. The water will be pumped with about 34 new wells and sent on a 43-mile pipeline to the Colorado River aqueduct, which serves 19 million people in Southern California.

 

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Cadiz Water Project in Mojave Desert Wins Big in Appellate Court

/in /by /The Sun (San Bernardino) by By Jim Steinberg

Cadiz Inc. won a decisive courtroom victory Tuesday for its plans to transfer ancient groundwater in a remote part of San Bernardino County’s Mojave Desert to parts of Orange County and other locations.

California’s Fourth District Court of Appeal in Santa Ana upheld six lower court decisions dealing with various governmental approvals and environmental reviews of the controversial water project.

 

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OPINION: California Needs More Water Storage

/in /by /East Bay Times (Walnut Creek)by By Donald Anthrop

California desperately needs additional water storage capacity. The proposed enlargement of Los Vaqueros Reservoir by 115,000 acre-feet is a step in the right direction, albeit a very small one. An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover 1 acre of land to a depth of 1 foot.

After California voters authorized the State Water Project in 1960, the Department of Water Resources signed contracts with various water agencies in the state for future entitlements to the water that the SWP would develop. These entitlements total 4.2 million acre-feet annually.

 

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SoCal Water Giant Defeats Challenge to Delta Islands Buy

/in /by /Courthouse News Service (Pasadena)by By Matt Reynolds Mentioned: Yen Tu
Quoted: Keith Lewinger

Despite growing opposition, the largest supplier of treated drinking water in the United States on Tuesday batted away a challenge to its planned $175 million purchase of four islands in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

Earlier this year, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California voted to purchase the islands. The matter was placed as an informational item on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting should an issue arise during escrow that would cause the board of directors to reconsider.

Legislators Call for Audit of Twin Tunnels

/in /by /Lodi News-Sentinelby By Joe Benapfl

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.

 

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

/in /by /Circle of Blueby By Brett Walton

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.

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California Drought Rules Eased Significantly

/in /by /San Jose Mercury News by By Paul Rogers

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.

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