You are now in California and the U.S. category.

Op-Ed the Ludicrous Plan to Pump Mojave Water to L.A.

/in /by /Los Angeles Timesby Peter H. Brooks

In 1992, prospectors in Los Angeles hatched an idea for a new water supply that was improbable and speculative, even by Southern California standards. Far off in the Mojave Desert, beneath the flat dry lake bed of the Cadiz Valley, millennia’s worth of groundwater could be pumped and piped 43 miles to the Colorado River Aqueduct, the crown jewel of the Metropolitan Water District’s massive web of infrastructure. The water then could be sold to any of the 26 member agencies of the MWD.

Full Story

Oroville Spillway Gates Close for Season to Make Way for Repairs

/in /by /The Sacramento Bee

The Department of Water Resources ramped down the Oroville Dam flood control spillway flows from 20,000 cubic feet per second to zero cfs on Friday. With no more water gushing down the spillway, contractors working for DWR will start working full-time to shore up the badly damaged spillway before next winter. Flows to the Feather River were gradually reduced over multiple days, water officials said. The Lake Oroville water level was at 829.49 feet at the time the spillway gates were closed. The maximum water level is 901 feet.

Full Story

Floating Solar Would be a San Diego County First

/in /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Phil Diehl Quoted: Kelly Rodgers

The push for alternative energy sources has led the San Diego County Water Authority to consider a new possibility — floating solar panels on the surface of the agency’s only reservoir.

The 20-acre installation proposed for the Olivenhain Reservoir near Escondido would be the first in Southern California, although several floating panel projects are underway in Northern California and in Japan.

Full Story

Endless Winter? California Ski Resorts Plan to Keep Slopes Open This Summer

/in /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hugo Martin

Californians, blessed with the natural resources to ski and surf in the same day, may be able do both deep into summer for the first time in years. One of the wettest winters in decades has stretched the season for most California and Nevada ski resorts by up to two months, helping them regain business lost because of too much snow early in the year. At Mammoth Mountain in the Eastern Sierra and Squaw Valley west of Lake Tahoe, the slopes are expected to remain open through the Fourth of July weekend — and perhaps beyond.

Full Story

Padre Dam Customers Will Pay More Again Over Next Five Years

/in /by /East County Magazineby Mike Allen Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Padre Dam Municipal Water District, already charging among the highest water rates in the nation, is proposing yet another five-year rate increase that officials say is necessary to maintain the agency’s services. In a 12-page notice sent out to all of Padre Dam’s 24,000 customers, the district outlined the rate increases depending on use, and the rationale supporting the increases. Starting in November, an average residential customer in Padre Dam’s district should expect their combined water and sewer monthly bill to rise to $154.75, up $3.74, or nearly $45 annually.

Full Story

San Diego Water Authority Announces Rate Hike

/in /by /CBS 8 San Diego Quoted: Maureen Stapleton

The San Diego County Water Authority announced Thursday that staff is recommending a 3.7 percent hike in the amount of money local cities and districts pay for water in the 2018 calendar year. The authority said most of the increase was due to the price of imported water from the Metropolitan Water District, the primary wholesaler in California, and Colorado River. The SDCWA takes imported water and collected local rainfall and distributes it to local agencies like the city of San Diego, Helix Water District and the like, which sends the product on to homes and businesses.

Full Story

San Diego County Water Authority Proposes 3.7 Percent Rate Hike

/in /by /KUSI Quoted: Maureen Stapleton

The San Diego County Water Authority announced Thursday that staff is recommending a 3.7 percent hike in the amount of money local cities and districts pay for water in the 2018 calendar year. The authority said most of the increase was due to the price of imported water from the Metropolitan Water District, the primary wholesaler in California, and Colorado River. The SDCWA takes imported water and collected local rainfall and distributes it to local agencies like the city of San Diego, Helix Water District and the like, which sends the product on to homes and businesses.

Full Story

San Diego County Water Authority Proposes 3.7 Percent Rate Hike in 2018

/in /by /NBC San Diegoby Jaspreet Kaur Quoted: Maureen Stapleton

Water rates in San Diego County could increase next year, if a proposed rate hike is approved. The San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) is pushing for a 3.7 percent rate hike 2018. On Thursday, SDCWA announced it will recommend increasing rates charged to its member agencies for both treated and untreated water. The hike is party to offset higher rates and charges from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD).

Full Story

Rising Sea Levels Could Mean Twice as Much Flood Risk in Los Angeles and Other Coastal Cities

/in /by /Los Angeles Timesby Amina Khan

The effects of rising oceans on coastal flooding may be even worse than we thought. Scientists have found that a mere 10 to 20 centimeters of sea-level rise — which is expected by 2050 — will more than double the frequency of serious flooding events in many parts of the globe, including along the California coastline.The findings, described in Scientific Reports, highlight the environmental and economic impacts of sea-level rise on coastal areas, and the need to properly predict and prepare for these effects.

Full Story

Budget Cuts Threaten to Shut Down Tijuana Estuary

/in /by /CBS 8 San Diegoby Abbie Alford

Federal cuts are threatening to close down the Tijuana Estuary Visitors Center, and supporters are writing letters to local Congress leaders urging them to restore funding to save a vital piece of California’s coast.  In President Trump’s budget, he is proposing to cut $250 million in grants from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Mr. Trump had previously said “these programs are a lower priority than core functions maintained in the budget such as surveys, charting and fisheries management.”

Full Story