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There is something lurking in the water of Lake Jennings. It’s not a sea monster, but rather a tiny submarine that is part of a study testing the lake’s water quality. On October 30th, a harmless dye called rota-meen was put into Lake Jennings by Scripps to track the mixing of purified water with the water of the lake. Now more than ever, San Diego needs a study supply of water. They will collect the data with a submersible drone. Using advanced purified water could mean less water would need to be imported from the Colorado River.

California’s Water Resources Control Board described its new Salton Sea plan as a landmark agreement, but at least one expert is questioning the modified approach, calling it “Band-Aids to a very serious environmental disaster.” With water deliveries from the Colorado River coming to a halt at the end of this year, the shrinking lake will be reduced at an even faster rate, which the state says poses a public health risk due to particulate air pollution by dust blown from the exposed lake bed.

It was raining and Judy Adler had a broken gutter. What could have been a simple repair turned into an effort to capture rain and use it for her backyard pond. Since late 2009, Adler has collected up to 11,000 gallons of rain annually at her Walnut Creek home. “This is doable,” she said. “This is Tinker Toy stuff.” More people could follow in Adler’s steps under a bill in the California Legislature. The proposal, which would encourage homeowners to collect rainwater, could make its way onto the 2018 statewide ballot.