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

California Officials Draft A $600M Plan To Help Low-Income Households Absorb Rising Water Bills

/in , /by /Water Education Foundation (Sacramento)by Gary Pitzer

Low-income Californians can get help with their phone bills, their natural gas bills and their electric bills. But there’s only limited help available when it comes to water bills. That could change if the recommendations of a new report are implemented into law. Drafted by the State Water Resources Control Board, the report outlines the possible components of a program to assist low-income households facing rising water bills.

Full Story

Federal Register Notice On DCP Draws Ire From IID

/in , /by /Imperial Valley Pressby Tom Bodus

A notice published recently in the Federal Register is not sitting well with Imperial Irrigation District. That notice, submitted by the Department of Interior through the Bureau of Reclamation and published on Feb. 1, calls recommendations from the governors of the seven Colorado River Basin state for protective actions the Department of Interior should take in the absence of a completed drought contingency plan. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman set a deadline of Jan. 31 for states to complete and approve a DCP.

Full Story

What Is Happening With The Colorado River Drought Plans?

/in , /by /KUNC (Greeley, Colo.)by Luke Runyon & Bret Jaspers

States that rely on the Colorado River for their water supplies are currently unable to finish a series of agreements that would keep its biggest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, from dropping to levels not seen since they were filled decades ago. Five states — Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming and Nevada — are done. The country of Mexico has also completed its portion. But California and Arizona failed to meet a Jan. 31 federal government deadline to wrap up negotiations and sign a final agreement.

Full Story

Local Elementary School Finds Increased Lead In Drinking Water

/in , /by /FOX 5 San Diego

Water from drinking fountains at a local elementary school tested for lead levels higher than district-mandated limits, officials announced. Parents at Juarez Elementary School in the Serra Mesa area were notified of the test results in a letter this week. District officials noted that the lead levels discovered actually fell below state and national legal requirements, but failed to meet the more stringent standard enforced by San Diego Unified School District. Federal law requires lead levels under 15 parts per billion, while the district enforces a limit of less than 5 parts per billion. Six different water outlets at Juarez Elementary, including five drinking fountains and one faucet, tested above the 5 ppb requirement.

Full Story

Scientists Develop Category System To Warn Residents About Strong Storms

/in , /by /CBS Sacramento

When you hear about a category five hurricane, you know it can be deadly. Now meteorologists have created a new scale to track the strong winter storms that slam the west coast. The new system could help give more people warning and ranks some of our past storms. Northern California is no stranger to strong storms that cause flooding, levee breaks, and mudslides. In the past, they’ve been known as a pineapple express, and more recently they’ve been dubbed atmospheric rivers. Now scientists have developed a new scientific scale to track them.

Full Story

Senate Bill 204 Increases WaterFix Oversight

/in , /by /The Press (Brentwood, Calif.)by Tony Kukulich

During a town hall meeting in November 2017, the Delta Caucus co-chairs state Sen. Bill Todd (D-Napa) and Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Discovery Bay) opined for more legislative oversight pertaining to the California WaterFix project. Last week they took a step in that direction. Todd introduced Senate Bill (SB) 204, which would require the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the Delta Conveyance, Design and Construction Authority (DCDCA) to submit information about pending State Water Project contracts to the legislature for public review prior to those agencies moving forward with work on the Delta Tunnels.

Full Story

Lake Tahoe’s New Reality: Study Says Sierra Nevada Snowpack To Suffer Sharp Decline

/in , /by /Tahoe Daily Tribuneby Bill Rozak

Imagine Lake Tahoe with no snow year round. Every winter storm that reaches the basin brings only rain. No skiing. No snowboarding. No winter sports of any kind. As unpleasant and uncomfortable a thought it is, Tahoe is staring at a drastically different future. A dramatic decline in the Sierra Nevada snowpack will be felt the most in Northern California by mid century, according to a study published in December 2018 by the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).

Full Story

Water Use Restrictions Will Be In Place— Aqueduct Shut-Down February 23 – March 5

/in , /by /Valley Roadrunner Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Valley Center Municipal Water District (District) has been advised by its wholesale supplier, that from 8 a.m. February 23, through 8 p.m. March 5, the treated water aqueduct that delivers water to the majority of the District will be shut down to accommodate inspections, maintenance and repairs by the San Diego County Water Authority. As a result, water flow to the District will be severely restricted and the water remaining in storage will be the only water available only for domestic use and fire protection during the shut-down.

Full Story

Bureau Of Reclamation Releases Biological Assessment For The Central Valley Project And State Water Project

/in , /by /Sierra Sun Times

The Bureau of Reclamation released the Biological Assessment for the re-initiation of consultation on the coordinated long-term operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project. The document was transmitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service for consideration in developing new biological opinions covering CVP and SWP operations. Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources re-initiated consultation in 2016 based on new information related to multiple years of drought and ongoing science efforts.

Full Story

Ashley Falls Water Quality Project To Begin This Summer

/in , /by /Del Mar Timesby Karen Billing

At the Carmel Valley Community Planning Board’s Jan. 24 meeting, the board approved a large-scale storm flow storage and multi-pollutant treatment system in the Ashley Falls neighborhood as part of the city’s water quality improvement strategies. The project, located at the corner of Carmel Knolls and Pearlman Way, includes the construction of three reinforced concrete storm drain pipes for low-flow collection and a shallow biofiltration basin.The system will capture pollutants and stormwater runoff to protect the Los Peñasquitos Creek subwatershed.

Full Story