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Water Resilience In Cape Town

/in , , /by /Imperial Valley Newsby Karen Ross

Cape Town, South Africa – At the height of the drought (April 2018) in this amazing city, residents were restricted to 50 liters (13 gallons) of water per person, per day, and that allowed Cape Town and the Western Cape province to avert an unprecedented catastrophe, Day Zero, the day this city of four-million residents could have run out of water.

The threat made conservation the new normal, resulting in practices like hotel showers with minute timers, closed water taps in public places, and informational slogans/campaigns throughout the city.

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Farmers Use Tech To Squeeze Every Drop From Colorado River

/in , , /by /AP by Dan Elliot

A drone soared over a blazing hot cornfield in northeastern Colorado on a recent morning, snapping images with an infrared camera to help researchers decide how much water they would give the crops the next day.

After a brief, snaking flight above the field, the drone landed and the researchers removed a handful of memory cards. Back at their computers, they analyzed the images for signs the corn was stressed from a lack of water.

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As Phoenix Heats Up, The Night Comes Alive

/in , /by /The New York Timesby Marguerite Holloway

Dozens of hikers set out for the summit of Piestewa Peak on a July evening, their flashlights dancing in the dark. “You feeling O.K.?” Trevor Plautz, a park ranger, asked two women, one of whom had stumbled and was breathing hard. “You have enough water?” Both soon turned back, moving slowly down unlit rocky switchbacks. An owl chittered. “You definitely feel the heat, but the nights are better,” Mr. Plautz said. “A lot of people hike right now instead of during the day because it is a lot cooler.” Phoenix, which had 128 days at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit last year, is one of the hottest and fastest-warming cities in the United States.

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SGMA Rollout Coming Along Smoothly

/in , /by /AgNet West Radio Networkby Brian German

The implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) has presented some challenges, however it appears the overall process is progressing smoothly overall. Supervising Engineering Geologist with the Department of Water Resources (Department), Steven Springhorn noted that the stakeholders have been diligent in adhering to the timeline established by the regulation. “In general, the status of SGMA is going well,” said Springhorn. “That was really shown by the first major milestone, the GSA formation deadline. Roughly 99 percent of the area that had to be covered, was covered. So that just built a lot of momentum.”

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Notable Sonoma County Wine Executive’s Vineyard Business Firm Accused Of Water Quality Violations

/in , /by /The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.)by Bill Swindell

Prominent Sonoma County wine executive Hugh Reimers, who last month abruptly left as president of Foley Family Wines, faces allegations that his grape growing company has violated regional, state and federal water quality laws for improperly clearing land near Cloverdale to build a vineyard. The North Coast Regional Water Quality Board accused his Santa Rosa vineyard management company, Krasilsa Pacific Farms, of violations of the water board’s local water rules, the California Water Code and the federal Clean Water Act for clearing and grading 140 acres. The water quality board concluded the work on a section of Krasilsa Pacific’s more than 2,000-acre property was done without applying or obtaining the necessary permits required by the county to operate a vineyard.

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California’s Planet-Warming Emissions Declined In 2017, Even As Its Biggest Pollution Source Keeps Rising

/in /by /Los Angeles Timesby Tony Barboza

California’s greenhouse gas emissions declined by about 1% in 2017, with a continued shift toward renewable electricity keeping the state ahead of schedule in meeting its 2020 climate target, according to a report released Monday by air quality regulators. The state Air Resources Board inventory found 2017 was the first year since the state began tracking planet-warming emissions that electricity generated from solar, wind, hydroelectric and other renewable sources surpassed what was generated by fossil fuels. Clean power provided 52% of the electricity California used in 2017, according to the report. The gains came so heavily from the electricity, environmental policy experts say, that the sector is making up for more lackluster areas of the economy, such as transportation and industry.

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Helix, Padre Dam Water District Personnel Heading Up To Paradise

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Karen Pearlman

A six-man crew from East County will be making a trek to help the Paradise Irrigation District in northern California. Four field employees from Helix Water District and two from Padre Dam Municipal Water District will leave Aug. 18 and spend five days in the Butte County town of Paradise, which was gutted last November when the Camp Fire scorched more than 150,000 acres and burned down nearly every building in town, about 19,000 structures. At least 85 people died with dozens more injured in the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. As it recovers and rebuilds, safe drinking water is one of Paradise’s major challenges.

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San Diego Area Warming Up With Heat Advisory Scheduled For Wednesday

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein

A hot spell will bring warm temperatures Tuesday throughout San Diego County, with even hotter temperatures expected in the deserts in the next few days. A high pressure system moving in from Texas will bring a rise in temperatures through Wednesday in coastal and inland valley areas and through Thursday in the county mountains and deserts, according to the National Weather Service. The weather service issued an excessive heat warning that will last from 11 a.m. Wednesday through 9 p.m. Thursday for desert areas. A heat advisory will also be in effect during that same time period for the inland valleys, including El Cajon, Santee and Escondido.

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City Of San Diego Invites 7 Cities And The County To Join A Regional Community Choice Energy Agency

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Rob Nikolewski

After more than a year of meetings with government officials from communities around the region, the city of San Diego has invited seven cities and unincorporated areas of the county to join forces and create a community choice energy program that would offer an alternative to San Diego Gas & Electric. The city made the offer earlier this month in a memo to city governments in Chula Vista, La Mesa, Santee, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Del Mar and Solana Beach as well as the County of San Diego. The memo included an attachment that contained a detailed look at how the area’s first foray into what is called Community Choice Aggregation, or CCA, would be established and how it would run.

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California’s Shasta Dam Project Hits Financial, Legal Snags

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Environment (New York City, N.Y.)by Emily C. Dooley

Feds want to raise dam, expand reservoir to improve water reliability State officials, environmental groups say plan violates California law A plan to raise and expand California’s largest reservoir is on hold as federal officials look for partners to share in the $1.4 billion cost. The federal Bureau of Reclamation also must grapple with opponents who have sued, saying the Shasta Dam project violates state law. The bureau has long-pushed to raise its 602-foot Shasta Dam by 18.5 feet and enlarge the reservoir by 630,000 acre-feet, saying it would increase water supply reliability and reduce flood risks. An acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons of water.

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