You are now in Agency News News category.

Olivenhain Municipal Water District Logo landscape design workshops

Olivenhain Municipal Water District Offers Graywater Workshop on October 22

Encinitas, CA—As part of its continued efforts to reduce potable water demand, Olivenhain Municipal Water District is co-hosting a free graywater workshop with partners San Dieguito Water District and Solana Center for Environmental Innovation. Participants will learn how to build a branched drain system step-by-step. The workshop will be held at the Encinitas Community Center from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on October 22.

Lithium Will Fuel the Clean Energy Boom. This Company May Have a Breakthrough

Gaze across the Salton Sea, a sparkling oasis in the California desert, and you’ll see white plumes of steam rising against the hazy Chocolate Mountains.

The steam comes from 11 geothermal power plants, nestled between the accidental lake and the verdant farm fields of the Imperial Valley. The area has been churning out climate-friendly geothermal energy since the 1980s, long before solar panels and wind turbines became cheap and abundant.

California Needs a 21st Century Electric Grid

Our electric grid is outdated. For those of us in the renewable sector, this is not a new concept, and it is a national problem, not just one here in California. But unfortunately, the ramifications of an antiquated grid have now been felt by millions of Californians plunged into darkness by these forced power outages. Today, the world is watching to see how California, a historic leader when it comes to environmental initiatives and energy policy, overcomes this potentially recurring problem.

East Bay Water District Considers Buying Giant Cattle Ranch That Straddles Four Counties

The Alameda County Water District is considering shelling out $72 million for a fourth-generation, 50,500-acre cattle ranch — touted as the largest potential land sale in the state — to preserve water quality, officials say.

Much of the property lies in watersheds that feed into critical water supply facilities for millions of Bay Area residents, including Lake Del Valle, Calaveras Reservoir and Alameda Creek.

While no final decisions have been made, district officials and experts say the rare opportunity to buy such a wide swath of undeveloped upstream land — and preclude any future development that could degrade potable water — must be seriously weighed.

New Pilot Program Helps Southern California Grow Native Plants

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and local water agencies have teamed up with the California Native Plant Society to bring more native plants to the region’s homes and gardens.

A new pilot program launched by the organizations this fall will boost the number and variety of native plants offered at local nurseries and ensure consumers have the information they need to plant and maintain the water-efficient flowers, trees, shrubs and succulents.

The Next Fight In California’s Water Crisis Is Over Salt, Pollutants

When it comes to drinking water in California — safety, supply and reliability — we can never rest. None of us. For those who think it’s a crisis that only impacts rural communities in our state, you are wrong. Children in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego and other urban communities are drinking lead-contaminated water from their drinking fountains, and nearly all of California’s 58 counties include communities with tainted water.

Tests Of California Water Supplies Reveal Widespread PFAS Contamination

A class of toxic chemicals linked to cancer, known as PFASs, are present in numerous wells used for drinking water across California, according to new state tests performed on a fraction of California’s many well water supplies.

The test samples, released Monday by the State Water Resources Control Board, represent California’s fledgling effort to get a handle on contaminants that until recently haven’t been well tracked and regulated.

State Water Officials To Vote On Valley-Wide Plan To Reduce Nitrate And Salt

Later this week, the State Water Resources Control Board will vote on a long-anticipated plan to reduce some of the pollutants flowing into Central Valley water. However, not everyone agrees on the details.

The program is called Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-Term Sustainability, or CV-SALTS. It aims to provide cleaner water for drinking and irrigation by reducing the nitrate and salt that are discharged into ground and surface water.