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For Long Term Water Supply, U.S. Officials Look to Mexico

/in , /by /The Voice of San Diego by Ry Rivard

An increasing number of solutions to California and Arizona’s long term water problems now involve Mexico. Some of the ideas are seemingly far-fetched, like a pipeline to bring water from the Gulf of California to the Salton Sea in Imperial County. Some are already happening, like Mexico agreeing to reduce its water use in the event of a Colorado River shortage.After decades of warnings, officials who rely on the Colorado River which provides water to 40 million Americans and Mexicans  have begun to reckon with the long-known fact that cities and farms are expecting to receive more water from the river than the river usually holds.

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OPINION: It’s Time To Push The Pause Button On The Cadiz Water Project

/in , /by /The Press Enterprise (Riverside)by Richard Roth

“Whiskey’s for drinking and water’s for fighting,” a quote frequently if probably erroneously attributed to Mark Twain, is as true a statement today as it was during Twain’s time in the 19th and early 20th centuries. And, for the past 20 years, there certainly has been plenty of fighting going on over the amount of water that can be sustainably withdrawn from a water basin underneath the Mojave Desert. Cadiz, a Mojave land owner, has proposed, and continues to propose, to pump water and lots of it  from the Mojave aquifer and sell it to water districts hundreds of miles away, at a profit, potentially destroying the Mojave Desert in the process.

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A Dry Desert With Its History Surrounded By Stories Of Water

/in , /by /The Desert Sunby Tracy Conrad

Despite its designation as a desert, the Coachella Valley is blessed with water. The very names associated with the most prominent places and businesses in the desert, such as the Oasis Hotel, Mineral Springs Hotel, Deep Well, Indian Wells, Palm Springs, Snow Creek, and Tahquitz River Estates, all conjure up pretty images of water. But the early story of desert water is more utilitarian than picturesque: it quite literally can be seen as a history of ditches.

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There are new enhanced rebates for removing turf and replacing it with sustainable landscaping. Photo: Water Authority

Cash Rebates Increase for Grass Removal in San Diego Region

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Removing grass can generate rebates of at least $2 per square foot for San Diego residents under new enhanced incentives that started this month.

As of April 1, the Metropolitan Water District is offering $2 per square foot for every square foot of grass removed from yards and replaced with sustainable landscaping.

Rebates may vary by water agency, but an online incentive calculator identifies the current rebate amounts.

New rules for turf rebates. Graphic: BeWaterSmart.com

New rules for turf rebates. Graphic: BeWaterSmart.com

To increase participation, MWD also updated program rules. The rules are listed at the application site.

All San Diego County residents are eligible for the $2 rebate.

But, that’s not all. The San Diego County Water Authority is offering an additional $1.75 per square foot to customers in its service area, with grant funds provided by the California Department of Water Resources.  And, the City of San Diego offers city residents $1.25 per square foot. That means some homeowners can earn as much as a $5 rebate for each square foot of turf removed.

Turf rebate programs have proven popular in Southern California, and funds could go quickly.

Water Authority offers free landscaping classes

While rebates can provide a big boost to landscaping makeover projects, it’s also important to start planning before you start planting.

That’s where the Water Authority’s WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Program comes in. Free resources are available to upgrade turf yards.

For instance, the Water Authority offers free landscape makeover classes that help homeowners make smart choices to reduce outdoor water use by designing beautiful and climate-appropriate landscapes for our region.

Find additional water-saving programs, incentives, and classes for residents and businesses at: https://www.watersmartsd.org/

“San Diego County homeowners and businesses know that sustainable landscapes are key to water reliability in our region,” said Joni German, who manages the Water Authority’s WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Program. With the help of local landscape architects and designers, our WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Program gives them the knowledge and skills they need to be successful. WaterSmart landscapes are an upgrade, not a compromise.”

Western Bird Species Are Struggling In Face Of Rapidly Changing Climate

/in , /by /KPBS (San Diego)by Erik Anderson

New research finds that climate change is putting stress on wetlands in the West’s Great Basin and that is putting pressure on bird populations navigating the Pacific Flyway. Changing water conditions linked to climate change are impacting the wetland habitats that waterbirds rely on. The basin includes most of Nevada and parts of Utah, Arizona, Oregon and the eastern edge of California. Warmer temperatures and less rain are affecting wetland habitats. “Eleven of those 14 birds that we looked at there were significant correlations between changes in climate and a decrease in population,” said Susan Haig, U.S. Geological Survey researcher emeritus.

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OPINION: San Diego Is Ready For Some Big Water Solutions

/in , , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Jim Madaffer Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Back in the early 1990s — near the start of my career at San Diego City Hall — the San Diego County Water Authority launched a historic effort to sustain the region’s economy and quality of life by diversifying our water supplies so that we didn’t depend on one source for 95 percent of our water. That effort took many forms, many billions of dollars and more than two decades — but it paid off in spades. Even though we are at the literal end of the pipeline, today we have among the most diversified and secure water supply systems anywhere.

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Cash Rebates Increase For Grass Removal In San Diego Region

/in , , /by /Water News Network (San Diego) Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Removing grass can generate rebates of at least $2 per square foot for San Diego residents under new enhanced incentives that started this month. As of April 1, the Metropolitan Water District is offering $2 per square foot for every square foot of grass removed from yards and replaced with sustainable landscaping. Rebates may vary by water agency, but an online incentive calculator identifies the current rebate amounts. To increase participation, MWD also updated program rules. The rules are listed at the application site. All San Diego County residents are eligible for the $2 rebate.

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Water Board Orders Water Prohibition For Cannabis Grows Through October

/in , /by /Ukiah Daily Journal (Ukiah, Calif.)by Jim Shields

On March 29, the State Water Resources Control Board announced that cannabis cultivators with water rights are not allowed to divert surface water for cannabis cultivation activities at any time from April 1 through October 31 of this year unless the water diverted is from storage. The Board’s action is what is known as a “forbearance order” that is a central provision in state marijuana legalization policy. It’s really just common sense because it prohibits using water from surface sources, such as streams, creeks, and rivers during California’s dry season.

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OPINION: Saving The Salton Sea Isn’t Just California’s Problem, Says Sen. Dianne Feinstein

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)

I agree with the March 29 editorial that projects to cover the shrinking Salton Sea’s exposed shoreline are desperately needed to prevent an environmental and public health crisis.In the recent farm bill, I secured provisions that made the Salton Sea eligible for Department of Agriculture conservation funding for the first time. We’re now working with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to make additional funds available as quickly as possible to support conservation efforts at the Salton Sea. Addressing the Salton Sea’s shoreline problems is only one step needed to improve environmental conditions for Imperial County residents.

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Reservoirs Release More Water In Anticipation Of Snowpack

/in , /by /Calaveras Enterprise, (Calaveras, Calif.)by Davis Harper

Local reservoir managers are proactively releasing water at higher rates than usual in anticipation of increased inflows from heavy winter rains and snowstorms. The Central Sierra five station index has recorded 43 inches of rain since Oct. 1, the beginning of the water year – 129 percent of normal levels for April 1. The snowpack for the San Joaquin hydrologic region, which encompasses the northern portion of the San Joaquin Valley bordered by the Sierra Nevada on the east and coastal mountains of the Diablo Range on the west, is at 165 percent of its average with about 48 inches in snow water equivalent for this time of year, based on California Department of Water Resources data.

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