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Colder Waters Off West Coast Mark End Of “The Blob”

Record high Pacific Ocean temperatures recorded off the West Cost in recent years have receded to near normal, according to a report on the California Current.

That cool shift marks the end of “the blob,” the mass of warm water that dominated the West Coast, and of the El Nino event that followed. It’s unclear, however, what that means for fish and marine mammals, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stated in the 2019 ecosystem status report for the California Current Ecosystem.

State Board Of Food And Ag Seeks Public Input On Creating Climate-Resilient Water System

The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will host a public comment session on California’s Water Future on Thursday, Sept. 5, Fresno.

The meeting will be held from noon to 3:30 p.m. at the Fresno County Farm Bureau, 1274 W. Hedges Ave., Fresno.

State agencies are asking Californians to help shape a roadmap for meeting future water needs and ensuring environmental and economic resilience through the 21st century.

 

 

Helix, Padre Dam Water District Workers Back From Paradise

Six East County water district employees are now back home after spending a week in Paradise, helping the Paradise Irrigation District clear pipes of potential toxins and bring clean water to the town that was nearly wiped out in November’s Camp Fire.

Helix Water District employees John Wilson, Dan Baker, Eric Hughes and Bryan Watte, and Padre Dam Municipal Water District workers Austin Darley and Jesse Knowles worked in the the Butte County town in Northern California outside of Chico starting Aug. 19. They were part of a mutual aid agreement requested by the Paradise Irrigation District.

Breakingviews – Wall Street Mistakes Water For A Business Washout

Stockholm’s architecture, waterways and balmy climate make Sweden’s capital a tourist haven in the summer. Throw in the networking appeal of almost 4,000 people in town for the annual World Water Week confab, including government officials and executives from big companies like Diageo, Apple and Nestlé, and it’s hard to imagine Wall Street types not flooding the event. But most stay away.

Local Businesses Could Be Eligible For A Climate-Friendly Car

The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District will host a workshop Tuesday for a program to help mitigate the use of high-polluting vehicles around the county.

The APCDs “Clean Air for All” campaign will allow businesses, nonprofits and government organizations to replace their high-emission vehicles with more climate-friendly options. County Supervisors Nathan Fletcher and Greg Cox announced the program earlier this month.

Salton Sea Odor Advisory Extended Again. Relief May Come On Wednesday

An odor advisory issued last week for the Coachella Valley to elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide that smell like rotten eggs was extended again on Monday, this time for another two days.

It is now set to expire Wednesday afternoon.

The advisory had already been extended three times since Aug. 18 due to the stench emanating from a sparsely populated area immediately downwind from the Salton Sea.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued the advisory after detecting hydrogen sulfide concentrations at 239 parts per billion, exceeding the state standard of 30 parts per billion.

Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins Couldn’t Have Orchestrated It Better If She Tried

Her Senate Bill 1 is the year’s most far-reaching environmental legislation. It declares that the state would adhere to laws governing clean air, water, endangered species and labor that were in place in January 2017, when President Trump took office, and before he set about trying to unravel environmental law. Farm groups mounted a major campaign to sway legislators to amend or kill the bill, and seemed to be gathering momentum.

Microplastics Are Found In Lake Tahoe’s Waters For First Time

Scientists have detected microplastic pollution in Lake Tahoe’s deep blue waters for the first time. Now they are trying to determine its source and potential harm to the lake’s flora and fauna.
Preliminary analyses of water samples collected by researchers at the Desert Research Institute in Reno revealed the presence of particles of synthetic fiber and bits of red and blue plastic no bigger than the head of a pin.

Cal Water Completes Two Infrastructure Improvement Projects

California Water Service (Cal Water) recently completed two infrastructure projects in the Kern River Valley and Los Altos. The first was the installation of more than 4,200 feet of a new transmission water main in the Los Altos’ Rancho neighborhood, which will strengthen water system reliability and infrastructure resiliency for customers and enhance fire protection in emergencies. Cal Water crews installed new 16-inch, ductile iron water main on Covington Road, between Parma Way and South El Monte Avenue, and extending to the intersection of Foothill Expressway and South El Monte Avenue. “Through careful planning and execution, we were able to complete this complex water system improvement project without disrupting our customers’ water service,” said Cal Water District Manager Ron Richardson.

State Launches Probe Into Oil Field Spills – Including One That’s Been Flowing Since 2003

State oil and gas regulators say they’re launching an investigation of operations in a Kern County oil field after a series of large, uncontrolled crude petroleum releases near Chevron wells — including one that has continued on and off for more than 16 years and may have spewed out more than 50 million gallons of crude oil.

The state Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, known as DOGGR, served Chevron with a notice of violation on Friday, ordering the company to stop major, uncontrolled surface flows at a site called Gauge Setting 5, or GS-5, in the Cymric oil field. Oil has been flowing from the location since March 2003.