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Water Authority Distributes Protective Masks to SoCal Water Agencies

The San Diego County Water Authority is distributing 25,000 cloth masks to water and wastewater agency employees in six Southern California counties as part of the national effort to ensure essential workers have enough protective gear during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The masks are available to public and private water and wastewater utilities in Mono, Inyo, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego and Imperial counties. Water Authority staff created a drive-through operation to maintain physical distancing while handing out the facemasks.

“It’s a tall order, but one that leverages our core values of collaboration and communication on behalf of our community,” said Water Authority General Manager Sandra L. Kerl. “It’s part of our duty as water and wastewater professionals to continue ensuring a clean, safe, and reliable water supply for our region – and beyond.”

Expected Spring Runoff into Colorado River Plunges After Dry April

A dry April caused the expected spring-summer runoff into Lake Powell to plunge dramatically, with the water-flow forecast down the Colorado River declining as much in one month as Tucson Water customers use in 10 years.

Water Quality Issues, Safety Concerns are Significant Drags on Water Utility Customer Satisfaction

As the Environmental Protection Agency moves closer to implementing regulations for PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), commonly referred to as “forever chemicals,” in the U.S. drinking water supply, many Americans are “just saying no” to tap water. According to the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study released today, 25 percent of Americans say they never drink their tap water, setting the stage for a serious set of customer satisfaction challenges on the part of regional water utilities.

Americans Are Told to Wash Hands to Fight Coronavirus. But Some Don’t Trust the Tap

For the Chavez family and many others in California’s fertile San Joaquin Valley, bottled water is the toilet paper of their coronavirus pandemic — an everyday necessity that vanished from supermarket shelves.

California Regulator Adopts Safe Drinking Water Plan

California’s top water regulator adopted a plan Tuesday that will guide the state in identifying and helping communities that don’t have access to safe drinking water.

Opinion: How to Waste $1 Billion in Less than a Minute

Why would a public agency support an unnecessary and risky billion-dollar desalination plant and let a private utility profit hundreds of millions of dollars at the public’s expense? Here’s the story.

Hottest Temperatures of the Week Expected in San Diego County

The hottest temperatures of the week are expected Wednesday throughout San Diego County, but relief will arrive this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

High pressure over Baja California will keep temperatures warm through Friday throughout the county, then temperatures will drop quickly and return to around seasonal average on Sunday, forecasters said.

A heat advisory is in effect until 9 p.m. Friday in the western valleys and an excessive heat watch will also last until 9 p.m. Friday in the deserts.

High temperatures Wednesday are forecast to reach 82 degrees near the coast, 90 inland, 96 in the western valleys, 95 in the mountains and 110 in the deserts.

Coronavirus Could Worsen Death Toll of Summer Heat Waves, Health Officials Warn

As summer descends on the U.S., public health experts are warning that the coronavirus could make intense heat waves deadlier, adding to the devastating death toll the country has suffered.

Opinion: Now, More Than Ever, We Need Tribes at the Water Negotiating Table

A study recently published in the journal Science found that global warming and climate change have led to an emerging “megadrought” in the western U.S. – and that the drought we’ve been experiencing over the last 20 years is as bad or worse than any in 1,200 years.

Red Tide Causes Big Stink Along Local Beaches

For the last two weeks, an algae bloom has dazzled crowds and lit up waves in Southern California. But now, scientists say it’s turning deadly for some fish, and they want to know why.