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Opinion: It’s Time to Re-Envision the California Water System

/in , , /by /AgAlertby Justin Fredrickson (California Farm Bureau Federation)

Recent years have brought a taste of extreme weather and the destructive power in nature that’s always just around the corner here in California. At the same time, numerous crises have highlighted our many vulnerabilities: drought, new groundwater restrictions, endless stumbling blocks in the way of system repairs and upgrades, regulatory restrictions to protect declining fish, and elusive voluntary agreements in lieu of  “unimpaired flow” standards for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta from the state water board that would be ineffective and would cripple regional economies.

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Buildings Reopening After Coronavirus May Face Tainted Water Systems

/in , , /by /91.5 KJZZby Nicholas Gerbis

The coronavirus pandemic has shuttered many buildings. As prospects for reopening rise, so too does the need to contend with water systems potentially contaminated during the shutdown. Stagnant water in pipes or tanks can breed microorganisms like Legionella pneumophila, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease. Heavy metals like lead and copper also can build up, as can byproducts of chlorination by water utilities. Kerry Hamilton of Arizona State University’s Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering says reopening will require the thorough flushing and maintenance of affected systems, and a good water management plan.

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Tribes, Green Groups Sue Over Trump Rollback of Water Rights

/in , , /by /The Hillby Rebecca Beitch

The Environmental Protection Agency is being sued for the second time in a week over a rule that limits states’ ability to fight big projects such as pipelines, with tribes and environmental groups who fear damage to nearby waters taking the latest action in court.

The new suit, filed Tuesday on behalf of three different tribal groups and the Sierra Club, argues states and tribes have a right to place conditions on federal projects that could degrade waters within their borders or to reject them altogether.

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Toxics Agency Overhaul Ordered by California Legislature

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Emily C. Dooley

California’s beleaguered toxics oversight agency could at last get an overhaul under a bill heading to the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In the final hours of the 2-year legislative session the Senate and Assembly on Monday approved AB 995, which would create an oversight board for the state Department of Toxic Substances Control, among other actions.

Other bills did not make it to final votes and died. They include:

  • AB 326 would have allowed for month-to-month memberships, rather than longer-term leases or purchase, of electric vehicles to expand access to clean cars.
  • AB 3074 would have required buildings in certain hazard areas have a five-foot zone around structures that are ember-resistant and that intense fuel reduction methods be applied between five and 30 feet around a building. This bill passed but was contingent on the passage of a wildfire resilience bill, SB 1348, which died.
  • SB 668 would have expanded the number of water suppliers that must have emergency preparedness plans and update them every five years.
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Tainted Valley Groundwater Could Stymie Banking Deals

/in , , /by /SJV Waterby Lois Henry

The big kahuna of California water — Metropolitan Water District of Southern California — has stopped taking supplies from one Kern County groundwater bank because the water is heavily tainted with a cancer-causing agent that is pervasive in Central Valley’s aquifers. While only one banking program has been affected so far, the emergence of this issue could have huge implications for water storage and movement in the Central Valley.

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California Allows Polluting Power Plants to Keep Running. Recent Blackouts Helped Save Them

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

Two weeks after California was hit with rolling blackouts, state regulators extended the lifespan of a fleet of gas-fired power plants Tuesday, saying the facilities are needed to maintain reliability of the electricity grid. The State Water Resources Control Board voted 4-0 to allow nine generating units to operate up to three more years before they’re mothballed, overriding objections from environmentalists and some local officials complaining about air and water pollution.

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Opinion: Blackouts Expose Need for Expanding Energy Storage

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Daily Newsby Jim Madaffer Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The sad reality is that the blackouts rolling across California this past week were both predictable and avoidable. The silver lining is that future blackouts across California are avoidable – if we invest in large-scale energy storage projects to provide on-demand power.

Energy analysts have warned for years that California’s embrace of renewable energy sources – while laudable – create significant risks that can and should be addressed to sustain our economy and quality of life while maintaining progress toward the state’s climate goals. What no one could have known was that we’d be roiled by a pandemic and a recession when the energy grid’s weaknesses were exposed for everyone to see.

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New Lake Jennings Boat Dock Open

/in , , /by /Water News Network

A new floating boat dock at popular reservoir and recreation facility Lake Jennings was unveiled with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 31 and opened to the public for boating and fishing activities.

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PFAS Liability: “Sovereign Immunity” Means Companies May Foot the Bill

/in , , /by /The National Law Reviewby John Gardella

Environmental watch groups, legislators, the media, and litigators have all squarely focused on PFAS contamination in one primary source – water.  More specifically, drinking water. Environmental groups test local water supplies and report PFAS counts, politicians introduce bills at the state and federal levels to regulate the amount of PFAS permitted in drinking water, the media gives citizens daily news updates on PFAS in drinking water, and lawsuits are increasingly filed for both personal injury and remediation costs.

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Drinking Water, Clean Energy, Lithium Bills Pass in California

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Emily C. Dooley

California’s Senate and Assembly approved a number of bills in the Legislature’s waning hours Monday, including measures that would ensure funding for a safe drinking water fund, make it easier to upgrade schools with clean energy appliances, help electric utilities manage ratepayer deficits related to the coronavirus pandemic, and take other actions.

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