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Water District Appoints Ad Hoc Committee to Look at Accounting and Financial Systems

/in , /by /Ramona Sentinelby Julie Gallant

With an eye on improving the Ramona Municipal Water District’s accounting and financial reports, the district’s board of directors unanimously agreed Jan. 12 to appoint a two-person Ad Hoc Financial Reporting Committee, though the committee’s goals and objectives are being debated. The committee is tasked with reviewing and recommending potential changes to the district’s accounting practices and the contents and format of its financial reports, district officials said. The intent is to report the findings and make recommendations if appropriate to the board on Feb. 9.

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Opinion: After COVID-19, Drought Threat Still Looms

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Dan Walters

California is enveloped in balmy weather that’s more like spring than mid-winter — and that’s not a good thing. We have seen only scant rain and snow this winter, indicating that the state may be experiencing one of its periodic droughts and adding another layer of crisis to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recession. The all-important Sierra snowpack, California’s primary source of water, is scarcely half of what is deemed a normal depth.

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Californians Owe $1 Billion in Water Bills, Facing Massive Shutoffs. Is Relief on the Way?

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Monica Vaughan

In a time of record-breaking unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Californians owe an estimated $1 billion in unpaid water utility bills. With reduced revenue, hundreds of water utilities are at high risk of financial emergency. The State Water Board estimates at least 1.6 million households have an average of roughly $500 in water debt — a crisis that could lead to a wave of families facing water shutoffs, liens on their homes or other collection methods.

 

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Coalition Seeks Water Funding in Infrastructure Bill

/in , , /by /AgAlertby Dave Kranz

Describing federal investment in Western water management as “essential,” a coalition of more than 200 organizations has urged the incoming Biden administration and the new Congress to include water facilities in any future infrastructure or economic-recovery package. The coalition, including a number of national and regional organizations plus farm groups and water districts from 15 states, sent separate letters last week to President-elect Biden and the Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate.

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Poway Council Unready to Dip Toes into Los Peñasquitos Lagoon Restoration

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby City News Service

The Poway City Council Tuesday evening directed staff to further negotiate with regional partners on the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon restoration project. The council chose that option over immediately spending $6.7 million, as part of a multi-agency agreement, to reduce the level of sediment in the lagoon.

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Opinion: Water Partnerships Between Cities and Farms Would Help Prepare for a Changing Climate

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Alvar Escriva-Bou

San Joaquin Valley farms and Southern California cities are facing different but equally daunting water challenges. For Valley farmers, the requirement to achieve groundwater sustainability in coming years has heightened interest in expanding water supplies to reduce the need to fallow irrigated farmland. For Southern California, falling demands since the early 2000s have reduced water stress during normal and wet years, but a warming climate makes future droughts a major concern.

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Colorado River Restoration Project Crawls Forward as Some Environmental Groups Call for Radical Change

/in , , /by /The Aspen Timesby Lindsay Fendt

The Colorado River Water Conservation District at a board meeting Tuesday voted to give $1 million of their taxpayer-raised funds to help construct the Colorado River Connectivity Channel, which will improve deteriorated conditions at the headwaters of the Colorado River.

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California’s Changing Climate Gives New Fuel to Fire Season

/in /by /Bloomberg Greenby Mark Chediak and Brian K Sullivan

California’s changing climate has pushed fire season to new lengths, triggering once-rare winter blackouts. State utilities cut power to more than 72,000 homes and businesses Tuesday in a preemptive effort to prevent live wires from sparking wildfires as Santa Ana winds threaten to fan flames. Blazes are breaking out nonetheless, including in Santa Cruz County, where two fires are prompting evacuations.

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Gov. Newsom’s Draft Budget Funds Sustainable Ag

/in , /by /Capital Pressby Sierra Dawn McClain

Gov. Gavin Newsom has released his proposed state budget, which includes provisions for sustainable agriculture programs in California.

The proposed budget directs money to the state’s Climate Smart Agriculture programs, including the Healthy Soils Program and SWEEP, the State Water Efficiency Program.

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Water Authority Prevails in Two Rate Cases Against Los Angeles MWD

/in , , /by /Times of San Diego Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

A San Francisco Superior Court judge ruled the San Diego County Water Authority is the prevailing party in the first of two lawsuits challenging rates and charges set by the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The order entitles the Water Authority to recover its attorneys’ fees and costs in those cases, in addition to a $44 million damage and interest award made earlier.

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