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Opinion: Water May Cost More Now, But 30 Years Ago San Diego Almost Ran Out

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Gary Croucher Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the cost of water — and that makes sense given the economic realities faced by many residents, farmers, and businesses. But it also seems that newer generations of San Diegans do not know that there was a time when we didn’t have water when and where we needed it.

Thankfully, that’s not a problem in San Diego County today even though elsewhere drought-stricken communities face the potential of only having enough water to meet basic health and safety needs.

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Dry January Raises Drought Concerns, Precipitation Relief Not Immediate

/in , , /by /CBS Sacramentoby CBS13 Staff

The nice weather in January is setting the wrong record.

From a wet December to a dry January, this month saw such little precipitation it marks the second driest January on record.

“We need 20 to 21 inches more of precipitation over the Sierra to close the season out to finish at normal,” said Craig Shoemaker, a meteorologist and climate program manager for the National Weather Service.

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Los Angeles Is Building a Future Where Water Won’t Run Out

/in , , /by /Bloombergby Brian Eckhouse and Laura Bliss

A helicopter whisks off a rooftop in downtown Los Angeles, climbs above a thin layer of haze and soars over barren mountains past the city’s edge. Soon, scars of climatic stress are evident to L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and Martin Adams, general manager and chief engineer of the city’s water and power department, as they peer out the windows. Trees torched years ago by wildfire. Flats parched by sun and little precipitation.

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It’s Official — San Diego Will End January With Lowest Rainfall in Nearly a Decade

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Gary Robbins

San Diego will finish January with 0.16 inches of rain, making it the driest January since 2014, when San Diego International Airport recorded 0.01 inches of precipitation, says the National Weather Service.

Forecasters say the airport won’t receive any rain on Sunday or Monday, and that the region is unlikely to get significant precipitation through February 7.

The airport averages 1.86 inches in January.

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New Plan Lays Out Ways to Protect Lake Powell From Drought

/in , , /by /KUERby Lexi Peery

The framework for how Upper Colorado River Basin states will respond to low water levels at Lake Powell is now out for public review.

It’s called the Drought Response Operations Plan, which is part of the larger Drought Contingency Plan signed in 2019. These policies were put in place because of the troubling hydrology in the region.

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Marin Water Agencies Explore New Sources of Supply

/in , /by /Marin Independent Journalby Will Houston

After facing critical water shortages last year, Marin County’s two largest water agencies are exploring new supply options.

Connecting to other water agencies, desalination, capturing more rainwater and raising existing dams are among the options being explored by Marin Municipal Water District, which serves 191,000 residents in central and southern Marin, and the North Marin Water District, which serves about 62,000 residents in Novato and West Marin.

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Fewer Cold Snaps a Concern as Climate Summaries Show More Warming

/in , /by /ABC 10by Carley Gomez

The lack of winter cold snaps are now another issue piling on the the climate change situation. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), released it’s climate summary findings, and in California, the key messages involved a 3°F temperature increase over the 20th century.

The warming temperatures over time are causing big swings across the board. Warmer temperatures mean snow is prone to fall at higher altitudes. What would have fallen at lower altitudes is becoming rain. The lack of snow limits our use of snowpack, a natural reservoir in California.

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‘The Baton Has Been Passed’: Newsom, Local Leaders Could Make or Break Infrastructure Bill

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Tal Kopan and Dustin Gardiner

President Biden and Congress may have passed the law pouring more than $1 trillion into the nation’s infrastructure — but it’s what state governments like California do next that really matters.

State coffers are poised to get nearly $14 billion over the next five years through automatic funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act alone, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget, not including potentially billions more through grant programs still being crafted. But what the Newsom administration does next with the money remains to be determined, and could make or break the efficacy of the bill.

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Drought Exposes ‘Canary in This Coal Mine’ of PFAS in Well Water

/in , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Pat Rizzuto and Bobby Magill

Drought is exposing new layers of risk posed by PFAS contamination in drinking water nationwide, a public health hazard expected to cost billions of dollars and take years to solve, state and federal officials say.

As the historic drought hitting much of the country decreases the flow of rivers and streams, more municipalities are drawing water from underground aquifers and wells. And emerging data shows PFAS contamination could be prevalent in some of those groundwater sources.

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Questions About Lack of Diversity and Racial Bias Roil Major California Water Supplier

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

Not every water development plan has gone over well. In the late 1990s, a $55 million LADWP plan to treat wastewater to potable standards was killed after public outcry, with newspapers labeling the concept with the icky phrase “toilet to tap.”

But attitudes have changed. Other parts of Southern California have shown that reclaimed water is safe to drink, and public awareness has grown to the point that what L.A. is planning at its sewage treatment plants no longer seems novel, Adams says.

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