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Climate Change, Drought Are Endangering Hydropower Production From Lake Powell. Is It Time to ‘Balance the Water Budget’?

/in , , /by /The Salt Lake Tribuneby Zach Podmore

The water level in Lake Powell was at a record low when rain and snow began to fall across the Colorado River Basin in October, soaking dry soils ahead of the winter season.

Water managers, who hoped the trend would build into an above-average snow year that might delay a looming water crisis in the Southwest, watched the snowpack drop to near zero in November. Then, after a massive storm cycle brought six feet of snow to parts of the Rockies around the New Year, they again breathed a sigh of relief.

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Winter Storm Brings Much Needed Water and Snow to Southern California

/in , , /by /KUSI News

Cold, windy and occasionally wet conditions will continue across San Diego County through Wednesday, with widespread rain and mountain snow possible before things warm up later in the week.

“Hazardous travel is expected, especially through the mountains,” according to the National Weather Service.

A winter storm warning will be in effect through 6 p.m. Wednesday in the San Diego County mountains, with snow accumulating up to a foot in some areas, with as much as 18 inches on higher peaks.

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MID Sets Water Allotment and Lets Farmers Share Supply Amid Yet Another Drought

/in , , /by /The Modesto Beeby John Holland

The Modesto Irrigation District will deliver about 60% of its usual water this year because of the persistent drought.

The district board voted 5-0 Tuesday morning for this allotment from the Tuolumne River. It affects about 58,000 acres of farmland, as well as a treatment plant that eases reliance on groundwater in Modesto and a few other towns.

MID is in relatively good shape as California’s drought enters its third year. The Turlock Irrigation District, which also diverts from the Tuolumne, has not yet set a 2022 allotment for its nearly 150,000 acres.

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As Climate Change Costs Mount, Biden Seeks to Price Damages

/in , /by /AP Newsby Matthew Brown

In the coal fields of eastern Montana, climate change is forcing a stark choice: halt mining that helped build everything from schools to senior centers or risk astronomical future damage as fossil fuel emissions warm the planet and increase disasters, crop losses and premature deaths.

One of the largest mines in this arid region straddling the Wyoming border is Spring Creek — a gaping hole among sagebrush hills where house-sized mechanical shovels dig up millions of tons of coal annually, much of it shipped overseas and burned in Asian power plants.

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Could the LA River Dry Up? Fears Grow as Cities Recycle More Wastewater

/in , /by /Spectrum News 1

For most of the year, the Los Angeles River is sustained by a flow of wastewater.

Now, a battle is brewing between environmentalists and wastewater recycling advocates about where that wastewater should go. In an interview for “LA Times Today,” staff writer Louis Sahagun told host Lisa McRee about the water fight and the future of the LA River.

Much of the water in the LA River is treated sewer water. Most of it comes from toilet and sinks and is discharged by Glendale, Burbank and city of LA.

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Biden Says Commercial-Scale Lithium Extraction Possible in Imperial Valley by 2026

/in , , /by /Desert Sunby Erin Rode

As the Imperial Valley begins its transformation into what some are calling Lithium Valley, one company says it could have lithium production at commercial scale by 2026, President Joe Biden said Tuesday at an event with Gov. Gavin Newsom, industry executives, community representatives and labor leaders.

Biden met with the group to announce several investments in domestic production of critical minerals and materials, including lithium extraction in Imperial County.

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Winners Announced in Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve Photo Contest

/in , , /by /Water News Network

Amateur photographers turned their lenses on skies and streams, coyotes and cactus, and overlooked details in nature to produce seven winning images in the 15th annual Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve photo contest. The winners were announced this week at the Olivenhain Municipal Water District February 2022 board meeting.

The seven photos are now on display in the Elfin Forest Interpretive Center Honoring Susan J. Varty through April 30, 2022. The Escondido Creek Conservancy contributed printing services to showcase one of the North County’s favorite hiking spots.

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Regional Water Delivery System Repairs Start March 1 in Bonsall

/in , , /by /Village News Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority is proactively fixing a 90-inch diameter pipeline in Bonsall as part of the agency’s long-term commitment to maintaining regional investments in water supply reliability and affordability.

Water Authority staff detected potential pipeline weaknesses just north of West Lilac Road in late January using real-time acoustic fiber-optic monitoring. This technology locates distressed sections of pipelines even while they are in use as part of the Water Authority’s high-tech asset management program.

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As Drought Lingers, Larger and More Destructive Wildfires Pose New Threats to Water Supply

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith

Already diminished by drought and extreme heat, California’s water supply will face yet another peril as wildfires continue to incinerate ever larger areas of forested land, according to new research.

In a UCLA-led study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers determined that increasing forest fire activity is “unhinging” western U.S. stream flow from its historical predictability. In areas where more than a fifth of the forest had burned, stream flow increased by an average of 30% for six years after the fire.

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A Parched West Remains Divided on Desalinating Seawater

/in , , /by /PEWby Matt Vasilogambros

Gripped by drought, communities along California’s coast are exploring innovations and investments to ensure residents have access to drinking water. But desalinating seawater, one proposed solution, has provoked heated debate, as some environmentalists say the process is inefficient, expensive and unneeded.

The California Coastal Commission next month will decide whether to approve a private company’s application to build a $1.4 billion seawater desalination facility in Huntington Beach, southeast of Los Angeles. An approval would cap a 15-year permitting process to bring Southern California its second, large-scale seawater desalination facility—joining another in Carlsbad that fully opened in 2015.

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