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High Tech, High Stakes: How Vulnerable to Cyberattacks is U.S. Water Infrastructure?

/in , /by /Water Finance & Managementby Andrew Farr

According to government officials, security experts and persistent media reports, all signs indicate that cybersecurity is an issue that is here to stay and puts U.S. infrastructure squarely in the crosshairs of hackers and foreign governments. Recently the issue has been heightened by the war in Ukraine and has increased concerns about a potential Russian retaliation to U.S. sanctions that may come in the form of a cyberattack.

But whether it’s Russia, China, another foreign government or an independent hacker, concerns about how cyberattacks could impact infrastructure in the United States have been elevated – and a look at how they could affect the water industry is fascinating.

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California, Utah and Other Western States Face Scary Wildfire Season

/in , , /by /Desert Newsby Amy Joi O'Donoghue

Northern California is suffering when it comes to extreme drought conditions, very little snow and a wildfire season predicted to start much earlier.

Last year, more than 2.5 million acres burned in that state, and officials fear it could be as bad this year, if not worse.

An Axios report noted that already this year, the Sacramento office of the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for wildfires.
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Farms, Fish on Dry California-Oregon Border See Scant Water

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Gillian Flaccus

Farms that rely on irrigation from a depleted, federally managed lake on the California-Oregon border, along with a Native American tribe fighting to protect fragile salmon, will both receive extremely limited amounts of water this summer as a historic drought and record-low reservoir levels drag on in the U.S. West.

More than 1,000 farmers and ranchers who draw water from a 257-mile-long (407-kilometer) river that flows from the Upper Klamath Lake to the Pacific Ocean will have access to roughly one-seventh the amount they could get in a wetter year, a federal agency announced Monday. Downstream salmon will receive about half the water they’d get if the reservoir was full.

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As Drought Persists, Government Says Klamath Farmers Will Be Allocated Limited Water

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

As severe drought persists in Northern California and southern Oregon, the federal Bureau of Reclamation announced Monday that farmers and ranchers will be allocated a limited amount of water in the Klamath River Basin this summer.

Water is at the center of bitter disputes between growers, the federal government and tribes over how much should be allocated for food production, flows in the Klamath River and the health of threatened fish.

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IID Forms Committee to Keep Eye on Colorado River Negotiations

/in , , /by /The Desert Reviewby Betty Miller

Imperial Irrigation District formed the Colorado River Committee at the April 12 meeting after debate on the need for another committee and the pre-appointments by Board President Jim Hanks of himself and Director JB Hamby.

Director Javier Gonzalez said he would not support the formation of another committee as with all the others, never is one reported on back to the board.

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How California’s Highly Anticipated Drought Rules Will Likely Impact San Diegans

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Joshua Emerson Smith Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego’s top water managers have pleaded for months with state officials in Sacramento not to adopt mandatory drought restrictions similar to those imposed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown in 2015.

For now, it appears their concerns have been heeded. Gov. Gavin Newsom recently laid out a pathway for curtailing water use that gives local jurisdictions significant flexibility over how hard to push residents to conserve.

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East County Nears Vote on New Wastewater Plant Amid Historic Drought

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Blake Nelson

East County is moving closer to building a new wastewater treatment plant to recycle millions of gallons a day, amid a severe lack of rainfall that’s pushed the region into its driest period in a millennium.

Officials with the local Helix Water District have announced they and other project leaders are more than halfway done designing a system to make the region less reliant on outside water. The governing body overseeing the project is scheduled to vote May 19 on a final price with contractors, a spokeswoman said.

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California’s Driest Start to the Year Sparks Water, Wildfire Concerns

/in , , /by /Axiosby Andrew Freedman

California is entering the dry season with its water resources in a precarious position, having seen its driest start to the year on record. A heat wave last week sent temperatures soaring into the 90s and even triple-digits in some locations, as the paltry Sierra Nevada snowpack shrunk even further.

Why it matters: Water and wildfire woes lie ahead for the nation’s most populous state, as spring runoff into reservoirs slows to a trickle, and forests dry out unusually early in the year.

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Snowstorm and Rain Showers Fall on Northern California, Days After Spring Heat Wave

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Michael McGough

Just days after parts of the valley reached 90 degrees, and less than a day removed from the earliest fire weather warning ever issued in spring, rain and snow fell Monday across Northern California amid a 30-degree cooldown expected to last most of this week.

Chain controls were in place on several mountain highways Monday morning, Caltrans said, as the National Weather Service predicts about a foot of snow could fall at the pass level in the central Sierra Nevada range by the end of the day. Snow will fall as low as about 4,000 feet.

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Powell’s Looming Power Problem

/in , , /by /High Country Newsby Jonathan Thompson

Thirty-nine years ago, due to record-breaking snowfall in the Upper Colorado River Basin, Lake Powell rose substantially, catching river managers off-guard. By late June, the reservoir was nearly overflowing, forcing operators — for the first time ever — to rely on the spillways. Instead of giving relief, that precipitated a new crisis, as a phenomenon called cavitation sent shockwaves through the spillways’ innards, tearing through the concrete and then the sandstone, putting the colossal Glen Canyon Dam in peril.

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