Californians continue to get hit with water conservation restrictions while in the midst of one of the worst droughts in state history. Now, some water districts are taking another step towards limiting waste from residents who have incurred multiple violations in recent months.
A strong case can be made that modern environmentalism was born in California. In 1864, Yosemite Valley and a nearby grove of sequoias became the nation’s first publicly protected wilderness area. Exactly 100 years later, after many other environmental landmarks, the state issued the world’s first tailpipe-emission standards.
At California’s second biggest freshwater lake, the latest fallout of drought is gruesome: dead fish in nearby stream beds that have run dry.
Some of the foot-long, silvery Clear Lake hitch have been decapitated by raccoons and other varmints, which have had easy pickings of the beached minnow.
The grim sightings by Lake County and tribal crews surveying the lake have prompted a rescue effort over the past week to save hitch, a threatened species found only in this region. Many are still stranded in what little water remains in the channels amid larger questions about the fate of the fish and the state of drought-diminished Clear Lake.
A water main ruptured at a construction site in a Morena commercial district Thursday, causing a sinkhole, evacuations of businesses and closures of nearby traffic lanes.
The failed pipeline began flooding the 800 block of Sherman Street about 3:45 p.m., according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
Dave Steindorf knows California’s North Fork Feather River like his backyard. He’s driven along its banks so many times, people wave to him as he goes by. As he passes, he takes mental notes about any day-to-day changes—silt backup in reservoirs that could muck up habitat, or river levels low enough to threaten frog and trout spawning grounds. His personal slogan is “Couch potatoes make poor river advocates,” so he gets out in the river whenever he can, on his kayak or with a fly-fishing rod in his hands.
On April 28, the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors showcased this year’s group of award winners from the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair. The Water Authority has judged water-related projects in the fair for several decades as part of an effort to support STEM education in the region and inspire young people to pursue careers in the water industry.
Each year, the fair showcases hundreds of innovative projects created by middle and school students. The water-related projects often aim to solve a variety of global water issues.
In the senior division, Issa Alwazir from Bright Horizon Academy in San Diego designed and built a water filter that can produce drinkable water using natural resources that are found in developing nations.
Fahad Majidi, also from Bright Horizon Academy, won second place in the senior division with a system for filtering greywater for residential use. Fahad tested his device on water in his home and is building a larger scale version for next year.
William Maywood from Bonita Vista High School in Chula Vista earned third place in the senior division. William tested Otay Lakes Reservoir’s water quality to determine its probability for eutrophication, which is when the richness of the nutrients in a body of water reaches increased or excessive levels.
In the junior division, Alana Bridges from St. Gregory the Great Catholic School in San Diego won first place by testing several methods of water purification, including solar disinfection, bleach and a natural filter, to determine which produced the purest water.
In second place, Paddy Ward from St. Didacus Parish School in San Diego used PVC pipes to design and build a drip irrigation system that could scale for agricultural use.
Cassidy Chan and Jessica Talavera from St. Michael’s School in Poway teamed up to win third place in the junior division. Their project was focused on testing different methods of desalinating water to determine which was most effective.
Through the K-12 education program and events like the Science and Engineering Fair, the Water Authority encourages students throughout the region to become next generation of water industry professionals.
More than a week after the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California announced its harshest-ever water restrictions for millions of residents across the region, several of the affected water agencies are offering a preview of how life will change throughout Southland when the rules kick in June 1.
The restrictions target areas that rely heavily or entirely on the State Water Project, a Northern California water supply that officials say is dangerously low after the state’s driest-ever start to the year.
Dry heat is already being felt at the beginning of May, and without rain, the drought continues across all of California.
Experts said California is in its third consecutive year of drought.
This week, some of the top water experts in the state were in Sacramento to think of solutions. Experts talked about the ongoing dry hydrology – the idea that this dry climate will be consistent up and down the state for the foreseeable future.
Kudos to Gov. Gavin Newsom for increasing his support for the $1.4 billion Poseidon Water desalination in Huntington Beach. “We need more tools in the damn tool kit. We are as dumb as we want to be,” he said Friday in a meeting with the Bay Area News Group editorial board. “What more evidence do you need that you need to have more tools in the tool kit than what we’ve experienced? Seven out of the last 10 years have been severe drought.”
California is thirsty. And another drought is making us thirstier.
Arizona’s cities should consider imposing unprecedented restrictions on outdoor water use if the Colorado River’s flow continues to decline as expected this year, the state’s water resources director says.
Scottsdale and Tucson already have declared themselves to be in the first stage of their respective drought plans, and are reducing government water uses. Phoenix plans to take payments from the state in lieu of some of its Colorado River deliveries next year, part of the state’s latest drought mitigation effort.
