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Feds Float Drastic Measures to Stanch California’s Water Crisis

/in , , /by /Palm Springs Desert Sunby Janet Wilson

A top federal water official told Congress on Tuesday that shortages on the Colorado River system have taken an even grimmer turn, with a whopping 2 million to 4 million acre feet of reduction in water use needed by 2023 just to keep Lake Mead functioning and physically capable of delivering drinking water, irrigation and power to millions of people.

Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton testified early Tuesday to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Committee that levels at the reservoir have dropped to an all-time low of 28% of capacity, with no relief in sight.

“There is so much to this that is unprecedented,” Touton said. “But unprecedented is now the reality and the normal in which Reclamation must manage our system, for warmer, drier weather is is what we are facing.”

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Residents Urged to Intensify Action Against Drought by City of Oceanside

/in , , /by /NBC 7 San Diego Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Oceanside urged residents Monday to cut back their water use, following a similar move by the City of San Diego in response to the State Water Board and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order requiring water suppliers to implement mandatory restrictions.

“The Water Utilities Department is complying with state regulations as the drought progresses,” said Rosemarie Chora, the city’s Water Utilities Division manager. “As summer approaches, we ask residents and businesses to do their part and be mindful of water usage.”

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State Budget Proposes to Buy Water Rights From Farmers

/in , /by /The Sun Gazetteby Reggie Ellis

State lawmakers are proposing to set aside $2 billion to buy up water rights and repurpose farmland to rebalance the water supply amidst the state’s second drought in the last decade.

Most of the money being proposed in the 2022-23 budget, $1.5 billion, will be used to buy land with senior water rights to secure surface water from state and federal water projects as drinking water for disadvantaged communities struggling with contaminated groundwater and enhance stream and river conditions for habitats. Senior water rights are those that predate the state’s regulation of water use in 1914, which often supersede other rights to water supply during dry years.

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How Does More Rain in Northern California Equal Less Flows in the San Joaquin River?

/in , /by /SJV Waterby Jesse Vad

Water has been flowing down the San Joaquin River since the beginning of April. But, ironically, late spring rains could halt the flow.

The water coming out of Millerton Lake just above Fresno is flowing because of a contract within California’s complicated water rights system.

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Will Coronado, Imperial Beach Shorelines Be Closed All Summer? New Testing Reveals Rampant Tijuana Sewage

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Joshua Emerson Smith

Coronado’s tony seaside community and working-class Imperial Beach could be headed for a major reckoning with the sewage continuing to spilling over the border from Tijuana.

Beach closures that were once thought of as largely a wintertime occurrence now appear poised to become a year-round phenomena in San Diego’s South Bay.

However, that’s not because the cross-border pollution from Baja California’s overtaxed and crumbling wastewater system has dramatically escalated, according to county officials.

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Neighbors in North Park Frustrated by Standing Water With No Drainage

/in , /by /CBS 8by Brian White

People in North Park reached out to CBS 8 about a standing water issue on their street. They say the puddles of water collect mosquitoes and carry a foul odor. CBS 8’s Brian White paid a visit to the 4300 block of 34th Street to talk with neighbors and get to the bottom of it.

“It’s an ongoing issue with mosquitoes, the smell, the eye sore looking at it,” said Page Carman. “It’s horrid.”

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Why Toxic Algae Blooms Are on the Rise Across California — and Expected to Get Worse

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Yoohyun Jung

Rising temperatures and stagnant water generally signal trouble for human life, but they make for a great environment for the bright, blue-green scum often found in lakes, rivers and reservoirs that flourishes and blooms in hot weather.

These scum blooms, known as harmful algal blooms, are natural parts of the ecosystem, but can also release toxins that sicken or even kill people and animals. They’re becoming more common as temperatures rise and water systems are starved and disrupted, threatening not only public and wildlife health, but the state’s water supply, as well as beloved recreation areas like Lake Merritt in Oakland.

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Building Healthy Soil: Give It Some Space

/in , , /by /Water News Network

Healthy soil consists of elements we don’t typically think of as soil at all. In fact, one of the most critical aspects of soil is the space between the particles.

Soil space results from a process called aggregation. Solid matter will aggregate under the right conditions, forming space between the masses. This allows air and water to fill this area. Rain or irrigation water percolates through the soil, and aggregate spaces hold it like a storage tank. You can store more water and irrigate less frequently when you have more space

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EPA Warns Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ More Dangerous Than Once Thought

/in , /by /The Washington Postby Dino Grandoni

The Environmental Protection Agency warned Wednesday that a group of human-made chemicals found in the drinking water, cosmetics and food packaging used by millions of Americans poses a greater danger to human health than regulators previously thought.

The new health advisories for a ubiquitous class of compounds known as polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, underscore the risk facing dozens of communities across the country. Linked to infertility, thyroid problems and several types of cancer, these “forever chemicals” can persist in the environment for years without breaking down.

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San Diego County Water Authority General Manager Issues Statement on Colorado River Conditions and Sustainability

/in , /by

June 14, 2022 – Sandra L. Kerl, general manager of the San Diego County Water Authority, issued the following statement on U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton’s testimony today before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on the severity of the drought on the Colorado River and need for near- and long-term innovation and investment:

“The water situation across the state and Southwest is dire, as historically dry conditions exacerbated by climate change shrink water storage levels at Lake Mead and Lake Powell and threaten the loss of power generation. One look at the river system today communicates as no words can, how devastating these impacts are and the need for all parties – the seven Basin states, federal government, tribal nations and our neighbor to the south, Mexico – to make the kind of changes needed to ensure that this precious resource will be available for future generations.

“Two decades ago, after experiencing severe drought and shortages in our own local water supplies, the Water Authority Board of Directors and San Diego County ratepayers made the difficult decision to simultaneously invest in the largest water conservation program in the West, while reducing per capita local water consumption by more than 40%. It hasn’t been easy, but the fruits of our labor have been realized by dramatic increases in efficiency in agricultural production in Imperial County and by securing a highly reliable water supply for San Diego County. Importantly, land was not fallowed, people did not lose their jobs and all environmental impacts were fully accounted for.

“San Diego’s water conservation agreement with the Imperial Irrigation District was made possible by legislation passed decades ago in Sacramento that can be a model for how to sustain environmental, agricultural, and urban water needs while using significantly less water. Under the leadership of Governor Newsom and with Adel Hagekhalil now at the helm of the Metropolitan Water District, the state and all Southern California are poised for innovation and to build on this successful model.

“Our public policy must be focused first on making conservation and reclamation work, and on recognizing that that it will cost money. We cannot succeed with policies that unintentionally fail to connect the benefits of conservation to the ratepayers who foot the bill.

“The Water Authority is fully committed to working together with all parties to promote innovation and to the long-term sustainability of our most precious resource, and to protecting the human right to water. Our collective success is vital to our communities, farms, environment and the economy.”

— Sandra L. Kerl, General Manager, San Diego County Water Authority

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