You are now in California and the U.S. Media Coverage category.

The Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has unanimously certified the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for Pure Water Southern California, concluding more than five years of technical studies, public outreach and environmental analysis for the proposed large-scale water reuse initiative.

Certification of the EIR completes the project’s review under the California Environmental Quality Act and allows Metropolitan to move ahead with future deliberations on potential implementation. These upcoming decisions are expected to address issues such as project phasing, funding strategies, design and construction timelines, and will be considered as part of Metropolitan’s Climate Adaptation Master Plan for Water evaluation process and its biennial budget review.

The prospect of a costly and prolonged interstate lawsuit over rights to the Colorado River looms now that the states using the water are blowing past a Valentine’s Day deadline with no water-sharing deal in hand.

With no agreement among the states, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the federal government could no longer delay action and would move forward with work on a set of alternatives outlined late last year.

Four California Congressmen have sent Governor Gavin Newsom a letter expressing concerns over outdated water regulations that could result in the loss of 600,000 acre-feet of water. They argue that these regulations, combined with California’s variable hydrology, could have significant consequences for the state’s agricultural industry, communities, and fisheries.

The letter highlights three primary reasons for California’s water shortages: insufficient precipitation and snowpack, the need for improved water storage and conveyance, and “fixed and outdated regulations that lead to water being used in ways that do not maximize beneficial uses for humans and the environment.

In debates over water policy in California, a common argument is that if only we managed the systems we’ve already got, there would be plenty of water for everyone. Agricultural and urban use would not have to be rationed, taxpayers and ratepayers would not have to be unnecessarily burdened, and we wouldn’t have to wait years (ok, decades) for new water projects to navigate the gauntlet of bureaucracy and litigation.

This is a compelling argument, and perhaps we should just let the delta pumps run a bit more while engaging in ultra cost-effective projects, such as dredging the delta and constructing innovative new ways to safely withdraw millions of acre feet from the delta during winter storms. But if Californians want to achieve permanent water abundance, how we manage the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta should not be our only option, but instead be the centerpiece in a much broader vision.

Much of Southern California was hit with significant rain Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

The brunt of the precipitation was felt Tuesday night, according to forecasters with the National Weather Service, who also said steady rain would be felt Wednesday morning. The storm system, described by NWS as “potent,” exited the region earlier than anticipated, but there is still rainfall in the forecast.