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Two-Day Outdoor Watering Schedule Now in Effect Through October in Pasadena

Pasadena Water and Power announced that the city’s two-day-per-week outdoor watering schedule is now in effect through October 31 as part of the City of Pasadena’s ongoing Level 2 Water Supply Shortage Plan. This measure limits outdoor irrigation to conserve water during the dry season.

Under the schedule, residents and businesses with even-numbered addresses may irrigate their landscapes on Mondays and Thursdays, while those with odd-numbered addresses may water on Tuesdays and Fridays. All outdoor watering must occur before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m. Exceptions are made for hand-watering, tree maintenance, and irrigation systems that use low-flow drip emitters producing no more than two gallons per hour.

OPINION: Yuba River Disaster: It Could Be Coming to a River Near You

The recent rupture of a massive pipe at the New Colgate Powerhouse on the Yuba River, about 50 miles north of Sacramento, was not a natural disaster. It was an infrastructure failure.

The rupture of the penstock pipe in February sent a torrent of water down a steep hillside, triggering erosion that carried sediment and man-made debris into the Yuba River. An oil sheen was detected. The emergency also triggered the shutdown of another powerhouse downstream, causing a sudden drop in river flows, killing hundreds — possibly thousands — of young Chinook salmon at a time when the state has been trying to help struggling salmon populations recover.

EPA Proposes Studying Microplastics for Potential Drinking Water Limits

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to propose to study microplastics and pharmaceuticals in what could be the first step toward drinking water limits for these substances.

The Trump administration is touting the move as a win for the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, a subset of voters that is skeptical of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries — and has at times been critical of the Trump administration EPA.

How the San Diego County Water Authority Uses Data and Inspection Technology To Guide Infrastructure Decisions

When Martin Coghill talks about water infrastructure, he does not start with technology. He starts with responsibility.

Coghill is the Operations and Maintenance Manager for Asset Management at the San Diego County Water Authority, where he leads a team focused on corrosion control and aqueduct integrity. Together, they help maintain a system of roughly 308 miles of large-diameter pipelines that ultimately serve about 3.3 million people across the region.

Corpus Christi Prepares for Level 1 Water Emergency As Reservoirs Drop and Council Debates Industrial Cuts

Corpus Christi’s reservoirs are critically low, and a water emergency looks almost unavoidable.

The city has been under drought restrictions since June 2022 and is now preparing for a Level 1 water emergency. This step triggers when the city is within six months of not meeting demand.

Record Low Colorado Mountain Snow Won’t Bode Well for Water in the Drought-Stricken US West

Hydrologist Maureen Gutsch trudged through the mud and slush to confirm a grim picture: Colorado just had its worst snowpack since statewide recordkeeping began in 1941.

Even more troubling, mountain snow accumulations peaked a month early and contained just half the average moisture.

Record March Heat Leaves California Snowpack at Just 18% of Average

The final official snow survey of the year finds the California snowpack at just 18% of average thanks to record heat in March.

“It feels like we skipped spring this year and dropped straight into a summer heatwave,” said Karla Nemeth, director of the Department of Water Resources. “What should be gradual snowmelt happened suddenly weeks ago.”

April 1 Is Supposed To Be Peak Snow In California. Forget That This Year

California’s snowpack is supposed to reach its peak April 1, so today, state surveyors hold their final Sierra snow survey of the year.

But instead of peak snow, there’s almost none.

Could Nuclear Power Help Pump Water Into The Colorado River?

What if nuclear power could fix the Colorado River’s water crisis?

That’s the pitch from Ben Burr, president of the Idaho-based Blue Ribbon Commission, who is shopping a proposal to build new desalination plants on California’s coast. The plants would convert Pacific Ocean seawater into freshwater and pump it hundreds of miles inland, adding new water to a system that has spent decades losing it.

A Good “Problem” To Have In San Diego

It’s a good problem to have in drought prone San Diego, an excess of water. Now, the county plans to sell some of it to other areas in need.

The San Diego County Water Authority has announced the sale of water to the Western Municipal Water District that covers parts of Riverside County, including Temecula.