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OPINION: I Wish I Had A River

/in /by /The Bakersfield Californianby Joe Mathews

California is finally embracing its rivers. It may be a choking embrace. We Californians have long celebrated our coastal splendor and beautiful mountains. But our rivers were seen as mere plumbing for our hydration convenience. Now California’s communities, seeking space for environmental restoration and recreation (and some desperately needed housing), are treating rivers and riverfronts as new frontiers, and are busily reconsidering how these bodies of water might better connect people and places. But the new thinking is opening up new conflicts that touch on public health, housing and economic development.

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Your Christmas Tree Could Be More Expensive This Year

/in /by /Timeby Kerry Close

It might not be the most wonderful time of the year to buy a Christmas tree. Tree shortages—brought on by droughts and other environmental problems—could be driving up the price of the centerpiece of your holiday decor, Consumerist reported. In particular, the rising cost of trees in Oregon and elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest could hike prices nationwide, since that region supplies to buyers from out of state. Dan Bollander—who was grown trees in drought-stricken Southern California for the past 37 years—told CBS Los Angeles prices spiked by 10% this year.

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OPINION: Federal Water For Tiny Fish Leaves Other Species High And Dry

/in /by /The Fresno Beeby Tony Francois

I sometimes have to wonder how the San Joaquin Valley’s federal water managers look themselves in the mirror. Since 2008, they have withheld the water of life from the Valley in order to protect the Delta smelt, at a cost to the Valley of tens of thousands of jobs lost, hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland fallowed, and billions of dollars in economic harm to Valley communities – all the while insisting that they had to do this to protect one species of endangered wildlife, no matter the cost to families and communities.

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California Seeks Long-Term Water Savings As Drought Lingers

/in /by /The Weather Network

California water regulators on Wednesday recommended tighter oversight of agricultural irrigation and a permanent ban on over-watering urban lawns, a first step toward developing a long-term conservation plan amid ongoing drought.The proposal comes as nearly two-thirds of the state heads into a fifth year of severe drought despite a wet fall and heavy rains last winter that have ameliorated conditions in many areas.

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California Drought Conservation Measures Could Be Permanent

/in /by /CBS SFBayArea

California water agencies have drawn up plans to keep drought conservation measures in place permanently. They say the aim is to make saving water a way of life. State Water Resources Control Board member Max Gomberg says local water utilities can expect tough restrictions on water use “We’re going to give all these water agencies a budget, and we’re going to say, ‘you have to be in your budget, and your budget is going to be x-gallons of water.

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Next 90 Days Are Crucial For The Drought

/in /by /ABC 10 Newsby Monica Woods

The California story on this historic drought is about to add another chapter. The next 90 days will be telling since about half of the state’s annual precipitation happens between December and February. Epic rain in October and a decent November has set up parts of northern California to ease some of the drought conditions. Extreme northern California has continued to stay out of drought since mid-October. Southern California has not seen the same plentiful precipitation, and so much of that part of the state remains in exceptional drought.

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California’s New Water Conservation Plan Focuses On Cities

/in /by /The Associated Press as published by 89.3 KPCC (Pasadena)

California officials crafting a new conservation plan for the state’s dry future drew criticism from environmentalists on Thursday for failing to require more cutbacks of farmers, who use 80 percent of the water consumed by people. Gov. Jerry Brown ordered up the state plans for improving long-term conservation in May, when he lifted a statewide mandate put in place at the height of California’s drought for 25-percent water conservation by cities and towns. Ben Chou, a water-policy analyst with the Natural Resources Defense Council, criticized state planners for not mandating any new water-savings by farm water districts.

 

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Sources: Oklahoma’s Fallin is leading candidate for Interior secretary

/in /by /Politicoby Andrew Restuccia

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin is emerging as President-elect Donald Trump’s leading contender for interior secretary, three people close to Trump’s transition team told POLITICO. Fallin, a Republican who was in contention to serve as Trump’s vice president, has been the governor of Oklahoma since 2011. Before that, she served in the U.S. House. She also chaired the National Governors Association from 2013 to 2014.

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BLOG: Meet the Minds: Christine Boyle on Creating a Collaborative Water Future

/in /by /Water Deeply (New York)by Eline Gordts

Christine Boyle was working on her PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, when she first developed the idea for Valor Water Analytics– a startup that uses innovative software to help water utilities analyze their data, detect revenue loss and make more efficient decisions. Since receiving her doctorate in water resource planning in 2011, Boyle has developed an award-winning company that works with utilities in different states and recently received $1.6 million in seed funding.

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California drought: Wealthy Hillsborough residents sue, saying water rates are too high

/in /by /The Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers

In a case that could have statewide ramifications, a group of multimillionaire Hillsborough residents, including an early funder of Microsoft, has sued the town claiming that its drought rules and penalties intended to keep people from over-watering big lawns are illegal.

The nine residents who are taking the town to court say that by imposing tiered water rates, and a $30 penalty for each unit of water used over the allotted amount, Hillsborough water officials violated Proposition 218, a state law that makes it illegal for government to charge more for a service than it costs to provide.

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