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Battery Storage is a Key Piece of California’s Clean Energy Transition. But There’s a Problem With Fires.

If California is going to meet its ambitious goals to transition from electricity using fossil fuels, the state will need energy storage to shoulder a significant amount of the load.

While the number of installations are on the rise, a persistent problem keeps coming up — fires igniting at battery storage facilities.

Board Votes for Public Takeover of Cal Am Water by Eminent Domain

A little light at the end of a long tunnel is finally shining through, after years of water woes in Monterey. On Tuesday night, an elected board of local leaders voted in favor of the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District to take over California American Water (Cal Am). Six board members voted in favor, with one recusal.

EPA Presents Awards to WaterSense Partners

The U.S. EPA has presented 47 awards to WaterSense partners for their support of WaterSense and water efficiency at the WaterSmart Innovations conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This year’s award winners made innovative water-efficient products, built homes using 30% less water than typical new construction, made WaterSense labeled products accessible to consumers, and implemented programs to promote water-saving behaviors and fixtures.

A Warming Colorado River Grapples With Invasive Species

As climate change bakes the U.S. West and dries up key Colorado River reservoirs, a slew of invasive species is flourishing in warmer waters at the expense of the artery’s native inhabitants.

Among the most disruptive of this wide range of invaders is the smallmouth bass, which scientists fear could pose a possible danger to the native ecology of the Grand Canyon region should the fish continue making their way downstream.

Boiling Point: Gavin Newsom Signed a Bunch of Climate Laws — and Vetoed Others

California continues to make waves on climate. In some cases literally.

Over the weekend, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed dozens of bills dealing with renewable energy, landscape conservation and water use — and vetoed many others.

Opinion: We Must Approach Recycled Water Solution With Open Mind

In Marin County, we have limited options when we face the next, inevitable drought. Recycled water, the reuse of purified wastewater, is one of the most viable options and belongs in the water supply of every urban area of coastal California.

The United States Expands Dams Despite Criticism of “Overinvestment” 10 Years Ago

San Vicente Dam, completed in 1943, was designed for ‘200-year extreme rainfall’ (the heaviest rain that will fall once every 200 years). However, when the worst drought hit California in 1991, the state government and residents agreed to prepare for climate change and decided to expand.

Debate Over Options for California’s Ailing Delta Region Reflects Deep Divisions Over Water

California water regulators have released a long-awaited analysis of options for managing flows in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, where fish populations have been declining and the ecosystem has been deteriorating.

The delta is the central hub of the state’s water system, drawing together rivers from a vast watershed and supplying pumps that send water flowing to cities and farms.

Opinion: California Has a New Plan for the Delta but Faces the Same Conflicts Over Water

California’s water warriors have a new arena for their perpetual conflict over the allocation of the state’s ever-evolving supply – a nearly 6,000-page proposal from the state Water Resources Control Board.

The draft essentially calls for sharp reductions in diversions from the Sacramento River and its tributaries to allow more water to flow through the environmentally troubled Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Happy New Water Year 2024! – From 2023’s Wild Ride to the Wilderness of 2024

October 1 marked the beginning of the new Water Year in California. Water years here run from October 1 until September 30 of the next calendar year, and are named for the calendar year of the bulk of the water year (January-October).  It is a good time to reflect on the last year and make largely futile predictions of precipitation for the coming 12 months.