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How Did San Diego’s Sewage-Blasted Shorelines Evade the List of Dirtiest Beaches in California?

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Joshua Emerson Smith

Heal the Bay released its 33rd annual beach report card this week, including a list of the dirtiest shorelines in California.

Glaringly absent were the ocean waters off San Diego’s southern coast, from Coronado down to Imperial Beach. Residents there have endured a record number of swimming restrictions over the last 18 months as massive amounts of sewage continue to spill over the border from Tijuana.

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This Year’s Snow Season Wipes Away Drought in Much of the West

/in , , /by /Water News Networkby NOAA/NIDIS (National Integrated Drought Information System)

The 2022–2023 snow season started off relatively active across the West, with a few modest storms bringing snow accumulations to the mountains in early November. By the start of December, snow water equivalent across much of the region was above normal.

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Feds Announce Start of Public Process to Reshape Key Rules on Colorado River Water Use by 2027

/in , , /by /APby Ken Ritter

A public process started Thursday to reshape the way Colorado River water is distributed, with federal officials promising to collect comments about updating and enacting rules in 2027 to continue providing hydropower, drinking water and irrigation to farms, cities and tribes in seven Western U.S. states and Mexico.

The U.S. Interior Department said it will publish in the Federal Register on Friday a call for replacing guidelines that expire in 2026, including pacts enacted in 2007 for states to share cutbacks in water drawn from a river diminished by drought and climate change, as well as operating plans for the key Lake Powell and Lake Mead reservoirs. An agreement between the United States and Mexico on use of Colorado River water also is set to expire at that time.

The department’s U.S. Bureau of Reclamation promised a “robust and transparent public process” beginning with online virtual public meetings July 17, July 18 and July 24. It set an Aug. 15 deadline for receipt of public comments on “specific operational guidelines, strategies and any other issues that should be considered.”

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DWR Opens Apprenticeship Program Exams

/in , , /by /Water News Network

The California Department of Water Resources has opened the process to apply for its apprenticeship program that can lead to a career with the state agency.

DWR’s Operations and Maintenance Apprenticeship Program has released four exams that are the first step in applying for a career with DWR as an electrician, operator, mechanic, or utility craftsworker. The exams are available from June 15 to July 17.

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Tribes Seek Greater Involvement in Talks on Colorado River Water Crisis

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

As the federal government starts negotiations on long-term plans for the overtapped Colorado River, leaders of tribes are pushing for more involvement in the talks, saying they want to be at the table in high-level discussions among the seven states that rely on the river.

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Don’t Be Fooled by Rain and Snow, the Colorado River is Still in Serious Trouble, Experts Say

/in , , /by /Denver Postby Conrad Swanson

Water is rushing from Colorado’s Western Slope and into the tributaries of the Colorado River, restoring reservoirs across the American West to perhaps a semblance of their former glory. Cities, farmers, ranchers and water managers are breathing a sigh of relief at the crisis avoided this summer thanks to the robust snowfall this winter.

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California Water Tunnel Hangs Over Budget Talks as Legislators Challenge Gov. Newsom’s Plan

/in , , /by /APby Adam Beam

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing the state Legislature to tackle what has long been one of the biggest gripes about government: Taking far too long to build things like roads and bridges.

But Newsom’s plan to cut through red tape has slowed in the state Legislature, where some lawmakers fear his true motive is to favor a single project — the long-delayed and long-disputed plan to build a giant tunnel to re-route how the state moves water from north to south. The tunnel reflects the tension between arid Southern California, where most of the people live, and Northern California, the source of most of the state’s water.

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Imperial Valley Farmers Await Water Deal

/in , , /by /AgAlertby Caleb Hampton

California, Arizona and Nevada reached a long-sought consensus last month on how to conserve water and prevent the Colorado River from running dry.

Under the plan for states to reduce their water use by 13% through 2026, farmers in the Imperial Valley are expected to shoulder much of the burden.

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Lake Oroville is 100% Full as California Reservoirs are Revived by Historic Rain and Snowmelt

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Nathan Solis

California’s second-largest reservoir is now completely full after a historic rainy season recharged reservoirs across the state following years of drought.

Lake Oroville, fed by the Feather River about 80 miles north of Sacramento, is at 100% of its capacity, according to the California Department of Water Resources.

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El Niño Has Started in the Pacific, But That Doesn’t Guarantee Another Wet Winter for Sacramento

/in , , /by /KCRA3by Heather Waldman

Forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) last week declared the beginning of an El Niño.

El Niño is marked by warmer-than-average surface water temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean, specifically along the equator.

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