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Is Seawater Desalination Right for California?

/in , , /by /WaterWorldby Erik Desormeaux

With an unclear future for the state’s freshwater sources, California’s interest in seawater desalination continues to grow. Support for desalination in California is growing. Currently, California has 12 seawater desalination facilities, but only two are of a significant size. Although a key state agency has recently approved plans for two more moderate size facilities, the perception of seawater desalination in the state is quite poor and project proposals face a steep uphill battle.

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Harder Pushes for Heavy Snowpack Strategy

/in , , /by /Manteca Bulletinby Dennis Wyatt

Congressman Josh Harder Thursday stood near ground zero of where the fluctuating snowpack in the Sierra can cause serious problems when it is too little and when it is too much. Harder was at the San Joaquin National Wildlife Refuge that extends to the Stanislaus River just 10 miles south of Manteca. He was there to get an update on efforts to eradicate large invasive swap rodents known as nutrias that can seriously damage vegetation and levees.

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Opinion: Looking for the Next California Tech Boom? You’ll Find It in Our Farmlands

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Joel Kotkin and Marshall Toplansky

The world may see California largely as home to Silicon Valley and Hollywood, but it’s agriculture technology where we can most clearly outshine our competitors. In a new study, “Nurturing California Industries,” we identified it as among the six industries most critical to the state’s economic future.

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Expect a Hot, Smoky Summer in Much of America. Here’s Why You’d Better Get Used to It

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Seth Borenstein

The only break much of America can hope for anytime soon from eye-watering dangerous smoke from fire-struck Canada is brief bouts of shirt-soaking sweltering heat and humidity from a southern heat wave that has already proven deadly, forecasters say. And then the smoke will likely come back to the Midwest and East.

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San Diego County Water Authority Head Sandy Kerl Retires

/in , /by /The Bond Buyerby Keeley Webster Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Sandra Kerl, the long-time general manager of the San Diego County Water Authority, retired Thursday after more than 40 years of public service.

Deputy General Manager Dan Denham will serve as acting GM until the board of directors finds a permanent replacement.

“It has been my privilege to work with so many talented and dedicated people during my 14 years at the Water Authority,” said Kerl. “I have complete confidence that they will carry on our mission without skipping a beat.”

Sandra Kerl-Retires-San Diego County Water Authority

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Agricultural Fields in California’s Tulare Lake Basin Could Be Underwater for Years to Come, Experts Say

/in , /by /ABC Newsby Julia Jacobo, Daniel Manzo, and Ginger Zee

Farmers in one of the most prominent agricultural communities in the country will likely be living an underwater nightmare for the foreseeable future. Central California’s Tulare Lake is filled past the brim, but with the blessings of an ample water supply also comes a curse: spillage that experts say could continue to drown fields and roadways for years to come.

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Warming Causes More Extreme Rain, Not Snow, Over Mountains. Scientists Say That’s a Problem

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Seth Borenstein

A warming world is transforming some major snowfalls into extreme rain over mountains instead, somehow worsening both dangerous flooding like the type that devastated Pakistan last year as well as long-term water shortages, a new study found.

Using rain and snow measurements since 1950 and computer simulations for future climate, scientists calculated that for every degree Fahrenheit the world warms, extreme rainfall at higher elevation increases by 8.3% (15% for every degree Celsius), according to a study in Wednesday’s journal Nature.

Heavy rain in mountains causes a lot more problems than big snow, including flooding, landslides and erosion, scientists said. And the rain isn’t conveniently stored away like snowpack that can recharge reservoirs in spring and summer.

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Cool Spring Was ‘Best Case Scenario’ for Snowmelt and River Levels

/in , , /by /ABC 10by Brody Adams
Spring was unusually cool in Northern California this year, allowing for a manageable snowmelt period in what could’ve been a far more dangerous situation. While flooding due to snowmelt has certainly done damage to many valley and foothill communities following the record winter, the cool weather pattern to start the year has prevented the widespread, catastrophic flooding that could have occurred under different circumstances.
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Will the Giant Westlands Water District “Spill” Water This Year for Lack of Demand?

/in , , /by /SJV Waterby Lois Henry

Westlands Water District, the biggest agricultural water district in the state, could lose 200,000 acre feet of water – or more – for lack of demand, according to an update at its June board meeting. The revelation was made during a briefing by Chief Operating Officer Jose Guiterrez who acknowledged Westlands could have more than 320,000 acre feet of water left over when its contract year is up next Feb. 28.

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Chico Customers Paying Higher Water and Sewer Rates

/in , , /by /Action News Nowby Kelli Saam

People in Chico are seeing higher water bills this summer. It’s a combination of higher water and sewer rates. Starting in July the current combined bill must be paid separately. Cal Water implemented a four percent interim rate increase on May 5. Chico Cal Water District Manager Evan Markey said the final rate increase has been delayed by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

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