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PWD OK’s Entry Into Water Transfer Program

/in , /by /Antelope Valley Pressby Allison Gatlin

The Palmdale Water District Board of Directors approved the District’s entry into a program to transfer water for State Water Contractors during dry years, such as this one.

The program allows State Water Contractors, such as Palmdale Water District, to purchase water allocated to fallow rice farms in Northern California.

District officials estimate it possibly will need to purchase an additional 1,000 acre-feet of water to meet its supply needs this year, according to the staff report.

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Calif. Takes First Moves to Limit ‘Erin Brockovich’ Chemical

/in , , /by /E&E Newsby Hannah Northey

California has emerged as the first state to advance limits on hexavalent chromium in drinking water, a contaminant linked to cancer first made famous by Erin Brockovich’s advocacy efforts.

The California Water Resources Control Board’s Drinking Water Program on Monday unveiled a proposal to set a “maximum contaminant level” (MCL) of 10 parts per billion, or ppb, in water.

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Monterey County Water Managers Push for $300 Million for Water Storage

/in , /by /KSBWby Felix Cortez

Amid California’s prolonged droughts, Central Coast water managers are making a new push to increase water storage capacity in Monterey County.

More specifically they’re making a renewed push for a $300 million project to increase water storage capacity at one of the county’s largest but driest reservoirs; Lake San Antonio.

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New Legislation Could Be on the Way to Help AG, Water Sectors With Cybersecurity

/in , /by /FOX 26 Newsby Liz Gonzalez

When it comes to cybersecurity, a recent report by the Legislative Analyst’s Office found the agriculture and water sectors have a long way to go.

Now, a Central Valley lawmaker is proposing legislation to help beef up cybersecurity for those sectors.

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Worries Over This Summer’s Water Supply Prompt a Request to Temporarily Change How Much is Sent to the Delta

/in , , /by /KCRAby Heather Waldman

California’s reservoir system serves many important functions. Reservoirs allow for water storage throughout the summer and provide recreational space. Releases from reservoirs also help to keep drinking water free of salt and other contaminants. Water is also regularly released into the Delta to help maintain the stability of the region’s ecosystem

But with 2022 off to a record dry start, water managers are concerned that there won’t be enough water in reservoirs to keep meeting all of those needs through the summer months.

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State Deepens Water Supply Cuts as Drought Continues

/in , , /by /AgAlertby Christine Souza

The California Department of Water Resources is cutting its water allocation for the State Water Project to 5%—down from its earlier promised allotment of 15%.

The agency cited dropping reservoir levels and reduced snowpack amid California’s continuing drought.

The March 18 announcement marked another setback for farmers and others who rely on state surface-water supplies.

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Calif. Awards $180M for Drought Relief Projects

/in , , /by /WaterWorld

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has announced its second phase of funding through the Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Grant program.

The program will provide financial assistance to 62 projects throughout the state to tackle drought impacts on human health and safety, protect fish and wildlife resources, and support other public benefits, such as ecosystem improvements.

Of the $180 million in funding, half will support various types of water supply projects including groundwater, surface water, recycled water, and supply reliability.

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Monterey Officials Ask, Again, for More Water

/in , , /by /Monterey Heraldby Dennis L. Taylor

Monterey city officials are again lobbying state water overseers to open taps that have been blocked for years because of illegal diversions from the Carmel River, arguing that those diversions are no longer occurring. State water officials disagree.

In a March 17 letter to the chairman and other members of the state Water Resources Control Board, Monterey Mayor Clyde Roberson and other City Council members argued that California American Water Co. is, more or less, no longer making illegal diversions since the amount of acre-feet that is being consumed is now down to the limit set by the water board.

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How Low Can the Colorado River Go? Drought Forces States to Face Tough Choices About Water

/in , , /by /AZ Centralby Brandon Loomis

Water managers from across the Colorado River Basin are preparing to negotiate new rules for allocating the river’s dwindling flow and sharing the pain of a deepening shortage.

They’re adapting the 100-year-old Colorado River Compact to a river that little resembles the bountiful gusher that negotiators from seven states and the federal government in 1922 thought — or hoped — would bless the Southwest forever. The stakes rise with every foot that Lake Mead and Lake Powell fall, as the states and the water users within them recognize they’re due for a tighter squeeze.

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Why Groundwater Is One of Our Most Precious Resources

/in , , /by /phys.org

From the Murray-Darling system to Great Artesian Basin, “invisible” underground groundwater is often the only water supply available across the vast majority of Australia—and its annual contribution to GDP is estimated at more than $6.8 billion a year.

However, overuse of groundwater during droughts and aquifer depletion has led to water crises, including in Australia’s “food bowl” the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB), California and Cape Town in South Africa, with more likely to follow as groundwater management is largely reactive and unlikely to avert more crises as climate change and population pressures grow.

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