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California Is Rationing Water Amid Its Worst Drought in 1,200 Years

/in , , /by /CBS Newsby Irina Ivanova

Southern California is imposing mandatory water cutbacks as the state tries to cope with the driest conditions it has faced in recorded history. Starting Wednesday, about 6 million people in parts of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Ventura counties are limited to watering outdoor plants once a week — an unprecedented move for the region.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies water to about 19 million people, declared a water shortage emergency in April and voted unanimously to curtail water use, either by restricting outdoor watering or by other means.

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Why Hydropower Is the Forgotten Giant of Clean Energy

/in , /by /CNBCby Katie Brigham

Hydropower is by far the largest renewable worldwide, producing over twice as much energy as wind, and over four times as much as solar. And pumping water up a hill, aka “pumped storage hydropower”, comprises well over 90% of the world’s total energy storage capacity.

But in spite of hydropower’s outsize impact, we don’t hear much about it in the U.S. While the past few decades have seen wind and solar plummet in price and skyrocket in availability, domestic hydropower generation has remained relatively steady, as the nation has already built hydropower plants in the most geographically ideal locations.

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Harris Unveils White House Plan to Tackle Water Scarcity as National Security Priority

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Courtney Subramanian and Ian James

Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday unveiled a White House plan to tackle water security as a foreign policy priority in light of ever tightening global water supplies.

The plan pledges U.S. leadership in the efforts to ensure there is enough water to support food supplies and healthcare systems. Under the initiative, the U.S. government will also spearhead ways to defuse potential disputes over access to water, Harris said.

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A Thirsty State

/in , /by /CalMattersby Ben Christopher

So it begins.

More than 6 million water users (that is, humans) across Southern California woke up on Wednesday to find themselves under new drought restrictions.

If you’ve been following the numbers, none of this should be surprising

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A Summer of Blackouts? Wheezing Power Grid Leaves States at Risk.

/in , /by /The Washington Postby Evan Halper

The nation’s power grid is under stress like never before, with regulators warning that the kind of rolling outages that are now familiar to California and Texas could be far more widespread as hot summer weather arrives.

A large swath of the Midwest that has enjoyed stable electricity for decades is now wrestling with forecasts that it lacks the power needed to get through a heat wave. The regional grid is short the amount of energy needed to power 3.7 million homes.

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In Worsening Drought, Southern California Water Restrictions Take Effect

/in , , /by /The Washington Postby Joshua Partlow

The forecast for Southern California grass is yellow and brown from here on out.

On Wednesday, new restrictions on outdoor water use go into effect for more than 6 million residents in the Los Angeles area. The rules, set by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, limit outdoor watering to one day per week in many jurisdictions — while others opted to stay below a volume limit — as authorities try to dramatically reduce urban water use amid the record-breaking drought fueled by the warming climate.

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U.S. Department of Energy Announces $8 Million for Technologies to Increase Hydropower Flexibility

/in , , /by /Energy.gov

The U.S. Department of Energy today announced $8 million in funding to support projects that will improve the flexibility of the U.S. hydropower fleet and enhance electric grid reliability.

Hydropower is a flexible resource, meaning it can supply electricity immediately or store it to meet real-time demand. By improving flexibility, these projects will strengthen hydropower’s ability to support an evolving electric grid that includes an increasing amount of variable renewable energy sources.

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Pentagon Reports High Levels of ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water Near Bases

/in , , /by /FOX 5 San Diegoby Rachel Frazin

The Defense Department is reporting high levels of toxic perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water near several of its bases, according to new data released by the department.

Drinking water testing near bases in Washington state, Pennsylvania, Florida and Michigan found levels of the chemicals well above a health threshold set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

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In This SF Bay Area County, You Can Rat on Water Wasters Who May Face Fines Up to $10,000

/in , , /by /SF Gateby Amy Graff

It’s a sign the drought is worsening: One of the largest water districts in the San Francisco Bay Area became the first in the state on Wednesday to introduce a program to fine water wasters who ignore repeated warnings.

Santa Clara Valley Water customers could face fines, as little as $100 and as high as $10,000 in the most extreme cases, for not following rules aimed at reducing outdoor water use.
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California Farmers’ Tequila Dreams

/in , , /by /Politicoby Debra Kahn

How bad is California’s drought? Bad enough to make farmers turn to tequila.

About 40 farmers and distillers gathered last week at an inaugural agave symposium at the University of California, Davis, to explore the prospects of growing agave in California and making alcohol from it.

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