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California Reservoirs are Full, but Water Politics May Trump Hydrology

/in , /by /Mountain View Voice

Most of us operate on the calendar year — the 12 months that begin on January 1 and end on December 31. Many governments and major corporations use the fiscal year — typically beginning on July 1 and running until June 30 of the following year. However the federal government’s fiscal year, which began on July 1 for 132 years, was shifted in 1974 to an October 1 start to accommodate federal officials’ insistence on a month-long escape from Washington’s steamy summer weather.

In California, the most important calendar may be the “water year,” which also begins on October 1, because how much the state’s reservoirs have in storage and how much nature provides in the form of rain and snow are existential factors in the lives of nearly 40 million people.

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California Increases Fines for Unauthorized Water Diversions and Uses

/in , /by /The National Law Reviewby Tara E. Paul and Ryan Chen

As California prepares for future cycles of water scarcity, the Legislature continues to prioritize enhancing regulations to address critical water supply needs, secure the rights of diverse water holders, and protect essential environmental resources.

On September 22, 2024, Governor Newsom signed AB 460 into law, a bill that significantly increases fines for unauthorized water diversions and other violations of state orders related to water use.

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Proposition 4 Climate Bond Seeks to Avoid Future Costs with Current Investment

/in , /by /The Press Democratby Mary Callahan

A bond measure on the Nov. 5 ballot that would provide $10 billion dollars for climate mitigation and resiliency projects around California gives voters a pretty stark choice, according to supporters. Pay now, or pay later.

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California Water Agency Extends Manager’s Leave of Absence While Investigation Continues

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

The board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California voted to allow more time to complete an investigation into accusations against General Manager Adel Hagekhalil, who was placed on leave more than four months ago in response to harassment allegations by the agency’s chief financial officer.

The board’s decision will extend Hagekhalil’s leave of absence until an investigator has finished interviews and submitted a report on the findings.

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PODCAST: How U.S. Water Infrastructure Became a ‘Huge’ Cyber Target

/in , /by /Statescoop

On the latest episode of StateScoop’s Priorities podcast, Samuel Alva, a technical adviser with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, explains the “huge” threat facing the nation’s tens of thousands of water utilities, and what they can do to protect themselves. “Water is a single point of failure. So that’s why it has been under attack,” he says.

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Biden Administration Punts on Big Colorado River Move

/in , /by /Politicoby Annie Snider

The Biden administration has told Colorado River negotiators it no longer plans to issue its draft set of plans for managing the waterway in December, leaving the next major move in the battle over the West’s most important river to the next president.

The federal plans for the waterway are of increasing importance since the seven states that share it are deadlocked over new rules to govern the river after 2026. The Interior Department’s Bureau of Reclamation had said for months that it intended to issue them as part of a draft environmental impact statement at the end of the year.

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Asheville’s Dirty Water Warns of Climate Risk to Aging US Infrastructure

/in , /by /BNN Bloombergby Kendra Pierre-Louis, Zahra Hirji, and Michael Smith

Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated swaths of the southeastern US by bringing too much water. Now, communities are struggling with the opposite problem: too little of it.

The North Fork Water Treatment Plant supplies most of the drinking water to Asheville, North Carolina, and some surrounding mountain towns. Built in the 1970s, it was known for its clear water, which flows into the plant from a large reservoir.

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American Water Customers Sue for Damages of More than $5M After Recent Hack

/in , /by /Courier Postby Jim Walsh

American Water Co., hit by hackers early this month, now is being sued by customers seeking damages for the potential theft of identity information. At least two suits in Camden federal court say claims will exceed $5 million, the minimum required for proposed class action litigation.

Each contends American Water was negligent in allowing one or more hackers to enter its computer system. The suits seek to represent “all persons whose PII [personally identifiable information] was compromised” by the hack.

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A Weak La Niña Could Bring Dry Conditions to Parts of Southwest this Winter, NOAA Says

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James and Grace Toohey

A weak La Niña is forecast to appear this winter and affect weather patterns across the country, likely bringing drier-than-average conditions in much of the Southwest and wetter-than-average conditions in the Pacific Northwest, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The outlook is uncertain, however, for much of California, where NOAA experts predict there are equal chances of below-average, average or above-average winter precipitation.

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New Drought Monitor Report Shows Growing Dryness in California

/in , /by /ABC 10by Monica Woods

The new U.S. Drought Monitor shows growing severe drought in the southeast corner of California. Moderate drought is also expanding in the same region and the northern border near Oregon.

The Drought Severity and Coverage Index also jumped from 82 to 94 in the last month. This index is an experimental product from the U.S. Drought Monitor converting drought levels to a single value.

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