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Biden Administration Moves to Scrap Cadiz Water Pipeline Right-Of-Way Permit, Cleared by Trump

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

Federal authorities have moved to reverse a Trump administration decision that cleared the way for Cadiz Inc. to pipe water across public land in the California desert.

The request filed in federal court Friday, which must still be granted, could deal a blow to the company’s decades-long effort to pump groundwater from beneath its desert property 200 miles east of Los Angeles and sell it to urban Southern California. The project is fiercely opposed by conservationists, who say it will dry up desert springs and seeps relied upon by Indigenous tribes and rare wildlife. Cadiz insists its plans won’t harm springs in the area.

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‘Snow Drought’ is Threatening the Western US, and That Could Become a Massive Problem

/in , /by /Science Alertby Carly Cassella

The western United States has built their water infrastructure on a melting foundation, and unless we do something about global warming, scientists worry the consequences will be catastrophic.

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Billions for Climate Protection Fuel New Debate: Who Deserves It Most

/in , /by /New York Timesby Christopher Flavelle

The new infrastructure law signed by President Biden includes almost $50 billion to protect communities against climate change, the largest such investment in United States history and a recognition that the effects of warming are outpacing America’s ability to cope.

Mr. Biden has insisted that at least 40 percent of the benefits of federal climate spending will reach underserved places, which tend to be low-income, rural, communities of color, or some combination of the three.

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Water Agency Amends Plans for Delta Tunnel

/in , /by /Brentwood Pressby Tony Kukulich

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) amended a federal permit application last week to change to the preferred tunnel route for the proposed Delta Conveyance Project (DCP), a move that has Delta advocates questioning DWR’s long-term plans for the South Delta.

The agency said the move was necessary to align the federal permit application – known as a Section 404 and filed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – and a draft environmental impact report that is currently being prepared by DWR. The so-called Bethany Alternative will be the preferred project in both documents, though DWR stressed that the change does not indicate that a decision has been made with regard to the route the tunnel will take if the project is approved.

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Off-Season Irrigation Could Pause as Reclamation ‘Pays Back’ PacifiCorp Reservoirs

/in , /by /Klamath Falls Herald and Newsby Alex Schwartz

After a summer spent drying up, Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge finally began receiving a measurable flow of water, thanks to the start of the winter irrigation season on December 1. The refuge can receive up to 11,000 acre-feet of water between December and February depending on how Upper Klamath Lake is filling.

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California Regional Meeting to Feature Panels on How to Meet Climate Goals

/in , , /by /National Hydropower Association Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

In 2016, California set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. This is the most aggressive emissions reduction target in the United States. California Governor Gavin Newsom is directing California state agencies to accelerate the state’s progress toward its climate goals and is evaluating pathways for the state to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035.

Meeting these goals means a major shift in how electric power is generated and a greater reliance upon renewable sources, which, in turn, will lead to new kinds of investments, markets, and business practices.

One of the most promising pumped storage hydro solutions in California is the proposed 500-MW San Vicente Energy Storage Facility under consideration by a partnership of the San Diego County Water Authority and the City of San Diego.

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A ‘No Snow’ California Could Come Sooner Than You Think

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Haley Smith

It was 55 degrees and sunny Thursday at Sugar Bowl Resort, where the opening day of the 2021 ski season — already delayed because of warm weather — was still listed as “TBD.”

“Winter hasn’t quite arrived in Tahoe yet,” officials wrote in a note about the postponement. “The team will be working nightly and ready to flip the switch when Mother Nature cooperates.”

But the mountain isn’t the only place feeling the pinch from lack of snow. A new study led by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that dwindling snowpack across California and the western United States could shrink dramatically more — or in some cases disappear — before the end of the century.

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Local Water Districts Call for Urgent Conservation Action

/in , /by /Patch.comby Diane Rumbaugh, Community Contributor

A collaborative of local water districts, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, Triunfo Water & Sanitation District and Calleguas Municipal Water District, are urging significant water use reductions by their customers after the California Department of Water Resources announced a 0% initial allocation from the State Water Project for the upcoming year.

Major Extra Cuts to Be Made in Arizona Deliveries of Colorado River Water Next Year

/in , , /by /Tuscon.comby Tony Davis

The Central Arizona Project’s governing board took the first steps Thursday toward approving Arizona’s share of a plan to save a half-million acre-feet a year of Colorado River water in order to prop up ailing Lake Mead.

The plan, adopted unanimously by the board, calls for Arizona users of the river water — mostly those on CAP supplies — to shoulder more than 40% of that total, or 223,000 acre-feet in 2022. The cuts are all supposed to be voluntary and temporary, and to be compensated by either state or federal money, totalling $100 million a year for the entire conservation program.

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In the Midst of Drought, Experts Aim to Improve Central Valley Water Usage With Helicopter-born Technology ‘MRI’ Technology

/in , , /by /KGETby Robert Price

When physicians want to take a look at a patient’s vascular system to see things that aren’t visible to the naked eye, they often turn to MRI technology. That is what experts with the California Department of Water Resources are doing to analyze the state’s water system – specifically the underground aquifers that collect and store precipitation and other surface water.

 

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