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Environmental Groups say Newsom’s Water Plan Will Worsen Toxic Threat in the Delta

/in , , /by /Sacramento News & Reviewby Scott Thomas Anderson

At the end of July, Gov. Gavin Newsom released his revised plan for bringing long-term water security to all Californians. But his announcement was overshadowed by San Joaquin County and several Delta communities scrambling to confront the worst cases of toxic algae blooms ever seen on local sloughs and rivers.

These green, floating slicks brought a new level of criticism to Newsom’s agribusiness-friendly water proposal. That’s because the governor’s strategy relies in large part on the controversial Sites Reservoir proposal and the even more contentious Delta tunnel proposal. Conservation groups say both projects—particularly the tunnel—could worsen the problem of dangerous algae contamination in regional waterways.

Meanwhile, the state continues to spend large sums of money on both multibillion-dollar projects with little clarity on who will ultimately foot the bill as the COVID-19 pandemic drains evermore revenue from public agencies.

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Energy Department Proposes Showerhead Standards Rollback After Trump Complains

/in , , /by /The Hillby Rebecca Beitsch

The Trump administration is moving to loosen environmental standards for showerheads following a string of public complaints from the president about low-flow fixtures designed to save water.

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FWS Pleas to Conserve Aquifer, Wetlands Go Unheeded

/in , , /by /E&E Newsby Jennifer Yachnin

As the Department of Homeland Security sped construction of new barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border, it ignored concerns from the Fish and Wildlife Service not to abuse groundwater resources and put the survival of some endangered species at risk, new documents show.

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‘This land is all we have left’: Tribes On Edge Over Giant Dam Proposal Near Grand Canyon

/in , , /by /The Guardianby Cody Nelson

Developers want to build a vast hydroelectric power facility that would flood sacred lands, threaten waterways and put habitats at risk.

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Will Supply Management Be Added to the List of Challenges to Water Utility Managers?

/in , /by /Water Finance & Managementby Jim Baehr

Water utilities were already facing a long list of challenges before COVID-19. Add to the list employee health protection, shutoff moratoriums, intensified affordability issues, unstable cash flow, the inability to foresee the “new normal” and matters become more complicated. It’s probable the list will continue to grow. Will supply management, defined as — identifying, acquiring and managing resources and supplier relationships that are essential to operations — be added to this list of challenges?

According to AWWA, 56% of utilities surveyed indicate experiencing PPE supply chain issues due to the pandemic. In the early stages of the emergency there were expressed concerns of interruptions to the supply chain for treatment chemicals. These supply chain issues may be short term, or not. What we are experiencing isn’t a typical risk event. The scale surpasses anything that even the savviest supply chain leaders could have anticipated.

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House Republicans Push Using Wastewater to Track COVID-19

/in , , /by /E&E News by Hannah Northey
Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are probing the extent to which EPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are using wastewater to track the spread of the coronavirus.
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This Giant Climate Hot Spot is Robbing the West of its Water

/in , , /by /The Washington Postby Juliet Eilperin

On New Year’s Day in 2018, Paul Kehmeier and his father drove up Grand Mesa until they got to the county line, 10,000 feet above sea level. Instead of the three to five feet of snow that should have been on the ground, there wasn’t enough of a dusting to even cover the grass.

The men marveled at the sight, and Kehmeier snapped a photo of his dad, “standing on the bare pavement, next to bare ground.”

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Court Rules in Favor of Klamath Irrigation District, State Water Rights

/in , /by /Herald & News (Oregon)by Alex Schwartz

A win for state water rights came earlier this month after the Marion County Circuit Court ruled that the Bureau of Reclamation cannot release water from Upper Klamath Lake for flows down the Klamath River.

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Failing to Plan for Sea Level Rise — Even Amid a Pandemic — Could Be Catastrophic, Experts Warn

/in , /by /CapRadioby Ezra David Romero

If California lawmakers set aside climate concerns like sea level rise, and focus only on the pandemic, the state could be setting itself up for an even worse economic hardship, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office cautioned in a report Monday.

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San Diego Homes Improperly Charged

/in , /by /Water & Wastes Digestby Cristina Tuser

San Diego homes and businesses have been improperly charged for a program that keeps toxic sewer water from being discharged into the Pacific Ocean.

A new report from Interim City Auditor Kyle Elser said the city failed to charge Industrial Wastewater Control Program permit holders enough to cover the costs of the program.

According to the City Auditor’s Office, many of the fees charged to industrial polluters have not been adjusted since 1984. The Public Utilities Department agreed to adjust the fees last year, but failed to do so, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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