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Upper Colorado River Drought Plan Triggered for First Time

/in , , /by /KUNC (Greeley, Colorado)by Luke Runyon

Increasingly bleak forecasts for the Colorado River have for the first time put into action elements of the 2019 upper basin drought contingency plan.

The 24-month study released in January by the Bureau of Reclamation, which projects two years of operations at the river’s biggest reservoirs, showed Lake Powell possibly dipping below an elevation of 3,525 feet above sea level in 2022. That elevation was designated as a critical threshold in the agreement to preserve the ability to produce hydropower at Glen Canyon Dam.

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Colorado River Expert Biden’s Pick for Interior Water Post

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Tripp Baltz and Bobby Magill

Tanya Trujillo, an expert on water law and the Colorado River Basin, is President Joe Biden’s choice to serve in the Interior Department’s top water and science position.

If confirmed by the Senate, Trujillo, currently the Lower Basin project director for the Colorado River Sustainability Campaign, will serve as principal deputy assistant secretary for water and science, overseeing the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Geological Survey.

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Drought Conditions Continue in California Due to a La Niña Weather Pattern

/in , , /by /ABC 7 KRCRby Kassandra Gutierrez

We had a very late start to the rainy season this year, similar to what we have seen in recent years. We’ve seen about one-third of the normal rainfall for the current date—well below the normal amount. There could be a weather pattern explaining some of the lack of rain. That is called a La Niña weather pattern.

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Sen. Dodd Introduces Water Access Equity Bills

/in , , /by /East County Today

With the release of a new study showing low-income Californians are struggling to afford drinking water, especially amid economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, announced legislation today to provide financial assistance to customers who can’t pay their water bills and to prevent service disconnections.

“Access to water is a fundamental right of all Californians, regardless of their income level or economic status,” Sen. Dodd said. “Yet as we’ve seen today, many people are at risk of being denied this essential service, in part because of rising water rates but also because the pandemic has left so many people unemployed. My legislation will ensure low-income customers aren’t cut off and get the financial help they need to keep the water turned for their families.”

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Low Income Communities Drowning In Water Debt, New California Water Board Survey Finds

/in , , /by /Valley Public Radio (Central Valley)by Madi Bolanos

Low income communities across the San Joaquin Valley and other regions of the state are being hit hard by rising water and utility debt according to a recent survey released by the California Water Board.

Michael Claiborne, an attorney with the Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, says residents are having to decide which essential service to pay for amid a global pandemic.

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Why US Investors Are Now Betting On Water

/in , /by /DW.com (Germany)

At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, investors are now able to speculate on water prices. This practice, meant to help secure supplies for cities and farmers, has drawn criticism, as Sabrina Kessler reports from New York.

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Pipeline Dream: Ambitious Proposal to Bring Utah Water to Colorado

/in , /by /CBS 4 Denverby Logan Smith

A Fort Collins man is pressing forward with a proposed 325-mile-long pipeline which would transfer water from northeastern Utah into the northern part of Colorado’s Front Range. It could cost Aaron Million a billion and a half dollars to build. He claims to have sufficient support from private investors to make his pipeline dream a reality.

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California Moves to Monitor Microplastics in Drinking Water

/in , , /by /Jefferson Public Radioby The Jefferson Exchange Team

We talk about microplastics in the ocean and on land fairly often, but they are present in drinking water as well.

The California Legislature passed a bill in 2018 requiring monitoring of the tiny plastic particles in drinking water. Standards are due to be set up by the state Water Resources Control Board this year.

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Opinion: After COVID-19, Drought Threat Still Looms

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Dan Walters

California is enveloped in balmy weather that’s more like spring than mid-winter — and that’s not a good thing. We have seen only scant rain and snow this winter, indicating that the state may be experiencing one of its periodic droughts and adding another layer of crisis to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recession. The all-important Sierra snowpack, California’s primary source of water, is scarcely half of what is deemed a normal depth.

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Californians Owe $1 Billion in Water Bills, Facing Massive Shutoffs. Is Relief on the Way?

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Monica Vaughan

In a time of record-breaking unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Californians owe an estimated $1 billion in unpaid water utility bills. With reduced revenue, hundreds of water utilities are at high risk of financial emergency. The State Water Board estimates at least 1.6 million households have an average of roughly $500 in water debt — a crisis that could lead to a wave of families facing water shutoffs, liens on their homes or other collection methods.

 

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