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Premature or Precautionary? California is First to Tackle Microplastics in Drinking Water

/in , /by /CalMattersby Rachel Becker

California is poised to issue the world’s first guidelines for microplastics in drinking water despite no data on how plentiful they are in the state, no scientific agreement on how to test water for them and little research on their health risks.

The pieces of plastic — smaller than an ant, some so tiny they can be seen only with a microscope — have contaminated wildlife and human bodies through their food, air and water.

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California Gets Another Round of Late-Winter Rain and Snow

/in , /by /AP News

Another March storm moved through California on Monday, bringing snow to the Sierra Nevada, rain showers elsewhere and gale conditions offshore.

A mix of winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories stretched the length of the Sierra and southward into mountain ranges of Southern California that were just coated with snow last week.

Caltrans recommended motorists traveling through the Sierra check for chain requirements.

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Klamath Basin Faces Drought, Again

/in , , /by /Jefferson Public Radioby April Ehrlich

Forecasts based on U.S. Geological Survey data predict that the Klamath Basin will only fulfill about a third of what’s needed for agriculture. The Upper Klamath Lake is more than a foot lower than it was this time last year, which was also a drought year.

The Klamath County commissioners voted Tuesday to issue a county-level drought declaration. The board voted to request that Gov. Kate Brown’s office issue a state-level drought declaration, which would open up financial resources for water users.

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President Biden Passes Stimulus Bill, Includes Water Assistance

/in , , /by /Storm Water Solutionsby Cristina Tuser

President Biden gave final passage to a $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package, The American Rescue Plan Act.

Among the provision of the American Rescue Plan Act are additional COVID-19 relief amounting to $500 million in assistance for clean and drinking water customers. Additional support for critical water and sewer investments is also included in the measure, according to a joint press release by NAWCA and AWMA.

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Opinion: The Time has Come for California to Ban Front Yard Lawns for New Homes

/in , , /by /Manteca Bulletinby Dennis Wyatt

The climate change cabal in Sacramento is ignoring some extremely low hanging fruit in their bid to protect us from ourselves.

The reason they don’t see it is simple. It doesn’t involve raising taxes, rewarding corporations or disruptor greenies they align with, nor does it destroy jobs.

The California Legislature needs to ban grass lawns for front yards as well as general commercial development for all new building projects.

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Calming the Flow

/in , , /by /WaterWorldby Rocky Wellborn

California’s East Valley Water District began evaluating the existence and severity of pressure transients as a way to actively manage its water distribution system to reduce line breaks.

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Group Sue Over California County’s Plan to Drill Oil Wells

/in , /by /AP News

Environmental and community groups have sued a California county after the prime oil-drilling region approved a plan to fast-track thousands of new wells in a state that’s positioned itself as a leader in combating climate change.

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Attempts to Protect Arizona’s Groundwater and Rivers Meet Legislative Resistance

/in , , /by /Arizona Republicby Ian James

The Arizona Legislature has taken up a range of water-related measures this year, but some bills that would strengthen the state’s water rules to protect declining groundwater and desert streams have run into opposition and have failed to move forward.

Republican and Democratic legislators introduced several bills that would establish some groundwater rules in unregulated rural areas where there are no limits on pumping and where water levels are dropping.

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Biden Delays Trump Changes to Lead and Copper Drinking Water Rule

/in , , /by /The Hillby Rachel Frazin

The Biden administration announced on Wednesday that it is delaying the implementation of a Trump administration update to a rule governing lead and copper in drinking water. The rule in question is expected to quicken the speed at which cities need to notify people who may have been exposed to lead but gives utilities a longer timeline to replace lead-tainted service lines. A new statement from the Environmental Protection Agency said that it is extending the date that the rule becomes effective, delaying it until at least June 17. It was originally expected to go into effect next week.

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Western States Chart Diverging Paths as Water Shortages Loom

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Sophia Eppolito and Felicia Fonseca

As persistent drought and climate change threaten the Colorado River, several states that rely on the water acknowledge they likely won’t get what they were promised a century ago.

But not Utah.

Republican lawmakers approved an entity that could push for more of Utah’s share of water as seven Western states prepare to negotiate how to sustain a river serving 40 million people. Critics say the legislation, which the governor still must sign, could strengthen Utah’s effort to complete a billion-dollar pipeline from a dwindling reservoir that’s a key indicator of the river’s health.

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