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Feds Defend Permanent Water Contracts to Benefit Agriculture

/in , /by /Courthouse News Serviceby Nicholas Iovino

Defending the decision to give farm irrigation districts permanent access to low-cost, federally pumped water in California, a Justice Department lawyer urged a federal judge Thursday to flush a Native American tribe’s lawsuit against the endless entitlements. The Hoopa Valley Tribe sued the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in August, claiming the Trump administration’s conversion of 14 time-limited contracts for Central Valley Project water into permanent deals violated a host of federal laws.

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BuRec Looks to Possible End of Paradox Desalination Project

/in , /by /The Daily Sentinelby Dennis Webb

A highly effective but problematic Colorado River desalination project in western Montrose County’s Paradox Valley could come to an end due to the federal Bureau of Reclamation’s difficulty finding an acceptable means of continuing it. The agency on Friday released a final environmental impact statement that included analysis of three new approaches for removing salty groundwater from the valley to keep it from eventually reaching the Dolores River and ultimately the Colorado River.

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Does Klamath Dam Removal Even Need an Extra $45 Million?

/in , /by /Herald Newsby Alex Schwartz

After the signatories to the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement officially recommitted to removing four dams on the Klamath River last month, local politicians brought up concerns with Oregon, California and PacifiCorp committing more funds to the project.

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Sunday Storms Will Give Way to Dry Conditions, Then More Rain, Weather Service Says

/in , /by /The Mercury Newsby Aldo Toledo and George Kelly

The Bay Area awoke to the pitter-patter sound and pleasant smell of rain Sunday as the first significant storm system of the season moved through the area, bringing much-needed moisture to a largely dry region. Meteorologist Brooke Bingaman with the National Weather Service said that the rain system that passed through the Bay Area over the weekend will give way to dry conditions for Monday and Tuesday before an even wetter system could come through Wednesday into Thursday.

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From Droughts to Flooding, Here’s How California is Trying to Better Understand Atmospheric Rivers

/in , /by /ABC10 KXTV Sacramentoby Monica Woods

California weather is rarely average. Historically, the state has well above or well below average rain and snow. One of the keys to prepare for these wild swings is a better understanding of atmospheric rivers. The Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes or CW3E is at the heart of this research.

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Colorado Activates Municipal Drought Response for Second Time Ever as Water Forecast Worsens

/in , /by /The Colorado Sunby Jerd Smith

The state of Colorado has activated the municipal portion of its emergency drought plan for only the second time in history as several cities say they need to prepare for what is almost certainly going to be a dangerously dry 2021.

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Delta Dilemma: Fishing or Fresh Water

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

The quiet of morning broke as a battery of boats roared toward first light on the open water.

Dozens of anglers, competing in teams of two for the biggest bass they could find, disappeared beyond the weed beds and tule thickets into the maze of rivers and sloughs. Each was chasing a cash prize and the satisfaction of conquering one of the West’s premier spots for sportfishing: the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

 

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State’s Largest Water District Ignores Tribes, Conservationists, Ratepayers on Delta Tunnel

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

The Metropolitan Water District’s board of directors voted Tuesday to spend another $58 million to support the study and design of an underground tunnel in the North Delta that would divert large amounts of fresh water and send it to municipalities and agribusinesses in southern California.

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Southwest US Communities and Hispanics Most Likely to Have Arsenic-Laden Water

/in , /by /Environmental Health Newsby Hannah Seo

A new survey shows arsenic levels in public water are disproportionately high in certain U.S. communities, despite national regulatory standards designed to protect people from the harmful chemical. Researchers studied approximately 13 million records from 2006 to 2011 covering 139,000 public water systems in 46 states, Washington D.C., and Native American tribes.

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Opinion: Steps to Cool the Climate Will Improve Water Quality, Too

/in , /by /The Hillby Jeff Peterson

While much of Washington remains mired in partisan gridlock, there is new cooperation in two areas critical to managing climate change: reducing carbon emissions from agriculture and shifting to electric vehicles.

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