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DWR Encourages More Climate Change Collaboration

/in , /by /AgNet Westby Brian German

The California Department of Water Resources is calling for increased climate change collaboration. DWR is encouraging more cooperation between federal, state, and local governments in their efforts to address climate change. As part of the underlying effort to mitigate the impact of climate change, DWR released the “Moving to Action” plan last month. The move aligns with Governor Gavin Newsom’s goals of addressing natural resource concerns through his executive order to establish a Water Resilience Portfolio.

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Federal Lead-Pipe Rule Overhauled for First Time in Decades

/in , /by /The Washington Postby Sarah Kaplan and Brady Dennis

For the first time in three decades, the federal government on Tuesday overhauled a rule aimed at reducing lead in drinking water across the country — a long-standing scourge made worse by the nation’s weathered and crumbling infrastructure.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s lead and copper rule, widely criticized as complicated, poorly enforced and too weak to protect the health of many Americans, has not been revised since 1991, when George H.W. Bush was president.

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Colorado River Tribes Seek Approval From Congress to Put Water On the Market in Arizona

/in , /by /AZ Centralby Ian James

On the Arizona-California border, where the Colorado River pushes against Headgate Rock Dam, churning water pours into a wide canal and runs across the desert, flowing toward the farmlands of the Colorado River Indian Tribes.

This tribal nation is the largest single user of Colorado River water in Arizona, with rights to divert about 662,000 acre-feet per year, more than double the amount of water diverted for the state of Nevada.

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Sites Water Storage Project Benefit Report Identifies Delta Ecosystem

/in , /by /Daily Republicby Todd R. Hansen

The final feasibility report for the long-awaited Sites Reservoir water storage project was sent Tuesday to Congress by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The Sites Reservoir Project is a joint investigation between the Bureau of Reclamation and Sites Project Authority, authorized by Congress in 2003.

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Congress Appropriations Bill Includes $206 Million for Friant-Kern Canal

/in , /by /The Recorderby Charles Whisnand

Congress presented an early Christmas present that will go a long ways to providing much needed repairs for the Friant-Kern Canal.

Congress signed off on funding for the repair work to be done locally on the 33-mile stretch of the canal. The stretch is from Avenue 208 between Strathmore and Lindsay to north Kern County.

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Scientists Use New Methods to Better Forecast Atmospheric Rivers

/in , /by /Sierra Nevada Allyby Scott King

Earlier this year, the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes launched a new sub-seasonal to seasonal forecast product to better predict the influence atmospheric rivers will have on the Western United States. Better and more accurate forecasting tools for atmospheric rivers are critical for a number of community uses, including water management, agriculture, insurance and commodities trading, to name a few.

The demand for better atmospheric forecasting tools has facilitated the development of the new S2S forecasting products launched by CW3E this year.

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Waves Off Central Coast Contain Clues About Changing Climate. Is California Due for Drought?

/in , /by /San Luis Obispo Tribuneby John Lindsey

The waves along the Central Coast can tell you a lot about our changing climate, and here’s why.

The Diablo Canyon Power Plant’s Waverider Buoy has measured wave heights and periods since June 1983 and directions since June 1996 and is one of the longest continuous-wave monitoring stations along the West Coast.

Scripps Institute of Oceanography’s Coastal Data Information Program maintains an extensive network of buoys that monitor waves along the coastlines of the United States. You can view the historical wave data archive from Diablo Canyon and other stations at the CDIP database at cdip.ucsd.edu.

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‘Forever Chemicals’ Pollute Water from Alaska to Florida

/in , /by /The Guardianby Lynne Peeples

Tom Kennedy learned about the long-term contamination of his family’s drinking water about two months after he was told that his breast cancer had metastasized to his brain and was terminal.

The troubles tainting his tap: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a broad category of chemicals invented in the mid-1900s to add desirable properties such as stain-proofing and anti-sticking to shoes, cookware and other everyday objects.

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Biden Is Eyeing Renewable Energy. So Are Hackers

/in , /by /E&E Newsby Christian Vasquez

President-elect Joe Biden’s rush to renewable energy may open up a host of cybersecurity dangers if more isn’t done to secure the technology from hackers.

Fast-evolving solar and wind technologies pose new risks to power grid security, especially as smaller renewable energy companies often lack resources to fight against hackers, experts warn. And a recently discovered hacking campaign targeting federal agencies and potentially hundreds of energy companies only underscores the scale of the challenge.

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Antioch Approves $87 Million Bid for Brackish Water Desalination Plant

/in , /by /East Bay Timesby Judith Prieve

Shimmick Construction Co. has been awarded a nearly $87 million contract to build Antioch’s brackish water desalination plant.

The City Council unanimously approved the company’s bid during a special meeting Friday after rejecting a protest bid from C. Overaa & Co., which also wanted the job. The $86,689,000 contract with Shimmick will include a 5% contingency of $4,334,450 in case of unforeseen costs for a total of $91,023,450.

In addition, council members authorized city staff to increase the total budget for the desalination project to $110 million. Earlier projections had estimated it would cost nearly $70 million.

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