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Opinion: Connecting California: A New Water Party Could Break the Dam Gumming Up Our Politics

I got one of those calls again — they come every six months — from a Silicon Valley hotshot who wants to use his brain and his wealth to fix what ails California. This investor asked the same old question: What measures might I put on the ballot to reform the state’s politics and governance?

House Democrats Ask CDC to Halt Water Shutoffs During the Pandemic

Two Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform asked the federal government’s top public health agency to suspend water service disconnections nationwide as a means of slowing the spread of Covid-19.

To protect public health, Reps. Harley Rouda of California and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan want the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to use its authority under the Public Health Service Act to prohibit water utilities from shutting off service to customers who are behind on their bills.

The Colorado River’s Water Supply is Predictable Owing To Long-Term Ocean Memory

A team of scientists at Utah State University has developed a new tool to forecast drought and water flow in the Colorado River several years in advance. Although the river’s headwaters are in landlocked Wyoming and Colorado, water levels are linked to sea surface temperatures in parts of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and the water’s long-term ocean memory.

Climate Point: California Becomes First State To Set Audacious Conservation Goal

Welcome to Climate Point, your weekly guide to climate, energy and environment news from around the Golden State and the country. In Palm Springs, Calif., I’m Mark Olalde. Intense weather and natural disasters continue demanding headline space in a year that’s seen enough news to last a decade. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there have already been 16 weather events in 2020 that came with a bill for rebuilding that exceeded $1 billion.

Trash from Coastal Cleanup Month Shows Impact of Coronavirus

There were the usual cigarette butts and bottle caps that made the Top 10 list.

But this year, there were new trends when looking at the data compiled during Coastal Cleanup Month, with preliminary reports released this week showing what volunteers scooped up on the beaches, waterways, parks and neighborhoods throughout the state during the month of September.

California Governor Calls for Protecting 30% of State Land

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Wednesday to protect nearly a third of California’s land and coastal waters in his latest effort to fight climate change that he has blamed for recent record-breaking wildfires.

California Water Probe Finds PFAS in Majority of Tested Wells

Sixty percent of California’s public water supply wells that were tested for so-called forever chemicals contain those compounds, according to research that the State Water Resources Control Board released Wednesday.

That same investigation into contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances also found that groundwater and surface water sampled at airports far exceeded the concentrations detected in water near landfills and public supply wells.

Key Indicators Discovered of Climate Change Impact on California Water Supply

Determining how climate change is affecting water supplies is difficult in a state like California that swings between floods and droughts, but a new study has found that climate models agree on key metrics that could help water managers in the Golden State.

Hope Fades for Fire-Dampening Rainfall in Napa, Sonoma Counties

The Bay Area’s hopes for weekend rains to help snuff the Glass Fire and dampen the parched hills seem to be evaporating.

California Tightens Reporting for Rocket Fuel Chemical in Water

California water regulators on Tuesday cut the level at which water suppliers must report detecting perchlorate, a chemical used in rocket fuel, fireworks, airbags, and other products. The federal Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year declined to regulate perchlorate, which has been linked to thyroid conditions.