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California Water Probe Finds PFAS in Majority of Tested Wells

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Emily C. Dooley

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.

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Key Indicators Discovered of Climate Change Impact on California Water Supply

/in , , /by /PHYS.ORGby Anton Caputo, University of Texas at Austin

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.

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

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Michael Cabanatuan

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

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California Tightens Reporting for Rocket Fuel Chemical in Water

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Emily C. Dooley

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.

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Droughts That Start Over the Ocean? They’re Often Worse Than Those That Form Over Land

/in , , /by /Inside Climate Newsby Bob Berwyn

Droughts usually evoke visions of cracked earth, withered crops, dried-up rivers and dust storms. But droughts can also form over oceans, and when they then move ashore they are often more intense and longer-lasting than purely land-born dry spells.

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Researchers Use Satellite Imaging to Map Groundwater Use In California’s Central Valley

/in , , /by /Phys.org

Researchers at the University of California San Diego report in a new study a way to improve groundwater monitoring by using a remote sensing technology (known as InSAR), in conjunction with climate and land cover data, to bridge gaps in the understanding of sustainable groundwater in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

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Water Year Starts With Concerns About La Niña

/in , , /by /Ag Alertby Christine Souza

Despite little precipitation and a small snowpack in the 2020 water year, which ended Sept. 30, California weathered the year on water stored in reservoirs during previous years’ storms. Going into 2021, farmers note that weather officials predict a La Niña climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean, which has brought drought conditions in the past.

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Climate Change and Poor Planning Blamed for California Blackouts

/in , , /by /The New York Timesby Ivan Penn

A report by California energy officials on Tuesday placed blame for rolling blackouts that left millions without power in August on the impact of climate change and outdated policies and practices that failed to adequately take into account hotter weather.

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Unpaid Water Bills a “Pending Disaster” the State is Trying to Head Off

/in , , /by /SJV Waterby Lois Henry

If the state has any hope of heading off a looming “tidal wave” of residential water shut offs and bankrupt water systems it has to get a picture of current impacts, advocates urged.

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Army Corps Breaks Ground On Success Dam Enlargement Project

/in , /by /The Sun-Gazette

On the heels of a historic drought, at the beginning of the implementation of historic groundwater legislation, and in light of potential flooding, Porterville will have more water in the future and a larger dam to prevent it from damaging the city below. On Sept. 29, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District, along with local and federal partners, have broken ground on the Tule River Spillway Enlargement Project at Success Lake near Porterville, Calif.

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