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Farmers Doing More With Less Need Help From Above

/in , /by /Bakersfield.comby Dianne Hardisty

Joel Ackerknecht manages about 3,500 acres of land north and west of Bakersfield and south of Arvin for DM Camp and Sons, a more than 80-year-old Kern County farming operation that grows a variety of specialty crops, including wine grapes, nuts and sweet potatoes.

A combination of expanding global demand for California produce, stretched water resources, receding ground water levels and increasing government regulations caused Ackerknecht to search for ways to do more with less.

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California Plans to Cut Detection Level for Perchlorate in Water

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

California water regulators announced Monday they planned to cut the level at which water suppliers must sample for and report detections of the chemical perchlorate, which has been linked to thyroid conditions.

Water suppliers in California currently must test for perchlorate in drinking water down to 4 parts per billion. The State Water Resources Control Board said it plans to cut that level to 2 parts per billion and then again to 1 part per billion in 2024.

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California Adopts Definition of Microplastics in Drinking Water

/in , , /by /The National Law Reviewby Dacia T. Meng

In accordance with deadlines set in 2018 legislation, the California State Water Resources Control Board has adopted a definition for “microplastics” that will be used in testing of drinking water for microplastics. The Board was required, on or before July 1, 2020, to adopt a definition of microplastics in drinking water and, on or before July 1, 2021, will be required to adopt requirements for testing and reporting on microplastics in drinking water, among other things. While this development is currently focused on the testing of drinking water in California, the Board and others expect that it will form the basis of future efforts to quantify and address microplastics in the environment.

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New Survey Polls U.S. Confidence In Tap Water

/in , , /by /Water Finance & Management

Four in five Americans served by a water utility (77 percent) say the quality of their tap water is excellent or good, although Black and Hispanic respondents report a lower level of satisfaction, according to a survey conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the American Water Works Association.

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Resilience Must Be Viewed Through a Big-Picture Lens

/in , /by /WWTby Simon Jude

Water is assumed to be among the most ‘resilient’ of sectors. Whatever the economic picture, we all need water. Sophisticated engineering design means technical threats can be engineered out. And the experience of Covid-19 so far appears to back up the assumption. The share prices of the big water firms have held up well; issues like increased demand have had only a minimal effect.

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Opinion: Nevada Should Challenge Utah’s Move for a Lake Powell Pipeline

/in , , /by /The Nevada Independent by Richard Spotts

In politics, what goes around can and sometimes should come around. A case in point is the Desert National Wildlife Refuge and Lake Powell Pipeline.

Utah’s infamous Rep. Rob Bishop, known for his abysmally bad voting record on public lands and environmental issues, recently pulled off a “sneak attack” on Nevada in the House Armed Services Committee. On July 1st, reportedly without consulting with any Nevada officials, he put forward an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act legislation to give the Air Force primary control over approximately 850,000 acres of the DNWR.

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Farmers Doing More With Less Need Help From Above

/in , , /by /Bakersfield.comby Dianne Hardisty

Joel Ackerknecht manages about 3,500 acres of land north and west of Bakersfield and south of Arvin for DM Camp and Sons, a more than 80-year-old Kern County farming operation that grows a variety of specialty crops, including wine grapes, nuts and sweet potatoes.

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Sacred Arizona Spring Drying Up as Border Wall Construction Continues

/in , , /by /National Geographicby Douglas Main

Midway down a cactus-covered hill in one of the driest parts of Arizona is a miracle: a spring. Water continually streams out of the ground, down a small channel, and into a pond.

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COVID-19 Puts Spotlight on Equity Considerations in Utility Clean Energy, Efficiency and Relief Efforts

/in , /by /Utility Diveby Iulia Gheorghiu

The COVID-19 public health crisis brought into sharp relief the importance of shifting benefits to more vulnerable communities, participants said at a Monday panel during the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Summer Policy Summit.

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House FY21 Spending Bill Includes No New Direct WIFIA Appropriations

/in , , /by /Water Finance & Managementby Andrew Farr

As the start of the federal Fiscal Year 2021 rapidly approaches on October 1st, the U.S. House has begun working to advance its annual Appropriations (funding) bills through their committee process. Last week, the House Appropriations Committee passed its Interior and Environment bill to fund the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and core clean water programs.

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