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Moving Forward Act Provides Funding for Central Valley Water, Friant-Kern Canal

/in , /by /The Porterville Recorder

The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has approved H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act. The legislative package would provide $1.5 trillion for the nation’s infrastructure  needs. Included in the bill is funding for Central Valley water needs and Friant-Kern Canal repairs.

The package is expected to be passed by the U.S. House of Representatives next week. The package would then need to be passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Trump.

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Damming Up Water Progress Throws California’s Future Into Limbo

/in , /by /The Sun (Central Valley)by Wayne Western

Get ready… here comes the true California water cycle: It begins with headlines and quotes warning of pending disaster based on what could, might, maybe, or possibly happen over the state’s water infrastructure.

It follows with attacks against a single water district, then moves to a concerted effort to convince the average Joe that making a profit in farming and being successful should be accompanied by deep regret and guilt.

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Opinion: We’ve Stabilized the Colorado River – For Now. But Much Tougher Work Lies Ahead

/in , /by /AZ Centralby Tom Buschatzke and Ted Cooke

When U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman hailed the Drought Contingency Plans signed last year as “historic,” we wholeheartedly agreed. The plans were the product of years of discussion, negotiation and compromises among water users throughout the Colorado River Basin.

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Opinion: Without Agreements on Water, California Needs to Set New Objectives and Protections for Delta

/in , /by /CalMattersby Jon Rosenfield and Jeanette Howard

For more than a decade, California’s governors have pushed for “voluntary agreements” to establish rules for water diversions by major urban and agricultural water districts, and to redress their environmental impacts. Our organizations joined those discussions to craft a scientifically sound plan that would restore San Francisco Bay’s fisheries and water quality –  and with the understanding that any agreement would satisfy all applicable laws, including the federal and state Clean Water Acts, as part of an update of the State Water Board’s Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan.

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New Data Reveals Hidden Flood Risk Across America

/in , , /by /The New York Timesby Christopher Flavelle, Denise Lu, Veronica Penney, Nadja Popovich and John Schwartz

Across much of the United States, the flood risk is far greater than government estimates show, new calculations suggest, exposing millions of people to a hidden threat — and one that will only grow as climate change worsens.

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U.S. Rural Water Utilities Ask Congress for Financial Help

/in , /by /Circle of Blue

The National Rural Water Association, which represents water systems that serve fewer than 10,000 customers, is calling on Congress to extend financial aid to small utilities that are being affected by revenue losses due to the pandemic.

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Nevada Mulls EPA Reversal of Obama Era Drinking Water Rules

/in , /by /The San Diego Union Tribune

The Trump administration has decided a chemical with a notorious legacy in Nevada will not be regulated in drinking water, but state officials say the reversal of the Obama-era policy shouldn’t result in any decline in drinking water standards across the state.

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Key Findings: The Guardian’s Water Poverty Investigation in 12 US Cities

/in , /by /The Guardianby Nina Lakhani and Juweek Adolphe

Water is essential to life. Yet running water is becoming unaffordable across the US, in cities large and small. Water bills weigh heavily on many Americans as utilities hike up prices to pay for environmental clean-ups, infrastructure upgrades and climate emergency defenses to deal with floods and droughts. Federal funding for America’s ageing water system has plummeted, and as a result a growing number of households are unable to afford to pay their bills; millions of homes are being disconnected or put into foreclosure every year.

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Arizona Starts Talks on Addressing Dwindling Colorado River

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Felicia Fonseca

Arizona is getting a jump start on what will be a yearslong process to address a dwindling but key water source in the U.S. West.

Several states and Mexico rely on the Colorado River for drinking water and growing crops. But climate change, drought and demand have taken a toll on the river that no longer can deliver what was promised in the 1920s.

Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, California, Utah, Wyoming and Nevada have been operating under a set of guidelines approved in 2007. Those guidelines and an overlapping drought contingency plan will expire in 2026.

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A COVID-19 Hit to Public Power? For Some, it’s Not All Bad

/in , /by /Utility Diveby Matthew Bandyk

At a May meeting of the board of directors of the Brownsville, Texas, Board of Public Works, the utility’s director of finance Mike Perez made an announcement that was perhaps surprising in the middle of a pandemic.

“April was a good month,” Perez said. Revenue was up, in part due to customers staying home and using more electricity. Accounts receivable were “in line” with the same period a year ago, indicating that customers were mostly able to pay their bills. “We are not seeing anything alarming so far,” Perez said.

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