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North Marin Water District Delays Novato Rate Hike

/in , , /by /Marin Independent Journalby Will Houston

The North Marin Water District will push off a planned water rate hike and restructuring plan for Novato until fall in response to economic hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

After a nearly two-hour discussion, the district board of directors voted 4-1 on Tuesday to delay changes set to take effect July 1 to Oct. 1.

“There is a downside to this financially and we have got to keep the water district afloat — that’s No. 1, period,” director Rick Freitas said. “But we weren’t counting on this pandemic when we started these discussions and there is a lot of people hurting in our community.”

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California Microplastics Definition Sets Stage for Investigation

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

California’s top water regulator on Tuesday approved a definition of microplastics in drinking water, setting the stage for the state to investigate the extent of contamination from the tiny plastics that have been found in fish, waterways, and other habitats.

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Coronavirus Pandemic has Affected State’s Food, Agriculture and Environment

/in , , /by /Daily Democrat (Woodland, Calif.)by Pam Kan-Rice

COVID-19 continues to affect parts of California agriculture in different ways. A new report from agricultural economists at the University of California examines the current and long-term impacts on California’s leading agricultural industries.

Profiles in the report illustrate the different ways the pandemic has impacted dairy, beef and produce — industries that have scrambled to repurpose products from foodservice to retail — and tree nuts, an industry that saw a temporary spike in sales as consumers hoarded storable goods. The report includes expert assessments of what the future holds for California’s cattle, dairy, produce, strawberry, tomato, tree nut and wine industries.

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Water District Calls on Coastal Commission to Deny Cal Am’s Desalination Permit.

/in , , /by /Monterey County Weeklyby Asaf Shalev

To a large extent, the fate of several multi-million dollar water projects on the Monterey Peninsula is in the hands of the California Coastal Commission. The question is whether the commission will grant a development permit for a desalination plant proposed by California American Water—or will the commission deny the permit and implicitly endorse a smaller project that would provide new water to the area by expanding the regional wastewater recycling facility. A vote is expected at the August 12-14 meeting of the commission.

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In Protecting Endangered Fish, Muddy River flows, State Regulators Find Little Water Left In Basin Eyed by Coyote Springs

/in , /by /The Nevada Independent by Daniel Rothberg

The state’s top water regulator issued a ruling Monday that is likely to have a significant effect on any future development in a large area northeast of Las Vegas, including the construction of Coyote Springs, a proposed master-planned community.

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For Now, No Border Wall For Arizona Tribe’s Colorado River Stretch

/in , , /by /KUNC Coloradoby Alisa Reznick

President Trump’s wall now stretches along 200 miles of U.S.-Mexico borderland. Progress hasn’t slowed during the coronavirus pandemic; in some places it’s even accelerating. But there’s a tiny swath of tribal land on the Colorado River where that’s not the case.

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A Key Player on Colorado River Issues Seeks to Balance Competing Water Demand’s in the River’s Upper Basin

/in , , /by /Water Education Foundationby Gary Pitzer

Colorado is home to the headwaters of the Colorado River and the water policy decisions made in the Centennial State reverberate throughout the river’s sprawling basin that stretches south to Mexico. The stakes are huge in a basin that serves 40 million people, and responding to the water needs of the economy, productive agriculture, a robust recreational industry and environmental protection takes expertise, leadership and a steady hand.

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Justices Reject Clean Water Act Plea in Blow to Miners

/in , /by /E&E Newsby Pamela King

Supreme Court justices today declined to consider whether moving — but not adding — rocks, sand and other debris within a regulated waterway is subject to Clean Water Act restrictions. The court’s decision not to take up the Eastern Oregon Mining Association’s petition came as a disappointment for operators that use suction dredge mining, an industrial process similar to panning for gold in a river.

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Opinion: Arizona’s Groundwater Management Act Was Groundbreaking, But It Needs An Update

/in , , /by /Arizona Centralby Kim Mitchell and Christopher Kuzdas

Rural communities are grappling with the challenge other parts of Arizona faced in the past: the need to conserve groundwater for future generations.

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Unusually Warm May Contributes to Expanding Drought in the West

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Paul Duginski

The Western drought has continued to expand and intensify, according to U.S. Drought Monitor data released Thursday.

Wet late-spring weather resulted in a slight decrease in the area deemed to be in extreme drought in Northern California.

Severe drought receded a little in parts of northeastern Utah and southwestern Washington. Unseasonably heavy precipitation, including high-elevation snow, fell in northeastern Utah, the Drought Monitor reported

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