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Opinion: Safe Drinking Water Must Be Part of Coronavirus Response Package

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicle by Harlan Kelley Jr. and Susan De Anda

An extraordinary coalition representing over 500 California voices on water — from local water agencies to environmental justice and community-based organizations to agriculture to environmentalists to civil rights leaders like Dolores Huerta — have come together in this time of crisis with a simple message to our leaders.

Access to water must be included as part of the next major federal legislative package. We cannot expect to halt the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic without water for handwashing and basic sanitation.

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New Survey Reveals American Concerns About Water

/in , , /by /Sustainable Watersby Brian Richter

An educational organization called “The Water Main” has just released a sweeping new survey of American’s knowledge and concerns about water. I encourage you to browse the full report, but here’s some key findings to entice you.

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Insight: Computers in Our Sewers—Digitization of the Water Sector

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Ari Goldfarb, Itai Boneh

Technology is revolutionizing wastewater systems, which require a lot of maintenance but are difficult to access under the surface. Ari Goldfarb and Itai Boneh of Kando, a wastewater solutions company, examine how technology is improving wastewater systems and how Covid-19 is having an impact.

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New State Park? Climate Catalyst Fund? On Hold in Newsom’s Coronavirus-Afflicted Budget

/in , , /by /Cal Mattersby Julie Cart, Rachel Becker, Rebecca Sohn

State officials said that California isn’t backing away from prioritizing environmental protections, but the harsh realities of the economic meltdown require difficult compromises.

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Trump’s Water Jurisdiction Rule: What’s All the Fighting About?

/in , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Ellen Gilmer

The Trump administration’s long-anticipated water jurisdiction rule has already drawn a half-dozen legal challenges since its April release, with more on the way.

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Coronavirus: The Workers Keeping the Water Flowing

/in , , /by /BBC Newsby Cormac Campbell

The way we use water is one of the many aspects of daily life that has changed in lockdown.

Commercial use may be down, but domestic use has increased.

With greater levels of hand washing, tea drinking and gardening, demand has risen “considerably,” according to David Murray, a field technician for the water network.

Mr. Murray has worked with water for 35 years and has seen how our recent usage has put pressure on the system.

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How Much Water Do We Really Need to Drink?

/in , , /by /CBS Sacramento (CNN Wire)

Here’s some welcome news: Water can work wonders for your health.

The humble liquid comprises about 60% of our body weight and allows our internal organs to perform at their best. Water regulates our body temperature, keeps our joints lubricated and carries nutrients to our cells. Water also provides moisture to skin, ensuring a bright and radiant glow.

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Questions Simmer About Lake Powell’s Future as Drought, Climate Change Point to a Drier Colorado River Basin

/in , , /by /Water Education Foundation (Western Water)by Gary Pitzer

Sprawled across a desert expanse along the Utah-Arizona border, Lake Powell’s nearly 100-foot high bathtub ring etched on its sandstone walls belie the challenges of a major Colorado River reservoir at less than half-full. How those challenges play out as demand grows for the river’s water amid a changing climate is fueling simmering questions about Powell’s future.

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Let’s Refill Lakes Mead & Powell Now

/in , , /by /Sustainable Watersby Brian Richter Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

As of Monday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s forecast for this year’s expected water supplies in the Colorado River is at 59% of average. That’s not good news.

If that prediction proves true, this will be one of the driest water years since Lake Powell was constructed nearly 60 years ago. The volume of water stored in Lake Powell each year is affected by three primary factors: the amount of water flowing into the reservoir after ‘Upper Basin‘ water users have extracted water for their use, minus water released from the reservoir to support Lower Basin water users, and minus evaporation from the reservoir itself. Lake Powell will lose – by my estimation — about 22 feet of water this year, or about 2.1 million acre-feet of storage.

At that point, the reservoir will be 60% empty.

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Dems’ HEROES Act Includes Billions for Utility, Ratepayer Assistance

/in , , /by /Water Finance & Management

Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday released the HEROES Act, the latest proposed relief package to address the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic challenges resulting from it. The proposal includes $1.5 billion in funding for water ratepayer assistance to help struggling households pay their water and sewer service bills.

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