You are now in California and the U.S. Home Headline Media Coverage category.

Opinion: California Has a Chance for a Green Future After the Coronavirus. Don’t Waste it

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Chronicle Editorial Board

Bears are taking over Yosemite meadows, and coyotes are wandering city streets. Hilltop sunsets never looked more pure and bright. Around the world, smog-glazed skies are giving way to blue vistas and fresh air. A deadly pandemic is slowing human activity and boosting wildlife in startling ways.

With oil selling at near giveaway prices and airlines virtually grounded, there are fewer emissions pouring out. More widely, tailpipes from millions of cars and trucks are idled by stay-at-home orders. NASA space shots show far less pollution in familiar population and industrial centers across the country.

Full Story

Opinion: Reopening California’s Economy Needs a Path Forward; Here are 5 Precise Steps How

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Andreas Borgeas

The economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic has been devastating, and California must continue to act decisively to help mitigate the damage.

As a California state senator representing the 8th Senate District, I have learned heartbreaking stories from employees and business owners who are seeing their dreams and investments dismantled. If lucky enough to have employment, many working parents are forced to juggle work with the new demands of homeschooling, often while vulnerable elderly fend for themselves in solitude.  As a father of two school-aged children with elderly parents this hits close to home.

Full Story

Southern California Swelters as Drought Intensifies in Northern California

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Paul Duginski

Temperatures will remain above seasonal norms in Southern California on Saturday as offshore gradients relax. A return of onshore flow will result in slight cooling at the coast and in coastal valleys, but interior areas will be slightly warmer.

Full Story

Recycled Water Project: Pure Water Expansion Report, Conditional Approval to be Considered

/in , , /by /Monterey Heralsby Jim Johnson

Amid continuing debate over the role the proposed Pure Water Monterey recycled water project expansion will play in the Monterey Peninsula’s water supply, the proposal has reached a key stage.

Full Story

Clean Water Act Covers Groundwater Discharges, Supreme Court Rules

/in , , /by /The New York Timesby Adam Liptak

In a 6-to-3 ruling, the court rejected arguments by a county in Hawaii and the Trump administration that only pollution discharged directly into navigable waters requires permits.

Full Story

Farmers Face New Challenges in Their Ongoing Quest for Water

/in , , /by /Sacramento Business Journalby Emily Hamann

Not a drop of rain fell in February in Sacramento until the end of the month, making it the driest February on record for much of Northern California. For many farmers it was a painful harkening back to the drought that reached its peak and 2015, and marked the driest period in recorded California history.

Full Story

In First Month of COVID-19 Guidance, the California Regional Water Quality Control Boards Have Issued Hundreds of Approvals for Compliance Extensions Submitted by Regulated Entities

/in , , /by /The National Law Reviewby Tom Boer

On March 20, the California Water Boards issued guidance about complying with regulatory requirements during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders. We summarized that guidance here.

Full Story

California Ranks Small Water Agencies in the County, State for Drought Vulnerability

/in , /by /Record Searchlightby Damon Arthur

Roy Vincent has no problem ticking off the problems he says face the little community water district that serves him in Jones Valley near Redding. The system leaks, the filtration system is old and prone to breaking down, many individual meters are antiquated and the water pumps have inadequate wiring, he said.

Full Story

State Water Board Declares Treated Wastewater, Reuse Water Safe from Coronavirus

/in , /by /CWEAby Alec Mackie

Sanitation experts have determined that existing treatment plant disinfection processes successfully disinfect wastewater containing the COVID-19 virus.

Municipal wastewater treatment plants in California go beyond minimum requirements and provide additional tertiary filtration treatment to meet stringent State Water Board public health standards for water disposal or water recycling whenever there is a risk to the public.

The State and Regional Water Boards establish and enforce stringent municipal wastewater treatment and water recycling standards in order to protect drinking water sources including surface and ground water bodies. Wastewater treatment is an essential function, and this work continues during the COVID-19 emergency.

Full Story

As a Dying Salton Sea Spews Harmful Dust, Imperial Valley Water Wars Heat Up Again

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Sammy Roth

The people of California’s Imperial Valley can be as unforgiving as the region’s harsh desert climate. It’s been 16 years since Bruce Kuhn cast the fateful vote to transfer tens of billions of gallons of Colorado River water from the valley’s sprawling farms to thirsty coastal cities, reshaping water politics in California and across the West.

Full Story