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Opinion: California and Federal Government Need to Resolve Differences on Water Supply Issues

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Mike Wade

Re “California water war re-ignited”; Dan Walters, April 20, 2020, CalMatters

Dan Walters’ column does a good job describing a potential water battle that all Californians should want to avoid.

The COVID-19 pandemic has rendered uncertain many things we used to take for granted. When can we next go to a restaurant, plan a vacation or go to a baseball game? We can’t afford to add to that list, “will there be food at the grocery store?” Our food supply has been one of the few things we’ve been able to count on in recent months and we need that to continue.

Coronavirus Causes Delay in EPA’s Rule for Managing Wastewater

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Amena Saiyid

The EPA has been too busy responding to the deadly coronavirus to work on its long-awaited proposal to manage huge volumes of pathogen-infested sewage and stormwater during heavy rains, the agency’s top wastewater official said Wednesday.

“We think we have a potential path forward,” said Andrew Sawyers, director of the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Wastewater Management, said in a webinar on water priorities for the year.

But “with Covid-19, there are a lot of things under consideration,” he said, referring to the disease caused by the coronavirus.

“We will provide additional information on timing and potentially when we can move this forward,” Sawyers said about the wastewater rule.

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Lawmakers Push for Inclusion of ‘Forever Chemical’ Regulation in Future Stimulus Bill

/in , , /by /The Hillby Rachel Frazin

A group of more than 80 members of Congress is pushing for the inclusion of provisions to regulate a class of cancer-linked chemicals in future stimulus legislation dealing with infrastructure.

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Environmental Groups Sue EPA Over Clean Water Act Rollback

/in , /by /Palm Springs Desert Sunby Mark Olalde

A recent flurry of litigation from around the state and across the country could have huge ramifications in California on the protection and distribution of scarce water resources.

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California Water Wars Heat Up With Suits From State Contractors

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

Water contractors in California are suing the state over its new permit that authorizes water deliveries, the result of a conflict with the Trump administration’s policies.

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Sewage Monitoring Could Provide Covid-19 Early Warning

/in , , /by /WWTby Denise Chevin

Wastewater in sewage systems could provide a quicker and earlier indication of the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the Covid-19 virus, claim scientists working with Northumbrian Water and global partners.

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Grand Compromise on California Water Wars in Disarray. Newsom Faces Multiple Lawsuits this Week

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

From the moment he took office, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he wanted to bring peace to California’s water wars. But now, more than a year later, most of the warring factions are united against his plan for governing the Delta.

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Ranchers Sue Trump Administration, Arguing Water Rollback is Federal Overreach

/in , /by /The Hillby Rebecca Beitsch

A group of ranchers sued the Trump administration Monday over a rollback to an Obama-era water rule they argue is still too strict.

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Virus Prompts California to Study Air Pollution, Public Health

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

California regulators are seizing on a chance to study the public health effects of air pollution, as stay-at-home orders and drops in freight traffic related to the coronavirus pandemic have presented a unique research opportunity.

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‘Borrowing From the Future’: What an Emerging Megadrought Means for the Southwest

/in , , /by /Cronkite News (Arizona PBS, Phoenix)by Madison Staten

It’s the early 1990s, and Park Williams stands in the middle of Folsom Lake, at the base of the Sierra Nevada foothills in Northern California. He’s not walking on water; severe drought has exposed the lakebed.

“I remember being very impressed by the incredible variability of water in the West and how it’s very rare that we actually have just enough water,” said Williams, who went on to become a climate scientist at Columbia University. “It’s often the case there’s either too much or too little.”

Williams is the lead author on a report out this month in the journal Science detailing the extent of drought conditions in the American West.

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