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Water Sector Urges Trump to Prioritize Water in Second Term

/in , , /by /Water Finance and Management

In December, associations representing the municipal water and wastewater sector submitted a letter to President-elect Donald Trump, urging his administration to prioritize water infrastructure in his second term.

The letter was endorsed by the American Water Works Association (AWWA), Water Environment Federation (WEF), the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) and WateReuse. The groups said they welcome the opportunity to meet with the President-elect’s transition team to discuss collaboration efforts and presented a list of policy priorities based around what they see as some of the top water-related issues in the United States.

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VIDEO: Concern Grows Over Contaminated Tap Water Lines Across U.S.

/in , , /by /Fox 32 Chicago

Utility companies and the environmental protection agency are notifying millions of U.S. residents that their tap water lines are contaminated with lead.

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Antioch Brackish Desalination Plant Set to Begin Operations

/in , , /by /SilconValley.comby Hema Sivanandam

In an effort to increase the city’s usable water supply, the long-awaited nearly $100-million brackish desalination plant in Antioch is expected to start operating within the next few months.

Acting Public Works Director Scott Buenting said the project, which started around 2021, is now nearing completion.

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Gas Prices and Water Fights: California Environment 2024 Year in Review

/in , , /by /Cal Mattersby Alastair Bland and Alejandro Lazo

California strived to maintain its environmental leadership in 2024, with voters approving a $10 billion environmental bond and the state advancing its renewable energy goals — all while navigating a major budget deficit.

The Legislature approved only a few new major environmental policies as the deficit left environmental groups and renewable energy advocates clamoring for increased spending. Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature scaled back their “California Climate Commitment” spending package to $44.6 billion from $54.3 billion.

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Biden’s New California Water Rules Spark Broad Backlash, as Possible Court Battle Looms

/in , , /by /Sacramento Beeby Ari Plachta

Last week, the Biden administration approved its overarching plan for how to run California’s systems of pumps, canals and reservoirs that serves millions of people and much of the state’s farmland.

The Bureau of Reclamation’s decision Friday ended a four-year effort to overturn the Trump administration’s previous 2019 rules for the Central Valley Project, which environmentalists and the state of California claimed did not adequately protect endangered fish.

 

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OPINION: California Cannot Afford to Ignore Its Water Crisis

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Sentinelby Earl "Skip" Cooper

Over the past few decades, California has prided itself on being a national leader in setting ambitious environmental goals and policies, from reducing carbon emissions to strengthening recycling and furthering the circular economy. Yet, when it comes to one of the state’s most pressing challenges—water quality and safety—California’s track record is less than successful.

Given the Golden State’s long standing water quality issues, it is all the more troubling that Governor Gavin Newsom recently vetoed SB 366, also known as the California Water Plan: Long-Term Supply Targets, legislation that sought to address this inequity. As California law states, clean water is a fundamental human right, and lawmakers cannot continue to ignore the glaring challenges facing the state’s water systems and the communities they serve.

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‘Durable’ Solution or Flawed Fix? New California Water Delivery Plan Stirs Debate

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

The Biden administration has adopted new rules for operating California’s main water delivery systems in the Central Valley, endorsing a plan backed by state officials that aims to strike a balance between ensuring protections for imperiled fish species and providing a reliable water supply for farms and cities.

Federal and state officials said the new operating rules for the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project that were developed over the last three years will bring greater stability to the state’s supplies in the face of worsening droughts intensified by climate change.

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Californians to Get More Water Following Recent Storms in Northern California

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Eshaan Sarup

California residents can expect an increase in their water allocation next year, the Department of Water Resources announced Monday.

Supplies from the State Water Project have risen from 5% earlier this month to 15%, providing more water for 27 million Californians.

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Map Shows US Cities Where Thousands Have No Running Water

/in , , , /by /Newsweekby Hatty Willmoth

New York City is the water poverty capital of the United States, according to a study citing census data, with 56,900 residents living without access to running water in 2021.

In second place was Los Angeles, with 45,900 people, followed by San Francisco, with 24,400. In Chicago and Houston, more than 22,000 residents do not have access to running water.

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OPINION: California’s Next Water War Won’t Concern Agriculture. It Will Be About AI

/in , , /by /Sacramento Beeby Dean Florez

For decades, California’s water debates have centered on a familiar tension: agriculture versus urban consumption. Agriculture, which consumes 80% of the state’s developed water supply, has long dominated discussions about conservation and efficiency. Yet, a new contender is emerging, one poised to dwarf agriculture in water demand and reshape the state’s water future: artificial intelligence (AI).

California’s agricultural sector is the backbone of the nation’s food supply, using approximately 34 million acre-feet of water annually — over 11 trillion gallons. This water sustains crops like almonds, grapes and rice, many of which are highly water-intensive and vital to the state’s economy. For decades, agriculture has been framed as the primary focus of water conservation efforts, with farmers frequently cast as both stewards and villains of California’s strained water resources.

 

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