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Trump Admin Fast-Tracks Colorado River Pipeline

/in , , /by /E&E News by Jeremy P. Jacobs

The Trump administration has put one of the largest new water projects on the Colorado River on the fast track, raising concerns among environmentalists.

Utah first proposed building a 140-mile pipeline from Lake Powell on the Utah-Arizona border more than a decade ago. The plan, however, was waylaid by environmental and other reviews during the Obama administration.

But last fall, the Utah Division of Water Resources updated the proposal, removing a hydropower plant and cutting $100 million from its price tag.

The move also changed which federal agency had jurisdiction over it — from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to the Bureau of Reclamation.

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Protecting California’s Water Assets: State Releases New Water Resilience Portfolio

/in , /by /California Forward

Abundant and clean water supplies will be essential for California’s people, communities and economy to thrive in the future. Yet, the state faces significant challenges on the road to water security.

To address those difficulties, Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration has released a draft “Water Resilience Portfolio” designed to ensure that California’s water systems, both natural and constructed, will adequately support our growing state in the future.

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Governor’s Budget Seeks to Build Water Resilience

/in , /by /Public Policy Institute of Californiaby Ellen Hanak and Gokce Sencan

Earlier this month the Newsom administration laid out its vision for addressing the linked issues of water and climate in two key policy documents: the much-anticipated draft of its Water Resilience Portfolio (WRP) and the governor’s budget proposal. The WRP, which resulted from an April 2019 executive order, was developed with extensive input from state agencies and stakeholders from around California.

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Rain Brings Urban Runoff to San Diego County Beaches

/in , /by /CBS News 8

The San Diego County Department of Environmental Health issued a General Rain Advisory on Tuesday directing swimmers, surfers and others to avoid water contact at all beaches and bays following recent rainfall. The agency said swimming, surfing and diving should be avoided during rain and for 72 hours following rainfall.

The agency said with rain comes urban runoff that may contain large amounts of bacteria from sources such as animal waste, soil and decomposing vegetation. This runoff can cause bacteria levels to rise in ocean and bay waters especially near storm drains, creeks, rivers and lagoon outlets, according to the department.

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‘Things Will Blow Up’ If You Ignore Climate Risks — CEO

/in , /by /E&E News by Edward Klump

Rich Sorkin, CEO of Jupiter Intelligence, sees more than raging fires, rising seas and damaging winds in a warming world.

He also sees a business opportunity.

Sorkin, a longtime technology entrepreneur who’s worked in financial services and energy, is leading Jupiter, a Silicon Valley startup that analyzes physical and financial risks tied to climate change.

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UC San Diego Professor: Recent Closing of US Coal Power Plants has Saved 26,610 Lives

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Rob Nikolewski

The number of coal-fired power plants in operation across the country has plummeted in recent years, quickly changing the power mix — especially in states such as California.

But what has that change meant in terms of health? Or even in the number of crops produced?

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Time’s Up on Groundwater Plans: One of the Most Important New California Water Laws in 50 Years Explained

/in , /by /KQED (San Francisco)by Molly Peterson

Much of California’s water supply is a hidden asset: Deep below the surface, rocks, gravel and sand store water like a sponge, in an underground zone called an aquifer.

In dry years, this groundwater has been tapped to save farms, keep grass green and provide drinking water to millions of Californians. But over time, people have taken more water out than nature has put back in.

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Nearly 500,000 Sacramento-Area Residents Will be Safer Because of this Folsom Dam Upgrade

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Tony Bizjak

At the ripe old age of 64, Folsom Dam is about to hit a growth spurt.

Federal crews have begun a five-year effort to raise the height of the dam by 3.5 feet to increase flood protection for 440,000 downstream residents in metropolitan Sacramento, including areas of Arden-Arcade, Rosemont and many areas in the city of Sacramento as far south as the Pocket area and north to upper Natomas.

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Trump Hails WOTUS Overhaul as Critics Call for Investigation

/in , /by /E&E News by Jeremy P. Jacobs

President Trump yesterday touted his repeal of key Clean Water Act regulations as more than three dozen current and former government officials called for an investigation into the scientific basis of his forthcoming replacement rule.

Trump told a gathering of the country’s farmers that last fall he repealed “one of the most ridiculous regulations of all,” the Obama administration’s Waters of the U.S., or WOTUS, rule, which defined which marshes, creeks and streams quality for federal protections.

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Opinion: Gov. Newsom Needs to Stand Up to the Trump Administration on the Delta

/in , /by /CalMatters (Sacramento, Calif.)by John McManus

It’s hardly news that California is under environmental attack from Trump administration policies allowing air and water pollution.

Now Trump’s team is set to impose new environmentally damaging Bay-Delta water diversion and pumping rules. My organization, the Golden State Salmon Association, and our allies have gone to court to block Trump’s effort.

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