Just outside Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, a year-round, mineral-rich spring turns the Little Colorado River a vivid turquoise. This final stretch, about 10 miles from the river’s confluence with its larger relative, is one of the West’s spectacular waterways, with bright water flowing below steep red-rock cliffs. But the view will change dramatically if a Phoenix-based company builds a proposed hydropower project.
A study on a pipe to carry water from Paradise to Chico will be back before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
The $144,000 study to see if the project was feasible was first approved on a 4-1 vote by the supervisors on Sept. 10.
Half the cost would be paid out of a $1.1 million Proposition 1 grant the county received to study ways to reduce reliance on groundwater, as required by a recent state law.
In places like San Diego and Dubai, where freshwater is scarce, humans turn to machines that pull the salt out of seawater, transforming it into clean drinking water.
ST. HELENA, Calif. — Every wine region has had to deal with some manifestation of climate change, but few have had to deal with as many devastating consequences as Napa Valley.
Water is scarce and dirty for many in Fresno County’s small West Park community.
They’re not alone. It’s a common and persistent challenge for residents throughout California who rely on water wells.
LANCASTER — In case of an emergency such as an earthquake or wildfire, one key element that could be disrupted, and for an extended period, is water. As such, it is important to include planning for water needs for emergency scenarios, whether for public agencies or individuals.
To that end, area water agencies and government officials gathered Wednesday in Lancaster as the Greater Antelope Valley Water Emergency Coalition to discuss preparations and resources available in case of water disruptions in an emergency.
San Diego will create California’s first “capacity bank” for water and sewer, allowing breweries and biotech firms to cheaply buy excess water and sewer capacity from former factories.
The City Council unanimously approved the capacity bank on Tuesday, calling it an innovative idea that will create jobs and help the city avoid expensive expansions of its sewer and water infrastructure.
“From conversations I’ve had with a lot of breweries in my district, this is going to be a very popular program,” said Councilman Chris Cate, who represents Miramar, Mira Mesa and Kearny Mesa.
Say what you will about Russian interference, it just might get us Northern Californians out of this year’s precarious fire season.
Meteorologists are forecasting that around Nov. 10, a strong jet stream originating from Russia is likely to undercut the dominant high-pressure ridge sitting off the coast and provide much-needed moisture to the West Coast.
“Now the question is, how confident are we?” said Brent Wachter, a fire meteorologist with the North Operations Predictive Service. “Not very. But there’s a glimmer of hope.”
The state’s electric grid was experiencing rapid and unprecedented changes even before Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison began shutting off power to millions of people in a desperate scramble to prevent their transmission lines from sparking wildfires.
Solar and wind power were booming. Gas-fired power plants were shutting down. Investor-owned utility companies such as PG&E and Edison were being replaced by city-run alternatives. And the falling cost of lithium-ion batteries was making some households less reliant on the grid than ever before.
The changes will only accelerate in the coming years, as California ramps up efforts to fight climate change by cleaning up its energy supply.
Over 4 billion people live under conditions of severe water scarcity at least one month of the year. Over a billion people spend several hours a day searching for water, wasting precious time and putting them in frequent danger. Some of this scarcity has led to violence and conflict, especially in Africa, Southern Asia and the Middle East. The Syrian conflict was triggered by a years-long drought. So it would go a long way to achieving global peace and ending global poverty if we could give these people water without a lot of cost and trouble, and without a lot of infrastructure.
