Each glass of water, shower or flush costs far more than it did just eight years ago — and your water is bill is likely to go up again in 2019.
The average water and sewer bill in 50 cities jumped 3.6% this year, marking the eighth consecutive year of increases, according to a recent annual study from Bluefield Research. Since 2012, water bills have surged 31%, outpacing inflation.
Two years ago Assembly Bill 746 required all California K-12 public schools built before 2010 to test for lead in drinking fountains and faucets by July 1, 2019. So far, 1,256 of 7,188 schools tested by the California State Water Resources Control Board (17 percent) have reported levels of lead that exceed five parts per billion (ppb). The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that lead in school drinking fountains not exceed 1 ppb, whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there is no blood lead level for children that can be considered safe.
Most of the West Coast’s estuary habitat has vanished, according to a new study, the most thorough of its kind. The mapping project found that, today, less than 15% of historic estuaries remain along the Washington, Oregon and California coastlines.
Estuaries form where fresh water from rivers and streams meets the salt water of the ocean. They take the form of salt marshes, tidal forests, beaches and steep river mouths. They are among the most productive and diverse ecosystems on Earth. Estuaries are also among the most endangered habitats on the planet.
Mayor Ben Cantu believes it is irresponsible for the City of Manteca to continue issuing building permits within the 200-year floodplain before additional levee improvements are in place.
Cantu last week was on the losing end of a 4-1 council vote certifying adequate progress is being made by Reclamation District 17 to start construction of upgraded levees along the San Joaquin River as well as a controversial dry levee in Manteca’s southwest flank by Oct. 31, 2025 that will meet the new 200-year rating as mandated by Sacramento under Senate Bill 5.
State Legislature should block president’s attempt to undermine federal Endangered Species Act.
The death of the twin-tunnels project hasn’t stopped Central Valley farmers’ efforts to send more water south to irrigate their fields at the expense of the health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
The latest assault on the Delta, which supplies roughly one-third of the Bay Area’s water, is the Trump administration’s efforts to gut the federal Endangered Species Act. Removing protections in existence for nearly 50 years threatens not only the Delta’s wildlife but also the quality of its fresh water.
The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will host a public comment session on California’s Water Future on Thursday, Sept. 5, Fresno.
The meeting will be held from noon to 3:30 p.m. at the Fresno County Farm Bureau, 1274 W. Hedges Ave., Fresno.
State agencies are asking Californians to help shape a roadmap for meeting future water needs and ensuring environmental and economic resilience through the 21st century.
Stockholm’s architecture, waterways and balmy climate make Sweden’s capital a tourist haven in the summer. Throw in the networking appeal of almost 4,000 people in town for the annual World Water Week confab, including government officials and executives from big companies like Diageo, Apple and Nestlé, and it’s hard to imagine Wall Street types not flooding the event. But most stay away.
Her Senate Bill 1 is the year’s most far-reaching environmental legislation. It declares that the state would adhere to laws governing clean air, water, endangered species and labor that were in place in January 2017, when President Trump took office, and before he set about trying to unravel environmental law. Farm groups mounted a major campaign to sway legislators to amend or kill the bill, and seemed to be gathering momentum.
Scientists have detected microplastic pollution in Lake Tahoe’s deep blue waters for the first time. Now they are trying to determine its source and potential harm to the lake’s flora and fauna.
Preliminary analyses of water samples collected by researchers at the Desert Research Institute in Reno revealed the presence of particles of synthetic fiber and bits of red and blue plastic no bigger than the head of a pin.
California Water Service (Cal Water) recently completed two infrastructure projects in the Kern River Valley and Los Altos. The first was the installation of more than 4,200 feet of a new transmission water main in the Los Altos’ Rancho neighborhood, which will strengthen water system reliability and infrastructure resiliency for customers and enhance fire protection in emergencies. Cal Water crews installed new 16-inch, ductile iron water main on Covington Road, between Parma Way and South El Monte Avenue, and extending to the intersection of Foothill Expressway and South El Monte Avenue. “Through careful planning and execution, we were able to complete this complex water system improvement project without disrupting our customers’ water service,” said Cal Water District Manager Ron Richardson.
