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EPA Announces Proposed Changes to Lead and Copper Rule

/in , , /by /WaterWorld

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed rule that significantly improves the actions that water systems must take to reduce lead in the nation’s drinking water. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the proposal at an event in Green Bay. This action represents the first major overhaul of the Lead and Copper Rule since 1991 and marks a critical step in advancing the Trump Administration’s Federal Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposures.

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This is What Adapting to Climate Change Looks Like

/in , , /by /The Atlanticby Robinson Meyer

California has always promised Americans a glimpse of the future. But this week, the Golden State is forecasting a future that nobody wants to live in. Millions of people across California lost their power this week, after the local utility Pacific Gas and Electric intentionally shut off electrical lines to avoid starting wildfires in dangerously dry and windy conditions.

The outage—termed a “public-safety power shutoff”—stretched hundreds of miles across the state’s northern half, dousing the lights in affluent Bay Area suburbs, on Sacramento Valley ranches, and in large coastal cities such as Eureka.

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Recharging Depleted Aquifers No Easy Task, But It’s Key to California’s Water Supply Future

/in , , /by /Water Education Foundationby Gary Pitzer

To survive the next drought and meet the looming demands of the state’s groundwater sustainability law, California is going to have to put more water back in the ground. But as other Western states have found, recharging overpumped aquifers is no easy task.

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Public’s Input Sought On State of Salton Sea and Proposed Fixes

/in , , /by /KESQ by City News Service

A public meeting to decide what fixes might be applied to change the fate of the dying Salton Sea — and how much taxpayer money should be spent on the effort — will be held Tuesday morning in North Shore, hosted by a committee chaired by Riverside County Supervisor Manuel Perez.

“I’m glad we’re having this meeting in North Shore, which is where our efforts are centered on in providing a safe and stable Salton Sea, protecting public health and the environment and creating economic, tourism and recreation opportunities,” Perez said.

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EPA to Unveil New National Lead-in-Water Standards

/in , , /by /Bloombergby David Schultz

The EPA will unveil the first updates to its regulations on lead in drinking water in nearly three decades at an Oct. 10 event in Green Bay, Wis., according to a person invited to attend the event.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler is scheduled to attend the event, along with David Ross, the agency’s top water official, and Cathy Stepp, the head of its Midwestern regional office.

The agency’s lead regulations, officially known as the Lead and Copper Rule, went into effect in 1991 and haven’t been substantially updated since then.

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When The Power Goes Out, So Does The Water In Some Places

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

Not only did the lights go out for tens of thousands of Californians on Wednesday, but some of them were bracing for the loss of their taps and toilets, too.

Utilities across the state were warning residents that PG&E’s planned power outages could limit their ability to deliver water and carry off sewage, especially if the shut-off were to continue for days.

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NOAA Awards $4.4M for Research On Sea Level Rise and Flooding

/in , , /by /Water Online

NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science is awarding more than $1.5M in fiscal year 2019, of an anticipated total of $4.4M over the next three years, to more than 30 academic, government and non-governmental organizations for research into how natural, man-made and restored coastal habitats could reduce the effects of sea level rise, flooding and storms.

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Some Counties Urging Water Conservation During PG&E Power Shutoff

/in , , /by /CBS Sacramento

VACAVILLE (CBS13) — Some Northern California residents who will experience power outages Wednesday are also being asked to conserve water. The city of Vacaville and El Dorado County announced Tuesday that the PG&E Public Safety Power Outage may also affect water service to neighborhoods.

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Power Outages Begin in California Amid Hot, Windy Weather

/in , /by /AP Newsby Olga R. Rodriguez and Janie Har

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California’s biggest utility shut off electricity to more than a million people Wednesday for what could be days on end, in the most sweeping effort in state history to prevent wildfires caused by windblown power lines. The move came after two years of catastrophic fires sent Pacific Gas & Electric into bankruptcy and forced it to take more aggressive steps to prevent blazes.

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Northern California Cities, Water Districts Urge Conservation As PG&E Blackout Continues

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Bee by Michael McGough

Cities, counties and regional water districts throughout the Sacramento Valley and Bay Area are urging users to cut down on water use during Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s public safety power shutoff, which has blacked out hundreds of thousands of customers since the early morning hours of Wednesday.

Fairfield authorities are urging residents to conserve water use after the city experienced a treatment plant issue that it is attributing to the PG&E shutoff.

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