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OPINION: Best Way To Improve California’s Water Situation is Newsom Plan, Not Senate Bill 1

/in , /by /The Fresno Beeby Reps. Jim Acosta and TJ Cox

Creating a sustainable water future for all Californians is one of the defining challenges of our time. As members of Congress from California, we have been at the center of efforts to solve the difficult problems of providing reliable water supplies for California’s people, its economy, and our environment. There is no silver bullet to that will solve these problems, but what we know is this: all parties must be at the table; the legislative process must be transparent; the goals must be clear and achievable.

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The Friant-Kern Canal Is Sinking. Thirty-Mile Parallel Canal Proposed

/in , /by /KVPR Radio Bakersfieldby Alice Daniel

The Friant-Kern Canal, which delivers water to farms and communities on the east side of the Valley, is literally sinking in some areas due to groundwater pumping. And with one week to go before the California legislature wraps up its 2019 session, many hope the state will help fund the canal’s repair. FM89’s News Director Alice Daniel recently sat down with Johnny Amaral, the chief of external affairs for the Friant Water Authority to learn about one possible solution.

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A Giant Mass of Warm Water off the Pacific Coast Could Rival ‘The Blob’ of 2014-15

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Deborah Netburn

A large and unusually warm mass of water is threatening to disturb the marine ecosystem along the Pacific Coast from Southern California to Alaska, scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday.

They call it the Northeast Pacific Marine Heatwave of 2019, and if it doesn’t dissipate soon, researchers said it could be as destructive as the infamous “blob” of warm water that caused massive toxic algae blooms along the coast and wreaked havoc on whales, salmon, baby sea lions and other marine life in 2014 and 2015.

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Local coalition plans town hall to discuss possible West Basin desalination plant

/in , /by /The Beach Reporterby Kristen Farmer

A coalition of local conservation groups is hosting a town hall about a proposed desalination plant in El Segundo that has garnered controversy since it was first proposed more than a decade ago.

West Basin Municipal Water District plans to vote on the $400 million project by the end of this year, according to the Bruce Reznik, executive director of Los Angeles Waterkeeper – part of a coalition that includes Heal the Bay, Desal Response Group, Southbay Surfrider Foundation – that comprises Smarter Water LA.

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Farmers Concerned Over How Mandatory Water Cuts From Colorado River Will impact Agriculture

/in , , /by /Fox Newsby Benjamin Brown

Two western states are imposing mandatory water cuts because the Colorado River, which supplies water to 40 million people and about 5 million acres of land across seven states, has dropped to alarmingly low levels.

Nevada and Arizona, concerned that a 20-year drought has dried up much of the river, are trying to rein in water use in an effort to save the disappearing river.

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Making California’s Water Supply Resilient

/in , , /by /Phys.Orgby Michelle Horton

As with the stock market, climate change requires a diversified portfolio of solutions. California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed an executive order to develop a comprehensive strategy for making the state’s water system climate-resilient. The order calls for a broad portfolio of collaborative strategies to deal with outdated water infrastructure, unsafe drinking water, flood risks and depleted groundwater aquifers.

In a related study published earlier this year, Stanford researchers Newsha Ajami and Patricia (Gonzales) Whitby examined effective strategies to rising water scarcity concerns. Ajami is director of Urban Water Policy at Stanford’s Water in the West program and a hydrologist specializing in sustainable water resource management.

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Reps. Levin, Peters Urge Congress To Say No Drilling Off California Coast

/in , /by /KPBSby Erik Anderson

California Reps. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, and Mike Levin, D-Dana Point, have co-sponsored legislation aimed at blocking a Trump administration plan to sell new offshore oil leases in U.S. coastal waters.

The measure, HR 1941 creates a permanent ban on offshore drilling around the country and it is getting a hearing in the House of Representatives.

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State Supreme Court Declines To Hear Desal Project Challenge

/in , , /by /Monterey Herald by Jim Johnson

Without explanation, the State Supreme Court has declined to consider a legal challenge backed by the Marina Coast Water District and city of Marina against the state Public Utilities Commission’s approval of California American Water’s proposed Monterey Peninsula water supply project.

Last week, the state’s high court issued notice that it had denied the petition for review of the CPUC decision in September last year certifying an environmental review document for Cal Am’s water project, including a 6.4-million gallon per day desalination plant north of Marina, and approving a permit for the proposal. The court did not include any rationale for denying the legal challenge and has rarely considered challenges to CPUC decisions.

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Dog Deaths Raise Algal Bloom Alarm As States Report More Toxins

/in , /by /Bloomberg Environmentby Alex Ebert and Stephen Joyce

A high-profile series of dog deaths has awakened the public to the growing problem of toxic algal blooms, spurred by rising temperatures and pollution.

The blooms are emerging as a national, not just regional, concern, according to preliminary data reported to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through July. Samples taken from New Jersey to California, and from Texas to Washington state, all show evidence of toxins given off by the blooms.

Since 2018, when the EPA started collecting the latest batch of data, algal blooms have been documented near the intakes of water treatment plants at least 130 times.

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City Links Golf Course To Recycled Water

/in , /by /The Sun - Gazzete by Reggie Ellis

As the deadline for groundwater sustainability approaches in California, one Tulare County city has taken another step toward eliminating its need for landscape irrigation.

At its Aug. 19 meeting, the Visalia City Council approved a notice of completion to replumb the waterlines used to irrigate the Valley Oaks Golf Course to carry recycled water instead of groundwater. The project installed 2-inch potable water lines and 8-inch irrigation lines at four locations throughout the golf course, with backflow preventers and water elevation sensors to separate drinking water from mixing with irrigation water.

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