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California And National Drought Summary For August 20, 2019, 10 Day Weather Outlook, And California Drought Statistics

/in , /by /Sierra Sun Times (Mariposa, Calif.)by Jessica Blunden and Richard Heim

The United States is in the thralls of summer, and with that can come heat, flash droughts, and occasional, if not frequent, thunderstorm activity. Several areas of the U.S. experienced extreme heat this past week, particularly notable across much of the South and in the East. Parts of western Texas and eastern New Mexico were 6-10 degrees F above their typical averages, with little rainfall to speak of in much of the region. On the other hand much of the northern tier of the U.S. into the Upper Midwest was cool for this time of year, although precipitation amounts there were a mixed bag.

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Microplastics In Drinking Water ‘Don’t Appear To Pose Health Risk,’ WHO Says

/in , /by /FOX 5 San Diego

They may be in our oceans, rivers and ice but there’s little evidence to suggest that microplastics in the water we drink pose a risk to our health. In its first review on the health risks of plastic in tap and bottled water, the World Health Organization said that microplastics “don’t appear to pose a health risk at current levels,” but the key finding came with a big caveat — the review said available information was limited and more research was needed on microplastics and how they affect human health.

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OPINION: Eagle River Watershed Council: The Mighty Colorado Faces Challenges

/in , /by /Vail Daily (Eagle County, Colo.)by Holly Loff

The mighty Colorado. Its very name makes some nostalgic, others wishful of adventure and, still others, fearful. Whatever your feelings, we are lucky to have about 55 miles of the Colorado River flowing through our county. Not to mention the Eagle River is a significant headwaters tributary to the Colorado River, and many of us recreate on and/or near the Colorado River. However, it is not a river without challenges, as drought, aridification, climate change, and human activities reduce flows and change the timing of hydrologic events. There are images everywhere of the “bathtub rings” in Lake Powell and Lake Mead, showing how low both of these water storage areas are, despite this big water year.

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Opinion: Pumped-Storage Hydropower Can Help Washington Meet Its 100% Clean-Energy Goal

/in , , /by /Seattle Times by Nate Sandvig and Matthew Hepner

As Washington state begins its transition to a carbon-free electrical supply, a new project under development near Goldendale has the potential to deliver an abundance of clean electricity to support the Northwest energy grid. This project already has the support of a wide range of stakeholders.

The proposed Goldendale Pumped Storage Project, eight miles south of Goldendale next to the Columbia River, would create 1,200 megawatts of clean electricity to integrate into the existing power grid, as well as tap into and use power already being generated by the Northwest’s wind and solar-energy projects.

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More Work Needed On State’s Drinking Water Crisis

/in , /by /Capitol Weekly (Sacramento, Calif.)by Mary Creasman

California has a drinking water crisis. More than 1 million people in California lack access to safe, clean, and affordable drinking water. Four hundred schools in our state have lead contamination in their drinking water. About 300 public water systems in our state are not in compliance with drinking water standards. This is a public health and environmental crisis. In late July, Governor Newsom signed a law that will establish the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund. Starting next year and for the next ten years, this fund will provide $130 million in funding for cleaning up drinking water systems, including many rural areas that lack funding for ongoing operations and maintenance.

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Fears Of Coastal Climate Change Prompt Santa Cruz Action

/in , /by /Santa Cruz Sentinalby Jessica A. York

As coastal climate change concerns heat up, the issue increasingly has been catalyzing political debate locally.Looking to make proactive change, Santa Cruz’s sustainability and climate action manager is about eight months into the city’s Resilient Coast Santa Cruz initiative, which looks at and plans for how the effects of sea-level rise will come home to roost along the city’s West Cliff Drive, via worsening coastal storms, flooding and cliff erosion. Under the initiative, the city is working to create the West Cliff Drive Adaptation and Management Plan, a two-year project funded with a $353,677 California Department of Transportation grant matched by the city’s $45,825.

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California Water Board OKs $1.3 Billion For Clean Drinking Water

/in , /by /Courthouse News Service (Pasadena, Calif.)by Maria Dinzeo

California’s water regulator voted Tuesday to spend $1.3 billion over the next 10 years to provide safe drinking water to communities throughout California. The money allocated by the State Water Resources Control Board comes from the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund, created last month when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 200. Also known as the California Safe Drinking Water Act, the legislation written by state Senator Bill Monning, D-Carmel, guarantees $130 million annually for safe drinking water through 2030, using revenue from California’s cap-and-trade program. The budget passed by the Legislature in June provides the funding for this year.

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SFO’s Plastic Water Bottle Ban Draws Mixed Reactions On First Day

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Melia Russell

At San Francisco International Airport, there was water, water, everywhere, but not a Dasani to drink. The airport’s ban on the sale of single-use plastic water bottles at restaurants, cafes and vending machines took effect on Tuesday, though travelers still had plenty of options to quench their thirst. Fiji bottles were gone from the Skyline News and Gifts in Terminal 1. The airport bodega sold water in aluminum bottles. Travelers lugged empty canisters through security. They refilled them at the airport’s more than 100 “hydration stations,” the water dispensers mounted outside most bathrooms. The fountains had no lines early Tuesday morning.

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Arsenic, Nitrate Found In California Water Systems

/in , /by /Bloomberg Environment (New York City, N.Y.)by Emily C. Dooley

California’s water quality issues are most severe in the San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast Regions, and smaller water systems face more challenges than larger suppliers, according to a new first-ever statewide analysis of drinking water. California has the fifth largest economy in the world, but more than 1 million of the state’s nearly 40 million people don’t have access to safe and affordable drinking water. The California Office of Health Hazard Assessment looked at 2,903 community water systems across the state that serve at least 15 year-round connections and evaluated them based on contaminant exposure levels, sustainability, and cost…

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Reservoirs Sit Well Above Average In Late Summer Months

/in , , /by /Williamsport Sun-Gazette (Williamsport, Pa.)by John Lindt

The driest years on record continue to get farther and farther in the rearview mirror as reservoirs fill to the brim. California’s water masters have socked away a well-above average supply of snowmelt in the state’s reservoirs this summer after a wet year soaked most of the state. The Central Valley Project’s lakes north of the Delta are nicely above normal with total storage at 6,900 thousand acre feet (TAF). Trinity, Shasta, and Folsom reservoirs are at 134%, 134%, and 138% of their 15-year average storages respectively. The carryover is a wonderful insurance policy as California ponders if the 2019/20 water year could deliver another wet one or by contrast, a duster.

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