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Water Interests Are fighting California’s Bid To Block Trump’s Environmental Rollbacks

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Phil Willon

California is close to adopting strict Obama-era federal environmental and worker safety rules that the Trump administration is dismantling. But as the legislative session draws to a close, the proposal faces fierce opposition from the state’s largest water agencies.
To shield California from Trump administration policies, lawmakers are considering legislation that would allow state agencies to lock in protections under the federal Endangered Species Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Fair Labor Standards Act and other bulwark environmental and labor laws that were in place before President Trump took office in January 2017.

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There’s a Silver Lining to California’s Wildfires: More Snowpack and Water Storage, Study Finds

/in , /by /Sacramento Beeby Michael Finch II

Wildfires in California leave behind acres of scorched land that make snowpack formation easier and more water runoff downstream from the Sierra Nevada to basins in the Central Valley, increasing the amount of water stored underground.

That’s the finding from researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, who discovered that blazes in some parts of the state could result in more water availability.

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Ukiah’s Wastewater No Longer Being Wasted

/in , , /by /Ukiah Daily Journalby Justine Frederiksen

The city of Ukiah made its first delivery of recycled water through its extensive Purple Pipe system this week, putting about 2 million gallons of water reclaimed from local sinks, showers and toilets into an irrigation pond just south of the Ukiah Valley Wastewater Treatment Plant.

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Renewable Energy’s Booming, But Still Falling Far Short of Climate Goals

/in , /by /Inside Climate Newsby Kristoffer Tigue

Renewable energy capacity quadrupled worldwide over the past 10 years, with an estimated $2.6 trillion invested in its growth, a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme shows. But the speed of that growth still falls far short of what researchers say is needed to keep global warming in check.

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First Step Taken Toward Pipe Bringing Water From Paradise to Chico

/in , , /by /Chico Enterprise-Recordby Steve Schoonover

An idea to pipe water from Paradise to Chico took its first step Wednesday, when the Paradise Irrigation District board signed off on a feasibility study for the proposal.

The plan might seem far-fetched at first glance, but it would solve a couple of problems. In the short-term, PID needs someone to buy its water in order to stay solvent, as most of its customers were burned out by the Camp Fire last November. In the long-term, California Water Service’s Chico Division needs an additional source of water to ease its complete dependence on wells.

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Fourteen Calif. Cities Water Agencies Receive Fed Funding for Water Efficiency and Reliability Projects

/in , , /by /California Water News Daily

Sixty-three projects throughout the western United States have been selected to share in $4.1 million from the Bureau of Reclamation for small-scale water efficiency and reliability grants. Small-Scale Water Efficiency Projects are part of Reclamation’s WaterSMART Program. Through WaterSMART, Reclamation works cooperatively with states, tribes, and local entities as they plan and implement actions to increase water supply reliability through investments to modernize existing infrastructure.

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OPINION: Why California Needs Another Water Bond in 2020

/in , /by /Capitol Weekly (Sacramento)by Jon Christensen

The California Legislature is currently considering several proposals to put a $4 billion bond measure on a 2020 ballot for safe drinking water, drought preparation, wildfire prevention, and climate resilience. An $8.9 billion bond initiative has also been filed by environmental advocates.

Many Californians might ask, “Didn’t we already pay for that?”

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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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