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California Releases Roadmap For Water Resources Sustainability

/in , /by /CA Forward

Earlier this month, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) released the California Water Plan Update 2018. Update 2018 outlines state strategies and actions for managing California’s most precious resource in every region of the state. Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot highlighted the importance of the Water Plan, “Water management in California is a grand exercise in partnerships…State government and our many partners achieve more when we work together…Perhaps most importantly, Update 2018prioritizes supporting local and regional efforts to build water supply resilience across California. This approach recognizes that different regions of the state face different challenges and opportunities, yet all benefit from coordinated State support.”

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“Blue Power” Could Make Wastewater Plants Energy-Independent

/in , /by /New Atlasby David Szondy

Coastal wastewater treatment plants may be a nasty but necessary way to handle the effluent from our cities, but a new study by Stanford University indicates that they could also double as power plants to make them energy independent and carbon neutral. By mixing fresh water from the plants with seawater, the researchers say they have the potential to recover 18 gigawatts of electricity worldwide.

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Faster Water Cycle Brings Worries Of Increased Drought And Flooding In The United States

/in , , /by /The Weather Channelby Ron Brackett

New calculations of changes in the water cycle over the United States pinpoint several areas that could become increasingly dry over the next few decades, a new study says. They also showed areas that could see more flooding.

The water cycle is the movement of water on the planet — from falling as precipitation, such as rain, ice or snow, to being absorbed in the soil or flowing into groundwater and streams and then being evaporated to start all over again.

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Wind, Solar, Batteries And Carbon Taxes In California And Texas

/in , , /by /pv magazine by John Weaver

A research paper, The role of energy storage in deep decarbonization of electricity production, by University of Michigan scientists mixes energy storage types and pricing, carbon taxes, unique power grids in Texas and California, and adds 60 gigawatts of wind and solar to to model CO2 reductions and curtailment in economic markets.

The biggest finding of the research suggests that California will much sooner gain benefit from energy storage before Texas will because of a mix of flexible and inflexible generation, and types of renewables deployed. In California, the 60 GW deployed would lower emissions 72% – while in Texas 54%. Adding the carbon taxes and energy storage would make emissions fall 90% in California, but only increase to a 57% drop in Texas.

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Amid Climate-Linked Drought, Farmers Turn To New Water Sources. Those Are Drying Up Too.

/in , , /by /Forbesby Fiona Burlig and Louis Preonas

Summer is the center of the growing season for many American crops. But as already warm summers start to heat up with climate change, what impact could this have on crops? As one example, without policy changes, two of the most important crops in the United States—corn and wheat— could see yield declines upwards of 80% in the Midwest.

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California Gas Plant To Be Re-powered With Batteries + Solar

/in , /by /pv magazine by Tim Sylvia

While it has been no secret that the City of Glendale, California has been looking to re-power the aging gas-fired Grayson Power Plant with renewables, details the scope of that project, as well as the carveouts for each specific type of generation proved to be scarce.

That all has changed, however, as the city has released a plan to replace all but one of the plant’s existing generation facilities with a mix of battery storage, distributed solar and geothermal energy. Broken down by capacity, the plan calls for a 75 MW, 300 MWh battery energy storage system, up to 50 MW of distributed solar projects, energy efficiency and demand response programs.

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Humidity, Storms To Surge In Western US As Heat Eases In California

/in , /by /AccuWeatherby Courtney Spamer

A pattern change will allow California to cool off a bit, but also cause drenching storms to erupt over the interior West. On Sunday, temperatures soared to near-record levels above 100 F across California’s interior. However, the record-challenging heat will subside early this week. An area of high pressure shifting eastward will gradually cause temperatures to drop across interior California and then the remainder of the Southwest. “The first to feel these changes will be California, when temperatures will start trending down on Monday,” said AccuWeather Long-Range Meteorologist Max Vido.

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Researchers Explore How To Meet Water Demands In Drought Years

/in , , /by /NOOZHAWK (Santa Barbara)by Harrison Tasoff

Water. It’s perhaps the biggest issue in the American West. It has inflamed passions and driven ambitious projects for the past century.

Now an economist at UCSB has investigated how we might be able to mitigate the stress of droughts by changing the incentives for water storage and use. The results appear in the journal Nature Sustainability.

Humans use water for a variety of different ends, but rivers also need water flowing through them to ensure the survival of fish and other wildlife. In fact, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires a minimum stream flow in certain rivers to protect threatened fish.

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California Attorney General Says EPA Attempt To Limit Clean Water Act Oversight Is Unlawful

/in , , /by /Sierra Sun Times (Mariposa, Calif.)

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, leading a coalition of 14 states and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, on Friday filed a comment letter denouncing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) guidance that attempts to roll back state involvement in the permitting of federal projects under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. Section 401 and other provisions of the Clean Water Act preserve states’ authority to protect the quality of the waters within their borders. In the comment letter, Attorney General Becerra asserts that EPA’s guidance, which implements President Trump’s April 2019 Executive Order, is unlawful, directly contravenes both the language and intent of the Clean Water Act, and undermines state authority recognized under the Clean Water Act.

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OPINION: Valley Voice: We Must Begin Work On Bringing Sea Of Cortez Water To The Salton Sea

/in , /by /Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by G. Dana Hobart

The Salton Sea is California’s largest lake: roughly 35 miles long by 15 miles wide. Its surface is 233 feet below sea level. Our 17-year drought caused the sea to recede even faster, resulting in greater sea bottom exposure (“playa”). Winds and other factors create serious health issues by fanning PM 10 and other dust particles throughout the Coachella Valley and much of Imperial County. Asthma rates are among the nation’s highest. As Assistant Secretary for Salton Sea Policy, Bruce Wilcox, summarized the Salton Sea’s health picture,  “Conditions are dire and we have to do something now for habitat and … dust suppression.”

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