An increasing focus on resiliency and water supply risk is driving investment in water reuse, or reclaimed wastewater solutions. New capacity additions in the U.S. municipal water sector are forecasted to surpass US$21.5 billion from 2017 to 2027, according to a new report from Bluefield Research, U.S. Municipal Water Reuse: Opportunities, Outlook, & Competitive Landscape, 2017-2027.
The U.S. and Mexican governments are close to signing a landmark Colorado River deal that will establish rules for sharing water over the next decade and lay out cooperative efforts intended to head off severe shortages. Mexican and American officials have scheduled a signing ceremony on Sept. 26 in Ciudad Juárez, officials at California water districts said this week. They said that formal event will be followed by a ceremonial signing in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Sept. 27 attended by representatives from U.S. states.
During yesterday’s regularly scheduled meeting, the Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors approved a series of agreements to Minute No. 323, a potential amendment to the 1944 treaty with Mexico, which would be key to continuing cooperative efforts on both sides of the border in support of the Colorado River system through 2026. Directors approved seven domestic agreements that serve to implement Minute No. 323, an international agreement that is expected to be executed before the end of the year by the United States and Mexican governments.
California is lucky to escape the wrath of hurricanes, like the ones that have pummeled Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico, and other areas. But we know that our state is not immune to extreme weather events. On the contrary, with climate change California is likely to face longer, more frequent and more extreme droughts. To ensure that we are prepared, we need a climate-resilient approach to water management.
AB 1180 (Holden) – pending in Sacramento will open the door for voters in Los Angeles County to consider a ballot measure proposal that will better prepare Southern California for the next drought and the impact of climate change on our supply of water. This proposal will boost water supplies and advance compliance with clean water regulations. Importantly, the proposal is also cost-effective, given its regional scope.
Earlier this month, a proposed bond measure in the California Legislature had included $280 million to pay for building thousands of acres of ponds, wetlands and other dust-control projects around the Salton Sea. This week, after negotiations among lawmakers, the amount earmarked for the Salton Sea was slashed to $200 million.
With Harvey and Irma understandably making headlines, it can be easy to be forget the infrastructural crises we’ve already had to deal with this year. Take the overflow of the Oroville Dam spillway in northern California back in February. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has released a flyover of the spillway in its current form, in the midst of reconstruction.
Dam removal is a relatively new area of science. It wasn’t until the mid-1990s that tearing down a dam to restore a river became a regular occurrence across the United States. Most dam removals have been studied and monitored closely to ensure that results meet expectations and to avoid harmful consequences. But there haven’t been many comprehensive reviews of the field of dam removal to answer broader questions, such as: How many dam removals actually helped fish recolonize rivers? How long did that take? What were the effects of releasing sediment stored behind dams?
As state lawmakers debate far-reaching bills that could reshape the energy landscape in California and across the West, some groups are urging the Legislature to require new geothermal power plants at the Salton Sea before a key deadline Tuesday* night — but those groups can’t agree on what the geothermal mandate should look like.
After suffering more than a week under searing, desert-like heat, winter might be the furthest thing from the minds of most Californians. However, to borrow a phrase from TV’s “Game of Thrones,” winter is coming. The only question is whether the gods will allow a rerun of last winter which unexpectedly dumped record amounts of rain and snow throughout the state that filled reservoirs and kept skiers on the slopes through August.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
