You are now in California and the U.S. Home Headline Media Coverage category.

Cybersecurity Agency Warns That Water Utilities Are Vulnerable to Hackers After Pennsylvania Attack

Hackers are targeting industrial control systems widely used by water and sewage-treatment utilities, potentially threatening water supplies, the top U.S. cyberdefense agency said after a Pennsylvania water authority was hacked.

California Wants to Lead at Global Climate Change Summit

While Gov. Gavin Newsom is in Georgia for his debate with Gov. Ron DeSantis, lots of other California leaders are headed to the global climate summit that starts today in Dubai.

Californians Bet Farming Agave for Booze Holds Key to Weathering Drought, Groundwater Limits

Leo Ortega started growing spiky blue agave plants on the arid hillsides around his Southern California home because his wife liked the way they looked.

A decade later, his property is now dotted with thousands of what he and others hope is a promising new crop for the state following years of punishing drought and a push to scale back on groundwater pumping.

4 US Cities Pledge to Combat Water Woes Driven by Climate Change

Sixteen cities, including four in the U.S., signed a commitment to protect vulnerable communities from severe flooding and drought through C40 Cities’ new Water Safe Cities Accelerator, launched on Nov. 22.

Water Saving Solar Panels, Coming Soon To A Canal Near You

The upcoming COP28 climate conference has suddenly blown up in a wave of scandal, but the energy transition marches on. Exhibit A is the idea of shading irrigation canals with solar panels for a planet-saving win-win-win. The cooling effect of the water improves solar conversion efficiency, the shade prevents excess water loss from evaporation, and the use of built infrastructure preserves land from development. What’s not to like?

After a Pandemic Pause, Detroit Restarts Water Shut-offs – Part of a Nationwide Trend as Costs Rise

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Detroit residents got a break from water shut-offs.

In March 2020, just after the coronavirus made hand-washing a matter of public health, the City of Detroit announced a plan that kept water services on for residents for US$25 a month, with the first payment covered by the state.

Tensions Are Bubbling Up at Thirsty Arizona Alfalfa Farms as Foreign Firms Exploit Unregulated Water

A blanket of bright green alfalfa spreads across western Arizona’s McMullen Valley, ringed by rolling mountains and warmed by the hot desert sun.

 

Wetlands Are Appearing Around the Salton Sea. Could This Be a Natural Solution?

About 3 miles east of Bombay Beach, and a half-mile back from the Salton Sea’s receding shoreline, the crunchy exposed playa gives way from a mostly empty white landscape to more and more native vegetation, and then suddenly a few shallow ponds appear, surrounded by dense vegetation.

Supes to Approve Letter on Increased Water Rates

Imperial County Board of Supervisors are expected to approve a letter expressing concerns of high water rates affecting Calipatria and Niland residents on Tuesdsay.

Tuesday’s agenda includes an item to approve a letter to be submitted to the California Public Utilities Commission regarding the high cost of water services provided by Golden State Water Company, or GSWC, in the communities of Calipatria and Niland.

Sites Reservoir Project Finally Gets Green Light, Construction Expected to Begin in 2024

Located just over an hour north of Sacramento in Glenn and Colusa counties lies 14,000 acres of grassland, streams and the main canal of the two counties’ shared irrigation district.

It’s the site of the planned Sites Reservoir, which has long been eyed as a possible place to store excess surface water from across California. The project was first proposed in the 1950s, but failed — and was re-proposed several times since then. Now, after roughly 70 years and several iterations, the off-river storage basin west of the Sacramento Valley is being streamlined and moving forward.