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Poseidon Deal Will Finance New Ocean Intake for Desalination Plant

/in , , /by /The Bond Buyerby Keeley Webster Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The California Pollution Control Financing Authority plans to price $158 million in revenue bonds next week to pay for modifications to the seawater intake system for a San Diego County desalination plant.

The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant was built by private operator Poseidon as a partnership that supplies water to the San Diego County Water Authority.

The plant, developed by Poseidon and operated by IDE Technologies, has produced more than 100 billion gallons of desalinated seawater since it opened in December 2015, providing San Diego County with 10% of its water supply each year, according to the preliminary limited offering memorandum.

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The Rockies Are Having a Snowy Winter, but Not All of That Water Will Make It to the Colorado River

/in , , /by /KUNCby Alex Hager

New data show a snowy start to 2023 for the Colorado River basin. Inflows into Lake Powell, the nation’s second largest reservoir, are currently projected to be 117% of average during spring runoff thanks to heavy winter precipitation in the Rocky Mountains.

The beleaguered river is shrinking due to climate change and steady demand. Scientists say this winter’s snow may provide a temporary boost to major reservoirs, but will not provide enough water to fix the Southwest’s supply-demand imbalance.

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As Colorado River Shrinks, Water Evaporation Becomes Critical to California’s Future Supplies

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

Much of the Colorado River’s water is diverted from reservoirs and transported in canals to the farmlands and cities of the desert Southwest. But some of the water also ends up going elsewhere — vanishing into thin air.

Water lost to evaporation has become a central point of contention in the disagreement between California and six other states over how to divide reductions in water use.

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San Diego Airport Reused More Than 800,000 Gallons of Stormwater in 2022

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Elizabeth Ireland

The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority captured, treated and reused 812,500 gallons of stormwater last year, according to a report released Wednesday.

That water, which would otherwise naturally have run off into San Diego Bay, was then used to heat and cool buildings at San Diego International Airport.

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In Times of Scarcity, California’s Best New Source of Water? Reuse.

/in , , /by /Water & the Westby Caroline M. Reinhart

As California has struggled with drought, Governor Gavin Newsom’s fundamental solution: find more water by diversifying the state’s public water supply. Because of the proximity of the Pacific Ocean, one of the most frequently mentioned sources is seawater desalination. A few communities are trying it, despite environmental concerns.

But another potential source gets less public attention, even though water providers are showing increasing interest thanks to its early successes: reuse.

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Still No Agreement Between Western States, Including CA, on How to Reduce Colorado River Water Use

/in , , /by /ABC 7 by Rob McMillan

With the Colorado River in crisis, there is still no agreement over which states and regions should have their water allocations cut back and how soon those cuts should go into effect.

Seven states in the western United States take water from the Colorado River, and although six of them have agreed on a framework, the lone holdout is the largest user of Colorado River water in the county: California.

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Lake Mead Water Levels: Could California Speed Up Recovery?

/in , , /by /Newsweekby Anna Skinner

As Lake Mead and Lake Powell levels inch closer to dead pool, states in the lower Colorado River basin are proposing more solutions that could lend to the reservoirs’ recoveries.

Required water cuts have already been implemented and increased in severity this year for Arizona and Nevada.

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SoCal Homeowners Can Get More Drought-Resistant Plants Installed With This Rebate Offer

/in , , /by /ABC 7 by Leo Stallworth

As the state continues to deal with a historic drought, Southern California homeowners are getting the chance to transform their thirsty grass and gardens.

The Metropolitan Water District offers rebates to residents ripping up their lawns and putting in plants that don’t need a lot of water to survive.

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California Storms Left Behind a ‘Generational Snowpack.’ What That Means.

/in , , /by /The Washington Postby Diana Leonard

California’s mountain snowpack is the largest it’s been in decades, thanks to a barrage of atmospheric rivers in late December into January. The snow is a boon for the state’s water supply but could also pose a flood risk as the season progresses.

Measurements completed last week show that Sierra Nevada snow water content is rivaling or outpacing the 1982-83 season, the biggest snow year in the past 40 years. Up to two feet of additional snow fell on the region this weekend.

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Opinion: The Fight Over the Colorado River is a 100-Year-Old Interstate Grudge Match

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Michael Hiltzik

Arizona was girding for war with California over the Colorado River.

The year was 1934 and the place was the construction site of Parker Dam, downstream from the nearly completed Hoover Dam.

Arizona Gov. Benjamin Baker Moeur, irked that a federally approved interstate compact had awarded California more water from the Colorado than he thought it deserved, dispatched a squad of National Guard troops to the river on a ferryboat to block the new dam’s construction.

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