The California Department of Water Resources began the process of monitoring the water quality at Lake Oroville on Thursday. According to a press release issued Thursday by DWR, the process consists of placing sondes, a type of monitoring device, into Lake Oroville as well as the Thermalito Diversion Pool.
Recycled wastewater is not only as safe to drink as conventional potable water, it may even be less toxic than many sources of water we already drink daily, Stanford University engineers have discovered. “We expected that potable reuse waters would be cleaner, in some cases, than conventional drinking water due to the fact that much more extensive treatment is conducted for them,” said Stanford professor William Mitch, senior author of an Oct. 27 study in Nature Sustainability comparing conventional drinking water samples to wastewater purified as a drinking water, also known as potable reuse water.
Two decades of the Southwest megadrought have marked Arizona’s driest period in 1,200 years. With climate change in full swing, greenhouse emissions well above pledged targets and the state facing cutbacks to its share of dwindling Colorado River water, many wonder: Is drought the new normal?
Valley Center Municipal Water District and its customers are long accustomed to dealing with periodic aqueduct shutdowns which allow the district’s sole wholesale water supplier, the San Diego County Water Authority, to inspect, repair, and make improvements to our imported water aqueduct system.
However, this coming winter will be especially challenging, as there will be three consecutive aqueduct shutdowns in fairly rapid succession: (1) December 4 –14, 2022, (2) January 22 – February 1, 2023, and (3) February 26 – March 8, 2023.
At play is the fact that the three tunnels on the 1st San Diego Aqueduct (“1st Aqueduct”) need to be relined to protect the quality of the treated water traveling north to south through the enclosed aqueduct, and restore its operational integrity. The 1st Aqueduct serves five of VCMWD’s seven Aqueduct Connections, spanning the full length of the District’s 100-square-mile service area. Although VCMWD does have a connection to the 2nd San Diego Aqueduct (“2nd Aqueduct”), the 1st Aqueduct provides water to approximately 85% of the District’s service area. Completed in the early 1950s, the 1st Aqueduct began serving the fledgling Valley Center Municipal Water District soon after its formation election in 1954 and has served the district continuously for 67 years.
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Vice Chair Cynthia Kurtz told a City committee Tuesday she predicted the implementation of more mandatory water reductions by next year as the region faces the challenges of climate change and extended drought. Kurtz knows Pasadena’s water situation well. She served as Pasadena City Manager twice, most recently stepping down as Interim City Manager in August.
The last few days of rain and snow provided some welcome relief, but don’t be fooled — the water shortage is far from over. That wet trend will have to continue if there’s to be any real dent in the ongoing drought. Burbank, LAX, Lancaster and other places in Los Angeles County broke some rainfall records, but when it comes to drought and much of the Southland’s drinking water supply, it’s the snowfall up north that really matters.
With Poway’s Clearwell Bypass Project now complete, the temporary bypass system is expected to be fully operational this month, officials said. Sometime in November, the city’s clearwell, or treated water reservoir, will be permanently removed from service and the bypass pipeline, the temporary tanks and other bypass infrastructure will be in service, said Shadi Sami, Poway’s principal civil engineer, at a recent City Council meeting
The Alaskan storm that hit San Diego County Tuesday and Wednesday is among the biggest to hit the region in the past couple of years. Forecasters say the downpour in North and East counties will help tamp down the risk of wildfires well into December. The National Weather Service says San Diego’s weather will now gradually dry and warm up through at least Saturday.
If there were a single chart that could sum up the problem at Lake Mead, this might be a contender. OK, maybe not. Because a single chart should be self-explanatory. This one requires some background. But it says a lot about where we’re headed. And the shifting goalposts on the way down.
Thursday, Nov. 17 is shaping up to be a momentous day for the future of the Monterey Peninsula’s water supply, as two major state boards – the California Coastal Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission – are set to weigh in on two separate projects that aim to add supply to the local portfolio.
