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Civic Leader Mel Katz to Begin 2-Year Term as Water Authority Board Chair

New officers for the San Diego County Water Authority board of directors were elected Thursday, with Mel Katz set to start a two-year term as chair on Oct. 1.

Katz, vice chair of the board for the past six months as a representative for Del Mar, will serve with incoming vice chair Nick Serrano, a board representative from the city of San Diego, and incoming secretary Frank Hilliker.

Where the Colorado River Crisis is Hitting Home

These days it can feel almost cliche to throw around the word “dystopian.” But it’s hard not to use it while standing on the narrow road crossing the Hoover Dam as tourists gawk at the hulking structure’s exposed columns that for decades were underwater.

Conservation and Storage: Batteries, the Future of California Power

The hottest days this summer pushed California’s power grid to its limit. People were asked multiple days to conserve energy to avoid rolling blackouts.

South Lake Tahoe Leads the Way as City Council Approves Water Bottle Ban

In 2016, the City of San Francisco was the first American municipality to ban the sales of water that comes in plastic bottles. At the time it was called a bold move that was building on a global movement to reduce the huge amount of waste from the billion-dollar plastic bottle industry.

South Lake Tahoe was an early adopter of the single-use plastic bag ban, as well as bans of single-use plastic, styrene, and straws.

Valley Farmer Calling on State to Increase Water Source

The devastating drought is continuing to ravage the Central Valley and is creating more of a water crisis for farmers.

Right along the edge of West Fresno County sits miles and miles of uprooted almond trees. Farmer Joe Del Bosque says he’s never seen it like this.

Ranchers’ Rebellion: the Californians Breaking Water Rules in a Punishing Drought

Before Rick Lemos and the other directors of the Shasta River Water Association broke the law, they made a decision that under most circumstances might be considered unusual: they sent a letter to authorities spelling out exactly what they intended to do.

Proposed Surf Park in California Desert is Rejected by La Quinta City Council

A developer’s proposal to build a surfing lagoon in the Coachella Valley desert has been rejected by the city of La Quinta after residents raised concerns about noise, lighting and the resort’s substantial water footprint in a time of severe drought.

Fall Water-Saving Tips

Water-saving actions by everyone in San Diego County during the current drought can help conserve more of our most precious resource.

While San Diego County continues to have enough water due to long-term investments in water sources and conservation, the region’s long-term supply reliability depends on a continued commitment to water-use efficiency indoors and outdoors by homes and businesses both large and small.

California Should Expect a ‘Fourth Dry Year’ as Drought Persists

California’s reservoirs will enter fall in a slightly better position than last year, but the Golden State should prepare for more dryness, extreme weather events and water quality hazards in 2023, officials say. The latest climate forecasting update from the Department of Water Resources came Wednesday, just days before the end of the water year, which runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 in California.

New Cracks Found in Lake Hodges Dam Will Lengthen Repair Work, Delay Re-opening of Fishing, Boating

The discovery of previously unknown cracks and other concrete defects in the Hodges Dam will extend ongoing repair work by several months, forcing San Diego officials to restrict recreational activities on Lake Hodges and keep its levels low for longer.

The newly discovered defects could prompt state regulators to lower the 104-year-old dam’s rating from “poor” to “unsatisfactory” and order all water removed, but city Public Utilities Director Juan Guerreiro said he hopes the ongoing repairs will prevent that.