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In Washington, Colorado Lawmakers Seek Long-Term Solutions for the Drying West

/in , , /by /CPR Newsby Caitlyn Kim

Some members of Congress from Colorado and New Mexico are encouraging the Bureau of Reclamation to use new funding to find long-term solutions to the Western drought, and particularly the dwindling and overextended Colorado River.

In a letter to Camille Touton, commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, the lawmakers shared their priorities for how the $4 billion in drought money from the Inflation Reduction Act should be used.

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IID to Pay Off QSA JPA Agreement 13 Years Early

/in , , /by /The Desert Reviewby Betty Miller Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The Imperial Irrigation District board voted 3-0 Tuesday, Sept. 20 to save $24 million dollars by paying off the balance of the 2003 QSA JPA balance.

When the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) was signed in 2003, creating the largest rural to urban water transfer, another agreement came from that, the Joint Powers Authority Creation and Funding Agreement. The funds contributed to this second agreement would come from the three water districts involved in the QSA – the IID, the Coachella Valley Water District and the San Diego County Water Authority – along with the State of California.

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Tucson Gives Up Some Cap Water for Cash

/in , , /by /Arizona Public Mediaby Steve Jess

The city of Tucson has agreed to cut back the amount of water it takes from the Colorado River over the next year and possibly longer. The deal comes with compensation from the federal government.

Late last year the Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the Lake Mead reservoir, offered customers the chance to get paid for not taking their full share of Colorado River water.

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Tribal Breakthrough? Four States, Six Tribes Announce First Formal Talks on Colorado River Negotiating Authority

/in , , /by /Water Education Foundationby Jerd Smith

Colorado and three other Upper Colorado River Basin states have, for the first time in history, embarked on a series of formal meetings to find a way to negotiate jointly with some of the largest owners of Colorado River water rights: tribal communities.

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OMWD Offers Free Water-Wise Landscape Design Workshop on October 8

/in , , /by /Water News Networkby Olivenhain Municipal Water District

Olivenhain Municipal Water District invites members of the public to attend a free water-wise landscape design workshop on Saturday, October 8 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event will be held at OMWD’s headquarters at 1966 Olivenhain Road in Encinitas. Drought survival kits will also be available free of charge, featuring water reuse buckets, hose nozzles, moisture sensors, and other water-saving tools.

OMWD Board President Larry Watt will lead a discussion about drought conditions. Steve Sherman of California Landscape Technologies will follow with an informative and interactive workshop that will feature methods to reduce outdoor water use and increase irrigation efficiencies. Registration for the workshop is available at www.olivenhain.com/events.

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Vallecitos Videos Shared Nationwide by EPA WaterSense

/in , , /by /Water News Network

Videos produced by the Vallecitos Water District public affairs team are now being distributed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program to help educate the public about water conservation nationwide. The videos can be downloaded for free on the EPA WaterSense partner platform.

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San Diego City Council Passes 3% Increase in Water Rates

/in , , /by /CBS8by Chris Gros Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego City Council met on Tuesday and passed a 3% increase in water rates to residents of the city.

The water rate increase comes after the San Diego County Water Authority, San Diego’s supplier of water, increased its rates by about 5% for treated water and nearly 4% for untreated water.

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Low-Flow Showers Are Back in Spotlight Amid Water Shortages, Drought

/in , , /by /Bloomberg by James Tarmy

People in California are not noticeably dirtier than other Americans, and yet residents of the country’s most populous state use less water than many of their fellow citizens to bathe, wash their hands, and flush their toilets.

Showerheads in California use a maximum of 1.8 gallons of water every minute; Texas residents, on the other hand, are inundated with 2.5 gallons, the most the Environmental Protection Agency allows. California’s toilets use no more than 1.28 gallons per flush even though the federal cap is 1.6.

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Water Use Cut in Half, Rancho California Water District Official Says

/in , , /by /Patchby City News Service

Riverside County water suppliers told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday that conservation efforts are aiding the region in weathering the current severe drought, but their future ability to meet demand will depend on new infrastructure and changes in consumption habits.

“As the watersheds dry up in the Southwest, we need to be concerned about some things,” Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District Manager Dan Jaggers told the board during a presentation on the drought emergency. “As the drought continues, we will begin to have further restrictions. People need to know how serious this is.”

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Marina Coast Water District Plans to Restart Desalination Plant Dormant Since 2003

/in , , /by /KSWB by Josh Copitch

The Marina Coast Water District (MCWD) announced at a meeting of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors that it is going to restart its long-dormant desalination plant.

Remley Scherzinger, general manager for MCWD, told the supervisors that to augment their current water supply they’ll need to return to their already-built desal plant.

The desal facility was built in 1997 and was operated until 2003.

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