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Opinion: Summertime Is No Cure for the Environmental Blues

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Michael Smolens

News about the environment rarely is good these days, but a string of grim developments locally, regionally and internationally cast a particular pall over the otherwise sunny arrival of summer.

Beaches from Imperial Beach north to Coronado were closed because of sewage discharges from Tijuana. The Colorado River’s reservoirs are so low that severe water cuts are on the horizon for much of the southwestern United States. And another climate conference, this one in Germany, pretty much went nowhere.

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IID’s Hanks Issues Statement on Solutions to Drought

/in , , /by /Imperial Valley Pressby Elizabeth Mayoral Corpus

The Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors, James C. Hanks, shared in a statement on Thursday, regarding the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton’s testimony on June 14 before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on the severity of the Colorado River drought and the need for short- and long-term drought solutions across the West.

“The current hydrological conditions on the Colorado River, which have entered the third decade of unprecedented drought, are well known and are not going unnoticed,” said Hanks. “Over the past two decades, Imperial Valley growers have been using less water while working to meet the nation’s food supply needs, conserving over 7 million acre-feet in support of the Colorado River and California water supplies.”

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Erica Wolski Hired as Ramona Water District’s New General Manager

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Julie Gallant

Erica Wolski, a former senior technical manager at Woodard & Curran, is the new general manager at Ramona Municipal Water District.

Wolski, 44, who starts in the position on Wednesday, has been a Ramona resident since 2019 and a San Diegan since 2010. She said she is looking forward to helping the water district develop its transparency and customer engagement.

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Ramona Water District Moves Forward With Emergency Services Transfer, Approves Two-Year Budget

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Julie Gallant Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Ramona Municipal Water District reported on the status of transferring the district’s oversight of fire and emergency medical services to the county and approved a two-year budget at the June 14 meeting.

The two topics are intertwined because transferring fire and EMS services to the San Diego County Fire Protection District would likely free up discretionary funds available from property taxes to spend on water, fire and parks services, said the water district board’s President Jim Hickle.

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A Major California Reservoir Has Hit Its Peak for the Year at Just Over Half Full

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Grace Toohey

Lake Oroville, the largest reservoir in a state system that provides water to 27 million Californians, has already reached its peak level for the year, barely surpassing half of its capacity, according to the Department of Water Resources.

Officials had warned the lake — key to the roughly 700-mile State Water Project, which pumps and ferries water across the state for agricultural, business and residential use — was at “critically low” levels on May 8.

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7 States Must Figure Out How to Conserve an Unprecedented Amount of Water

/in , , /by /KUNC/NPRby Alex Hager

Water managers in the western U.S. are facing a monumental task. Federal officials have given seven states an August deadline to figure out a plan to conserve an unprecedented amount of water. Without major cutbacks in water use, the nation’s two largest reservoirs are in danger of reaching critically low levels.

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Orange County Cities Wrestling With Southwest Drought Look to Conservation Policies

/in , , /by /Voice of OCby Angelina Hicks

In the face of a regional drought, many Orange County cities are trying to cut back on water consumption by rolling out conservation policies – echoing efforts from the previous drought that ended a few years back.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in October 2021 based on the state’s drought condition. In May, the State Water Board adopted regulations that require all local water suppliers to heighten water conservation policies.

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Tear Out Your Lawn, Check. Drought-Tolerant Plants, Check. Next Up: Recycled Water

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Jeanette Marantos

Tearing out our lawns is a good start toward wiser water use in Southern California, but it’s not enough.

To do the job properly, we must also be ready to collect the rain that will someday fall out of the sky, advocates say. And these people have a vision that not only stores increasingly precious rainwater, but puts it to use for everything from drip irrigation to aquaculture to waterfalls surrounded by lush plantings and the soothing music of running (albeit recycled) water.

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What La Niña Means for California’s Summer

/in , , /by /KTLAby Alix Martichoux

While the lingering La Niña climate pattern is expected to bring soaking storms and strong hurricanes to parts of the U.S., it’s a different story here in California.

La Niña is favored to stick around through the end of the year, according to the latest outlook from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center. While La Niña – and its opposite, El Niño – are characterized by the temperature of the Pacific Ocean, they have major impacts on the weather we experience on land.

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Desert Water: How Secure Is Our Water Supply? Better Off Than You Might Think

/in , , /by /News Channel 3by Jeff Stahl

An I-team investigation reveals that despite the statewide drought declaration and additional water restrictions, the Coachella Valley’s water supply is dramatically better off than most other areas of California right now.

It’s not the message you’re hearing from state leaders, but experts say our local water supplies are plentiful and well-managed as they have been for decades.

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