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Winter Weather Perfect Time for WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Series

/in , , /by /Water News Network Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

December rainfall and cooler temperatures in San Diego County make it the perfect time of year for homeowners to create low-water-use landscaping to fit their needs. The San Diego County Water Authority offers its first 2022 WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Series of free online classes starting Wednesday, February 2. Registration for the four-class series closes on Monday, January 17. Register at WaterSmartSD.org. There is no fee to participate, but course participation is limited.

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Atmospheric Rivers Helping San Diego Rainy Season

/in , , /by /CBS8by Shawn Styles

San Diego’s rainy season is off to a good start thanks to a series of atmospheric rivers according to Alex Tardy who is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

“Well, for this year, this is our third. The one in late October was strong for Northern California, weak for us, then there was December 14th and that was strong for Southern California,” Tardy said.

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As Persistent West Coast Ridge Builds, California (Mostly) Warms Up and Dries Out

/in , , /by /Weather Westby Daniel Swain

Taking stock: a good start to Water Year 2021-2022

I’ll keep this part pretty short and sweet: for the Water Year to date, most of California is in pretty good shape when it comes to precipitation. And that’s good news, given the historic severity of the regional drought as recently as late September.

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Opinion: To Fight Climate Change, We Must Redesign San Diego Communities

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Robert Leiter, Julie Kalansky, Cary Lowe Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

As the world struggles for consensus on climate action and national policy focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the impacts of climate change occur all around us. Drought, intense heat, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes and rising seas, all on a scale not previously seen and often happening concurrently, bear witness to this.

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Opinion: In Ojai Valley, a Glimpse of How to Nurture Land in a Drier, Post-Hydrocarbon World

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Stephanie Pincetl

The Ojai Valley in Ventura County is a magical place. Consider its elements: the sweet smell of California citrus blossoms in the spring, the open space preserved by orchards, the seasonal creeks that run free through the cultivated lands. But the Ojai Valley is also a place in peril. That’s because the water source that keeps this inland Ventura hamlet thriving is nearly dry.

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Newsom’s California Blueprint Includes $750 Million for Drought Response

/in , , /by /AgNet Westby Brian German

Governor Gavin Newsom has released his 2022-23 state budget proposal, the California Blueprint. The $213 billion budget includes significant investment for addressing coronavirus, wildfires, homelessness, and drought. California is currently experiencing a $45.7 billion surplus heading into the next fiscal year. Building on the $5.2 billion dollar investment in water issues last year, the budget proposal includes an additional $750 million investment to address the ongoing drought.

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Pivoting Operations For A Pandemic

/in , , /by /WaterWorld Magazineby Gilad Cohen Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant (“CDP”), which recently celebrated its five-year anniversary, produces 50 million gallons of fresh water per day. It now accounts for one-third of all water generated in San Diego county.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit in early 2020, the facility needed to completely overhaul its workflow in a matter of weeks. CDP not only managed to cut its staffing, implement remote monitoring, and keep its operators fully sheltered onsite — it also did so without any drops in productivity.

The facility rapidly worked to make its staff as lean as possible — but also while maintaining steady production. Although changes needed to occur quickly, the CDP is subject to a wide range of regulations and compliance requirements: any modifications to operations needed to be collaborated and approved by the San Diego County Water Authority as well as state regulators.

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Phoenix Among Those Voluntarily Losing Colorado River Water

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Felicia Fonseca

The city of Phoenix this week outlined how it will voluntarily contribute water to a regional plan to shore up the country’s largest reservoir that delivers Colorado River water to three states and Mexico.

The river cannot provide seven Western states the water they were promised a century ago because of less snow, warmer temperatures and water lost to evaporation. Water managers repeatedly have had to pivot to develop plans to sustain it for the long-term.

Phoenix, the nation’s fifth-largest city, is among entities in the river’s lower basin that are part of the “500+ Plan” meant to delay further mandatory shortages. All pieces of the plan haven’t been finalized, but farmers and Native American tribes are expected to play a big role.

The Colorado River serves more than 40 million people in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, California, Wyoming, Utah and Mexico. Lake Mead and Lake Powell store the water and are used to gauge the river’s health.

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California’s Recent Rains Won’t End Our Stubborn Drought. These Charts Show Why

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Paul Duginski

California just received more precipitation in the last three months of 2021 than it got in the previous year. The mountains are heaped with historic amounts of heavy snow. But the rain had no sooner given way to sun than state regulators issued new rules forbidding water-wasting practices such as hosing down sidewalks and driveways. What’s going on?

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Opinion: California Must Stop Burying Its Head in Winter Snow

/in , , /by /The Mercury News

When it comes to water conservation, California is burying its head in the winter snow.

Future generations will not look kindly at our leaders’ complete failure to strategically address the state’s water shortages, which will only get worse with climate change.

Two years of some of the worst drought conditions in state history haven’t slowed Big Ag’s demands for more water. Meanwhile, urban users aren’t coming close to meeting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call to voluntarily cut their water use by 15% from 2020 levels.

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