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Biden Budget Seeks Boost for EPA Core Programs and Research

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Stephen Lee, Dean Scott, Jennifer Hijazi, Bobby Magill, Ellen M. Gilmer

President Joe Biden’s fiscal 2022 budget lays out a 24.1% boost to the EPA’s core rule-writing and enforcement programs and a 7.5% increase in staffing to get the work done, according to a detailed blueprint released on Friday.

The plan envisions a $3.4 billion request to implement the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and other statutes, up from $2.8 billion in the current budget. That funding would cover a huge range of activities, such as creating ways to attain ambient air quality standards and overseeing states’ management of hazardous waste.

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Water Authority Wins Four Awards for Outstanding Projects

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

The American Public Works Association and American Society of Civil Engineers recently presented the San Diego County Water Authority with four awards for construction projects that exemplified outstanding skill, dedication and collaboration from staff in many departments. All of the projects were underway or completed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and project teams navigated shutdowns, adapted to health and safety restrictions, and overcame many other uncertainties – in addition to typical challenges encountered during construction projects.

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Water Infrastructure Program, Management Plan on Poway City Council Agenda

/in , , /by /Pomerado News Chieftainby Emily Sorensen Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Two water-related items are on the Poway City Council agenda for its 7 p.m. meeting Tuesday.

The council will receive an update on its ongoing Water Infrastructure Improvement Program. It will also be asked to adopt the 2020 Urban Water Management Plan.

The Water Infrastructure Improvement Program update will include current planning and design level cost estimates, said Aaron Beanan, director of finance. The council will also be asked to adopt a resolution authorizing reimbursement of some water capital improvement expenditures.

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Federal Government Slashes Water Deliveries to Farms, Cities as California Drought Worsens

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

California’s water supply got cut again Wednesday, with the federal government reducing allocations to cities and farms as the drought intensified.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced that municipal water agencies that rely on the Central Valley Project will have this year’s allocations slashed from 55% down to 25% — a level not seen since the drought of 2015.

That could put additional pressure on the municipalities around greater Sacramento that depend on supplies from Folsom Lake, whose water levels have sunk dramatically this spring. The reservoir is at 46% of its usual capacity for late May.

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Troubled Waters: Extended Interview with the Imperial Irrigation District

/in , , /by /KESQ-TVby Jesus Reyes

Tina Shields, the Water Department Manager of IID, speaks on the QSA, why it was implemented, and the contention between the state and IID as water was forced from agricultural communities to urban areas.

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Hoover Dam, Symbol of the Modern West, Faces a New Test With An Epic Water Shortage

/in , , /by /Arizona Republicby Ian James

Hoover Dam has helped store Colorado River water since 1935, but reservoir levels are nearing the lowest point since Lake Mead was filled.

Hoover Dam towers more than 700 feet above Black Canyon on the Arizona-Nevada state line, holding back the waters of the Colorado River. On top of the dam, where visitors peer down the graceful white arc of its face, one of its art deco-style towers is adorned with a work of art that memorializes the purposes of the dam.

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Oceanside Wins Mayor’s Challenge For Water Conservation

/in , , /by /The Coast News Group

The city of Oceanside placed first in the 2021 Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, it was announced today.

The annual competition was held during Earth Month to bring awareness to the importance of using water efficiently, especially as California moves into its second consecutive dry year.

Mayors nationwide participated in the competition by challenging their residents to pledge to conserve water, reduce carbon emissions, reduce waste, and take other sustainable actions on behalf of their communities.

“The Oceanside community has always been a leader when it comes to sustainability, and I am honored to be the mayor of the most water-wise city in the nation,” Mayor Esther Sanchez said. “Oceanside has proven that our residents know how to protect the environment, improve water efficiency, reduce waste, and continue to implement actions that will create a better future.”

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Drought Forces Drastic Water Cuts to Valley Towns, Farmers

/in , , /by /GV Wireby Bill McEwen

It’s not yet Memorial Day weekend, but the Bureau of Reclamation is taking drastic measures because of the California drought. On Wednesday, the Bureau announced that farmers north and south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta would receive no water from the Central Valley Project. Municipal, Industrial Water Deliveries Cut 30%. In addition, municipal and industrial water-service contractors north and south of the Delta will see their allocations cut from 55% of their historic use to 25%.

 

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California Water: Mandatory Restrictions Coming to Santa Clara County as Feds Cut Water Supply

/in , , /by /The Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers

In the latest and possibly most severe evidence yet of California’s worsening drought, the federal government on Wednesday announced it will cut water deliveries to urban areas it serves by more than half — and to zero for many farmers across the Central Valley.

The move will result in mandatory water restrictions across Santa Clara County, said Rick Callender, CEO of the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which provides water to 2 million people.

“We are truly in an emergency situation,” Callender said. “We’re going to be seeking everything we can do to address this emergency. The public should expect tighter restrictions.”

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State Orders Sweeping Water Restrictions for Towns, Vineyards Along Russian River

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

Several communities and hundreds of vineyards in California’s Wine Country are being cut off from their water supply because there’s not enough water to go around. State regulators on Wednesday ordered nearly 1,000 water rights holders in the Russian River watershed to stop drawing supplies from the basin’s many rivers and creeks, the latest turn in California’s deepening drought. The order means many small water agencies and scores of growers in Sonoma and Mendocino counties will have to fall back on stored water or other sources, if they have it, or go without water entirely. State officials say the restrictions will not apply when human health and safety are at risk, though the exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis and are yet to be issued.

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