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Here’s How Arizona Plans to Make Wastewater Into Purified Water

/in , , /by /12 Newsby Haley Williams

As Arizona faces historical water consumption and continued drought, being able to treat wastewater to be reused has become an attractive option to maintain water security.

Thursday, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) released proposed plans on how to safely turn wastewater into reliable, purified water.

The plan introduces the Advanced Water Purification (AWP) Program, which ADEQ hopes will allow stakeholders and the public to better understand and establish clear communication throughout the process.

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Water Recycling Plant Renamed for Rep. Grace Napolitano, Longtime San Gabriel Valley Congresswoman

/in , , /by /San Gabriel Valley Tribune by City News Service

Hailing her as a champion for the environment and water recycling, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California on Thursday, Nov. 11, renamed the Pure Water Southern California demonstration plant after Rep. Grace Napolitano.

Napolitano, D-El Monte, who is retiring at the end of her term, was on hand for the dedication ceremony in Carson Thursday morning. The plant was officially renamed the Grace F. Napolitano Pure Water Southern California Innovation Center “for her unwavering dedication to water sustainability and reliability for all of Southern California,” according to a statement.

“What can be universally said about Congresswoman Napolitano is that she is the ultimate connector of people and creator of solutions,” MWD Board Chair Adán Ortega Jr. said. “Imagine her the needle and us the thread. She has banded us together to address our challenges — to clean up uranium tailings in Moab, Utah; to expand water recycling across the state; to increase water conservation in homes; and to develop water career training programs, ensuring we have the future workforce we need. This center for innovation in the science of water recycling can only have one name, and it is in honor of Congresswoman Grace Napolitano.”

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Snowpack at 114% After Weekend Storms Hit Rockies; Will We See a Repeat of Wet Winter?

/in , , /by /8 News Nowby Greg Haas

It’s still more than seven weeks before the official start of winter (Dec. 21), but weekend storms in Colorado’s high country are reason enough to look in on snowpack levels that will eventually provide the water that flows to Lake Mead.

A month into the 2023 “water year,” snowpack levels are slightly above normal in the Upper Colorado River Basin: 114% as of Nov. 1, according to data on the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s website. The water year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 each year.

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How Snowfall Will Change Lake Mead’s Water Levels

/in , , /by /Newsweek by Anna Skinner

An El Niño winter snowfall map from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted more good news for Lake Mead.

After years of drought the lake, located in Nevada and Arizona, reached drastically low levels in the summer of 2022. However, water levels have since started to recover because of above-average precipitation and snowpack that melted throughout this year. As of Wednesday afternoon, its levels were at 1,065 feet, 20 feet higher than this time last year.

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Troubled Waters: Colorado River Crisis – Into the Wild West

/in , , /by /KESQby Angela Chen

In the sun-split desert of the Coachella Valley, life here is only possible with water from elsewhere. The water that grows our food, the water we drink and the water we exist around come from the special aquifers below the valley and the Colorado River.

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How Imperial Valley Spends San Diego’s Cash for Water

/in , , /by /Voice of San Diegoby MacKenzie Elmer Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

I traveled to Imperial County last month to see what this desert farming community built with the cash San Diegans pay for some of its water.

The latest thing is a small lake, eight times the length of an Olympic lap pool, built into the harsh, flat landscape. The hot wind whipped at the new reservoir’s surface so hard, waves of it almost breached the bare dirt rims of its chamber.

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A Tangle of Rules to Protect America’s Water Is Falling Short

/in , , /by /The New York Times by Dionne Searcey and Delger Erdenesanaa

America’s stewardship of one of its most precious resources, groundwater, relies on a patchwork of state and local rules so lax and outdated that in many places oversight is all but nonexistent, a New York Times analysis has found.

The majority of states don’t know how many wells they have, the analysis revealed. Many have incomplete records of older wells, including some that pump large volumes of water, and many states don’t register the millions of household wells that dot the country.

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Expanded Drought.gov Tool Visualizes Historical Drought Conditions by County, State

/in , , /by /Drought.gov

The “Dust Bowl” drought of the 1930s brought nearly a decade of dry conditions to the Great Plains, causing many farmers to flee their lands and livelihoods. Looking further back, tree-ring and lake-sediment records indicate that “megadroughts” have occurred in North America over the last thousand years. By looking back at historical data, communities can get a better understanding of how current droughts compare to past events and drought and extreme weather threats to be prepared for.

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Rain Barrel Rebates Timed for Rainy Season

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

With climatologists predicting the potential for above-average precipitation in the months ahead due to the El Niño weather phenomenon, it’s an ideal time to take advantage of the County of San Diego’s upcoming rainwater harvesting workshops and rain barrel rebates.

The County’s Waterscape Rebate Program will host free rainwater harvesting workshops in Fall and Winter 2023.

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Summit Tackles Water Challenges Facing California

/in , , /by /Ag Alert by Christine Souza

Below-average precipitation and snowpack during 2020-22 and depleted surface and groundwater supplies pushed California into a drought emergency that brought curtailment orders and calls for modernizing water rights.

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