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California Legislators Halt Cadiz Water Project, Bill Heads To Gov. Newsom’s Desk

The Cadiz groundwater pumping project in the Mojave Desert hit a major roadblock on Thursday, when the California State Assembly advanced a bill that could halt its progress for up to two years. If the bill becomes law, Cadiz, Inc.’s proposed project will need to undergo additional environmental review to prove its extraction plans will not harm the surrounding desert. S.B. 307, authored by Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside, cleared the Assembly 49-23, where it was led by Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, D-Glendale, who carried similar Cadiz-related legislation in 2017 and 2018 that stalled before final votes. After years of legislative battles and intense lobbying, the bill now only needs Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature to become law.

California’s Coast Is Disappearing, And The Debate Over What To Do About It Is In Full Swing

Even as quakes, wildfires and drought have taken up most of our focus, the slow-moving disaster of rising seas has paralyzed Californians, and left us with “both too much and not enough time” to act, as environment reporter Rosanna Xia wrote in a special report examining sea level rise and the future of California’s disappearing coastline. The report, read by more than half a million people since it was published online and in print on Sunday, laid out our limited options in a future where certain areas of California will almost certainly be submerged. Cities such as San Francisco, Pacifica, Imperial Beach and many more are already dealing with the ocean at their doorstep.

Oceanside Drinking Water Is Safe

The city wants residents to know its drinking water is more than safe, according to its recently released 2018 Water Quality Report. According to the report, the city didn’t detect lead in its drinking water and is compliant with federal and state lead regulations. The report lists all detected substances in the city’s drinking water, broken down by each of its three sources. The city tests for more than 90 different substances throughout the year. According to Water Utilities Director Cari Dale, the city closely monitors its drinking water to “ensure the highest quality of water is delivered” to customers.

Changes To Operations Of Sweetwater Authority Raise Some Concerns

A series of changes related to the operations of the Sweetwater Authority has given rise to concerns that the South Bay water agency’s governing board has ceded too much power to the general manager and diminished transparency. Among the set of revisions to policies that govern the water agency and its governing board: directors are no longer allowed to seek information from staff without the general manager’s knowledge, the Sweetwater Authority is no longer required to keep minutes of meetings when directors on committees convene and the general manager is now allowed to spend up to $75,000 without board approval.

Audit Reveals Major Lack Of Planning On Multimillion-Dollar ‘Smart Meter’ Project

The city of San Diego’s plan to replace every water meter in the city is more than two years behind schedule, millions of dollars over budget and probably won’t be finished for at least another three years, according to a city audit released Thursday. The audit, prompted in part by a Voice of San Diego and NBC 7 Responds investigation, gives new insight into the city’s outrageous lack of planning for a multimillion-dollar project involving one of the most basic municipal services: water. For years, the city has wanted to install over a quarter-million new “smart” water meters, which are supposed to increase billing accuracy, provide real-time data on water use and eliminate the need for city employees to go to homes and offices across the city to read each meter.

East County Advanced Water Purification Program Gets $9.4M In Interim Funding

The East County Advanced Water Purification Program progressed closer to completion with its program’s partner agencies — Padre Dam Municipal Water District, the City of El Cajon, Helix Water District and the County of San Diego — approving an Interim Funding Agreement (IFA). The IFA will ensure that the program can move forward with funding for the next year. The IFA states each agency will commit $2.35 million ($9.4 million total) towards the program that aims to create a new, local, sustainable and drought-proof drinking water supply using state-of-the-art technology to purify East San Diego County’s recycled water.

The Fight Over Monterey Peninsula’s Water Future is a Debate Over Who Gets To Decide

What is at stake is the water supply for the Monterey Peninsula. Consuming water drawn from the Carmel River is no longer feasible, neither ecologically nor legally. But the power to decide on an alternative supply is largely vested in the hands of public officials from outside the region.

Federal Judge Remands Cadiz Water Project Pipeline Evaluation Back to BLM for Explicit Explanation

Judge George H. Wu of the Los Angeles Central District Federal Court recently issued a ruling in two consolidated cases brought against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) related to co-location of infrastructure in existing railroad rights-of-way, including the Cadiz Water Project’s proposed use of a local southern California railroad for water conveyance.

The United States Is Headed For A Battery Breakthrough

Symbiosis is one of life’s most beautiful and lasting natural phenomena. Regardless of the circumstances, certain things just work perfectly together: peanut butter and jelly, sharks and pilot fish, Brady and Belichick. The energy revolution is no different, as renewable resources and battery storage go together like two peas in a pod.

California American Water Makes Rate Increase Request

San Diego-based California American Water filed an application to set new rates in each of its service areas for 2021 through 2023. If approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, the new rates will take effect Jan. 1, 2021.