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Facebook Is Launching Local Alerts To Keep You Safe During Emergencies, Including Severe Weather

/in , /by /Daily Herald by Jason Samenow

Severe weather, traffic incidents and crime disrupt routines and threaten lives. Facebook announced Tuesday that is arming state, city and local government emergency managers with the ability to issue local alerts that will rise to the top of news feeds during dangerous situations.

Potential uses include storm warnings and advisories for extreme temperatures, evacuations, road closures, active shooter situations, bomb threats, missing person reports, water main breaks and more. The aim is to keep its users “safe and in-the-know.”

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California Challenges Trump Plan To Ease Review Of Climate Impacts

/in , /by /KQED News by Kevin Stark

Another day, another environmental policy skirmish.

California, 17 other states, and Washington, D.C. today challenged a Trump administration plan to limit climate change analysis for major energy and infrastructure projects.

In a statement emailed to reporters, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra called Trump’s plan “reckless” and said it “leads agencies to ignore the climate crisis, the most pressing environmental challenge of our time.”

“We’re reminding President Trump once again: if you try to backslide on the safeguards protecting our nation’s environment and put polluters in the driver’s seat, we will hold you accountable,” he said.

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Water Costs Are Rising Across The U.S. — Here’s Why

/in , , /by /CBS News by Rachel Layne

Each glass of water, shower or flush costs far more than it did just eight years ago — and your water is bill is likely to go up again in 2019.

The average water and sewer bill in 50 cities jumped 3.6% this year, marking the eighth consecutive year of increases, according to a recent annual study from Bluefield Research. Since 2012, water bills have surged 31%, outpacing inflation.

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Lead Found in Drinking Fountains At 17% of California Public Schools

/in , /by /Capital & Main (Los Angeles, Calif. )by Joe Rihn

Two years ago Assembly Bill 746 required all California K-12 public schools built before 2010 to test for lead in drinking fountains and faucets by July 1, 2019. So far, 1,256 of 7,188 schools tested by the California State Water Resources Control Board (17 percent) have reported levels of lead that exceed five parts per billion (ppb). The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that lead in school drinking fountains not exceed 1 ppb, whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there is no blood lead level for children that can be considered safe.

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These Waterways Are Some Of The Most Diverse Ecosystems On The West Coast — And The Most Endangered

/in , /by /Crosscut.by Erin Ross

Most of the West Coast’s estuary habitat has vanished, according to a new study, the most thorough of its kind. The mapping project found that, today, less than 15% of historic estuaries remain along the Washington, Oregon and California coastlines.

Estuaries form where fresh water from rivers and streams meets the salt water of the ocean. They take the form of salt marshes, tidal forests, beaches and steep river mouths. They are among the most productive and diverse ecosystems on Earth. Estuaries are also among the most endangered habitats on the planet.

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Cantu Opposes Building In Flood Zone Until Levees Are Upgraded

/in , /by /Manteca Bulletinby Dennis Wyatt

Mayor Ben Cantu believes it is irresponsible for the City of Manteca to continue issuing building permits within the 200-year floodplain before additional levee improvements are in place.

Cantu last week was on the losing end of a 4-1 council vote certifying adequate progress is being made by Reclamation District 17 to start construction of upgraded levees along the San Joaquin River as well as a controversial dry levee in Manteca’s southwest flank by Oct. 31, 2025 that will meet the new 200-year rating as mandated by Sacramento under Senate Bill 5.

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OPINION: Trump’s Assault On Delta Threatens Bay Area Water Supply

/in , /by /The Mercury News

State Legislature should block president’s attempt to undermine federal Endangered Species Act.

The death of the twin-tunnels project hasn’t stopped Central Valley farmers’ efforts to send more water south to irrigate their fields at the expense of the health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

The latest assault on the Delta, which supplies roughly one-third of the Bay Area’s water, is the Trump administration’s efforts to gut the federal Endangered Species Act. Removing protections in existence for nearly 50 years threatens not only the Delta’s wildlife but also the quality of its fresh water.

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Colder Waters Off West Coast Mark End Of “The Blob”

/in , /by /The San Diego Union- Tribune by Deborah Sullivan Brennan

Record high Pacific Ocean temperatures recorded off the West Cost in recent years have receded to near normal, according to a report on the California Current.

That cool shift marks the end of “the blob,” the mass of warm water that dominated the West Coast, and of the El Nino event that followed. It’s unclear, however, what that means for fish and marine mammals, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stated in the 2019 ecosystem status report for the California Current Ecosystem.

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State Board Of Food And Ag Seeks Public Input On Creating Climate-Resilient Water System

/in , , /by /Lake County News (Lakeport, Calif.)by Elizabeth Larson

The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will host a public comment session on California’s Water Future on Thursday, Sept. 5, Fresno.

The meeting will be held from noon to 3:30 p.m. at the Fresno County Farm Bureau, 1274 W. Hedges Ave., Fresno.

State agencies are asking Californians to help shape a roadmap for meeting future water needs and ensuring environmental and economic resilience through the 21st century.

 

 

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Helix, Padre Dam Water District Workers Back From Paradise

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune by Karen Pearlman

Six East County water district employees are now back home after spending a week in Paradise, helping the Paradise Irrigation District clear pipes of potential toxins and bring clean water to the town that was nearly wiped out in November’s Camp Fire.

Helix Water District employees John Wilson, Dan Baker, Eric Hughes and Bryan Watte, and Padre Dam Municipal Water District workers Austin Darley and Jesse Knowles worked in the the Butte County town in Northern California outside of Chico starting Aug. 19. They were part of a mutual aid agreement requested by the Paradise Irrigation District.

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