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Water Harvester Makes It Easy To Drink Water From Thin Air

/in , /by /University of Californiaby Robert Sanders

In a paper appearing this week in ACS Central Science, a journal of the American Chemical Society, UC Berkeley’s Omar Yaghi and his colleagues describe the latest version of their water harvester, which can pull more than five cups of water (1.3 liters) from low-humidity air per day for each kilogram (2.2 pounds) of water-absorbing material, a very porous substance called a metal-organic framework, or MOF. That is more than the minimum required to stay alive. During field tests over three days in California’s arid Mojave Desert, the harvester reliably produced 0.7 liters per kilogram of absorber per day — nearly three cups of clean, pure H2O. That’s 10 times better than the previous version of the harvester.

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Paso Groundwater Basin Included in High-Tech Stanford Study

/in , /by /New Times (Paso Robles, Calif.)by Peter Johnson

A pair of upcoming North County groundwater studies are expected to shed new light on the hydrogeological conditions of two key water sources in the region.

The Paso Robles Groundwater Basin is one of three basins in the state chosen to participate in a Stanford University study that will deploy state-of-the-art aerial electromagnetic technology to better understand its characteristics.

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San Diego’s Water Rates Go Up On Sunday

/in , /by /Rancho Bernardo News-Journalby Elizabeth Marie Himchak

The City of San Diego is reminding its water customers that starting Sunday they will be paying more for water.

The price customers pay will be going up 4.82 percent to help pay for water reliability and infrastructure improvements. When combined with a 1.46 percent increase implemented by the San Diego County Water Authority, the total increase starting Sept. 1 will be 6.28 percent, city officials said.

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Environmentalists Slam Chevron, State Regulators Over Kern County Oil Releases

/in , /by /KQED Radio San Franciscoby Ted Goldberg

Environmental groups are calling for increased scrutiny of California’s oil and gas industry after learning that more than 50 million gallons of crude oil flowed out of the ground in an uncontrolled release near a Chevron facility in Kern County over the last 16 years.

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OPINION: Valley Voice: The Legislature Must Rethink SB 1. It Will Hurt Water Management Efforts

/in , /by /Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Peter Nelson

If not amended, Senate Bill 1 will perpetuate California’s water and environmental troubles, not help to resolve them, as its proponents claim.

How? As written, SB 1 limits the use of research conducted over the last decade meant to better understand Delta water management and its relationship to fish and wildlife. The State Water Project — funded by ratepayers throughout California, including the Coachella Valley — has spent tens of millions of dollars to improve this understanding.

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OPINION: Will Continued Sprawl or High-Density Infill Define San Diego’s Future?

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Lawrence A. Herzog

There are two critical urban land use debates raging across the San Diego region today. How they play out will determine whether our region’s ecosystem becomes more resilient over the next several decades.

The disputes involve first, the future of urban sprawl in the far-flung rural suburbs of San Diego County, and, second, infill policy and increasing densities in San Diego’s urban core.
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Vallecitos Water District Invokes Water Shortage Contingency Plan Level 1

/in , /by /San Elijo Life

The San Diego County Water Authority is preparing to launch a major project to fix a leak in Pipeline 4 in the Moosa Canyon area of Bonsall. Pipeline 4 is a 90- inch diameter pipeline that provides treated drinking water throughout San Diego County, including the Vallecitos Water District (VWD). The leak site is in a remote area with no adjacent homes or business. Pipeline 4 will be shut down for up to 10 days. The shutdown likely will start on September 9, 2019, however, these dates may be adjusted depending on the severity of the pipeline leak or dangerous weather conditions, such as Santa Ana winds or Red Flag warnings.

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Ag Report: California’s Water Future And Fall Bringing Some New Interests In Produce

/in , /by /23ABC News Bakersfield
Potential progress on the trade war with China. A Chinese delegation is expected to travel to Washington, DC next month. President Donald Trump says China called him to ask that trade talks keep moving forward. China says it doesn’t know about that call. Trump told reporters that United States tariffs have hurt China so bad that it has no choice but to reach a deal
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California Moves To Boost Recycled Water

/in , , /by /Water News Network

A new plan recommends four strategies to advance water reuse in California over the next three decades – an important part of both the state and regional water resilience portfolio.

The California WateReuse Action Plan includes a comprehensive set of proposed actions that will more than double the use of water recycling in California and help prepare the state for the impacts of climate change, according to WateReuse California, which released the plan in July.

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OPINION: California Governor Signs Bill To Protect The Mojave Desert

/in , /by /Planet Watch by Gina- Marie Cheeseman

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill (SB 307) that prevents proposals to export desert water without state review. The bill goes into effect on January 1, 2020.

The bill protects federal and state lands, including Mojave National Preserve and Mojave Trails National Monument. It effectively stops the Cadiz Water Project which would extract water from an underground aquifer in the Mojave Desert and export it. Developed by Cadiz Inc., the project proposes to pump 16 billion gallons of water a year from the Mojave Desert aquifer.

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