You are now in California and the U.S. Media Coverage category.

1 million Californians Use Tainted Water. Will State Pass A Clean-Water Tax?

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Alexei Koseff

José Hernández has two plastic barrels in his front yard, filled to the brim with water collected during the recent rains. Half a dozen buckets, a trash can and a cooking pot sit close by, nearly overflowing. It should be enough for Hernández to tend to his garden for the next few weeks  and slight relief for a water bill that sets him back $130 to $170 each month. A retired farmworker, Hernández, 64, supports his wife and two daughters primarily on a $950 monthly Social Security check.

Full Story

Coming Together For The Potter Valley Project

/in , /by /Cloverdale Reveille by Zoë Strickland,

Last week three local entities California Trout, Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission (IWPC) and Sonoma Water  announced that they will be signing a project planning agreement with the hopes of looking at pathways to relicense the Potter Valley Project. The Potter Valley Project is a hydropower project that sits in the middle of the Eel River and Russian River watershed basins and is integral in providing water to both Mendocino County and northern Sonoma County.

Full Story

California Cold: Record-Breaking Chilly And Wet Weather Settles In, Along With A Hefty Snowpack

/in , /by /The Mercury Newsby Mike Branom

Any Californian who has simply had it with May’s gray, soggy chill had to hate the Memorial Day weekend. Rending asunder holiday plans of grilling at the park, or maybe some beach time, the final days of the month continued a statewide stretch of unseasonably cold, wet weather. On Sunday and Monday, precipitation fell and temperatures dropped, establishing daily records across the southern two-thirds of the state, from Modesto to Death Valley (0.04 inches of rain Monday).

Full Story

OPINION: Changes In Climate Continue To Make Surveying Watersheds Tricky. ‘But We Can Change That’

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Frank Gehrke

In April 2015, I escorted then-Gov. Jerry Brown to Echo Summit, where we ceremoniously plunged a metal pole onto the dry, bare earth that typically would have been covered by snow but wasn’t that year. That spring, we were in the depths of a record-setting drought. If you’re among the many Californians who remember the photo of that survey, you’ll probably recognize me. I’m the one wearing a ball cap with “DWR” plastered on the front. Until my retirement last December, I’d been measuring snow in California for nearly 40 years.

Full Story

Opinion: San Diego’s Climate Goals Require More Investment in Energy Storage

/in , , /by /Voice of San Diego by Jason Anderson Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Last year, California raised the stakes in the fight against climate change, instituting a goal of reaching 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2045, with at least 60 percent of that power coming from renewable sources such as wind and solar.

And more than a year before the state did so, the city of San Diego made a pioneering commitment to achieving its own goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2035, as outlined in the city’s Climate Action Plan.

Full Story

OPINION: No, We Shouldn’t Pump Desert Groundwater Near Joshua Tree To Help Store Electricity

/in , /by /Los Angeles Times

For years developers have tried to figure out how to repurpose Kaiser Steel’s former open-pit iron mine at Eagle Mountain in Riverside County. One idea: Use it as a massive landfill, a proposal that fortunately never came to fruition. The current owners of the site now want to convert it into an immense, $2.5-billion hydroelectric battery, using daytime power to pump water from a lower-elevation pit to a pit 1,400 feet farther up the mountain, then running the water downhill at night through turbines to create energy.

Full Story

Aberdeen To Buy Desalination Plant For More Than $1 Billion

/in , , /by /Bloomberg by Gillian Tan Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

An affiliate of Aberdeen Standard Investments has agreed to buy the Carlsbad desalination plant in Southern California for more than $1 billion, according to people with knowledge of the matter. A transaction could be announced as soon as this week, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant, named for a former mayor, is owned by Orion Water Partners LLC, the joint venture between Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners and Brookfield Infrastructure Partners affiliate Poseidon.

Full Story

Water Authority Bill Aims To Boost Water Industry Jobs For Veterans

/in , /by /Water News Network

A new bill in the California Legislature would provide a path for veterans transitioning to civilian employment to receive credit for their military experience and education toward certifications in the water industry. Assembly Bill 1588 was introduced February 22 by San Diego Assemblymember Todd Gloria and Central Valley Assemblymember Adam Gray. The bill, which may be heard in committee this month, is co-sponsored by the San Diego County Water Authority and the Otay Water District in hopes of helping the state’s industry replace a wave of retiring Baby Boomers.

Full Story

Thirsty Silicon Valley Water Agency Might Buy A Central Valley Farm. Why Agriculture Is Worried

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

Once again, a big thirsty metropolis is looking at buying Central Valley farmland with an eye toward boosting its water supplies. And once again, neighboring farmers are nervous about it. Silicon Valley’s main water agency, the Santa Clara Valley Water District, confirmed Wednesday that it’s considering buying a 5,200-acre Merced County ranch. The district would build a groundwater storage bank beneath the ranch as a buffer during drought conditions.

Full Story

An 800-Acre Reservoir Could Be Coming To Stanislaus County, But What Are The Risks?

/in , /by /The Modesto Beeby Ken Carlson

A federal bill promising $14 million in funding for water storage projects for the Central Valley and Northern California served to place more attention on a proposed reservoir in Stanislaus County. Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, got the millions included in a massive energy and water infrastructure bill in the House of Representatives. It includes $6 million for the Sites Reservoir near Colusa favored by agribusiness, $4.1 million for the North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program, $2.1 million for the Los Vaqueros Reservoir expansion in Contra Costa County, and $1.5 million for Del Puerto Canyon Reservoir near Patterson

Full Story