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La Niña Could Soon Raise Wildfire Threat in Already Parched San Diego County

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Gary Robbins

The already high risk of wildfires in San Diego County could soon jump with the arrival of La Niña, a natural, periodic form of climate change that can produce periods of unusually dry weather.

The National Weather Service has issued a watch that says that La Niña could take hold in October and last into early next year. The western half of the county is currently experiencing severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The eastern half is in extreme drought.

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Will Massive Water Needs of Data Centers, Farms, Mines Be Too Much for the Great Lakes?

/in , /by /USA Todayby Caitlin Looby

While the Great Lakes may seem to offer an endless supply of water, the balance is actually quite delicate.

Each year, only 1% percent of the water in the Great Lakes is replenished by rain, snow and groundwater.

Now, a new report from the Alliance for the Great Lakes shows that this delicate balance may be at risk because of rising demand from industries that use tremendous amounts of water, like data centers, mineral mining, and agriculture, all of which put pressure on groundwater resources.

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Newsom Says California Needs to Build a Water Tunnel. Opponents Argue Costs Are Too High

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

As Gov. Gavin Newsom pushes for building a giant water tunnel beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, his administration is saying it’s the “single most effective” way for California to provide enough water as the warming climate brings deeper droughts and more intense storms.

Environmental advocates and political leaders in the Delta, among other opponents, condemned a new state analysis that draws that conclusion, arguing that building the tunnel would harm the environment and several types of fish and would push water rates much higher for millions of Californians.

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Heat Wave to Descend on San Diego for the Rest of the Week

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby City News Service

An intense late-summer heat wave will descend on inland San Diego County this week, generating dangerously high temperatures in some locations into the weekend, forecasters advised Tuesday.

The expected onset of scorching conditions prompted the National Weather Service to issue an extreme-heat warning for local desert communities, effective from 10 a.m. Wednesday to 8 p.m. Saturday. Over the period, daily highs in those areas could reach 110 to 116 degrees, the NWS said.

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Wildfire Is a Growing Threat to the West’s Water Systems

/in , /by /High Country Newsby Faith Kearns

As wildfire crews battled the Dragon Bravo Fire on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim in July 2025, the air turned toxic.

A chlorine gas leak had erupted from the park’s water treatment facility as the building burned, forcing firefighters to pull back. The water treatment facility is part of a system that draws water from a fragile spring. It’s the only water source and system for the park facilities on both rims, including visitor lodging and park service housing.

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Extreme Heat Watch Issued for San Diego County as Triple-Digit Temps Loom

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Elizabeth Ireland

The mercury will soar into the triple digits across parts of San Diego County later this week, prompting the National Weather Service to issue an Extreme Heat Watch for the region.

The Extreme Heat Watch for San Diego County mountains and deserts begins at 10 a.m. Thursday and concludes to 8 p.m. Friday. However, temps are expected to remain elevated through the weekend.

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New Salton Sea Report Says Dust Isn’t Its Only Pollution Problem

/in , /by /inewsourceby Philip Salata

A new study that compiles decades of data on air quality in the Salton Sea region says there is more to worry about than polluted dust from the exposed beach of the shrinking sea.

Ozone, hydrogen sulfide gas, algal blooms, black carbon, wildfires, incinerators, landfill fires and unpaved roads contribute to the cocktail of bad air, according to the report, published on Thursday by Pacific Institute, a California-based sustainability research organization.

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New Undersea Desalination Pods To Solve Water & Energy Crises Both At Once

/in , /by /Clean Technicaby Tina Casey

The bottomless energy-sucking demands of AI data centers have sparked a hair-on-fire moment for the nation’s electricity grid, and that is not the only urgent grid-related issue in need of attention. Seawater desalination is another one of modern life’s great energy suckers, and the need is escalating alongside climate change and population growth among other factors. One solution has surfaced in the form of undersea desalination “pods” that can trim energy use by 40%, among other benefits, and the plan is poised for rapid scaleup.

 

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California Legislature’s Final Weeks Could Decide Fate of Delta Water Tunnel

/in , /by /Cal Mattersby Dan Walters Quoted: Gov. Gavin Newsom, President Donald Trump

Tanned, rested and presumably ready after a summer vacation break, state legislators will return to the Capitol next week for the final month of their 2025 session.

The session’s final weeks will be dominated by bills aimed at registering blue California’s dislike of and opposition to President Donald Trump. The most prominent will be Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to redraw boundaries of California’s 52 congressional districts, giving Democrats five more seats to counter efforts in Texas to create five more Republican seats.

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Plan for Lake Hodges Dam in Question After Cost Jump

/in , /by /Fox 5 San Diegoby Jaime Chambers Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

ESCONDIDO, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — The robust plan to start rebuilding Lake Hodges dam has come to a screeching halt as a new cost analysis has just jumped from $275 million to between roughly $500 million and $700 million.

Now, the San Diego Water Authority says they will no longer cover their promised half of the repairs, and the City of San Diego is now weighing alternatives to repairing the 106-year-old dam.

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