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‘Critical Shutdown’ Stops River Water From Reaching Lake Casitas

/in , /by /Ventura County Starby Cheri Carlson

Runoff from the Ventura River gave Lake Casitas some much-needed relief over the past several weeks until about five feet of muck got in the way. With no imported water, the lake depends on local rainfall and river runoff, including through a diversion canal above the lake. In recent years, however, diverting water happened a lot less as a years-long drought dragged on. Rainstorms got fewer and much further between. Lake levels dropped and the local water supply shrank.

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VOSD Podcast: Going Deep On Pure Water

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Adriana Heldiz

For more than a decade, San Diego has been talking about recycling water. Wastewater would be filtered to drinking water standards and eventually provide the city about a third of its water needs. In November, the City Council approved the first, $1.4 billion phase of the project, but the city can’t and won’t say how much that will affect customer’s bills. Voice of San Diego’s Ry Rivard joins the pod this week to talk about why the city is saying “there is no simple calculation” it could perform to see how much ratepayer’s will have to foot the bill. That discussion starts at minute 29.

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Californians With Bad Water Ask For Help While Opposition Mounts To Newsom’s Proposed Tax

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Maddy Ashmun

Californians with unhealthy drinking water pleaded for help from lawmakers this week but opposition quickly developed to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to pay for system improvements with a new fee. “We just upped our water rates, and to turn around and give them a tax on their meter is just not feasible,” said Maxine Israel, director at the Cabazon Water District, which serves about 2,500 customers near Palm Springs.

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2018 Was The U.S.’s Third-Wettest Year On Record—Here’s Why

/in , , /by /National Geographicby Alejandra Borunda

On Wednesday, NASA and NOAA announced that 2018 was the fourth hottest year on record. But the impacts of a warming planet extend beyond just warming air; the feverish state of the planet is also changing when, where, and how intensely rain and snow fall. And 2018, the reports say, was the third-wettest year since 1895, when steady record-keeping began. Overall, the U.S. got 4.68 inches more precipitation in 2018 than the 20th-century average, but that rain and snow was not anywhere close to evenly distributed across the country. In the eastern half, several states, like North Carolina and Virginia, blew past their previous precipitation records, while most of the western U.S. remained mired in drought.

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Two Year Anniversary Of Oroville Spillway Crisis: Emergency Spillway Nears Completion

/in , /by /KRCR News Channel (Redding, Calif.)by Kelli Saam

Thursday marks two years since the first hole opened up in the Oroville Dam Spillway, triggering an emergency that forced the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people. The crisis started on February 7, 2017. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) had been releasing 60,000 cubic feet of water per second, when they noticed the concrete on the spillway began to disintegrate. That first day, the hole was 30 feet deep by 180 feet wide.

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More Frosty Weather On The Way For California, And The Snow Might Stick Awhile

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Javier Panzar

From the Bay Area to Los Angeles, it was a day to gaze upon snow-capped peaks, acknowledge that yes, California does have a winter, and share a photo or two on social media. And don’t expect the alpine glory — caused by a series of cold storms that dropped snow levels dramatically — to disappear soon. Wet weather will kick back up again Friday for large swaths of the state, which could bring hazardous conditions for drivers.

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California Officials Draft A $600M Plan To Help Low-Income Households Absorb Rising Water Bills

/in , /by /Water Education Foundation (Sacramento)by Gary Pitzer

Low-income Californians can get help with their phone bills, their natural gas bills and their electric bills. But there’s only limited help available when it comes to water bills. That could change if the recommendations of a new report are implemented into law. Drafted by the State Water Resources Control Board, the report outlines the possible components of a program to assist low-income households facing rising water bills.

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Federal Register Notice On DCP Draws Ire From IID

/in , /by /Imperial Valley Pressby Tom Bodus

A notice published recently in the Federal Register is not sitting well with Imperial Irrigation District. That notice, submitted by the Department of Interior through the Bureau of Reclamation and published on Feb. 1, calls recommendations from the governors of the seven Colorado River Basin state for protective actions the Department of Interior should take in the absence of a completed drought contingency plan. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman set a deadline of Jan. 31 for states to complete and approve a DCP.

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What Is Happening With The Colorado River Drought Plans?

/in , /by /KUNC (Greeley, Colo.)by Luke Runyon & Bret Jaspers

States that rely on the Colorado River for their water supplies are currently unable to finish a series of agreements that would keep its biggest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, from dropping to levels not seen since they were filled decades ago. Five states — Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming and Nevada — are done. The country of Mexico has also completed its portion. But California and Arizona failed to meet a Jan. 31 federal government deadline to wrap up negotiations and sign a final agreement.

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Local Elementary School Finds Increased Lead In Drinking Water

/in , /by /FOX 5 San Diego

Water from drinking fountains at a local elementary school tested for lead levels higher than district-mandated limits, officials announced. Parents at Juarez Elementary School in the Serra Mesa area were notified of the test results in a letter this week. District officials noted that the lead levels discovered actually fell below state and national legal requirements, but failed to meet the more stringent standard enforced by San Diego Unified School District. Federal law requires lead levels under 15 parts per billion, while the district enforces a limit of less than 5 parts per billion. Six different water outlets at Juarez Elementary, including five drinking fountains and one faucet, tested above the 5 ppb requirement.

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