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People Will Be Saying ‘Atmospheric River’ A Lot On Wednesday. Here’s What That Means.

/in , /by /SFGate.com (San Francisco)by Amy Graff

A so-called “atmospheric river” is poised to barrel into the Bay Area Wednesday afternoon, delivering a drenching of rain that forecasters say could add up to 3 to 6 inches in the hills and 1 to 3 inches in the valleys in a matter of two days. “The city is likely to see in excess of two inches,” says Ryan Walbrun, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Monterey. “Even places like Livermore where you don’t usually get heavy rain will likely receive more than an inch, so it’s going to be a good soaking for everybody.”

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Things Are Getting Crazy On The Colorado River

/in , /by /The Voice of San Diegoby Ry Rivard

The Colorado River may not look like it, but it’s one of the world’s largest banks. The river is not only the source of much of the American West’s economic productivity – San Diego, Phoenix and Denver would hardly exist without it – but its water is now the central commodity in a complex accounting system used by major farmers and entire states. Now, when talking about the river, water officials across the West use terms like bank, payback and surplus. Often the analogies to finance don’t stop there – they put money behind deals that dictate who gets water and who does not.

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Gov. Newsom Proposes Tax On Drinking Water

/in , /by /10 News (San Diego)by Zac Self

Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing a tax on drinking water to help communities clean up contaminated water systems. The plan, according to the Sacramento Bee , is an attempt to revive an idea that didn’t pass the Legislature in 2018. An 2018 investigation showed that at least 360,000 Californians get water that doesn’t meet state standards, according to the Bee. Drinking water advocates praised the proposal while the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association said the state should dip into its massive surplus instating new taxes.

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Gavin Newsom Budget Calls For Drinking Water Tax To Help Poor Communities

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler, Ryan Sabalow, and Alexei Koseff

Tackling what promises to be a controversial issue, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a tax on drinking water Thursday to help disadvantaged communities clean up contaminated water systems. Newsom’s plan for a “safe and affordable drinking water fund,” included in the new governor’s first budget proposal, attempts to revive an idea that died in the Legislature last year. A McClatchy investigation last year showed that at least 360,000 Californians rely on water that does not meet state standards for toxins. McClatchy also found that 6 million Californians have water providers that have violated state standards at some point since 2012.

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Parade Of Storms Bringing Soaking Rain And Feet Of Snow To California Into Late-Week

/in , /by /The Weather Channelby Chris Dolce

California will continue to be under a siege of storm systems through Thursday that will send more soaking rain across the state and snow into the higher terrain. This string of stormy weather actually kicked off last Friday into Saturday, when an initial weather system made its way into the state. The rain from that storm triggered a mudslide on the Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu, California, early Saturday, forcing it to close for a time.

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California Snowpack Surges After Slow Start. Will It Be Enough To Combat Years Of Drought?

/in , /by /Visalia Times-Deltaby Joshua Yeager

California’s snowpack is surging after a series of storms hit the Sierras last week. More snow could hit California’s mountain ranges this week. “Last week’s storms have been nice and cold, coming from the Gulf of Alaska and putting some nice snow across the Sierra Nevadas,” said Chris Orrock, California Department of Water Resources spokesman. California began 2019 with lower-than-average snowpack measurements — just 67 percent of the year-to-date average. Recent storms pushed that total to 90 percent as of Friday.

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Creative Kids Educate Region About Water Conservation

/in , /by /Water News Network

Eighteen talented San Diego, Coronado and Imperial Beach elementary school students used their artistic skills to communicate the importance of water conservation in the City of San Diego’s Public Utilities Department 18th annual Kids Poster Contest. Winning entries in the contest are featured in the 2019 Water Conservation Calendar, which debuts this month. They are available free for pickup at San Diego city libraries, recreation centers, and at San Diego City Hall, 202 C Street downtown.

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Why SDG&E Wants To Get Out Of The Business Of Buying Electricity

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Rob Nikolewski

With California’s grid going through dramatic changes, San Diego Gas & Electric has approached the Legislature in Sacramento with a proposal that, at least at first blush, sounds pretty radical — it wants to get out of the business of buying and selling electricity. Instead, the company is calling on the state to create a separate entity that would handle all those transactions.

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Gavin Newsom Appoints Oakland Man To Lead Natural Resources Agency

/in , /by /The Mercury News (San Jose)by Nico Savidge

Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed the leader of an Oakland water philanthropy to be the next secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency. Wade Crowfoot will lead the agency that oversees state parks, the Department of Water Resources and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, among other offices, Newsom announced Friday. Crowfoot, 45, was CEO of the Water Foundation, an organization with offices in Sacramento, Oakland and Los Angeles that helps fund efforts to improve water management, from 2016 to 2018. Before that, Crowfoot worked as a deputy cabinet secretary and senior adviser to Gov. Jerry Brown, and as a senior environmental adviser to Newsom when he was mayor of San Francisco.

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OPINION: Is There Enough Water For Us In The Desert? Water Agencies Work To Keep It Flowing.

/in , /by /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Joseph K. Stuart

Is there enough water in our desert? I am often asked this question. Everywhere you look new homes, hotels and master-planned developments are appearing. It is wise to ask whether we have enough water for these future desert residents and visitors. Permits for new projects are under the jurisdiction of cities or the county — not under the purview of water agencies. Water agencies are tasked with supplying the water. Balancing growth and water supplies is nothing new to desert communities. It has always been a fact of life in our desert and is one of Desert Water Agency’s most important responsibilities.

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