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As Colorado River Stakeholders Draft A Drought Plan, The Margin For Error In Managing Water Supplies Narrows

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

As stakeholders labor to nail down effective and durable drought contingency plans for the Colorado River Basin, they face a stark reality: Scientific research is increasingly pointing to even drier, more challenging times ahead. The latest sobering assessment landed the day after Thanksgiving, when U.S. Global Change Research Program’s Fourth National Climate Assessment concluded that Earth’s climate is changing rapidly compared to the pace of natural variations that have occurred throughout its history, with greenhouse gas emissions largely the cause.

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How Best To Share The Disappearing Colorado River

/in , /by /High Country News (Paonia, Colo.)by Paige Blankenbuehler

As early as 2020, hydrologists forecast that the level of Lake Mead, the largest reservoir on the Colorado River, could drop low enough to trigger the first water shortages in its downstream states of Arizona, Nevada and California. The three states in the river’s Lower Basin have long feared shortages. But the continued decline of Lake Mead reflects a reality they can no longer ignore: Demand for the river’s water, which supports 40 million people from Wyoming to California, has long outpaced the supply.

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California is aiming For 100% Clean Energy. But Los Angeles Might Invest Billions In Fossil Fuels

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Sammy Roth

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is leaning toward spending billions of dollars to rebuild three aging gas-fired power plants, even as California aims to eliminate fossil fuels, a goal endorsed by Mayor Eric Garcetti. Consultants hired by the utility say the city should invest those ratepayer dollars in continuing to burn natural gas at the Scattergood, Harbor and Haynes power plants along the coast. The utility’s staff agrees, saying that batteries charged with solar or wind power aren’t yet cheap or reliable enough to replace the gas plants, which are critical to keeping the lights on.

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Farm Bill Offers A Chance At Salton Sea Funding

/in , /by /Imperial - San Diego Currentsby Darren Simon

With the passage of the Federal Farm Bill by both the Senate and House (December 12 and 13 respectively) and hopefully a signature of support to come from the White House soon, another opportunity has arisen to help fund restoration efforts at the Salton Sea. After the failure of Prop. 3 during the November election, which amounts to a $200 million loss for the sea, a spark of positive funding news is good to hear. While there is no guarantee of funding for the sea in the Farm Bill (nor is the sea even mentioned) there is a provision for environmental projects for which the sea could qualify for funding.

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Deal Could Avoid Shutdown, But California Wildfire And Water Measures Have To Wait

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Emily Cadei

Congressional leaders reached a short-term spending deal Wednesday that effectively punts most of the contentious funding decisions into the new year. That includes the question of whether to extend a federal law designed to deliver more Northern California water south, which has become a factor in the Delta water-sharing agreement reached earlier this month. Congressional aides said federal wildfire recovery funding will have to wait until the new year. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Wednesday morning that the Senate would vote on a “simple measure that will continue government funding into February.” More precisely, the spending bill will fund the government through Feb. 8.

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OPINION: Peace In California’s Water Wars Is Within Grasp

/in , /by /CALmatters (Sacramento)by Jeffrey Mount and Ellen Hanak

Dare we say it? The outlines of a truce in California’s unending water battles began to come into focus last week, though not everyone is willing to sign the treaty. The State Water Board adopted the first phase of a far-reaching revision to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento‒San Joaquin Delta and its watershed. This first phase, which has been many years in the making, focuses on the San Joaquin River and its tributaries, and would allocate a greater share of water to the environment.

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Orange County Water Study Updated, Poseidon Desalination Plant Still Scores Low

/in , /by /Orange County Registerby Martin Wisckol

South Orange County is far more at risk for future water shortages than the rest of the county, according to the final draft of a water-needs forecast received Wednesday by the Municipal Water District of Orange County’s board. The Poseidon desalination plant planned for Huntington Beach continues to rank lowest in cost effectiveness, with questions also raised about the need for the $1 billion project. The 261-page report updates MWDOC’s 2016 forecast, reflecting the increased likelihood that the California WaterFix tunnels will improve the reliability of flows imported from northern California.

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Lawsuits Await After California Water Board Adopts Flows Plan, CFBF Reports

/in , /by /Sierra Sun Timesby Christine Souza
 Irrigation districts along three Central California rivers say they will be suing the state of California and—simultaneously, in some cases—negotiating with it, now that the State Water Resources Control Board has voted to redirect significant flows along the rivers in an effort to improve fish populations. The state water board voted 4-1 last week to adopt the first phase of its disputed Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan, which requires districts along the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced rivers to leave 30 to 50 percent of “unimpaired flows” in the San Joaquin River tributaries to help fish.
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Wide Fluctuation In October Water Conservation Numbers

/in , /by /Chico Enterprise-Record

Water conservation numbers for October were announced last week by the Water Resources Control Board, and the savings were all over the place. Statewide, urban water use was down 13.4 percent compared to October 2013, the pre-drought benchmark year. That was down from 14.6 percent in September, but the conservation rate has been pretty static since July. However the Sacramento River watershed, usually one of the more thrifty regions, had savings of just 12.1 percent in October. The conservation rates were higher on the South Coast, 13.1 percent, and in the Bay Area, 14.0 percent.

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Desal Plant Hits 40B Gallon Mark

/in , /by /The Coast News by Steve Puterski

Three years and 40 billion gallons later the Carlsbad Claude “Bud” Lewis Desalination plant is humming along. The facility is touted as the largest and most technologically advanced in the Western Hemisphere and on Dec. 13, VIPs and various stakeholders gathered in celebration of the plant supplying about 10 percent of drinking water to San Diego County. The desalination plant opened three years ago to much fanfare, and some criticism, as one of the crown jewels for Poseidon Water, which owns the facility. It pumps in about 50 million gallons of water per day and is a source for protection against severe drought.

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