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Major Colorado River Water User Floats Arizona Drought Plan

/in , /by /Associated Pressby Felicia Fonseca

A major Colorado River water user has proposed an interim plan for Arizona as the state faces looming a looming deadline to manage expected shortages. The Central Arizona Project board said its proposal could jumpstart talks after previous ones failed to gain consensus among water users. The agency wants to draw up to 400,000 acre-feet of water it stored in Lake Mead and 50,000 acre-feet in Lake Pleasant, and implement a $60 million conservation program to lessen the burden of shortages on mainly farmers and developers. Another program would help improve groundwater systems but doesn’t have a price tag.

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California Tunnels Project Circling The Drain After Elections

/in , /by /Bloomberg by David Schultz

This month’s elections may have mortally wounded California’s chances for a long-delayed $23 billion water tunnel project. The so-called Delta Tunnels project would allow the Golden State to more efficiently transfer up to 1.6 trillion gallons of water every year from the northern part of the state to the south. The project’s biggest cheerleader, Gov. Jerry Brown (D), is leaving office because of term limits and his successor, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), lacks’ Brown’s enthusiasm for the tunnels.

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El Nino Holds Weather Uncertainty For California

/in , /by /Western FarmPressby Tim Hearden

Forecasters are confident that weak El Nino atmospheric conditions will set in as the winter progresses, and in California, that can mean anything. While El Nino conditions are known for producing wet, warm storms from the south, state and National Weather Service forecasters say there’s an equal chance of below-normal, normal or above-normal precipitation in California this winter.

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First Rain In Over A Month? Chances Increase As Firefighters Grow Desperate

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

Everyone’s rain dances are working. The Thanksgiving week weather forecast for the San Francisco Bay Area looks more likely for the first precipitation in a month, as California is ravaged by the deadliest wildfire in state history, raging through bone-dry foothills, and sending unhealthy pollution through the most populated regions.

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Environmental Review Of Water Wells Goes Before California High Court

/in , /by /Bloomberg by Joyce E. Cutler

The California Supreme Court will weigh in on whether environmental review is required for each new water well project. The issue of groundwater extraction heightened during California’s prolonged drought. All six justices during their weekly meeting Nov. 14 voted to review an appellate decision involving Stanislaus County.

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San Diego Has The Ingredients For An Explosive Fire

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Diana Leonard

Fire weather arrived in San Diego this weekend, traveling southward from Butte County via Ventura and Los Angeles. Its journey here gave us snapshots of a grim new reality: the unbelievable speed and scale of California wildfires. A line of burned-out cars in the Sierra foothill town of Paradise, and social media accounts of desperate attempts to outrun the Camp Fire. Four one-way lanes on the Pacific Coast Highway during a mass evacuation of Malibu to escape the Woolsey Fire.

 

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OPINION: Wildfires Underline Need To Diversify California’s Water Supply

/in , /by /The San Francisco Examinerby Robyn Purchia

Fast burning fires, aided by strong, east winds and low humidity, devastated the Butte County community of Paradise over the last week and sent hazardous smoke over the San Francisco Bay area. It’s a tragedy that’s becoming too frequent. Climate change is scorching California. It’s critical for water agencies to adapt to this hotter and drier future. Throughout the state, municipalities are diversifying their supplies by recycling wastewater into drinkable water.

 

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Study: Absent Major Changes, New Groundwater Rules Will Cost Kern 24,000 Jobs

/in , /by /BakersfieldNow.comby Kyle Harvey

Absent major changes to farming practices and an increase in water supply, Kern County’s farming juggernaut will have to shrink considerably to meet aggressive new targets for conservation. A study commissioned by the Kern Groundwater Authority suggests tremendous job losses are a possibility as water district managers and farmers work toward compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.

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Tearing Out The Turf: 1 Million Square Feet Targeted For Removal

/in , /by /Water News Network

San Diego County residents have targeted more than 1 million square feet of turf grass for replacement with WaterSmart landscaping through free landscape makeover classes sponsored by the San Diego County Water Authority over the past five years. While not all the targeted turf has actually been removed, post-class surveys show that many participants end up taking out more turf than they initially planned after seeing the benefits of their work, said Joni German, who coordinates the Water Authority’s award-winning WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Series.

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Contract Change Order Approved For Erosion Control Project

/in , /by /Village News (Fallbrook) Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority approved a change order for their Moosa Canyon Erosion Control project. The CWA board approval Oct. 25, adds $351,000 to the contract amount and is the third change order associated with the dewatering system needed to address groundwater, which was encountered at a higher level than expected. The newest change order increases the total contract amount with Granite Construction from $1,445,889 to $1,806,889, while changing the contract end date from Oct. 31 to Dec. 31.

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