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As Storms Worsen, America’s Aging Dams Overflow

/in , /by /CBS Newsby Ed Leefeldt

More than 80,000 people in the mountain community of Lynchburg, Virginia, were at risk, and 120 families evacuated, when rising waters from nearby College Lake reecently threatened to overflow its outdated dam. Although calamity was averted when the water receded, the incident was a frightening reminder of the growing risk facing millions of Americans. The average age of the 90,580 dams located across the U.S is 56 years, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Worryingly, more than 15,000 of them are considered “high hazard” and – like the Lynchburg dam built in the 1930s – need to be repaired or replaced.

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Ventura County Supervisors Urge Casitas To Make Drought Declaration As Lake Levels Fall

/in , /by /Ventura County Starby Kathleen Wilson

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday urged a water district serving more than 60,000 people and hundreds of farms to declare a drought emergency. Supervisor Steve Bennett said the declaration should be made promptly to warn residents about the seriousness of the situation in the western Ventura County area served by the Casitas Municipal Water District. “It is critical that those who rely on (the district’s) water realize the dire nature of this drought and have the opportunity to take any steps they possibly can to conserve further and stretch the length of time water is available,” Bennett wrote in a letter to the board.

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Efficiencies Lower Long-Term Water Demand Forecast For San Diego Region

/in , /by /Water News Network

Updated water-use projections for the San Diego region through 2040 are substantially lower than earlier forecasts due to efficiencies that have become standard practice at homes and businesses countywide. That’s good news because it signals the potential for lower spending on water supply development and delivery in coming decades compared to previous forecasts.

 

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Smoke Prompts Sacramento County Health Alert: Limit Outdoor Activity Through Friday

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Hannah Holzer

The smoky air blanketing the region from wildfires prompted a statement Monday from Sacramento County air quality and health officials urging residents to take precautions and limit outdoor activities through Friday. If you smell or see smoke, officials said, here’s what you should do: Minimize outdoor activities, even if you’re healthy. In particular, children, the elderly and people with respiratory or heart conditions should avoid exposure when air quality is poor.

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Trump Says California’s Water Policies Are Making The Wildfires Worse. Is He Right?

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

President Donald Trump recently broke his silence on California’s wildfire disasters by blaming the state’s environmental and water laws, saying the state has exacerbated its fire problems by letting large amounts of water flow out to the Pacific Ocean. Trump’s remarks, which he posted in a pair of tweets Sunday and Monday, drew immediate criticism from fire experts in the state.

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Why Are California’s Wildfires So Intense And What Can Be Done?

/in , /by /The Guardian (New York)by Edward Helmore

The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning in parts of California warning of conditions conducive to the growth of wildfires, including strong winds, low humidity and very high temperatures. The White House has declared California’s fires a major disaster and there are signs they are growing more intense.

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OPINION: A Drought-Proof Water Supply Right In Our Orange County Desert

/in , /by /The Orange County Registerby Kevin Perkins

Although it usually doesn’t seem like it, Orange County really is a desert. We’re so accustomed to turning on the spigot anytime, anywhere, for any duration. Most of the water we use is imported, either from the glorious Northern California snow pack or the quagga-mussels-clogged recycled water of the Colorado River, which is shared by five other states and Mexico. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has been the chief architect on both projects, and has done a good job stewarding the flows to SoCal over the decades.

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Wetlands Restoration To Begin As Part Of Del Mar Mesa Preserve Expansion

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Toni McAllister

Nearly 112 acres of habitat and old agricultural lands in the Carmel Valley area will be restored into wetlands starting in September, the San Diego Association of Governments announced Friday. SANDAG acquired the land, referred to as Deer Canyon East, in June, shortly after state and federal agencies claimed successful rehabilitation of the adjacent 31-acre Deer Canyon West site.

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Huge Orange County Wildfire Visible From San Diego Area

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

A large and rapidly growing wildfire that erupted Monday afternoon in the Holy Jim Canyon area of Orange County is producing a plume that’s visible from parts of San Diego County, according to the National Weather Service. The fire has so far burned more than 1,000 acres at a spot in the Cleveland National Forest, nor far from Corona, the Orange County Fire Authority said.

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Helix Water Rates Going Up Starting In November

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Karen Pearlman

East County water users in the Helix Water District are going to see higher rates starting in November. On Aug. 1, the Helix Water District Board adopted a 2018-19 budget of $89.5 million, a 5.7 percent increase over last year’s budget. With that, the board voted 3-1 to approve a 3.4 percent rate increase for its nearly 275,000 customers. That translates to a $5.18 increase every two months ($2.59 monthly) for the average Helix Water District customer using 21 units of water or 15,708 gallons of water every two months. One unit is equal to 748 gallons.

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