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Judge Allows South Bay Lawsuit Over Tijuana Sewage Overflows To Move Ahead

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Kristina Davis

A lawsuit brought by South Bay cities alleging the federal government is not doing enough to prevent and treat the flow of Tijuana sewage into the U.S. can move forward, a San Diego federal judge ordered this week. The ruling, filed Wednesday, comes a day after U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Miller toured pumps and water-capture basins in the Tijuana River Valley to get a first-hand look at the issue. The order allows the lawsuit to proceed on claims that the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission violated the Clean Water Act by allowing wastewater from canyon water-capture basins to spill into the surrounding environment without the proper permit.

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Mayor Highlights Water Conservation System

/in , /by /Park Labrea News (Los Angeles)

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti highlighted Cedars-Sinai’s groundwater conservation program, calling it an example of innovative conservation as the city seeks to reduce water consumption. The project has slashed the medical center’s use of city-supplied water by 29 million gallons annually, the equivalent of supplying 267 single-family homes with water for a year. Garcetti toured the underground water system at Cedars-Sinai with executives from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. “Los Angeles is changing how we think about water, by rewarding those who conserve,” Garcetti said.

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Santa Margarita River Property To Be Sold To A Wildland Conservancy; Trails Will Remain Open

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby J. Harry Jones

A three-mile stretch of the Santa Margarita River and the land that surrounds it, property that could have been at the bottom of a reservoir if plans in the 1950s had been realized, will soon be sold to a wildlife conservancy for $10 million. The acquisition of the 1,384-acre property will be known as the Santa Margarita River Preserve and will insure that the extensive and popular trail system along the river will remain forever. The Fallbrook Public Utility District agreed earlier this year to sell the land it has owned for about 60 years to The Wildlands Conservancy.

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Groundwater Banking: A Likely Solution To Achieve Greater River Flows

/in , /by /Water Deeply (New York)by Patrick Koepele

A proposal by the California Water Resources Control Board to require additional water to be left in the Tuolumne River and other San Joaquin River tributaries has prompted strong negative opinions, including from some newspapers serving the region, such as the Modesto Bee. Regrettably, what has received little attention in this debate are the opportunities for improving water management to meet the agricultural and environmental demands placed on these rivers.

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OPINION: Stop Gov. Brown’s Sleazy Last-Minute Delta Tunnels Bid

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

In what would be the sleaziest maneuver of Jerry Brown’s tenure, a legislative committee suddenly has rescheduled a hearing for Thursday morning that would allow the state to move forward with the governor’s $19.9 billion Delta tunnels water grab. Without a vote of the Legislature, without a vote of the people, and without legislative oversight.

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Brown Tries To Jam Delta Water Hearing Through Legislature

/in , /by /Tracy Pressby Michael Ellis Langley

An innocuous sounding hearing tomorrow morning for lawmakers on the Joint Legislative Budget Committee at the State Capitol may lock taxpayers into paying for the California WaterFix for the next half century. The informational hearing, called “Department of Water Resources: Proposed Water Supply Contract Extension & Amendments,” will commit 50 years of funding to the WaterFix, the state’s plan to build two tunnels to siphon water from the Delta and send it south.

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Cadiz Inc. Wants To Sell Groundwater From The Mojave Desert. Will California Let It Happen?

/in , /by /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Sammy Roth

The next two days could help determine the fate of a proposal by Cadiz Inc. to pump groundwater in the Mojave Desert and sell it to Southern California cities. Environmental groups are making a last-minute push for lawmakers in Sacramento to pass a bill that could block the project. The state Assembly approved the measure in a 45-20 vote Wednesday evening. But the bill could face an uphill battle in the Senate, and the legislative session ends Friday night.

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Drought-Stricken Western Ventura County May Need More Than Planned $45M Pipeline As A Fix

/in , /by /Ventura County Starby Cheri Carlson

Heading into an eighth year of drought, Ventura County water agencies teamed up to try to import water into Ventura. But a fix — a proposed seven-mile pipeline from Camarillo to Ventura — will still leave gaps in water supplies. “I think it’s very important that this area begin to look at its next step for sustainable water supply,” said Steve Wickstrum, general manager of Casitas Municipal Water District, which supplies drinking water to much of the Ojai Valley and parts of Ventura.

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Los Angeles Wants To Use The Hoover Dam As A Giant Battery. The Hurdles Could Be More Historical Than Technical

/in , /by /The Conversationby Anthony F. Arrigo

Los Angeles is looking into whether it should spend an estimated US$3 billion on a massive, 20-mile underground pumped hydropower storage system that would be connected to the iconic Hoover Dam on the Colorado River outside of Las Vegas. If it does get built, this system would essentially serve as a giant battery to store power. Having written a book about the aggressive propaganda program behind the Hoover Dam’s construction in the 1920s and 1930s, I can say that the technical and financial challenges of this plan are sure to pale in comparison to the legal and political roadblocks that will have to be overcome.

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Water Department Has Backlog Of Repairs Needed

/in , /by /NBC 7 (San Diego)by Dorian Hargrove, Consumer Bob and Tom Jones

New issues continue to surface from inside San Diego’s Water Department. The latest: a backlog of broken water meter boxes citywide. NBC 7 Responds has learned that the water department needs to repair or replace 21,605 boxes holding water meters across the city. The city confirmed this number to NBC 7 Responds days before the City Auditor is expected to release its own audit looking into the backlog.

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