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Few California School Districts Have Tested Water for Lead, Even Though It’s Free

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Jill Tucker

As students head back to class across California this month, many will sip water from school fountains or faucets that could contain high levels of lead.

That’s because two-thirds of the state’s 1,026 school districts have not taken advantage of a free state testing program to determine whether the toxic metal is coming out of the taps and, if so, whether it exceeds federal standards. Among the 330 districts that have started or completed testing, more than half identified at least one school where levels exceeded the federal standard, according to data submitted to the state by June 1.

The testing by local water utilities has been available to every public and private school in the state for more than 18 months. Exposure to high levels of lead can cause irreversible neurological and brain damage, including lowering a child’s IQ.

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OPINION: The Observer: Keeping Both Eyes on Statewide Drinking Water Tax

/in , /by /Ukiah Daily Journalby Jim Shields

With the state legislature returning from summer recess, the proposal to impose a statewide tax on drinking water could return before the end of the current legislative year on August 31.

The proposed tax on drinking water was introduced in 2017 by Sen. Bill Monning (SB 623). The primary purpose of the bill was to fund solutions in some disadvantaged communities without access to safe drinking water, which are primarily located in rural areas in the Central Valley. In September of 2017, the Assembly Appropriations Committee moved the bill to the Assembly Rules Committee, where it currently remains as a two-year bill. The proposal would have generated roughly $110 million per year through a 95-cent monthly fee on home water bills as well as taxes on businesses of up to $10 per month. Another $30 million would come from higher fees on agricultural and dairy businesses, industries whose chemicals contribute to the problem of contaminated groundwater.

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How Ranchers Are Getting By With Less Water Across The West

/in , /by /Water Deeplyby Cassidy Johnston

In the summer, all we talk about is rain. Walk into a diner or a barn, or just run into someone at the store, and the first question anyone asks – even before, “How are you?” – is, “Did you get any rain?” It’s the same in New Mexico as in Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona and California. Everyone is concerned because, as ranchers, we know the health of our cattle depends on the amount of water that falls out of the sky. And this year, it hasn’t been a lot.

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Break in the Weather Helps California Firefighters Battle Massive Blazes Across State

/in /by /Los Angeles Timesby Tony Barbosa

Cooler, calmer weather is helping firefighters get a handle on battling the largest wildfires burning across California and preventing new blazes from getting out of control.

Temperatures are cooling slightly, and humidity is inching upward due to a weakened high-pressure system that forecasters say will persist through Tuesday.

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Millions to be Spent Protecting SF Bay Shoreline From Sea Level Rise

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby John Wildermuth

A decades-old plan to protect Alviso and surrounding South Bay areas from devastating floods has moved closer to reality with $177 million in federal funds to begin work on a 4-mile-long levee and wetlands restoration.

The combination of flood control and environmental improvements will be a model for the rest of the country, Sam Schuchat, executive officer of the state Coastal Conservancy, said Friday at an event celebrating the project at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Alviso.

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‘Water Tax’ Is Back

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Sara Libby and Ry Rivard

Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration is working to revive a controversial plan to tax water customers across the state.

The governor and others have been pushing to add a new $1 fee to water bills to help provide safe drinking water to more than 300,000 Californians in mostly rural areas.

A new version of the tax could pop back up in the next few days. It would make the fee a “voluntary donation” by allowing customers to opt out of paying it.

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County Water Authority Votes to Support $17B ‘WaterFix’ Proposal

/in , /by /Fox 5 San Diego

The San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors Thursday unanimously voted to support current plans for California WaterFix, the state’s $17 billion proposal to address water supply constraints in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta.

The board’s backing is contingent on a financing plan that fairly allocates project costs to San Diego County taxpayers, according to the Water Authority. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the sole source of Bay-Delta water for the San Diego region, is responsible for such allocations.

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San Diego Probably Just Had The Warmest August Night in City History

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Robert Krier

San Diegans, yes, your body thermostats are operating properly. The nights have been hot. Extremely hot. Record-breaking hot.

San Diego has just had what is likely to go down as the warmest August night in city history. The low after 12:01 a.m. on Thursday was 77 degrees. No other August night has been that warm, going back to 1874.

(National Weather Service forecasters did not expect the low to drop below 77 before midnight Thursday, which is the cut-off time for official daily records.)

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OPINION: California Plays a Leading, Effective Role in Confronting Climate Change

/in , /by /Sacrqamento Beeby Carl Guardino
Our state – our planet – is running a fever. Climate change is directly impacting our lives, our economy and our residents.

The fires raging across California are causing devastation on an unprecedented scale. Currently, 14,000 firefighters are battling 16 major fires, which have destroyed more than 2,000 homes and killed at least 10 people.

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CWA Approves Water Service Agreement With Sycuan

/in , /by /East County Californianby Joe Naiman Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority approved a water service agreement with the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation.

The SDCWA approved the agreement on a July 26 board vote with no opposition and Padre Dam Municipal Water District general manager Doug Wilson, who is Padre Dam’s representative on the CWA board, recusing himself.

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