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Drought-Weary California Equips Water Supplies For Efficiency

/in , /by /Bloomberg (Arlington, Va.)by Emily C. Dooley

Drought-weary California officials want water suppliers to use the resource more efficiently, but how new water regulations will play out in districts remains unclear. A pair of bills, signed at the end of May by Gov. Jerry Brown (D), amend the state’s water code and emphasize water efficiency with a focus on indoor and outdoor household use as well as water loss in urban districts. Both Senate Bill 606 and Assembly Bill 1668 require urban districts to set use targets, or budgets for water use, and the assembly version also broadens the number of agricultural suppliers that must set management plans.

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Warming Drives Spread Of Toxic Algae In Oregon And Beyond, Researchers Say

/in , /by /The Associated Press by Tom James

The words blasted to cellphones around Oregon’s capital city were ominous: “Civil emergency . prepare for action.” Within half an hour, a second official alert clarified the subject wasn’t impending violence but toxins from an algae bloom detected in Salem’s water supply. Across the U.S., reservoirs that supply drinking water and lakes used for recreation are experiencing similar events with growing frequency. The trend represents another impact of global warming and raises looming questions about the effects on human health, researchers say.

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Algae Bloom Closes Diamond Valley Lake

/in , /by /NBC4 (Los Angeles)by Austin Green

All recreational activities at Diamond Valley Lake have been suspended indefinitely due to a large bloom of blue-green algae at the bottom of the lake, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California announced Thursday. Boating, fishing and hiking are just some of the activities suspended around the lake until the district determines it is safe to use again. The algae, called cyanobacteria, sometimes releases harmful cyanotoxins into the water, which in high concentrations can be poisonous when ingested.

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A New Groundwater Market Emerges In California. Are More On The Way?

/in , /by /Water Deeply (New York)by Alastair Bland

A “use-it-or-lose-it” system of water allocation has historically required growers in California to irrigate their land or lose their water rights, whether market forces compelled them to grow crops or not. Now, in a significant breakthrough for the state’s water economy, a community of farmers near Ventura are about to join a new groundwater market. The buying and trading system, expected to begin by July 1, will allow farmers under the purview of the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency to fallow their own land and sell groundwater to other users willing to pay more than their crop sales would generate.

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Algae Shuts Down Diamond Valley Lake Near Hemet

/in , /by /ABC7 (Los Angeles)

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has temporarily suspended all recreational activities at Diamond Valley Lake near Hemet because of an algal bloom. The sometimes toxic cyanobacteria also known as blue-green algae has covered the lake, prompting officials to prohibit boating, fishing and hiking until further notice. Experts assured the public that the quality of the district’s treated drinking water has not been affected. “This is a recreation issue, not a drinking water issue,” Metropolitan Water Quality Manager Dr. Mic Stewart said. “We don’t want folks coming into contact with or fishing in this water.”

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Official For Compton Water District Is Suspended After Reports Of Fake Supporters At Town Hall

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Adam Elemahrek, Ruben Vives, and Angel Jennings

The general manager of a small public agency under fire for delivering brown, smelly water to parts of Compton and Willowbrook has been placed on administrative leave effective immediately, the water district board’s attorney announced Thursday night. Maria Rachelle Garza’s suspension comes days after The Times reported allegations that the embattled Sativa Los Angeles County Water District hired people to pose as supporters and attend a local congresswoman’s town hall regarding complaints of dirty water.

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San Diego County Water Authority Releases ‘Brought To You By Water’

/in , /by /KUSIby Ginger Jeffries Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Water is the San Diego region’s most precious natural resource, but its role fueling our economy and quality of life is often taken for granted – until now. The Water Authority, its 24 member agencies, and partners from leading industries are gathering to launch the year-long Brought to You by Water program, which includes a targeted advertising campaign, promotional materials, social media, a photo contest and events around the region.

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SLO Residents Will Pay More For Monthly Water And Sewer Costs

/in , /by /The Tribune (San Luis Obispo)by Nick Wilson

Residents of San Luis Obispo will be paying more for water and sewer after the City Council unanimously passed rate increases Tuesday. The new rates, which are set to go into affect at the start of the 2018-19 fiscal year on July 1, will amount to about 3 percent higher costs for water services and 4 percent for sewer costs for the average residential household, according to city officials.

 

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OPINION: Effect Of Rising Seas Has A Time Line And Cost

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicle

California’s fabled beaches are shrinking, with waves and tides eventually expected to slosh over thousands of coastal homes and businesses. That’s the entirely plausible prediction from scientists studying climate change and rising ocean levels linked to hotter temperatures. In less than 30 years, rising waters will flood about 20,000 homes along the state’s shoreline. A warmer ocean is expanding and polar ice sheets are melting, pushing up sea levels here by nearly 2 feet. And it’s coming faster than ever, with lapping water noticeable by 2035 and the serious trouble a decade later.

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As Rainy Season Comes To A Close, Officials Call For Conservation

/in , /by /The Hub (Los Angeles)by Hugo Guzman

It was only a few years ago that climatologists like Jet Propulsion Lab’s Bill Patzert were warning Angelenos that rainy days could soon be a distant memory. The period between late 2011 and 2014 was the driest in California history since record-keeping began, according to the Western Regional Climate Cente.

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