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The $3 Billion Plan To Turn Hoover Dam Into A Giant Battery

/in , /by /The New York Timesby Ivan Penn

Hoover Dam helped transform the American West, harnessing the force of the Colorado River — along with millions of cubic feet of concrete and tens of millions of pounds of steel — to power millions of homes and businesses. It was one of the great engineering feats of the 20th century. Now it is the focus of a distinctly 21st-century challenge: turning the dam into a vast reservoir of excess electricity, fed by the solar farms and wind turbines that represent the power sources of the future.

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California Hit With Two Heat Waves In Less Than A Month. Here’s Why It Matters.

/in , /by /Mashableby Mark Kaufman

Historic heat records fell in California earlier this month. Yet, two weeks later, another mass of warm air has returned to the southern part of the state, heating the region for days. The second heat wave of July will last from Monday through Thursday, said the National Weather Service. While this heat won’t be quite as severe as the last, it’ll still bring “record and near-record high temperatures” to different areas of California. As average temperatures around the globe continue their accelerated rise, extreme heat events like these are becoming more and more frequent.

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California’s Largest Reservoir Project In Decades Gets An $800 Million Boost. But Is It Feasible?

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow

California officials Tuesday awarded $816 million in voter-approved bond money to build Sites Reservoir, an hour north of Sacramento, providing a financial boost for what would become the largest water storage project built in the state since the 1970s. Approved by the State Water Commission, the funds were the most given to any of the eight projects across California under consideration for a part of the $2.7 billion Proposition 1 water bond. Voters passed the bond in 2014 during the state’s historic drought.

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Here Are The Bay Area Water Projects That Got $1 Billion In Funding Today

/in , /by /KQED (San Francisco)by Lauren Sommer

California water officials have approved more than $2.5 billion for eight water projects across the state, marking one of the largest investments in water storage in decades. The proposed projects, including two in the Bay Area, will now begin seeking permits and looking for the remaining funding they need. Half of the eight projects approved on Tuesday by the California Water Commission are more traditional reservoirs and dams, while the other half focus on groundwater storage and recycled water.

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Inspiring Change At The Water Conservation Garden

/in , /by /Water News Network Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

WaterSmart landscapes are transforming San Diego County’s neighborhoods in part due to the work of Paul Redeker and his colleagues at The Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon. “We’re a learning center, not just a place where you’re surrounded by beautiful plants,” said Redeker, who recently returned for a second run as director of horticulture and facilities the garden. “All of our exhibits are geared toward teaching. We are all about educating the public to be inspired to make changes in their lives because we’re literally at the end of the water pipeline.”

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Coping With The Heat Wave? No Sweat. Well, Some Sweat. But Things Could Be Worse

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Gary Robbins, Cliff Kapono and Rob Nikolewski

n the Anza-Borrego desert, where a puff of wind can leave you choking on peach-colored dirt, Andrea Taylor got straight to the point Tuesday when asked to describe the weather. “It’s hotter than hell,” said Taylor, who works in the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association office in Borrego Springs. “I think that’s the official statement.” The temperature peaked at 118 degrees at Borrego Springs on the second day of a heat wave that is expected to last until Thursday, when it fades, like air leaking from a balloon.

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Deadline For Funding Of California Water Projects

/in , /by /Daily Democrat (Woodland)by Paul Rogers

During California’s recent five-year drought, it was common to hear people asking why the state doesn’t build more dams. On Tuesday, flush with cash from voters, the administration of Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to finally do just that, committing nearly $1 billion to build two huge dam projects in the Bay Area and an additional $1.5 billion for six big water projects from the Sacramento Valley to Bakersfield.

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OPINION: Beware: LA County’s $300 Million Rain Tax Is A Blank Check!

/in , /by /City Watch Los Angelesby Jack Humphreville

Even though the County does not have a well-developed stormwater or management plan, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to place on the November ballot a $300 million parcel tax to fund the County’s efforts to prevent stormwater and urban runoff from polluting the LA River, the Santa Monica Bay, and our beaches (the “Rain Tax”). The County is also claiming that its Safe, Clean Water Program will result in “mutual benefits,” including the exaggerated claim that it will capture of significant volumes of stormwater that will eventually be recycled into the local supply of drinking water.

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BLOG: How Wildfires Affect California’s Water Supply

/in , /by /Public Policy Institute of California (San Francisco)by Henry McCann, Jeffrey Mount and Claudia Herbert

Summer marks the traditional beginning of California’s fire season, although the warming climate has stretched the season considerably. Until the winter rains arrive, wildfires will burn forests and grasslands throughout the state. Since January 1, about 3,700 fires have consumed more than 111,000 acres of land—outpacing 2017, the most destructive and deadly fire season in state history. While public safety and economic costs deserve and receive a great deal of attention, wildfires also have consequences for the management of water—including the amount and quality of supply, and the potential for flooding.

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Environment Report: ‘The Water Department Has Lost The Public’s Trust’

/in , /by /Voice Of San Diegoby Ry Rivard

Three audits of the city of San Diego’s water department are expected to be released in coming days. Already, though, some members of the City Council are pushing for changes at the department, including the possible removal of top officials who struggled to send out accurate water bills and withheld information from the public and the press. Councilman David Alvarez said he no longer has confidence in the department’s leadership, following an investigation by Voice of San Diego and NBC 7 Responds that showed the head of the department tried to dodge oversight.

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