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OPINION: Costly, Unnecessary Infrastructure Delays Put California’s Water Supplies at Risk

/in , /by /Maven's Notebookby Jennifer Pierre

California’s climate is changing faster than our infrastructure can keep up. In the past five years, we’ve seen atmospheric rivers cause catastrophic flooding, prolonged drought has devastated agricultural communities and perpetuated a lack of access to safe drinking water, and inconsistent snowpack makes it difficult for water managers to plan for the future. This is our new norm. Yet, much of California’s water infrastructure was built for a climate reality that no longer exists.

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Hearing May 19 on City’s Plan to Close Lake Murray on Weekdays; Other Local Lakes Face Cuts

/in , /by /East County Magazineby Karen Pearlman

Lake Murray is one of several local reservoirs that may see their hours of operation get slashed starting next year because of budget issues in the city of San Diego. To cover the city’s $258 million deficit in its budget, the San Diego City Council is considering reducing the hours of both Lake Murray and Miramar Lake from seven days a week to just two – Saturday and Sunday.

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Water Officials Vanish From Public View During Colorado River Negotiations

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Alex Hager

As tense negotiations about the future of the Colorado River are stuck at a standstill, the people in charge are retreating further into the shadows. A group of negotiators — one from each of the seven states that use Colorado River water — will not be speaking at a major water law conference in June. Those representatives have appeared together on a panel at the conference for the last few years, and rarely appear together in public otherwise.

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‘Unbelievable’ Turnaround: San Diego Water Officials Have Fixed Notoriously Bad Hold Times, Billing Errors

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby David Garrick Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego’s notoriously bad customer service and billing for sewer and water customers is dramatically improving thanks to new software, more employees and shifting priorities. Hours-long customer-service hold times have shrunk to a record-low 69 seconds on average, while significantly fewer customers are getting hit with surprise cumulative bills as high as $2,000.

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Solar Canal Pilot May One Day Help California Achieve Its Ambitious Climate, Energy Goals

/in , /by /Stocktoniaby Riley Ramirez

As you drive through the Central Valley, it is hard to miss the iconic California Aqueduct, which moves millions of gallons of irrigation water through a large canal in the middle of the state. The canal is visible because it’s open on top — a fact that also allows a sizable percent of the water to evaporate, as the region now faces increasingly high temperatures for much of the year. A few years ago, scientists began asking: What if we covered the canal with solar panels?

 

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Across America, Big Cities Are Sinking. Here’s Why.

/in , /by /The New York Timesby Mira Rojanasakul

A new analysis of America’s 28 largest population centers found that all but three are sinking overall, and in many cases significantly. Several of the most affected areas are in Texas, particularly around Fort Worth and Houston. But the problem is nationwide, affecting cities as scattered as Seattle, Detroit and Charlotte, N.C. The sinking of land, also called subsidence, can worsen the effects of sea-level rise, intensify flooding and strain the very foundations of urban infrastructure.

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Why a Contentious Project to Raise California’s Shasta Dam Could Move Forward Under Trump

/in , /by /Cal Mattersby Alastair Bland

Near the southern flank of Mount Shasta, springs and snowmelt converge to form the McCloud River. This Sacramento River tributary, held sacred by the Winnemem Wintu tribe, teemed with Chinook salmon before Shasta Dam, built in the 1940s, blocked their annual migrations. “The winter run was the main sustenance source for the Winnemem Wintu throughout history,” said tribal member Gary Mulcahy.

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OPINION: U.S. and Mexico Must Collaborate to Manage Water Supply Amid Climate Change

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Dr. Marisela Martinez

The water treaty between Mexico and the United States has been in place since 1944. It has been a fundamental pillar in the shared management of transboundary water resources. However, the realities of the 21st century, marked by climate change, growing agricultural demand, and prolonged droughts, are putting its validity and adequacy to the test.

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How AI Demand is Draining Water from Areas that Need it Most

/in , , /by /Bloombergby Leonardo Nicoletti, Michelle Ma and Dina Bass

Each time you ask an AI chatbot to summarize a lengthy legal document or conjure up a cartoon squirrel wearing glasses, it sends a request to a data center and strains an increasingly scarce resource: water. The data centers that power artificial intelligence consumes immense amounts of water to cool hot servers and, indirectly, from the electricity needed to run these facilities.

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Broomell Was Longtime Water Board President, Grower: Gary Broomell

/in , /by /Valley Road Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Gary Broomell, a longtime member and president of the Valley Center Municipal Water District board for almost 50 years, was an exemplar of the community man. He was an athlete, farmer, family man, community servant and great father.

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