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Return Of Rain Doesn’t Alleviate Need For Conservation

/in /by /Marinscope (Novato)by Chris Rooney

While the heavens have opened up and finally dropped some rain on Marin’s drought-riddled terrain, a recent report says ongoing conservation is the best way to thwart years of dryness. A new report from the Pacific Institute calls upon Californians to continue to conserve water regardless of how much rain may fall this fall and winter. “The study’s findings definitely pertain to Marin,” said Emma Detwiler, public information representative for the Marin Municipal Water District. “Specifically, this statement: ‘Nonetheless, the study finds that urban water conservation and efficiency are the most cost-effective ways to meet current and future water needs.’”

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Study Recommends Water Rate Increase For Carlsbad

/in /by /The Coast News Group (Encinitas)by Steve Puterski

A recent study is recommending a water rate increase for users within the Carlsbad Municipal Water District. The cost of service study is requesting the CMWD fall in line with industry standards for its revenue, which consists of 30 percent from fixed rate funds and 70 percent of rate per unit of water used. Currently, the city collects 27 percent from fixed rates and 73 percent from rate per unit. A public hearing will be held Nov. 29 at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive. CMWD customers have until Nov. 29 to submit protest letters.

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Southern California To See High Heat, Fire Danger

/in /by /The WashingtonTimesby John Antczak

Rugged peaks of the Sierra Nevada received a dusting of snow from an autumn storm that brought Yosemite Falls back to life, but it’s not time for sweaters and hot chocolate everywhere in California. Santa Ana winds typical of fall in Southern California are expected to bring a summerlike heat wave and high fire danger for the next several days from coastal counties northwest of Los Angeles down to the Mexico border. Temperatures in the hottest areas were predicted to soar into the 90s to around 100 degrees Wednesday through Friday.

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New Incentives Available For Homeowners With Drought-Friendly Lawns

/in /by /KPBS Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

New financial incentives are available for homeowners who want to replace water-hungry lawns with more efficient landscaping, the San Diego County Water Authority announced Wednesday. The agency has $500,000 available from grants awarded by the state Department of Water Resources, and an upcoming grant is expected to add another $600,000. Qualified applicants can receive up to $1.75 per square foot toward eligible project costs for upgrading 500 to 3,000 square feet of existing turf areas, according to the Water Authority.

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UCLA Says SoCal “Water Consumption Cannot Be Sustained”

/in /by /Canyon News (Beverly Hills)by Cori

According to a study conducted at University of California, Los Angeles, “Southern California’s current water consumption cannot be sustained.” Due to the continued drought, California has been increasing its policy measures to reduce water consumption. The two most recent Los Angeles Department of Water and Power measures to prevent the overuse of water include: “Cash for Grass,” and the recent ordinance to fine households who are at tier 4 of overconsumption.

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4 Bold Collaborations Tackling California’s Drought

/in /by /Green Biz (Oakland)by Anya Khalamayzer

Water is California’s lifeblood, feeding Central Valley farmlands, inviting Malibu lawns and gardens to grow and cooling Silicon Valley data centers. It spurs the state’s diverse ecosystem, allowing for an economy and production exported all across the U.S.  California’s secret suffering — a record-breaking, six-year drought — has become irreversibly visible in recent years, as the impact of dwindling water levels, population growth, aging infrastructure and climate change strain the state’s access to fresh water. All of California is in “severe drought” or worse, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. 

 

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As California Water Use Rises, Some Ask: Were Limits Eased Too Soon?

/in /by /The New York Timesby Adam Nagourney

This state slashed urban water use over 25 percent in the face of a punishing drought last year, exceeding a mandatory order issued by Gov. Jerry Brown and turning California into a model of water conservation. Californians tore out lawns, cut back landscape watering and took shorter showers as they embraced Mr. Brown’s call to accommodate what he warned were permanently drier times.

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California Eyes More Sacramento River Water For Fish, Less For Farms, Cities

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

Signaling a cutback in water supplies for farming and cities, California regulators on Wednesday issued a new scientific analysis that proposes overhauling the management of the Sacramento River and devoting more water to Northern California’s dwindling fish populations.The State Water Resources Control Board, in a widely anticipated report crafted by its staff, said it’s considering allowing much more of the flow from the Sacramento River and its tributaries to wash out into the ocean.The board avoided issuing a specific recommendation on how much additional water should go to fish.

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Study recommends water rate increase for Carlsbad

/in /by /The Coast News Groupby Steve Puterski

A recent study is recommending a water rate increase for users within the Carlsbad Municipal Water District.

The cost of service study is requesting the CMWD fall in line with industry standards for its revenue, which consists of 30 percent from fixed rate funds and 70 percent of rate per unit of water used. Currently, the city collects 27 percent from fixed rates and 73 percent from rate per unit.

A public hearing will be held Nov. 29 at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive. CMWD customers have until Nov. 29 to submit protest letters.

If approved, rates would increase by about $5 per month, according to the city.

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Homeowners Can Apply For Grants To Change Landscaping

/in /by /NBC San Diegoby R. Stickney Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

If you’re a homeowner who wants to convert your lawn into a landscape that will use less water, you may be eligible for a rebate through the San Diego County Water Authority. The agency is accepting applications for rebates using $1.1 million in grants from the Department of Water Resources. Homeowners can apply to receive up to $1.75 per square foot toward projects that would change grass or other turf areas for more water-efficient landscaping. Eligible projects can be as large as 500 to 3,000 square feet but must currently have turf and irrigation systems.

 

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