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OPINION: Valley Voice: Residents’ water conservation work wasted

/in /by /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Manny Rosas

At the same time Coachella Valley residents make their best effort to conserve water during this historical multi-year drought in California, growth and development projects continue to be approved by cities and water agencies, having the negative effect of consuming all the water saved by our community.

The Coachella Valley Water District and the city of Indio have implemented progressive water budget rates for residential customers, which were reduced by 36 percent to comply with the state water conservation mandate. Water budget rates are based on the principle that if you use water within your budget you pay a base rate but if you exceed your budget you will pay a higher price for increasing levels of water overuse. Water budget rates have been recognized by water agencies and conservation professionals as the most effective way to encourage people to conserve water.

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South Orange County history: Water is today’s California Gold

/in /by /The Orange County Registerby Donald and Mary Decker

Most of us living in south Orange County today value our water supply – especially during our recent dry years. However, throughout California’s long history, the cry of “water!” often has been as welcome as the cry of “gold!”

Of all the conditions that came together for the burst of development in and around South County in the 1960s, none was more important than the bringing in of an ample supply of drinking and irrigation water.

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New Roadmap for Decentralized, Alternate Water Approaches

/in /by /Canyon News (Los Angeles)by Casey Jacobs

On Tuesday, February 16, representatives from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, City of Santa Monica Office of Sustainability and the Environment, TreePeople, Heal the Bay, and Natural Resources Defense Council showcased a new roadmap, that gives municipalities, businesses and homeowners with ways to help with LA County’s water management and planning through the use of non-potable water both outdoors and indoors.

According to a press release from the city of Santa Monica website, the new voluntary guidelines for non-potable water use are a first for LA County and possibly throughout the state of California.

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State Relaxes Water Cutback Orders on Local Districts

/in /by /The Bakersfield Californianby Theo Douglas

Bakersfield-area water districts that have been complaining they just can’t meet the state’s water conservation rules because it’s so hot and dry here are going to get some relief.

Four local water companies that have been required to cut their water use by 36 percent compared to the corresponding month in 2013 will instead have to reduce use by 33 percent starting March 1.

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Valley Farmers, Others Come Out Against Rail-Water Initiative

/in /by /The Fresno Beeby Tim Sheehan

A group of central San Joaquin Valley agriculture, government and Latino leaders is raising an alarm about a proposed ballot initiative to take money away from high-speed rail and use it instead for water-storage projects in California.

Their opposition to the initiative – which is now being circulated for signatures to qualify for the November ballot – is rooted not in support for the controversial bullet-train project, but because the measure would also divert $2.7 billion in water-storage money from Proposition 1, a water bond act approved by more than two-thirds of California voters in 2014.

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El Nino to La Nina: California Stays Dry, Drought Likely to Intensify

/in /by /Catholic Online (Bakersfield)by Marshall Connolly

It’s February in California, but it’s been impossible to tell. Warm weather and a lack of rain has disappointed many Californians who expected El Nino would bust the state’s drought. Instead, the reestablishment of resilient weather patterns could mean the state’s drought will intensify through the next year and likely beyond. Ironically, El Nino itself could be responsible for the dry spell.

California has enjoyed the El Nino weather, with the return of rain and snow across the state following four years of epic drought. However, since mid-January, the return of high pressure off the coast has brought hot, dry weather back to the state in spite of El Nino.

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State Water Board OKs $960 Million for Recycled Water Projects

/in /by /Central Valley Business Times

The State Water Resources Control Board is expanding its 1 percent financing availability for recycled water projects to approximately $960 million.

The board says there’s increasing demand for the money as California continues to shore up its water supplies in the face of record-breaking drought.

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Rain, Snow Head to California after Record Heat

/in /by /Associated Press (As Published by The Washington Times - Washington, D.C.)

San Francisco Bay Area commuters can expect a soggy drive home Wednesday.
The National Weather Service says that winds will increase throughout the day with rains starting mid-afternoon. Forecaster Steve Anderson in the service’s Monterey office says a wind advisory is in place until 7 p.m. tonight.

A three-day heat wave has delighted and perplexed people throughout drought-parched California, but a cold front moving in from Oregon should remind residents that it’s still winter.

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Life After Lawn Can Be a Beautiful Water Saver

/in /by /The Sacramento Beeby Debbie Arrington

Lawn has its limits, and so does our water supply. It may have taken four years of drought to convince us, but many Sacramentans are transitioning away from turf-heavy landscapes to something more river-friendly and resources-minded. And we can’t afford to let El Nino wash away our resolve.

Rain or no rain, California landscapes are definitely changing. We’re embracing our Mediterranean climate and the low-water plants that grow in it.

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Rain Makes Comeback in Bay Area, Brings Strong Winds

/in /by /ABC7 News (San Francisco)by Elissa Harrington and Melanie Woodrow

The rain made a comeback in the Bay Area Wednesday night.
Flooding could be seen on the skyway approaching the Bay Bridge. Pooling water made the night’s commute difficult for drivers headed out of the city.
The storm is bringing heavy winds. At one point, gusts on the Golden Gate Bridge reached 76 miles per hour. A wind advisory is in effect until 4 a.m.

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