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Navajo President Presses Congress for More Time, Money, for Water Project

/in , /by /azpmby Lillie Boudreaux, Cronkite News

Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren asked senators Wednesday for more funding, and time, for a pipeline project that would create a reliable water supply for 250,000 people across Arizona and New Mexico. The project would deliver 37,767 acre-feet of water annually from the San Juan River basin through 300 miles of pipeline to 43 Navajo chapters, the city of Gallup, New Mexico, as well as the Teepee Junction area of the Jicarilla Apache Nation.

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San Diego County Water Authority to Negotiate with Fallbrook, Rainbow Over ‘Divorce’

/in , , /by /KPBS-FM/TVby Alexander Nguyen and Roland Lizarondo Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors held a special meeting Thursday to determine whether to file a lawsuit to keep the water districts in Fallbrook and Rainbow from leaving to join a district in Riverside County.

In the end, the board voted to enter into settlement negotiations with the Fallbrook Public Utility District and Rainbow Municipal Water District.

“We’re going to try to meet with Fallbrook and Rainbow to better understand some of the challenges they have presented through this process,” said Nick Serrano, vice chair of the Water Authority Board of Directors.

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Santa Fe Irrigation District Celebrates a Century of Service

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

Community leaders and neighbors joined the Santa Fe Irrigation District in celebrating its 100th anniversary at a “Century of Service” event on June 21. The celebration at the San Dieguito Reservoir recognized SFID’s contributions to the community over the past 100 years and reflected on the water agency’s history and milestones.

Congressman Mike Levin also recognized the milestone: “Congratulations to the Santa Fe Irrigation District on 100 years of serving our community! As Californians, we all understand the importance of conserving water and the impact droughts have on our daily lives. I’m grateful to have SFID as a partner in the work to strengthen our local water independence.”

California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot issued a congratulatory message: “Many thanks to the Santa Fe Irrigation District for 100 years of service. We appreciate this century-long legacy of water service to generations of Californians and look forward to continuing to partner on adjusting to the changing climate by improving water efficiency and diversifying our water supply.”

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Meteorologists say Earth Sizzled to a Global Heat Record in June and July Has Been Getting Hotter

/in , , /by /APby Seth Borenstein

An already warming Earth steamed to its hottest June on record, smashing the old global mark by nearly a quarter of a degree (0.13 degrees Celsius), with global oceans setting temperature records for the third straight month, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday.

June’s 61.79 degrees (16.55 degrees Celsius) global average was 1.89 degrees (1.05 degrees Celsius) above the 20th Century average, the first time globally a summer month was more than a degree Celsius hotter than normal, according to NOAA

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OC Grand Jury Report on Drought Conditions Endorses Doheny Desalination Plant, Calls for New Water Sources

/in , , /by /The Capistrano Dispatch by C. Jayden Smith

South Orange County’s reliance on imported water through unsustainable sources that will be impacted by climate change must adapt, according to the Orange County Grand Jury, which endorsed desalination plants as a solution in a recent report.

Released in early June, the report highlighted the continued existence of drought conditions in the western United States, Orange County water suppliers’ need to find solutions to growing needs and potential shortages, and the importance of conservation and public education.

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Lake Powell Water Levels Threatened by Heat Wave

/in , , /by /Newsweek by Anna Skinner

An extreme heat wave in the Southwest could pose a risk to Lake Powell’s water levels, which have been steadily increasing all summer.

After an extended drought period, Lake Powell, which is in Utah and Arizona, reached drastically low levels last summer, but levels began rising in earnest in April after California experienced a wet winter. The above-average snowfall in the mountains led to an increased snowpack melt that has continued to supplement Lake Powell, as well as Lake Mead in Arizona and Nevada, this summer.

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Scottsdale Bans Natural Grass in Front Yards of New Houses to Conserve Water Amid Arizona’s Drought

/in , , /by /CNN by Mitchell McCluskey and Holly Yan

As drought-stricken Arizona bakes in searing heat, the Scottsdale City Council unanimously agreed this week to ban natural grass in front of future single-family homes in an effort to conserve water.

The new ordinance will apply to new houses constructed or permitted after August 15.

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Court Pauses Cybersecurity Rule Following Legal Challenge

/in , /by /Water Finance and Management by WFM Staff

This week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit granted a request from the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the National Rural Water Association (NRWA) to stop the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Cybersecurity Rule from going into effect until a current case challenging the rule has been decided.

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El Niño Increases Global Health Threats That Require a One Health Response

/in , /by /Bulletin of the Atomic Scientistsby Laura H. Kahn

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), El Niño is here. Its arrival likely augurs an increased occurrence of health threats around the world. Brought on by deviations in sea-surface temperatures, El Niño negatively impacts human, animal, and plant health—and their interconnections. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the changing atmospheric conditions brought on by El Niño will increase the risks for droughts, fires, floods, and storms that can lead to the increased incidence of vector-borne diseases, food insecurity, and heat stress, among other health threats.

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Landscape Transformation Wins Sweetwater Authority Contest

/in , , /by /Water News Network

National City homeowner Catalina Schultz decided to reinvent her yard. Her landscape transformation from grass to a low-water use design is the 2023 winner of the Sweetwater Authority WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Contest.

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