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Interior Department Official with Key Role in Colorado River Talks is Stepping Down

/in , , /by /APby Suman Naishadham and Felicia Fonseca

A senior Interior Department official who has had a key role in negotiations over the shrinking Colorado River plans to step down from the job next week.

Tanya Trujillo told the department of her intention to resign as assistant secretary for water and science about six weeks ago and her last day is Monday, she told The Associated Press. Trujillo, who has served in the role since June 2021, said it made sense to leave now as the Biden administration gears up for a reelection campaign.

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California Takes Big Step to Boost Use of Purified Sewage Water to Combat Drought

/in , , /by /LAistby Erin Stone

California has taken a big step towards boosting how much sewage water local governments can purify and reuse for drinking — a process known as water recycling. On Tuesday, the state proposed draft regulations to expand recycling by introducing new purification standards and processes.

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20,000 Residents to See Water, Sewer Bills Jump 88% Over 5 Years

/in , , /by /Times Standardby Sage Alexander

The Board of Directors of Humboldt County Services District voted Tuesday for water and sewer rate increases, with two of five directors dissenting. Rates would eventually increase over the next five years by a total of 88% and start increasing Aug. 1.

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FEMA Ranking Shows San Diego County Tops List of Most at Risk for Wildfires in Southern California

/in , , /by /ABC 10 by Ciara Encinas

It’s that time of year when the dry heat, along with winds, increases the risk of wildfires.

The National Weather Service said the wildfire threat is elevated in our inland communities into next week.

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Opinion: Ending Mono Lake Diversions to Los Angeles Would Help the Environment but Hurt the Climate

/in , /by /Cal Mattersby Jim Newton

California’s effort to secure water supplies is a struggle older than the state itself.

It played out during the Gold Rush, and it defines modern San Francisco and Los Angeles. It has created divisions between north and south as well as east and west.

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Opinion: San Diego County Farmers’ Water Dispute Shows Ratepayers Will Balk at Ever-Costlier Bills

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

In 1991, during a lengthy drought, the giant Metropolitan Water District of Southern California ordered huge cuts in supplies to the San Diego County Water Authority, which relied on MWD for 95 percent of its water. The authority resolved back then to steadily and sharply diversify its supplies, and it did with great success.

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Neena Kuzmich Named Director of Engineering

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

Neena Kuzmich has been appointed director of engineering for the San Diego County Water Authority – the first woman to lead the Engineering Department since the agency’s formation in 1944. Kuzmich brings more than 25 years of experience as a civil engineer to fill the position vacated by the retirement of Gary Bousquet.

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Opinion: Move by Two Small Water Districts Could Have Impact Across Southern California

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Michael Smolens Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The Fallbrook and Rainbow water districts got the green light to, in effect, move north.

That will impact ratepayers in San Diego County, and it could alter the balance of power in water decisions far beyond.

Like so many contentious developments when it comes to water, this one might not be over for a while.

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Humans’ Impact On the Earth Began a New Epoch in the 1950s Called the Anthropocene, Scientists Say

/in , , /by /Associated Pressby Seth Borenstein

From climate change to species loss and pollution, humans have etched their impact on the Earth with such strength and permanence since the middle of the 20th century that a special team of scientists says a new geologic epoch began then.

Called the Anthropocene — and derived from the Greek terms for “human” and “new” — this epoch started sometime between 1950 and 1954, according to the scientists. While there is evidence worldwide that captures the impact of burning fossil fuels, detonating nuclear weapons and dumping fertilizers and plastics on land and in waterways, the scientists are proposing a small but deep lake outside of Toronto, Canada — Crawford Lake — to place a historic marker.

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Las Vegas Water Use Down 25% This Year, But a Hot Summer Looms

/in , , /by /Las Vegas Review-Journalby Colton Lochhead

A wet and cool start to 2023 helped Southern Nevada consume 25 percent less water from the drought-stricken Colorado River through the first five months of the year.

From January through May, the region’s consumptive use from the river was just under 61,000 acre-feet of water, Warren Turkett, a natural resource analyst for the Colorado River Commission of Nevada, told commissioners Tuesday. That’s down from nearly 82,000 acre-feet of water consumed during the same time period last year, which was near the same amount the valley consumed in 2021 (84,489 acre-feet) and 2020 (80,885 acre-feet).

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