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This Summer Broke the World Record for the Highest Temperature Officially Recorded

/in , , /by /APby Seth Borenstein and Jamey Keaten

Earth has sweltered through its hottest Northern Hemisphere summer ever measured, with a record warm August capping a season of brutal and deadly temperatures, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

Last month was not only the hottest August scientists ever recorded by far with modern equipment, it was also the second hottest month measured, behind only July 2023, WMO and the European climate service Copernicus announced Wednesday.

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California Winemaker Sues Napa County Over Water Rights

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Law by Shayna Greene

Renowned winemaker Jayson Woodbridge is suing Napa County for well policies allegedly restricting access to groundwater at four of his vineyards.

The vineyards, Double Vee Properties LLC, Caldera Ranch LLC, Hundred Acre LLC and Hundred Acre Wine Group Inc., told the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Tuesday that Napa County violated their rights under the Fifth Amendment, which prohibits the taking of private property without due process.

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New California Law Bolsters Groundwater Recharge as Strategic Defense Against Climate Change

/in , , /by /Water Education Foundation / Western Waterby Nick Cahill

A new but little-known change in California law designating aquifers as “natural infrastructure” promises to unleash a flood of public funding for projects that increase the state’s supply of groundwater.

The change is buried in a sweeping state budget-related law, enacted in July, that also makes it easier for property owners and water managers to divert floodwater for storage underground.

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Rainfall and Lake Mead Water Levels, Explained

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

When it comes to Lake Mead’s water levels, even the biggest storms that hit Las Vegas aren’t much of a factor.

The Las Vegas Valley saw a deluge of water from a series of monsoonal storms that moved in Friday and that dumped more than an inch of rain in a matter of days. While it seems like such a torrent of water would provide a substantial boost to Lake Mead, that just isn’t the case.

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Some Movement on a Tijuana River Sewage Solution

/in , /by /Axios San Diego by Andrew Keatts

Beaches remain closed from the border to south Coronado, but a slough of officials in recent days has elevated calls to fund a long-term solution to pollution from the Tijuana River.

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Opinion: America Should Harvest a Trillion Gallons of Rainwater

/in , /by /TIME by Justin Talbot and Israel Mirsky

Over the weekend, Burning Man attendees were forced to shelter in place when the usually-parched Black Rock Desert got roughly 3 months’ worth of rain in 24 hours. In August, Tropical Storm Hilary dropped as much rain on some inland areas of Southern California in a single day as they would typically receive in an entire year. In an age of Western megadroughts and dangerous decimation of groundwater throughout the country, recent storms underscore the importance of investing in the capacity to manage, collect, and store water.

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Glitch in Water Bills Swamps Residents With High Fees

/in , /by /SDNews.comby Dave Schwab

Some Peninsulans are getting an unexpected surprise in their mailboxes: several months worth of water bills all due at once.

And the unprecedented “glitch” seems as wacky as it is unsettling, considering the amounts on some of those delayed water bills, which just stopped coming regularly, are in the hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars.
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Olivenhain Municipal Water District Marks Milestone Recycled Water Anniversary

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

Water recycling reduces the need to import or develop additional drinking water supplies. It is a vital water management strategy to ensure a safe, reliable, and locally controlled water supply to support healthy environments, robust economies, and high quality of life.

Water and wastewater agencies in San Diego County are developing or expanding their water recycling infrastructure. Among those at the forefront is the Olivenhain Municipal Water District. OMWD marks a significant milestone in August: the 20th anniversary of its award-winning 4S Ranch Water Reclamation Facility, which began serving high-quality recycled water for irrigation in August 2003.

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Residential Water Use in Los Angeles Declines After Winter Rains

/in , , /by /Crosstownby Christina Chkarboul

Los Angeles saw its eighth wettest season in 145 years last winter. The torrential downpours did more than fill aquifers, shrink water waste complaints and ease drought concerns—they also led to the biggest cutbacks in regional residential water use in four years.

The average customer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power used 59.5 gallons per day from Jan. 1–May 31, according to publicly available water use and conservation data from the California State Water Resources Control Board.

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California Regional Water Usage Declines as Statewide Water Stores Remain Above Average

/in , , /by /California Globe by Evan Symon

According to new data released by the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB),  average monthly residential water use sharply declined in the first half of 2023, with water stores in reservoirs and other places continuing to remain well above average.

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