Arizona cities and other entities could serve nearly 2 million households for a year with the amount of water they plan to voluntarily leave behind in the Colorado River the next three years, but they say they’re foregoing the supply to help preserve the reservoirs’ health.
A national flood assessment tool could be out of date. A new study says this tool is not taking into account how many more severe events are happening because of climate change and how new construction could be at a higher risk.
It won’t be long before snow melt from the Sierra fills our two local lakes, Pine Flat and Millerton. It’s a sight to behold. Two lakes in central California with water almost to the top. Millerton Lake at 84% capacity of 500,000 acre-feet.
Most of California exists under dueling states of emergency. Since February, storms have caused emergency-level flooding and damage in 47 of the state’s 58 counties, yet most of California only recently exited a drought emergency.
One rainy season can’t supplant years of drought, but images of flooded cities and towns — and the injuries and deaths caused by these disasters — are made more painful when we hear that our state is running out of water nevertheless. The question that water managers and state policymakers must address is how to adapt our water system to eliminate the dual states of emergency.
Rep. Scott Peters has called on Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila to provide updates on the status of projects in Mexico to reduce wastewater pollution, including the construction of a new sewage treatment facility in Tijuana. Mexico has pledged to spend $144 million in 2022 to build sanitation infrastructure to stop the sewage outflow that frequently forces beaches to close in San Diego County.
News reports about the campaign for La Jolla to secede from San Diego overlook some basic facts about critical infrastructure that will make or break a Southern California city in the next 30 years. The simple, visible elements like potholes, streetlights and sidewalks are only a tiny fraction of the infrastructure puzzle. The real problem is the water and sewer infrastructure that we don’t see.
Much has been written on potential effects and adaptations for California’s water supply from climate warming, particularly from changes in snowpack accumulation and melting, sea level rise, and possible overall drying or wetting trends. But what about floods?
While Gavin Newsom has tried to shoehorn in the Delta tunnel, state lawmakers have been adamant about not including the project in the state budget. With the July 27 deadline looming to agree to a finalized budget for California, state lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom appear to still be split on the controversial Delta tunnel.
The San Diego County Water Authority board approved a 9.5% increase in wholesale water rates for its member agencies in 2024, citing the need to fund critical water supply projects.
The authority’s $1.85 billion budget for the next two years includes capital projects considered “critical for maintaining safe and reliable water supplies” in the event California returns to drought.
The impact of the wholesale rate increase on residential rates will vary based on the amount of water used by each of the 24 member agencies in the county, as well as individual usage by customers.
“The board and staff have worked tirelessly for months to minimize rate increases while supporting the reliability of our water supply,” said Board Chair Mel Katz. “Despite cost increases created by extraordinary inflation and depressed water sales, we have a budget that allows the water authority to do what it does best — provide the water that sustains our economy and quality of life.”
Officials blamed the lower water sales on an exceptionally wet and cool winter following years of drought.
The San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors approved a 9.5% wholesale water rates increase on Thursday. NBC 7’s Joe Little has more.
