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Colorado Tribes Fear the Effects of U.S. Supreme Court Ruling Against Navajo Nation in Water Rights Case

/in , , /by /The Colorado Sunby Elliott Wenzler

Colorado tribes are worried that a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last month against the Navajo Nation in a Colorado River water rights case may narrow the federal government’s broad, historic responsibility to provide them with aid. In Navajo Nation vs. Arizona Dept. of the Interior, the tribe was seeking to sue the federal government to require it to assess the tribe’s water rights along the Colorado River and help to create a plan to develop them for the 170,000 tribal members who live there.

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World Hits Record Land, Sea Temperatures as Climate Change Fuels 2023 Extremes

/in , , /by /Times of San Diego by Reuters

The target of keeping long-term global warming within 2.7 Fahrenheit is moving out of reach, climate experts say, with nations failing to set more ambitious goals despite months of record-breaking heat on land and sea.

As envoys gathered in Bonn in early June to prepare for this year’s annual climate talks in November, average global surface air temperatures were more than 2.7F above pre-industrial levels for several days, the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service said.

Though mean temperatures had temporarily breached the 2.7F threshold before, this was the first time they had done so in the northern hemisphere summer that starts on June 1. Sea temperatures also broke April and May records.

“We’ve run out of time because change takes time,” said Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, a climatologist at Australia’s University of New South Wales.

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Smart Irrigation Month Highlights Outdoor Water Saving Tips

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

Water agencies in San Diego County are sharing outdoor water-efficiency tips during “Smart Irrigation Month.”

July was chosen as Smart Irrigation Month in 2005 since its traditionally the month of peak demand for outdoor water use in the county. Landscape irrigation consumes 50% of the typical California home’s monthly water use.

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Historic La Mesa Home Wins Helix Water District’s 2023 Landscape Contest

/in , , /by /Water News Network

A charming 1925 La Mesa home featuring a rich tapestry of thriving low-water use plants won the 2023 Helix Water District Landscape Makeover Contest. Homeowner Joy Andrea, a retired schoolteacher and La Mesa resident for more than 50 years, created a landscape with a tremendous amount of curb appeal, reflecting the character of the home.

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‘Nana’s Garden’ in El Cajon Recognized as Water-Wise Landscape

/in , , /by /FOX 5 San Diegoby Amber Coakley Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

A retired grandmother in East County built an award-winning water-wise landscape with some help from the kids in her neighborhood.

Lois Scott, who once worked as a registered nurse, decided to address years of high-water usage, a lack of rain and “rabbit-yard invaders” by converting her once green front lawn into a water-wise landscape she now calls “Nana’s Garden.”

Instead of rose bushes and grass, Lois turned to native California plants like succulents which require less water to maintain. With help from her best friend and young neighbors, Lois gradually made the transition.

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Is Seawater Desalination Right for California?

/in , , /by /WaterWorldby Erik Desormeaux

With an unclear future for the state’s freshwater sources, California’s interest in seawater desalination continues to grow. Support for desalination in California is growing. Currently, California has 12 seawater desalination facilities, but only two are of a significant size. Although a key state agency has recently approved plans for two more moderate size facilities, the perception of seawater desalination in the state is quite poor and project proposals face a steep uphill battle.

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Harder Pushes for Heavy Snowpack Strategy

/in , , /by /Manteca Bulletinby Dennis Wyatt

Congressman Josh Harder Thursday stood near ground zero of where the fluctuating snowpack in the Sierra can cause serious problems when it is too little and when it is too much. Harder was at the San Joaquin National Wildlife Refuge that extends to the Stanislaus River just 10 miles south of Manteca. He was there to get an update on efforts to eradicate large invasive swap rodents known as nutrias that can seriously damage vegetation and levees.

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Opinion: Looking for the Next California Tech Boom? You’ll Find It in Our Farmlands

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Joel Kotkin and Marshall Toplansky

The world may see California largely as home to Silicon Valley and Hollywood, but it’s agriculture technology where we can most clearly outshine our competitors. In a new study, “Nurturing California Industries,” we identified it as among the six industries most critical to the state’s economic future.

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South Coast Water District’s Water, Sewer Rates Set to Increase July 1

/in , , /by /Dana Point Timesby Breeana Greenberg

South Coast Water District ratepayers will see an average increase of 7% in their water rates and a 12% average increase in their sewer rates starting July 1, following a governing board vote on June 22.

On average, starting July 1, residents may see a $5.79 increase in their water bills and an $8.99 increase in their sewer bills, according to South Coast Water.

After holding three public workshops on water, recycled water and sewer rate studies and conducting a revenue needs analysis, the district concluded the rate increase is necessary to provide “financial stability and funding reserves” according to a SCWD staff report.

In a prepared statement, SCWD said the rate increases are the result of the “implementation of critical capital improvement projects, meeting our debt service convergence to maintain our credit rating, and maintaining our reserves to meet the District’s targets.”

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Opinion: With Colorado River Negotiations Settled, it’s Time to Focus on Water Conservation Plans

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Brian Strahm Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The agreement reached in May by California, Arizona and Nevada to conserve 3 million acre-feet of Colorado River water is reassuring news for all who rely on it — farms, cities, rural communities, tribes and the environment. It benefits American consumers in general who depend on the region’s farms for much of our safe, healthy, affordable food supply, and Southern California residents who receive farm-to-urban water transfers from the Imperial Valley specifically, helping protect them from drought-related water shortages.

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