The 8 News Now Investigators ran a four-part series on the “California Water Hogs,” with a special focus on the water used to irrigate farmland in the Imperial Valley, water storage, water recycling, and desalinating seawater. However, officials in Los Angeles County said they are doing more there than people in Las Vegas might think.
On a February morning in 2021, a water treatment plant operator in Oldsmar, Fla., noticed something unusual: An unidentified user had remotely accessed the plant’s computer system and was moving the mouse around the screen.
The operator watched as the intruder clicked into various software programs before landing on a function that controls the amount of sodium hydroxide, or lye, in the plant’s water system.
The City Council on Monday will consider shifting watering rules from the current two days per summertime week to three days per summertime week and to simultaneously lift the 15 percent voluntary water-use reduction target.
The current Level 2 of the City’s Water Shortage Plan went into effect on August 16, 2021, before the state was deluged with trillions of gallons of rain from a series of atmospheric river storms.
Using water efficiently is a way of life and an important responsibility in the San Diego region. Water users have learned how to make the most of every drop and avoid wasteful or careless habits. Homeowners are replacing impractical thirsty lawns with beautiful low-water-use landscaping.
The Imperial Valley has been a senior water rights holder on the Colorado River for more than 100 years. Since our founding, our farmers, and the local Imperial Irrigation District, have long viewed our water seniority as both a property right and a responsibility. As much as we believe in upholding the rule of law, we are equally committed to being responsible water users and doing our part to keep the river healthy enough to meet the needs of all seven states. Imperial Valley farms and regional water agencies have implemented a host of conservation measures throughout the past twenty years, allowing farmers to conserve large amounts of water while still producing the food our country depends on.
The snow melt provides most of the water that flows into the Colorado River. However, in California capturing rainfall is another option to save water to help the crisis on the Colorado River.
This year’s record snowpack has drastically reduced a drought that really began to impact Utah by the end of spring three years ago.
The U.S. Drought Monitor currently lists about 20% of the state in either a moderate or severe drought, while the rest is either “abnormally dry” or under no drought-related designation. It’s a significant turnaround from when nearly 90% of Utah was experiencing severe drought or worse in October.
But as he stood on the grounds of the Conservation Garden Park on Monday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox pointed out that an “unbelievable” winter is only “one piece of the puzzle” when it comes to thinking about long-term water solutions in the country’s second-driest state.
“In Utah … we’re either in drought or preparing for the next one,” he said. “We need to take action to ensure that we are always prepared.”
That’s why Utah is launching a new, first-of-its-kind statewide incentive program, which helps Utah residents recover some of the costs of replacing turf grass, so residents can better afford less-thirsty landscape alternatives.
Snow, torrential rains, massive floods. Extreme weather has battered the U.S. this year, and shoppers likely will feel the lingering effects at the grocery store heading into summer.
As the San Joaquin Valley yo-yos from drought to flooding, the region’s top water experts spent Thursday afternoon examining how to best approach the Valley’s long and short-term needs.
The viewpoints came amid the California Water Alliance’s third-annual water forum featuring the leaders of Friant Water Authority, Westlands Water District, farmer Cannon Michael, and Rep. John Duarte (R–Modesto).
The City Council, by unanimous vote, approved the proposed water rate increase Tuesday, May 2, and introduced an ordinance establishing new water rates, fees, and charges.
The action comes after a large effort by the City to educate the public on the need for an increase through workshops across the community.
