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‘Tastes Like Water’: How a US Facility Is Recycling Sewage to Drink

/in , /by /The Guardianby Katharine Gammon

As the pumps whir around us, Denis Bilodeau motions to the liquid in the vats below. It looks like iced tea, but in fact it’s secondary treated sewage, cleaned of any solids by the plant next door. In less than an hour, and after three steps of processing, we will be drinking it – as pure water.

The Groundwater Replenishment System facility in Orange County, California, houses the pipes, filters and pumps to move up to 130m gallons each day – enough for 1 million people – processing it from dark to clear. The facility, which opened in 2008, is part of broader moves to help conserve water.

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Appeals Court Paves Way for Divisive California Water Tunnel

/in , /by /CourtHouse News Serviceby Hillel Aron

A controversial proposal to build a 14-mile underground tunnel to transport water from Northern California southward got a boost from the state Court of Appeals, which ruled that preliminary work can begin on the project.

Last year, a judge in Sacramento County agreed with a collection of counties, water districts, environmental groups and native tribes seeking to stop the Delta Conveyance Project. The judge found that preconstruction geotechnical work had to be certified by a state agency before it could begin, and issued a preliminary injunction preventing that work from moving forward.

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Keeping Water Affordable in California

/in , /by /Public Policy Institute of Californiaby Sarah Bardeen Mentioned: Dan Denham, San Diego County Water Authority

Water agencies all over California are experiencing water affordability and cost increase challenges. We spoke with Dan Denham, general manager of San Diego County Water Authority, to learn how his agency is working to keep prices affordable for its customers.

It is a topline issue. It’s not new: water affordability is something we’ve always had to deal with. But there’s an enhanced focus on affordability now, because rates have been outpacing income growth for most residents in San Diego County and elsewhere.

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Researchers Issue Warning Over Concerning Threat to Vital Us Water Source — Here’s What You Need to Know

/in , /by /The Cool Downby Megan Lewis

California’s mountain snowpack has long acted as a free, natural water reservoir. Each winter, snow builds up in the Sierra Nevada and melts slowly in spring, helping fill rivers, support wildlife, and supply communities across the state.

But researchers are seeing troubling changes. New findings suggest this vital water source is becoming less reliable, a warning sign in a warming world, the Public Policy Institute of California reported.

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OPINION: California Begins New Water Year with Robust Storage Levels

/in , /by /The Raincross Gazetteby Mike Gardner

California’s water year runs from Oct. 1 through the end of September. California ended the 2023-24 water year with almost every major storage reservoir above historical average for the date, and we began the 2024-25 water year with the biggest October storm in many years. The State Water Resources Control Board raised the allocation of water from the State Water Project to 50% of maximum earlier this year. Anything above 40% usually allows state water contractors like the Metropolitan Water District to make water available for storage. Our local water providers took advantage of the extra water to help recharge regional aquifers. With robust surface and underground storage levels California is in a good position to withstand several back-to-back dry years when they happen. If this is a wet winter, additional water can be placed in storage for use in future dry years.

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WaterSmart Makeover: Escondido Couple Living Large in the Yard

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Caron Golden Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Yannick Claerman and his wife Erlinde Cornelis created a found family with the purchase in 2021 of their midcentury-modern home on half an acre in Escondido. The couple, who are from Belgium and moved here about 13 years ago, are now U.S. citizens and have led a pretty eclectic life — one that in no way incorporated gardening.

Claerman is co-founder of Yūgen Kombucha, in Belgium, a fermented tea company that he helps operate remotely. He’s also an award-winning boomerang maker. Cornelis is associate professor of marketing at San Diego State University’s Fowler College of Business, where she teaches sustainable marketing strategy and the undergrad sustainable business consulting program.

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Asbestos in Old Water Pipes Raises Concern for Carlsbad Condo Project

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Phil Diehl

Carlsbad’s Planning Commission has approved 12 condominiums for a Jefferson Street lot occupied by one single-family home, despite concerns about hooking up to the city’s old water pipes made with asbestos.

Asbestos, a known carcinogen, was widely used to reinforce concrete water and sewer pipes from the 1930s through the 1970s, including the pipes in Carlsbad’s downtown water supply system. The pipes generally are considered safe unless broken or damaged to release the asbestos.

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Weak and Exposed: U.S. Water Utilities a Chinese Hacker Target

/in , /by /Bank Info Securityby Shaun Waterman

Rural America is a long way from Taiwan. But cyber power is no respecter of geography. Should China make good on its repeated threats to reunify the island by force, the utilities that provide water and power to small towns all over the United States may find themselves on the digital front lines of a 21st century superpower war.

Hackers linked to China have accessed the IT networks of hundreds of small and medium-sized U.S. water systems and other utilities with a view to sabotaging American water and power supplies in the event of a conflict, CBS reported this week, detailing a threat that U.S. officials warned of two and a half years ago.

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Rain Barrels Help San Diego County Residents Capture Stormwater

/in , /by /ABC 10 San Diegoby Yasmeen Ludy

San Diego County residents are turning to rain barrels to make the most of Tuesday’s rainfall, with environmental advocates saying even small amounts of precipitation can provide months of garden irrigation.

A 50-gallon rain barrel can capture significant amounts of water during San Diego’s infrequent rain events, according to Jessica Toth, executive director of the Solana Center for Environmental Innovation.

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California’s Solar Canals Make Clean Power and Save Water at the Same Time

/in , /by /ZME Scienceby Rupendra Brahambhatt

In California’s Central Valley, an ambitious project is transforming the way we think about renewable energy by installing solar panels across canals instead of on land. The $20 million pilot, called Project Nexus, has turned sections of the Turlock Irrigation District (TID) canal network into clean electricity generators.

Completed in August 2025, this 1.6-megawatt installation is the first of its kind in the state and only the second in the United States. The idea behind this project is simple but powerful. Instead of covering farmland or natural habitats with solar farms, why not use the open space above canals to produce electricity?

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