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California’s Water Crisis Could Turn Farmland Into Massive Solar Field

/in , /by /USA Todayby Jeff St. John

California’s largest agricultural water district wants to turn a growing water crisis into an economic pivot.

The Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan aims to repurpose tens of thousands of acres of water‑starved farmland in California’s San Joaquin Valley into a massive solar‑and‑battery network, producing power for the state’s grid, lowering energy costs for farmers, and creating a new economic lifeline as groundwater rules force fields to fallow.

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A First Step to Drought Tolerant Crops – Salk Institute Charts Course, Uncovering ‘Magical Property of Plants’

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Thomas Murphy

Drought cuts down harvests every year, but new local research may allow farmers to maximize their output even as water becomes more scarce.

A team at the Salk Institute investigating plant aging has charted a new path to drought-tolerant crops. While the broader scientific community is packed with research on human aging, they have found plants approach the process very differently.

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Here’s Where California Reservoirs Stand After Spring Storms

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicle by Jack Lee

As California heads into its dry season, its major reservoirs are in good shape, with statewide storage on Friday estimated to be 20% above normal for this time of year.

Robust rainfall in April has given a slight boost in places — especially welcome after an unusually dry March.

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Hoover Dam Is Headed for Trouble Under New Emergency Colorado River Plan

/in , /by /Las Vegas Review Journalby Alan Halaly

Federal water managers are putting the nation’s largest dam in a precarious position as they try to balance out the Colorado River system in a year of record low snowpack.

Toward the bottom of the Bureau of Reclamation’s marquee announcement last week was a paragraph that said lower flows out of Lake Powell could reduce Hoover Dam’s hydroelectric power generation by about 40 percent as soon as this fall. According to projections, Lake Mead could fall nearly 30 feet in the next two years, more than 8 feet past the 2022 record low.

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LAFCO: Dissolve the Water Authority? Not Yet.

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby MacKenzie Elmer

Getting rid of the San Diego County Water Authority might be the best way to address regional water costs and needs in the future.

That’s what the plurality of concepts studied by the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission or LAFCO, suggest under its first audit of the county’s water wholesaler. The Water Authority fell under LAFCO’s scrutiny a few years ago after two member water districts fought to leave the agency over its high water prices.

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Poway Agrees To Pay $441K To Resolve Water Rights Billing Dispute With San Diego

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Julie Gallant

The Poway City Council unanimously approved a $441,000 payment to the city of San Diego on Tuesday to resolve a years-long billing dispute and establish an amended water rights agreement with the city.

The payment retroactively replaces water charges made by San Diego to Poway for the calendar years 2017 to 2025, according to a Poway staff report.

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FCAT Program Will Be on ‘The Future of Water’

/in , /by /Village News Fallbrook

The Fallbrook Climate Action Team will host an informational meeting to learn about Fallbrook’s water infrastructure and future, Tuesday, April 28, 6:30 p.m. on Zoom.

The presenter, Jack Bebee, is general manager of the Fallbrook Public Utility District, and has more than 25 years in managing the engineering, operations, design and planning of water and wastewater infrastructure – including water treatment, distribution and wastewater collection and reclamation facilities.

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San Diego’s Plan To Combat Excess Water: Selling It.

/in , /by /Water Online San Diegoby Riley Kleemeier Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Amid drought and water scarcity concerns, San Diego faces a unique problem: too much water. The solution? The San Diego County Water Authority is going to sell some of its water to Western Municipal Water District, which serves nearly 1 million people.

Over the next 21 years, the water authority will transfer at least 10,000 acre-feet of water per year, a deal that will be worth about $100 million over the first five years. An additional $74 million in new revenue will be generated by water sold to the Eastern Municipal Water District of Southern California.

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Proposed Decision Favors California in Delta Tunnel Project Dispute

/in , /by /CourtHouse News Service Sacramentoby Alan Riquelmy

A draft decision issued Monday on appeals to California’s Delta Conveyance Project appears to hand the state a major win in its battle to make the massive project a reality.

However, while discarding most of the appeals against the project, the recommendation to the Delta Stewardship Council calls for sending two issues about the project back to the state Department of Water Resources for reconsideration. It also wants yearly reports from the department about its outreach efforts to tribes and various agencies.

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San Diego Has So Much Excess Drinking Water That It’s Selling It to States in Desperate Need

/in , /by /The Cool Down San Diegoby Hope Nguyen Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

As the climate reshapes the rules of survival, flexibility may become the most valuable resource. In a striking example of adaptation, San Diego is turning ocean water into a potential lifeline for the drought-stricken West, according to the Wall Street Journal.

With the flow of the Colorado River steadily declining, Arizona and Nevada are negotiating a first-of-its-kind agreement with the San Diego County Water Authority to secure a more reliable drinking water supply from the region’s state-of-the-art desalination facility.

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