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Biden May Prevail Against Navajo in SCOTUS Water Battle

/in , /by /E&E Newsby Pamela King and Jennifer Yachnin

The Supreme Court on Monday appeared closely divided on whether to side with the Navajo Nation in the tribe’s high-stakes fight against the Biden administration and four states to protect its right to water from the drought-stricken Colorado River.

While the court could decide the case on narrow procedural grounds, some of the more moderate conservative justices questioned whether a ruling for the Navajo would obligate the federal government to build a vast network of pipelines and pumps to deliver water to the tribe or upset the delicate balance struck by the 40 million people who rely on the massive waterway that travels among seven states and Mexico.

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Fix-A-Leak Week 2023 Saves Water, Environment

/in , , /by /Water News Network

Fix a Leak Week is an opportunity for all water users to repair leaks and save our most precious resource.  The week (March 20-26) is a reminder every March to check indoor and outdoor plumbing systems for costly, wasteful water leaks.

Increasing awareness of opportunities to repair leaks is supported by the San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies, and by other regional WaterSense partners throughout North America.

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Carlsbad Desalination Plant Getting $274M Upgrade

/in , , /by /San Diego Business Journalby Noah Harrel Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant supplies about 50 million gallons of water to the San Diego region every day, enough to fill 75 Olympic swimming pools.

Currently the seven-year-old plant, built at a cost of more than $1 billion, is in the process of implementing a $274 million upgrade to its intake-discharge system. The result will be a new pumping facility that will keep the water flowing while greatly lessening the operation’s environmental impact.

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Near Miss; Atmospheric River Shifts Toward Southern California

/in , , /by /CBS Bay Area

After weeks of atmospheric rivers slamming into Northern California, triggering flooding and landslides, the jet stream has shifted the latest blast of subtropical moisture toward Southern California, forecasters said.

But it won’t be a complete miss on Tuesday. The northern edge of the river will bring moderate rain to parts of the Bay Area and 2 inches or more to the waterlogged Santa Cruz Mountains and the flooded communities in Monterey County.

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El Niño Expected to Develop Later in the Year, NOAA Says

/in , , /by /ABC 10 Newsby Brody Adams and Brenden Mincheff

La Niña is finally over after three years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

This winter has not acted like a typical La Niña winter with California getting drenched, especially in Southern California where La Niña typically signals a drier than average winter.

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NOAA Spring Outlook: California Drought Cut by Half with More Relief to Come

/in , , /by /Water News Networkby NOAA

NOAA’s U.S. Spring Outlook indicates the abnormally wet winter will further improve drought across much of the western U.S. as the snowpack melts in the coming months. Winter precipitation, combined with recent storms, wiped out exceptional and extreme drought in California for the first time since 2020, and is expected to further improve drought conditions this spring.

Significant flooding in the western U.S., especially in California, followed another series of strong Pacific storms that battered the region in March, and piled on to an already historic snowpack.

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Scripps Institution Researchers Visit Bakersfield College for Ag and Water Study

/in , , /by /Bakersfield.comby Steven Mayer

A changing climate in California could very well mean longer periods of drought, then wetter and more intense storms when the rains finally arrive.

It’s not an ideal scenario when trying to manage precious water in the Golden State.

Learning how to manage California’s water for the greatest benefit — even as these new challenges come to the agriculture-intense San Joaquin Valley — is one of the reasons Tom Corringham led a team of researchers to Bakersfield College on Thursday and Friday.

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Another Atmospheric River Will Thrash Storm-Ravaged California, Threatening More Flooding and Hurricane-force Wind Gusts

/in , /by /CNNby Nouran Salahieh, Rob Shackelford and Holly Yan

Swaths of California still saturated by ruthless storms will get walloped by another atmospheric river, spawning fears of renewed flooding and forcing some residents to flee.

The state has already been hammered by at least 11 atmospheric rivers this season. An atmospheric river is like a fire hose that carries saturated air from the tropics to higher latitudes, dumping relentless rain or snow.

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The Price of San Diego’s ‘Drought-Proof’ Water Could Spike a Whopping 14 Percent

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Joshua Emerson Smith Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diegans are facing a tidal wave of rate increases in coming years for so-called drought-proof water — driven in large part by new sewage recycling projects coupled with the rising cost of desalination and importing the Colorado River.

While many residents already struggle to pay their utility bills, the situation now appears more dire than elected leaders may have anticipated.

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Your Water Bill Could Go Up 14% | Here is How It is Affecting San Diego Farmers

/in , /by /CBS8by Ariana Cohen Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

According to Public Information Officer Noelle Denke for the Fallbrook Utility District, over the last decade, the San Diego County Water Authority has raised water costs for the Fallbrook and Rainbow Municipal Water Districts by an average of 8% per year.

As a result, the region has lost an estimated 10,000 acres of groves and 1 million trees. And now, water rates could go up 14%.

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