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Scant Progress on Colorado River Cuts as Crisis Deepens

/in , , /by /E&E Newsby Jennifer Yachnin

State officials from across the Colorado River Basin seized on a single message as they gathered here to discuss the future of the struggling waterway last week: The river is in a state of emergency that will very soon reach a crisis for the 40 million people who rely on it, affecting agriculture and municipalities alike. But faced with doomsday projections from the Bureau of Reclamation about major reservoirs, officials agreed that harmony has not yet extended to how best to address the shortfalls triggered by more than two decades of drought, which have dramatically constricted both the river’s flows and water storage.

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Water Managers Across Drought-Stricken West Agree on One Thing: ‘This is Going to Be Painful’

/in , , /by /Nevada Currentby Jennifer Solis

Water authorities in the Western U.S. don’t have a crystal ball, but rapidly receding reservoirs uncovering sunken boats and other debris lost in their depths decades ago give a clear view of the hard choices ahead. If western states do not agree on a plan to safeguard the Colorado River — the source of the region’s vitality — there won’t be enough water for anyone.

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Watching the Death and Rebirth of the Colorado River in Mexico

/in , , /by /Deseret Newsby Kyle Dunphey

Manuel Machado Gerardo watched the mighty Colorado River Delta die perhaps more clearly than any man alive. Taking the final drags from his cigarette, he steps outside his home to greet the 112-degree heat and survey the hundreds of acres of northern Mexico farmland he’s owned for decades.

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Opinion: California’s Water Conundrum Hinges on Delta

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Dan Walters

The most important piece of California’s water puzzle is the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the 1,100-square-mile estuary where the state’s two most important rivers meet. The Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers drain a watershed of mountains and hills that stretches about 400 miles from Mount Shasta, near the Oregon border, to the Sierra southeast of Fresno.

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CAISO Adopts Energy Storage, Imbalance Market Rules to Improve Grid Reliability

/in , , /by /Utility Diveby Stephen Singer

The California Independent System Operator has approved three reliability improvements for storage management that are set to take effect this summer when extreme heat could cause a spike in demand.

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San Diego’s Zombie Water Pipeline Project is Dead Again. For Now.

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby MacKenzie Elmer Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego’s proposal to build its own $5 billion pipeline to the Colorado River and bypass paying Los Angeles for water is now in a state of the undead –technically lifeless unless local water officials choose to revive it again.

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FPUD Updates New Development Fees

/in , /by /Village Newsby Joe Naiman

The Fallbrook Public Utility District board approved an update for fees FPUD charges for new development or other new service. The 5-0 board vote Dec. 5 adopted miscellaneous engineering service and other related fees. The fees are based on the cost of materials, labor time and equipment used to perform the work. “Each fee is based on the actual typical time,” said FPUD senior engineer Aaron Cook.

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Conferees Told Colorado River Action ‘Absolutely Critical’

/in , , /by /KNAU - Arizona Public Radio

The word “crisis” ended a Colorado River conference that drew representatives from Southwest U.S. states, tribes and Mexico to Las Vegas this week.

A top Interior Department official closed the Colorado River Water Users Association conference on Friday calling the next three months critical for agreements to deal with drought and climate change.

One deadline is next Tuesday, when federal water managers close public comment on an effort expected to yield a plan by summer to use at least 15% less river water split among seven Western U.S. states, 30 Native American tribes and Mexico.

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Chula Vista Students Learn How Water Produces Energy

/in , , /by /Water News Network

Students in the Chula Vista Elementary School District learned about the science of hydroelectric power during their most recent Innovation LIVE! event. The online lesson, “Water + Wheel = Power!” was led by CVESD’s Hydro Station on December 2.

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In Bakersfield, a Lawsuit Aims to Turn a Dry Riverbed Into a Flowing River

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

Conservation groups are going to court to try to bring back a flowing river in Bakersfield, where for years so much water has been diverted in canals to supply farms that the Kern River is usually reduced to a dry, sandy riverbed.

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