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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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Here’s How Much Your Otay Water Bill Is Going up Next Year

/in , /by /inewsourceby Rami Alarian

Southeastern San Diego County residents can expect even pricier water bills due to higher sewer rates that their water agency approved earlier this month.

Otay Water District board members unanimously approved gradually increasing sewer rates over a five-year period. Next year’s hike takes effect in January and will raise the cost of sewer service by about 4%, though increases in subsequent years could reach nearly 10%.

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Rain Is Welcome in San Diego County, but, Often, the Runoff Is Not

/in , /by /NBC 7by Brooke Martell

The runoff carries trash and contaminants into our local waterways and ocean, reports NBC 7’s Brooke Martell.

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San Diego Thinks It’s Found a Way to Fix Its Crumbling Infrastructure Faster

/in , , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby David Garrick

San Diego is stepping up its efforts to tackle billions in overdue infrastructure projects by shifting to a model where contractors help design projects, instead of just building ones already designed by city engineers.

Officials expect the new model, which the City Council approved last week, to reduce cost overruns, improve quality, boost transparency and help the city tackle its massive infrastructure backlog more quickly.

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UN Agency Says C02 Levels Hit Record High Last Year, Causing More Extreme Weather

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Jamey Keaten

Heat-trapping carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere jumped by the highest amount on record last year, soaring to a level not seen in human civilization and “turbo-charging” the Earth’s climate and causing more extreme weather, the United Nations weather agency said Wednesday.

The World Meteorological Organization said in its latest bulletin on greenhouse gases, an annual study released ahead of the U.N.’s annual climate conference, that C02 growth rates have now tripled since the 1960s, and reached levels not seen in at least 800,000 years.

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San Diego’s First Storm of the Season Brings Flight Delays, Flooding Concerns

/in , /by /ABC 10by Yasmeen Ludy

San Diego International Airport experienced dozens of flight delays Tuesday as the region’s first major storm of the season brought heavy rain, strong winds and chilly temperatures to Southern California.

The National Weather Service issued an airport weather warning for San Diego International Airport due to high wind gusts, prompting operational changes and passenger concerns.

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California’s First Solar-Covered Water Canal Now Generating Power

/in , /by /ABC 7 San Franciscoby Spencer Christian

A climate innovation we first told you about here on ABC7 News is up and running.

It’s California’s first solar-covered water canal. The advantages it offers could fast track the future of solar power.

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Metropolitan Board Appoints Shivaji Deshmukh as Agency’s Next General Manager

/in , /by /Maven's Notebook

Southern California water leader Shivaji Deshmukh will be the next general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the nation’s largest drinking water provider, following a unanimous vote today by the agency’s board of directors.

Deshmukh will become Metropolitan’s 16th general manager in its nearly 100-year history, replacing retiring general manager Deven Upadhyay.

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How California Water Levels Will Change After 3 Feet of Snow

/in , /by /NewsWeekby Anna Skinner

A strong, early-season winter storm will dump as much as 3 feet of snow in the high-elevation parts of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains this week, which could eventually supplement the water levels of many reservoirs in the area.

Newsweek reached out to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) by email for comment.

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California Cracks Down on Water Theft but Spares Data Centers From Disclosing How Much They Use

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed legislation that would have required data centers to report how much water they use.

New data centers have been rapidly proliferating in California and other western states as the rise of artificial intelligence and growing investments in cloud computing drive a construction boom. The centers, full of equipment, generate lots of heat and can use large quantities of water to cool their servers and interiors. Many companies don’t reveal how much they use.

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