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Opinion: Drought Requires New Strategies for Managing Cropland

/in , /by /CalMattersby Andrew Ayres and Caitlin Peterson

The San Joaquin Valley is California’s largest agricultural region, but it’s facing an uncertain future. A combination of persistent drought and the rollout of California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act will increase regional water scarcity in the coming decades. Water scarcity will have a major effect on land use: At least half a million acres are projected to come out of irrigated production in the San Joaquin Valley by 2040.

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‘Very Expensive Error’ Hikes Cost of San Diego Sewage Recycling System, May Delay Whole Pure Water Project

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

A major hiccup during the early construction stages of San Diego’s Pure Water sewage recycling system will cost the city at least $20 million — and potentially much more if it delays completion of the interdependent system’s other key components.

Constant flooding of a site off Morena Boulevard where a contractor is trying to build a large sewage-pump station has forced the contractor to halt work while city officials make plans to build a large dam-like structure around the area being flooded.

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Caring For Your WaterSmart Living Landscape

/in , , /by /Water News Network

Whether you install a new WaterSmart Living landscape or are just looking for tips on how to conserve water in your existing landscape, the following section can help you make an immediate impact on your landscape water savings.

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Bring a New Water-Saving Landscape to Life with Native California Plants

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Water News Network

With your new water-saving landscaping plans complete, demolition and turf removal done, and your new irrigation system in place, it’s time to get started on the plant installation. For most homeowners, this is the most rewarding part of the process — seeing your new landscaping come to life.

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Senators Add $4 Billion for Colorado River Drought Relief Into Inflation Reduction Act

/in , , /by /Desert Sunby Janet Wilson

The massive climate and healthcare package that passed Sunday in the Senate includes $4 billion to help shore up the rapidly dwindling Colorado River and its massive reservoirs.

California officials who are pushing to meet an August deadline for huge water savings in Lake Mead and Lake Powell praised the bill’s passage.

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In Dry California, Salty Water Creeps Into Key Waterways

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Kathleen Ronayne

Charlie Hamilton hasn’t irrigated his vineyards with water from the Sacramento River since early May, even though it flows just yards from his crop.

Nearby to the south, the industrial Bay Area city of Antioch has supplied its people with water from the San Joaquin River for just 32 days this year, compared to roughly 128 days by this time in a wet year.

They may be close by, but these two rivers, central arms of California’s water system, have become too salty to use in some places as the state’s punishing drought drags on.

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A Battle for Safe Drinking Water Grows Heated Amid Drought in California’s Central Valley

/in , , /by /Courthouse News Serviceby Natalie Hanson

Thousands of acres of crops, from corn to nectarines, surround Melynda Metheney’s community in West Goshen, California — one of the key battlegrounds where residents say irrigation and overpumping have depleted drinkable water.

“You know what you’re up against when you live in these communities. You have to decide, are there enough of us?” said Metheney, standing in her parched yard.

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Salton Sea, Indian Tribe to Get 5,000 Acre-feet of Water Annually

/in , , /by /Patch

 A natural resources investment company announced Thursday it intends to allocate up to 5,000 acre-feet of water annually to the Salton Sea and Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indian Tribe as part of a public-private partnership intended to help reinvigorate the dying Salton Sea and ensure reliable potable water for communities on tribal land.

Los Angeles-based Cadiz Inc. said that an agreement with the Salton Sea Authority, tribe and Coachella Valley Water District will be part of a wider water distribution enterprise known as the Cadiz Water Conservation & Storage Project, which originally focused on drawing water from the Colorado River and delivering it to Southern California metropolitan areas via a single pipeline.

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Will a Rare ‘Triple Dip’ La Niña Yield Another Dry Winter?

/in , , /by /ABC 10by Brody Adams

Although we’re currently mired in the dog days of summer, it’s time to look ahead to the rainy season.

The state thirsts for a wet winter, with extreme drought existing in just under 60% of California. Below-average rain and snow have plagued the state the last couple of years, coinciding with La Niña conditions and expanding drought conditions.

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Poseidon Failed to Start Wetlands Restoration on Time, Says Coastal Commission

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

Poseidon Resources, the company that built and operates the Carlsbad seawater desalination plant, is in violation of its California Coastal Commission permit for the restoration of wetlands habitat at the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge in South San Diego Bay.

A permit the commission approved April 30, 2021, required Poseidon to start the restoration work by Oct. 30, 2021, according to a staff report prepared for next week’s Coastal Commission meeting. The work has not started, although it is on track to begin this fall.

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