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Data Centers, Backbone of the Digital Economy, Face Water Scarcity and Climate Risk

/in , /by /NPR by Michael Copley

Data centers are springing up around the world to handle the torrent of information from the expanding web of devices ingrained in people’s lives and the economy. Managing that digital information gusher is big business. It also comes with hidden environmental costs.

For years, companies that operate data centers have faced scrutiny for the huge amounts of electricity they use storing and moving digital information like emails and videos. Now, the U.S. public is beginning to take notice of the water many facilities require to keep from overheating. Like cooling systems in large office buildings, water often is evaporated in data center cooling towers, leaving behind salty wastewater known as blowdown that has to be treated by local utilities.

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Cadiz Water Project Promises Free Water For Salton Sea Area

/in , , /by /NBC Palm Springsby Kamari Esquerra

As California’s water crisis deepens, a new project aims to help conserve resources and ensure disadvantaged communities are not left behind.

Cadiz Inc. is hanging onto its years-long goal of storing water before it evaporates and then selling or giving it away to communities in Southern California.

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Opinion: Newsom’s Water Strategy Needs to Go a Step Further

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Sarah Null and Jeffrey Mount

Two weeks ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom released his water supply strategy, which is designed to address California’s warming climate and increasing drought intensity. Central to this strategy is expanding storage to capture water during wet periods and to help urban and agricultural users make it through dry times.

But why stop there? What about storing water for the environment?

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Up to $2,000 Available for San Diego County Residents Struggling to Pay Water Bills

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority has helped secure financial aid for low-income water customers in the region to cover overdue residential water and wastewater bills.

The authority is partnering with the Metropolitan Area Advisory Committee on Anti-Poverty of San Diego County (MAAC) and Campesinos Unidos, Inc. for outreach and education to make residents who are struggling aware of the funding.

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Getting the Dirt on Healthy Landscape Soil

/in , , /by /Water News Network

Soil is essential to a healthy landscape and efficient water use. Learn about your soil’s characteristics and how to care for it. The results include easier maintenance, a healthier environment, and a more beautiful landscape.

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Poll: Two-Thirds of San Diegans Say They Can Do More to Conserve Water

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

A new poll of San Diego County residents finds that nearly two-thirds believe they can do more to conserve water during California’s record drought.

The poll commissioned by the San Diego County Water Authority found that 88% feel they have a civic duty to use water efficiently and 66% say they can do “a little more” or “much more” to conserve.

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‘It Puts Us In a Predicament:’ New East County Water Chief Reflects on his Biggest Challenges

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Blake Nelson

When Brian Olney started in the water industry nearly three decades ago, it seemed nobody paid attention to what he and his colleagues were doing.

“The general consensus was: Water fell from the sky, it shows up in our faucet, no one wants to hear anything from the water agencies,” Olney said. “That has changed dramatically.”

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7 States and Federal Government Lack Direction on Cutbacks From the Colorado River

/in , , /by /KUNCby Luke Runyon

As the Colorado River shrinks, the seven states in the western United States that rely on it for water and power need to cut their use dramatically to keep the biggest reservoirs from getting critically low, according to federal analysts.

But a recent deadline for a plan to conserve an unprecedented amount of water came and went without many specifics from either the states or the federal government on how to achieve the cutbacks.

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Opinion: The Colorado River is in crisis. There are no painless solutions.

/in , , /by /Washington Postby Editorial Board

After 22 straight years of drought, the Colorado River is no stranger to crisis. But even by its standards, the outlook this summer is bleak. The nation’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, are nearly three-quarters empty. Satellite images show the river’s topography has changed dramatically since 2017, and scenes on the ground are no less shocking: stranded houseboats, dead plants and cracked lake beds.

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The Fight Against Drought in California Has a New Tool: The Restrictor

/in , /by /CNNby Stephanie Elam

The pretty, cloudless blue skies over perfectly manicured lawns represent an ugly reality for California’s Las Virgenes Municipal Water District as it grapples with the historic megadrought ravaging the American West.

Despite a lack of any measurable rain in months, the carpet of lush, green grass likely means homeowners are either not getting the message about the dire need for water conservation, or they are ignoring the warnings.
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