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Local Water Use Down 37 Percent Since 2020; Enforcement Continues

/in , , /by /Patchby Emily Rahhal

Agoura Hills and Calabasas residents reduced their water use by at least 37 percent in June, the first sign that intense water restrictions are working.

The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District enforced one-day-per-week outdoor watering restrictions in June after a gradually adding similar restrictions. On May 1, residents saw a 50 percent reduction in their outdoor watering budgets. This meant residents’ unique allocation of water was cut in half.

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California’s Water Chief Steps Up to Fight Historic Drought

/in , , /by /Capitol Weeklyby Lisa Renner

As a native of the Coachella Valley near Palm Springs where it hardly ever rains, Joaquin Esquivel has always known that water is precious.

His uncle often took him to the Salton Sea, and he had family served by a well.

He carries that respect for the resource as chair of California’s State Water Resources Control Board.   “Growing up in the desert, you are very aware of water,” he said.

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Sinema Meets With Regional Water Officials to Talk About $4B in Colorado River Drought Aid

/in , , /by /AZ Centralby Zayna Syed

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema introduced a new water advisory council at Hoover Dam on Monday to discuss how to spend $4 billion in water and drought aid included in the Inflation Reduction Act.

The $4 billion is meant to stave off the worst effects of drought across the Colorado River system, which is suffering from overuse and two decades of drought exacerbated by climate change.

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State Refuses Request for More Water in Communities With High Wildfire Risk

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Alex Wigglesworth

State officials have denied a request by Southern California municipal water districts for more water to mitigate wildfire risk.

The agencies had worked with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to ask the California Department of Water Resources to allocate 26,300 more acre-feet of water under the health-and-safety exception to drought rules, using the rationale that the exception should include supplies to reduce wildfire hazards by irrigating vegetation in high-risk areas.

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Will Kings County Be the First Region Sent to State’s Groundwater “Cop”?

/in , /by /SJV Waterby Lois Henry

The prospect of being sent to California’s “groundwater cop” strikes dread in the hearts of most water managers.

But for John Vidovich, having the Tulare Lake subbasin come under the glare of the State Water Resources Control Board may be the only way to end an irrigation practice by the J.G. Boswell Company that he says is wasteful, abusive and contributing to the sinking of an entire town.

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Creating a Drought-Tolerant California Garden: How to Replace Your Thirsty Lawn With Lush Plants and Grasses

/in , , /by /KQEDby Mina Kim and Katrin Snow

The megadrought California is enduring right now is the worst in more than a millennium.

In the last two decades, we have only sporadically not been in a state of drought, and the first three months of 2022 were the driest on record. Now, nearly every inch of California is experiencing severe or extreme drought, or even worse: A thick, donut-shaped ring in the Central Valley is in an exceptional drought — the highest drought designation the U.S. Drought Monitor gives.

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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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