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A Summer of Blackouts? Wheezing Power Grid Leaves States at Risk.

/in , /by /The Washington Postby Evan Halper

The nation’s power grid is under stress like never before, with regulators warning that the kind of rolling outages that are now familiar to California and Texas could be far more widespread as hot summer weather arrives.

A large swath of the Midwest that has enjoyed stable electricity for decades is now wrestling with forecasts that it lacks the power needed to get through a heat wave. The regional grid is short the amount of energy needed to power 3.7 million homes.

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East County Breaks Ground on Wastewater Recycling Plant

/in , , /by /KPBSby Thomas Fudge

People wearing business suits and hard hats broke ground Wednesday in Santee for the East County Advanced Water Purification Plant.

It’s part of a plan of four East County water agencies to take wastewater, that’s now treated and dumped in the ocean, and turn it into water that’s clean enough to drink.

The water recycling plant is expected to provide 11.5 million gallons a day of purified wastewater for East County ratepayers.

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Crews Break Ground on $950M Water Purification Plant in East County

/in , /by /NBC 7 San Diego

The East County Advanced Water Purification Program broke ground Wednesday, marking an important milestone for the project, which could purify up to 11.5 million gallons of water per day when it’s completed.

Program representatives, elected officials and water industry leaders gathered Wednesday at the future site of the treatment facility in Santee. The project was approved on May 19 by the East County AWP Joint Powers Authority, which owns and operates the program, and is a collaborative partnership between four agencies: Padre Dam, the city of El Cajon, the county of San Diego and the Helix Water District.

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Work Begins on Recycling Plant to Supply 30% of East County’s Drinking Water

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Debbie L. Sklar

The East County Advanced Water Purification Program broke ground Wednesday, marking an important milestone for the project, which could recycle up to 11.5 million gallons of water per day when it’s completed.

Program representatives, elected officials, and water industry leaders gathered Wednesday at the future site of the treatment facility in Santee.

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San Diego County’s Water Supply is in a Good Spot, But it Comes at a Cost

/in , /by /10 News San Diegoby Sophia Hernandez Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Starting Wednesday, residents in much of Southern California will have to limit how much water they use. The Metropolitan Water District declared a water shortage emergency in April and took the unprecedented action of limiting outdoor watering for millions of residents in Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernadino counties.

Right now, San Diego County is sitting in a really good spot. The San Diego County Water Authority has worked to diversify where our water supply comes from, like from the new water recycling plant in Santee.

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In Worsening Drought, Southern California Water Restrictions Take Effect

/in , , /by /The Washington Postby Joshua Partlow

The forecast for Southern California grass is yellow and brown from here on out.

On Wednesday, new restrictions on outdoor water use go into effect for more than 6 million residents in the Los Angeles area. The rules, set by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, limit outdoor watering to one day per week in many jurisdictions — while others opted to stay below a volume limit — as authorities try to dramatically reduce urban water use amid the record-breaking drought fueled by the warming climate.

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U.S. Department of Energy Announces $8 Million for Technologies to Increase Hydropower Flexibility

/in , , /by /Energy.gov

The U.S. Department of Energy today announced $8 million in funding to support projects that will improve the flexibility of the U.S. hydropower fleet and enhance electric grid reliability.

Hydropower is a flexible resource, meaning it can supply electricity immediately or store it to meet real-time demand. By improving flexibility, these projects will strengthen hydropower’s ability to support an evolving electric grid that includes an increasing amount of variable renewable energy sources.

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Pentagon Reports High Levels of ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water Near Bases

/in , , /by /FOX 5 San Diegoby Rachel Frazin

The Defense Department is reporting high levels of toxic perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water near several of its bases, according to new data released by the department.

Drinking water testing near bases in Washington state, Pennsylvania, Florida and Michigan found levels of the chemicals well above a health threshold set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

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In This SF Bay Area County, You Can Rat on Water Wasters Who May Face Fines Up to $10,000

/in , , /by /SF Gateby Amy Graff

It’s a sign the drought is worsening: One of the largest water districts in the San Francisco Bay Area became the first in the state on Wednesday to introduce a program to fine water wasters who ignore repeated warnings.

Santa Clara Valley Water customers could face fines, as little as $100 and as high as $10,000 in the most extreme cases, for not following rules aimed at reducing outdoor water use.
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California Farmers’ Tequila Dreams

/in , , /by /Politicoby Debra Kahn

How bad is California’s drought? Bad enough to make farmers turn to tequila.

About 40 farmers and distillers gathered last week at an inaugural agave symposium at the University of California, Davis, to explore the prospects of growing agave in California and making alcohol from it.

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