Californians in a new statewide survey cite drought and water supply issues as their chief environmental concern for the third year in a row.
Thirty percent of respondents ranked water as the most pressing issue — topping wildfires and climate change, which garnered 13 percent and 11 percent, respectively, in the poll, released by the Public Policy Institute of California.
Drought ravaging the western United States is falling even harder on Mexico, especially in places like Ensenada, which is dead last in line for water from the Colorado River that keeps much of the North American west alive.
In another promising sign that residents are taking calls for conservation to heart, Angelenos in July achieved an 11% reduction in water use — more than any other July on record, officials announced this week.
The report from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power comes as drought continues to sap supplies across the region. But while July’s conservation surpassed the record 9% reduction achieved in L.A. in June, officials urged residents to keep going.
The city of Antioch sits right next to the largest source of fresh water in Northern California. But it’s facing a water supply crisis because of changes to the Delta, both natural and man-made.
As a result, the city is taking extraordinary measures to increase supply in a way that has the rest of the state watching.
Before the Colorado River was tamed by dams and dikes it was a free flowing, flooding river that often changed course, sometimes dramatically. Though it typically flowed south to the Gulf of California, in years of powerful floods it would flow into the Salton Sea Basin, and fill it up to form what we call Lake Cahuilla.
Since about 612 B.C. Lake Cahuilla has filled up seven times, the last time in 1733.
The city of San Diego Monday issued a boil water order for around 600 residents of the Tierrasanta neighborhood due to low water pressure issues.
All affected customers will receive more detailed information at their homes. The affected area is largely around those streets adjacent to Mission Trails Regional Park.
The Center for Water Studies at Cuyamaca College and San Diego County water agencies are hosting a free career day August 10 for military veterans looking to transition into the water and wastewater industry. The in-person career day is 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cuyamaca College Student Center, 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway in El Cajon.
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.
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.
