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California Water Agencies Cope With Diminishing Water Supply

/in , , /by /WaterWorldby Wayne Tate

As of Spring 2022, National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) data show nearly 70 percent of the lower 48 U.S. states in drought, affecting more than 100 million residents.

California in particular is facing a deepening water crisis, with over 93 percent of the state experiencing extreme drought. 2022 is the state’s driest year on record for the past 128 years, while 58 counties in the state are currently under a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) disaster designation.

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The Future of Desalination

/in , /by /Geographicalby Roman Goergan

It was the end of a fight that lasted for almost a decade. On 12 May 2022, the California Coastal Commission, which has a legal mandate to protect the coastline of the US state, voted to deny the building permit for a large seawater-desalination plant that was proposed to be erected near Huntington Beach. Ever since the application to build the plant was made in 2013, this mega-project has been dividing experts, politicians and activists.

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A Race to Save the Fish as Rio Grande Dries, Even in Albuquerque

/in , /by /AP Newsby Brittany Peterson and Suman Naishadham

On a recent, scorching afternoon in Albuquerque, off-road vehicles cruised up and down a stretch of dry riverbed where normally the Rio Grande flows. The drivers weren’t thrill-seekers, but biologists hoping to save as many endangered fish as they could before the sun turned shrinking pools of water into dust.

For the first time in four decades, America’s fifth-longest river went dry in Albuquerque last week.

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Drought and Old Pipes Could Slow Colorado River to a Trickle

/in , /by /E&E Newsby Jennifer Yachnin

In their pleas to Western states to cut back on water use from the Colorado River Basin, federal officials are keenly focused on keeping Lake Powell’s elevation at 3,490 feet — the minimum needed to keep hydropower humming at Glen Canyon Dam.

But if federal efforts can’t stop the reservoir from shrinking to new lows — its elevation is 3,536 feet as of Monday — the lights going out might not even be the worst problem.

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The Cost of Clean Water: Inflation, Supply-Chain Snarls Force San Diego to Pay $80M More for Treatment Chemicals

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

San Diego gave emergency authorization this week to pay an extra $80 million to chemical suppliers that say they need to sharply raise prices because of pandemic-related supply-chain issues, higher fuel costs and rising costs for raw materials due to inflation. City officials say the chemicals are essential for treating sewage and keeping drinking water clean and healthy.

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Democratic Lawmakers Representing Delta-area Urge Gov. Newsom to Cancel Delta Tunnel Plan

/in , /by /KCRAby Hilda Flores

California lawmakers representing the state’s Delta area are calling for Gov. Gavin Newsom to cancel his plan for an underground tunnel that would reroute water from Northern to Southern California.

Representatives John Garamendi, Josh Harder, Jerry McNerney and Mike Thompson, all Democrats, released a joint statement in response to the draft environmental impact report for the project.

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Sewage Flows Continue in Wake of Tijuana Sewer System Collapse

/in , /by /KPBS-FM/TVby Erik Anderson

U.S. and Mexican officials are doing their best to cope with two major sewage line breaks in a Tijuana canyon.

As a result, Mexico shut down the pump station in the Tijuana River channel allowing more than 30 million gallons of sewage-tainted water to cross the border into the United States every day.

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Water-Use Efficiency Rebates for Businesses

/in , , /by /Water News Network Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

As extreme drought grips the Southwest, businesses across California are taking a variety of water-saving actions. The San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies offer business rebates and other incentives to help businesses save money while saving water.

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San Diego News Fix: Why California Can’t Just Conserve its Way Out of the Drought

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Kristy Totten Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board spoke with executives from the San Diego County Water Authority on Tuesday.

They discussed rate increases, what’s needed to secure California’s water future, and why we can’t conserve our way out of the drought.

Plus, they give tips on the one thing we should all be doing to improve our water situation.

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Northern California Tops Southland in Water Conservation as Savings Improve Statewide

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Salvador Hernandez

New data suggest Californians are steadily reducing water usage in the face of severe drought, although cities and towns in the northern part of the state are cutting back more than those in the thirsty and more heavily populated south.

Water use in cities and towns across the state decreased 7.6% in June when compared with the same month in 2020 — significantly short of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s voluntary 15% goal last year, but a significant shift compared with the previous month, according to data released by the State Water Resources Control Board. In May, statewide savings were just 3.1%.

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