You are now in California and the U.S. Home Headline Media Coverage category.

With Water Running Out, California Faces Grim Summer of Dangerous Heat, Extreme Drought

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Paul Duginski and Alex Wigglesworth

Heat waves. Severe drought. Extreme wildfires.

As Southern California braces for unprecedented drought restrictions, long-range forecasts are predicting a summer that will be fraught with record-breaking temperatures, sere landscapes and above-average potential for significant wildfires, particularly in the northern part of the state.

“The dice are loaded for a lot of big fires across the West,” said Park Williams, a climate scientist at UCLA. “And the reason for that is simple: The vast majority of the western U.S. is in pretty serious drought.”

Full Story

California’s New Drought Rules: Will They Be Enough to Halt the ‘Alarming Challenges’ Ahead?

/in , /by /The Guardianby Gabrielle Canon

With little hope of reprieve ahead of the warming summer months, demand for water in parts of drought-stricken California is outpacing supply.

The metropolitan water district of southern California declared a water shortage emergency last week for areas that rely on the State Water Project, a sprawling system of canals, reservoirs, and pipelines that snake across roughly two-thirds the length of the state, affecting about 6 million southern Californians in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

Full Story

Where Lawns Are Outlawed (and Dug Up, and Carted Away)

/in , /by /The New York Timesby Henry Fountain

It was a perfectly decent patch of lawn, several hundred square feet of grass in a condominium community on this city’s western edge. But Jaime Gonzalez, a worker with a local landscaping firm, had a job to do.

Wrangling a heavy gas-powered sod cutter, Mr. Gonzalez sliced the turf away from the soil underneath, like peeling a potato. Two co-workers followed, gathering the strips for disposal.

Full Story

Calif. Awards $150M for Groundwater Management

/in , /by /WaterWorld

In an effort to boost water supply reliability for millions of Californians, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has announced its first round of funding to 20 agencies responsible for managing critically overdrafted groundwater basins throughout the state.

A total of $150 million in funding is being awarded to regional groundwater agencies through the Sustainable Groundwater Management (SGM) Grant Program. The funding will go toward projects focused on water efficiency, groundwater recharge, feasibility studies for alternative water supplies, and the installation of monitoring wells.

Full Story

The Salton Sea Could Produce the World’s Greenest Lithium, if New Extraction Technologies Work

/in , /by /CNBCby Katie Brigham

About 40 miles north of the California-Mexico border lies the shrinking, landlocked lake known as the Salton Sea. Once the epicenter of a thriving resort community, water contamination and decades of drought have contributed to a collapse of the lake’s once vibrant ecosystem, and given rise to ghost towns.

But amidst this environmental disaster, the California Energy Commission estimates that there’s enough lithium here to meet all of the United States’ projected future demand, and 40% of the entire world’s demand.

Full Story

Water Authority Awarded Patent for Pipeline Inspection Tool

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

The San Diego County Water Authority has been granted its first ever utility patent for a device that inspects interior sections of water pipelines that are inaccessible or not safe to inspect without expensive specialized gear and training.

Water Authority Operations and Maintenance Manager Martin Coghill invented the tool to save time, reduce costs and improve safety during ongoing aqueduct inspections. The Water Authority’s industry-leading Asset Management Program includes a proactive search for pipeline weaknesses that can be addressed before they become large and costly problems.

Full Story

New Water Tank in Mission Trails Nearly Complete and Will Soon Disappear

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

Construction of the new Flow Regulatory Structure II, or FRS II, in Mission Trails Regional Park is nearing completion. The structure is now completely enclosed on all sides and was successfully tested.

Construction crews have started placing soil around the exterior walls to begin burying the structure. In the next three weeks, the roof will be covered so the facility is concealed. Water is expected to begin flowing into FRS II in June 2022.

Full Story

City of San Diego Celebrates Barrett Reservoir 100 Year Anniversary

/in , , /by /Water News Network

Barrett Reservoir marks its first century of service, playing an important role in the City of San Diego’s water supply system. Barrett is one of nine reservoirs that make up part of the City’s vast water system. Fishing season opens at the reservoir on May 4.

Full Story

San Diego County Braces for Wildfires in a Time of Drought

/in , , /by /NBC San Diegoby Joe Little Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

0.02 inches.

Pinch your fingers together and try to imagine 0.02 inches.

That’s how much rain fell at San Diego International Airport in April. 30 days in San Diego and the airport measured 0.02 inches of rainfall.

Full Story

Construction of Sewage Recycling Pipeline Expected to Disrupt Neighborhoods This Summer, Fall

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

Neighborhoods across northern San Diego will be disrupted by tunneling and pipeline construction this summer when work kicks into high gear on Pure Water, the largest infrastructure project in city history.

With contracts totaling more than $1 billion recently awarded for eight of the 10 major projects that make up Pure Water’s first phase, city officials say nearly the entire project will be under construction starting in late summer or early fall.

Full Story