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San Diego Remains Afloat Amid Grim Water Scenarios

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune by Michael Smolens Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Some of San Diego’s neighbors to the north are facing tough water restrictions. Others are in dispute over whether to move forward with a big, expensive water project. Meanwhile, levels at some huge reservoirs have never been so low.

The impacts of the yearslong drought on water supplies are growing across the state, as is the dilemma about how to address them.

But not in the San Diego region. That’s been the case for years, but it’s becoming more apparent as the state appears to be taking a more nuanced approach toward water restrictions. Rather than statewide mandatory cuts, California leaders are considering taking into account the status of local supplies.

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Stable Renewable Energy Prices Locked In by Helix Water District

/in , , /by /Water News Network

Proactive efforts by the Helix Water District have saved thousands of dollars per year in the district’s energy costs, and are helping it transition to renewable energy.

Helix buys most of its electricity through the State of California’s Direct Access Program and the electric service provider it contracts with, Calpine Energy Solutions.

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Wags and Water Festival Brings Canines and Water Conservation Together

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

The Vallecitos Water District and the City of San Marcos will celebrate the installation of five new hydration stations at local parks while also supporting pet adoption. The “Wags & Water Festival” takes place at Woodland Park in San Marcos on Saturday, May 7, from 10 a.m. to Noon.

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San Diego County Unveiling New Water Testing Technology to Provide Same-Day Public Warnings

/in , , /by /CBS8

 San Diego County officials Wednesday will introduce a new water-testing technology they will begin using the very next day to provide same-day public warnings of poor coastal water quality that causes illness.

San Diego leaders say the results will be more accurate and posted within hours instead of the next day, reducing the time the public could be at risk if water is contaminated.

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Federal Government Rolls Out ‘Extraordinary Actions’ to Prop Up Lake Powell

/in , , /by /KUNCby Alex Hager

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced two measures today to boost water levels in Lake Powell, keeping them high enough to continue generating hydropower at the Glen Canyon Dam. Both moves are being framed as painful but necessary band-aids, cutting into reserves elsewhere in the region to stave off the worst effects of a decades-long drought that has sapped the nation’s second-largest reservoir.

One measure will send water from upstream to help refill Lake Powell. About 500,000 acre-feet of water will be released from Flaming Gorge Reservoir, which straddles the border between Wyoming and Utah.

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One Way Around California’s Water Restrictions: Recycle Water From Your Laundry

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Jon Healey

Despite years of drought and conservation mandates, Californians continue to sprinkle a lot of clean, drinkable water onto yards to keep the greenery alive. That’s true even on properties that have scaled back thirsty lawns and added drought-tolerant native plants.

Now, however, Southern California officials have imposed unusually strict limits on outdoor water use in response to a water shortage emergency, effective June 1. So you may need to find an alternative way to keep your plants from desiccating in the summer sun.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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