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Senators to Unveil Climate-Focused Water Infrastructure Bill

/in , /by /E&E Newsby Andrew Rypel

Senators plan to roll out a draft water infrastructure bill today that will serve as a vehicle for bipartisan provisions that aim to protect the nation’s coasts against widespread, deadly flooding and storm surge tied to climate change. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is planning to release a draft 2022 Water Resources Development Act. Known as WRDA, the legislation has a long track record of passing both chambers and making its way to the president’s desk every two years. The bill provides a blueprint for how the Army Corps of Engineers conducts some of the nation’s largest and most ambitious flood control, navigation and ecosystem restoration initiatives.

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County Reopens Part of Imperial Beach Shoreline for Water Contact

/in , /by /Times of San Diego

County officials lifted a water contact closure for beaches from the south end of Seacoast Drive through Carnation Avenue in Imperial Beach, they said Saturday. Testing confirmed that water quality along the Imperial Beach shoreline meets state health standards following recent sewage contamination, according to the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality. The shoreline from the international border to the south end of Seacoast Drive, however, will remain closed. Sampling also must confirm that these areas are safe for water contact.

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Scripps Oceanography Monitoring ‘Red Tide’ at Southern California Beaches

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein

The Scripps Institution of Oceanography reported that dense phytoplankton blooms — popularly known as “red tides” — have become more visible throughout Southern California this week. Blooms have been spotted in La Jolla, Newport Beach, and Santa Barbara. Researchers with the cooperative Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System are monitoring the blooms. In La Jolla, Scripps said the species Lingulodinium polyedravery is turning water dark red and producing bioluminescence at night. In Newport Beach, the Akashiwo sanguinea species is responsible for orange-red water that can be harmful to birds, fish, and shellfish.

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Government Spending on Stormwater Management in California

/in , , /by /California WaterBlogby Erik Porse, Maureen Kerner, Brian Currier, David Babchanik, Danielle Salt, and Julie Mansisidor

Stormwater infrastructure in cities is highly visible and serves to mitigate flooding and reduce pollution that reaches local waterbodies. Being so visible, it might be reasonable to assume that stormwater is adequately funded both in infrastructure and water quality management. Yet, stormwater infrastructure and water quality improvement are notoriously difficult to fund. Paying for stormwater quality improvements in California has been a multi-decade challenge due to the industry’s relatively recent emergence during a time of fiscal constraints on local governments.

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Lawn Watering Restricted for Millions in Southern California, but Not Yet in San Diego

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Debbie L. Sklar Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

One day after approving a restriction that will limit outdoor watering to once a week for millions of Southern California residents and businesses, leaders of the region’s largest water wholesaler said Wednesday they needed to take unprecedented steps to respond to the record drought.

“The reality is, this drought has left us without the water supply we need to meet normal demands in these areas,” Adel Hagekhalil, general manager of the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, said in a statement.

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Desperate for Water, Wine Country Grape Growers Build Expensive Pipelines to Cities’ Recycled Sewage

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Esther Mobley

Justin Seidenfeld’s vineyard ran out of water last year. The area of Petaluma where his Parliament Hills Vineyard is located received just 4.5 inches of rain throughout 2021, not nearly enough sustenance for his vines of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

“We ended up trucking water in at a very, very high cost,” Seidenfeld said, “and even with that trucking, we had barely enough to get by.”

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Megadrought Threatens California Power Blackouts This Summer

/in , , /by /Bloombergby David R Baker, Mark Chediak, and Naureen S Malik

The historic drought that’s choked off rivers and reservoirs from the Rocky Mountains to the California coast is threatening to strain power grids this summer, raising the specter of blackouts and forcing the region to rely on more fossil fuels.

Many reservoirs that should be brimming with spring snowmelt show bathtub rings of dry dirt instead, including the largest one in the U.S., Lake Mead, which fell this week to a record low. Hydropower dams feeding off those reservoirs won’t be able to pump out as much electricity as they should, if they keep operating at all.

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The Water Conservation Garden Explains Benefits of Drought Tolerant Plants

/in , , /by /CBS8by Shawn Styles

It’s Springtime and if you’re thinking of sprucing up your garden you might want to do something drought tolerant.

Which is exactly what they have at The Water Conservation Garden here in Rancho San Diego, but they say you’re not just limited to succulents and cactus.

“Not only can you have color in your garden you can have color year-round,” said Pam Meisner is the Director of Operation and Programs at The Garden.

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Repair Work on Hodges Dam to Begin

/in , , /by /North County Daily Starby Terry Woods Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

As part of continuing efforts to maintain and invest in City of San Diego infrastructure, repair work starts within the next two weeks on Hodges Dam, at the Hodges Reservoir north of Rancho Bernardo.

“It’s been over a century since Hodges Dam was constructed, and we are making significant investments to maintain this vital asset,” said Alia Khouri, Deputy Chief Operating Officer. “Projects like this one are crucial for the City’s aging infrastructure system in order to maintain the safe and efficient delivery of City services.”

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When the Desert Runs Dry

/in , , /by /Desert Newsby Eric Balken

Somewhere between Bullfrog, Utah, and the Hole in the Rock trailhead, I’m following the distant rumbling of a waterfall, echoing between 500-foot walls of Navajo Sandstone. Not far from here is Cathedral in the Desert — a famed grotto in the heart of Glen Canyon. It gives me chills, knowing that this sound hasn’t been heard since 1968. After rounding one last corner of the canyon, there it is: a 60-foot cascade bellowing into a clear pool. Water in the desert is a magical thing. It’s also a complicated thing.

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