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Almost Half a Million Us Households Lack Indoor Plumbing: ‘the Conditions Are Inhumane

/in , , /by /The Guardianby Maanvi Singh and Nina Lakhani

Yan Yu Lin and her seven-year-old daughter live in a tight studio in San Francisco’s Chinatown, in a century-old building where 60 or so residents on each floor share a bathroom.

Along the back wall of the room is a plastic potty – the kind designed for toilet training toddlers. The shared bathrooms are out of order so often, so rank and unhygienic, that Lin has her daughter use the plastic potty instead. “It’s safer,” she said.

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California’s Rainy Season Is Changing. Here’s What That Means for Already Worsening Fire Danger.

/in , , /by /ABC10by Monica Woods

After two dry years, the California is in desperate need of rain and snow. October marks the beginning of California’s new water year, which will run through Sept. 30 next year.

This also signals the transition from the long, dry summer months to the wetter time of year. But new research is showing a delay to California’s rainy season.

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Here’s How Much Water Bay Area Districts Saved in the Past Year

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Jessica Flores and Yoohyun Jung

Bay Area water agencies have saved nearly 10 times more water than the state average in the past year.

Collectively, 58 Bay Area water districts saved an average of more than 10% in July 2021 compared with the same time last year, according to new statistics from the State Water Resources Control Board.

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Drought Makes its Home on the Range

/in , , /by /NASAby Sofie Bates

As Tracy Schohr goes about her day, water is always on her mind. She’s thinking of it as she rides an all-terrain vehicle around the pasture, looks up hay prices and weather forecasts, and collects data on grazing and invasive weeds for a scientific study. Schohr is a rancher and farmer in Gridley, California, where her family has raised beef cattle and grown rice for six generations. She also aids in scientific research to study drought and other agricultural issues with the University of California Cooperative Extension.

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San Diego’s Sewer and Water Rates Due to Climb

/in , , /by /San Diego Readerby Sheila Pell

San Diego’s sewer rates haven’t gone up in ten years. Now, the city is playing catch up with a four-year string of rate hikes they say is needed to maintain the aging system, and fund the Pure Water project.

The city says the increase was long overdue. But so are the unpaid water bills of thousands of lower income San Diegans. California’s pandemic water shutoff moratorium is set to end September 30.

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Water Lawsuit Settled In California Involves Lower Basin’s Biggest User

/in , , /by /UPR Liveby Alex Hager

Two major California water agencies have settled a lawsuit that once threatened to derail a multi-state agreement to protect the Colorado River.

The Imperial Irrigation district is the largest recipient of water from the river. That group reached a deal to store water in Lake Mead and join drought contingency efforts if dry conditions worsen and mandatory cutbacks are issued. Robert Schettler is a spokesman for the district.

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Lawsuit Seeks to Block Poseidon Desalination Plant in Huntington Beach

/in , , /by /Orange County Registerby Martin Wisckol
Two environmental groups have sued the Regional Water Quality Control Board over its decision to grant a permit for Poseidon Water’s desalination plant proposed for Huntington Beach, saying the board’s environmental review of the project was inadequate.
Poseidon has been working on the controversial, $1.4 billion project for 22 years. The regional board’s approval on April 29 leaves the company needing one more permit, from the state Coastal Commission, before it can negotiate a final contract with the Orange County Water District and begin construction.
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A Bitter Dispute Ends as California Water Agencies Pledge Cooperation on Colorado River

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

Two years ago, a pact to safeguard the West’s shrinking water supplies took effect at a ceremony high above the Colorado River.

On a terrace overlooking Hoover Dam, water officials from seven states that rely on the river had gathered to sign a deal in hopes of preventing reservoirs from falling to critically low levels.

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North County Students Make Splash in Water District Contests

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Laura Groch

Local students floated lots of good ideas in the 30th annual Water Awareness Poster Contest, sponsored by North County’s water agencies. This year’s theme was “Love Water, Save Water.”

The contest for fourth-graders aims to increase understanding and appreciation for conserving water and using it more efficiently. Students showed ways they love water, how they save water at home, or ways to save or recycle water in the future to help the Earth. Winning students artwork is printed in the 2022 North County Water Agency Calendar. Free copies are available at local water district offices, usually by mid-November.

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The Bad News Keeps Flowing For The Colorado River

/in , , /by /Nevada Public Radioby Joe Schoenmann and Zachary Green

Federal officials project more bad news for the drought-stressed Colorado River, which provides water to Las Vegas and much of the Southwest.

The Bureau of Reclamation issued a report last week saying there is a high likelihood over the next few years that California, the river’s largest water user, will join Nevada, Arizona, and Mexico in seeing cuts to its allocation.

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