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Can Water Megaprojects Save The US Desert West? (Part 2)

/in , /by /CleanTechnicaby Jennifer Sensiba

In part one of this article, I covered the American West’s water problems, as well as some of the ways they have been solved with big engineering projects so far. Now, with climate change and growth both pushing the limits of water supplies, people are asking for even bigger projects, like a pipeline from the Mississippi River to somewhere in the Colorado River’s basin. Let’s talk about those ideas, even bigger ones, and why none of them might be a good idea.

Arizona state legislators asked Congress to consider a pipeline that dumps Mississippi water into the Green River, but there are alternate possibilities.

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SCV Water Won’t Be Impacted By Historic Low Water Levels, Officials Say

/in , /by /SCV Newsby Kev Kurdoghlian

Historic low water levels at Lake Oroville will not impact the Santa Clarita Valley’s water supply this year, according to the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency.

Dirk Marks, director of water resources for the agency, said that the water from Oroville, located in Northern California, represented 5% of the water the agency is contracted to receive from the State Water Project.

SWP sites include Oroville, Castaic Lake and many other locations and facilities in between that help transport water from Northern California to Southern California.

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California’s Clean Grid May Lean on Oil, Gas to Avoid Summer Blackouts

/in , , /by /REUTERSby Nichola Groom

California, struggling to balance its clean energy push with the need to boost tight power supplies and avoid rolling blackouts, will lean more on fossil fuels in coming weeks to keep the power on if scorching heatwaves stretch its grid.

The Golden State, which has among the world’s most aggressive environmental policies, faces a potential supply shortfall of up to 3,500 megawatts during peak demand hours in the coming weeks. That is about 2.6 million households worth of electricity supply.

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Are Water, Wastewater Bills About to Rise?

/in , /by /NBC7by Consumer Bob and Nicholas Kjeldgaard

While water rates have increased in the past few years, it’s been longer since wastewater rates changed.

“We have not had an increase in over a decade, more than 10 years,” said Shauna Lorance, director of the city of San Diego’s Public Utilities.

Drinking water rates did increase about two years ago, and under this proposal, they will likely be going up another 2%. The biggest change will be for wastewater charges.

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Pwd Is Doubling Down on Water Conservation Efforts

/in , , /by /Valley Pressby Allison Gatlin

 Looking to bolster its water reserves during a historic drought, the Palmdale Water District, on Monday, continued its request that customers conserve water by 15% and also agreed to purchase water from another State Water Project contractor.

The Board of Directors reaffirmed the voluntary water conservation program by implementing Stage Two of its Water Shortage Contingency Plan.

The District, in June, adopted an updated Water Shortage Contingency Plan, in which the requested 15% reduction falls under Stage Two instead of Stage One, as it was in the previous plan.

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Could California Handle Another Year of Drought? State Officials Weigh in on Current Situation

/in , , /by /ABC10by Carley Gomez

In a multi-agency meeting on the state of California’s drought conditions, state officials painted a broader picture on water allocation, lack of available water and what the Golden State is facing in the months and years to come.

Officials expect record low water levels across the state, especially for Oroville and San Luis Reservoir. Jeanine Jones with the California Department of Water Resources said the state is at 58% of average reservoir storage as a whole for this time of year. As of Monday, Aug. 9, Lake Oroville came in at 34% of average and Folsom Lake came in at 35% of average.

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Opinion: Voters Played Role in Marin Municipal Water District Shortage

/in , , /by /Marin Independent Journalby Dick Spotswood Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The welcome arch across Modesto’s main street proclaims, “Water, wealth, contentment, health.”

In essence, water, the first word, directly leads to the following benefits. The same formula applies to Marin. Now it’s the scarcity of water that endangers our county’s ability to enjoy the benefits of wealth, contentment and health.

The entire American West is enduring a drought of epic proportions. The globe’s climate will only get warmer in the next 50 years. Marin is late preparing for that eventuality. Doing so isn’t impossible but it comes with a hefty price tag and can’t happen overnight.

Semi-arid San Diego County has already accomplished what Marin needs to do. They have a sufficient water supply that will last until 2045. Marin may run dry next year.

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As Lake Powell Woes Worry West, Experts Call For Yet More Reduced Use

/in , , /by /Montrose Press by Katharhynn Heidelberg

If the Colorado River were a bank account, it would be running toward the red.

The river, the lifeblood for several Western states, is being squeezed by overuse and plunging supply — as temperatures stay on the upswing year after year, and thirsty soils rapidly absorb the bulk of moisture from a dwindling annual snowpack.

The conclusion is “inescapable,” Colorado River District Manager Andy Mueller said Monday.

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California Just Recorded Its Hottest July Ever. Charts Show It’s Part of a Trend

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kellie Hwang

California just closed the books on its hottest July on record, a whopping 5.3 degrees above normal.

It was the latest in a rash of record-setting months over the past year, as the state saw its hottest July, June, October, September and August in history, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

NOAA data shows that the average monthly temperature in July was 80 degrees, 5.3 degrees above normal, or the average temperature from 1901 to 2000. June’s average temperature was 75 degrees, 6.8 degrees above normal.

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‘We’re in Uncharted Territory’: Lake Oroville Levels Reach Historic Low, Impacting Recreation

/in , , /by /KCRA3by Stephanie Lin

In a year already plagued by pandemic and wildfires, Californians are also entangled with the crippling effect of drought.

“Every year, there seems to be a disaster and issues,” lamented California State Parks Public Safety Chief Aaron Wright, who responded to help Oroville through the Camp Fire and many other crises.

In 2017, hundreds of thousands of lives were threatened when massive flooding damaged the Oroville Dam. Today, changing weather conditions have created a stark contrast from years ago: Hot temperatures and low rainfall have left miles of dusty, cracked shorelines exposed.

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