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Opinion: With Climate Imperiled, the Salton Sea Needs Us

/in , , /by /The Press-Enterpriseby Conchita Pozar |

California’s Coachella Valley is my home, made complete by the proximity and awe of the stunning Salton Sea. My community is proud of the traditions, unique desert landscape and vibrant culture that make our valley a special place. Yet as years pass and our leaders fail to act, the Salton Sea, California’s largest inland lake, is dying and people are getting sick. For decades, we have lived under a cloud of dangerous pollutants from the Salton Sea’s drying lakebed.

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San Diego Sending Customers Notice on Proposed Water, Wastewater Rate Increases

/in , , /by /San Diego County Newsby SDCNEWS

San Diegans will have many opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback regarding proposed water and wastewater rate increases.

This week, all city water and wastewater customers will receive a Proposition 218 notice in the mail offering information about the proposed rate increases and an upcoming public hearing on Sept. 21. The notice is available in multiple languages online.

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Roseville to Take 1.2 Billion Gallons From Wells to Supply Residents With Water

/in , , /by /Fox40by Connor Malone, Bridgette Bjorlo

The city of Roseville plans to take 1.2 billion gallons from its wells to supply about 53,000 households with running water this summer.

State reservoirs have receded to their lowest point in years. To prepare for dry seasons, Roseville has invested in new technology to boost its groundwater supply by ingesting water from previous snowmelt and rainy seasons into underground wells so when water is most needed, the city isn’t entirely reliant on Folsom Lake.

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As the Climate Warms, Electricity Demand Shows a Regional Shift

/in , /by /pv magazineby Ryan Kennedy

Even though American spent more time at home in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, retail residential sales of electricity per capita rose by only 1% per person, year-on-year from 2019 to 2020, said the Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration. The agency said that warmer weather in 2020, especially a particularly mild winter, increased electricity usage from air conditioning, but cut U.S. electricity usage for space heating during colder months.

EIA reported that from 1960 to 2010, per capita U.S. electricity use posted a 3% average annual increase. That trend slowed over the past decade due to warmer weather and energy efficiency upgrades. Since 2010, per capita residential electricity use has fallen 5% in the U.S.. That means 2020 represented an uptick in demand relative to the broader trend.

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California Water District Pays Millions Over ‘Unauthorized Diversion’ From Federal Canals

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

An obscure farm-irrigation agency in the San Joaquin Valley, the Panoche Water District has been struggling with a monumental scandal the past three years, with top officials under criminal indictment for embezzling public funds and illegally dumping toxic waste.

It turns out the district has also been allegedly taking water from the federal government.

Earlier this year Panoche agreed to pay the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation nearly $7.5 million to compensate for “unauthorized diversion of water” from two federal canals, according to a settlement agreement obtained by The Bee.

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Pure Water Oceanside Project to Receive $1.7 Million Federal Grant

/in , , /by /Times of San Diego by City News Service Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The Secretary of the Interior will be recommending a $1.7 million grant award for construction of the Pure Water Oceanside project, it was announced Friday.

The funding will be awarded via the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART: Title XVI WIIN Water Reclamation and Reuse Projects funding opportunity. Oceanside is one of 11 applicants named in the federal appropriations process for this funding.

“We are excited to continue working with the Bureau of Reclamation on Pure Water Oceanside,” said Cari Dale, Oceanside’s water utilities director. “Their continued support along with multiple grant, loan and incentive programs through the EPA, the Department of Water Resources as well as Metropolitan Water District and the San Diego County Water Authority continue to make local water supply development affordable for the city of Oceanside customers.”

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‘Code Red’: UN Scientists Warn of Worsening Global Warming

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Seth Borenstein

Earth is getting so hot that temperatures in about a decade will probably blow past a level of warming that world leaders have sought to prevent, according to a report released Monday that the United Nations called a “code red for humanity.”

“It’s just guaranteed that it’s going to get worse,” said report co-author Linda Mearns, a senior climate scientist at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research. “Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.”

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Historic Drought in U.S. West Will Persist Through October

/in , , /by /The Mercury Newsby Bloomberg

The historic drought stretching across California and the U.S. West will likely last through October, with only minor improvements expected in parts of Arizona and New Mexico.

Drought now covers almost 95% of 11 western states, including all of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Oregon and Idaho, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Above-normal temperatures and a dearth of rainfall is expected from August to October, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s monthly report.

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Water Cutbacks Coming to Arizona

/in , , /by /Arizona Public Mediaby Christopher Conover

The “bathtub ring” at Lake Mead has become a familiar sight. The water level in the lake is the lowest it has been since the Hoover Dam, which created the lake, was built in the 1930s. Those low levels have been decades in the making.

“Back in around 2000, Lake Mead was pretty close to being full, but over the last 20 years-plus now we’ve just not had good hydrologic conditions. It will take years to recover from that, years of good conditions and unfortunately the climate models and projections don’t predict us getting cooler and they don’t predict us, let’s say, getting wetter,” said Dr. Sharon Megdal, University of Arizona professor and former board member for the Central Arizona Project.

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California Drought: Santa Clara County Residents Falling Far Short of Water Conservation Target

/in , , /by /The Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers

When it comes to California’s worsening drought, Santa Clara County residents are falling far short in conserving water.

On June 9, the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the county’s main wholesale water provider, declared a drought emergency and asked all 2 million county residents to cut water use by 15% from 2019 levels as local reservoirs dropped alarmingly and state and federal water agencies reduced water deliveries.

But new numbers out Friday show that instead of hitting the 15% target, residents saved 0% in June — essentially using the same amount of water as they did in June 2019.

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