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Opinion: California Drought Sharpens Perpetual Water Conflict

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Dan Walters

California never has enough water to meet all demands and even when supplies are relatively robust there’s a triangular competition over their allocation. Farmers, municipal users and environmental advocates vie for shares of water that has been captured by California’s extensive network of dams and reservoirs. Their battles are waged in the state Capitol, in Washington, in regulatory agencies and in the courts and over time, the trend has been a subtle shift of supplies from long-dominant agriculture to protecting flows for fish and other wildlife while maintaining the relatively small amount consumed in urban areas.

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MWD Among Targets in Large-Scale Cyber-Espionage Hack Blamed on China

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Times by Alan Suderman / Associated Press

A cyber-espionage campaign blamed on China was more sweeping than previously known, with suspected state-backed hackers exploiting a device meant to boost internet security to penetrate the computers of critical U.S. entities.

Among the suspected targets was the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which provides water to 19 million people and operates some of the largest treatment plants in the world.

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Opinion: Profit-Thirsty Big Ag Makes a Bad Thing Worse

/in , /by /CalMattersby Ross Middlemiss

In dry years, Californians talk about the drought as if it were a war — a battle of north versus south, haves versus have-nots, fish versus farmer.

When a critical resource is scarce, we want to fight for it. But let’s not drown in the fake narrative of environmentalists against growers. It’s a false dichotomy that distracts from the real heart of California’s water woes: an outdated system that prioritizes the financial interests of a wealthy few over the health and well-being of many. This keeps us from finding honest solutions to drought conditions that the climate crisis will only intensify.

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Final Plan for Water Releases Into Sacramento River Could Kill Up to 88% of Endangered Salmon Run

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Tara Duggan

The California water board has approved a plan for water releases into the Sacramento River that could kill off an entire run of endangered chinook salmon and put at risk another population that is part of the commercial salmon fishery.

The State Water Resources Control Board has informed the federal Bureau of Reclamation it would accept its final plan for managing water flows from Shasta Lake into the Sacramento River, which is both the main source of water for Central Valley farms and the spawning habitat for chinook salmon. Because the bureau’s plan involves releasing water to irrigation districts earlier in the season, the river will be lower and warmer during salmon spawning season and could result in killing as many as 88% of endangered winter-run chinook eggs and young fish.

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House Advances Bill With Increased Funding For Clean Water

/in , , /by /Water Finance & Management

The U.S. House of Representatives’ Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee last week marked up and advanced H.R. 1915, the Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2021.

This legislation follows the Senate’s passage in May of its clean water reauthorization package, S. 914, the Senate Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021 (DWWIA). According to the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), the Committee’s action marks another step towards increasing clean water investment, setting the stage for increased funding year over year that better reflects the critical needs for clean water investment.

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Tulare County’s Never-Ending Drought Brings Dried Up Wells and Plenty of Misery

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Julie Cart

Severe drought is gripping most of California, but its misery isn’t spread equally. While most of the state compares today’s extreme conditions to previous droughts, people in Tulare County speak of drought — in the singular, as in a continuous state of being.  “The drought has never stopped in north Tulare County. It never left,” said county Supervisor Eddie Valero. “Domestic wells are drying up at an alarming rate.” The entire West is suffering from extreme dryness, heat and fire risk, and the small, rural towns of northern Tulare County, outside of Visalia, are caught in its vortex.

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Water Awareness Artwork Wins Escondido Student Poster Contest

/in , , /by /Water News Network

Twelve winning student artists from Escondido area elementary schools follow in a long tradition of fourth-graders entering the annual City of Escondido Student Poster Contest. Students were asked to depict the 2021 contest theme “Love Water, Save Water” to illustrate the value of water resources through creative, hand-drawn art.

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California’s Biggest Heat Wave of the Year Heightens Drought and Fire Fears

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith and Lilia Seidman

With a worsening drought gripping the West and wildfire season looming, California is bracing for the most severe heat wave of the year — one that promises to tax the state’s power supplies while also offering a grim preview of challenging months to come.

The heat wave will bring triple-digit temperatures to the valleys and inland regions of Southern California as well as many parts of the rest of the state, heightening fire risks. It comes as parts of Northern and Central California are turning to water restrictions as the drought rapidly alters the landscape.

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‘Dire Situation’: Silicon Valley Cracks Down On Water Use As California Drought Worsens

/in , , /by /The Guardianby Gabrielle Canon

Santa Clara county, the home of Silicon Valley, issued mandatory water restrictions this week during a severe drought that has already reached historic levels.

The move was championed by analysts and researchers who have pushed for more conservation efforts across California amid concerns that the state will fall deeper into a drought disaster through the hot, dry summer and autumn.

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The West is the Driest it’s Been in 1,200 Years – Raising Questions About a Livable Future

/in , , /by /KSBW8by Ben Kesslen

Trees are dying. Riverbeds are empty. Lake Mead’s water level dropped to its lowest point in history, and Utah’s governor asked residents to pray for rain. Water is increasingly scarce in the Western U.S. — where 72 percent of the region is in “severe” drought, 26 percent is in exceptional drought, and populations are booming. Insufficient monsoon rains last summer and low snowpacks over the winter left states like Arizona, Utah and Nevada without the typical amount of water they need, and forecasts for the rainy summer season don’t show promise.

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