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California Experiences Fifth Straight Month of Below Average Snow, Precipitation

/in , , /by /California Department of Water Resources

The Department of Water Resources today conducted the third manual snow survey of the season at Phillips Station. The manual survey recorded 56 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent (SWE) of 21 inches, which is 86% of average for this location. The SWE measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack and is a key component of DWR’s water supply forecast.

“As California closes out the fifth consecutive dry month of our water year, absent a series of strong storms in March or April we are going to end with a critically dry year on the heels of last year’s dry conditions,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “With back-to-back dry years, water efficiency and drought preparedness are more important than ever for communities, agriculture and the environment.”

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In Rapidly Warming Colorado River Basin, The Negotiating Table Is Being Set

/in , , /by /KUNCby Luke Runyon

Anyone who has hosted a good dinner party knows that the guest list, table setting and topic of conversation play a big role in determining whether the night is a hit or the guests leave angry and unsatisfied.

That concept is about to get a true test on the Colorado River, where chairs are being pulled up to a negotiating table to start a new round of talks that could define how the river system adapts to a changing climate for the next generation.

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North County Residents Frustrated by Spike in Water Bills

/in , /by /Fox5by Misha DiBono

Dozens of residents in North County are complaining about skyrocketing water bills and meter readings they say don’t add up.

FOX 5 was there Tuesday as a Cardiff-by-the-Sea homeowner tried to get answers from the San Dieguito Water District about what’s happening with her bill.

 

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Actually, Pure Water Will Quench Half of San Diego’s Drinking Needs, City Says

/in , , /by /Voice of San Diego by Andrew Keatts, Megan Wood and MacKenzie Elmer Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego announced Tuesday that the system it’s building to purify wastewater well enough for drinking will provide enough water to cover half its population. That’s a significant increase over previous messaging that touted the Pure Water program would cover one third of the city’s water supply by 2035.

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Restricted Season likely with Poor Sacramento and Klamath River Salmon Abundance

/in , /by /The Record Netby Dan Bacher

A forecast of relatively low numbers of Sacramento and Klamath River fall Chinook salmon now swimming in the ocean off the California coast points to restricted ocean and river salmon fishing seasons in 2021.

State and federal fishery managers during the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s salmon fishery information on-line meeting on February 25 forecast an ocean abundance this year of 271,000 adult Sacramento Valley fall Chinook salmon, about 200,000 fish lower than the 2020 estimate.

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Humans Have Completely Transformed How Water Is Stored on Earth

/in , /by /Gizmodoby Molly Taft

Human fingerprints are all over the world’s freshwater. A new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature shows that while human-controlled freshwater sources make up a minimal portion of the world’s ponds, lakes, and rivers, they are responsible more than half of all changes to the Earth’s water system.

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California Attorney General Xavier Becerra Challenges a President Trump-era Rule Weakening of Crucial Requirements that Protect Public from Lead in Drinking Water

/in , /by /Sierra Sun Times

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Monday joined a lawsuit challenging a Trump-era rule revising nationwide standards for controlling and remediating lead in drinking water. While the final rule includes certain necessary updates to the existing standard, these changes are overshadowed by the unlawful weakening of critical requirements and the rule’s failure to protect the public from lead in drinking water to the maximum extent feasible, as required by law. In the lawsuit, the coalition argues that the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) update to the Lead and Copper Rule is arbitrary, capricious, and not in accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act’s prohibition on the weakening of existing drinking water standards.

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Valadao Hopes to Pump Funding Into Water Infrastructure

/in , /by /The Sun-Gazette

Despite taking two years off from Congress, David Valadao (R—Hanford) is getting back to work by introducing new legislation to help keep water flowing in the Central Valley.

Early this month, Valadao introduced the Responsible, No-Cost Extension of Western Water Infrastructure Improvements, or RENEW WIIN, Act, a no-cost, clean extension of operations and storage provisions of the WIIN Act.

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Helix Water District to Help Needy Customers Starting in April

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Karen Pearlman

The Helix Water District Board of Directors last week unanimously approved funding for the district’s first financial customer assistance program, which will help East County residents who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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SD Water Authority Mulls New Aqueduct

/in , , /by /La Mesa Courier

Addressing the San Diego region’s limited local water supplies with innovative ideas is something the San Diego County Water Authority has become known for. Using expertise gained from decades of successful planning and projects, the Water Authority is developing strategies to reduce the future cost of water that sustains the economy and quality of life across the county.

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