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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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California’s Wet Season Nears an End with Big Concerns About Drought

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

A disappointingly dry February is fanning fears of another severe drought in California, and cities and farms are bracing for problems. In many places, including parts of the Bay Area, water users are already being asked to cut back.

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Without Active Spring Snow, State’s Snowpack on Track to be Below Average

/in , , /by /CBS Denverby Jamie Leary

Colorado’s high country is just weeks away from its average peak snowpack date. Current measurements are on the fast track to coming up short. “Our snowpack has been struggling. We’re close to average, but not quite to average so the likelihood of getting average snowpack is pretty low at this point. It’s most likely that most areas of our state will have a little bit below average snowpack when we end the season,” said Becky Bolinger, Assistant State Climatologist with the Colorado Climate Center at CSU.

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SSJID Worried Drought May be on the Way

/in , , /by /Manteca Bulletinby Dennis Wyatt

The South San Joaquin Irrigation District season is starting March 10 although board members added an asterisk to that decision. Restrictions on water allocation as the irrigation season unfolds loom as a possibility especially if March ends up being mostly dry. The board last week was guided by the conservative outlook the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration posted for its California and Nevada River Forecast that includes the Stanislaus River watershed that the SSJID relies on to make deliveries to farmers irrigating 52,000 acres around Manteca, Ripon, and Escalon as well as deliver drinking water to Manteca, Lathrop, and Tracy.

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Opinion: As Another Dry Year Looms in California, Key Steps Will Make a Resilient Water Future

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Jim Costa and John Garamendi

On issues ranging from climate policy to immigration and health care, the past four years have been full of discord between California and Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, water users throughout California have not escaped the conflict, including in the Central Valley, where our communities have suffered as a result. Now, with drought conditions returning and the impacts of climate change intensifying, it is time to advance a solution for statewide water policy that will transition us from an era of conflict to one of collaboration.

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Folsom Lake Water Level Below Average

/in , /by /KCRA Sacramentoby Brian Hickey

California water managers are pinning their hopes on the month of March to turn around a below-average water year. Many California reservoirs are still well below average as we start, what typically is, the last big wet month of the season. Folsom Lake has 345,609 acre feet of water between its shores — just 64% of where it should be for this time of year and just over a third of the lake’s capacity.

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Carlsbad Flower Fields Open With COVID-19 Restrictions

/in , /by /KPBS San Diegoby Tania Thorne

The Carlsbad Flower Fields are in bloom and open for visitors. Guests wanting to visit the blooming acres of flowers will need to follow some new rules. Reservations to visit the Flower Fields will need to be made online. Tickets will not be sold at the door.

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