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Biden Administration Outlines Options for Addressing Colorado River Water Shortages

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

The Biden administration has announced a range of options for new rules to address chronic water shortages and low reservoir levels on the Colorado River, a vital water source for seven Western states that has dwindled during more than two decades of drought compounded by climate change.

The Interior Department released four alternatives for new long-term rules aimed at dealing with potential shortages after 2026, when the current operating rules expire. The announcement of the proposed alternatives represents one of the Biden administration’s final steps to outline potential paths toward reaching a consensus among California and the six other states, as well as the region’s 30 Native tribes.

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‘Bomb Cyclone’ Brings High Winds and Soaking Rain to Northern California and Pacific Northwest

/in , /by /AP Newsby Hallie Golden and Christopher Weber

What was expected to be one of the strongest storms in the northwest U.S. in decades arrived Tuesday evening, knocking out power and downing trees across the region.

The Weather Prediction Center issued excessive rainfall risks beginning Tuesday and lasting through Friday as the strongest atmospheric river — a large plume of moisture — that California and the Pacific Northwest has seen this season bears down on the region. The storm system is considered a “ bomb cyclone,” which occurs when a cyclone intensifies rapidly.

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Federal Probe Finds Vulnerabilities Across More than 300 US Water Systems

/in , /by /Cybersecurity Diveby David Jones

The report highlights ongoing concerns about the threat of attack targeting the drinking and wastewater utility industry in the U.S. A growing number of utilities have faced attacks from criminal ransomware and state-linked threat groups over the past year, including adversaries linked to Russia, China and Iran.

Just last month American Water Works, the nation’s largest regulated water utility, was targeted in a cyber intrusion and had to take certain systems offline.

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California can Make Climate Policy Decisions Today that Address the Problems of Tomorrow

/in , /by /Cal Mattersby Letitia Grenier

In the wake of one of the most consequential elections in American history, California looms large. What occurs here is happening to roughly one in every eight Americans — and what’s happening in California is climate change.

The summer of 2024 was the hottest on record globally. Here in California, residents sweltered through the hottest July the state had ever experienced. And one of the most important ways California is experiencing climate change is in its water.

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A Committee Meant to Advise San Diego Officials on Water Rates Keeps Canceling Meetings. Here’s Why.

/in , /by /inewssourceby Crystal Niebla

A committee meant to oversee elected officials on how they charge San Diegans for water and sewer services hasn’t been able to do its job due to a lack of members.

The Independent Rates Oversight Committee, or IROC, has served as the official advisory body to the mayor and City Council on issues related to the Public Utilities Department’s operations since 2007. Yet the committee has met just twice this year — even as residents face rising water rates.

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Groundwater Pumping Drives Rapid Sinking in California, Study Shows

/in , /by /Phys Org

A study published Nov. 19 in Communications Earth and Environment shows land in California’s San Joaquin Valley has been sinking at record-breaking rates over the last two decades as groundwater extraction has outpaced natural recharge.

The researchers found that the average rate of sinking for the entire valley reached nearly an inch per year between 2006 and 2022.

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California’s About to Get its First Big Atmospheric River of the Season. Here’s Where it’s Going

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Grace Toohey

The strongest atmospheric river to hit California in months is expected to dump rain and snow across the northern half of the state this week — also bringing high winds and possible flooding — before eventually making its way south, forecasters say.

“This is going to be the first major storm of the season,” said Dial Hoang, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Monterey. The low pressure system off the Pacific Northwest coast driving this storm will begin rapidly intensifying Tuesday — reaching the threshold of a bomb cyclone — which will drastically increase its moisture and strength.

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U.S. to Invest $125M in Water Recycling Projects to Help Drought-Stricken California, Utah

/in , /by /United Press Internationalby Sheri Walsh

The Department of Interior announced Monday that it will invest $125 million to create new recycled sources of water in California and Utah to help both states mitigate ongoing droughts.

The funding — which comes from President Joe Biden’s Investing in America — will support the Interior Department’s new Large-Scale Water Recycling Program, which was launched in 2023. The program will help five communities recycle water supplies by turning unusable water sources into clean, reliable ones.

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As Monumental California Water Law Turns 10, State Leaders Say There’s a Lot Left to Do

/in , /by /CapRadioby Megan Myscofski

California lawmakers passed significant new rules for managing groundwater a decade ago, during a major drought. Since then, the state has continued to see floods and more severe drought.

That’s given state leaders a lot to think about as they evaluate the decade-old policy, which they covered at a Department of Water Resources conference on Monday.

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Santa Fe Irrigation Water Rate Increase to Start in January

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

Santa Fe Irrigation District customers will see an increase to their water rates effective Jan. 1, 2025. According to a news release from the district, 100% of this increase is from the San Diego County Water Authority, the region’s wholesale water provider.

Costs for water purchases from the San Diego Water Authority account for about 50% of Santa Fe Irrigation District’s budget expenditures. The water authority’s rates are increasing by approximately 14.9%  this coming year and will be passed on to Santa Fe Irrigation District (SFID) customers.  According to the release, the authority’s increase is due to a variety of factors including inflationary pressures, debt repayment and climate impacts. This is the first increase of what SDCWA anticipates will be a total of an approximately 40% increase between 2025 and 2027, according to the district.

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