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New Imperial Irrigation Board Seated Amid Tensions Over Labor Agreement

/in , /by /Palm Spring Desert Sunby Mark Olalde

Sparks were flying even before the Imperial Irrigation District’s newly elected directors were sworn in, and questions remain as to how the board’s two newest faces will fit into the powerful, five-member panel.

Community activist Javier Gonzalez’s and 24-year-old JB Hamby’s tenure got off to a rocky start on Dec. 4, as both skipped their official swearing-in ceremony because the district barred them from bringing guests due to COVID-19 precautions. Instead they held their own event in front of several dozen supporters, overseen by a superior court judge, on the steps of the Imperial County courthouse, which Hamby said was legally allowed under the California Water Code.

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Feds to Delay Seeking Legal Protection for Monarch Butterfly

/in , /by /AP Newsby John Flesher

Federal officials on Tuesday declared the monarch butterfly “a candidate” for threatened or endangered status, but said no action would be taken for several years because of the many other species waiting for that designation.

Environmentalists said delaying that long could spell disaster for the beloved black-and-orange butterfly, once a common sight in backyard gardens, meadows and other landscapes now seeing its population dwindling.

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‘We Need Water to Survive’: Hopi Tribe Pushes for Solutions in Long Struggle for Water

/in , /by /Arizona Centralby Ian James

Some Hopi families don’t have running water. Many others have water tainted with arsenic. Steps toward fixes are finally taking shape.

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Carlsbad Desalination Plant Celebrates 5th Anniversary

/in , /by /Water News Networkby Ed Joyce Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant is celebrating its fifth year of operation this month. More than 65 billion gallons of water from the plant have provided a sustainable and reliable supply to businesses and residents of San Diego County since December 2015.

The Carlsbad Desalination Plant produces more than 50 million gallons of high-quality, locally controlled, water every day. It’s a foundational water supply for the San Diego region that minimizes the region’s vulnerability to drought or other water supply emergencies.

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Mona Rios Elected Vice Chair of Water Authority Board

/in , /by /Water News Network

The San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors on Thursday elected Mona Rios as vice chair to serve with Board Chair Gary Croucher and Secretary Jerry Butkiewicz. She is the first Latina to serve as a Board officer in the Water Authority’s 76-year history.

Rios joined the Water Authority Board in January 2020, and represents the City of National City, where she serves as the Vice Mayor. A fourth-generation National City resident, Rios has served on the National City Council since 2010. She is a member of the Water Authority Board’s Legislation and Public Outreach Committee and the Water Planning and Environmental Committee.

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Opinion: Poseidon Would Bring Jobs and Water to Orange County

/in , /by /Los Angeles Times by Gloria Alvarado

We’ve seen this story before: What do you do when someone doesn’t have science on their side? You make up a conspiracy story. And better yet, you try to piggyback on a politically charged conspiracy theory with no ties to reality.

And that’s exactly what Gary Brown attempts to do in his opinion piece regarding the Poseidon project, “Governor’s talk on environment falls short when it comes to the Poseidon project,” Dec. 3.

He claims that desalination is somehow tied to a bigger conspiracy involving Gov. Gavin Newsom and shady backroom politics. Well, hang on to your tinfoil hat. There’s no government conspiracy here — it’s actual science.

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National City’s Mona Rios is First Latina to Serve as Water Authority Officer

/in , /by /Times of San Diego

The San Diego County Water Authority’s board of directors has elected National City representative Mona Rios as vice chair.

Rios, who has served on National City’s city council since 2010 and is currently vice mayor, is the first Latina to serve as a board officer in the water authority’s 76-year history. She joined the board last January

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Opinion: Colorado’s Intensifying Drought Conditions Call for Urgent Collaboration

/in , /by /The Colorado Sunby John Stulp and Russell George

Without a doubt, 2020 has been hot and dry in Colorado. The entire state and its nearly 5.8 million residents are living in drought conditions as evidenced by the record-breaking fire season, low river flows and shrinking water supplies. The entire Colorado River Basin within Colorado is experiencing “extreme” or “exceptional” drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

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SCWD to Receive $8.3M From Feds For Desalination Project

/in , /by /Laguna Beach Independentby Daniel Langhorne

South Coast Water District is set to receive an $8.3 million federal grant for the Doheny Ocean Desalination project secured during the previous round of funding, a district spokesperson said Wednesday. The grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation was green lighted by Congress in 2019. SCWD is in line to receive an additional $11.7 million grant for the desalination project that could potentially be approved by lawmakers this year or next.

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UN Warns New Water Futures May Spark Bubble for Vital Resource

/in , /by /Bloombergby Megan Durisin

The United Nations said Wall Street’s new water futures risk an essential public good being treated like gold and oil, leaving the market vulnerable to a speculative bubble. CME Group Inc.’s new contract — which debuted this week — could lure interest from hedge funds and banks alongside farmers, factories and utilities looking to lock in prices, said Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, the UN’s special rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation.

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