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Wildfires Emerge as Threat to Water Quantity Across Parched West

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Bobby Magill

As the largest wildfire in Colorado history spread beyond 200,000 acres, Mark Kempton began to worry it would incinerate so much of the Fort Collins watershed that the city would be unable to guarantee water to its residents.

When the spring rains come next year, ash and debris will pour down the slopes of the Rocky Mountains and clog the city’s water intake on the Cache la Poudre River, said Kempton, interim director of Fort Collins Utilities, which oversees the water supply for Colorado’s fourth-largest city.

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2020 Delivers Setbacks For Some Long-Planned Western Water Projects

/in , , /by /KUNC Coloradoby Luke Runyon

2020 has been a tough year for some of the Colorado River basin’s long-planned, most controversial water projects.

Proposals to divert water in New Mexico, Nevada and Utah have run up against significant legal, financial and political roadblocks this year. But while environmental groups have cheered the setbacks, it’s still unclear whether these projects have truly hit dead ends or are simply waiting in the wings.

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Sempra Funds Salk Institute Project to Capture and Store Carbon in Plants

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Debbie Sklar

A project announced Monday by Sempra Energy and the Salk Institute seeks to advance plant-based carbon capture and sequestration research to help address the looming climate crisis. San Diego-based Sempra donated $2 million to the Salk Institute to help fund the five-year project.

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Report: Oroville Dam Safe, but Still Vulnerable

/in , , /by /KRCR (Redding, Calif.)by Austin Herbaugh

It appears that repair work on the Oroville Dam’s damaged spillways has paid off.

A team of experts released their findings Monday, concluding that no urgent repairs are needed right now on the Oroville Dam. The report goes on to say that the largest earthen dam in America is safe to operate. However, the Oroville Dam is not completely in the clear.

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State Shares Framework for New Surface Water Quality Protections

/in , , /by /Arizona Public Mediaby Ariana Brocious

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is beginning to draft a set of regulations to protect surface water following the Trump administration’s rollback of the Clean Water Act.

The changes that took effect in June significantly narrow the list of waters that receive federal protection from pollution and contaminants, known as “waters of the U.S.” or the acronym “WOTUS.” And that leaves a big regulatory gap in Arizona, which currently has no surface water protection program.

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California’s Climate Agenda Likely to Get Gig Boost from Biden — Look for Reversal of Trump Policies

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

California’s war with Washington over the environment will soon come to an end.

The legal wrangling that sparked 57 environmental lawsuits against the Trump administration — for loosening policies on everything from automobile pollution to pesticide use and salmon conservation — should turn to consensus and cooperation.

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Rainbow to Conduct Pilot Project Test for Cured-in-Place Lining

/in , , /by /Fallbrook Village Newsby Joe Naiman

The Rainbow Municipal Water District will be conducting a test of cured-in-place lining for water transmission pipe.

A 4-0 Rainbow board vote Oct. 27, with Helene Brazier not able to participate in the meeting, approved the professional services agreement with Sanexen Water, Inc., for $74,800 and appropriated that amount from the water capital fund for the project’s budget.

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2020 Urban Water Management Plan Underway

/in , , /by /Water News Network Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

An update to the plan for meeting the region’s long-term water needs is under development by the San Diego County Water Authority, in collaboration with its 24 member agencies. Once completed, the Water Authority’s 2020 Urban Water Management Plan will serve as the long-term guide to ensure a reliable water supply that sustains the region’s 3.3 million residents and its $245 billion economy.

The Water Authority Board of Directors’ Water Planning and Environment Committee is holding a special online meeting at 1:30 p.m. on November 12 for an update on the developing plan.

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Sierra Nevada Sees First Snow of the Season. Expect a Cold Snap in the Sacramento Valley

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Vincent Moleski

Cold weather is headed toward Northern California, with forecasters warning of severe weather in the Sierra Nevada as the first snow of the season touches down on the peaks, and frosty temperatures in the Sacramento Valley.

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Experts Distrust the Tap, but Prefer it to Bottles

/in , , /by /E&E Newsby Ariel Wittenberg

There could be lead in your tap water. There could be PFAS in your bottled water. Microplastics might be in both. Do you choose neurotoxic heavy metals or carcinogenic “forever chemicals?”

That’s the predicament facing Americans every time they take a drink of water.

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