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Biden Administration Inks Deals to Bring Major Relief to Colorado River’s Biggest Reservoir

/in , /by /The Hillby Sharon Udasin

The Biden administration and southwestern Colorado River users have partnered on a large-scale conservation effort poised to bring significant relief to the region’s key reservoir, officials announced Wednesday.

The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation and Southern California stakeholders signed two short-term “Bucket 1” agreements — funded by the Inflation Reduction Act — to conserve more than 717,000 acre-feet of water by 2026.

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Retirements by Water and Wastewater Plant Operators are Leading to Workforce Shortages

/in , /by /Detroit Public Radioby Lester Graham

Across the U.S., drinking water and wastewater utilities are losing experienced workers at an escalating rate. It’s part of the “silver tsunami” of baby boomer retirements.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that “silver tsunami” is just beginning to sweep across the nation.

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OPINION: Yes on Proposition 4 Now or Pay More Later

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Laura Engeman and Christopher Anthony

Changing climate conditions are affecting our health, lives and economy. Just consider what San Diegans endured over the last year.

In recent weeks, a prolonged heat wave kept temperatures in the three-digit range, toxic smoke migrating from wildfires up north prompted air quality alerts, and area hillsides thick with dry brush caught fire. In January, nearly 1,200 people were displaced from flooding after 150 billion gallons of rain fell in six hours.

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California Cracks Down on Another Central Valley Farm Area for Groundwater Depletion

/in , /by /Phys Orgby Ian James

California water regulators are cracking down on a second farming area in the San Joaquin Valley for failing to take adequate steps to curb overpumping that is depleting groundwater, causing the land to sink and damaging a canal that transports water for 1 million acres of farmland and more than 250,000 people.

The State Water Resources Control Board has voted unanimously to place the Tule groundwater subbasin on probationary status, a step that brings additional state oversight, new water fees and requirements for most well owners to report how much they are pumping.

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Top Aide to San Diego Mayor Gloria Tapped as Water Authority Board Chair

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Jennifer Vigil

A prominent aide to San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria will start a two-year term as chair of the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors on Oct. 1.

Nick Serrano, Gloria’s deputy chief of staff, has served as vice chair of the board for the past two years while representing the city. He was unanimously elected as chair Thursday and will serve with incoming vice chair Frank Hilliker from the Lakeside Water District, and incoming secretary Joy Lyndes from the San Dieguito Water District.

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Drinking Wastewater, Building an Island from Scratch and Creating an Urban Forest: 3 Bold Ways Cities are Already Adapting to Climate Change

/in , /by /Live Scienceby Meg Duff

Milan’s marble facades and narrow, stone-paved streets look elegant and timeless. But all of that stone emits heat and does nothing to absorb rain, and temperatures and flooding in the posh Italian city are only predicted to increase in the coming decades.

In Jakarta, black floodwaters already rush into homes every winter along the Indonesian city’s many rivers. That water is filled with sewage and harbors disease, but many people can’t afford to move. Soon, climate change will put more of Jakarta — and many other low-lying cities — below sea level.

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Nick Serrano to Lead Water Authority

/in , /by /Voice of San Diego Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s deputy chief of staff, Nick Serrano takes over as leader of the governing board for the region’s major water wholesaler.

The board of the San Diego County Water Authority voted Thursday to elect Serrano as chair, installing Lakeside Water District representative Frank Hillaker as vice chair and San Dieguito Water District representative Joy Lyndes as Secretary. Serrano took over the top board spot after serving as vice chair under the former leader, Mel Katz, a Del Mar representative, as is general practice for power succession at the Water Authority.

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Peters’ Bill to Streamline Permit Renewal for Wastewater Plant Passes in Committee

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Jennifer Vigil

The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure voted 57-7 on Wednesday to advance Rep. Scott Peters’ bipartisan Ocean Pollution Reduction Act II.

The legislation would simplify the city of San Diego’s permitting process to operate the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant, which will allow the city to move forward with its water-recycling project, Pure Water.

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Imperial Irrigation District Sued Over Colorado River Conservation Plan

/in , /by /Fox 5/KUSIby Danielle Dawson

The Sierra Club is suing the Imperial Irrigation District over its latest Colorado River water conservation agreement, arguing the plan would accelerate shrinking of the Salton Sea and harm neighboring communities’ health.

Announced last Friday, the lawsuit against the district and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, contends that a plan to temporarily forgo hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of water from the depleted river failed to adequately consider its impact on the largest lake in the region.

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California Ballot Asks Voters to Invest in Climate Solutions

/in , /by /Inside Climate Newsby Liza Gross

Following yet another year of brutal heatwaves and devastating wildfires, Californians have the chance to tell elected officials they support urgent climate action by voting for a $10 billion climate resilience bond on the November ballot.

During an unprecedented budget surplus two years ago, California earmarked $54 billion to forge “an oil-free future” and protect residents from the extreme effects of climate change. That surplus morphed into a multibillion-dollar deficit within a year, after rosy projections of rising revenues from income taxes failed to materialize, forcing Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers to cut and defer billions from their ambitious climate spending plans.

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