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Officials Warn Colorado River Levels Could Fluctuate to Meet Summer Energy Needs

/in , , /by /KNAU Arizona Public Radioby Ryan Heinsius

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation recommends river runners secure their vessels to withstand changing levels and campers should set up tents in areas out of reach of the river. Officials plan to release higher-than-normal amounts of water from Glen Canyon Dam, possibly without notice, which will cause rapid changes to the Colorado River’s flow.

The Western Area Power Administration says there’s a possibility that Glen Canyon Dam will be needed to augment regional power supplies in the event of a system emergency. Releases could last a couple hours or even longer and the fluctuations will be more noticeable on weekends.

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SDG&E Customers Will Receive $64 in Carbon Offset Credits

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

San Diego Gas & Electric residential customers will see their electricity bills reduced by $32.28 in both August and September thanks to a climate credit program. Designed to fight climate change, the California Climate Credit will come from a state program that requires power plants, natural gas providers and other large industries that emit greenhouse gases to buy carbon pollution permits. The credit on customers’ bills is their share of the payments from the state’s program.

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Panel Approves Energy, Land and Water Bills

/in , /by /E&E Newsby Tamara Ward

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee approved several bills yesterday to address tribal energy, land and water resources. Lawmakers approved Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Minnesota Democratic Sen. Tina Smith’s S. 2610 to reauthorize and reform the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs within the Department of Energy.

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CDC Scientists Discuss Wastewater-Based Epidemiology

/in , , /by /Water Environment Federationby Justin Jacques

Studying concentrations of pathogens in wastewater — a practice known as wastewater-based epidemiology — is a time-honored approach to gathering crucial public health data that traditional approaches might miss. During the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are partnering with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish a formalized, federal-led approach to WBE over the next 18 months.

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How a Tiny Fish is Helping Utah and the West Tackle Big Questions About the Colorado River’s Future

/in , /by /The Salt Lake Tribune (Inside ClimateNews)by Judy Fahys

Charismatic is hardly the best word to describe the humpback chub, a fish with a frowny eel face jammed onto a sport fish body in a way that suggests evolution has a sense of humor. Nor did tastiness build a fan base for this “trash fish” across its natural habitat throughout the Colorado River Basin. But, in 1973, the humpback chub became famous by winning federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.

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Family Project Wins Vista Irrigation District 2020 WaterSmart Landscape Contest

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

Two Vista homeowners received recognition from the Vista Irrigation District Board of Directors for their entries in the District’s 2020 WaterSmart Landscape Contest at its July board meeting.

The annual contest recognizes outstanding waterwise residential landscapes. Winners were selected based on the criteria of overall attractiveness, appropriate plant selection, design, appropriate maintenance, and efficient methods of irrigation.

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Newsom Lays Out Big Dreams for California’s Water Future

/in , , /by /Courthouse News Serviceby Nick Cahill

Touting ways to shield California’s most precious resource from climate change, Governor Gavin Newsom released strategies Tuesday to improve drinking water quality, revive a stalled multibillion-dollar tunnel and build new dams.

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The New Water Wars

/in , , /by /Politicoby Annie Snider, Catherine Boudreau, Nancy Vu, Debra Kahn

The coronavirus economic crash is tightening the financial vise on utilities that supply water and sanitation across the country, potentially putting water companies on the verge of financial insolvency while millions of Americans struggle to pay their utility bills.

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Controversial Poseidon Desalination Plant in Huntington Beach Set for Hearings This Week

/in , , /by /Daily Pilot (Orange County)by Matt Szabo

Poseidon Water’s seawater desalination plant in Huntington Beach, first proposed in 1998, could be getting closer to beginning construction after more than two decades.

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IID Files Opening Brief in Lawsuit Against MWD

/in , , /by /The Desert Reviewby Betty Miller

Following the Imperial Irrigation District’s recent win on a monumental water case in California’s appellate court against Michael Abatti, the water district is back in court filing the opening brief against the other large water district is Southern California, the Metropolitan Water District.

Last March, MWD took the unprecedented move to cut IID out of intrastate negotiations on the Drought Contingency Plan, promising to pay IID’s water bill to Lake Mead if water elevations shrank to 1,074 feet, triggering California’s response to the drought.

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