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Some California Cities Think They’re Safe from Sea Level Rise. They’re Not, New Research Shows

/in , /by /Phys Orgby Rosanna Xia

Just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, yet a world away from San Francisco, in an unincorporated and oft-overlooked area known as Marin City, sea level rise is rarely the first worry that comes to mind. Traditional flood maps for this predominantly Black and working-class community suggest that the area is safe from rising water until 3 feet or more. But sea level rise is a lot more complicated than just waves breaking over seawalls and beaches disappearing.

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Opinion: RMWD Investments in Natural Gas Benefit Ramona

/in , /by /Ramona Sentinelby David Barnum

The Ramona Municipal Water District has received some inquiries from concerned customers regarding the impact of the SDG&E power outages on RMWD’s water system during fire season and COVID.

As many of us in Ramona are aware, RMWD purchases 100 percent of our water from the San Diego County Water Authority and the water is pumped nearly 1,000 feet “up the hill” to Ramona. During the last several years, RMWD has made several important investments in natural gas technology and emergency generators to provide a second source of power for pumping, improve water reliability, reduce pumping costs and protect Ramona in emergencies.

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San Diego County Supervisors Seek More COVID-Relief, Road Improvements, Other Programs in New Budget

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union Tribuneby Gary Warth

Programs to help renters facing eviction, additional homeless services, and new traffic signals are the additions that San Diego County supervisors are proposing for the budget for the new fiscal year. Supervisors recently heard two days of public testimony about the proposed $6.4 billion budget and are scheduled to deliberate and adopt the spending plan at their next meeting, scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday.

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Water Agencies Help Address California Energy Shortages

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

Water agencies across San Diego County are doing their part to stabilize the state’s power grid during this week’s heatwave by generating hydropower and altering operations to trim electricity demands – and they are offering long-term solutions to reduce future energy shortages.

The California Independent System Operator issued a statewide Flex Alert from Sunday through Wednesday, calling for reduced electricity use in the afternoon and evening to limit power outages. Blackouts could affect hundreds of thousands of San Diego County residents, if extreme heat persists.

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Newsom Declares Statewide Emergency as Fires Burn Across California

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Colleen Shalby, Leila Miller, Rong-Gong Lin II

Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a statewide emergency in order to help California respond to the fires burning across the state amid an extreme heat wave that brought more warnings about power outages on Tuesday.

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Climate Change Hits Home in Colorado with Raging Wildfires, Shrinking Water Flows and Record Heat

/in , , /by /The Denver Postby Bruce Finley

Climate change hit home in Colorado this week, exacerbating multiple environmental calamities: wildfires burning across 135,423 acres, stream flows shrinking to where state officials urged limits on fishing, drought wilting crops, and record temperatures baking heat-absorbing cities.

This is what scientists, for decades, have been warning would happen.

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Carlsbad Desalination Plant Cuts Output to Conserve Electricity Amid Heat Wave

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority said Tuesday production has been cut back at the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant to conserve electricity and prevent rolling blackouts during the statewide heat wave.

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California Again Avoids Rolling Blackouts as Conservation Measures Kick In

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby J.D. Morris

California avoided another round of rolling blackouts Tuesday as power conservation efforts helped stave off an energy shortage while excessive heat continued to plague the state.

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The Grizzly Creek Fire is Threatening the Colorado River and Water for the Entire West

/in , , /by /The Colorado Sunby Jason Blevins and Jennifer Brown

White River National Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams was driving home from vacation on Aug. 10 when he glanced up and saw the plumes billowing out of Glenwood Canyon and knew a historic wildfire was coming.

It wasn’t just that the flames licking up the craggy canyon walls were threatening homes, a railroad, a major highway and a power plant. It’s that the now 25,000-acre-and-growing Grizzly Creek Fire was burning in the municipal water supply of Glenwood Springs and in the headwaters of the Colorado River watershed, which eventually slakes more than 40 million downstream users.

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This Madera County Community is Running Out of Water — and the Only Well Might Fail

/in , /by /The Fresno Beeby Monica Vaughan

Residents of Fairmead, California worry they are on the brink of losing water service, as the town’s only community well shows signs it may fail before a new one can be built.

After years of planning, the Madera County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 11 approved an engineering contract to design and manage upgrades to the system, including a new well to serve more than 500 people connected to the community water system.

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