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IID Approves Controversial Land Deal Near Salton Sea for Construction of ‘Inland Port’

/in , , /by /Palm Springs Desert Sunby Mark Olaide

The Imperial Irrigation District board of directors voted this week to approve an option to sell 2,880 acres near Niland and Calipatria to a Moreno Valley-based developer for the construction of an “inland port.”

The board postponed action on the deal in December and called for more information and new terms, which IID staff presented before Tuesday’s vote. By a 4-1 vote, the board approved the amended deal, with President Norma Sierra Galindo as the lone vote in opposition.

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Trump Outlines Administration’s Work on Agriculture

/in , /by /Ag Alert (Sacramento, Calif.)by Dave Kranz

Saying he had kept his promise to do everything at his disposal “to protect the American farmer and restore the full strength of American agriculture,” President Donald Trump described actions his administration has taken on trade, regulatory reform and other fronts on behalf of farmers and ranchers.

Trump spoke Sunday to the American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention in Austin, Texas—the third year in a row the president has spoken to the nation’s largest farm organization. He also pledged to return to next year’s AFBF convention, which will be held in San Diego.

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Opinion: Voluntary Agreements are a Better Plan for California

/in , /by /Association of California Water Agencies by Dave Eggerton and Mark Biddlecomb

Gov. Gavin Newsom has consistently expressed support for successful completion of voluntary agreements as a path forward in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta. The California Natural Resources Agency and California Environmental Protection Agency recently described collaborative, voluntary agreements as a “game changer” for the environment. We strongly agree, and stand ready in bringing proactive decision makers to the table for the management of water in the Delta and its tributaries.

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Could Sacramento Flood Like New Orleans? It’s Possible, but Water Managers are Trying to Make It Less Likely.

/in , /by /CapRadio (Sacramento, Calif.)by Ezra David Romero

Three years ago, water began seeping out of yards and pooling in roadways in the Sacramento Pocket neighborhood.

But the water wasn’t from a recent storm.

“It hadn’t rained for a couple of weeks,” said Rick Johnson, executive director of the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency.

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Rain and Snow Return, but it Won’t be Enough to Quench Northern California’s Needs

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

More rain and snow area headed to Northern California on Tuesday, although the storm won’t be nearly enough to make up for what’s been a relatively dry January.

The National Weather Service said rain is expected to start falling at around 7 a.m. Tuesday, just in time for the morning commute. Light snow should hit the Sierra Nevada a couple of hours later, said NWS forecaster Craig Shoemaker.

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Opinion: Cross-Border Sewage Spills Are an Emergency – It’s Time for the County to Treat Them Like One

/in , , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Rafael Castellanos

We all know what rolls downhill and smells bad. Nowhere is it more true than in the Tijuana River Valley in southern San Diego County, where for years toxic cross-border sewage spills have created the biggest ongoing water pollution and environmental justice crisis in the United States. While some progress has been made in recent negotiations with Mexico to fund solutions, it could take years to realize significant improvements.

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Water District Elects Officers, Approves Million-Dollar Contracts

/in , /by /Ramona Sentinelby Julie Gallant

A new slate of officers were ushered in to the Ramona Municipal Water District (RMWD) Jan. 14 just before its board of directors approved two construction contracts estimated to cost more than $1 million apiece.

RMWD Board President Jim Robinson was an easy choice to serve a second term as the board’s president. He quickly received unanimous support among the four directors present, with Vice President Jim Hickle absent.

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California Needs Clean Energy After Sundown. Geothermal Could be the Answer

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Sammy Roth

After years of playing third fiddle to solar and wind power, geothermal energy is poised to start growing again in California.

Three local energy providers have signed contracts this month for electricity from new geothermal power plants, one in Imperial County near the Salton Sea and the other in Mono County along the Eastern Sierra. The new plants will be the first geothermal facilities built in California in nearly a decade — potentially marking a long-awaited turning point for a technology that could play a critical role in the state’s transition to cleaner energy sources.

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Trump Admin Fast-Tracks Colorado River Pipeline

/in , , /by /E&E News by Jeremy P. Jacobs

The Trump administration has put one of the largest new water projects on the Colorado River on the fast track, raising concerns among environmentalists.

Utah first proposed building a 140-mile pipeline from Lake Powell on the Utah-Arizona border more than a decade ago. The plan, however, was waylaid by environmental and other reviews during the Obama administration.

But last fall, the Utah Division of Water Resources updated the proposal, removing a hydropower plant and cutting $100 million from its price tag.

The move also changed which federal agency had jurisdiction over it — from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to the Bureau of Reclamation.

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Wildlife Protected for New Underground Reservoir Project

/in , , /by /Water News Networkby Kristiene Gong Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

One by one, small mammals and amphibians living within a construction zone in Mission Trails Regional Park are being relocated to safe areas. Protecting sensitive species is one part of the Mission Trails Project.

A team of biologists from the San Diego County Water Authority, AECOM, and the San Diego Natural History Museum began surveying for and relocating the wildlife in preparation for a new underground reservoir. The reservoir will be constructed in the western portion of the park. The habitat surveys and wildlife relocation program span 15 acres of the park and are designed to protect sensitive species in the project area from construction activities.

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