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Study: Warming Makes US West Megadrought Worst in Modern Age

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Seth Borenstein

A two-decade-long dry spell that has parched much of the western United States is turning into one of the deepest megadroughts in the region in more than 1,200 years, a new study found.

And about half of this historic drought can be blamed on man-made global warming, according to a study in Thursday’s journal Science.

Scientists looked at a nine-state area from Oregon and Wyoming down through California and New Mexico, plus a sliver of southwestern Montana and parts of northern Mexico. They used thousands of tree rings to compare a drought that started in 2000 and is still going — despite a wet 2019 — to four past megadroughts since the year 800.

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Opinion: California Water Policies Inhibit Food Production by Valley Farmers

/in , , /by /CalMattersby William Bourdeau

Over the past several weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic has created images Americans never expected to see in this country: Empty supermarket shelves and people lined up outside of markets waiting to enter to purchase food.

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RMWD Implements Plan to Dissolve Some Untreated Water Delivery

/in , , /by /Ramona Sentinelby Julie Gallant

In an effort to save costs and reduce the impacts of declining untreated water sales, the Ramona Municipal Water District (RMWD) recently approved of implementing a three-phase strategy for converting from an untreated water system to treated, and in some cases, recycled water systems.

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106,000 American Clean Energy Jobs Were Lost in March

/in , /by /pv magazineby Tim Sylvia

The dramatic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic have hit every sector of the U.S. economy hard, with renewable energy being no exception. Today, BW Research released an analysis of unemployment data that shows more than 106,000 clean energy workers lost their jobs in the month of March.

Those 106,000 job losses represent a 3% loss in employment across the clean energy industry. In 2019, the clean energy industry added more than 70,000 jobs for a 2.2% growth rate, one which outpaced the U.S. workforce as a whole. The renewable energy generation sector alone lost 16,500 jobs.

The analysis, coupled with forecasts from industry trade groups and companies, led BW Research to the conclusion that, if no actions are taken quickly to support the industry, up to 500,000 jobs could be lost — or almost 15% of the clean energy workforce.

Broken down by state, California experienced the largest number of layoffs, losing 19,900 jobs, which equates to more than 3.5% of its clean energy workforce.

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San Diego Mayor Proposing Deep Cuts to Close $250M Revenue Gap During Pandemic

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union Tribuneby David Garrick

Plummeting tax revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer to propose sharp spending cuts in response to a projected $250 million budget gap.

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Opinion: For California’s Water, a Tale of Two Letters

/in , /by /The Sunby Wayne Western

Two weeks after the State of California rolled out its plan that spells the end of coordinated distribution of the state’s water resources from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California Democrats in Congress have finally spoken out, sort of.

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Power Shutoff Bans Amid Pandemic May Require Cost Recovery for Utilities

/in , , /by /Utility Diveby John Funk

More than 100 members of Congress, including 15 senators, are pressing the House and Senate leadership to include language in the next COVID-19 funding package prohibiting utilities from disconnecting customers who may not be able to pay their bills now or immediately after the crisis that has closed businesses and thrown millions out of work.

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Unexpected Coronavirus Consequence; People Clogging Sewage Systems With Disinfectant Wipes

/in , , /by /KCLU (Thousand Oaks, Calif.)by Lance Orozco

It seems like the thing to do.  You use a disinfectant wet wipe, and you toss it in the toilet.  Right?  That’s actually wrong.  It’s an issue causing problems for wastewater treatment systems on the Central and South Coasts.  People are using wet wipes in record numbers because of coronavirus.  But, they can create problems for your sewer system, and for wastewater treatment facilities.

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San Diego Property Owners With Rain Damage Asked To Complete Survey

/in , , /by /Patch

A heavy week-long storm April 5-10 resulted in flooding and water damage for many homes and businesses. If your property or small business sustained damage from the rain, the County would like your help to estimate rain damages in our region.

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Orange County’s Water Importer Backs Off Proposals After Widespread Opposition

/in , , /by /The Orange County Registerby Martin Wisckol

Facing objections from water districts throughout Orange County, the agency that sells imported water to those districts has backed off — at least temporarily — on two proposals that critics said overstepped its mission and the appropriate bounds of its authority.

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