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New State Water Regulations Cause Angst on All Sides

/in , /by /Bakersfield.comby Lois Henry

A new set of water regulations aimed at protecting California’s native fish came down from the state earlier this week to near universal condemnation from both agricultural and environmental water folks.

The regulations are contained in a 143-page “incidental take permit” issued by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife that lays out when — and how much — water can be pumped out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta by the State Water Project.

Agricultural contractors who get water from the project fear they could lose up to 300,000 acre-feet a year under the new permit.

Environmentalists say the permit gives a “free pass” to pumpers and is a path to extinction for native fish.
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Customer Thanks Vallecitos Water District Employees for Their Efforts

/in , , /by /Water News Network

Most Americans take a safe and reliable water supply for granted. Dedicated water and wastewater professionals, including Vallecitos Water District employees, work to provide a secure, plentiful supply of drinking water.

Vallecitos Water District customer Manisha Bambhania has a deeper appreciation. A native of India, Bambhania grew up in a home where running water was only available three hours per day, and sometimes much less.

Bambhania frequently posted favorable comments on Vallecitos Water District Facebook posts.

“She would commonly write words like, ‘We all need to conserve, regardless of the drought,’ or ‘Thank you for all you do. We are so grateful for the services you are providing,’” said Public Information Representative Lisa Urabe.

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Some Local Agencies Are No Longer Responding to Public Records Requests

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Ashly McGlone

Most government agencies across the region are no longer providing records to the public as is typically required under a state law known as the California Public Records Act amid the coronavirus pandemic. Even requests for records related to the crisis that exist electronically are being largely denied indefinitely.

Operations at cities, school districts, special districts and county agencies have wound down or gone remote in compliance with public health orders to shelter at home as much as possible to slow the spread of the virus.

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Consultant Predicts a Post-Coronavirus ‘Construction Tsunami’ Copy

/in , , /by /Construction Diveby Jenn Goodman

President Donald Trump’s decision this week to extend the country’s social distancing guidelines until April 30 was based partly on data from statistical models that predict the peaks and plateaus of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S.

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There’s No Need to Stockpile Water During Coronavirus Pandemic

/in , , /by /Whittier Daily Newsby Vera Robles and Rob Katherman

During the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, worried consumers have been snapping up bottled water as soon as it hits grocery store shelves.

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Water District, Local Business Donate More than 50,000 Masks During Coronavirus Outbreak

/in , , /by /NBC 3 News Las Vegasby Tiffany Lane

More than 50,000 masks are in the hands of people who need them the most, our first responders and medical professionals in the Las Vegas valley.

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Unsung Heroes: Carlsbad’s Desalination Plant Workers

/in , , /by /CBS 8 (San Diego)by Angie Lee

The Carlsbad Desalination Plant turns seawater into clean safe drinking water.

In an effort to keep delivering 50 million gallons of fresh water to the county daily the plant has gone on complete lockdown.

As of March 19, 10 workers volunteered to quarantine themselves inside the Carlsbad plant for the next three weeks. The company said workers will continue to monitor and adjust gauges and switches, watching for leaks – doing whatever is needed to safeguard San Diego County’s only significant local source of drinking water.

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Consultant Predicts a Post-Coronavirus ‘Construction Tsunami’

/in , /by /Construction Diveby Jenn Goodman

President Donald Trump’s decision this week to extend the country’s social distancing guidelines until April 30 was based partly on data from statistical models that predict the peaks and plateaus of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S.

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California’s Winter Goes Down as one of the Driest, Thin Snowpack Shows

/in , /by /The San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

When California snow surveyors trekked into the Sierra Nevada on Wednesday, they officially logged this past winter as one of the driest in state history.

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NASA, University of Nebraska Release New Global Groundwater Maps and U.S. Drought Forecasts

/in , /by /NASAby Ellen Gray

NASA researchers have developed new satellite-based, weekly global maps of soil moisture and groundwater wetness conditions and one to three-month U.S. forecasts of each product. While maps of current dry/wet conditions for the United States have been available since 2012, this is the first time they have been available globally.

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