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California Experiences its Driest February on Record

In the rolling hills of Fallbrook, California, Joseph Rossi and his family have been growing avocados at Rossi Ranch for 23 years.

The fruit has become so popular they now rely on their farm alone to make a living.

“It’s 100 percent of our income for the past seven years now,” Rossi said.

Is it Safe to Drink Tap Water During Coronavirus? Here’s What SLO Officials Say

San Luis Obispo’s water supply is safe and reliable, according to city officials, who note they’ve had several questions regarding water quality amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In a news release, city officials reassured customers their tap supply “continues to be of the highest quality and is completely safe to drink.”

“There is no threat to your public drinking water supply and no need to use bottled water,” San Luis Obispo officials said in the release.

‘Miracle March’: California’s Sierra Nevada Pummeled by Feet of Snow

Snow has finally diminished a bit after California’s Sierra Nevada picked up several feet of snow, part of a “Miracle March” weather pattern helping to replenish vital, water-providing snowpack after a record-dry February.

Heavy snow began in the Sierra last Saturday and continued through Monday night leading to major travel headaches.

Monday night, a section of Interstate 80 westbound near the California-Nevada state line was closed due to multiple spinouts.

Winter Storm a Massive Boost for Sierra Snowpack

One storm does not make a “Miracle March” but what an impact the last few days have had on the Sierra snowpack.

Continuous snow at Lake Tahoe since Saturday morning has added 13% to the snowpack, according to Jeff Anderson, water supply specialist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Nevada.

“To gain back that amount this time of year is really hard,” Anderson told the Tribune.

‘An Immediate and Dramatic Business Concern’: How COVID-19 is Disrupting the Energy Sector

The economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic could cause widespread disruptions in the energy sector, tightening demand, jeopardizing supply chains, diverting regulatory attention and negating previous growth forecasts for solar and storage deployment, according to financial analysts and industry experts.

The novel coronavirus outbreak will be a “significant global crisis, triggering an economic slowdown” — which will likely affect the broader clean energy transition, including renewables, energy storage, and electric vehicles, analysts at BloombergNEF said in a report published last week.

Water Service Will Continue During Shelter-in-Place

San Jose Water customers will have uninterrupted service and water shutoffs for nonpayment will be suspended while the Bay Area undergoes shelter-in-place orders to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, the utility company announced Monday.

The company’s customer service office at 110 West Taylor St. will be closed beginning Monday, but residents can get support online at . Non-essential service appointments will be canceled, the company said.

Arizona Utilities: Coronavirus Outbreak Won’t Disrupt Power, Water and Internet

Major electric, water, gas and internet utilities said Monday they are well prepared to maintain service in Arizona even as people shift to home-based work and school in the weeks ahead, including many of the utilities’ own employees.

Take Ten Minutes to Track Down Leaks During Fix-A-Leak Week 2020

Easily fixed water leaks in American households account for nearly one trillion gallons of water wasted annually. The average household leaks nearly 10,000 gallons of water every year. This would wash 300 loads of laundry and could cost you an additional 10% on your water bill.

Fix-A-Leak Week 2020 is March 16-22. It was created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is supported by WaterSense partners across the U.S. and Canada, including the San Diego County Water Authority and many of its 24 member agencies.

Coronavirus: Water District Employee Tests Positive, Some Leaders Self-Quarantine

An employee at Silicon Valley’s largest water district has tested positive for coronavirus, and at least eight other employees, including CEO Norma Camacho, entered self-quarantine because of it.

The employee at the Santa Clara Valley Water District — a public agency that provides drinking water and flood protection to 2 million residents from Stanford University to San Jose to Gilroy — works in the communications department.

The employee, who began showing symptoms on March 1 and left work March 2, remains hospitalized. The employee is not involved with the treatment or delivery of drinking water, and that service continues uninterrupted, officials at the district, also known as Valley Water, said Monday.

“As Valley Water continues to monitor the outbreak of COVID-19, we want to reassure our community that this virus is not impacting the safety of your drinking water, or our ability to supply water in Santa Clara County, ” CEO Norma Camacho said in a statement.

Military Bases With Possible PFAS Water Contamination Rise. Is Yours on the List?

The number of known military sites where cancer-linked firefighting foam may have contaminated groundwater across the United States has jumped to 651 from 401, and the cleanup bill will likely cost billions of dollars more than initially estimated, according to a new Pentagon report.

The new report was directed by Defense Secretary Mark Esper as part of his focus on PFAS contamination and lists hundreds of additional locations, many of them Army National Guard sites, in all 50 states where area groundwater may have been contaminated by the chemical compound.