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One Issue will Decide Arizona’s Future. Nobody’s Campaigning on it.

/in , /by /AZ Mirrorby Jake Bittle

The morning temperature is nearing 100 degrees Fahrenheit as Keith Seaman sweats beneath his bucket hat, walking door to door through the cookie-cutter blocks of a subdivision in Casa Grande, Arizona. Seaman, a Democrat who represents this Republican-leaning area in the state’s House of Representatives, is trying to retain a seat he won by a margin of around 600 votes just two years ago.

He wants to know what issues matter most to his constituents, but most of them don’t answer the door, or they say they’re too busy to talk. Those that do answer tend to mention standard campaign issues like rising prices and education — which Seaman, a former public school teacher, is only too happy to discuss.

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RIP, Los Vaqueros

/in , /by /Politicoby Camille Von Kaenel

With cities and farmers across the state trying to secure water supplies in an age of climate change extremes, the expansion of Los Vaqueros Reservoir was supposed to be a slam dunk.

Water agencies looking to it as a beacon of what’s still possible as supplies dwindle and costs rise are still scratching their heads at its unexpected demise last month.

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California Reservoirs are Full, but Water Politics May Trump Hydrology

/in , /by /Mountain View Voice

Most of us operate on the calendar year — the 12 months that begin on January 1 and end on December 31. Many governments and major corporations use the fiscal year — typically beginning on July 1 and running until June 30 of the following year. However the federal government’s fiscal year, which began on July 1 for 132 years, was shifted in 1974 to an October 1 start to accommodate federal officials’ insistence on a month-long escape from Washington’s steamy summer weather.

In California, the most important calendar may be the “water year,” which also begins on October 1, because how much the state’s reservoirs have in storage and how much nature provides in the form of rain and snow are existential factors in the lives of nearly 40 million people.

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California Increases Fines for Unauthorized Water Diversions and Uses

/in , /by /The National Law Reviewby Tara E. Paul and Ryan Chen

As California prepares for future cycles of water scarcity, the Legislature continues to prioritize enhancing regulations to address critical water supply needs, secure the rights of diverse water holders, and protect essential environmental resources.

On September 22, 2024, Governor Newsom signed AB 460 into law, a bill that significantly increases fines for unauthorized water diversions and other violations of state orders related to water use.

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Proposition 4 Climate Bond Seeks to Avoid Future Costs with Current Investment

/in , /by /The Press Democratby Mary Callahan

A bond measure on the Nov. 5 ballot that would provide $10 billion dollars for climate mitigation and resiliency projects around California gives voters a pretty stark choice, according to supporters. Pay now, or pay later.

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California Water Agency Extends Manager’s Leave of Absence While Investigation Continues

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

The board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California voted to allow more time to complete an investigation into accusations against General Manager Adel Hagekhalil, who was placed on leave more than four months ago in response to harassment allegations by the agency’s chief financial officer.

The board’s decision will extend Hagekhalil’s leave of absence until an investigator has finished interviews and submitted a report on the findings.

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PODCAST: How U.S. Water Infrastructure Became a ‘Huge’ Cyber Target

/in , /by /Statescoop

On the latest episode of StateScoop’s Priorities podcast, Samuel Alva, a technical adviser with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, explains the “huge” threat facing the nation’s tens of thousands of water utilities, and what they can do to protect themselves. “Water is a single point of failure. So that’s why it has been under attack,” he says.

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Biden Administration Punts on Big Colorado River Move

/in , /by /Politicoby Annie Snider

The Biden administration has told Colorado River negotiators it no longer plans to issue its draft set of plans for managing the waterway in December, leaving the next major move in the battle over the West’s most important river to the next president.

The federal plans for the waterway are of increasing importance since the seven states that share it are deadlocked over new rules to govern the river after 2026. The Interior Department’s Bureau of Reclamation had said for months that it intended to issue them as part of a draft environmental impact statement at the end of the year.

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San Diego Issues $25,000 Credit for Erroneous Water Bill to 84-Year-Old Veteran after Team 10 Investigation

/in , /by /ABC 10by Craig Harris

Michael Mudurian served in the Air Force and then settled into his Point Loma home with an ocean view 50 years ago.

For decades, the lifelong bachelor said he had a pretty high water bill because he loved to water his garden and nourish the lush, green grass in his front yard.

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Santa Fe Irrigation District Considers Improvements to Rancho Santa Fe Corporate Yard

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Karen Billing

At a special meeting on Oct. 7, the Santa Fe Irrigation District board started initial discussions on potential improvements to its corporate yard and administrative offices at their Rancho Santa Fe Village site on Linea Del Cielo. The project, which would address staff space needs, aging facilities and new regulations and compliance requirements, came with a projected cost of $31.3 million, which resulted in sticker shock for both board and community members.

“This is really the first of many steps of looking at a corporate yard facilities needs assessment,” said SFID General Manager Al Lau.

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