As California approaches what could be another drought, water utilities are eager to find new ways of curbing water demand. Stanford researchers have developed a machine learning model that detects unexpected water-use consumption patterns – data water utilities can use to inform resource planning and water conservation campaigns.
County supervisors Wednesday unanimously approved an ordinance to establish urban agriculture incentive zones, under which a tax reduction is given to residents who set up a small farm on their property.
In exchange for a tax reduction, eligible landowners would enter into a contract with the county to dedicate their land for agricultural use for a minimum of five years.
The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station has unveiled a monitoring system that collects readings of the radiation emitted by the used-up nuclear fuel that is housed in a newly constructed storage facility at the plant.
Three monitors feed information directly to the California Department of Public Health’s Radiologic Health Branch, which will post a monthly report on the data to the department’s website for the public to access. The readings will also be sent to California State Parks and the city of San Juan Capistrano.
The World Health Organization has released a technical brief stating that current water treatment methods are expected to be effective against the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
The brief noted “[the] presence of the COVID-19 virus has not been detected in drinking-water supplies and based on current evidence the risk to water supplies is low.” It also asserted “conventional, centralized water treatment methods which utilize filtration and disinfection should inactivate COVID-19 virus” and stated chlorination and UV treatment have been effective against other coronaviruses.
Southern California’s March rain is a welcome relief, coming as it does after a mostly dry January and an absolutely desiccated February. Los Angeles, like much of the rest of the state, had been in drought and was getting by without severe conservation measures only because of reservoirs still brimming from the soaking winter of 2017 and a succession of moderately wet follow-ups.
We have a name for late winter storms that come at the end of mostly failed rainy seasons. We call them March Miracles. The granddaddy of them all came in 1991, when California was facing a desperate water shortage only to be hit by a late-March Sierra blizzard that packed a whole season’s worth of moisture into three days.
Millions of gallons of polluted water have been regularly flowing over the border through the Tijuana River for months. The southern shoreline in Imperial Beach has been closed since November as a result.
“Things have gotten worse than ever,” said Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina. “Over the last three months, the levels of pollution are astronomical. We’ve never seen anything like it.”
Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey could not immediately be reached for comment.
Utilities have seen a rise in phishing attempts and scams related to the Coronavirus, officials from the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) told Utility Dive, adding that investor-owned utilities represented by the group are alert and prepared, with companies collaborating to mitigate the threat.
“Bad actors are already using COVID-19 and people’s desire for information as a phishing and malware distribution opportunity,” Jamil Jaffer, vice president for strategy and partnerships at IronNet Cybersecurity, told Utility Dive. The combination “creates softer targets across multiple sectors.”
Ten East County high school students were honored for their winning photos in the 2020 Helix Water District High School Photo Contest. The winning photographers were recognized at the February 26 board of directors meeting.
This year’s photo contest challenged high school photographers to highlight the importance and beauty of water in our everyday lives. Entrants were asked to show how water is used in homes and landscapes, in local businesses, for irrigating public spaces and parks, producing the goods we use and foods we eat, street cleaning, and firefighting.
Arizona does not currently have a comprehensive program to protect its surface water quality. The state is now faced with the task of creating one following a change to federal law.
The Trump administration unveiled its final rule in January redefining which waterways are regulated under the Clean Water Act, known as “Waters of the U.S.” Under this rule change, the vast majority of Arizona’s creeks and streams will not be protected.
A Pacific storm that is tapping into moisture from the sub-tropics dropped substantial amounts of rain across San Diego County before dawn on Tuesday, and more showers are expected as the system shuffles off to the east, according to the National Weather Service.
