You are now in California and the U.S. Media Coverage category.

OPINION: California Dam Raise Would Take More Delta Water. Why Are Environmentalists Silent?

/in , /by /The Fresno Beeby Marek Warszawski

Fresno drivers headed to the Bay Area via Pacheco Pass on Highway 152 can’t help but take note of a sprawling inland sea that seemingly appears out of nowhere among the yellowed, oak-dotted foothills.

This is San Luis Reservoir, essentially a 2 million acre-foot holding tank built to irrigate San Joaquin Valley farms and supply drinking water to Silicon Valley. Its construction was considered such a significant addition to California’s water supply that President John F. Kennedy turned out in 1962 to push the dynamite plunger.

 

Full Story

July was California’s Hottest Month Ever, as Climate Warms to Dangerous New Extremes

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Grace Toohey

The month of July kicked off with a dire warning: A rare, long-duration heat event was forecast to bring extreme heat risk across the West, with triple-digit temperatures and dangerous fire conditions expected in much of California for days on end.

That outlook quickly proved accurate — and would end up defining almost the entire month in the Golden State, which would see little relief from unrelenting heat.

Full Story

Drought-Related Water Pollution Disproportionately Affects California Latino Communities: Study

/in , /by /The Hillby Sharon Udasin

Drought-driven drinking water contamination is disproportionately affecting members of California’s Latino communities, a new study has found.

Among the pollutants plaguing these water systems are arsenic and nitrate, which are linked to an increased risk of a variety of diseases, according to the study, published Wednesday in the American Journal of Public Health. Some such illnesses include cancers, cardiovascular diseases, developmental disorders and birth defects.

Full Story

Local Water Rates to Increase 14.9%

/in , /by /Valley Road Runner by David Ross Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Valley Center Municipal Water District rates will see an overall rate increase of 16.1 % effective January 1, 2025 from its wholesale supplier, the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA), which supplies 100% of VCMWD’s water. When combined with a lower 5% increase for locally controlled operations costs, the net impact for most customers will be 14.9%.

Last year the overall rate of increase was 9%. “This one is a little bit larger than we have seen in the past,” VCMWD Gen. Mgr Gary Arant told The Roadrunner. “Though in the mid-90s rates went up over 30% in some years. It is certainly not unprecedented in the history of rate increases.”

Full Story

Stemster Mains Man Hailed a Hero for Helping Fix Water Crisis in Canadian City

/in , /by /John O'Groat Journal and Caithness Courierby David G Scott Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

A Caithness man now living in the United States was hailed as a hero by the people of Calgary for helping fix a major water crisis in the city.

Martin Coghill originally hails from Stemster Mains and now lives with his family in California where he is the operations and maintenance manager for asset management at the San Diego County Water Authority.

Full Story

Arrowhead Water Bottler Ordered to Stop Operations in California Mountains

/in , /by /Fox 5/KUSIby Cameron Kiszla

The federal government has backed up California state regulators in ordering the company that bottles Arrowhead water to stop drawing from the San Bernardino Mountains.

Though BlueTriton Brands draws from springs in the mountains that have been used for bottled water since 1906, environmental activists have claimed the removal of that water is harming wildlife, particularly Strawberry Creek.

Full Story

Some California Drinking Water Disproportionately Contaminated by Nitrate, Arsenic—an Issue Worsened by Drought

/in , /by /Food Safety Magazine

A new study has uncovered a disparity between the safety of drinking water in certain regions of California—serving majority Latino communities—and water from community water systems in other areas of the state. Led by University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara) researchers, the study uncovered that some drinking water systems have higher nitrate and arsenic contamination levels, and that the contamination is exacerbated by droughts, which may become more frequent with climate change.

Long-term exposure to contaminants such as arsenic and nitrate in water is linked to an increased risk of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, developmental disorders, and birth defects in infants. According to the study, in the U.S., there is an acknowledged disparity in exposure to contaminants in tap water provided by community water systems. Scientific literature demonstrates that, oftentimes, systems distributing water with higher contamination levels exist in areas that lack adequate public infrastructure or sociopolitical and financial resources.

Full Story

OPINION: How to Achieve Water Abundance in California

/in , /by /California Globeby Edward Ring

A study released in May, The Magnitude of California’s Water Challenges, anticipated annual statewide water supply losses in the coming decades as follows: ending groundwater overdraft 2-3 million acre-feet (MAF), less from the Colorado River 0.5-0.8 MAF, climate change 1-3 MAF, and increases to required environmental flows 1-2 MAF. The total losses? 4.6 to 9 MAF per year. It’s easy enough to quibble over these estimates, but a more productive response is to propose ways we can sustainably harvest more water in California. So that’s what we have done.

Full Story

Otay Water District to Discuss Replacement Process for Board of Directors Division One Seat Aug. 7

/in /by /East County Magazine
The Otay Water District announced that board member Tim Smith, representing division one, has resigned from the Otay board of directors after nearly a decade of service to the community on water issues.
Smith was first elected to the Otay board in December 2014 and has successfully been re-elected to the office since. His resignation, effective August 2, was formally submitted in a letter. The Otay board will discuss the process for selecting a replacement, either by appointment or election, to serve the remaining two years of Smith’s term during its meeting on August 7.
Full Story

California To Send 200 Litres of Water per Second to Mexico Amid Shortage

/in , /by /Newsweek Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority will supply the Mexican state of Baja California with 200 liters of water per second to support Tijuana residents during the summer. This water will be delivered through an international pipeline connecting San Diego, California, to Tijuana.

“There is a greater demand when it gets hot,” said Carlos Alberto Machado Parra, director for Baja’s Public Service and Planning Commission (CESPT) in Tijuana, according to Border Report. “We always maintain this binational connection so we can supply neighborhoods that may be short on supply. “

Full Story