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Water Utilities May Face Virus-Linked Protective Gear Shortages

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Environmentby Amena H. Saiyid

Nearly three in four water and wastewater treatment plants are worried about running out of masks, gowns, and gloves to protect workers from the deadly coronavirus, according to a survey of utilities.

The survey, released late Tuesday, reveals that the same proportion of utilities are also concerned about being able to keep workers 6 feet apart at all times to prevent transmission of the virus that causes Covid-19.

The findings are a snapshot of the concerns a subset of the nation’s water and wastewater utilities shared with the nonprofit American Water Works Association, which conducted the survey March 25-30. Responses came from 532 utilities, and the margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.

With the nation grappling to keep the coronavirus pandemic in check, clean and safe running water for washing hands and other cleaning has been deemed an essential service.

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Water Board Grants Arant Emergency Powers to Maintain Operations

/in , , /by /Valley Roadrunner Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

At Monday’s remote meeting of the Valley Center Municipal Water District board, directors approved an Emergency Powers Resolution, granting Gen. Mgr. Gary Arant Emergency Powers for a 120-day period during the current Coronavirus/Covid-19 (virus) Pandemic Event.

The resolution gives Arant the power the modify the ability of the public to access the district office at 29300 Valley Center Rd., “including closing the facility to all public access.”  

Arant is also empowered to “Modify staff duties, work schedules, methods, and locations, including, but not limited to staff working remotely, sheltering at home and responding remotely, responding from on-call status remotely, re-assignment to different divisions and departments, requiring staff to work at different locations at district facilities, requiring staff to reasonably restrict movement and interaction with other staff members, assigned staff duties and responsibilities, and requiring staff to work out of class on a temporary basis.”  

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San Diego Will Get Soaked for Sixth Straight Day by Storm That’s Produced Twice as Much Rain as Expected

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Gary Robbins

A Pacific storm that was expected to drop about 1.5 inches of rain along the San Diego County coastline has produced more than twice that much and will continue to wash across the region until Friday night, according to the National Weather Service.

The system arrived in force on Sunday and was supposed to be gone by Wednesday night or Thursday at the latest.

“But it’s been sitting and spitting over us all week”, said Miguel Miller, a weather service forecaster “The models have it moving out pretty quickly on Friday night.”

San Diego International Airport unexpectedly received about 1.50 inches of rain overnight. By 6 a.m. Friday, the airport’s seasonal rainfall total had hit 12.54 inches, more than three inches above average.

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Cities are Flouting Flood Rules. The Cost: $1 Billion

/in , /by /The New York Timesby Christopher Flavelle and John Schwartz

It’s a simple rule, designed to protect both homeowners and taxpayers: If you want publicly subsidized flood insurance, you can’t build a home that’s likely to flood.

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California Greenlights Massive Klamath River Dam Removal

/in , /by /E&E Newsby Jeremy P. Jacobs

The largest dam removal project in U.S. history came one step closer to fruition this week, as California issued permits for breaching the four dams on the Klamath River.

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Lawsuits Vowed as Feds, California Take Divergent Water Routes

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Emily C. Dooley

California’s decision to depart from federal regulations when managing its water supplies is causing strife across the water world.

The state recently got a new permit for water delivery operations from its wildlife agency. In the past, that kind of authority came from adhering to federal rules. Now, with a dispute between the state and federal government over water management and endangered species act protections, the state issued its own permit.

Critics of the state’s move say they plan to file lawsuits. Different detractors say the rules are too stringent, or too weak.

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April Rains Have Put a Dent in the Drought, at Least in Southern California

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Paul Duginski

U.S. Drought Monitor data released Thursday show that less of California is abnormally dry, and more of the state is drought-free.

The improvement is mostly in Southern California and along the Central Coast, while data for Northern California show little change.

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Spring Storm Brings More Rain and Snow to California

/in , , /by /Associated Pressby John Antczak

Rain and snow continued to fall Thursday on parts of California as a wet spring following a no-show winter pushed back against resurgent dryness that spread over three-quarters of the state this year.

Mountain peaks from the Sierra Nevada to major ranges crossing Southern California glistened with new coats of white as hillsides sported increasingly vivid shades of green fueled by precipitation that began in March after a largely withering January and February.

The latest storm entered the state from the north last weekend and slowly moved down the coast.

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Heavy Rain, Mountain Snow in Forecast for San Diego Region on Thursday

/in , /by /Times of San Diego by Chris Jennewein

Heavy rain will fall at times in San Diego County Thursday evening and snow is likely in the mountains, according to the National Weather Service.

A winter weather advisory will be in effect until noon Thursday in the county mountains above 5,000 feet. Weather service officials warned residents to use caution while driving because roads could be slippery and visibility could be limited because of falling snow.

As of 1 p.m. Wednesday, 5 inches of snow had fallen on Palomar Mountain. Palomar Mountain is expected to get up to 3 more inches of snow by late Friday morning, while Mount Laguna could get between 6-7 inches and Julian could get trace amounts of snow, meteorologist Miguel Miller said. Snow levels will be around 4,900 feet Thursday morning, then rise to 5,500 feet by this afternoon and remain there through Friday morning.

A flash flood watch is in effect throughout the county until Friday afternoon.

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One Way to Potentially Track Covid-19? Sewage Surveillance

/in , /by /Wiredby Gregory Barber

How many people have been infected with the new coronavirus? A group of Bay Area researchers aims to find out—by tracking what’s in the local wastewater.

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