Companies that run data centers are facing increasing scrutiny for guzzling water in the dry western U.S. as artificial intelligence fuels a boom in the industry.
California legislators passed a bill this month that would require the facilities to report their projected water use before they begin operating and thereafter certify how much they use annually. The bill is now awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature.
San Diegans owe a privately-owned desalination plant over $35 million for water the company couldn’t make.
That water will only grow more expensive the longer the San Diego County Water Authority waits to buy it. And the tab came due as the region frets over ever-growing water prices and debates whether it even needs this water at all.
The politically appointed Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is proposing to increase its Special Property Tax by 71% over the next three years, from 0.007% to 0.018% of the Assessed Value of $4.1 trillion in its 5,200 square mile service territory. This is after doubling the rate in 2024. Since 2024, the rate of taxation will have increased by over five times, from 0.0035% to 0.018%.
To put this in simpler terms, the annual tax on a million dollar house will increase from $35 in 2024 to $180 in 2028. The total MWD haul will increase from $136 million in 2024 to $859 million in 2028, an increase of 6.3 times when factoring in the annual increase in the Assessed Value, and almost $1 billion in 2030.
The California Water Commission awarded $10.9 million to the Sites Reservoir Project this week. This early funding from the Water Storage Investment Program aims to assist with permitting and environmental documents.
“This additional funding will help the Authority secure key federal and state permits that will advance Sites Reservoir closer to construction,” said Fritz Durst, Chair of the Sites Project Authority Board of Directors.
California’s Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program helps farmers transition irrigated land into new uses, such as wildlife habitat, groundwater recharge areas, or even solar farms. The idea is to save water while strengthening rural communities.
This offers a more sustainable path forward than simply leaving fields unplanted, which is a common “business-as-usual” strategy, said Gopal Penny, a researcher with the Environmental Defense Fund who co-authored a study about California’s new approach in the journal Frontiers.
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A titan in San Diego’s local water world is retiring and will be replaced by former city of Oceanside’s public utilities director, Lindsey Leahy.
Gary Arant has been general manager of the Valley Center Municipal Water District for over 36 years. When he arrived in the sleepy eastern San Diego County town, its vast avocado groves were the second-biggest water user in San Diego.
In a startling development for California’s water system, state officials have confirmed the infestation of invasive golden mussels (Limnoperna fortunei) at two major Southern California lakes: Silverwood Lake in San Bernardino County and Pyramid Lake in Los Angeles County.
The rapid spread of this highly destructive species from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the southern reaches of the State Water Project marks a new chapter in the state’s ongoing struggle to safeguard both water infrastructure and delicate aquatic ecosystems. The golden mussel is notorious worldwide for its ability to multiply quickly, clog pipes and screens, destabilize local ecology, and create costly headaches for urban, agricultural, and recreational water systems.
A veteran water expert from Arizona says the Trump administration withdrew his nomination to lead the federal agency that oversees water management in the western U.S., leaving the Bureau of Reclamation without permanent leadership this year.
Ted Cooke told The Associated Press late Wednesday that he was preparing for a Senate confirmation hearing early this month but his name was removed from the agenda. He wasn’t told until this week that there was an unspecified issue with his background check. Cooke said the White House didn’t offer any details and asked only that he withdraw himself from consideration.
Large thunderstorms produced lots of rain and lightning Thursday in parts of San Diego County, especially from Palomar Mountain to Borrego Springs, where dozens of lightning bolts were reported, the National Weather Service said.
The wild weather was tied to former Tropical Storm Mario, which sent a big, unstable plume of moisture into Southern California.
