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Opinion: Lawmakers Could Stop Arizona’s Next Water War. But Will They?

/in , /by /ascentralby Bruce Babbit

Another water war is getting underway.

This time we are not fighting California. It’s a family feud right here in Arizona. Urban versus rural. Phoenix and Tucson ganging up on the rural communities along the Colorado River in western Arizona.

The opening shots have been fired by out-of-state speculators buying up farms along the river. Once they have these “water farms” in hand, they intend to strip the water from the land and send it 200 miles up the Central Arizona Project canal to developers in Maricopa and Pima counties.

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Senate Energy Chair Pulls San Diego Hydropower Bill

/in , /by /Politico Californiaby Colby Bermel Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

SACRAMENTO — State Senate energy committee chair Ben Hueso said Thursday he will drop
legislation that would have boosted a hydropower project near his San Diego district.

Hueso told supporters of the project Wednesday night that he, the city of San Diego and the San
Diego County Water Authority, agreed to table CA SB597 (19R), according to an email Hueso’s
office provided to POLITICO.

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No, You Don’t Have to Limit Yourself to 55 Gallons a Day of Water—Not Yet

/in , , /by /Valley Roadrunner (Pauma Valley, Calif.)by David Ross

Last week, watching an erroneous news story on a Los Angeles TV station, many listeners were shocked to learn that a new state law would limit them to 55 gallons per day indoor water use; and that they could face $1,000 penalties for laundering and showering on the same day.

The news story was wrong, but not THAT wrong.

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USMCA Trade Pact Includes $300M for U.S.-Mexico Border Sewer Woes, But Critics Fault Deal

/in , , /by /Palm Springs Desert Sunby Ian James

When lawmakers in the House of Representatives approved the Trump administration’s new trade deal with Mexico and Canada last month, they authorized $300 million to help fix failing sewer systems that send raw sewage and toxic pollution flowing into rivers along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The decision could bring an infusion of funding to help clean up the badly polluted New River, Tijuana River, and other rivers that flow across the border into the U.S.

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Water Portfolio Lays Out State’s Long-Term Plans

/in , , /by /Ag Alert (Sacramento, Calif.)by Christine Souza

Farm organizations welcomed a new water planning document from state agencies while they analyzed the document’s proposed strategies.

Titled the California Water Resilience Portfolio and released last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration described the document as an effort to guide water management in a way that works for people, the environment and the economy.

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San Diego County Water Authority Makes Settlement Offer to End Litigation

/in , , /by /California Water News Daily Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority
Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) sent a comprehensive settlement offer to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) last month that would end nearly a decade of ongoing litigation over rates between the two agencies.

For over a year, SDCWA had been meeting in confidential settlement discussions with MWD to find an equitable resolution to litigation over MWD’s rates.

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Newsom Wants An Extra $220 Million For Salton Sea Plan In Upcoming California State Budget

/in , , /by /Desert Sunby Sam Metz

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year will include an additional $220 million for the Salton Sea Management Program, a 10-year plan to reduce the environmental and public health hazards plaguing the communities that surround the fast-drying body of water.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year will include an additional $220 million for the Salton Sea Management Program, a 10-year plan to reduce the environmental and public health hazards plaguing the communities that surround the fast-drying body of water.

 

Valley Land Has Sunk From Too Much Water Pumping. Can Fresno County Fix It?

/in , /by /The Fresno Beeby Thaddeus Miller

The Fresno County Board of Supervisors adopted a plan on Tuesday meant to maintain groundwater and keep users from pumping too much from underground basins.

The supervisors adopted plans for two areas connected to the Delta-Mendota subbasin. Officials throughout the San Joaquin Valley have been required by the state to adopt a plan by the end of the month.

State regulators stepped in during 2014 after a U.S. Geological Survey in the previous year showed so much water was being pumped out of the ground in the Valley that the land was sagging. The process – called subsidence – could damage roads, dams, railroads, pipes and bridges.

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Nevada Snowpack Starts Strong, Water Content Below Average

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune

Northern Nevada’s snowpack is starting the new year strong, but officials warn it will take several more significant storms this winter to replenish area reservoirs.

The Natural Resource Conservation Service says its first snowpack survey of 2020 at the Mt. Rose SNOTEL site southwest of Reno Monday showed average snowpack for the date but below-average precipitation.

NRCS hydrologist Jeff Anderson says the snow depth of 54 inches (137 centimeters) was 107% of the median. The 16-inch (40-centimeter) water content was 72% of median.

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Myth About Huge California Fines For Shower And Laundry Usage Won’t Die. Here’s What’s True

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Bee by Phillip Reese

California will impose new limits on water usage in the post-drought era in the coming years — but a claim that residents will be fined $1,000 starting this year if they shower and do laundry the same day isn’t true.

It wasn’t true when the state’s new conservation laws were enacted in 2018, and it isn’t true now — despite a recent report on a Los Angeles television station that riled up conservatives on social media and prompted the state Department of Water Resources to issue a statement debunking the claim.

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