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California Water Czar Seeks Resource Collaboration, Not Combat

/in , , /by /Bloombergby Emily C. Dooley

For E. Joaquin Esquivel, California has made great strides in fighting climate change and transitioning to a cleaner energy sector.

Now, he said, it’s water’s turn.

“Water, I think, is ready for that moment,” said Esquivel, the chairman of the California State Water Resources Control Board who took over from longtime chair Felicia Marcus in February.

The board has a broad mandate to oversee water resources and drinking water for the protection of the environment, public health, and other uses. That includes managing water rights and dealing with rural water issues, the latter of which is the topic of an Oct. 8 webinar on which Esquivel is speaking.

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Wildfires A Massive Threat To California’s Progress In Cutting Greenhouse Gases

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Tony Barboza

The wildfires that raged last year from Paradise to Malibu made for California’s deadliest, most destructive fire season on record.

But the eruption of blazes marked another distinction for California, as one of the worst for the climate. In 2018, fires released more than 45 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere — the most in a decade and trailing only slightly behind 2008, when the state was also stricken by two of the largest wildfires in modern history.

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Water Authority Wins National 2019 WaterSense Excellence Award

/in , , /by /SD Metro Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized the San Diego County Water Authority with a 2019 WaterSense Excellence Award for advancing water efficiency through its Qualified Water Efficient Landscape program, known as QWEL. The Water Authority received one of 25 WaterSense awards at the national WaterSmart Innovations Conference in Las Vegas.

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California Water

/in , /by /AG Infoby Maura Bennett

October kicks off a new water year for California and the state has a considerably more water storage than last year.

Statewide reservoir water storage is 128% of average. That amounts to about 29.7 million acre-feet of water for California, according to the Department of Water Resources.

It’s due to that marathon wet winter in 2017 that pounded the state with rain and snow. The 2018 water year was about average, which actually built up the surplus.

Of course that’s good news for California agriculture producers.

 

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Carlsbad Plans Aggressive Treatment Of Invasive Weed

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Phil Diehl

Carlsbad is preparing to launch an “aggressive” effort, including the widespread application of a chemical herbicide, to eradicate the invasive plant Ward’s weed from about 200 acres where it has taken root in several of the city’s habitat preserves.

A native of the Mediterranean region, the species’ first North American appearance was in Carlsbad’s Rancho La Costa Preserve in 2008. Since then, the plant has spread to the undeveloped habitat management areas east of El Camino Real between Palomar Airport Road and Alga Road.

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Report: San Diego Has Unique Edge To Tackle Climate Change

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Deborah Sullivan Brennan

The Earth’s coastal and polar areas are on thin ice, a new climate report warns, but San Diego may be in a better place than others to weather those changes if it acts swiftly, several authors said.

“The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate,” released last week by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, explored the effects of warming on the world’s oceans and frozen places.

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Fire Weather Watch Remains In Place Wednesday To Friday For Most Of Southwestern California

/in , , /by /Desert Sunby Gabrielle Paluch

The National Weather Service has issued a fire weather watch for most of extreme southwestern California starting late Wednesday evening and lasting through 8 p.m. Friday evening.

This prompted Southern California Edison to expand the area that could have power cut as a fire-safety measure — affecting as many as 106,000 customers.

Low humidity of 5% to 10% and strong, gusty Santa Ana winds are to blame for the elevated fire risk along coastal mountain slopes and inland valleys. East to northeast winds will reach speeds of 20 to 30 mph, with gusts of 35 to 50 mph, and isolated gusts of up to 60 mph.

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California is Feuding With This SoCal City Over ‘Planned Retreat’ From Sea Level Rise

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Phil Diehl

Del Mar is gearing up for a tussle with the California Coastal Commission over the best way to adapt to rising sea levels, an issue with statewide implications.

The city north of San Diego has taken the position that one of the Coastal Commission’s basic strategies, called “managed retreat” or sometimes “planned retreat,” will not work in Del Mar.

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County Agriculture Executive Exits

/in , , /by /The Alpine Sunby Joe Naiman

Sept. 27 was the final day of work for San Diego County Farm Bureau executive director Eric Larson, who retired after 22 years in that position and 48 years working in agriculture. A Sept. 24 proclamation of the San Diego Board of Supervisors recognized Larson for his contributions to local agriculture and his copperation with county government.

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California Wineries, Fearing Recession, Cut Grape Output. Farmers Are Worried

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Esther Mobley

Paul Johnson farms 450 acres of wine grapes in Monterey County for his family’s Johnson Vineyard Co. Normally, a range of local wineries, under multiyear contracts, buy his Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. But after last year’s harvest, Johnson began to worry when no winery clients renewed their contracts.

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