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California Needs a 21st Century Electric Grid

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicle by Gregory Wetstone

Our electric grid is outdated. For those of us in the renewable sector, this is not a new concept, and it is a national problem, not just one here in California. But unfortunately, the ramifications of an antiquated grid have now been felt by millions of Californians plunged into darkness by these forced power outages. Today, the world is watching to see how California, a historic leader when it comes to environmental initiatives and energy policy, overcomes this potentially recurring problem.

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East Bay Water District Considers Buying Giant Cattle Ranch That Straddles Four Counties

/in , , /by /East Bay Times by Joseph Geha

The Alameda County Water District is considering shelling out $72 million for a fourth-generation, 50,500-acre cattle ranch — touted as the largest potential land sale in the state — to preserve water quality, officials say.

Much of the property lies in watersheds that feed into critical water supply facilities for millions of Bay Area residents, including Lake Del Valle, Calaveras Reservoir and Alameda Creek.

While no final decisions have been made, district officials and experts say the rare opportunity to buy such a wide swath of undeveloped upstream land — and preclude any future development that could degrade potable water — must be seriously weighed.

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New Pilot Program Helps Southern California Grow Native Plants

/in , /by /Patch by Moulton Niguel Water District

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and local water agencies have teamed up with the California Native Plant Society to bring more native plants to the region’s homes and gardens.

A new pilot program launched by the organizations this fall will boost the number and variety of native plants offered at local nurseries and ensure consumers have the information they need to plant and maintain the water-efficient flowers, trees, shrubs and succulents.

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The Next Fight In California’s Water Crisis Is Over Salt, Pollutants

/in , , /by /The Fresno Beeby Michael Claiborne and Arnold D. Sowell Jr.

When it comes to drinking water in California — safety, supply and reliability — we can never rest. None of us. For those who think it’s a crisis that only impacts rural communities in our state, you are wrong. Children in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego and other urban communities are drinking lead-contaminated water from their drinking fountains, and nearly all of California’s 58 counties include communities with tainted water.

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Tests Of California Water Supplies Reveal Widespread PFAS Contamination

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

A class of toxic chemicals linked to cancer, known as PFASs, are present in numerous wells used for drinking water across California, according to new state tests performed on a fraction of California’s many well water supplies.

The test samples, released Monday by the State Water Resources Control Board, represent California’s fledgling effort to get a handle on contaminants that until recently haven’t been well tracked and regulated.

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State Water Officials To Vote On Valley-Wide Plan To Reduce Nitrate And Salt

/in , /by /Valley Public Radioby Kerry Klein

Later this week, the State Water Resources Control Board will vote on a long-anticipated plan to reduce some of the pollutants flowing into Central Valley water. However, not everyone agrees on the details.

The program is called Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-Term Sustainability, or CV-SALTS. It aims to provide cleaner water for drinking and irrigation by reducing the nitrate and salt that are discharged into ground and surface water.

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Oceanside to Launch Sand Retention Study

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

Alarmed by Oceanside’s shrinking beaches, a group of residents succeeded this week in getting the city to consider taking on the federal government’s oversight of a local sand replenishment project. The City Council unanimously approved a motion Wednesday by Mayor Peter Weiss to have staffers prepare a capital budget amendment to cover the anticipated costs of a sand-retention project. Details will be presented at an upcoming council meeting.

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Governor Signs Two Bills Crucial for San Diego’s Transit and Water Plans

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

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed two bills that are critical to San Diego’s plans for improved mass transit and water recycling for long-term drought protection. On Friday night the governor signed Assemblyman Todd Gloria’s Assembly Bill 1413, which will support local referendums on transit funding, and Assembly Bill 1290 by Gloria and Sen. Toni Atkins that clears the way for the pioneering Pure Water project.

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Activists Rally For Solutions to Tijuana Sewage Problem

/in , /by /Fox 5 Newsby Merrilee Moore

Activists pushed for action at a rally Saturday morning addressing the toxic flow of sewage from Tijuana into Southern California beaches.

Sewage flowing into the Tijuana River has been responsible for closing beaches an average of 300 days a year. Environmental organization “Stop the Poop” wants to see permanent solutions.

“This is environmental and biological terrorism on the people of the United States of America,” said Stop the Poop Founder Baron Partlow.

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Wastewater Project Could Create Drought-Proof Drinking Water for 500,000 Homes

/in , /by /Orange County Registerby Martin Wisckol

In its effort to establish a new, drought-proof source of water that could serve a half-million Southern California homes, the Metropolitan Water District on Thursday, Oct. 10 unveiled a $17 million pilot plant that will bring wastewater to drinkable standards.

Water from the trial project in Carson will not be piped to customers – it will be put back with regularly treated wastewater and pumped into the ocean.

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