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OPINION: Why Atkins Bill Would Hurt California’s Water Progress
California’s contemporary effort to modernize the water system in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta officially began in 2006.
George W. Bush was president of the United States and Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor of California. Their administrations signed a planning agreement. And the search for a solution was on.
Thirteen years, two governors and two presidents later, we are all still at it.
Eyes In The Sky Help Farmers On The Ground
The Central Valley of California doesn’t begin so much with a gradual change in the landscape as with an abrupt line. Suddenly, a barren plain that looks like an apt cue for “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” theme song is interrupted by the first row of leafy, irrigated crops.
Since the 1930s, the region has run on human control of water, carefully distributing the melting mountain snowpack through reservoirs and dams, pumping stations and irrigation pipelines, through drips, sprinklers and intentionally flooded fields.
Demise Of Key Environment Bill Could Escalate California’s Water Wars
The smoke has (partly) cleared from the legislative battlefield, in the aftermath of a struggle pitting the leader of the California Senate against not only powerful water and agricultural interests but also Gov. Gavin Newsom. And California’s two largest water-delivery systems may soon be operating under rules that differ ever more significantly.
Newsom has said he won’t approve Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins’ bid for a legal backstop against environmental rollbacks by the Trump administration. And Washington is poised to reduce protections for endangered fish species in the state’s largest watersheds.
A Brief History Of Pure Water’s Pure Drama
After years of scientific progress, regulatory wrangling, political ups and downs, and searching for the money, San Diego is getting ready to get to work on a multi-part, multibillion-dollar project that will eventually provide a third of the city’s drinking water.
San Diego water officials have looked at turning sewage into drinking water for nearly 40 years. The first stab at recycling wastewater involved a series of ponds in Mission Valley that grew hyacinths, long-rooted plants that gobble up sewage and leave relatively clean water behind.
Cities In North Santa Clara County Explore Water Recycling Technologies For a Sustainable, Resilient Water Supply
With increased water demands due to climate change and population growth, solutions for a sustainable and resilient water supply are more critical than ever. That’s why the Santa Clara Valley Water District, now known as Valley Water, and the cities of Palo Alto and Mountain View are exploring a potential partnership to help fill the need for future drinking water supplies through new regional water reuse programs. Water reuse can include either traditional recycled water for non-drinking purposes such as irrigation and industrial needs, but it can also include reusing water for future drinking water supplies through advanced water purification technologies.
Drought Tolerant Crop Being Studied In The Valley
Big research is happening at the Kearney Agriculture and Extension Center in Fresno County.
Sorghum, a crop that looks similar to corn, is under a microscope.
Jeff Dahlberg, director of the center, said that sorghum is very drought tolerant.
“What we are looking for is the mechanism behind the drought tolerance in sorghum and if we can elucidate the genetics behind that, what we believe is we can use those genetics to see if the genetics in corn, or in rice, or in wheat,” he said.
West Basin MWD Completes Recycled Water Pump Station Improvements Project
Carson-headquartered West Basin Municipal Water District (WBMWD) recently announced the completion of its recycled water Pump Station Improvements Project, targeting enhanced local water supply and sustainability. The almost $18 million project includes the construction of a new pump station and the installation of a three-megawatt emergency generator at the most critical component of the WBMWD’s renowned water recycling program.
“Forward thinking investments in West Basin’s infrastructure allow the district to serve its recycled water customers and communities with a continuous flow of locally produced recycled water,” said WBMWD Board President Scott Houston.
Could Sea Level Rise Threaten The Water Coming Out Of Some California Taps?
Most Californians turn on their taps without thinking about where the water comes from or if that flow might trickle out someday. They may not realize how local, state, and even federal water managers work together to ensure a steady water supply now and in the future.
Flooding from earthquake-caused levee breeches or climate change-caused sea level rise could result in more saltwater invading our water supply that travels through the Delta. DWR’s climate scientists and water managers will address ways to plan for potential climate change impacts such as sea level rise at the Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation Summit in Sacramento on September 17, 2019.
Trump Administration Threatens Jail Time For California Officials Over River Project
The Trump administration and California officials have sued each other, swapped insults on Twitter and clashed on everything from climate change to immigration.
But threatening someone with jail time? That might be a new one.
The threats came in a dispute over reintroducing winter-run Chinook salmon into the McCloud River, a pristine river above Shasta Dam, as part of a federal plan approved under the Obama administration to try to stave off extinction for the critically endangered fish.
