The San Diego County Department of Environmental Health (DEH) is unveiling a new water quality warning system that it hopes will give visitors more beach access this summer.
The new three-tiered system looks like this: The first is a yellow advisory sign, the second is a blue warning sign and the third is the familiar red and yellow closure signs.
Golden State Water Company customers learned drought conditions in the state affect local water usage during Calipatria’s city council meeting Tuesday evening.
Perry Dahlstrom, general manager of the mountain district for the water company, provided updates on water supplies to residents via Zoom.
“The current conditions in Calipatria and Niland are okay,” Dahlstrom said. “We have water supply from IID” (Imperial Irrigation District).
A proposed flat-rate tax on lithium produced in California’s Salton Sea region will delay deliveries of the electric vehicle battery metal to General Motors Co and Stellantis NV and may push some mining companies to exit the state entirely, industry executives told Reuters.
The brewing tension comes as America’s largest state is trying to position itself as a leader in the green energy revolution and as supplies of lithium have failed to match surging demand amid the push to phase out gasoline-powered vehicles.
The Sweetwater Authority named Nancy Cavanah of Chula Vista its 2022 winner of the WaterSmart Landscape Contest. Cavanah was recognized at the Authority’s June Governing Board meeting.
The Cavanah’s landscape was selected from a diverse pool of applicants as the best example of how to create a beautiful landscape using less water.
Eastern Municipal Water District opened the “Perris II Desalter” facility last week, which has become the third such facility for the agency.
“This is truly a critical facility for us to be able to continue to serve our customers in a reliable and resilient fashion, especially given that we are facing historic drought conditions,” said EMWD general manager Joe Mouawad.
A controversial plan from Gov. Gavin Newsom would reshape how business is done on the California power grid, potentially helping to extend the life of beachfront gas plants and the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, making it easier for solar and wind farm developers to sidestep local government opposition, and limiting environmental reviews for all kinds of energy projects.
State lawmakers could vote as early as Wednesday night on the polarizing legislation, whose text was revealed late Sunday.
Mike and Cathy Godfrey’s water-efficient landscape design is the winner of the Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s 2022 WaterSmart Landscape Contest.
“Maximizing water efficiency outdoors is especially important as drought conditions remain in effect across the state,” said OMWD Board Director Neal Meyers. “Showcasing the diversity and beauty of California-friendly landscaping can encourage others to swap their grass for climate-appropriate designs and bring awareness to the benefits of sustainable landscaping.”
As the State of California faces a record drought, ocean desalination has been highlighted as a potentially more reliable alternative to imported water.
Following the California Coastal Commission’s unanimous vote to deny permits for the Brookfield-Poseidon Desalination plant in Huntington Beach last month, the South Coast Water District is working to obtain all major permits for its own desalination plant near Doheny by the end of the year.
There’ll be an audit of California’s water supply forecast after the state overestimated and prematurely released 700,000 acre-feet of water last year, officials announced Monday.
A news release from Assemblymember Adam Gray (D-Merced) announced that Gray’s request for audit was approved. It aims to examine the impacts of the flawed forecasts and the Department of Water Resources and State Water Board.
Burbank is tightening its water restrictions as the drought worsens, with a goal of cutting water usage by 15%.
Stage III of Burbank’s sustainable water use ordinance goes into effect immediately. City officials say water reduction efforts started out strong, with the city achieving targets in December and January. But Burbank’s water conservation efforts relapsed in a major way since then, with usage jumping to 22.1% in March and 17.0% in April.
