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The Imperial Irrigation District has been using its clout as the agency with the biggest water entitlement along the Colorado River to press for California officials to live up to their commitment that they will keep the Salton Sea from turning into an environmental disaster. During the past year, IID has warned the state that without a credible, well-funded “road map” to restore deteriorating shoreline habitats and cover up growing stretches of dust-spewing lakebed, the district won’t take part in a proposed deal to use less water from the dwindling Colorado River.

As we enter the peak water-use months of summer and early fall, it’s worth taking a moment to assess the value of this resource that is often taken for granted. After all, water makes everything possible in this semi-arid region, from baseball fields and microbrews to biotech and backyard gardens. We recently asked 1,000 county residents what they thought about the value of water as part of the San Diego County Water Authority’s long-running series of public opinion polls. On an unaided basis, two-thirds of respondents (67 percent) said they considered water a good or excellent value.

 

The records are set up, ready to fall like dominoes if forecasters’ predictions prove accurate for Southern California’s heat wave this weekend. On Friday, the National Weather Service expects heat records for July 7 in at least six parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties to fall. Other records could be tied.

 

In spring of 2014, Wendy and Lee Hadovski decided it was time to do their part and save water. They had two motivations: One was to reduce their water bill, and the other was their concern about California’s severe drought. At the time, their front yard in San Diego’s El Cerrito neighborhood was 80 percent grass, along with some plants that needed too much water to maintain. Plus, the yard’s sprinkler system was not efficient. The couple signed up for a four-class WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Series sponsored by the San Diego County Water Authority.

UC Riverside climate researcher Robert Allen says California should get ready for more rain. Unlike other recent work in the field, Allen has just published a study that says rainfall in the state will increase in the coming years if the planet continues to warm at its current pace. Allen, 42, is a professor of earth sciences and has been studying climate issues for two decades. He came to UCR six years ago. His study projects that by 2100, precipitation in California will rise 12 percent. But Southern California rainfall won’t change much.