An effort to renovate a small corner of the Salton Sea is moving forward near Calipatria at the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge.
The sea is in trouble, slowly evaporating as it’s water sources are being diverted.
If allowed to dry up completely the shrinking sea could damage the Coachella Valley’s desert environment, health and economy.
Foothills water customers are being asked to tighten taps further and refrain from watering lawns for up to 10 days starting Feb. 29, while Metropolitan Water District of Southern California temporarily closes a La Verne treatment plant for infrastructure upgrades.
MWD is in the process of switching its Weymouth Filtration plant from a chloramine-based treatment method to ozonation, in which ozone injected into raw water creates bubbles that carry away pathogens and contaminants, spokesman Bob Muir said in an interview Friday.
It may be goodbye for El Niño and hello to La Niña.
The once-predicted “Godzilla” storm of El Niño has thus far turned out to be a little lizard in terms of Southern California rainfall, but weather experts on Thursday offered some encouragement to those pining for more wet stuff.
Dozens of federal agents led by the FBI executed search warrants in Boulder City and in the Las Vegas Valley on Thursday in an investigation of corruption in the award of a $1 million government contract for a financial audit of Hoover Dam.
The auditors were to determine if capital improvements at the dam were being incorporated into the new contracts and proper accounting standards were in place. LL Bradford & Company was chosen by the California power authority, with other entities involved in brokering the dam’s electricity — Boulder City, the Colorado River Commission of Nevada, California Edison, Arizona Power and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
Keker & Van Nest LLP litigator John W. Keker acted as a rainmaker despite California’s historic drought when he brought in nearly $235 million for client San Diego County Water Authority.
The sum, representing the largest plaintiff’s award in 2015, included $188.3 million in damages plus $44.6 million in prejudgment interest against defendant Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The big win was a key installment in California’s ongoing water wars, made increasingly urgent by four dry years. A San Diego water manager, Dennis Cushman, termed Metropolitan the 800-pound gorilla of the state’s water supply and said it would no longer be able to treat San Diego like a “cash cow.”
At the same time Coachella Valley residents make their best effort to conserve water during this historical multi-year drought in California, growth and development projects continue to be approved by cities and water agencies, having the negative effect of consuming all the water saved by our community.
The Coachella Valley Water District and the city of Indio have implemented progressive water budget rates for residential customers, which were reduced by 36 percent to comply with the state water conservation mandate. Water budget rates are based on the principle that if you use water within your budget you pay a base rate but if you exceed your budget you will pay a higher price for increasing levels of water overuse. Water budget rates have been recognized by water agencies and conservation professionals as the most effective way to encourage people to conserve water.
Most of us living in south Orange County today value our water supply – especially during our recent dry years. However, throughout California’s long history, the cry of “water!” often has been as welcome as the cry of “gold!”
Of all the conditions that came together for the burst of development in and around South County in the 1960s, none was more important than the bringing in of an ample supply of drinking and irrigation water.
On Tuesday, February 16, representatives from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, City of Santa Monica Office of Sustainability and the Environment, TreePeople, Heal the Bay, and Natural Resources Defense Council showcased a new roadmap, that gives municipalities, businesses and homeowners with ways to help with LA County’s water management and planning through the use of non-potable water both outdoors and indoors.
According to a press release from the city of Santa Monica website, the new voluntary guidelines for non-potable water use are a first for LA County and possibly throughout the state of California.
When I started in the water industry more than 40 years ago, providing water to the San Diego region was relatively simple. Imported water deliveries from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California seemed plentiful and reliable, and the San Diego County Water Authority reliably conveyed those MWD supplies to local water districts.
The drought of 1987-92 ended that mirage. At that drought’s peak, the Water Authority faced 50 percent cutbacks from MWD, which provided virtually all of our region’s water. The 50 percent reduction was averted thanks to the Miracle March rains of 1991 – but we did endure a 31 percent supply cutback for more than a year.
It’s time to dust off the umbrellas. After temperatures soared in recent days, reaching the low 90s on Tuesday, the National Weather Service said the rest of the week will bring cooler temperatures, strong winds and rain. For those in the Sierra, expect heavy snowfall.
A southerly moving low-pressure system is forecast to roll in Wednesday, when temperatures in Southern California probably will cool to a high of about 70.
