A cash crunch for public water utilities is creating an opportunity for the growing for-profit water companies—but it’s one that might drain customers’ wallets. Companies like American Water Works Co. and Aqua America Inc. are finding the time is right to purchase small, troubled water utilities from local governments that are facing political pressure to […]
The water project that north Delta communities fear will end their way of life may have met its own ending, after the plan to finance it collapsed unexpectedly in a Central California boardroom last week. News of the twin tunnels’ setback came September 20, when the Westlands Water District, which serves farms in Fresno and […]
The California Water Fix/delta tunnels project is facing new challenges every day, most recently in regard to financing. Whether or not the state’s water suppliers support the plan, an essential piece is missing from the conversation: the potential of the state’s watersheds — the forests, meadows and streams that deliver water to our dams — […]
A new, U.S.-Mexico agreement provides more Colorado River water to both countries, will require both countries to share inevitable river shortages and offers more certainty as to how much river water will be available for both countries. That’s how negotiators, federal officials and Arizona water officials see the upshot of the pact that was signed […]
Beside the winding curves of the Colorado River, the Palo Verde Valley spreads out in a lush plain in the middle of the desert, a farming oasis filled with canals and fields of hay. For 12 years, the valley’s farmers have been participating in a program that pays them to leave some of their lands […]
Humboldt County recorded its third highest rainfall total in the 2016-17 water year since records first began 130 years ago, according to the National Weather Service Eureka. The downpour caused tens of millions of dollars in damage to local infrastructure and seemingly failed to produce the beneficial effects to fish and wildlife on the Klamath […]
Private Water Firms Tap Profit From Struggling Public Utilities
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Bloomberg BNAA cash crunch for public water utilities is creating an opportunity for the growing for-profit water companies—but it’s one that might drain customers’ wallets. Companies like American Water Works Co. and Aqua America Inc. are finding the time is right to purchase small, troubled water utilities from local governments that are facing political pressure to […]
Clogged Tunnels? North Delta Towns Stay Guarded After Financial Setback for Twin Tunnels
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Sacramento News & Reviewby Scott Thomas AndersonThe water project that north Delta communities fear will end their way of life may have met its own ending, after the plan to finance it collapsed unexpectedly in a Central California boardroom last week. News of the twin tunnels’ setback came September 20, when the Westlands Water District, which serves farms in Fresno and […]
OPINION: Watershed Conservation Key to Solving California’s Water Problems
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /San Francisco ChronicleThe California Water Fix/delta tunnels project is facing new challenges every day, most recently in regard to financing. Whether or not the state’s water suppliers support the plan, an essential piece is missing from the conversation: the potential of the state’s watersheds — the forests, meadows and streams that deliver water to our dams — […]
US, Mexico Share Benefits and Burdens in New Colorado River Pact
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Arizona Daily StarA new, U.S.-Mexico agreement provides more Colorado River water to both countries, will require both countries to share inevitable river shortages and offers more certainty as to how much river water will be available for both countries. That’s how negotiators, federal officials and Arizona water officials see the upshot of the pact that was signed […]
A New Fight Over Water In The California Desert, With Echoes of ‘Chinatown’
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)Beside the winding curves of the Colorado River, the Palo Verde Valley spreads out in a lush plain in the middle of the desert, a farming oasis filled with canals and fields of hay. For 12 years, the valley’s farmers have been participating in a program that pays them to leave some of their lands […]
Humboldt County Records Highest Rainfall on Record Since 1903-04
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Eureka Times-Standardby Will HoustonHumboldt County recorded its third highest rainfall total in the 2016-17 water year since records first began 130 years ago, according to the National Weather Service Eureka. The downpour caused tens of millions of dollars in damage to local infrastructure and seemingly failed to produce the beneficial effects to fish and wildlife on the Klamath […]