Recent years have brought a taste of extreme weather and the destructive power in nature that’s always just around the corner here in California. At the same time, numerous crises have highlighted our many vulnerabilities: drought, new groundwater restrictions, endless stumbling blocks in the way of system repairs and upgrades, regulatory restrictions to protect declining […]
The coronavirus pandemic has shuttered many buildings. As prospects for reopening rise, so too does the need to contend with water systems potentially contaminated during the shutdown. Stagnant water in pipes or tanks can breed microorganisms like Legionella pneumophila, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease. Heavy metals like lead and copper also can build up, […]
The Environmental Protection Agency is being sued for the second time in a week over a rule that limits states’ ability to fight big projects such as pipelines, with tribes and environmental groups who fear damage to nearby waters taking the latest action in court. The new suit, filed Tuesday on behalf of three different tribal […]
California’s beleaguered toxics oversight agency could at last get an overhaul under a bill heading to the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom. In the final hours of the 2-year legislative session the Senate and Assembly on Monday approved AB 995, which would create an oversight board for the state Department of Toxic Substances Control, among other […]
The big kahuna of California water — Metropolitan Water District of Southern California — has stopped taking supplies from one Kern County groundwater bank because the water is heavily tainted with a cancer-causing agent that is pervasive in Central Valley’s aquifers. While only one banking program has been affected so far, the emergence of this […]
Two weeks after California was hit with rolling blackouts, state regulators extended the lifespan of a fleet of gas-fired power plants Tuesday, saying the facilities are needed to maintain reliability of the electricity grid. The State Water Resources Control Board voted 4-0 to allow nine generating units to operate up to three more years before […]
Opinion: It’s Time to Re-Envision the California Water System
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /AgAlertby Justin Fredrickson (California Farm Bureau Federation)Recent years have brought a taste of extreme weather and the destructive power in nature that’s always just around the corner here in California. At the same time, numerous crises have highlighted our many vulnerabilities: drought, new groundwater restrictions, endless stumbling blocks in the way of system repairs and upgrades, regulatory restrictions to protect declining […]
Buildings Reopening After Coronavirus May Face Tainted Water Systems
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /91.5 KJZZby Nicholas GerbisThe coronavirus pandemic has shuttered many buildings. As prospects for reopening rise, so too does the need to contend with water systems potentially contaminated during the shutdown. Stagnant water in pipes or tanks can breed microorganisms like Legionella pneumophila, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease. Heavy metals like lead and copper also can build up, […]
Tribes, Green Groups Sue Over Trump Rollback of Water Rights
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /The Hillby Rebecca BeitchThe Environmental Protection Agency is being sued for the second time in a week over a rule that limits states’ ability to fight big projects such as pipelines, with tribes and environmental groups who fear damage to nearby waters taking the latest action in court. The new suit, filed Tuesday on behalf of three different tribal […]
Toxics Agency Overhaul Ordered by California Legislature
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Bloomberg Lawby Emily C. DooleyCalifornia’s beleaguered toxics oversight agency could at last get an overhaul under a bill heading to the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom. In the final hours of the 2-year legislative session the Senate and Assembly on Monday approved AB 995, which would create an oversight board for the state Department of Toxic Substances Control, among other […]
Tainted Valley Groundwater Could Stymie Banking Deals
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /SJV Waterby Lois HenryThe big kahuna of California water — Metropolitan Water District of Southern California — has stopped taking supplies from one Kern County groundwater bank because the water is heavily tainted with a cancer-causing agent that is pervasive in Central Valley’s aquifers. While only one banking program has been affected so far, the emergence of this […]
California Allows Polluting Power Plants to Keep Running. Recent Blackouts Helped Save Them
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /The Sacramento Beeby Dale KaslerTwo weeks after California was hit with rolling blackouts, state regulators extended the lifespan of a fleet of gas-fired power plants Tuesday, saying the facilities are needed to maintain reliability of the electricity grid. The State Water Resources Control Board voted 4-0 to allow nine generating units to operate up to three more years before […]