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Opinion: San Diego is Not Protected from California’s Severe Water Supply Crisis

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Gary Arant and Kimberly Thorner

California’s water supply crisis has hit a tipping point, with impacts spreading far and wide, reaching local communities and critical industries, putting us once again in jeopardy.

This is a pivotal moment in the state’s future – one in which bold political leadership will emerge, or future generations will suffer. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent announcement on his new water supply plan, is encouraging that leadership is materializing, but the proof is in the pudding.

The new plan, California’s Water Supply Strategy: Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future, underscores the significant challenges we face as a result of a changing climate, the need to transform the current water system, and the importance of significantly investing in California water systems to secure the future of California’s water supply and reliability. The plan outlines water supply strategies and includes a pledge to fast track the advancement of policies and new projects to begin addressing California’s water supply crisis. While this new plan is promising, there is still significant work that needs to be done to adequately address California’s perpetual droughts and water supply crisis.

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Water Thieves Abound in Dry California. Why Are They So Hard to Catch?

/in , , /by /Gristby Jake Bittle

It’s not easy enforcing water regulations in the West. Just ask the officials in California who have been trying for almost a decade to penalize a man who took water from the river system that feeds San Francisco and bottled it for sale to stores like Starbucks.

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Why California Wildfires Burned Far Less This Year

/in , , /by /Scientific Americanby Anne C. Mulkern

California is enjoying fewer extreme wildfires than it has in years, which experts attribute to a combination of summer rain, calm weather and increased forest management.

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California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta Sues Makers of Cancer-Causing ‘Forever Chemicals’

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Susanne Rust

The state of California on Thursday sued the manufacturers of a class of chemicals known as “forever chemicals” that are found in a variety of consumer items including food packaging and cookware and are linked to cancer and other illnesses. The chemicals at the heart of the lawsuit are perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS. They are resistant to environmental degradation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency, and hundreds of scientific studies.

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Climate Change is Rapidly Accelerating in California, State Report Says

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith

Wildfires, drought, extreme heat and other effects of climate change are rapidly accelerating and compounding in California, according to a report from state scientists.

The fourth edition of “Indicators of Climate Change in California,” released Tuesday, paints a stark picture of the escalating climate crisis and documents how global reliance on fossil fuels has had wide-ranging effects on the state’s weather, water and residents.

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Ripon Cuts Watering to Once a Week Thru Feb. 28 Due to Drought

/in , /by /Manteca Bulletinby Vince Rembulat

The City of Ripon’s new watering schedule went into effect on Tuesday. The winter schedule calls for a once-a-week schedule, from Nov. 1 to Feb. 28. Manteca, by contrast, still allows watering twice a week in the winter as California enters its fourth year of drought.

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Opinion: Desalination Will Be Key to California’s Water Future. It Needs to Improve First

/in , /by /CalMattersby Grayson Zulauf

If the climate crisis is coming, the water crisis is already here. As rice fields were fallowed in California, Lake Mead water levels almost sunk so low that Hoover Dam could no longer generate power, and life-threatening toxic dust blew off the dried-up Salton Sea. Thirty percent of the world population will face water shortages of some kind by 2025. Things are only going to get worse.

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California Drought: Here Are the Biggest Water Users in the East Bay

/in , /by /The Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers and Jakob Rodgers

More than 300 East Bay homeowners have been fined for excessive water use, ignoring repeated warnings to cut back and instead guzzling at least 8 times as much water every day — and in some cases 30 or 40 times more — than their neighbors as California’s drought continues. The list released late Tuesday by the East Bay Municipal Utility District includes many wealthy and prominent residents, among them developer Tom Seeno, former Chevron vice president George Kirkland, and former Safeway CEO Steven Burd.

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Sen. Kelly Asks Feds to Halt Salton Sea Project Funding Until California Gives Up More Colorado River Water

/in , , /by /12NEWSby Hunter Bassler

Arizona Senator Mark Kelly is calling on federal officials to halt funding for California’s Salton Sea project until the state gives up more of its Colorado River Water, a letter from the senator said Tuesday. The letter, sent to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, said that the Department of the Interior needs to step in to secure the river’s water and ensure that the 40 million people who rely on its waters don’t go thirsty.

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River District Head: California Water Cut Far From What is Needed From That State

/in , , /by /The Daily Sentinel by Dennis Webb

The general manager of the West Slope’s Colorado River District says proposed cuts by California entities in river water use are much less than is needed from that state, and their implication that other states need to step up with similar reductions fails to account for uncompensated, naturally occurring cuts that already impact users in the river’s Upper Basin.

Andy Mueller made his comments in a memo to his district’s board of directors and during the board’s meeting this week.

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