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Opinion: It’s Time to Deliver on Human Right to Clean, Affordable Water

/in , , /by /Visalia Times Deltaby Susana De Anda and Allison Harvey Turner

Amid the deadly COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide uprisings for racial justice, California’s promise to fulfill the human right to water has never been more clear or urgent.

A year ago this month, the state legislature, led by Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia and Senator Bill Monning, passed and Governor Newsom signed the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund (SB 200) into law, the result of years of frontline community organizing and advocacy.

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Who’s Suing Over Trump’s WOTUS Rule?

/in , /by /E&E Newsby Pamela King and Hannah Northey

Opponents of the Trump administration’s new definition of which waterways and wetlands are protected under the Clean Water Act have lined up in court to make their grievances known.

Don’t expect clarity on the rules anytime soon.

The Trump administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule is already on hold in one state — Colorado — and could still be frozen by any one of the various federal judges who are now examining the regulation. Unlike lawsuits over Clean Air Act rules, which land in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Clean Water Act challenges can be heard in any of the nation’s nearly 100 federal district courts.

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Sustainability in Desalination

/in , /by /Water Worldby Alanna Maya

Desalination can be expensive and time consuming due to the complexity of the treatment process, which is why sustainable, energy-efficient desalination is at the forefront of research into developing clean water technologies.

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Tahoe’s Average Clarity Decreases by 8 Feet In 2019

/in , /by /Sierra Sunby Justin Scacco

Lake Tahoe’s famed clarity has long been used to gauge the health and changing conditions of Big Blue. Unlike in recent years when researchers were able to point to a dominant factor affecting lake clarity like drought or higher-than-average precipitation, 2019 saw a range of influences on Tahoe, including lake mixing for the first time in several years, sediment, algae, and climate warming.

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The Great Divide: California Communities Battle for Rights to Water

/in , , /by /The Fresno Beeby Austin Ramsey

An ongoing struggle between two communities less than a mile apart illustrates the challenges California faces as it tries to deliver clean, affordable drinking water to more than 1 million residents without access to what the state has called a “basic human right.”

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Central Valley Town Fought for Clean Water for Years. Is the Battle Finally Over?

/in , /by /The Fresno Beeby Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado

During summertime, many households in Seville have seen their wells go completely dry. For years — too many, residents say — households teetered with unpredictable conditions. Using too much water in the day meant having none at night. One flush too many, and everyone relying on a single well in town was thrown into a dry spell.

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Opinion: Ripple Effect – When Politics Ignores Science, it Jeopardizes Local Clean Water

/in , , /by /The Hillby Nathan Murphy

Nine states are suing the Environmental Protection Agency for “trying to use the current public health crisis to sweep environmental violations under the rug,” according to California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.

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Is it Safe to Swim in a Pool, Lake or the Ocean? Coronavirus Questions Answered

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Christopher Reynolds

Summer always means water, whether it’s an ocean, lake, river, swimming pool or hot tub. But now that we’re worrying more about germs, it’s natural to wonder: Will this season’s swimming, surfing, floating and soaking be as safe as it used to be?

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Opinion: Poseidon’s Desalination Plant Threatens our Climate and Human Right to Clean Water

/in , , /by /Voice of Orange Countyby Adriana Maestas, Oscar Rodriguez, Espe Vielma

As California continues to struggle with the coronavirus pandemic, leaders must ensure fundamental human rights like clean water. It is essential that we do not allow this crisis to tip the scales in favor of polluters and private water corporations.

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San Diego Residents Fighting Deep Budget Cuts During Pandemic

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union Tribuneby David Garrick

Residents are lobbying San Diego officials to spare from the budget ax libraries, clean-water efforts, arts funding and other programs that were proposed to be cut to close a $300 million budget gap created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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