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Opinion: Up to 1 Million Gallons of Water … a Night? That’s Par for Some Desert Golf Courses

Doug Thompson couldn’t believe what he’d just been told. His wife, a botanist, was advising a Coachella Valley country club on drought-resistant landscaping, and Thompson, who got to talking with the groundskeeper, asked how much water it takes to irrigate a golf course.

IID Board Takes Action to Protect Water Rights and Address Coachella Valley Concerns

The Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors adopted a resolution Tuesday, June 1, to better serve IID’s Coachella Valley energy customers and better protect Imperial Valley’s water rights, according to a press release.

Opinion: Eastern Coachella Valley Residents Urge the State for Action on the Salton Sea

We represent a group of East Coachella Valley residents optimistic about the future of the Salton Sea and the surrounding communities. That is why we are working to ensure our communities see meaningful benefits from the sea’s restoration.

On Sept. 30, we sent a letter to state officials requesting that restoration projects coming out of the Salton Sea Management Program consider the potential impacts on nearby communities. We hope those officials will share in our vision of reforestation and green spaces around the Salton Sea, see the benefits of such projects in addressing the sea’s deteriorating environmental conditions, and act with the same urgency.

New Federal Report Show Increasing Groundwater Levels in the Coachella Valley

A new report by the U.S. Geological Survey shows that efforts by Coachella Valley Water District to replenish local aquifers in the Coachella Valley have been effective, leading to stable land surface elevations in most of the Coachella Valley. Areas with land subsidence identified in prior studies are now stable, uplifting, or experiencing substantial slowing of subsidence. CVWD partners with Coachella Water Authority, Desert Water Agency, Indio Water Authority, and Mission Springs Water District to manage groundwater in the Coachella Valley.

CVWD Breaks Ground on Water Connection at Westside Elementary School in Thermal

The Coachella Valley Water District broke ground Tuesday on a project that will connect the Westside Elementary School in Thermal to the water system that services much of the valley. Westside is the only school in its district relying solely on a well and has a history of water contamination.

IID and Farmer Michael Abatti Square Off Over the Imperial Valley’s Water

Water is power in California’s Imperial Valley, and a years-long fight over allocations from the Colorado River to the agriculture-heavy region landed back in court on Friday. Attorneys representing local farmers and the Imperial Irrigation District squared off in front of a three-judge panel at the state appellate court level over a water-rights lawsuit expected to be decided in 90 days.

CVWD Approves $376 Million Budget, No Rate Increases

The Coachella Valley Water District’s board of directors on Tuesday voted to approve a  $376 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1. The budget notably will not include rate increases even though CVWD — which has a service area of roughly 1,000 square miles and includes about 108,000 homes and businesses — had planned to implement one this year. The new math comes after the water district ripped up its previously proposed budget in May due to the economic slowdown caused by the response to the coronavirus.

Coachella Valley Water District Rewrites Budget Amid COVID-19, May Cut Spending $40 Million

The Coachella Valley Water District has released a revised annual budget for fiscal 2021 that represents the hard economic realities of operating during the coronavirus pandemic.

The new budget, which is currently a staff proposal, proposes a $40 million decrease in spending compared to the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. It will be discussed at board of directors meetings on Monday and Tuesday.

“Though we have a tremendous pent-up demand for facilities repairs and upgrades, we have committed to imposing no rate increases in FY 2021,” the staff presentation about the updated budget proposal says. “Instead, we have cut operating expenses and are temporarily tapping into our emergency reserves.”

CVWD Says Tap Water is Safe to Drink

Carpinteria Valley Water District (CVWD) released a statement on March 16 that drinking water in the district is safe and will not be interrupted. CVWD cited the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) statement that “Americans can continue to use and drink water from their tap as usual.”

California Drinking Water Regulators and the EPA have established regulations with treatment requirements for public water systems that prevent waterborne pathogens such as viruses from contaminating drinking water and wastewater, according to the CVWD statement. “COVID-19 is a type of virus that is particularly susceptible to disinfection and standard treatment and disinfectant processes are expected to be effective,” stated CVWD.

Water Purification Project’s Environmental Report Responds to Public Concerns

On Dec. 16, Carpinteria Valley Water District’s (CVWD) Board of Directors unanimously certified the final environmental impact report (EIR) for the proposed Carpinteria Advanced Purification Project (CAPP) which involves the construction of a new advanced water purification facility, conveyance pipelines and injection wells to treat recycled water.