After Wildfires Stop Burning, a Danger in the Drinking Water
Two months after a wildfire burned through Paradise, Calif., in 2018, Kevin Phillips, then a manager for town’s irrigation district, walked from one destroyed home to another.
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Hurtado Makes Splash as Newsom Signs Water Bill
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /The SentinelSenator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) secured Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature on legislation that will speed the permit process for low-income Central Valley communities to deliver clean drinking wate for residents. The bill, Senate Bill 974, exempts new water projects that serve small, rural communities from some provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act.
Why Dangerous ‘Forever Chemicals’ are Allowed in US Drinking Water
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /The Guardianby Ryan FeltonIn 2014, residents of Horsham Township, near Philadelphia, learned that their water had been contaminated with potentially toxic chemicals linked to an array of health problems, including learning delays in children and cancer. Those residents include Frank and Lisa Penna, who allege in a lawsuit that their water was among the contaminated supplies.
Last Minute Loan Keeps Drinking Water Projects Afloat
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /San Joaquin Valley Waterby Lois HenrySmall, failing drinking water systems got a funding life preserver among a flurry of budget bills at the chaotic end of the California legislative session.
Drinking water advocates had fretted the Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience (SAFER) program, intended to help struggling water systems in mostly poor, rural areas, would fall victim to the pandemic-flattened economy.
Carbon Nanotubes Developed for Super Efficient Desalination
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /Phys.Orgby Anne StarkMembrane separations have become critical to human existence, with no better example than water purification. As water scarcity becomes more common and communities start running out of cheap available water, they need to supplement their supplies with desalinated water from seawater and brackish water sources.
Broad ‘Fishnet’ PFAS Testing Worries Industry, Helps Regulators
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /Bloomberg Lawby Sylvia CarignanNorth Carolina, the EPA, and an international standards organization want to use a method for detecting known and unknown “forever chemicals” in water that the chemical industry opposes for being too broad. The test they want to use measures total organic fluorine amounts in water and can provide a broader picture of all per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in a sample instead of testing for one or a few substances at a time.
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 issue could have huge implications for water storage and movement in the Central Valley.
PFAS Liability: “Sovereign Immunity” Means Companies May Foot the Bill
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The National Law Reviewby John GardellaEnvironmental watch groups, legislators, the media, and litigators have all squarely focused on PFAS contamination in one primary source – water. More specifically, drinking water. Environmental groups test local water supplies and report PFAS counts, politicians introduce bills at the state and federal levels to regulate the amount of PFAS permitted in drinking water, the media gives citizens daily news updates on PFAS in drinking water, and lawsuits are increasingly filed for both personal injury and remediation costs.
Drinking Water, Clean Energy, Lithium Bills Pass in California
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Bloomberg Lawby Emily C. DooleyCalifornia’s Senate and Assembly approved a number of bills in the Legislature’s waning hours Monday, including measures that would ensure funding for a safe drinking water fund, make it easier to upgrade schools with clean energy appliances, help electric utilities manage ratepayer deficits related to the coronavirus pandemic, and take other actions.
Opinion: California Must Ensure Water Access During COVID-19 Pandemic
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /CalMattersby Tracy QuinnSafe drinking water is a human right and essential during the COVID-19 crisis. And California must do more to ensure water service during concurrent health and economic emergencies.
In April, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order placing a moratorium on water shutoffs and requiring reconnections for households disconnected after March 4. But months into a crisis, the state lacks data on the impact of the moratorium.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
