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EMWD Receives $4.5 Million Funding Authorization for Desalination Program

/in , , /by /Smart Water Magazine

Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) this month was awarded nearly $4.5 million by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to further expand EMWD’s groundwater desalination infrastructure.

EMWD has long been one of the most successful agencies in the nation at working with state and federal funding partners to secure external funding opportunities, helping to reduce the cost of infrastructure construction that would otherwise be paid for by customers.

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Season Snowfall Totals Have Dropped Since 1970 in the Sierra, But Average Precipitation Has Gone Up

/in , , /by /KCRAby Heather Waldman

Snow season in Northern California has always been characterized by starts and stops, but this season may have brought a little extra whiplash with a big storm in October, a dry November, record snowfall in December to end 2021 only to be followed by a near-record dry January.

This region has seen similar extremes before, but because of climate change and resulting rising global temperatures, weather patterns are shifting to make these dramatic “dry to wet back to dry” periods more common. Tracers of this trend are showing up in climate data for the Sierra and the Western U.S. as a whole.

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Desert Groundwater Plan OK’d by State

/in , , /by /SJV Waterby Lois Henry

The Indian Wells Valley groundwater plan got a thumbs up from the state on Thursday but with a swarm of lawsuits surrounding the plan, it’s unclear what that approval will mean going forward.

One of those lawsuits seeks a “comprehensive adjudication” of water rights of the Indian Wells Valley basin, which could reconfigure who has rights to how much groundwater, a fundamental underpinning of the groundwater sustainability plan that was just approved.

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Newsom’s Budget Would Add Billions to Fight Drought, Fires and Boost California Farms

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Sophia Bollag

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday will propose spending billions of additional dollars on drought response, wildfire suppression and rural workforce development programs, according to budget documents reviewed by The Sacramento Bee. The governor’s plan includes $750 million in one-time money to help communities affected by the drought, including for water conservation, water efficiency, replenishing groundwater supplies and helping small farmers.

 

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Rancho Guejito Tapped Groundwater Deep in San Pasqual Valley. Some Farmers Aren’t Happy About It.

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Joshua Emerson Smith

Hank Rupp stands on the edge of a holding pond on the historic Rancho Guejito — more than 22,000 acres purchased nearly 50 years ago by the now-deceased shipping mogul Benjamin Coates and considered by many the ecological crown jewel of San Diego County.

The 20-foot-deep reservoir — fed in part by several 1,000-foot wells dug on a more recently acquired property — is vital to the transformation of Rancho Guejito into a working agribusiness.

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With Less Water on the Surface, How Long Can Arizona Rely on What’s Underground?

/in , /by /KUNCby Alex Hager

In Arizona, verdant fields of crops and a growing sprawl of suburban homes mean a sharp demand for water in the middle of the desert. Meeting that demand includes drawing from massive stores of water in underground aquifers. But some experts say they’re overtaxed, and shouldn’t be seen as a long-term solution for a region where the water supply is expected to shrink in the decades to come.

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Rainy Years Can’t Make Up for California’s Groundwater Use

/in , , /by /ARS Technicaby K.E.D. Coan

Over a third of American vegetables are grown in California, largely in the state’s Central Valley. The region also produces two-thirds of the nation’s fruits and nuts. These crops—and the many Americans who produce and consume them—are heavily reliant on California’s water supply. But, given recurrent and severe droughts, the state’s groundwater supply has been strained.

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Merced Irrigation Officials Scramble to Fix Groundwater Plan, As Fear of Restrictions Loom

/in , , /by /Merced Sun-Starby Madeline Shannon

Officials with Merced-area water agencies say they’re updating a key regional groundwater plan after the California Department of Water Resources said it didn’t go far enough to reach state water sustainability targets.

 

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Acres Residents in Ramona Seek $1.32M Grant to Get Access to Clean Water

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Julie Gallant

Residents of Ramona’s Acres community are working with local officials and a nonprofit on an application for a $1.32 million grant that would give them better access to clean water.

The funds would pay for new water main pipelines for the community, which has contaminated well water and inadequate pipes.

Toby Roy, a specialist with the nonprofit Rural Community Assistance Corporation, provided an update on the application process at the Dec. 14 Ramona Municipal Water District meeting.

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Danger in Droughtsville: California’s Urban Water at Risk

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Erica Yee

Droughtsville, California, is in trouble.

Its water supply is endangered as multiple crises intensify: worsening droughts, competition for scarce supplies, sea level rise, groundwater contamination, earthquakes, wildfires and extreme weather. All of these factors, and more, threaten Droughtville’s ability to provide clean water to its residents.

The city is fictional, but the threats are not.

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