Tag Archive for: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

Opinion: Western Water Crisis Solutions Inevitably End With a Lot Less for California Farms

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Jim Newton

A modest proposal for western water: Turn off the spigot to the Imperial Valley and let the farms go fallow. In return, provide a water future for Arizona, Nevada and Southern California.

Sure, there would be a price to pay. California’s Imperial Valley, which sits in the southeastern corner of the state, bordered by Arizona and Mexico, produces alfalfa, lettuce, corn and sugar beets, among other crops. It’s home to more than 300,000 head of cattle. Cutting off the water would end all of that, along with the livelihoods of the farmers and ranchers who produce it and the communities that depend on it.

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The Price of San Diego’s ‘Drought-Proof’ Water Could Spike a Whopping 14 Percent

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Joshua Emerson Smith Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diegans are facing a tidal wave of rate increases in coming years for so-called drought-proof water — driven in large part by new sewage recycling projects coupled with the rising cost of desalination and importing the Colorado River.

While many residents already struggle to pay their utility bills, the situation now appears more dire than elected leaders may have anticipated.

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Water Restrictions Lifted for Millions in SoCal, but Region Still Urged to Conserve

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

Mandatory water restrictions are being lifted for nearly 7 million people across Southern California following winter storms that have boosted reservoirs and eased the severe shortage that emerged during the state’s driest three-year period on record.

Citing improvements in available supplies, the board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has decided to end an emergency conservation mandate for agencies in Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino counties that rely on water from the State Water Project.

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Metropolitan Hires Brown and Caldwell for Drought Study

/in , /by /Water Finance and Management

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan or MWD) has hired Brown and Caldwell to study alternative water conveyance options to provide supply diversity to the region during severe droughts.

MWD’s mission is to ensure a safe and reliable water supply for the 19 million people in Southern California in the face of climate change and extended drought.

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Still No Agreement Between Western States, Including CA, on How to Reduce Colorado River Water Use

/in , , /by /ABC 7 by Rob McMillan

With the Colorado River in crisis, there is still no agreement over which states and regions should have their water allocations cut back and how soon those cuts should go into effect.

Seven states in the western United States take water from the Colorado River, and although six of them have agreed on a framework, the lone holdout is the largest user of Colorado River water in the county: California.

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Lake Mead Water Levels: Could California Speed Up Recovery?

/in , , /by /Newsweekby Anna Skinner

As Lake Mead and Lake Powell levels inch closer to dead pool, states in the lower Colorado River basin are proposing more solutions that could lend to the reservoirs’ recoveries.

Required water cuts have already been implemented and increased in severity this year for Arizona and Nevada.

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Colorado River Crisis is So Bad, Lakes Mead and Powell Are Unlikely to Refill in Our Lifetimes

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Rong-Gong Lin Ii and Ian James

The snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is the deepest it’s been in decades, but those storms that were a boon for Northern California won’t make much of a dent in the long-term water shortage for the Colorado River Basin — an essential source of supplies for Southern California.

In fact, the recent storms haven’t changed a view shared by many Southern California water managers: Don’t expect lakes Mead and Powell, the nation’s largest reservoirs, to fill up again anytime soon.

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San Diego Can Expect More Water After Recent Rains

/in , /by /Patchby Rachel Barnes and Emily Rahhal

Recent rains could mean a more flexible water budget for San Diego as state authorities announced increased water deliveries throughout California.

The state will allocate additional water deliveries to some 29 public water agencies, delivering 30 percent of requested water supplies after initially projecting only five percent delivery.

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California Winter Storms Boost Water Allocations for Cities

/in , /by /AP Newsby Adam Beam

Weeks of historic rainfall in California won’t be enough to end a severe drought, but it will provide public water agencies serving 27 million people with much more water than the suppliers had been told to expect a month ago, state officials announced Thursday.

The Department of Water Resources said public water agencies will now get 30% of what they had asked for, up from the 5% officials had previously announced in December.

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San Diego County Water Authority And its 24 Member Agencies

Water Authority Welcomes New MWD Board Chair Adán Ortega

/in , /by

January 26, 2023 – The San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors today welcomed Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Board Chair Adán Ortega, Jr. by hosting a reception for him to meet San Diego County’s community, civic and business leaders.

Ortega took the helm of  MWD’s Board on January 10 as the first Latino chair in the district’s 95-year history. In a presentation today during the Water Authority’s formal Board meeting, Ortega focused on shared challenges and opportunities the two water wholesalers face in the era of climate change.

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