Pandemic Archives

House Democrats Ask CDC to Halt Water Shutoffs During the Pandemic

Two Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform asked the federal government’s top public health agency to suspend water service disconnections nationwide as a means of slowing the spread of Covid-19.

To protect public health, Reps. Harley Rouda of California and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan want the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to use its authority under the Public Health Service Act to prohibit water utilities from shutting off service to customers who are behind on their bills.

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Unpaid Water Bills a “Pending Disaster” the State is Trying to Head Off

October 7, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Uncategorized /by Chelsea Campos /SJV Waterby Lois Henry

If the state has any hope of heading off a looming “tidal wave” of residential water shut offs and bankrupt water systems it has to get a picture of current impacts, advocates urged.

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Tom Steyer Calls For Clean Energy Jobs to Help California’s Economic Recovery

September 30, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage, Uncategorized /by Chelsea Campos /Palm Springs Desert Sunby Melissa Daniels

Tom Steyer, a one-time Democratic presidential candidate who has spent a portion of his multi-billion dollar fortune supporting environmental causes, thinks the path to California’s economic recovery during the coronavirus pandemic will begin with clean energy jobs. Steyer in April was named co-chair for the state’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery, along with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s chief of staff Ann O’Leary.

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The Four Lessons Learned in the Water Sector After the Coronavirus

September 29, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /Smart Water Magazine

During the coronavirus crisis, water utilities around the world have undergone a deep transformation to continue guaranteeing water service to the population. For this to be possible, remote control of processes and infrastructures, teleworking or social distancing measures have made digitalization an essential tool to maintain the quality of service. These are the four lessons learned in the water sector after its response to the crisis.

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Adapting to the ‘New Normal’ In a Post-COVID Water Sector

September 10, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /Water Onlineby Pete Antoniewicz

Beyond all the health-related impacts of the coronavirus pandemic — masks, social distancing, work from home scheduling, etc. — there have been some ripple effects to the daily operations and related employment conditions for water-treatment personnel. This synopsis of experiences provides perspective and outlines some opportunities and approaches for water-industry professionals to adopt if they have not already done so as part of the post-COVID ‘new normal’.

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An Extraordinary Summer of Crises for California’s Farmworkers

September 3, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /National Geographicby Alejandra Borunda

Rosa Villegas woke up at two in the morning on a late August Monday to make her way to the lettuce fields in California’s south Salinas Valley, where she was scheduled to start bagging heads of romaine at 4 a.m. The sky overhead wasn’t its usual dark, star-dotted self as she walked to her car. Instead, it glowed a sickly red, colored by the fires burning on the flanks of the Santa Lucia mountains, just a few miles west.

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Opinion: Why Fixing the Nation’s Water Crisis and Combating a Pandemic are Linked

September 1, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /PlanetWatchby Gina-Marie Cheeseman

Fighting the COVID-19 pandemic requires access to safe, clean water. While some Americans decry their “loss of freedom” by being told to wear a mask in public spaces, others don’t have the freedom to wash their hands with clean water.

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Opinion: California Must Ensure Water Access During COVID-19 Pandemic

September 1, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /CalMattersby Tracy Quinn

Safe 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.

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Opinion: Despite Unprecedented Times, Natural Resources Should Remain Important to the Legislature

August 28, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /CalMattersby Pablo Garza

As if a global pandemic was not enough, the tumultuous legislative session comes to a close as much of the state is on fire. Understandably, lawmakers had already significantly pared down their legislative packages to focus on a response to COVID-19. And, then last week many important bills on environmental justice and natural resources stalled.

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Water Groups Call for More Funding as Way to Pull Nation out of COVID Recession

August 27, 2020/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /Engineering News-Recordby Pam McFarland

Decades of inadequate investment in water infrastructure has exacerbated the economic challenges faced by water and wastewater utilities in the era of COVID-19, according to a new report released Aug. 26 by the American Society of Civil Engineers and the U.S. Water Alliance’s Value of Water Campaign.

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