Tag Archive for: State Water Resources Control Board

Water Board Digs Into Data for Climate Planning

/in , , /by /Agri Pulseby Brad Hooker

The State Water Resources Control Board has come a long way since consolidating offices for pollution control and water rights 50 years ago, according to board chair Joaquin Esquivel. Reinvesting in that water rights system through a data-based approach will be key in the era of climate change, he explained during a presentation for the Northern California Water Association’s annual meeting on Friday.

“Frankly, it feels like we’re in a bit of climate catchup,” added board member Sean Maguire. “We do have a lot of work to do. And it’s really going to take everyone rolling up their sleeves to get this done.”

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California Approves New Water-Wasting Rules as Conservation Falls Below Newsom’s Target

/in , , /by /Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Recent rains have eased California’s drought, but in the dry November before December’s deluge, many of the state’s residents still weren’t heeding calls to conserve water.

For the fifth month in a row since Gov. Gavin Newsom asked California residents to voluntarily cut water use, they missed the target — by a lot, largely due to lagging conservation by Southern Californians. Amid that news, and emphasizing that California’s drought still isn’t over, state water officials approved new rules Tuesday to prohibit wasteful water practices like washing cars without a hose shutoff nozzle.

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California Likely to Crack Down on Water Waste With Daily $500 Fines

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

After two years of drought, Gov. Gavin Newsom remains reluctant to put limits on statewide water use. His administration, however, is looking to take a first step.

Next month, the State Water Resources Control Board is expected to adopt temporary prohibitions on outdoor water practices, including hosing down driveways, filling up decorative fountains and watering lawns within 48 hours of rain.

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State Water Board To Vote On Mandatory Statewide Water Restrictions

/in , , /by /Bay City News Foundation / SF Gateby Kiley Russell

California water regulators have proposed new emergency drought regulations that would prohibit a wide range of wasteful water behaviors for the entire state.

On Tuesday, the State Water Resources Control Board released a draft of the regulations that would prohibit “excessive” irrigation, ban the use of potable water for street cleaning and forbid landscape irrigation within 48 hours of a rain storm, among other things.

The new mandatory rules would be enforced by local water agencies and people found to be wasting water could face fines, according to a statement from the Water Board, which will vote on the proposal sometime in January for the entire state.

 

 

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‘Backsliding.’ California Mostly Ignores Newsom’s Plea to Conserve Water During Drought

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

Californians are still lagging behind Gov. Gavin Newsom’s drought-emergency plea to use less water. Urban residents reduced water consumption by just 3.9% in September, compared with a year earlier, according to data released Tuesday by the State Water Resources Control Board. The August figure was a slightly better 5.1%.

 

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Here’s How Much Water Bay Area Districts Saved in the Past Year

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Jessica Flores and Yoohyun Jung

Bay Area water agencies have saved nearly 10 times more water than the state average in the past year.

Collectively, 58 Bay Area water districts saved an average of more than 10% in July 2021 compared with the same time last year, according to new statistics from the State Water Resources Control Board.

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Newsom Asked Californians to Conserve Water in the Drought. It’s Been a Slow Start

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

In the first test of their willingness to cut back on water use during the drought, Californians reduced residential consumption by just 1.8% in July compared to a year earlier — well short of what Gov. Gavin Newsom has been seeking.

The statistics released Tuesday by the State Water Resources Control Board suggest Californians haven’t been enthusiastically embracing Newsom’s appeal for 15% reductions, at least in the early going.

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Water Transfers Helped Farmers Survive This Year. Now, All Eyes Are on the Coming Water Year

/in , , /by /SJV Waterby Jesse Vad

Water transfers, trades and sales doubled this year as drought left San Joaquin Valley farmers scrambling for supplies.

“This has been kind of an exceptional year for transfers,” said Sam Boland-Brien, program manager at the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Water Rights. Boland-Brien said he’s seen about twice the amount of transfers this year compared to an average water year.

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State’s Curtailment Orders Draw Lawsuits From Modesto-Area Water Users and San Francisco

/in , /by /The Modesto Beeby John Holland

The state’s curtailment of river diversions has drawn lawsuits from eight irrigation districts in and near Stanislaus County, along with San Francisco.

The three filings claim that the State Water Resources Control Board exceeded its authority with the Aug. 20 orders. The plaintiffs also said they did not get enough chance beforehand to make their cases for continued diversions.

One suit was filed Sept. 2 by the Modesto, Turlock, Oakdale and South San Joaquin irrigation districts and San Francisco. It involves the Tuolumne and Stanislaus rivers.

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SSJID Suing State After Sacramento Goes After Its Water

/in , /by /The Manteca Bulliten

South San Joaquin Irrigation District is suing the state in a bid to avoid a curtailment order from creating severe water shortages in 2022 for 200,000 Manteca, Lathrop, and Tracy residents and growers farming nearly 55,000 acres

SSJID, along with Oakdale Irrigation District, over a century ago secured first-in-line rights under state law for the initial 600,000 acre feet of annual water runoff in the Stanislaus River Basin.

A curtailment order issued Aug. 20 by the State Water Resources Control Board is essentially seizing the water the SSJID and OID legally own and prevents the agencies from diverting and storing Stanislaus River runoff in Donnells, Beardsley, New Melones and Tulloch Reservoirs.

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