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California Irrigation Bills 50/50 for Signature Into Law

For California, a mixed bag of results on irrigation regulation has occurred with the signature of Assembly Bill 1572 into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom, while Assembly Bill 1573 was ordered to the inactive file by the state’s Senate. 

The two bills each had different aims to address conservation measures in California and targeted various irrigation methods as a means of advancing that effort. 

Wet Weather Bolsters a Record Year for Water Conservation by California and Its Neighbors

A wet year and major conservation efforts are paying off in the short term for the Colorado River, with California, Arizona and Nevada on track to conserve a record 1 million acre-feet of water or more by the end of 2023, officials announced last week.

Biden’s $8 Billion Quest to Solve America’s Groundwater Crisis

Water is hard to come by on the Rocky Boy’s Reservation, and it has been for a long time. The Chippewa Cree tribe members who live on this reservation in north-central Montana get most of their water from a thin underground aquifer that is insufficiently replenished by occasional rainfall, and they’ve been under some form of water restriction for several decades.

Redding City Council Opposes New State Water Regulations, Argues for Local Resource Consideration

On Tuesday night, the Redding City Council unanimously voted to sign a letter of opposition regarding water regulations that have been approved for the state of California.

City council voted to take a stand against “Making Conservation A Way Of Life” a strategy approved by the State Water Board in early 2023 and now officially in effect.

 

Lake Mead Forecast Improves by 2 Feet Since September as New Water Year Begins

New projections show Lake Mead dropping about 9 feet between now and October of 2024 — but keeping an extra 2.57 feet compared to forecasts from just a month ago.

The 24-month study for October 2023 from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is the first forecast of the 2023 water year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024.

Once Hailed as a Drought Fix, California Moves to Restrict Synthetic Turf Over Health Concerns

Gov. Gavin Newsom last week passed on a chance to limit the use of the so-called “forever chemicals” in legions of plastic products when he vetoed a bill that would have banned them in synthetic lawns.

His veto of an environmental bill that overwhelmingly passed the Legislature underscores California’s convoluted guidance on the plastic turf that some homeowners, schools and businesses use in place of grass in a state accustomed to drought.

Cal Water Gives a Closer Look on How They Bring Water to 450,000 Bakersfield Residents

The California Water Service in Bakersfield hosted their annual ‘Imagine a Day Without Water.’ The day aims to highlight the essential nature of water.

Officials with Cal Water gave us a tour of their Northeast Bakersfield plant that adds around 20 million gallons of water to the city’s water supply every day.

As Drought Grips the Southwest, Water Utilities Find the Hunt for More Workers Challenging

Selwyn Sekaquaptewa has been on the hunt for talent for months.

As the general manager of the Hopi Utilities Corporation’s water service, he works with just two other staff members to provide clean and safe drinking water to the Hopi Tribe’s reservation in Northeast Arizona. When the corporation formed in 2017, five of the community’s wells did not meet federal arsenic standards, and it’s looking to expand its operations and upgrade existing infrastructure to continue improving the quality of the water on which the tribe relies.

California Bans Watering Grass at Certain Businesses

A bill signed into law Friday by Governor Gavin Newsom will now ban certain businesses from watering its grass in an effort to reduce water usage.

The bill is modeled after the State placed similar rules on commercial, industrial and government agencies from using drinking water for grass deemed “non-functional” in 2022.

QSA: Landmark Conservation Pact Marks 20 Years of Water Security for San Diego

Twenty years ago, in October 2003, water officials from across the Southwest signed the largest water conservation-and-transfer agreement in U.S. history, the QSA, or Quantification Settlement Agreement. The agreement has provided decades of water security for San Diego County and benefits for numerous partners across the Southwest. In total, that pact supplies more than half of the water that sustains San Diego County’s 3.3 million residents and $268 billion economy.