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OPINION: Jerry Brown’s Four Biggest Incompletes

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune

As Gov. Jerry Brown leaves office amid high praise and some criticism, it’s impossible to give him anything but a grade of incomplete on several major issues. The most prominent of these is criminal justice reform, where Brown has sought huge changes to the overly punitive system he helped create in his first stint as governor. His decision to sign the Uniform Determinate Sentencing Act in 1976 was a major early step in an excessive war on crime that peaked in 1994 when California voters passed the nation’s harshest “three strikes and you’re out” law.

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San Diego Urged to Make Water Line Improvements Ahead of Future Earthquakes

/in , /by /10 News (San Diego)by Mark Saunders

San Diego City Council was recently warned about the damage an earthquake can cause to the region, specifically on the county’s water system. “Strengthen their water system, make that long-term investment,” seismologist Lucy Jones said of the city’s aging water infrastructure. Jones recently spoke with city council leaders about improvements she’s helped develop for Los Angeles’ infrastructure. “[It] contributes to a much more difficult time getting your city back up and running,” Jones said.

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Inland Valley Residents Encouraged to Conserve Water During Pipeline Repairs

/in , /by /Inland Valley Daily Bulletinby Liset Marquez

A scheduled shutdown of a pipeline supplying most of the water for Inland Valley cities has prompted officials to ask customers to limit their water use over a 10-day period. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is suspending water deliveries through its Rialto Pipeline from Monday, Dec. 3 to Wednesday, Dec. 12 to conduct scheduled maintenance on a portion of the pipeline, said Kirk Howie, chief administrative officer for Three Valleys Municipal Water District.

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America’s Water Infrastructure Act To Fund Up To $35 Million Towards West Basin’s Harbor South Bay Water Recycling Project

/in , /by /Los Angeles Sentinel

America’s Water Infrastructure Act, the comprehensive infrastructure legislation passed by Congress in the fall and signed by the president on Oct. 23, will allow West Basin Municipal Water District (West Basin) to access an additional $35 million in federal funding for its Harbor South Bay Water Recycling project. This major federal water infrastructure package includes a specific provision to allow West Basin to pursue significant funding through the Army Corps of Engineers to upgrade and increase capacity at the Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility (ECLWRF) in El Segundo, Calif. S. 3021 includes provisions to double  the original project authorization from $35 million to $70 million, which will assist West Basin in ensuring that an adequate water supply for the Los Angeles region is met for current and future demands.

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Permit Delays Dam Up Hydro Projects, Relicensing Costs Millions

/in , /by /Bloomberg Environmentby Rebecca Kern

Alvin Thoma’s youngest son was born the year his employer, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., began the process of renewing the license for its Upper North Fork Feather River hydropower facility in northern California. His son is 19 years old now. The facility, however, is still undergoing relicensing. “For me, that’s a mental image of just how long it takes to go through this process,” Thoma, a director of power generation at PG&E, which runs one of the largest hydro systems in the country, told Bloomberg Environment.

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Pipeline 5 Upgrades Begin in Fallbrook

/in , /by /Water News Network Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

A $25.3 million Pipeline 5 relining project is under way in North County to improve the reliability of the San Diego region’s water delivery system. The project involves rehabilitating approximately 2.3 miles of one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s regional wholesale water pipelines in eight segments along a 9.5-mile stretch through the community of Fallbrook. Construction work will be done in phases and completed in summer 2019. When finished, the Pipeline 5 Relining Project will help extend the service life of this vital piece of infrastructure for more than 75 years. Generally, relining construction rehabilitates segments of pipelines based on their age and the need for improvements.

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Trump Signs The Water Infrastructure Act

/in , /by /Pacific Standard (Santa Barbara)by Emily Moon

President Donald Trump signed a bipartisan water infrastructure bill into law on Tuesday, authorizing billions of dollars for state-level projects aimed at improving the nation’s rivers, harbors, and drinking water. The law will also defund programs Congress deems “inefficient,” the Hill reports. Provisions that made the cut include funding for studies on wetland restoration and risk management in flood-prone areas, such as Tangier Island, Virginia; extending a program to improve contaminated drinking water in Flint, Michigan; prioritizing lead testing in low-income schools; and requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to appoint at least one employee to serve as a “liaison to minority, tribal, and low-income communities.”

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OPINION: Proposition 3 Provides Needed Funds To Improve Valley’s Water Infrastructure

/in , /by /The Fresno Beeby Jason Phillips

Imagine the Silicon Valley without technology or Hollywood without the entertainment industry. Just as those areas depend on their foundations for prosperity, our ability to capture, move and store water for agriculture is a determining factor for our region’s prosperity. In the southern San Joaquin Valley, water is our lifeblood. When it flows, communities prosper. Without it, jobs disappear, families leave, services evaporate and communities suffer. Even if your job doesn’t have anything to do with agriculture, if you live in our Valley, water matters.

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