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New Reservoir to Protect Local Drinking Water Deliveries

/in , , /by /Valley Roadrunner Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

A major construction project to improve drinking water supply reliability in North County will start in February after the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors January 28 approved an $11.4 million contract for the work to Pacific Hydrotech Corporation of Perris, California.

The Hauck Mesa Storage Reservoir project includes demolition of an abandoned steel tank, building a 2.1 million-gallon storage reservoir connected to the Valley Center Pipeline, and construction of an isolation vault and an underground flow control facility. The project is expected to be completed by winter 2022.

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Aqueduct Project Brought Much-Needed Boon to 1930s Banning

/in , , /by /The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, Calif.)by Steve Lech

In 1930, while the Great Depression was worsening and the impacts of it were starting to be felt nationwide, the city of Banning received some good news. A major construction project was about to unfold in its backyard, and the city would benefit greatly. The project was the Colorado River Aqueduct of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Starting in the mid-1920s, there had been a series of studies done for bringing water from the Colorado River west to be used in the greater Los Angeles region. In December 1930, the district made the final decision to go with a route that included the San Gorgonio Pass and construction of a major tunnel under Mount San Jacinto.

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Los Angeles, State Officials Discuss Increasing Local Water Supplies

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Daily News

Los Angeles city and county representatives hosted a discussion with state officials to address ways to increase local water supplies and to support a proposed statewide water system. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was joined Friday by the California Secretary of Natural Resources, Wade Crowfoot, and Secretary of Environmental Protection, Jared Blumenfeld, to discuss the city’s maintenance of its water sources. “We are proud to work hand-in-hand with our state leaders to advance an agenda that protects ratepayers, preserves our environment, diversifies our water portfolio and protects our natural resources in the face of intense droughts and the rising tide of climate change,” Garcetti said.

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OPINION: Our View: Saving For A (Non) Rainy Day

/in , /by /Recordnet.com (Stockton, Calif.)

March didn’t exactly come in like a lion, with apologies to Richard Rodgers, but the season’s herky-jerky approach to spring does lead many to wonder if the rains will ever stop and the temperatures will ever rise again. Of course, the answer to both is yes. The past few weeks have been marked by several days of rain followed by a dry day or two followed by rain followed by a dry day or two and on and seemingly on. Planning outdoor activities always is a bit dicey in late winter, or what passes for winter. California residents are blessed with perhaps the country’s best overall weather.

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Santa Barbara Water Supplies Still A Concern

/in , /by /KEYT-TV (Santa Barbara) by John Palminteri

Santa Barbara is still in a drought even with the strong start to the year with rain and more coming this weekend. The updated water supply report to the Santa Barbara City Council detailed the current storage above and below ground and it was a mosaic of resources. Cachuma lake has gone up with runoff from the storm this month but not significantly. Gibraltar dam spilled two weeks ago and will continue to release water if we get more rain the Santa Ynez watershed.

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As Colorado River Stakeholders Draft A Drought Plan, The Margin For Error In Managing Water Supplies Narrows

/in , /by /Water Education Foundation (Sacramento)by Gary Pitzer

As stakeholders labor to nail down effective and durable drought contingency plans for the Colorado River Basin, they face a stark reality: Scientific research is increasingly pointing to even drier, more challenging times ahead. The latest sobering assessment landed the day after Thanksgiving, when U.S. Global Change Research Program’s Fourth National Climate Assessment concluded that Earth’s climate is changing rapidly compared to the pace of natural variations that have occurred throughout its history, with greenhouse gas emissions largely the cause.

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Carr Fire Damage Continues to Threaten Water Supplies

/in , /by /Redding Record Searchlightby Damon Arthur

More than three months after the Carr Fire was contained, the burned out hillsides the deadly blaze left behind continue to pose a threat to water quality in western Shasta County.

The barren fire-scarred hillsides could cause drinking water quality problems for communities that rely on water from Whiskeytown Lake, according to a report written for the Shasta County Public Works Department.

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