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This Madera County Community is Running Out of Water — and the Only Well Might Fail

/in , /by /The Fresno Beeby Monica Vaughan

Residents of Fairmead, California worry they are on the brink of losing water service, as the town’s only community well shows signs it may fail before a new one can be built.

After years of planning, the Madera County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 11 approved an engineering contract to design and manage upgrades to the system, including a new well to serve more than 500 people connected to the community water system.

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Forecasters: Odds Improve for La Niña by Fall

/in , /by /Capital Pressby Don Jenkins

Odds increasingly favor a La Niña weather pattern taking hold by fall, upping the chances for a cold and wet Northwest winter, the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center says.

The center pegged at 60% the chances of a La Niña prevailing in November, December and January. A month ago, the center put the chances at 53%.

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Millions in US Face Losing Water Supply as Coronavirus Moratoriums End

/in , , /by /The Guardianby Nina Lakhani

Millions of families in America risk losing running water over unpaid bills as moratoriums on shutoffs expire across the country, despite record levels of unemployment and mounting fatalities from the coronavirus pandemic.

Running water had been guaranteed to about two-thirds of Americans as hundreds of utilities suspended disconnections amid warnings from public health experts that good hygiene, particularly hand-washing, was crucial to curtailing the spread of the virus.

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California Water Service Also Advises Residents to Limit Their Water Usage During These Outages

/in , , /by /ABC News Bakersfieldby Ashley Valenzuela

While PG&E and SCE are required to shut power off in some areas, California Water Service also advises residents to limit their water usage during these outages.

According to California Water Service, they are doing everything they can to make sure water services are not interrupted.

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Meet the Water Baron You (Likely) Haven’t Heard of

/in , /by /The Sun (Central Valley)by Alex Tavlian

Has the San Joaquin Valley reached its Chinatown moment? For farmers who rely on water from the Kings River, the answer winds up as some shade of “yes.” But the players are different. This isn’t the Owens Valley and William Mulholland doesn’t work for the City of Los Angeles. Uneasy about a slowly-marching plan to siphon Valley water for Southern California, farmers and some water managers are worrying about the growing shadow of one of the region’s largest land owners.

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Water Authority Awarded $44.4 Million in Long-Running Dispute with LA Agency

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

A judge has awarded the San Diego County Water Authority $44.4 million in a final judgment of two lawsuits over rates paid to transport water supplies from 2011 to 2014.

The award, announced Friday, included $28.7 million in damages and interest to be paid by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which controls the transport of water from the Colorado River.

The Water Authority had worked for more than a decade to resolve the dispute, which concerned San Diego’s independent supply of water from the river that was carried by Metropolitan Water’s aqueducts and pipelines.

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‘The Pie Keeps Shrinking’: Lake Mead’s Low Level Will Trigger Water Cutbacks for Arizona, Nevada

/in , , /by /Arizona Republicby Ian James

Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will again receive less water from the Colorado River next year under a set of agreements intended to help boost the level of Lake Mead, which now stands at just 40% of its full capacity.

The federal Bureau of Reclamation released projections on Friday showing that Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, will be at levels next year that continue to trigger moderate cutbacks in the two U.S. states and Mexico.

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PFAS Issues in California Compounded by Colorado’s PFAS Proliferation

/in , , /by /The National Law Reviewby John Gardella

Every year, nearly 40% of California’s water used for drinking, agriculture, and irrigation comes from groundwater sources located in Northern California. During droughts, as much as 60% of water in California is sourced from groundwater. In addition, large quantities of California’s surface water (water found in lakes, rivers, stream, and reservoirs) provides a resource to citizens and farms in the state. However, since the 1922 Colorado River Compact, California is also able to draw up to 4.4 million acre feet per year from the Colorado River.

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Final Judgment Entered in Favor of Water Authority in 2010-2012 Rate Litigation

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

A Superior Court judge has awarded the San Diego County Water Authority $44,373,872.29 in a final judgment for two cases covering rates paid by San Diego County ratepayers during calendar years 2011-2014. The award included $28,678,190.90 in damages for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s breach of contract for the four years at issue, plus pre-and post-judgment interest.

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This Giant Climate Hot Spot is Robbing the West of its Water

/in , , /by /The Washington Postby Juliet Eilperin

On New Year’s Day in 2018, Paul Kehmeier and his father drove up Grand Mesa until they got to the county line, 10,000 feet above sea level. Instead of the three to five feet of snow that should have been on the ground, there wasn’t enough of a dusting to even cover the grass.

The men marveled at the sight, and Kehmeier snapped a photo of his dad, “standing on the bare pavement, next to bare ground.”

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