Despite little precipitation and a small snowpack in the 2020 water year, which ended Sept. 30, California weathered the year on water stored in reservoirs during previous years’ storms. Going into 2021, farmers note that weather officials predict a La Niña climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean, which has brought drought conditions in the past.
Unforeseen conditions caused a change order to the Fallbrook Public Utility District contract to replace the pipeline along Winter Haven Road, but it was the only change order needed in the contract to replace approximately 2,570 feet of pipeline. The Sept. 28 FPUD board meeting included a 5-0 vote to approve the change order and also to approve the notice of completion for the project.
On the heels of a historic drought, at the beginning of the implementation of historic groundwater legislation, and in light of potential flooding, Porterville will have more water in the future and a larger dam to prevent it from damaging the city below. On Sept. 29, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District, along with local and federal partners, have broken ground on the Tule River Spillway Enlargement Project at Success Lake near Porterville, Calif.
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee approved several bills yesterday to address tribal energy, land and water resources. Lawmakers approved Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Minnesota Democratic Sen. Tina Smith’s S. 2610 to reauthorize and reform the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs within the Department of Energy.
House Democrats plan to release a massive green infrastructure package this week, an aide confirmed to E&E News, ending months of anticipation among transportation and infrastructure advocates.
The long-awaited package, which would include reauthorization of expiring surface transportation provisions, is expected to resemble a framework unveiled in January (Greenwire, Jan. 29).
“Text of the surface bill will be released in the coming days,” a House Democratic aide said in an email to E&E News yesterday. “Like the framework House Democrats released earlier this year, it’s expected a number of items will address climate change and safety, which are focal points.”
As states begin to reopen from coronavirus-related shutdowns, a wave of unpaid utility bills coming due will not only saddle Americans still out of work with new debt, it could also drive up rates for everyone.
And the $900 million that Congress provided in the CARES Act to help low-income households pay their utility bills won’t be nearly enough to ease the problem, advocates and experts say.
Here’s some welcome news: Water can work wonders for your health.
The humble liquid comprises about 60% of our body weight and allows our internal organs to perform at their best. Water regulates our body temperature, keeps our joints lubricated and carries nutrients to our cells. Water also provides moisture to skin, ensuring a bright and radiant glow.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to address lead in water isn’t as aggressive as it could be, the agency’s independent science advisers, as well as outside groups, said Monday.
Essential workers at Imperial Irrigation District, are now living at their job site in order to stay protected from the coronavirus. According to IID, they will be housing 32 employees who are vital in providing Imperial County residents with water and energy.
Californians tend to regard our droughts in seasonal and annual terms: The winter storms fill reservoirs with rain and mountains with snow, or they don’t, or sometimes, like this year, they do so in the spring. But a new study proposes a broader perspective in which recent years’ shifts from dry to wet to weird are just minor variations within a longer and more extraordinary period of widespread parching.
