The Biden administration has announced new water-saving agreements with California water agencies intended to shore up supplies on the overburdened Colorado River.
When the highest stakes water negotiations in a century opened this fall, the largest, most powerful state — California — was represented by the youngest person at the table, a 27-year-old named John Brooks Hamby, who graduated from college barely four years ago.
Over the next two decades, Los Angeles County will collect billions more gallons in water from local sources, especially storm and reclaimed water, shifting from its reliance on other region’s water supplies as the effects of climate change make such efforts less reliable and more expensive.
The Imperial Irrigation District in California, which uses more Colorado River water than any other farm district or city in the West, has agreed to conserve 100,000 acre-feet in 2023 in exchange for payments from the federal government. It’s less than half the amount of water the district originally proposed saving last spring.
Sixteen cities, including four in the U.S., signed a commitment to protect vulnerable communities from severe flooding and drought through C40 Cities’ new Water Safe Cities Accelerator, launched on Nov. 22.
In a pivotal move addressing California’s water conservation goals and reinforcing partnerships in the face of the ongoing Colorado River drought, the Metropolitan Water District is seeking authorization for its General Manager to establish agreements with the Coachella Valley Water District, Imperial Irrigation District, and San Diego County Water Authority. These agreements aim to facilitate the addition of water to Lake Mead under the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Lower Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program for the year 2023.
California’s agricultural industry – the nation’s largest food producer — is fighting for its political future.
First came the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a staunch Democratic ally who was unafraid of prioritizing farms over endangered fish in the state’s long-running water wars. Then House Republicans kicked Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a native of the Central Valley’s agricultural heartland, out of the speakership.
On June 27, the San Diego County Water Authority kicked off its first Citizens Water Academy since 2020, when COVID-19 forced a shutdown of the program. The academy offers attendees the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the Water Authority’s life-sustaining mission.
Participants learn firsthand about critical water issues affecting the region and go behind the scenes with water planners, managers, and engineers for an inside look at the water delivery system.
Citizens Water Academy participants at the base of Olivenhain Dam. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority.
The Water Academy is geared toward civic and business leaders. This year’s class was held in three sessions starting on June 27 with a welcome and Water Authority overview by Acting General Manager Dan Denham.
Session two took place on July 12 with dinner and presentations about “Planning for a Water Resilient Future” with Jeff Stephenson, acting director of the Water Resources Department. A final session took place on July 15, and included presentations by Operations and Maintenance Department leaders, tours of the regional water delivery control room and emergency operations center, a tour of Olivenhain Dam, and a graduation ceremony.
Class participants come from a wide range of backgrounds and professions. They include elected official representatives, retail water agency staff, Water Authority board members, and civic and business leaders from across the region.
“Despite our lack of natural resources, it’s easy to take our safe, reliable supply of water for granted,” said Acting General Manager Dan Denham. “We turn on the faucet and there’s the water, ready to be transformed into our morning cup of coffee. But how that water gets from point A to point B is an astounding work of engineering and strategic planning. The Water Academy is all about connecting our community to this intricate world.”
The Citizens Water Academy launched in fall 2014. Over the years, 99% of participants said they would recommend the Water Academy to a colleague, and nearly 50% of graduates engaged in the Water Authority’s alumni network.
The Water Authority was honored with the Silver Bernays Mark of Excellence Award for the Citizens Water Academy from the San Diego/Imperial Counties Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America in 2015. The program also won the Communications Initiative Award from the San Diego Section of the American Planning Association in 2016.
Water Authority staff are excited to bring this important program back to the community after a three-year pause due to the pandemic and look forward to hosting additional classes in the future. Information about future class dates will be posted here. The webpage also includes an interest form and nomination form for future Water Academy classes.
The largest Native American reservation in the United States has lost a key legal battle to protect access to a waterway that is critical to its citizens’ spiritual practices — and their survival.
All but one member of the Supreme Court’s conservative majority ruled Thursday against the Navajo Nation in its fight to ensure that the federal government is legally obligated to address the tribe’s need for water from the dwindling flows of the Colorado River.
California’s second-largest reservoir is now completely full after a historic rainy season recharged reservoirs across the state following years of drought.
Lake Oroville, fed by the Feather River about 80 miles north of Sacramento, is at 100% of its capacity, according to the California Department of Water Resources.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
