The Complex And Surprising History Of Humanity And Water
NPR’s Ari Shapiro speaks with author Giulio Boccaletti about his new book Water: A Biography, which takes readers through the complex and surprising history of humanity and water.
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Water Arrives at Desperately Dry Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuge
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /The Oregonianby Alex SchwartzThe Bureau of Reclamation began releasing water from the Klamath River to Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge on Sept. 3. Advocates hope it will improve wetland habitat on the refuge for migrating birds this fall. Last week, California Waterfowl Association officially purchased approximately 3,750 acre-feet of water from Agency Ranch in the Wood River Valley, above Upper Klamath Lake, having announced the purchase and fundraising effort this spring. Lower Klamath has been plagued by insufficient wetland habitat due to a lack of deliveries from the Klamath Project for the past 20 years.
Water Rates Could Increase in Poway Under New Proposal
/in Media Coverage, San Diego County /by Chelsea Campos /Fox 5by Kelsey ChristensenResidents and businesses in Poway soon could be paying more on their water bills.
Poway City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to set a public hearing on a proposed four-year rate increase for water, recycled water and wastewater rates. It comes as the city grapples with how to deal with the future of water for its residents, challenged by rising costs to import water and the need to pay into capital improvement projects.
Wildfires are Putting Water Supplies at Risk, and Corporate America is Scared
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /CNBCby Diana OlickAs wildfires tear across America’s West, the immediate risk is to life and property, but they will eventually affect water supplies.
That’s one reason large corporations are beginning to help fund forest restoration in order to mitigate their water risk.
The water supply for many communities, including large cities, starts in mountains and national forests. In California, about 70% of the water either starts or flows through national forests, according to Forest Service estimates.
California Water Suppliers Cast 1st Challenge to Strict Drought Rules
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /Courthouse News Serviceby Nick CahillFreshly cut off from their chief water supply, a group of California water agencies in one of the state’s most fertile farming areas sued on Wednesday to freeze the latest round of emergency drought rules.
In a lawsuit filed in Sacramento County Superior Court, the suppliers argue they were denied due process when state regulators ordered thousands of landowners last month to cease diversions from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta due to drought conditions. They claim the sweeping water curtailments were based off faulty data and will cause permanent damage to pricey fruit and nut orchards.
Proposed Change at Prado Dam Could Yield Water for 60,000 More People
/in Home Headline, Media Coverage, San Diego County /by Chelsea Campos /The Sunby Martin WisckolEnough water for 60,000 Orange County residents can be generated by more efficient release of rainwater from the Prado Dam into the Santa Ana River, according to a new multi-agency report.
During a year of average rainfall, that’s the amount of water currently flowing into the ocean that could be captured for urban use, according to the two co-chairmen of the committee overseeing project. The proposed plan, slated to begin phasing in next year, would enable more rainwater to be absorbed into the county’s major groundwater basin before it reaches the Pacific.
Running Out of Water, Drought-stricken Communities Find Creative Ways to Conserve
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /KSBYby Amanda BrandeisAs unprecedented drought conditions plague much of the West, reservoirs are running dry. Communities reliant on these sources for drinking water are tightening restrictions to preserve adequate supplies.
“This is the first time it’s been this severe,” said Tom Colbert of Healdsburg, California. “It’s disheartening. We’ve had friends move out of California because of the drought and the wildfires.”
Epa Administrator Announces Nearly $200 Million in Loans to Fix Bay Area’s Aging Water Pipes, Treatment Plants
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /The Mercury Newsby Aldo ToledoThree massive loans from the federal government totaling nearly $200 million were announced Tuesday to help fix up aging clay pipes in the East Bay and to fund a new water treatment facility in Redwood City, a sum which Environmental Protection Agency Administrators Michael Regan said could increase if Congress passes the hotly debated trillion-dollar infrastructure bill.
At an event hosted by Silicon Valley Clean Water Tuesday at the agency’s new wastewater treatment plant currently under construction in Redwood Shores, Regan announced two Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loans totaling $143 million to SVCW and $25 million to the Oro Loma Sanitary District supporting projects expected to create more than 2,500 jobs.
California Enacted a Groundwater Law 7 Years Ago. But Wells Are Still Drying Up — and the Threat Is Spreading
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /CalMattersby Rachel BeckerKelly O’Brien’s drinking water well had been in its death throes for days before its pump finally gave out over Memorial Day weekend.
It wasn’t a quiet death at O’Brien’s home in Glenn County, about 100 miles north of Sacramento.
Spigots rattled. Faucets sputtered. The drinking water turned rusty with sediment. In the end, two houses, three adults, three children, two horses, four dogs and a couple of cats on her five acres of land were all left with no water for their sinks, showers, laundry, troughs and water bowls.
Despite Curtailment Order, Water Still Vanishing
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /KRCBby Marc AlbertDespite a week-old curtailment order, water levels in the upper Russian River remain stubbornly low.
Since the end of July, operators of the Coyote Valley Dam at Lake Mendocino have sent 115 cubic feet per second down the Russian River. By the time the river reaches Healdsburg, barely 20 percent of the water remains.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
