Aquafornia

The San Diego Water Board is asking 10 local agencies, including the city and county of San Diego, to curtail the flow of human fecal matter into the San Diego River. The problem has gotten worse over the last few years to the point it’s being compared with similar issues along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the state agency that monitors the region’s water quality.

The Northern California summer steelhead is closer to being listed under the state’s Endangered Species Act as the state Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously 4-0 on Wednesday at its June meeting in Redding to review the species’ status over the next year.

Floating debris on the lake is common, but this year is worse than most years, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Agency officials blame it on the high lake level. As the lake level rises, the water picks up the wood and other debris along the shoreline, forest service officials said. The wind and currents in the lake can send huge rafts of logs, sticks, Styrofoam, plastic bottles, articles of clothing, tires and other debris into coves and boat launch areas.

San Mateo County officials are moving forward on a green infrastructure plan that aims to transform the urban landscape and storm drainage systems. The plan will help the county transition from relying solely on traditional drain infrastructure, which allows stormwater to flow directly into drains and bodies of water, to a more environmentally friendly model that disperses runoff to vegetated areas and collects it for nonpotable uses.

An algal bloom in Black Butte Lake could be harmful and even deadly if visitors or their pets swallow the water, the California Water Board said Thursday. Regardless of the heat, boaters, dog owners and other recreational users of the lake are asked to be aware of the dangers in the water since harmful algal blooms (HABs) were found in a recent water test.

The Flood Insurance for Farmers Act of 2019, which [Congressman John] Garamendi introduced with Congressman Doug LaMalfa in January, would provide farmers access to discounted rates under the National Flood Insurance Program. It would also lift the de facto federal prohibition on construction and repair of agricultural structures in high flood-risk areas designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Irvine Co. has followed through on plans to transfer 29 acres it owns on the south shore of Irvine Lake to the county of Orange, but a dispute over what kinds of recreation to allow and who should profit from it must be resolved before the lake can reopen to the public.

As part of the budget negotiations, lawmakers shelved Gov. Gavin Newsom’s controversial “water tax” that would have raised $140 million a year to help low-income communities finally clean up their contaminated water systems. Instead, lawmakers plan to fund the much-needed water cleanups with $100 million a year in cap-and-trade dollars — money that is paid to the state by polluters and which is legally required to be spent on projects to reduce the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.

Governor Newsom has stated that he supports a single tunnel—building on the planning and analysis for modernized conveyance in the Delta done to date with an increased focus on how to make the project work for the Delta communities. … Under this direction, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) will launch a new environmental review and planning process toward the end of this year.