Critical permits and legal challenges are still pending, and some farming groups still haven’t committed to paying for part of Gov. Jerry Brown’s controversial $17 billion Delta tunnels project. But even with the uncertainty, backers of the project are poised to ask the Trump administration for a $1.6 billion federal loan that millions of Californians ultimately would have to repay through increases in their water bills.
Less than two weeks after state regulators announced sweeping new water allocation limits, the GOP-controlled House is expected this week to pass spending legislation that would block federal funding for that allocation plan. It also includes measures that would bar legal challenges to major water infrastructure projects in the state.
Democratic lawmakers joined scores of scientists, health providers, environmental officials and activists Tuesday in denouncing an industry-backed proposal that could limit dramatically the scientific studies the Environmental Protection Agency considers in shaping protections for human health.
Enhancements to several Lake Oroville recreation areas are in the works this summer as the state Department of Water Resources makes good on its promise to improve lake access ahead of the Oroville Dam relicensing. Some means of getting more people out on the water include adding boat launch lanes and parking spots and providing free shuttle services.
Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday to place a property tax before voters in November to raise money for projects to capture and clean storm water. The measure would allow the county to levy a tax of 2.5 cents per square foot of “impermeable space” on private property.
On July 9 staff from the Central Valley Regional Water Control Board were at Wright’s Lake collecting water samples after an unusual algal bloom that was reported at the lake.
The Rim fire in 2013 brought devastation to a vast swath of Sierra Nevada forests west of Yosemite National Park. But the third largest wildfire in state history also seemed to have worked a political miracle, at least for a while. In the aftermath of the blaze, environmental organizations, timber interests, state officials and the U.S. Forest Service buried decades of discord to forge an ambitious restoration and reforestation plan.
The Trump administration has gone to the U.S. Supreme Court in its effort to stop a lawsuit filed by young activists who say the government is failing to protect them from climate change.
When asked about the Temperance Flat proposal, [Lt. Gov. Gavin] Newsom said many projects are fighting for a finite amount of money. He stressed, however, that some form of above-ground storage would be built in the near future, as dictated by the voters.
Amid hundreds of complaints of water bill spikes and problems with new smart water meters, the San Diego water department has resisted public records requests and misled the public about the extent of the issues, Voice of San Diego reports.
The Imperial Irrigation District has sued Riverside County to block a new regulation that requires IID to bring back a popular solar program, starting a legal battle that will pit the public power agency against the Coachella Valley’s biggest rooftop solar company.
To distinguish itself and make it easier to identify, according to a news release, the Yuba County Water Agency announced it is changing its name to the Yuba Water Agency. Board Chairman Brent Hastey said the agency has largely gone unnoticed by the public since it was established in 1959, which prompted the change and new logo.
A century ago, the island town of Drawbridge held 90 homes, hotels and cabins, with hunting so bountiful that dead ducks served as currency at its gambling tables. Now — in a rare act of reverse colonization — civilization is ceding to the elements in this windswept marsh, located near Alviso at the southern end of San Francisco Bay. Rising tides flood a dozen or so surviving skeletal structures.
The funding, which will go to the East Bay Regional Park District from the state’s 2018-19 budget, will be mainly for its flood control, and water supply and public recreation, according to Assemblywoman Catharine Baker, R-San Ramon. Baker and state Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, jointly announced the funding at a press conference at the park on Monday.
To some it’s a source of artistic inspiration. To others it’s an endangered natural wonder in grave need of protection. But to most who make an annual summer pilgrimage to the Russian River — whether for an afternoon’s respite or a week’s true escape — it’s a place to shed worldly concerns and embrace the season’s mandate: relax.
Audubon New Mexico said Tuesday it has arranged for the release of millions of gallons of reservoir water this summer to augment stream flow that helps sustain century-old cottonwoods, birds and other wildlife in drying stretches of the Rio Grande.
Gilbert, the nation’s largest town, approved a $31.2 million water lease with the San Carlos Apache Tribe that should allow for continued growth. … The town must have a guaranteed water supply for the next 100 years of development under the Arizona Department of Water Resources.
Rising levels of carbon dioxide from car and factory exhaust — which scientists say is the primary cause of global warming — could contribute to the killing off of monarch butterflies by reducing the medicinal qualities of the plants they eat, a new study has found.
Ten years ago, Barcelona nearly ran out of water. In 2008, reservoirs dipped so low that the Mediterranean city was forced to import drinking water from France. The shortage came amid Spain’s driest year on record. The Catalonia region, home to Barcelona, was worst hit. The story of water scarcity in northeastern Spain, however, doesn’t begin–or end–with the 2008 drought.
