With an El Niño winter threatening heavy rain, the State Auditor warns that California’s aging dams “continue to pose a risk to public safety,” especially in the Bay Area, San Diego, and Los Angeles areas. Lawmakers gave the state the power to penalize dam owners that violate safety requirements in 2017, after the Oroville spillway failure forced the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people. Water managers have yet to use that power, the audit found. Even if state water managers had wielded their enforcement powers, dam owners likely couldn’t have afforded the fixes. An audit released Monday found 57 dams in poor or unsatisfactory condition as of May, up from previous counts. … The auditor applauded the water resources department’s inspection program but blasted its failure to enforce against dam owners who fail to meet state planning, safety or other requirements. 

• Courthouse News Service: California auditor gives damning assessment of state’s dams
• Smart Water Magazine: California’s Friant-Kern Canal begins US$200 million modernization
• Smart Cities Dive: Water reuse at the building level could help cities close the infrastructure gap
• Daily Journal (Los Angeles): California Water Impact Network and Central Delta Water Agency sue Department of Water Resources over Delta diversions
• UC ANR: SAFER Consolidation Explorer: An interactive tool for screening water system consolidation in the San Joaquin Valley
• Sen. Mike McGuire: News release: Senator McGuire secures major $2.5 million investment to rebuild critical infrastructure and modernize Southeast Wastewater Treatment Plant in Clearlake