Dear Western Water readers:

It’s been a year since two devastating wildfires on opposite ends of California underscored harsh new realities facing water agencies serving communities in or adjacent to the state’s fire-prone wildlands. Fire doesn’t just level homes, it can contaminate water, scorch watersheds, damage delivery systems and upend agency finances.

The lessons from the Camp Fire that swept through Paradise, in Northern California, and the Woolsey Fire along the Los Angeles-Ventura County border in Southern California are still being absorbed by water managers around California as they recognize that emergency preparedness plans of yesterday may not be adequate for the wildfire reality of today.

Western Water’s Gary Pitzer and Douglas E. Beeman talked with managers of water systems that have been hit hard by wildfire to glean the hard-earned lessons that might help others prepare. Read the full article here.

Water Around the West

Here are five don’t-miss articles from around California and the West:

San Diego creates state’s first water, sewer ‘capacity bank’ to boost biotech, breweries. The Los Angeles Times’ David Garrick reports that San Diego will create California’s first “capacity bank” for water and sewer, allowing breweries and biotech firms to cheaply buy excess water and sewer capacity from former factories, a move that the city says will create jobs and help it avoid expensive expansions of its sewer and water infrastructure.

Clean water is a fight for many Californians. Will Newsom’s law fix the waiting game? The Fresno Bee’s Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado looks into how private well owners seeking to dig new wells or connect to a public water system to obtain clean water face a daunting bureaucratic process that frequently includes months of waiting and no guarantees projects will get approved.

Prop 65 was meant to protect residents from toxic water. How did warning stickers end up on everything? Michael Waters, writing for the website Vox, examines how the initial selling point in 1986 of Proposition 65 — that it would eliminate toxins in the water supply by holding big business liable for its leaks — has largely been forgotten in 2019. 

Farmland owners look to solar as groundwater restrictions loom. John Cox, writing in the Bakersfield Californian, takes a look at solar energy installations as one option for Kern County landowners in the San Joaquin Valley as they weigh options for reusing land that will have to be taken out of production as a result of state restrictions on groundwater pumping.

Is renewable energy’s future dammed? Nick Bowlin, writing in High Country News, explores a proposal to build a hydropower project on the Little Colorado River, and other projects like it across the West, and the tricky environmental trade-offs involved in trying to meet climate goals.

Water Word of the Day

Potable water. Potable water, also known as drinking water, comes from surface and ground sources and is treated to levels that that meet state and federal standards for consumption. There is increased interest in using nontraditional sources, such as desalinated seawater, brackish groundwater and highly treated wastewater, for indirect potable reuse. Read more about potable water in Aquapedia, our free, vetted online water encyclopedia. 

At the Foundation

The deadline is fast approaching to apply for our highly sought-after Water Leaders program for early to mid-career water professionals. This yearlong class is aimed at providing a deeper understanding of California water issues and building leadership skills with class members attending water tours, studying a water-related topic in-depth and working with a mentor. The deadline to apply for the 2020 class is Dec. 9. Download an application here.

Water Academy

Evidence shows that climate change is affecting California with warmer temperatures, less snowfall and more extreme weather events. Our Layperson’s Guide to Climate Change and Water Resources explains the causes of climate change, the effects on water resources and efforts underway to better adapt to a changing climate. Here’s where to get yours.