ACWA’s e-News is a weekly roundup of California water news and events.
Hearing Looks at Drinking Water in Disadvantaged Communities
Contaminated drinking water in the state’s disadvantaged communities and strategies for addressing it were the focus of an oversight hearing Wednesday convened by the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee.
Assembly Member Luis Alejo (D-Salinas), chair of the committee, said the hearing was designed to bring experts from around the state to discuss the problem and what the state is doing to help resolve it.
He noted that two recent studies have highlighted the fact that 2 million Californians currently do not have access to safe drinking water.
Water Commission Discusses Public Benefits of Water Projects Eligible for Funding Under Bond Act
The California Water Commission launched a preliminary discussion at its Nov. 14 meeting on defining what water quality benefits associated with water projects may be eligible for public funding under SBX7-2—the water bond proposed for the 2014 ballot.
California Farmland Underutilized for Water Storage, Coalition Says
A coalition including several local water agency leaders is calling for creative solutions that could provide more water storage and water supply for agriculture in California.
The California Roundtable on Water and Food Supply, in a new report released Nov. 13 titled “From Storage to Retention: Expanding California’s Options for Meeting its Water Needs,” calls for more retention ponds and other small reservoirs on farms and farmland, more groundwater storage on private lands, and other overlooked approaches.
Water Agency Responses Sought for Proposition 218 Survey
Researchers from Stanford University’s Water in the West program are seeking feedback from managers of water agencies, wastewater utilities, flood control districts, and other public entities, to assess their experiences, understanding and attitudes concerning Proposition 218.
Study: Less Snowpack in California Could Become a New Normal
Snowpack in California likely will shrink noticeably during the next 30 years and could, paradoxically, result in increased risk of flooding as well as less water available for agriculture, according to a climate change study from Stanford University researchers.
Published in the journal Nature Climate Change, the study led by climate researcher Noah Diffenbaugh forecasts big challenges ahead for the Western U.S. and California in a projection of Northern Hemisphere snowpack through the 21st century.
Senate Committee to Hold Hearing This Week on WRDA Bill
The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing Thursday, Nov. 15, on the Water Resources Development Act of 2012.
The WRDA bill authorizes projects through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and was last authorized in 2007.
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) is chair of the committee.
Hearing details and a draft of the 2012 WRDA bill can be found here.
Bureau Announces Changes in Senior Leadership
Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Michael L. Connor announced changes in three senior leadership positions this week.
David Murillo has been named the new regional director for the Mid-Pacific Region. Don Glaser, the current regional director for the Mid-Pacific Region, will move to Denver to work on several high priority projects for the commissioner.
Lowell Pimley has been named deputy commissioner of operations in Washington.
In a statement, Connor said the three individuals will bring vast knowledge and experience into their new positions.
Gov. Brown Says Water Reliability Is on His Agenda
Gov. Jerry Brown is signaling that water issues are on his post-election agenda as he prepares to work with what likely will be a Democratic supermajority in the state Legislature.
“[There is] is lot to do in securing water reliability, and I intend to give my full attention to that,” Brown told reporters during a press conference Wednesday, Nov. 7.
Survey Launched to Compile Water Treatment Cost Information
ACWA is encouraging water system operators to complete an online survey to help determine annual costs associated with drinking water treatment.
ACWA 2013 Washington D.C. Conference
Tue, 02/26/2013 – Thu, 02/28/2013
Location:
Washington Court Hotel Washington, D.C.
Why Attend?
Register for the DC Conference Online
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