State Water Commission Hears Briefings on Update to State Water Plan and Other Efforts
Members of the California Water Commission listened to several staff briefings during the commission’s Oct. 17 meeting, hearing reports on issues ranging from the timeline for the update of the California Water Plan to issues regarding quantifying the public benefits of water projects.
Groups File Suit to Require State to Study Fracking Impacts
Saying state regulators have failed to evaluate the risks of hydraulic fracturing, five environmental groups filed a lawsuit Oct. 16 that would require the state to study the possible effects on groundwater and air quality before allowing companies to use the controversial practice in California.
The suit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court by the environmental law firm Earthjustice, says hundreds of oil and gas wells are being fracked in California without adequate oversight.
Blog Post: Resist “Bumper Sticker” Mentality; Delta Fix is Part of Getting to a Sustainable Water System
As state and federal agencies gear up to release a public draft of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan later this year, it will be critical to resist the “bumper sticker” slogans and recognize that a Delta fix is part of getting California to a sustainable water system, ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn writes in the latest entry in the Voices on Water blog.
Workshop on Agricultural Water Use Efficiency Grants Set for Oct. 19
A workshop is set for Oct. 19 in Sacramento to provide information on the Department of Water Resources’ Final Agricultural Water Use Efficiency Proposal Solicitation Package.
The grant program will fund projects that provide water savings and/or contribute to in-stream flows that benefit the Bay-Delta or the rest of the state; as well as the preparation or update of agricultural water management plans consistent with SBX7-7 specifications. The deadline for proposals is Nov. 21.
Water Board Allocates $2 Million for Replacement Water for Disadvantaged Communities
The State Water Resources Control Board Oct. 16 allocated $2 million to assist the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) in providing interim replacement drinking water for economically disadvantaged communities.
State Board Postpones Vote on Amendment to Recycled Water Policy
The State Water Resources Control Board postponed action Oct. 16 on a proposed amendment to its Recycled Water Policy to allow more time for staff to finalize responses to comments regarding constituents of emerging concern (CECs). The proposed amendment recommends monitoring for specific CECs in recycled water used for groundwater recharge reuse. CECs are a broad class of substances, which can include pharmaceuticals and body care products that can be present in minute amounts in wastewater.
California Flood Preparedness Week Kicks Off
State and federal agencies are using California’s first-ever Flood Preparedness Week as an occasion to educate the public about how to make a preparedness kit and evacuation plan.
Drought Planning Workshop Set for November
The California Department of Water Resources and the National Water Research Institute (NWRI) have scheduled a free drought planning and response workshop on Nov. 6 at the Orange County Water District in Fountain Valley, Calif.
The workshop is intended “to review and provide updates on drought planning, response, and mitigation measures,” according to the event’s website. “It is intended for water agencies and other public and local agencies involved in drought response and planning efforts.”
The Next Decade in the Delta: Consensus on “Near-Term” Projects
Stakeholders from throughout California’s water world came together in Martinez Monday Oct. 15 to unveil a list of improvement projects for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that could be undertaken in the “near-term” while longer-term solutions for the Delta are studied.
LADWP Helps Clear Path for Endeavour’s Move through Los Angeles
Electrical crews with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) successfully raised, removed or relocated 74 power poles in advance of the Space Shuttle Endeavour’s 12-mile journey Oct. 12 and 13 from the Los Angeles International Airport to the California Science Center at Exposition Park, LADWP officials stated in a press release.
WaterSMART Program on Track to Meet Water Savings Goals, Federal Report Shows
The Department of the Interior’s WaterSMART conservation program and other conservation activities are on track to save an estimated 587,839 acre-feet of water a year – enough to serve 2.3 million people, the department announced Oct. 11.
The water savings and other accomplishments are detailed in the newly released report, Water SMART: A Three-Year Progress Report. SMART stands for Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow. The program was launched in 2010 by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.
ACWA Submits Comment Letter on Proposed Amendment to the State Board’s Recycled Water Policy
ACWA submitted comments in cooperation with WateReuse Association and the California Association of Sanitation Agencies.
