A Field Poll released today reveals that likely voters support the $7.5 billion water bond slated for the November ballot by a two-to-one margin – 52% to 27%. Another 21% of likely voters say they are undecided.

California’s urban water suppliers are making headway in their water conservation efforts, achieving a 7.5% drop in usage statewide this July over last year’s figures, according to a survey released today by the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board).

The House, on Monday, passed a bill that would block a controversial Clean Water Act proposal put forward by the Environmental Protection Agency, winning 35 Democratic votes in the process.

The bill, H.R. 5078, the Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act of 2014, passed the House 262-152. Every Republican member of the California delegation supported the bill as well five Democratic members: Representatives Garamendi, Ruiz, Costa, Farr, and Negrete McLeod.

Public water agencies around the state are stepping up conservation efforts, expanding rebate programs and pursuing an array of innovative programs to reduce water use in response to California’s deepening drought.

Nearly 60% of California is now in “exceptional drought,” the most severe on the U.S. Drought Monitor’s five-point scale. About 82% of the state is in “extreme drought,” while 95% is now in “severe drought.”

Bay Area water officials are utilizing a pilot project of water transfer agreements and regional cooperation to help endure ongoing drought conditions. The agreement between the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) and the Alameda County Water District (ACWD) illustrates how regional cooperation and targeted water transfers can increase water supply reliability, officials from both agencies stated in a press release.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on Sept. 5 released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Upper San Joaquin River Basin Storage Investigation, a study which investigates water storage options for California’s Central Valley.

ACWA and its member agencies have a long history of leadership when it comes to confronting big changes in the way we manage water resources in California. Groundwater legislation now on the governor’s desk is the latest example, ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn writes in the latest entry in the Voices on Water blog.

Read the complete blog entry here.

The California State Association of Counties(CSAC) Board of Directors voted Thursday to support Proposition 1, the Water Quality Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014.

“Now is the time for California to invest in a comprehensive, statewide water plan,” said CSAC Executive Director Matt Cate. “As a state, we are facing a growing list of challenges, including a severe drought, aging infrastructure and increased population. California Counties understand the vital need to secure our water future.”

The deterioration of the Salton Sea— with its worsening air quality, loss of ecological habitat, diminished recreational revenue and property devaluation – could cost as much as $70 billion over the next 30 years, according to a report released Sept. 3 by the Pacific Institute.

The report – titled “Hazard’s Toll: The Costs of Inaction at the Salton Sea” – details the massive public health and environmental costs on local residents and Californians in general if steps aren’t taken to protect and preserve the Salton Sea.