Water Quality & Conservation

Fixing Delta Plumbing is Key for All California’s Water, Says Cabinet Secretary

John Laird, California secretary for natural resources, commentary in the Sacramento Bee This week I testified at a legislative hearing on implementing the $7.5 billion water bond passed by voters in November 2014. One legislator asked me if the state was positioned to capture extra rainwater if El Niño brings a strong rainy season. I

By |2017-11-20T14:51:12-08:00February 5th, 2016|Water Quality & Conservation|

Governor Ponders 2016 Ballot Initiative for Climate Change

Gov. Jerry Brown said he is considering placing a measure on the 2016 ballot, possibly related to climate change, or engaging in an effort to defeat a threat to his Delta water project. “There’s a few things which I’m not ready to lay out for what we do,” he said. “We’re going to do something.”

Big Valley A Big Factor in 2018 Governor’s Race, Newsom Finds

Three years before the next gubernatorial election, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and his rivals are making inroads into inland California, touring farms, holding receptions and speaking to small crowds. In addition to Newsom, two other Democrats who are expected to run, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former state Controller Steve Westly, have both

Merced County Well Ordinance Works “For the Most Part”

Merced County received more than 400 applications for well permits in seven months after passing its groundwater ordinance in March. The ordinance was passed during California’s fourth year of drought in order to protect groundwater resources from being moved outside the county’s basins, to protect water rights and to decrease the rate of subsidence. The

San Joaquin Valley Prepares for New Water Era: Five Counties Join to Pursue Storage Funding…

The Tulare County Board of Supervisors approved a joint exercise of powers authority agreement with four other counties to lobby together to get a portion of California’s $7.5 billion Proposition 1 dollars to fund Valley water-storage projects. In particular, officials in Tulare, Fresno, King, Madera and Merced counties could seek as much as $1.5 billion

By |2015-12-14T10:12:40-08:00December 14th, 2015|Agriculture, Water Quality & Conservation|

“Great Uncertainty” as Water Districts Await State Water Board 2016 Drought Rules

Gov. Jerry Brown's latest executive order provisionally extends California's drought restrictions into next fall and calls on the State Water Resources Control Board to consider adjusting the rules in the coming weeks. So far, input from local water agencies and environmental think tanks has been diverse and sometimes conflicting. "What is the state staff going

By |2015-12-14T10:10:45-08:00December 14th, 2015|People and Politics, Water Quality & Conservation|

USDA Invests in Gigantic Midwest Aquifer Conservation

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced USDA will invest about $8 million in the Ogallala Aquifer Initiative in Fiscal Year 2016 to help farmers and ranchers conserve billions of gallons of water annually while strengthening agricultural operations. The eight-state Ogallala Aquifer has suffered in recent years from increased periods of drought and declining water resources.

By |2015-11-19T21:55:15-08:00November 19th, 2015|Agriculture, Water Quality & Conservation|

MWD Votes to Buy 4 Delta Islands

The board of the Southland's water importer voted to pursue the purchase of four farm islands in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the ecologically troubled center of California's sprawling water system. The islands would put the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California in control of about 20,000 acres of land in the delta, a source

By |2015-11-19T21:51:47-08:00November 19th, 2015|Environmental protection, Water Quality & Conservation|
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