The final 20x2020 water conservation plan has now been released. The legislation is one approach for meeting the governor’s conservation goal of 20% reduction in statewide per capita water use by 2020 at the local level. Details are here....

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The Contra Costa Water District Board of Directors is scheduled to discuss and potentially approve an environmental study March 31 that would allow it to move forward with enlarging Los Vaqueros Reservoir by 60%.

If completed, the $120,000 million expansion would raise the 200-foot dam by 38 feet and flood nearly 500 acres. Environmental groups have voiced little opposition because it is a fairly small reservoir and the dam is located in a dry valley.

If the CCWD Board of...

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The State Water Contractors issued a new analysis March 16 indicating nearly 480,000 acre-feet of water has been lost to water agencies in 2010 due to regulatory restrictions on pumping in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

That’s enough water to serve more than 3.8 million people for one year or refill San Luis Reservoir, one of the state’s largest water storage facilities currently at three-quarters of its total capacity, the organization states in a [Read More]

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced yesterday it will increase its 2010 water supply allocations for Central Valley Project contractors.

Agricultural contractors south of the Delta stand to receive a 25% supply, up from 5% initially forecast in February. Agricultural contractors north of the Delta will see a 50% supply, up from 5%, and municipal and industrial users both north and south of the Delta will receive 75% of requested sup...

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The 2009 legislative package on water was far from perfect, but it marked a quantum leap forward in managing California’s water, according to speakers at ACWA’s 2010 Legislative Symposium held March 17 in Sacramento.

Phil Isenberg, who served as chair of the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force in 2007-2008, said improved Delta governance and new requirements for conservation and groundwater monitoring will help. But the state’s water concerns will not be over anytime soon.

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The April issue of National Geographic is devoted to a single topic – fresh water. The issue, titled “Water: Our Thirsty World,” includes a lengthy story on California and its ongoing water supply challenges.

California editions of the magazine will feature a special one-page ad sponsored by ACWA recognizing the role of public water agencies over the past 100 years in conjunction with ACWA’s centennial celebration throughout 2010.

In addition, the California editions inclu...

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ACWA has released its 2010 Suggested Guidelines for use by public water systems in preparing Public Health Goal (PHG) reports to satisfy requirements of California Health and Safety Code Section 116470(b). The newly updated guidelines were first prepared and distributed by ACWA in 1998, the first year the reports were required.

Public water systems serving more than 10,000 service connections must prepare a brief, written report by July 1, 2010, that provides information on the “detec...

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Implementation of the historic 2009 Delta legislative package was the subject of an oversight hearing yesterday at the State Capitol.

Natural Resources Secretary Lester Snow told lawmakers that appointments to the new Delta Stewardship Council will be announced soon. Appointments to the new Delta Conservancy also are due to be made by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Legislature and the five Delta counties.

Several lawmakers expressed concern that staffing decisions and con...

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WateReuse California presented Eastern Municipal Water District with the Recycled Water Agency of the Year award March 8 at its annual conference in San Diego.

“We are honored to receive this award. It signifies the EMWD board of director’s commitment to maximizing local water resources,” says EMWD Board President Ron Sullivan.

EMWD’s regional wastewater reclamation system currently treats approximately 46 million gallons of wastewater per day. EMWD reuses approximately 70...

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ACWA member agencies have kicked off the association’s centennial celebrations by passing resolutions recognizing its 100th anniversary.

Cucamonga Valley Water District, Santa Margarita Water District, United Water Conservation District, Wheeler Ridge–Maricopa Water Storage District and West Valley Water District are among the agencies that have passed resolutions. A sample resolution was included in the [Read More]

Homes built in 2009 use 20% less water than homes built in 1990, according to a new report by Stockton-based energy consulting firm ConSol. When the California Green Building Standards Code becomes effective in 2011, the study estimates newly built homes will be 21% more water efficient than their 1990 counterparts.

The study also found that landscaping accounts for 57% of total household water use, and that the Department of Water Resources’ Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance...

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Integrated water management in California is the subject of a two-day session of the California Biodiversity Council, March 10 and 11 in Fairfield / Suisun. The session will include a tour and a meeting. Click here for more details and to register....

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The State Water Resources Control Board is initiating the process to develop biological objectives for freshwater streams and rivers in California. Project kick-off meetings are on March 8, 1-4 p.m. at the Cal EPA Building, 1001 I Street, Sacramento and March 11, 9 a.m.-noon at the SCCWRP, 3535 Harbor Blvd., Suite 110, Costa Mesa. The purpose of these meetings is to educate stakeholders on the project and initiate the process of assembling the stakeholder, regulatory and scientific committees th...

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The California Department of Water Resources has scheduled public listening sessions on implementation of two projects as part of the 2009 Water Conservation Act, the conservation element of the historic water package enacted in November. The first will be in Sacramento on March 8, the second in Los Angeles on March 10. These first listening sessions will focus on two requirements of the act: Urban Baseline Technical Methodologies and a Method for Calculating Urban Water Use Reduction Targets. C...

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Best, Best Kreiger will host a workshop March 6 in Huntington Beach to discuss water supply challenges in drought-plagued California and offer strategies on how to proactively address shortages.

“Twenty-first Century Challenges to Supplying Water” will offer an update on drought conditions and an in-depth analysis of the regulatory and court-imposed restrictions impacting water supplies in California. ...

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