Last week, the legislative budget conference committee voted to reject the proposal to suspend Proposition 1A, a measure that allows the state to borrow property tax revenues from local government during a severe fiscal hardship.

The Association of California Water Agencies has spearheaded the opposition to a Prop 1A suspension. In early May, the governor proposed to suspend Prop 1A and borrow approximately $2 billion from local government to help bridge the state’s massive budget deficit. The non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office offered an alternative solution that would borrow a larger percentage of property tax revenues from those local agencies, like water and wastewater districts. Read the rest of this entry »

May 19th is Shut Your Tap! Day

Central Basin is proud to announce that the LA County Board of Supervisors has declared today, May 19, the official Shut Your Tap! Day throughout Los Angeles County! We encourage all of our county residents to adopt water-smart behaviors that support water conservation efforts throughout Southern California.

For more information on simple ways for local residents to reduce water waste both inside and outside the home, visit the campaign website, at www.shutyourtap.org.

To learn more about Shut Your Tap! Day, click here to read the press release.

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At 11am, scientists from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) began taking their final snow survey of the 2008-2009 water season at Phillips Station (near Lake Tahoe). The samples they pull will tell us if our reservoirs will finally start getting replenished…or if we’re in for another dry year. Results from today’s survey will be posted by 1pm today. Visit the DWR website for more information.

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Although there has been no connection between the Swine Flu and water quality, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) is taking advantage of the current attention surrounding public health to provide important information about drinking water and utility planning. From the press release:

“AWWA notes that the disease must be transmitted through person-to-person contact or contact with a contaminated surface. Water that has been treated through conventional disinfection processes does not pose a risk, even if the source water has previously come into contact with infected people or animals.”

Visit the AWWA website to see the full press release. And since we are on the topic, click here to view Swine Flu cases around the world.

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In the Op-Ed section of the LA Times on Sunday, Marc B. Haefele put the spotlight on gray water.  A topic first brought to our attention during the drought of the early 1990s, gray water refers to using the wastewater that comes from a home’s washing machines, showers and sinks for outdoor irrigation.

Haefele tells us how since the last major drought, “draconian permitting processes”  have prevented the success of early gray water pilot projects from gaining major traction. Still, while we may only have 200 permitted gray water systems statewide, Haefele’s sources estimate there are more than 1.7 million illegal systems throughout California.

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Echeveria subrigida

Some garden inspiration for Monday morning: The LA Times today posted a collection of photos that highlight the beauty and “va va voom” of a frontyard succulant garden in San Diego. As the LA Times puts it, this innovative garden “illustrates how low-water doesn’t have to mean personality-free.” Check out the photos here.

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The Omnibus Public Land Management of Act of 2009 (HR 146) was signed into law by President Obama on Monday, March 30! Read the President’s statement

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On Wednesday March 25, Congressional legislation that will provide $61.5 million for the cleanup of local groundwater passed the House of Congress and is soon expected to become law. If signed by the President, H.R. 146 will designate $50 million to the Water Quality Authority and another $11.5 million to Central Basin, all for cleaning up the groundwater of the San Gabriel Aquifer through the Water Quality Protection Project. Today, the Whittier Daily News ran a great opinion piece that emphasized the importance of this groundwater cleanup project to the region.

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 Effective January 2009, AB 1420 (Laird) amended the Urban Water Management Planning Act, requiring urban water suppliers to comply with a set of water “Demand Management Measures” (DMMs) outlined in the bill in order to qualify for state or federal funding. (FYI - the DMMs correspond to the 14 Best Management Practices adopted by the California Urban Water Conservation Council.) To help clarify the DMMs and these new funding eligibility requirements, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) is hosting a workshop at the Metropolitan Water District in Downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 25, from 10:30-12:30p.m. All urban water suppliers, cities, investor-owned utilities and mutual water companies are welcomed to attend.  Read the rest of this entry »

The Quagga Mussels that were first found at Lake Mead in January 2007 are creating major problems for operators at Hoover Dam. The Sentinal Source yesterday ran a great opinion piece that recaps the invasion of this tiny species; the danger facing one of Nevada’s largest power plants; and the potential impacts of biological pollution (Quagga Mussels were first brought to U.S. waters by overseas ships) to our national health and economy. 

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