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.

Read the rest of this entry »

 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.

Central Basin hosted the monthly Central MWD Caucus this week at its Commerce headquarters. More than 60 participants from across the region joined us this month to hear speakers from the Metropolitan Water District and the Long Beach Water Department give updates on the California drought and the state’s water supply outlook for 2009.

For our readers, here are a few key points from the presentations:

This week, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) issued the results of its third snow survey of the winter season, and the numbers aren’t so bad. The Sierra Nevada snowpack is 80% of normal for this time of year.

Read the rest of this entry »

Governor Schwarzenegger put California’s water crisis back in the headlines Friday when he issued a State of Emergency for California. The proclamation directs all state government agencies to “utilize their resources, implement a state emergency plan and provide assistance for people, communities and businesses impacted by the drought.” The proclamation also outlines in detail the serious and far-reaching impact of the drought on the state’s economy and quality of life for millions of residents. If conditions don’t improve by March 30, 2009, the Governor will consider additional steps to mitigate the drought, including mandatory rationing and other state regulations.

The Metropolitan Water District issued this statement in response to the Governor’s proclamation.

Read more articles about the State of Emergency here.