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Monterey County Water Articles



CalMatters logo STATE NEWS
California Agrees to Long-Term Cuts of Colorado River Water

California, Arizona and Nevada would cut their allocations about 20% when reservoir levels drop. But other states have their own more aggressive plan. Now the federal government has to decide how to manage the drought-plagued river.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Cal Am fires its first defensive legal volley against the water district in public buyout case.

An effort toward a public takeover of the private water utility California American Water has taken years to get to this point. Activists asked voters to approve a ballot measure to that end in 2005, and it failed. They tried…

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Board of Supervisors unanimously approves financial aid program for Pajaro.

On Tuesday, Feb. 27, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Pajaro Unmet Needs Disaster Assistance Program that will provide financial assistance to individuals, households and business owners that were affected by the March 2023 flooding in the…

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Chris Cook, Cal Am's local director of operations, tenders his resignation.

Chris Cook, Cal Am's director of operations for the company's Monterey system, which serves the greater Monterey Peninsula, tendered his resignation on Wednesday, Jan. 31, but has not yet left the company.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Recycled water to supply Peninsula raises eyebrows from Salinas Valley growers.

In May 2022, Paul Sciuto, general manager of Monterey One Water, was under his house building a shed when he got a call from Brent Buche, then-general manager of the Monterey County Water Resources Agency. As Sciuto recalls it, Buche…

Image caption: The legislature's own analysts blasted new state water conservation rules as too strict and largely unjustified.
California’s New Water-Saving Regs Lack 'Compelling Justifications'

Even though California faces serious water shortages, the Legislature’s analysts recommend weaker outdoor conservation requirements and longer deadlines for urban water agencies.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
The drip continues in MPWMD's efforts to buyout Cal Am.

It’s been an eventful few months for the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District in its yearslong effort to potentially buyout the local water system of California American Water, an investor-owned utility.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Water on the Monterey Peninsula: The board game.

David Schmalz here. Several weeks ago, Weekly Editor Sara Rubin suggested the time was ripe for a cover story about the Peninsula’s water situation. I agreed, as the many nuances of the current state of play are hard to capture…

Image caption: Ocean waves may be good for more than surfing. They may play a role in reducing California's greenhouse gas emissions.
California Looks to Ocean Waves For New Clean Energy Source

Only a few small demonstration projects off the West Coast have harnessed the power of waves and tides. Costs are high and hurdles are challenging.

Image caption: A definitive federal report says California’s economy suffers more than almost all states from the effects of climate change.
California Among Top 5 Worst Climate Change States, Report Says

California ranks among the top states suffering economic damage from climate-related disasters. The report describes food shortages, floods, droughts, wildfires, pollution, disease—all linked to climate change.

Image caption: One of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River targeted for demolition.
Dam Demolition Gets Going. Can Klamath River be Saved?

As four aging hydroelectric dams are demolished, tribes and communities along the Klamath River wait anxiously to see what the future holds. “Once a river is dammed, is it damned forever?” experts ask.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Local marine scientists have unlocked the secret of why octopus lay their eggs on Davidson Seamount.

When Ringo Starr wrote the lyrics for the Beatles song “Octopus’s Garden” in the late 1960s, it was inspired by a boat captain, while Starr was traveling in Sardinia, who told him that octopuses pick up rocks and make gardens…

Image caption: Since the Gold Rush era, land reclamation has cost California 90 percent of its wetlands.
How Land Reclamation Hurts California’s Environment

Since the Gold Rush era, land reclamation projects have helped to build California, but they are also damaging the state’s environment for people, plants and animals by eliminating essential wetlands.

Image caption: How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland

California has used reclamation districts to turn millions of acres of unusable swamps into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush. Here’s how it happened.

Image caption: Has the state allowed substandard water quality in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region?
Feds Investigate California Water Agency for Discrimination

A discrimination complaint filed by Native American tribes and environmental justice groups alleges that California has failed to protect water quality in the Bay-Delta. The EPA is investigating.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
The City of Monterey is entertaining a plan to import water. It’s not without its critics.

One thing that’s not in dispute is that the City of Monterey needs water. What is in question is where that water comes from. On Aug. 1, the Monterey City Council discussed the possibility of teaming up with the Marina…

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