Nevada County Sustainability Digest

Legal rights to use water — particularly those obtained prior to 1914 — lie at the heart of California’s perpetual wrangling over the allocation of increasingly limited water supplies.

In the June 13 meeting of the Nevada Irrigation District Board of Directors, frustration and a lack of confidence were expressed in the repeated PG&E shifting of a completion date for repairs to the Spaulding Powerhouse as directors grappled with how best to proceed.

Tens of thousands of California homeowners, especially those who live in areas at risk of wildfires, have lost their insurance or have to pay more to keep coverage. One after another, major companies have pulled out of the state, many citing the cost of claims.

Aiming to store more water and protect the public, legislators are negotiating with the governor to restore $50 million to help repair 42 aging dams throughout the state.

PG&E announced that repairs at the Spaulding Powerhouse are now expected to be completed by late July.

The two-day CalMatters Ideas Festival wrapped on June 6 with more than a dozen events examining critical policy issues impacting the lives of millions of Californians.

These community projects can give renters and low-income homeowners a chance to go solar, but the PUC’s action is unlikely to give them the option.

California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, flew more 6,000 miles to Rome this month to deliver a brief speech on climate change at a Vatican-sponsored conference.

It’s been almost a half-century since I first heard the term “peripheral canal” uttered by William Gianelli, who was then-Gov. Ronald Reagan’s top water official. The project, in one form or another, had already been kicking around for decades.

A bill to rein in a proposed monthly fee on California electric bills would let California’s largest for-profit utility companies charge customers $24 per month — with fees as low as $6 for lower-income customers — as a kind of membership fee for the power grid.

CalFire announced that starting May 1, permits will be required for outdoor burning in Nevada and Placer Counties.

Three additional dates in May have been announced for free residential green waste disposal at the McCourtney Road Transfer Station in Grass Valley.

The City of Grass Valley and City of Nevada City have engaged with Pioneer Community Energy to power municipal operations with 100% renewable energy.

The 3rd annual Nevada City Earth Fest Street Fair will is taking place downtown on Sunday, April 21 from 11AM - 5PM.

A 20% water use reduction by Nevada Irrigation District customers is requested as a result of PG&E repairs which have cut off the water supply at the headwaters.

Nevada County staff have prepared a $56M+ Capital Improvement Plan to be presented to the Board of Supervisors with a focus on maintenance of local bridges and roads.

A new recycling center has opened at 12640 Loma Rica Avenue in Grass Valley, and is open Monday - Friday: 9 AM - 3 PM.

The consumer price index shows services are mostly responsible for persistent inflation, but prices for food and other goods in California remain high.

Sierra Business Council, in partnership with Sierra Commons, is launching a free, in-person education program to encourage creation of new forest-based jobs and wood products businesses this April.

Part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the projects include California’s Lava Cap Mine in Nevada City, Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine in Clearlake Oaks, and Southern Avenue Industrial Area in South Gate.

Ecologists estimate that up to 14,000 sequoias have been killed in recent wildfires. The National Park Service for the first time has begun replanting some severely burned areas.

New research warns of a possible collapse in Atlantic Ocean currents due to climate change. That could fundamentally alter global weather patterns.

There was a time not so long ago when trained observers were overwhelmed by the number of whales migrating through Monterey Bay.

The Wildlife Conservation Board voted to award $10.3 million to the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County to preserve the 27,000-acre Camatta Ranch in Santa Margarita.

California electric vehicle sales dropped significantly in the last half of 2023, raising questions about the state’s ability to phase out gas-powered cars.

Researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno have completed a study examining how river ecosystems recover following floods, using data from oxygen sensors to estimate growth in aquatic plants and algae.

When wildfire smoke and extreme heat combine, they create “a synergistic effect” or an “additional burden” on people’s health, researchers say.

As Californians increasingly feel the health effects of climate change, state leaders are adopting sweeping policies they hope will fend off the worst impacts.

Chinook and other salmon runs are collapsing. Conservation groups call it too little, too late. Plan includes dam removals and restoring river flows.

As an underground fire burns deep within Chiquita Canyon Landfill, air regulators are raising alarms over the possible spread of toxic vapors.

Take a period of limited rainfall. Add heat. And you have what scientists call a “hot drought”—dry conditions made more intense by the evaporative power of hotter temperatures.

Experts worry that the steep decline could stall the state’s battle against climate change. Solar power is critical to meeting California’s ambitious requirement to switch to carbon-free electricity.