San Benito County Local Water News Articles and Digest

Land Use & Development Water Sustainability City of Hollister

Hollister OKs Sewer Deal for Gavilan College, Other Developments

11/07/2023
The Hollister City Council voted 4-1 to adopt a wastewater services agreement between Hollister and Sunnyslope County Water District for Gavilan College, Cielo Vista, Fairview Corners and Lands of Lee.

From San Joaquin Valley Sun...

Water State of California

Preempting Enviro Blitz, Newsom OKs Streamlining Approvals for Sites Reservoir

11/07/2023
The first reservoir in California in nearly 50 years is now on the fast track for completion.

From CalMatters...

Environment Water Government

Western States’ Water Cuts Should Hold Off Colorado River Crisis—For Now

10/25/2023
Wet weather and planned cuts by California, Arizona and Nevada averted declines that could have threatened water deliveries and power production—but long-term threats to the Colorado River remain.

From San Joaquin Valley Sun...

Water

Feds OK Plans for Major Expansion of San Luis Reservoir

10/20/2023
The federal bipartisan infrastructure law and the WIIN Act have combined to fund a major expansion of San Luis Reservoir.

From CalMatters...

Environment Water Agriculture, Food & Gardening Government

San Joaquin Valley Groundwater Pumpers Need to Slow Down or Face Fines, State Says

10/12/2023
Hundreds of wells in Tulare Lake aquifer are at risk of going dry. Today's recommendation is the first time that state officials have moved to crack down on local plans that fail to stop excessive groundwater pumping.

From CalMatters...

Water Agriculture, Food & Gardening Government

To Make Water Conservation a ‘California Way of Life,’ the Price Tag is $13 Billion

10/04/2023
Water providers say rebates for residential areas are costly and residents may refuse to remove their lawns. The rules aim to save enough water for more than a million households a year.

From CalMatters...

Environment Land Use & Development Water Government

Your Lawn May be Gone. New Bill Bans Irrigation of ‘Ornamental’ Lawns

09/13/2023
The irrigation bill, which aims to force businesses and institutions to remove their lawns, now goes to the governor.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Business, Economy & Jobs Environment Land Use & Development Water History Government

Dam Demolition Gets Going. Can Klamath River Be Saved?

08/31/2023
Image for display with article titled Massive Dam Demolition Gets Going, but Can the Klamath River be Saved?

Four hydroelectric dams totaling 100,000 tons of concrete will be destroyed by the end of 2024.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Economy & Jobs Environment Water Government

Feds Investigate California Water Agency for Discrimination

08/10/2023
Image for display with article titled Feds Investigate California Water Agency After Discrimination Complaint by Native American Tribes

Image for display with article titled Feds Investigate California Water Agency After Discrimination Complaint by Native American Tribes

Allegation claims agency failed to properly protect water quality in Delta and Bay areas

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Environment Health Water Government

Sewage Could Be Converted to Drinking Water, State Plans

08/04/2023
Image for display with article titled California Plans to Turn Sewage Into Drinking Water, But This Isn’t ‘Toilet to Tap’

Extensive new purification standards could turn wastewater into “the cleanest drinking water around.”

From The Sacramento Bee...

Environment Water Sustainability

California Republicans Fighting Again to Raise the Shasta Dam

07/17/2023
Raising Shasta Dam to increase its capacity would provide 634,000 more acre-feet of water per year, legislators say. But that assumes there will always be enough precipitation, and the move risks flooding sacred Native American lands and harming local habitats.

From CalMatters...

Economy & Jobs Environment Water

Ending Mono Lake Diversions to Los Angeles: Good for the Environment, Bad for the Climate

07/12/2023
The environmental costs of ending water diversions from Mono Lake to Los Angeles would be mixed: It might help a shore bird habitat but would require changes that increase carbon emissions.

From YubaNet...

Water Sustainability

Study: Climate Change Is Changing the Ocean’s Color

07/12/2023
In the magazine Nature, a team of scientists reports that they have detected changes in ocean color that cannot be explained by natural, year-to-year variability alone. These color shifts have occurred over 56 percent of the world’s oceans.

From CalMatters...

Environment Water Government

California Budget Deal Delivers Major Setback to Delta Water Tunnel Project

06/27/2023
California Gov. Gavin Newsom had to concede defeat on trying to get the Legislature to give a very contentious water tunnel project streamlined regulatory treatment.

From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

Public Safety Environment Water

Judge Allows Use of Fire Retardant While Permit Pends

06/06/2023
The U.S. District Court for the District of Montana ruled the U.S. Forest Service can continue to use aerial fire retardant to fight wildfires while waiting on a Clean Water Act permit.

From CalMatters...

Environment Water

Mono Lake Advocates Demand State Stop Sending Lake’s Water to L.A.

05/29/2023
Environmentalists say it’s past time for California water officials to halt Los Angeles’ diversion of Mono Lake’s tributaries. But L.A. officials insist that water is a tiny but vital part of the city’s water supply.

From Monterey Herald...

Water Resilience

California Unlikely to Run Short of Electricity This Summer

05/25/2023
California regulators say the state is unlikely to run short of electricity this summer, thanks to new power sources and a wet winter that filled reservoirs to restart hydroelectric power plants shuttered during the drought.

From Benito Link...

Water San Benito County Water District

Water District to Receive Grants to Support Resiliency

05/23/2023
The San Benito County Water District will be awarded two grants to support water resiliency efforts in the county. The project that received funding, Accelerated Drought Response Project, is centered around groundwater recharge efforts.

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Economy & Jobs Water Government

California to Cut Colorado River Water Use

05/22/2023
Image for display with article titled California Will Cut Colorado River Water Use Under New Federal Deal

Cuts will hit hardest in Imperial Valley, where farms rely on water from the river.

From Benito Link...

Water City of San Juan Bautista City of San Juan Bautista City Council

SJB Council Approves Wastewater Project Agreement

05/17/2023
The San Juan Bautista City Council approved a $18.7 million water agreement with the city of Hollister. City Manager Don Reynolds announced that the project to divert the city’s wastewater to the Domestic Wastewater Treatment Plant in Hollister is firmly on track.

San Benito County Local News: Water