San Joaquin County Sustainability Digest

Monthly water use in Manteca is almost 90 million gallons less than in 2013, despite a population growth of 17,000 since.

The April 27 Love Lodi event saw a turnout of nearly 1,000 volunteers completing 60 projects throughout the city.

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.

17 trees were planted at Yosemite Village Park on Arbor Day April 25 by the Manteca Garden Club with the City of Manteca.

Energy costs increased by $1.4M during the last school year at Manteca Unified School District.

The Lodi City County voted to add hourly fees for use of city-owned EV charge stations beginning June 1.

The California Department of Water Resources announced the water content of the Sierra Nevada snowpack at 110% of the April 1 average.

Ripon Consolidated Fire District is seeking a parcel tax increase to fund the hiring of six firefighters.

The City of Lathrop is hosting an Earth Day Recycling Event on Saturday, April 20 at Mossdale Landing Community Park, 700 Towne Centre Drive, from 9AM to noon.

Following strong February rains, the Bureau of Reclamation announced increases in Central Valley Project water allotments.

The City of Ripon is evaluating the condition of a currently unused water well originally commissioned in 1991 to determine feasibility and cost of bringing it back into service.

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

California’s snowpack has surged to above average conditions following the recent Sierra blizzard.

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.

Efforts to squeeze out more capacity from Manteca’s wastewater treatment plant continue, with the City Council expected to approve an additional $100,000 expenditure with Pacific Advanced Civil Engineering for a study.

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.

Sacramento, known for its tree-filled landscape, faces unique challenges in intense weather. The convergence of high winds with large trees poses significant risks to people and urban infrastructure.

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.

Residents questioned the city of Lodi’s reasoning for water and wastewater rate hikes during the City Council meeting, citing the amount of reserves held by the city.

The removal entered a critical phase with the lowering of dammed reservoirs on the Klamath River. “This is historic and life-changing,” tribal attorney Amy Cordalis said. “And it means that the Yurok people have a future.”

In the Little Potato Slough of the San Joaquin Delta, a cluster of old ships, which stand tall on the horizon amid miles of crops, was topped with a 10-story crane.

Rental car company Hertz is walking back its push into the electric vehicle market.

Lodi’s waste collection agency will begin upcharging residents if any of their trash, recycling or yard waste carts are overfilled or contain the wrong items.

California farmers face challenges posed by multiple types of fruit flies. Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed spending just over $22 million to combat the spread of these flies.