Free Republic

In anticipation of California losing 10% of its water supply by 2040, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state water officials unveiled a multi-pronged plan Thursday to adapt to hotter conditions and bolster the Golden State’s water supply in the coming years. The 16-page plan outlines goals to target the state’s water supply by developing additional space to capture and store water, diversifying the state’s water portfolio through desalination and reducing water demand. The plan also underlines the importance of accelerating the modernization of California’s water system to replenish the water California will lose due to hotter and drier seasons. Speaking from...

As more solar farms arise in the sunny corners of the U.S., it’s inevitable that solar developers will have to play ball with environmentalists. First Solar and SunPower announced an agreement with the environmental groups to add thousands of acres near their projects for wildlife protection. As more solar farms arise in the sunny corners of the U.S., it’s inevitable that solar developers will have to play ball with environmental groups. First Solar and SunPower announced an agreement on Tuesday with the Sierra Club and others to add thousands of acres near their proposed projects for wildlife protection. The agreement...

MOORPARK, Calif. (AP) — More than two decades ago, two water distributors came up with a tantalizing idea to increase reserves in parched Southern California: Create an underground lake so vast it could hold enough to blanket Los Angeles — all 469 square miles — under a foot of water. The reservoir deep within the earth would be injected with water imported from the snowy Sierra Mountains and other distant sources, which could be pumped back to the surface when needed to soak avocado and lemon groves and keep drinking fountains, espresso machines and toilets gurgling. Officials boasted the subterranean...

<p>SAN DIEGO (AP) — An effort to build the Western Hemisphere's largest seawater desalination plant faced a key test Thursday, as San Diego's regional water agency considered whether to buy all its output despite criticism that cheaper alternatives could be overlooked.</p>

One of the reasons for the explosive growth in the sales of bottled water in the past two decades (the average American now drinks nearly 30 gallons of commercial bottled water per year, up from 1 gallon in 1980), is the disappearance of public drinking water fountains. In a recent Huffington Post piece and in the book Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water, I recount the disappearance of public water from major sports venues, such as the new stadium at Central Florida University (built with no water fountains at all), the removal of water fountains...

> The hypothetical but plausible storm would be similar to the 1861-1862 extreme floods that temporarily moved the state capital from Sacramento to San Francisco and forced the then-governor to attend his inauguration by rowboat. > The Great Flood of 1861-1862 was believed to be the most powerful and longest series of storms in state history, lasting a month and causing severe flooding. The Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys were water-logged and spontaneous lakes popped up in the Mojave Desert and Los Angeles basin. Nearly a third of the young state's taxable land was destroyed. >

California lawmakers on Wednesday passed an $11 billion overhaul of the state's antiquated water system in a bid to supply a soaring population while preserving a fragile environment. After a long night of debate, the state Assembly voted in favor of the comprehensive package of water bills and a bond measure to fund them. The Senate also approved. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was expected to sign the five-bill package. The plan provides funding for new dams, groundwater cleanup, conservation and habitat restoration. It gives Schwarzenegger comprehensive tools to begin restoring the crucial Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and create a stable water supply...