California Agencies Float Colorado River Water Cuts Proposal
Four California agencies that rely on water from the Colorado River laid out a plan to voluntarily reduce their use by one-tenth in a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Coachella Valley Water District, Imperial Irrigation District, and Palo Verde Irrigation District’s proposal is contingent on the water agencies getting money from the $4 billion in drought relief included in the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as a commitment by the federal government to help clean up the Salton Sea. Read more.
Metropolitan Water Signs Labor Agreement Including Reuse Project
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s board of directors voted to approve a nearly $1 billion Project Labor Agreement (PLA) which will cover a range of capital projects over the next five years including construction of the agency’s proposed Pure Water Southern California plant. The agreement sets standards on wages, local hiring, apprenticeship programs and more. “We want to increase opportunities for under-served communities to benefit from our infrastructure investments,” Chairwoman Gloria D. Gray said. Read more.
Four PFAS Treatment Facilities in Orange Begin Operation
The Orange County Water District and the City of Orange recently began operating four treatment plants to remove per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from local well water. This allows the community to continue benefiting from their locally recharged groundwater supply while ensuring the highest standard of safety in line with California’s Response Level advisories for the two pollutants. Despite playing no role in releasing PFAS into the environment, water providers are working to remove it from their local water supplies. Read more.
Sacramento Regional San’s Reuse Facility Nears Completion
With portions of Sacramento Regional San’s EchoWater water reuse facility slated to come online in the next month, Capital Public Radio published a story highlighting the project’s goals. The new plant in Elk Grove will be able to recycle its entire 130 million gallon per day flow, up from just about 3 million gallons per day that is created by an existing water recycling plant at the site. The additional water, conveyed by a large transmission line and pump station, will be primarily used to supply farmland. To learn more about the applications and benefits of agricultural reuse, read WateReuse’s Profile in Agricultural Reuse. Read more.
Pure Water Soquel Receives $26.5 Million in Additional State Funding
The California State Water Resources Control Board awarded additional Proposition 1 funds to Soquel Creek Water District, which included both a $13.25 million grant and a $13.25 million loan at 1.6% interest. These funds will go toward construction of Pure Water Soquel, a project to replenish the overdrafted groundwater basin, prevent continued seawater contamination of that water supply, and provide a safe, high-quality, sustainable, and drought-proof water supply for current and future generations in the Santa Cruz Mid-County region. Read more.
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