Lake Hodges drying up

http://www.760kfmb.com/Global/story.asp?S=10888097

Local farmers adapting to water shortages

http://www.nctimes.com/business/article_54203d57-a7c7-5968-a33a-7cccab461069.html

Influence federal clean water policy from your keyboard

http://www.ombwatch.org/node/10297

Desal pipeline plans update

http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/san-marcos/article_6cdc3914-297f-5fe0-9c8e-7e6f29a1a35c.html

IID being sued by its own advisory board members

http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2009/08/10/local_news/news03.txt

MWD cuts funding for local Conservation Garden

Water agencies would rather their customers use more water to drive up their sales and revenues, not less.

This is a fundamental problem with the state's water economic incentives system that remains to be addressed in Sacramento.

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/aug/08/1ez8garden204448-funding-losses-hurt-conservation-/?metro&zIndex=146024

IID Lawsuit article

Imperial Valley Press

Lawsuit against Imperial Irrigation District shifts focus

August 05, 2009

http://www.ivblogz.com/quicknews/2009/08/lawsuit-against-imperial-irrigation-district-shifts-focus.html

Plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Imperial Irrigation District have narrowed their objections against the district, following a hearing this morning.

The original version of the lawsuit, filed by farmers including Ben and James Abatti, Ronald Leimgruber and Doug Westmoreland, said that the district did not have the authority to grant water to industrial users.

This came after the finalization of the district's equitable distribution plan, which is a way for the IID to allocate water in years it's projected to use more than it's alloted.

Under the plan, cities and businesses get a set portion of water and are heavily fined if they go over, while farmers start with a set portion of acre-feet per acre, but have the ability to return to the district and get more if needed.

But the most recent version of the lawsuit has dropped that claim, and instead argues that the district needs to ensure that they distribute water equally, said Stephen Meyer, the plaintiffs' attorney.

"You can't prefer one group over another," Meyer said.

Mark Hattam, the attorney for the IID, said if that was the core issue, then the case should no longer focus on which customers have priority for water, and instead focus on whether the IID acted fairly when setting up the equitable distribution plan.

"They now need to live with what they're saying," Hattam said.

Food fight over water

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/aug/11/food-fight-water/?uniontrib

LA rainwater harvesting plans - why can't we do this here?

Subject: LA rainwater harvesting plans - why can't we do this here?

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2009/08/water-supply-low-impact-development-.html

Poway's new water rates

Subject: Poway's new water rates

http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/article_848ca88d-c695-5ee1-80a3-58c889e4e033.html

GE water business sees good time ahead

Subject: GE water business sees good time ahead

http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSTRE57A00A20090811

Start of a new water era?

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/gleick/detail??blogid=104&entry_id=45078

What's your water footprint?

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2009/07/whats-your-water-footprint

Attorneys pitch desal to state AGs

http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/222319-desalination-could-help-quench-arid-states-attorney-tells-ags

San Diego Union-Tribune

Judge upholds approval of desalination plant
August 7, 2009
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Superior Court has upheld a state commission's approval of plans for the largest desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere in Carlsbad.
In a tentative decision yesterday, a judge threw out a lawsuit filed by the Surfrider Foundation and San Diego Coastkeeper.
The environmental groups filed suit challenging the State Lands Commission's approval of Poseidon Resources' plans to mitigate for the uptake of sea water and harm to marine life.
Coastkeeper attorney Marco Gonzalez says the decision limits Poseidon's options. His organization plans to appeal or object to the tentative decision.
The $320 million project could produce 50 million gallons of drinking water a day, or 10 percent of the supply for San Diego County.

For a good example of the regulatory process, please take a moment to watch this California Coastal Commission hearing with Steve Blank and Poseidon Resources.



To learn more about the Tampa Bay Water Desal project in Tampa Bay that was previously the largest in the US, also contracted to Poseidon, yet came online late, overbudget, and operated under capacity, please read this article.