PUBLIC HEALTHBenefits of Lead- and Copper-Clean Drinking Water Far Exceed Initial Estimates

The cost-benefit analysis of the EPA’s Lead and Copper Drinking Water Rule Revision (LCRR) far exceeds the EPA’s public estimates and could help inform improvements to current regulations. (LCRR) costs $335 million to implement while generating $9 billion in health benefits annually, exceeding the EPA’s public statements that the LCRR generates $645 million in annual health benefits.

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WATER SECURITYColorado River Water Plan Could Trigger Unprecedented Supply Cuts, Ripple Effects on Key Industries

By Nina Raffio

Decades of drought and overuse have brought the river’s water levels to historic lows. States in the Lower Colorado River Basin — Arizona, California and Nevada — now must choose between one of three options proposed by the federal government. The economic impact of the river’s dwindling water supplies is could be disastrous.

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WATER SECURITY Feds’ Colorado River Choice: California’s Rights or Arizona’s Future?

By Jake Bittle

Almost half of all the water that flows through the Colorado River each year is consumed by just two states: Arizona and California. For the Biden administration to stabilize the river, one of the two states will have to lose big.

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WATER SECURITYCalifornia’s Best New Source of Water? Reuse.

By Caroline M. Reinhart

While expensive solutions like new reservoirs and seawater desalination grab attention, California communities are quietly building up their capacity to clean stormwater and wastewater for reuse for irrigation, industry and, yes, drinking water too.

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WEATHER UNCERTAINTYMitigating the Impact of Extreme Weather and Climate Uncertainty on Reservoirs

Abrupt weather extremes, changing climate and frequent natural hazards such as floods and droughts create challenges for our nation’s aging reservoir systems. Researchers are working to help mitigate these problems.

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WATER SECURITYThere’s a Deal to Save the Colorado River — If California Doesn’t Blow It Up

By Jake Bittle

After months of tense negotiation, a half-dozen states have reached an agreement to drastically cut their water usage and stabilize the drought-stricken Colorado River — as long as California doesn’t blow up the deal. The plan would cut water use on the river by roughly a quarter, drying up farms and subdivisions across the Southwest.

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WATER SECURITYA Simmering Revolt Against Groundwater Cutbacks in California

By Felicity Barringer

In 2014, California legislators, focused on groundwater’s accelerating decline during a prolonged drought, passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. New agencies find making sustainability plans is hard, but easier than persuading growers to accept them.

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