Environmental Lab

Jeff Kightlinger Reflects of California’s Future Water Challenges

After fifteen years leading the largest water provider in California, Jeff Kightlinger stepped down from his role as general manager at Metropolitan Water District (MWD). Over the course of his career, Kightlinger oversaw the water supply for 19 million Californians during unprecedented challenges to the state’s water security. His experience as general manager makes him a foremost expert on the many challenges currently threatening California’s water supplies—from crumbling infrastructure to a drying Colorado River. Before passing on the torch to his successor at Metropolitan, Kightlinger sat down with Western Water to provide some final thoughts about the future of California’s water.

In the years since Kightlinger first joined MWD district as a deputy general counsel in 1995, California’s waterscape has undergone rapid transformations. Global climate change and aging infrastructure threaten two of Southern California’s largest water sources: the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Colorado River. With traditional water supplies…

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Life in Plastic: California Charges Ahead

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California is blazing new environmental trails again. The State is set to become the first government in the world to issue a standard testing methodology and preliminary health assessment for microplastics in drinking water. The guidelines, originally scheduled for release this month but delayed due to the pandemic, will be published during the fall of 2021. There is considerable interest in the State Water Board’s (SWB’s) upcoming report, both within the water industry and the broader public. With plastic creeping into every facet of modern life, the SWB’s conclusions will likely lay the foundations for further research and policies.

Since the creation of the first synthetic ivory in 1869, plastic has become the invisible backbone of the modern world. Synthetic materials often serve as cheaper, more durable substitutes for rare and expensive natural resources like silk, ivory, and wood. Plastic production also facilitates many modern inventions and comforts, such as…

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Local Water Quality: Regional Boards Have a Plan For That!

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Water is a foundational, and frequently contentious, aspect of California’s legislation and history. Laws governing water rights were some of the first laws passed after California gained statehood in 1850. By the turn of the century, California had created the first iteration of what is now the State Water Board and published the first version of the state water plan. But by the 1940s, rapid urban and industrial development led to increased concern over water quality. The next few decades oversaw the establishment of what are now California’s key water quality regulators: the Regional Water Quality Control Boards.

The modern regional boards are rooted in the 1949 Dickey Water Pollution Act, which established the first State Water Pollution Control Board and corresponding regional boards. The Act recognized that water problems throughout the state varied based on regional precipitation, climate, topography, population, and development. To address these variances, lawmakers created…

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March Showers Bring More Than April Flowers to Water Conservation

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Californians have traditionally managed stormwater as both a waste product and an environmental hazard. But extreme droughts and harsh storm events have shifted perceptions over the last few decades. In regions struggling with water security, stormwater capture can increase water resiliency, protect urban developments, and safeguard water quality. Moving forward, stormwater capture will become increasingly important to water conservation efforts.

The growing importance of stormwater is intrinsically connected to the effects of global climate change on California’s water supplies and precipitation patterns. Global warming is no secret; average air temperatures have increased since 1895 and last year saw a record breaking heat wave. Nowhere is temperature rise more apparent than in the Sierra Nevada Mountains—a vital source of water for the state. The Sierra snowpack provides drinking water to 23 million Californians and feeds into several important state water infrastructure projects. The mountains serve as our frozen reservoirs during the winter, stockpiling water and gradually releasing it as snowmelt during the spring. But rising temperatures mean less snow and more rain in the mountains and an accelerated springtime melting process. Consequently, stormwater floods can overwhelm reservoirs, which are not built to efficiently capture or store large, sudden influxes of water. Snow reserves have…

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California Pushes to Add PFAS

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Regulating PFAS, or per and polyfluoroalkyl substances, is no easy task; there are almost 5,000 compounds in the PFAS family, and each compound impacts the environment and public health differently. But as new information about this class of chemicals comes to light, California is taking action. Last month, the state focused its attention on a particularly prevalent member of the PFAS universe—perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) and this month the Division of Drinking Water (DDW) established new PFBS notification and response levels. But a federal rule proposed by the EPA may also have a significant impact on current and future California PFAS policies, especially for chemicals of emerging prominence like PFBS.

Over the past few years, PFAS have been the subject of increased legislative and scientific scrutiny. First manufactured in the 1940s, PFAS are used in products that resist heat, water, oil, stains and grease. Many of these products are now integrated into everyday items; furniture, carpets, food packaging, water-proof clothes, and non-stick cookware can all contain PFAS. A significant potential source of PFAS exposure may also occur in certain sources of drinking water. PFAS may contaminate water from a variety of sources, but industrial sites, landfills, wastewater treatment plants, military bases, and airports are all suspected sources of PFAS pollution. Once PFAS enter the water system, usually via discharge or leachate, these “forever chemicals” spread and linger within…