WATER

Researchers have identified the microscopic algae, Pseudo-nitzschi, which was responsible for the closure of California’s Dungeness crab season in 2015. (Courtesy C.J. Wingert, San Francisco State University)

A microscopic killer lives in SF’s waters

Researchers find ocean acidification threatens local fisheries

 

The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir area of Yosemite National Park supplies San Francisco’s drinking water. Shutterstock

SF’s water supply could use leadership, not litigation

Solutions needed to keep taps and salmon running

 

From left, Esther Gulick, Sylvia McLaughlin and Kay Kerr started one of the country’s first environmental movements. (Courtesy Save The Bay)

Sixty years of Saving San Francisco Bay

Pioneering environmental group was started by three ladies on a mission

 

A drop in salmon in the Tuolumne River in 2020 is cause for concern.<ins> (Shutterstock)</ins>

Salmon dwindling while SFPUC fiddling

Decreasing numbers in Tuolumne demand science-based solutions

A drop in salmon in the Tuolumne River in 2020 is cause for concern.<ins> (Shutterstock)</ins>
Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite, which supplies water to San Francisco, is among the concerns of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which is undergoing a change of leadership. <ins>(Courtesy SFPUC)</ins>

Changes in leadership at SFPUC spark concern, hope for future water policy

Will agency’s new commissioner continue to support Big Ag?

Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite, which supplies water to San Francisco, is among the concerns of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which is undergoing a change of leadership. <ins>(Courtesy SFPUC)</ins>
An aerial view of the Sacramento - San Joaquin River Delta (Photo courtesy Shutterstock)

Environmental review docs released for controversial Delta tunnel plan

Thousands of pages of environmental review documents were released today on the…

An aerial view of the Sacramento - San Joaquin River Delta (Photo courtesy Shutterstock)
(Photo courtesy Shutterstock)

Carlsbad desalination plant produces 15 billion gallons of fresh water in first year

A mere year after opening, the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant…

(Photo courtesy Shutterstock)
(Aleah Fajardo/Special To S.F. Examiner)

Take that, drought! ‘Incredibly wet’ October lifts SF’s water supply

Rain is falling from the skies at a rate San Francisco hasn’t…

(Aleah Fajardo/Special To S.F. Examiner)
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. (Dan Schreiber/S.F. Examiner file photo)

CA water year ends with 60% of state still in extreme drought

California's 2016 water year ended Friday, marking a fifth consecutive dry year…

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. (Dan Schreiber/S.F. Examiner file photo)
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission wants to use recycled water to irrigate Golden Gate Park and fill park lakes as well as irrigating two public golf courses. (Cindy Chew/S.F. Examiner file photo)

SF advances plans to blend Hetch Hetchy water with groundwater

San Francisco’s plan to mix groundwater with Hetch Hetchy drinking water advanced…

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission wants to use recycled water to irrigate Golden Gate Park and fill park lakes as well as irrigating two public golf courses. (Cindy Chew/S.F. Examiner file photo)
Officials with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission say conservation and rationing is still important even though there has been more rain this past year. (Jessica Christian/2014 S.F. Examiner file photo)

Drought is less bleak so restrictions ease up

The weather is wetter than last year amid California’s ongoing drought, but…

Officials with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission say conservation and rationing is still important even though there has been more rain this past year. (Jessica Christian/2014 S.F. Examiner file photo)
Stephanie Smith, left, Jimmie Thompson, center, and Otis Ross, right, share a laugh in-between residents coming to get water at Prince of Peace Baptist Church on Wednesday in northwest Flint. (Mark Felix/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP)

Feds say everyone in Flint can drink filtered tap water

DETROIT — Filtered tap water is safe for everyone in Flint, Michigan,…

Stephanie Smith, left, Jimmie Thompson, center, and Otis Ross, right, share a laugh in-between residents coming to get water at Prince of Peace Baptist Church on Wednesday in northwest Flint. (Mark Felix/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP)
San Francisco’s water supply relies upon the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and the Tuolumne River. And like beer: We don’t buy it; we just rent it. (Courtesy photo)

San Francisco’s underground river

Ever hear that adage: “You don’t buy beer; you just rent it”?…

San Francisco’s water supply relies upon the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and the Tuolumne River. And like beer: We don’t buy it; we just rent it. (Courtesy photo)
Choreographer Helen Pickett, center, works with Smuin Ballet dancers on her world premiere “Oasis," a collaboration with composer Jeff Beal. (Courtesy Chris Hardy)

Smuin Ballet premieres ‘Oasis’

After a four-year drought relieved by a season of El Niño rain,…

Choreographer Helen Pickett, center, works with Smuin Ballet dancers on her world premiere “Oasis," a collaboration with composer Jeff Beal. (Courtesy Chris Hardy)
Bottles of beer are cleaned using recycled non-potable water during the bottling process at Stone Brewing Co. on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

California craft beer brewers balance drafts and drought

FALLBROOK — Amid severe drought, the water board in this Southern California…

Bottles of beer are cleaned using recycled non-potable water during the bottling process at Stone Brewing Co. on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Large-scale photos by Edward Burtynsky, such as this image of an Indian reservation and a suburb in Arizona, showcase human effects on nature. (Courtesy Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto/Rena Bransten Gallery, S.F.)

Edward Burtynsky photos serve as environmental warning

Edward Burtynsky isn’t your typical nature photographer: His works, often beautiful, also…

Large-scale photos by Edward Burtynsky, such as this image of an Indian reservation and a suburb in Arizona, showcase human effects on nature. (Courtesy Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto/Rena Bransten Gallery, S.F.)
A lawsuit accuses Tom Selleck of stealing truckloads of water from a public hydrant and bringing it to his Southern California ranch. (Carlo Allegri/AP)

Scoop: Tom Selleck accused of stealing water amid state drought

The title character of “Magnum, P.I.” faced some pretty ludicrous villains, but…

A lawsuit accuses Tom Selleck of stealing truckloads of water from a public hydrant and bringing it to his Southern California ranch. (Carlo Allegri/AP)
Marcio Jose Sanchez/2014 AP File PhotoAdditional water-saving measures in San Francisco will not be nearly as drastic as they will be in other parts of the state.

New water restrictions in SF not as drastic as other parts of state

San Francisco water customers — who were already some of the stingiest…

Marcio Jose Sanchez/2014 AP File PhotoAdditional water-saving measures in San Francisco will not be nearly as drastic as they will be in other parts of the state.
AP Photo/Jae C. HongA farmworker ties almond tree branches with strings as a pumpjack operates near the orchard

California pledges changes in protecting underground water

California is proposing broad changes in the way it protects underground water…

AP Photo/Jae C. HongA farmworker ties almond tree branches with strings as a pumpjack operates near the orchard
Jessica Christian/special to the s.f. examinerA man was watering the grass at Civic Center Plaza on Wednesday afternoon during the state’s drought.

Complaints of water waste in SF should go through 311; Civic Center Plaza exempted

A longtime San Francisco resident and neighborhood group leader recalled being flabbergasted…

Jessica Christian/special to the s.f. examinerA man was watering the grass at Civic Center Plaza on Wednesday afternoon during the state’s drought.