WTOP News’ Post

I was excited to hear that the Stanford University Woods Institute for the Environments review of utility wildfire mitigation plans found that PacifiCorps plans and actions were mature and are utilizing the 5 key components they identified for a utility WMP including the addition of weather stations, use of protective equipment and device settings, formalized public safety power shutoff plan, shutoff mitigation (e.g. sectionalization, on-site generation/storage, identification and advanced notification to medical baseline customers), and simply the creation and release of a Wildfire Mitigation Plan. While utilities globally are working quickly to identify and mitigate their risk of wildfire, it is good to know we are on the right track. If you'd like to see our wildfire mitigation plans, you can find them for all 6 of our states here: https://lnkd.in/e_Chd2Gg https://lnkd.in/e2PcGsQe **Note: the study said that our WMPs for Washington and Wyoming were not created or available but have since been shared on our website after their formalization in 2023.

Life After a Well: The Aftercare of Decommissioned Water Wells In the realm of water well services, we often focus on the journey of acquiring, maintaining, and repairing water wells. However, there arrives a time when a well reaches its end of life or is no longer needed, leading to decommissioning. Proper aftercare of these decommissioned wells is not only vital for the environment but also for the safety and regulatory compliance of homeowners, businesses, and communities in Colorado. Learn More: https://lnkd.in/gKFAZw6X

Life After a Well: The Aftercare of Decommissioned Water Wells In the realm of water well services, we often focus on the journey of acquiring, maintaining, and repairing water wells. However, there arrives a time when a well reaches its end of life or is no longer needed, leading to decommissioning. Proper aftercare of these decommissioned wells is not only vital for the environment but also for the safety and regulatory compliance of homeowners, businesses, and communities in Colorado. Learn More: https://lnkd.in/eDyTXA-7

"Statewide media outlets have taken note of the 13 NPDES permit violations and formal compliance actions MAEDA incurred up through July 2024. By August 6th, MAEDA incurred five more, and EGLE found that none of the previous violations had been remedied. Over the summer to date, there have been a minimum of four documented instances where sediment-laden stormwater unlawfully exited MAEDA’s construction site, traveled over 303 designated wetlands, and entered the Kalamazoo River. Dating back to fall of 2023, MAEDA (and its network of at least five contractors) has demonstrated a consistent pattern of: - failure to provide a timeline for site stabilization (first noted October 2023) - failure to properly document on-site progress in weekly logs (first noted October 2023) - providing inadequate SESC plans (first noted November 2023) - failure to follow, properly implement, and maintain existing SESC plans (first noted June 2024) Yet since fall of 2023, EGLE has renewed MAEDA’s NPDES permits three times–in some cases directly after violations have occurred (see attached timeline for detail). More urgently: it’s clear that further regulatory protections are necessary to mitigate damage to adjacent wetlands and streams. In January 2024, EGLE determined that no Part 301 and 303 permits would be required because MAEDA’s stormwater management plan is to capture and infiltrate all runoff from up to the 100-year storm, in both temporary and permanent stabilized conditions. However, in the minimum of four instances of polluted stormwater leaving the MAJOR site and entering the Kalamazoo River, the stormwater traveled through wetlands, as noted in four on-site inspections conducted by EGLE’s local quality analysis team. It’s clear that the plan MAEDA and its contractors have designed to capture and infiltrate all runoff is not feasible. Given both the apparent inadequacy of the site plan and the pattern of noncompliance demonstrated by MAEDA’s team, it’s extremely likely that unfiltered stormwater will continue to contaminate these protected bodies of water."

Did you know Texas boasts 23 river basins, with surface water being a vital resource, comprising nearly 42% of the state's water usage in 2019? Despite its significance, surface water is projected to rise to 46% of the total water supply by 2070, according to the 2022 State Water Plan. Yet, challenges like aging reservoirs and limited new reservoir sites loom, underscoring the need for sustainable water management strategies. #TREADCoalition #TexasWater https://lnkd.in/gj4rdrVJ

71 years ago today the state of Michigan granted an easement for the Line 5 pipeline that sits at the bottom of our Great Lakes. That pipeline was only meant to last 50 years, and now here we are 21 years later wondering when this ticking time bomb in our Great Lakes will be removed. How much longer are we going to put our Great Lakes, drinking water, way of life, and local economies at risk? #ShutDownLine5

This is such an important resource in the PNW for clean energy.

Industry News for Colorado! Construction is finally underway for the Arkansas Valley Conduit (AVC) in southeastern Colorado after a 60-year delay. Despite pledges nearing $250M, funding is still a challenge. The goal? To provide clean water to 50,000 residents grappling with poor water quality due to radioactive materials. Since breaking ground in 2020, the AVC has secured funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including a recent $100M allocation in 2023. Anticipated to deliver 7,500 acre-feet of water annually, the project aims to tackle long-standing water quality issues. Though hurdles remain, the AVC marks a significant step forward for clean water access in southeastern Colorado. #WaterInfrastructure #CleanWaterForAll #SoutheastColorado #waterquality READ MORE: https://lnkd.in/e6g46Suf

Utilities that serve large parts of the increasingly arid US West are resorting to an extreme measure to prevent their power lines from sparking catastrophic wildfires - cutting the power. The practice started several years ago in California where utilities including PG&E saw the shutoffs as an effective fire prevention tool when gusty, dry winds were expected. While PG&E has refined the practice, other utilities across the Western US are just getting started with it. That's presenting all sorts of operational challenges for utilities and the communities they serve. Check out my latest story for Bloomberg News on how wildfires are reshaping the US West. #wildfires #utilities