In summary

A series of storms have left California with enormous amounts of water, but the state needs new pipelines to capitalize on such events and counteract the effects of drought.

The rain and snow storms that have hit California for weeks have claimed nearly two dozen lives and caused billions of dollars in damage to public and private property.

The downside, however, is that they have dumped huge amounts of water on a state that has been suffering from severe drought for several years. At one point this month, a staggering 160,000 cubic feet — 1.2 million gallons — flowed through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta every second. That's enough water to fill a reservoir the size of Folsom Lake (about 1 million acre-feet) in three days, not counting the water falling on other regions such as Southern California.

But whether the storms have ended the drought depends on California's ability to capture enough water to fill its severely depleted reservoirs and at least begin to replenish underground aquifers that have been terribly overdrawn by desperate farmers.

So far, only a comparatively small part of the huge storm water has been stored. For example, only a small portion of the Delta's powerful water flows have been pumped into state and federal aqueducts for transport to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, largely due to regulations limiting diversions to protect endangered species such as the two-inch Delta smelt .

San Joaquin Valley lawmakers have asked President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom to relax rules to allow more wastewater to either be delivered to farmers or stored in storage facilities, such as the San Luis Reservoir, which is now less than half full.

“This is not the time to turn back the pumps,” Sen. Melissa Hurtado and Rep. Jasmeet Bains, both Democrats from Bakersfield, said in a letter to Newsom last week. “After several years of drought and low reservoir levels, it only makes sense to capitalize on the wet conditions.”

“We have a moral obligation to provide Californians with every relief we can,” five Republican congressmen told Biden and Newsom. “Government regulations should not and must not deprive our constituents of vital water from these storms.”

But state water officials say their hands are tied by environmental regulations that require the first winter flows to be allowed to wash out the Delta and San Francisco Bay.

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What did or didn't happen during the weeks of flooding suggests that California needs new pipelines to take advantage of the periodic “atmospheric rivers” that bring immense amounts of rainfall.

Meteorologists expect the state to experience more erratic weather due to global climate change – longer periods of drought punctuated by occasional storm events like those experienced by California.

That means we need more storage, such as Sites Reservoir on the west side of the Sacramento Valley, which has been in the planning stages for several decades, and sinks to recharge aquifers. The long-dormant, $4 billion Sites project now enjoys strong support from state and federal officials as well as significant funding.

Meanwhile, the relatively small diversions from the Delta now permitted by law bolster the case for “Delta funding,” which would allow more water to be diverted to state and federal aqueducts and thus to lower reservoirs, without harming the environment to jeopardize restrictions. The project has existed for six decades, first as a “peripheral canal,” later as a double tunnel called “Water Fix,” and now as a single tunnel.

Get the facts before you vote in this year's primary election.

California water managers will have another chance to fill reservoirs in a few months as the Sierra's vast snowpack, twice the historical average and still growing, melts. We can only hope that Mother Nature releases the water from the snowpack slowly enough to avoid destructive flooding.

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The post Storms inform California to improve its plumbing appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

The rain and snow storms that have pummeled California for weeks have taken nearly two dozen lives and caused billions of dollars in damages to public and private property.

The flip side, however, is that they dropped immense amounts of water on a state that has suffered through severe drought for several years. At one point this month, an astonishing 160,000 cubic feet of water—1.2 million gallons—was flowing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta every second. That’s enough water to fill a reservoir the size of Folsom Lake, about 1 million acre-feet, in three days and doesn’t count water falling on other regions, such as Southern California.

Whether the storms have ended the drought, however, depends on California’s ability to capture enough water to fill its badly depleted reservoirs and at least begin to recharge underground aquifers that have been terribly overdrafted by desperate farmers.

So far, only a relatively tiny amount of the immense storm runoff has found its way into storage. For instance, just a trickle of the Delta’s heavy flows has been pumped into state and federal aqueducts for delivery to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, largely because of rules that limit diversions to protect endangered species such as the two-inch-long Delta melts

San Joaquin Valley legislators have seen President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom to relax the rules so that more runoff can be either delivered to farmers or placed in storage, such as the San Luis Reservoir, which is now less than half-full.

“This is no time to be dialing back the pumps,” state Sen. Melissa Hurtado and Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, both Democrats from Bakersfield, told Newsom in a letter last week. “After several years of drought and low reservoir levels, it only makes sense to capitalize on wet conditions.”

“We have a moral obligation to provide Californians any relief that is within our control,” five Republican congressional members told Biden and Newsom. “Government regulations should not and must not deny our constituents critical water from these storms.”

State water officials, however, say their hands are tied by environmental protection rules requiring that initial winter flows be allowed to flush out the Delta and San Francisco Bay.

What’s been happening, or not happening, during the weeks-long deluge indicates that California needs some new plumbing to take advantage of the periodic “atmospheric rivers” that bring immense amounts of precipitation.

Meteorologists believe that due to global climate change, the state will experience more erratic weather – prolonged periods of drought interrupted by occasional storm events such as the ones California has been experiencing.

That means we need more storage, such as the Sites Reservoir on the west side of the Sacramento Valley that’s been in the planning stage for several decades and sinking basins to recharge aquifers. The long-dormant, $4 billion Sites project now has the ardent support of state and federal officials, as well as some serious money.

The relatively large diversions from the Delta now allowed by law, meanwhile, bolster the case for the “Delta Conveyance,” which would allow more water to be diverted into the state and federal aqueducts, and thus into downstate reservoirs, without running afoul of environmental restrictions. The project has kicked around for six decades, first as a “peripheral canal,” later as twin tunnels dubbed “Water Fix,” and now a single tunnel.

California water managers will have another chance to fill reservoirs in a few months, when the immense Sierra snowpack that’s twice the historic average and still growing melts. We can only hope that Mother Nature releases the snowpack’s water slowly enough to avoid destructive floods.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to Commentary.

The post Storms inform California to improve its plumbing – Each day Information appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

The rain and snow storms that have pummeled California for weeks have taken nearly two dozen lives and caused billions of dollars in damages to public and private property.

The flip side, however, is that they dropped immense amounts of water on a state that has suffered through severe drought for several years. At one point this month, an astonishing 160,000 cubic feet of water—1.2 million gallons—was flowing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta every second. That’s enough water to fill a reservoir the size of Folsom Lake, about 1 million acre-feet, in three days and doesn’t count water falling on other regions, such as Southern California.

Whether the storms have ended the drought, however, depends on California’s ability to capture enough water to fill its badly depleted reservoirs and at least begin to recharge underground aquifers that have been terribly overdrafted by desperate farmers.

So far, only a relatively tiny amount of the immense storm runoff has found its way into storage. For instance, just a trickle of the Delta’s heavy flows has been pumped into state and federal aqueducts for delivery to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, largely because of rules that limit diversions to protect endangered species such as the two-inch-long Delta melts

San Joaquin Valley legislators have seen President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom to relax the rules so that more runoff can be either delivered to farmers or placed in storage, such as the San Luis Reservoir, which is now less than half-full.

“This is no time to be dialing back the pumps,” state Sen. Melissa Hurtado and Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, both Democrats from Bakersfield, told Newsom in a letter last week. “After several years of drought and low reservoir levels, it only makes sense to capitalize on wet conditions.”

“We have a moral obligation to provide Californians any relief that is within our control,” five Republican congressional members told Biden and Newsom. “Government regulations should not and must not deny our constituents critical water from these storms.”

State water officials, however, say their hands are tied by environmental protection rules requiring that initial winter flows be allowed to flush out the Delta and San Francisco Bay.

What’s been happening, or not happening, during the weeks-long deluge indicates that California needs some new plumbing to take advantage of the periodic “atmospheric rivers” that bring immense amounts of precipitation.

Meteorologists believe that due to global climate change, the state will experience more erratic weather – prolonged periods of drought interrupted by occasional storm events such as the ones California has been experiencing.

That means we need more storage, such as the Sites Reservoir on the west side of the Sacramento Valley that’s been in the planning stage for several decades and sinking basins to recharge aquifers. The long-dormant, $4 billion Sites project now has the ardent support of state and federal officials, as well as some serious money.

The relatively large diversions from the Delta now allowed by law, meanwhile, bolster the case for the “Delta Conveyance,” which would allow more water to be diverted into the state and federal aqueducts, and thus into downstate reservoirs, without running afoul of environmental restrictions. The project has kicked around for six decades, first as a “peripheral canal,” later as twin tunnels dubbed “Water Fix,” and now a single tunnel.

California water managers will have another chance to fill reservoirs in a few months, when the immense Sierra snowpack that’s twice the historic average and still growing melts. We can only hope that Mother Nature releases the snowpack’s water slowly enough to avoid destructive floods.

The post Storms inform California to improve its plumbing appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

IN SUMMARY: A series of storms has dumped immense amounts of water on California, but the state needs some new plumbing to take advantage of such events and counteract the effects of drought.

The rain and snow storms that pummeled California for weeks have taken nearly two dozen lives and caused billions of dollars in damages to public and private property.

The flip side, however, is that they dropped immense amounts of water on a state that has suffered through severe drought for several years. At one point this month, an astonishing 160,000 cubic feet of water — 1.2 million gallons — was flowing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta every second. That’s enough water to fill a reservoir the size of Folsom Lake, about 1 million acre-feet, in three days and doesn’t count water falling on other regions, such as Southern California.

Whether the storms have ended the drought, however, depends on California’s ability to capture enough water to fill its badly depleted reservoirs and at least begin to recharge underground aquifers that have been terribly over-drafted by desperate farmers.

So far, only a relatively tiny amount of the immense storm runoff has found its way into storage. For instance, just a trickle of the Delta’s heavy flows has been pumped into state and federal aqueducts for delivery to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, largely because of rules that limit diversions to protect endangered species such as the 2-inch-long Delta melts

San Joaquin Valley legislators have seen President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom to relax the rules so that more runoff can be either delivered to farmers or placed in storage, such as the San Luis Reservoir, which is now less than half-full.

“This is no time to be dialing back the pumps,” state Sen. Melissa Hurtado and Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, both Democrats from Bakersfield, told Newsom in a letter. “After several years of drought and low reservoir levels, it only makes sense to capitalize on wet conditions.”

“We have a moral obligation to provide Californians any relief that is within our control,” five Republican congressional members told Biden and Newsom. “Government regulations should not and must not deny our constituents critical water from these storms.”

State water officials, however, say their hands are tied by environmental protection rules requiring that initial winter flows be allowed to flush out the Delta and San Francisco Bay.

What’s been happening, or not happening, during the weeks-long deluge indicates that California needs some new plumbing to take advantage of the periodic “atmospheric rivers” that bring immense amounts of precipitation.

Meteorologists believe that due to global climate change, the state will experience more erratic weather — prolonged periods of drought interrupted by occasional storm events such as the ones California has been experiencing.

That means we need more storage, such as the Sites Reservoir on the west side of the Sacramento Valley that’s been in the planning stage for several decades and sinking basins to recharge aquifers. The long-dormant, $4 billion Sites project now has the ardent support of state and federal officials, as well as some serious money.

The relatively large diversions from the Delta now allowed by law, meanwhile, bolster the case for the “Delta Conveyance,” which would allow more water to be diverted into the state and federal aqueducts, and thus into downstate reservoirs, without running afoul of environmental restrictions. The project has kicked around for six decades, first as a “peripheral canal,” later as twin tunnels dubbed “Water Fix” and now a single tunnel.

California water managers will have another chance to fill reservoirs in a few months, when the immense Sierra snowpack that’s twice the historical average and still growing melts. We can only hope that Mother Nature releases the snowpack’s water slowly enough to avoid destructive floods.

Dan Walters is a journalist and author who writes for CALmatters.org, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

Related

The post Storms inform California to improve its plumbing appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

In summary

A series of storms has dumped immense amounts of water on California, but the state needs some new plumbing to take advantage of such events and counteract the effects of drought.

The rain and snow storms that have pummeled California for weeks have taken nearly two dozen lives and caused billions of dollars in damages to public and private property.

The flip side, however, is that they dropped immense amounts of water on a state that has suffered through severe drought for several years. At one point this month, an astonishing 160,000 cubic feet of water—1.2 million gallons—was flowing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta every second. That’s enough water to fill a reservoir the size of Folsom Lake, about 1 million acre-feet, in three days and doesn’t count water falling on other regions, such as Southern California.

Whether the storms have ended the drought, however, depends on California’s ability to capture enough water to fill its badly depleted reservoirs and at least begin to recharge underground aquifers that have been terribly overdrafted by desperate farmers.

So far, only a relatively tiny amount of the immense storm runoff has found its way into storage. For instance, just a trickle of the Delta’s heavy flows has been pumped into state and federal aqueducts for delivery to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, largely because of rules that limit diversions to protect endangered species such as the two-inch-long Delta melts

San Joaquin Valley legislators have seen President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom to relax the rules so that more runoff can be either delivered to farmers or placed in storage, such as the San Luis Reservoir, which is now less than half-full.

“This is no time to be dialing back the pumps,” state Sen. Melissa Hurtado and Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, both Democrats from Bakersfield, told Newsom in a letter last week. “After several years of drought and low reservoir levels, it only makes sense to capitalize on wet conditions”

Columnist Dan Walters unpacks events in California each week.

“We have a moral obligation to provide Californians any relief that is within our control,” five Republican congressional members told Biden and Newsom. “Government regulations should not and must not deny our constituents critical water from these storms.”

State water officials, however, say their hands are tied by environmental protection rules requiring that initial winter flows be allowed to flush out the Delta and San Francisco Bay.

What’s been happening, or not happening, during the weeks-long deluge indicates that California needs some new plumbing to take advantage of the periodic “atmospheric rivers” that bring immense amounts of precipitation.

Meteorologists believe that due to global climate change, the state will experience more erratic weather – prolonged periods of drought interrupted by occasional storm events such as the ones California has been experiencing.

That means we need more storage, such as the Sites Reservoir on the west side of the Sacramento Valley that’s been in the planning stage for several decades and sinking basins to recharge aquifers. The long-dormant, $4 billion Sites project now has the ardent support of state and federal officials, as well as some serious money.

The relatively large diversions from the Delta now allowed by law, meanwhile, bolster the case for the “Delta Conveyance,” which would allow more water to be diverted into the state and federal aqueducts, and thus into downstate reservoirs, without running afoul of environmental restrictions. The project has kicked around for six decades, first as a “peripheral canal,” later as twin tunnels dubbed “Water Fix,” and now a single tunnel.

California water managers will have another chance to fill reservoirs in a few months, when the immense Sierra snowpack that’s twice the historic average and still growing melts. We can only hope that Mother Nature releases the snowpack’s water slowly enough to avoid destructive floods.

The story you just read was funded by people like you.

CalMatters is a nonprofit newsroom and your tax-deductible donations help us keep bringing you and every Californian essential, nonpartisan information.

Unbiased news reporting is the foundation of democracy.

Catherine, Fresno

Featured CalMatters Member

The post Storms inform California to improve its plumbing appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

The rain and snow storms that have pummeled California for weeks have taken nearly two dozen lives and caused billions of dollars in damages to public and private property.

The flip side, however, is that they dropped immense amounts of water on a state that has suffered through severe drought for several years. At one point this month, an astonishing 160,000 cubic feet of water—1.2 million gallons—was flowing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta every second. That’s enough water to fill a reservoir the size of Folsom Lake, about 1 million acre-feet, in three days and doesn’t count water falling on other regions, such as Southern California.

Whether the storms have ended the drought, however, depends on California’s ability to capture enough water to fill its badly depleted reservoirs and at least begin to recharge underground aquifers that have been terribly overdrafted by desperate farmers.

So far, only a relatively tiny amount of the immense storm runoff has found its way into storage. For instance, just a trickle of the Delta’s heavy flows has been pumped into state and federal aqueducts for delivery to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, largely because of rules that limit diversions to protect endangered species such as the two-inch-long Delta melts

San Joaquin Valley legislators have seen President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom to relax the rules so that more runoff can be either delivered to farmers or placed in storage, such as the San Luis Reservoir, which is now less than half-full.

“This is no time to be dialing back the pumps,” state Sen. Melissa Hurtado and Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, both Democrats from Bakersfield, told Newsom in a letter last week. “After several years of drought and low reservoir levels, it only makes sense to capitalize on wet conditions.”

“We have a moral obligation to provide Californians any relief that is within our control,” five Republican congressional members told Biden and Newsom. “Government regulations should not and must not deny our constituents critical water from these storms.”

State water officials, however, say their hands are tied by environmental protection rules requiring that initial winter flows be allowed to flush out the Delta and San Francisco Bay.

What’s been happening, or not happening, during the weeks-long deluge indicates that California needs some new plumbing to take advantage of the periodic “atmospheric rivers” that bring immense amounts of precipitation.

Meteorologists believe that due to global climate change, the state will experience more erratic weather – prolonged periods of drought interrupted by occasional storm events such as the ones California has been experiencing.

That means we need more storage, such as the Sites Reservoir on the west side of the Sacramento Valley that’s been in the planning stage for several decades and sinking basins to recharge aquifers. The long-dormant, $4 billion Sites project now has the ardent support of state and federal officials, as well as some serious money.

The relatively large diversions from the Delta now allowed by law, meanwhile, bolster the case for the “Delta Conveyance,” which would allow more water to be diverted into the state and federal aqueducts, and thus into downstate reservoirs, without running afoul of environmental restrictions. The project has kicked around for six decades, first as a “peripheral canal,” later as twin tunnels dubbed “Water Fix,” and now a single tunnel.

California water managers will have another chance to fill reservoirs in a few months, when the immense Sierra snowpack that’s twice the historic average and still growing melts. We can only hope that Mother Nature releases the snowpack’s water slowly enough to avoid destructive floods.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to Commentary.

The post Storms inform California to improve its plumbing – Redlands Day by day Details appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

In summary

A series of storms has dumped immense amounts of water on California, but the state needs some new plumbing to take advantage of such events and counteract the effects of drought.

The rain and snow storms that have pummeled California for weeks have taken nearly two dozen lives and caused billions of dollars in damages to public and private property.

The flip side, however, is that they dropped immense amounts of water on a state that has suffered through severe drought for several years. At one point this month, an astonishing 160,000 cubic feet of water—1.2 million gallons—was flowing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta every second. That’s enough water to fill a reservoir the size of Folsom Lake, about 1 million acre-feet, in three days and doesn’t count water falling on other regions, such as Southern California.

Whether the storms have ended the drought, however, depends on California’s ability to capture enough water to fill its badly depleted reservoirs and at least begin to recharge underground aquifers that have been terribly overdrafted by desperate farmers.

So far, only a relatively tiny amount of the immense storm runoff has found its way into storage. For instance, just a trickle of the Delta’s heavy flows has been pumped into state and federal aqueducts for delivery to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, largely because of rules that limit diversions to protect endangered species such as the two-inch-long Delta melts

San Joaquin Valley legislators have seen President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom to relax the rules so that more runoff can be either delivered to farmers or placed in storage, such as the San Luis Reservoir, which is now less than half-full.

“This is no time to be dialing back the pumps,” state Sen. Melissa Hurtado and Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, both Democrats from Bakersfield, told Newsom in a letter last week. “After several years of drought and low reservoir levels, it only makes sense to capitalize on wet conditions”

Columnist Dan Walters unpacks events in California each week.

“We have a moral obligation to provide Californians any relief that is within our control,” five Republican congressional members told Biden and Newsom. “Government regulations should not and must not deny our constituents critical water from these storms.”

State water officials, however, say their hands are tied by environmental protection rules requiring that initial winter flows be allowed to flush out the Delta and San Francisco Bay.

What’s been happening, or not happening, during the weeks-long deluge indicates that California needs some new plumbing to take advantage of the periodic “atmospheric rivers” that bring immense amounts of precipitation.

Meteorologists believe that due to global climate change, the state will experience more erratic weather – prolonged periods of drought interrupted by occasional storm events such as the ones California has been experiencing.

That means we need more storage, such as the Sites Reservoir on the west side of the Sacramento Valley that’s been in the planning stage for several decades and sinking basins to recharge aquifers. The long-dormant, $4 billion Sites project now has the ardent support of state and federal officials, as well as some serious money.

The relatively large diversions from the Delta now allowed by law, meanwhile, bolster the case for the “Delta Conveyance,” which would allow more water to be diverted into the state and federal aqueducts, and thus into downstate reservoirs, without running afoul of environmental restrictions. The project has kicked around for six decades, first as a “peripheral canal,” later as twin tunnels dubbed “Water Fix,” and now a single tunnel.

California water managers will have another chance to fill reservoirs in a few months, when the immense Sierra snowpack that’s twice the historic average and still growing melts. We can only hope that Mother Nature releases the snowpack’s water slowly enough to avoid destructive floods.

The story you just read was funded by people like you.

CalMatters is a nonprofit newsroom and your tax-deductible donations help us keep bringing you and every Californian essential, nonpartisan information.

Unbiased news reporting is the foundation of democracy.

Catherine, Fresno

Featured CalMatters Member

The post Storms inform California to improve its plumbing appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

The 3-mile span of Centennial Trail in South San Francisco — used daily by joggers, walkers and bikers — will soon feature a number of new amenities like a skate park, pump track, nature-themed playground and picnic tables in a new space stretching from Spruce Avenue to Huntington Way.

A pump track has berms and banks so bikers can maximize momentum with minimal peddling. The underutilized park will include the amenities with lawn areas and shade for the picnic tables. Approximately 130 trees and 5,900 drought-tolerant shrubs will be planted and there will be lighting and pet waste receptacles, according to a staff report.

The California Department of Transportation’s Clean California Local Grant Program provided $2.4 million and the city will match an additional 50% through park impact fees. City Manager Mike Futrell said the grant will not fund the maintenance but the city’s Parks and Recreation Department is committed to keeping up with the grounds.

“It’s a goal to not only build quality but maintain it over time,” Futrell said. “Right now, if you go out there, it’s just a blank canvas and doesn’t get a lot of maintenance or attention for that reason.”

The grant program has funded more than a billion dollars statewide and aims to reduce litter along state highways, local roads, parks, paths and transit centers and to beautify the state’s transportation network, according to the report.

Local skate and bike groups will assist with the concept design of the respective portions of the park during an additional community engagement phase, according to the report.

“Sometime last year, there was a petition circulating around South San Francisco for a bike pump track and I’m glad to see city staff has found a way to implement one,” Councilmember James Coleman said, “I am sure the signers of that petition will be very pleased to see this.”

The project will benefit students from the nearby Boys and Girls Club, South San Francisco High School and Los Cerritos Elementary School as well as the broader community, providing easy access to a trail, outdoor education area and will support underserved youth. The aim is to encourage outdoor activity and environmental stewardship by holding six community events and running a social media campaign with emphasis on litter abatement awareness that will reach more than 26,000 residents, according to the report.

Construction is slated to begin next year and be completed by May 2024.

The post South San Francisco’s Centennial Path improve so as to add pump monitor | Native Information appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Connecticut public schools will receive $150 million in state funding to repair and upgrade aging heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Wednesday.

The newly formed Connecticut Public Schools HVAC/Indoor Air Quality Grant Program will supplement $165 million in federal COVID relief funds that school districts have set aside to improve air quality.

“COVID woke me up,” Lamont said at a press conference at Phillip R. Smith Elementary School in South Windsor. “Every teacher, every parent was saying, ‘Tell me about the ventilation of my schools. Can I get back to my school safely?’ And it just reinforced in my mind how important it is to make sure you have schools that are safe across the board from a public health point of view.”

State Sen. Saud Anwar, a pulmonary doctor, said that 10% of Connecticut’s teacher and student population has asthma and those respiratory problems are made worse by allergens, inadequate airflow and extreme temperatures.

“Sometimes, rather than being a source of education, a source of wellbeing, a source of happiness, the buildings can be a source of illness,” Anwar said. “This bill is going to start to address this challenge, and this is a priority. We want to make sure that our children and our teachers and all the administrators are protected… It will help many of the children and the teachers and the workforce to feel comfortable and know that their breathing will be better.”

A joint effort by the Connecticut State Department of Education, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and Department of Public Health, the grant program aims to not only improve health but academic performance.

Connecticut Education Association President and Manchester High School math teacher Kate Dias said that improved air quality and temperatures made classrooms conducive for learning.

“Teaching in a classroom that is frequently 95 degrees is incredibly challenging,” Dias said. “When the classrooms heat up, the kids slow down.”

Story continues

According to the Connecticut Department of Administrative Services, the deadline for school districts to apply is Dec. 1, 2022. The program requires municipalities to provide matching grants to fund the HVAC projects. The DAS will release grant award notifications in early 2023.

The schools must then complete their state-funded HVAC projects by 2024, according to the program.

But an industry worker shortage could make that timeframe difficult, Stillman Jordan, government affairs chairman of the Connecticut Heating and Cooling Contractors Association, said.

“Who’s going to do the work?” Jordan asked.

Like most other industries, heating and cooling contractors are unable to find enough workers, even with signing bonuses of $5,000 or more, he said. An emphasis on college, rather than trade schools, is hurting efforts to recruit workers who can land jobs starting at $30 an hour, Jordan said.

In addition, state law requiring companies to staff three licensed workers with one apprentice doesn’t help ease the labor shortage, he said.

The industry has advocated for 15 years to allow companies to hire one apprentice for each licensed worker, Jordan said.

Joe Toner, executive director of the Connecticut State Building and Construction Trades Council, said unions insist that workers in the trades be certified and paid no less than the prevailing wage set by the state Department of Labor. Nonunion employers prefer more apprentices he characterized as “cheap labor.”

Jordan called that argument “absolutely insane.”

“Over a decade of state laws artificially restricting apprenticeships,” he said. “You have a problem made significantly worse.”

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PORTSMOUTH, Virginia (WAVY) – Virginia plans to invest millions in improving air quality systems in public schools through the US rescue plan.

$ 250 million would come from state-allocated aid from the American Rescue Plan, and the corresponding $ 250 million will come from the American Rescue Plan and other aid distributed to local governments (approximately $ 939 million Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) II funds were disbursed to local school departments in January and $ 1.9 billion was allocated to school departments through the American Rescue Plan Act (ESSER III).

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The upgrades are key to preventing the spread of airborne diseases in schools, especially COVID-19, says Governor Ralph Northam, as all schools must now allow face-to-face tuition. Northam announced at Hopewell High School that it would start Investment Week to highlight proposals for spending the bailout money.

“This investment will help families, educators, and students feel more confident about the quality of the air they breathe when we return to face-to-face study five days a week this fall,” says Northam.

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Virginia received $ 4.3 billion under the US rescue plan signed by President Joe Biden on March 11th. Local governments in the Commonwealth received $ 2.9 billion.

According to Northam’s office, the investment will enable the completion of nearly all 463 currently planned HVAC projects across the Commonwealth, which will cost $ 623 million.

School departments receive a minimum of $ 200,000 and more, depending on the number of students enrolled.

The General Assembly will take up the expenditure proposal when it meets on August 2nd. Northam has also requested to spend $ 353 million from the US federal rescue plan to help Virginia’s small businesses and $ 700 million to expand broadband access nationwide.

The post Virginia plans to take a position thousands and thousands through American Rescue Plan to improve HVAC programs in colleges | WJHL appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.