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On the calendar today …
PUBLIC HEARING: Delta Conveyance Project change of water right beginning at 9am.The State Water Resources Control Board Administrative Hearings Office will hold a Public Hearing on the pending Petitions for Change of Water Right Permits for the Delta Conveyance Project. Interested members of the public who would like to watch this hearing without participating may do so through the Administrative Hearings Office YouTube channel at: bit.ly/aho-youtube Click here for the meeting notice.Hearing postponed until April 3.- LEG HEARING: Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife beginning at 9am. Click here for the agenda and audio link.
- LEG HEARING: Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee beginning at 9am. Click here for more information.
In California water news today …
LaMalfa introduces resolution to increase water pumping by repealing longfin smelt endangered listing

“Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R–Richvale) is leading several other California Republicans in pushing for the designation of the longfin smelt as endangered to be repealed. Representatives Vince Fong (R–Bakersfield), Tom McClintock (R–Elk Grove) and David Valadao (R–Hanford) are among the co-sponsors of the Congressional Review Act resolution, which LaMalfa introduced last week. The backstory: Former President Joe Biden’s administration listed the longfin smelt as endangered under the Endangered Species Act last year. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said at the time that the main cause of the declining population for the longfin smelt is habitat loss, which is primarily due to the reductions and alterations in freshwater flow into the San Francisco Bay estuary. … ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun.
SEE ALSO:
- Rep. LaMalfa Introduces Resolution to Repeal Longfin Smelt Listing in the ESA, from Congressman Doug LaMalfa
- GOP moves to strip protection for fish at center of water wars, from E&E News (subscription required)
Researchers offer a new strategy to protect Delta smelt and water-supply reliability for California’s cities and farms
“Research scientists have developed a game changing resource-management strategy to identify, in real time, the specific circumstances that decrease risk of delta smelt losses at State Water Project and Central Valley Project pumping facilities in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This important risk-analysis tool will allow for management decisions to protect delta smelt from population-level impacts from water-project pumping in the south Delta, while enhancing essential water deliveries to California’s cities and farms. The strategy contributes to meeting the State’s goals, set out in the California Water Code, that call for “providing a more reliable water supply and protecting, restoring and enhancing the Delta ecosystem” and Governor Newsom’s recent Executive Order intended “to help California to capture and store more water”. The model approach is detailed in an article Identifying the environmental conditions that determine the distribution of an endangered estuarine fish to manage risk of entrainment, authored by Scott Hamilton, Dennis Murphy, and Eduardo Montoya, in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. … ” Read more from the Center for California Water Resources & Management.
Weather balloons popped by Elon Musk’s DOGE: Why the cuts hurt forecasting
“One of the ways that federal scientists obtain vital weather data is being curtailed by budget cuts from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). At least 11 National Weather Service (NWS) offices around the country have seen their twice-daily balloon launches to collect weather data either suspended or reduced in number as the service copes with reductions to the federal workforce by the new administration. Specifically, according to an analysis by USA TODAY, weather balloons have stopped in three locations, reduced to once a day at six locations and are intermittent at two additional locations. Why does it matter? “Taking weather balloons offline in the heartland of the United States … will directly affect the NWS’s ability to predict severe weather, including tornado-producing thunderstorms,” wrote Marc Alessi of the Union of Concerned Scientists in an online post Monday. “This could lead to more severe weather-related deaths that could have otherwise been avoided.” … ” Read more from USA Today.
SEE ALSO: Should we be concerned about the loss of weather balloons?, from Ars Technica
The state of California water in 2025
Following consecutive years of heavy rainfall, California experienced record heat and dry conditions during the summer of 2024, which led parts of the state back into drought. Despite late 2024 storms in Northern California, January 2025 saw statewide precipitation fall below average for the water year, resulting in dry conditions across much of the state, especially in Southern California. Although a stormier February provided some relief, snowpack, which accounts for 30% of the state’s water supply, remained below average in the Central and Southern Sierra Nevada mountains. All this highlights that California’s resilience has been and will continue to be tested as the state increasingly grapples with extreme fluctuations between drought and flood conditions. This post summarizes key actions taken by state and federal officials in 2024 with respect to California’s water, and provides a forecast for the California water landscape for 2025 in the wake of the new federal administration. … ” Read more from Latham & Watkins LLP.
What California could learn from the restoration of a Nevada lake
“California is not alone in its struggles to save its freshwater biodiversity. Across the West, rivers and lakes have been tapped to supply water to farms and cities—and ecosystems have paid the price. One project has been restoring water to a Nevada lake through an unusual mechanism: environmental water acquisitions. We spoke with the Walker Basin Conservancy’s Carlie Henneman and Peter Stanton to learn more. Q: First, tell us a little about Walker Lake. Peter Stanton: Walker Lake was once a thriving ecosystem in Nevada: people have lived around it for thousands of years. It’s a major North American Flyway stopover for migratory birds, and it’s also home to the largest freshwater trout in North America: the Lahontan cutthroat. This 40–50-pound fish has huge cultural and historical importance to the region. … ” Read more from the PPIC.
Delta Tunnel project hearing cancelled after hacker takes over Zoom platform
“A large number of people were scheduled today to testify and comment on the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP), potentially the most environmentally destructive public works project in California history, when a bizarre hacking incident occurred on the Zoom platform that the California State Water Resources Control Board was using for a hearing. The hearing was regarding the pending petitions for a change in water rights by the California Department of Water Resources that are required to move forward with the Delta Tunnel. The project is opposed by a coalition of Tribes, fishing groups, environmental organizations, Delta counties, Delta water districts, Delta farmers, Southern California water ratepayers and the public. When the hearing started, one of the attendee windows displayed a graphic obscene video with a synthetic or altered voice saying loudly, “Shut this Zoom Call Down.” The hacker took over the audio so the Hearing Officer could not speak, so she shut the hearing down. … ” Read more from the Daily Kos.
The story behind weekend-long closures of the Rio Vista bridge
“This weekend marks the beginning of a second round of weekend-long closures of the Rio Vista Bridge. The bridge is a key river crossing on Highway 12, the lone east-west highway traversing the center of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The bridge will shut down from 9 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday, and there will be five more weekend closures between now and late June. The detour can add two hours to motorists’ trips. For many, that’s enough to derail planned travel to or though the area, a hot spot for water sports, fishing, RV’ing, and agritourism. Why is such a drastic measure required? The answer lies in the nature of the work, and the width of the bridge, Caltrans officials say. … ” Read more from the Delta Protection Commission.
Structures mimicking beaver dams reduce waterborne parasites
“To improve stream health and help restore wetlands, ecologists have increasingly looked to beavers for inspiration. Stream-spanning structures made of vegetation, called beaver dam analogues (BDAs), offer a cost-efficient way to slow down moving water. A new study suggests they have another benefit: improving water quality downstream. This week in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, researchers report that BDAs significantly reduce the amount of a waterborne protozoal pathogen, Giardia duodenalis, in stream water flowing through a cattle ranch in California. … ” Read more from the American Society for Microbiology.
State Senator Padilla and local leaders announce legislation to give public greater say in landfill development in environmentally sensitive areas
“Today, Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego) amended Senate Bill 594, to give communities across the state with existing environmental pollution burdens the opportunity to voice their concerns in a publicly noticed hearing when a new landfill development is proposed. For generations, billions of gallons of contamination, pollution, and wastewater, stemming from failing infrastructure, have ravaged California’s southern coastline. San Diegans are suffering from the health, economic, and environmental impacts of these continued transboundary flows. As a result of this perpetual contamination, the Tijuana River Watershed was recently named in the 10 most endangered rivers in America, a list managed by environmental organization, American Rivers. The designation comes from an analysis of the hazardous industrial waste and raw sewage present in the river. … ” Read more from Senator Steve Padilla.
As data centers push into states, lawmakers are pushing right back
“The first time Oregon state representative Pam Marsh tried to tighten the leash on the data center industry, she learned the hard way that its biggest players know how to put up a fight. At least, it would have done that if Amazon and other industry heavyweights hadn’t stepped in to squash it. “We ran into a wall of objections,” Marsh, a Democrat from the state’s 5th District, told Tech Policy Press. Two years later, Marsh is once again trying her luck, this time pushing forward legislation that would ensure the corporate giants behind these data centers pay for their own exorbitant energy bills. … Texas, California, and Georgia have all introduced bills aimed at protecting ratepayers. … ” Read more from Tech Policy.
New fire maps put nearly 4 million Californians in hazardous zones. What does that mean for the people who live there?
“New bursts of yellow dot the hills of Mendocino County. Smears of burnt orange now span the aqueduct near Bakersfield. A fresh splash of crimson juts east of Chico like a fresh wound. With the release of its fourth and final round of color-coded hazard maps this morning, California’s firefighting agency is showing just how much of the state is prone to wildfire — and how much that computationally-modeled danger zone has grown since the state issued its last round of local hazard maps more than a decade ago. With a few notable areas where the orange and red tide receded, like the hills above Berkeley and Oakland, territory deemed “high” or “very high” hazard exploded across the state, increasing by 168% since 2011. All told, the size of these orange and red patches on the new maps is 3,626 square miles — an area nearly twice the size of Delaware. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Is raising Coyote Dam the key to fixing Russian River’s water problems?
“At its February 13, 2025, meeting, the Mendocino County Inland Water & Power Commission (IWPC) discussed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that sets the stage for a New Eel-Russian Diversion Facility (NERF). The agreement, signed by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), California Trout, Eel-Russian Project Authority (ERPA), Humboldt County, Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission (IWPC), Round Valley Indian Tribes (RVIT), Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water), and Trout Unlimited, outlines terms for a new water diversion plan that would impact water users across Northern California. According to IWPC Chair Janet Pauli, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors has posted the full MOU terms online for public review. … ” Read more from MendoFever.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Nevada Irrigation District to meet Wednesday after deciding on properties surrounding nixed Centennial Dam
“When the Nevada Irrigation District (NID) Board of Directors meets again this Wednesday, it will be hot on the heels of a relatively contentious meeting that took place March 12 wherein the board voted on what would become of properties that were initially designated as surplus land for what was intended to be part of the now-abandoned Centennial Dam project. Greg Jones, Assistant General Manager for NID, proposed the resolution to declare 17 properties, mostly residential and in the Bear River region in the footprint of the Centennial Reservoir, exempt surplus land for certain real property purchased. This isn’t the first time the board has discussed the resolution. … ” Read more from The Union.
BAY AREA
Pleasanton and Livermore fire department facilities investigated for groundwater contamination as search for new wells continues
“Officials are investigating several fire stations between Livermore and Pleasanton for water contamination as Pleasanton continues looking for new well sites. In 2023, The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board started to examine facilities for evidence of possible PFAS, or polyfluoroalkyl substances, in groundwater and runoff storm water in the two cities. The board chose to investigate the fire stations after Pleasanton in 2019 began shutting down its three wells due to significant PFAS contamination. The board now wants to figure out if fire-fighting foams, which contain the forever chemical, were a significant source of a massive subsurface plume of those substances. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
State proposes administrator to take over troubled East Orosi sewer system
“A clearer path forward could be emerging in the tiny Tulare County community of East Orosi, which has long struggled with contaminated drinking water, a decrepit sewer system and dysfunction among elected leaders. The state Water Resources Control Board will be in town Thursday, April 17 to explain why it proposes that the community’s sewer system be run by a new administrator, the Tulare County Resource Management Agency (RMA). The meeting is at 6 p.m. at Iglesia La Paz, 13920 Avenue 418 in East Orosi. Members of the public may offer comments on the proposal in person, via Zoom, or by email until May 7. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Rural Kings County residents leery of free well testing program that aims to provide clean water
“Only about a dozen residents attended a recent event in Hanford to learn about free well testing and organizers learned it’s a trust thing. “(Rural Kings County residents) don’t want you coming out and checking their water because they’re afraid you’re going to close their well down and tell them they have to dig a new well that they can’t afford,” said attendee Sandra Martin. “A lot of elderly are afraid.” Kings Water Alliance Executive Officer Debra Dunn assured attendees the organization has no intent, nor authority, to shut anyone’s well down. “We do not tell people what to do with their wells,” Dunn said. … ” Read more SJV Water.
MEETING NOTES: Kern districts want strings on money to continue funding Delta tunnel
“Several local agricultural water districts that contract for state water approved continued spending toward construction of the long-planned tunnel to get water through the ecologically sensitive Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. But those approvals included strings. The Rosedale Rio-Bravo and Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa water storage districts boards recently approved maintaining their current shares of the Kern County Water Agency’s portion of the pre-construction and planning phase for the Delta Conveyance Project. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
City denies wrongdoing in latest filing in litigation with water district
“After a Sacramento County judge ruled against the city’s effort to quash the fourth cause of action in a September 2021 lawsuit, Tehachapi filed an answer March 17 to a claim by Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District that the city has a “pattern and practice” of violating state law when approving development. Not so, says the city. Throughout the 36-page filing, the city denies that it erred in any way and asserts it fully complied and complies with all applicable laws, including the California Environmental Quality Act, when approving the 995-unit Sage Ranch residential project in September 2021 and other projects cited by the water district as examples of less than complete compliance. … ” Read more from the Tehachapi News.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Swimming pools in Eaton fire burn area could become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, officials warn
“As Los Angeles experiences its warmest temperatures of the season so far, officials in the San Gabriel Valley are warning residents that untended swimming pools and other standing water in the Eaton fire burn area could become breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes. The destruction caused by January’s firestorm left behind “thousands of unmaintained swimming pools, damaged septic systems and debris-filled areas — ideal conditions for mosquitoes to grow,” said Jason Farned, district manager with the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District, during a virtual community meeting last week. The district spans 26 cities in the Southland, including Altadena and Pasadena. “Cooler weather has temporarily suppressed mosquito activity, but that will change quickly as we move further into spring,” Farned said. His warning was first reported by the Los Angeles Daily News. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Updated LA County health order requires dust-control measures in Palisades, Eaton burn areas
“The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Monday, March 24, issued an updated Health Officer Order that requires property owners in the Palisades and Eaton burn scars to “use best management practices for dust control,” if they have not opted into the federal government’s cleanup program. The order requires property owners not eligible for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Phase 2 debris removal to control dust during debris-removal, transport and disposal of materials from their properties. Public Health’s order comes amid a massive Corps of Engineers clean-up in the Eaton and Palisades burn areas, where thousands of homes were destroyed and severely damaged in the Jan. 7 firestorms. But Corps of Engineers crews and subcontractors are removing debris and ash only from the property of owners who “opt-in” to the no-cost clean-up, enabling the workers to enter a property to remove the debris and clear the property for rebuilding. … ” Read more from the LA Daily News.
Southern California fire danger zones increase 76% in new maps
“The number of acres in the top two fire zones that must comply with stiffer, fire-safe building codes increased 76% in Southern California areas protected by local firefighters, new state hazard maps released Monday, March 24, show.” The number in the highest tier, the “very high fire hazard severity zone,” increased by 26% in the region, meaning that more residents will have to remove flammable plants and materials around their homes and will have to have properties inspected before a sale. The maps are part of a 40-year-old program in which the state Forestry and Fire Protection Department, or Cal Fire, periodically documents areas that are most prone to having a wildfire within the next several decades. Using data on variables such as climate, vegetation, terrain and fire history, Cal Fire calculates whether the probability of wildfire in a given area is moderate, high or very high. … ” Read more from the LA Daily News.
Long Beach to share updates on the Skylinks Regional Stormwater Capture Project
“Long Beach’s Department of Public Works will host a community meeting this weekend to provide an update and overview of the Skylinks Regional Stormwater Capture project, which is intended to improve stormwater quality and create usable open space. The meeting will take place from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at the Wardlow Park Community Center, 3457 Stanbridge Ave. The Skylinks Regional Stormwater Capture Project at the Skylinks at Long Beach golf course, near Long Beach Airport, aims to improve stormwater pollutant loads in the Los Cerritos Channel by intercepting dry-weather flow and stormwater runoff from the channel, and diverting it to an underground concrete infiltration basin, according to a press release. The basin will have 2 million gallons of storage. … ” Read more from the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
‘Feral, almost demonic’: Surge in poisoned sea lions threatens SoCal beachgoers, burdens rescuers
“Sea lions and other ocean mammals in Southern California are falling victim to a poisoning event that a local expert calls the worst in recent memory. It is stranding the mammals along the coast as warnings are issued to beachgoers of the threat posed by animals that are transformed by their illness. A surfer reported an attack by a sea lion that was “feral, almost demonic” as he was on his board off Ventura County on Friday. Rj LaMendola said the animal bit him as he surfed off Oxnard, shaking its head and dragging him off his surfboard. He said on Facebook that as he paddled away terrified, the sea lion continued to stalk him. LaMendola, who has been surfing in Oxnard since 2006, said he tried to splash the sea lion to scare it away. He later contacted the Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute, who told him the attack likely happened due to the toxic algae bloom. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
EPA reaches $50,000 consent decree in SDWA case
“The EPA recently announced a consent decree with the operators of the Oasis Mobile Home Park in California to resolve violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The consent decree requires the park’s operators to upgrade its drinking water and wastewater systems and pay a $50,000 penalty. “EPA is wholeheartedly committed to ensuring that everyone has safe water to drink,” said Joel Jones, the EPA’s Pacific Southwest Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division acting director, in an Agency news release. “We will continue to fully utilize the authorities of the [SDWA] to hold water operators accountable for meeting drinking water standards.” The mobile home park is located within the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians Tribal Reservation boundaries in Thermal, California, which is in the Eastern Coachella Valley. With an estimated population of 1,000 people, it’s the valley’s largest mobile home park, primarily serving agricultural workers, according to the EPA. … ” Read more from EHS.
SAN DIEGO
Researcher says water temperature key to managing virus in oysters
“Researchers have uncovered how rising water temperatures in San Diego Bay accelerate a deadly herpes virus in juvenile Pacific oysters. A marine biologist said the virus doesn’t harm humans, but it can be fatal to oysters. Marine biologist Emily Kunselman did a study using farmed oysters and exposed them to the virus, Ostreid herpesvirus 1, or OsHV-1, via water. She put the oysters in four different water temperatures: 50, 64, 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. At the coldest temperatures, she said the virus was not able to kill any oysters. In the warmer temperatures, she said the oysters died within days. The virus was first found locally in 2018 at an oyster nursery in the San Diego Bay and found again in 2020. … ” Read more from Spectrum One.
Along the Colorado River …
Trump admin rejects Colorado River water request from Mexico in first since 1944
“The Trump administration has denied a special request from Mexico for the delivery of Colorado River water to the city of Tijuana — marking the first such denial in 81 years. Justifying the decision, the U.S. State Department blamed Mexico for failing to abide by the terms of a historic water partnership accord signed between the two nations in 1944. “Mexico’s continued shortfalls in its water deliveries under the 1944 water-sharing treaty are decimating American agriculture —particularly farmers in the Rio Grande valley,” the department announced on the social platform X, via its Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. “As a result, today for the first time, the U.S. will deny Mexico’s non-treaty request for a special delivery channel for Colorado River water to be delivered to Tijuana,” the agency added. … ” Read more from The Hill.
Snows lessen northern Arizona wildfire risk — somewhat
“This winter has been historically dry for northern Arizona, which has made forest officials nervous. But conditions improved after March storms brought significant snow and rain to the region. Successive storms this month brought more than 35 inches of snow to the Flagstaff region, which has improved high-elevation snowpack and lessened the near-term threat of wildfire. Prescott saw about double its normal rainfall so far this month. Coconino National Forest Fire Planner Jesse Causer says the forests are in a much better place than a month ago but much of the region has still seen less than 25% of normal winter precipitation. … ” Read more from KNAU.
‘We have to be creative from all angles’: What Arizona winery is doing in face of climate change
“The Arizona wine industry has been steadily growing for the last two decades or so, near the Verde Valley east of Sedona, as well as in the sky islands of Willcox and Sonoita in the southern part of the state. But today, they’re facing the same threat that most of the world’s winemaking regions are staring down: climate change. For one of the earliest trailblazers in the industry here, the challenge is the whole point. Todd Bostock, owner of Dos Cabezas WineWorks in Sonoita, joined The Show to discuss, saying it holds true to its nickname: The Wild West of the wine world. … ” Read more from KJZZ.
In national water news today …
The Council on Environmental Quality implementation of NEPA Memo: A deep dive
“On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order (EO) 14154 “Unleashing American Energy” which directed the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to provide guidance on implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and propose rescinding CEQ’s NEPA Regulations (as amended in July 2024). … On February 19, 2025, CEQ Chief of Staff Katherine Scarlett issued guidance in the form of a memorandum to the heads of federal agencies and departments (2025 CEQ Memo), providing direction on how agencies should update their existing NEPA procedures for consistency with the NEPA amendments in the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) (2023 NEPA Statute) and the policy priorities laid out in the various Executive Orders (EOs) from President Trump. … ” Read more from ESA.
Despite staff and budget cuts, NOAA issues critical drought warnings in its spring climate outlook
“The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, although battered by Trump administration attempts to impose massive staff and budget cuts on the agency, nevertheless continues to publish critical climate information, including some dire drought warnings in the spring outlook published March 20 by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. The outlook calls for continued dry conditions in the Southwest, where global warming is a key driver of a long-term megadrought that is already disrupting water supplies to cities and nationally important agricultural zones. About 40 percent of the contiguous 48 states are currently in some stage of drought or abnormally dry conditions, and those are expected to persist in the Rocky Mountains and the Southwest and Southern Plains, according to the March 20 bulletin. … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
With NOAA cuts, a proud legacy and vital science are at risk
“A couple of weeks ago, an extremely bright and capable young scientist I know was terminated from her job at NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), in Princeton, New Jersey. I had met her around five years ago, when she was a graduate student, and stayed in touch with her through her subsequent postdoctoral appointment. She had started at GFDL last fall and was on probationary status as a new federal employee. Ten scientists with that status were fired from GFDL that day, part of around a thousand let go from NOAA altogether. NOAA has since been instructed by the Trump administration to fire another thousand as part of a “reduction in force,” the two rounds together totaling around twenty percent of NOAA’s personnel. It’s not clear if it will stop there.Every scientist in the world who studies the atmosphere or ocean knows the name of GFDL, and most likely the names of some of its scientists, past or present. Syukuro Manabe, who won the Nobel Prize in physics in 2021 for developing some of the first and most elegant climate models in the 1960s, made his career there. … ” Read more from Yale e360.
US infrastructure improved with Biden-era spending but there’s a long way to go
“A once-every-four-years report card on the upkeep of America’s infrastructure gave it a “C” grade on Tuesday, up slightly from previous reports, largely due to investments made during former President Joe Biden’s administration. The report from the American Society of Civil Engineers, which examined everything from roads and dams to drinking water and railroads, warns that federal funding must be sustained or increased to avoid further deterioration and escalating costs. “We have seen the investments start to pay off, but we still have a lot of work to do out there,” said Darren Olson, chair of this year’s report. He said decrepit infrastructure – from poor roads that damage cars to delayed flights to power outages that spoil groceries — hurts people and the economy. “By investing in our infrastructure, we’re making our economy more efficient, we’re making it stronger (and) we’re making ourselves globally more competitive,” he said. … ” Read more from the Associated Press.