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California Drought, Australia Floods: Two Sides of La Niña Amplified by Climate Change

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Paul Duginski

California just notched its driest January and February on record, sounding alarms about a third year of record drought.

Across the Pacific Ocean, thousands are fleeing record flooding in Australia. Officials in Brisbane reported 31 inches of rain in six days, and Jonathan Howe, a government meteorologist quoted by the Associated Press, called the amount of rainfall “astronomical.”

Meanwhile, in the eastern Horn of Africa, prolonged drought is raising the frightening specter of famine for millions.

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Can Cloud Seeding Help Quench the Thirst of the U.S. West?

/in , , /by /Yale Environment 360by James Dinneen

Not since Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800 A.D. has the American West been so dry. A recent study in Nature Climate Change found the period 2000 to 2021 was the driest 22 years in more than a millennium, attributing a fifth of that anomaly to human-caused climate change. The megadrought has meant more fires, reduced agricultural productivity, and reduced hydropower generation. Last summer, the United States’ two largest reservoirs — Lake Mead and Lake Powell — reached their lowest levels ever, triggering unprecedented cuts in water allocations to Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico.

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Water Officials Warn Low Sierra Snowpack Level Is ‘One Step Short of Catastrophe’

/in , , /by /abc 7 Newsby Leslie Brinkley

Bad news on the drought front Tuesday as state water officials measured the snowpack up in the Sierra with ominous results for continued drought conditions in 2022.

It’s been a strange year.

There was the now-infamous October storm followed by a historically dry January and February. When the California Department of Water Resources measured the snowpack at the start of March, the number was bleak. Only 63% of normal water content.

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MMWD Delays Decision on Desalination Ballot Measure

/in , , /by /Marin Independent Journalby Will Houston

When Marin last considered building a desalination plant on San Francisco Bay more than a decade ago, residents wary of the high financial and environmental costs reacted by giving voters the power to make that decision.

Now comes the question: should voters retain the power to block what could be an emergency source of water in the event of another crisis?

“The strange weather we’ve had the last few years I think suggests that having more options in the event of a similar kind of emergency we were in this past year is prudent,” Marin Municipal Water District General Manager Ben Horenstein told the district Board of Directors on Tuesday. “With this ordinance in place, it does limit our ability in certain ways to move forward if we wanted to with an emergency desal system.”

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The Water-Energy Program works toward increasing water efficiency throughout the region by focusing on replacing inefficient fixtures with state-of-the-art water-saving devices in disadvantaged communities. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Water-Energy Program Helps Low-Income Families Achieve Savings

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The San Diego County Water Authority’s water-energy partnership with San Diego Gas & Electric is seeking $1.8 million in additional funding through 2026 to continue saving water and energy for thousands of income-qualified residents across the San Diego region.

For more than 25 years, the Water Authority’s Water-Energy Nexus Program, or WEN, has maximized energy savings while supporting water efficiency in the San Diego region. SDG&E and the Water Authority have worked together to trim water and energy use and costs in one of the longest-running partnerships of its kind in California. As part of its role, the Water Authority funds the installation of water efficiency devices for eligible customers and communities.

Water savings benefit the entire region

Adding water efficient upgrades will help meet long-term regional conservation goals. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Adding water-efficient upgrades will help meet long-term regional conservation goals. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Toilets account for nearly 30% of a typical home’s indoor water use. The WEN Program increased water efficiency by replacing inefficient fixtures with state-of-the-art water-saving devices in disadvantaged communities.

“The Water Authority is committed to helping the San Diego region make the most of our water supplies through a variety of innovative programs,” said Kelley Gage, director of the Water Resources Department at the Water Authority. “Through our partnership with SDG&E, we extend help to families that might not be able to afford these environmentally friendly upgrades without support.”

SDG&E’s Energy Savings Assistance Program installs both water- and energy-saving measures in single-family, multifamily, and manufactured homes. The Water Authority reimburses SDG&E for water-saving devices installed by its contractor, Synergy Companies. This partnership has received funding to continue through 2025.

Installation of high-efficiency toilets and irrigation controllers is a collaboration with SDG&E’s Multifamily and Manufactured Housing Programs, which was recently approved for four more years of funding.

Financial barriers to long-term conservation removed

Removing upfront costs helps all residents benefit from water efficient fixtures ih the home. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Removing upfront costs helps all residents benefit from water-efficient fixtures in the home. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Low-income residents are sometimes unable to participate in water and energy conservation programs due to the upfront costs. The Water Authority’s program invests in water-efficient upgrades upfront. Adding funding capacity for additional retrofitting will help meet long-term conservation goals.

For more water-use efficiency resources, go to WaterSmart.SD.org.

California Drought Now in Third Year

/in , , /by /Water News Networkby Ed Joyce Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

California officials have urged residents to prepare for a third year of drought and urged people to conserve water.

“With only one month left in California’s wet season and no major storms in the forecast, Californians should plan for a third year of drought conditions,” said California Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth.

New Hydration Stations in San Marcos Save Water, Promote Sustainability

/in , , /by /Water News Network

The City of San Marcos and the Vallecitos Water District partnered on a new project with funding from the San Diego County Water Authority and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to encourage water conservation and reduce the use of plastic.

Five hydration stations have been installed in San Marcos parks to encourage the use of refilling reusable bottles during outdoor activities instead of using purchased bottled water. Both the City of San Marcos and the Vallecitos Water District are committed to reducing single-use plastics.

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Opinion: California is Failing to Prepare for Droughts

/in , , /by /The Mercury Times

Climate change isn’t a problem for the future. It’s here, and California isn’t remotely prepared to deal with the consequences.

The state’s latest snowpack report makes that clear. The Sierra Nevada snowpack provides nearly one-third of California’s water supply. On Tuesday it was at 63% of its historical average for that date. That’s despite the heavy storms in October and December. The months of January and February were the driest in the state’s recorded history, meaning Californians are facing a third consecutive year of severe drought.

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UN: Droughts, Less Water in Europe as Warming Wrecks Crops

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Aritz Parra and Sergio Rodrigo

“Herders and farmers have their feet on the ground, but their eyes on the sky.” The old saying is still popular in Spain’s rural communities who, faced with recurrent droughts, have historically paraded sculptures of saints to pray for rain.

The saints are out again this year as large swaths of Spain face one of the driest winters on record. Even as irrigation infrastructure boomed along with industrial farming, the country’s ubiquitous dams and desalination plants are up against a looming water crisis that scientists have been warning about for decades.

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Opinion: Seed Funding Needed for Major Water Recycling Project in Southern California

/in , , /by /Cal Mattersby Adel Hagekhalil

The Colorado is the second largest river that California depends on, second only to the Sacramento. Its enormous challenges tend to fall into the policy shadows in the Capitol’s water discussions. But climate change is rapidly reducing flows in this important river and that requires bold action.

Policymakers in Sacramento have a rare and golden opportunity to be part of a historic collaborative effort toward a broader solution.

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