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Lake Mead is on the Rise Right Now, but the Future is a Different Story

/in , /by /KNPRby Paul Boger

Maybe you’ve heard that Lake Mead is on the rise again. It’s up a little more than it was a year ago, about 20 feet higher than where it was at this time last year. They released more from Lake Powell upstream in April. Plus, we had a very snowy winter. Snowmelt from the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains feeds the Colorado River. But everyone who lives in Las Vegas or Northern Nevada knows that this all just a mirage. One wet winter does not overturn more than 20 years of drought.

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New Colorado Drought Task Force Buckles Down to Work

/in , /by /KUNCby Jerd Smith

A new state Colorado River Drought Task Force will meet nine times between now and early December, and hold two public hearings to develop recommendations on how the parched river’s supplies will be managed inside state lines as its flows continue to decline. At its first meeting Monday, 100 people joined the virtual session as the 17-member task force began planning the work it must conclude by Dec. 15.

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Florida Could Soon Become Uninsurable—and Other States Will Likely Follow

/in , /by /Newsweekby Giulia Carbonaro

Florida is no stranger to extreme weather events, a fact that those living in Sunshine State have always factored in when insuring their homes. But as climate change exacerbates the frequency and severity of events like droughts, floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes in the U.S., the reality Floridians and insurers in the state are working with is quickly changing. Florida, according to several experts, is becoming “uninsurable.” And other states, starting from California, might follow suit in the near future.

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Big Jump in Water Rates Likely in Sonoma

/in , /by /Northern California Public Mediaby Marc Albert
With little discussion, and unanimous approval, city council members in Sonoma started a process to significantly raise water rates in the city. The action Wednesday sets in motion ten years of annual rate increases, totaling a cumulative 53.4 percent. The average monthly bill would rise for just shy of $43 a month to more than $104. Teresa Jurotich, a consultant from the firm Raftelis, which performed a study and devised the rate plan, said without the increases, the city’s water fund would dry up.
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50 Tasks to Tackle in the August Garden, From Frequent Harvesting to Thoughtful Watering

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Nan Sterman

It’s summer! This is the garden’s harshest and most challenging season of the year, Southern California’s gardening equivalent to winter in most parts of the country.

Pay close attention to how much, how long and how often to water different kinds of plants in your garden.

Your goal is to water just right — not too much, not too little — for each.

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La Mesa Offers Free Trees to Residents in Areas with Public Right-of-Ways

/in , /by /SDNewsby Elaine Alfaro

Set down roots, water a tree and help bring shade to the city through La Mesa’s free tree program. The City of La Mesa is offering free trees to residents who have public right-of-ways located in front of their property. Public right-of-ways are the small strips of land between the sidewalk and street that often are covered with grass, dirt or cement. –

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Opinion: How Can EPA Care More About Minor Sewage Woes in San Francisco than Disaster in San Diego?

/in , /by /The San Diego Union Tribuneby The San Diego Union Tribune Editorial Board

It was awesome to see so many local elected officials finally have their “aha!” moment on the South Bay sewage nightmare in June and complain so loudly and uniformly that the federal government’s response has been woefully inadequate. But any inclination to start handing out kudos should be tempered by a reality that in retrospect seems unfathomable: For years, many of these same leaders essentially accepted broken Tijuana sewage infrastructure constantly fouling our coast from the Mexican border to Coronado.

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Lush Landscape Recognized as Runner-Up in Helix Landscape Contest

/in , , /by /Water News Network

The slope of a 1920s La Mesa home went from a drab lawn to lush floral color with climate-appropriate plants, winning recognition from the Helix Water District as the runner-up in its 2023 WaterSmart Landscape Contest.

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New State Task Force Starts Work on Responding to Worst-Case Colorado River Scenarios

/in , , /by /CPR News by Michael Elizabeth Sakas

A new state task force charged with investigating the local effects of the drought-depleted Colorado River and recommending legislation to respond to the water crisis met for the first time this week.

Members representing different river interests who gathered for the first meeting on July 31 shared hope that they would find common ground as they collaborate on possible policies, tools and solutions to help respond to the Colorado River, which has been depleted by a 20-year megadrought, climate change and overuse.

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Opinion: A New Age of Water is Dawning

/in , , /by /TIME by Peter H. Gleick

We’re living in a pivotal moment in history, on the cusp of either sinking into a dark period of growing poverty, accelerating ecological destruction, and worsening conflict, or moving forward to a new age of equity, sustainability, and stewardship of the only planet in the universe where we know life exists. I believe a positive future is not only possible, but inevitable, but solving our current crises and moving along the path to that desired future will require new, concerted, and sustained efforts.

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