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California is Moving to Outlaw Watering Some Grass That’s Purely Decorative

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

Outdoor watering accounts for roughly half of total water use in Southern California’s cities and suburbs, and a large portion of that water is sprayed from sprinklers to keep grass green.

Under a bill passed by state legislators this week, California will soon outlaw using drinking water for some of those vast expanses of grass — the purely decorative patches of green that are mowed but never walked on or used for recreation.

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California Ponies Up $300 Million to Prepare Groundwater Infrastructure for Climate Change

/in , , /by /Courthouse News Service by Natalie Hanson

California will spend about $300 million to prepare a vast groundwater and farming infrastructure system for the growing impacts of climate change.

California Department of Water Resources announced Tuesday that it has awarded $187 million to 32 groundwater sub-basins, which store water for future use that mainly flows from valuable snowmelt, through the Sustainable Groundwater Management Grant Program.

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Reservoir Levels Across California Remain High as the Wet Season Nears

/in , , /by /ABC 10 by Brody Adams

 Reservoirs across the state of California remain elevated as another wet season approaches.

Following the record wet winter, lakes and reservoirs were nearly full to the brim as the melting snowpack made its way into them.

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2023 Has Had More Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters Than Any Other Year on Record

/in , , /by /Huffington Post by Lydia O'Connor

New government data released Monday revealed that the U.S. has already experienced more billion-dollar weather disasters in 2023 than in any other year since authorities started tracking such data 40-plus years ago.

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What Arizona and Other Drought-Ridden States Can Learn From Israel’s Pioneering Water Strategy

/in , , /by /The Conversationby Gabriel Eckstein, Clive Lipchin, Sharon B. Megdal

Arizona is one of the fastest-growing states in the U.S., with an economy that offers many opportunities for workers and businesses. But it faces a daunting challenge: a water crisis that could seriously constrain its economic growth and vitality.

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Water Quality Expected to Decline as Extreme Weather Becomes More Common, New Study Says

/in , , /by /Forbesby Mary Whitfill Roeloffs

The increasing frequency of droughts, heatwaves, storms and floods is threatening the availability of water and its quality across the world, a study released Tuesday said, heightening scientist’s existing concerns that climate change poses a severe threat to human health.

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Artificial Intelligence Technology Behind ChatGPT Was Built in Iowa — With a Lot of Water

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Matt O'Brien and Hannah Fingerhut

The cost of building an artificial intelligence product like ChatGPT can be hard to measure.

But one thing Microsoft-backed OpenAI needed for its technology was plenty of water, pulled from the watershed of the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers in central Iowa to cool a powerful supercomputer as it helped teach its AI systems how to mimic human writing.

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Wildlife Competing With People for Priority in Plans for Colorado River’s Future

/in , , /by /8 News Nowby Greg Haas

Setting the course for a Colorado River with less water is an enormous challenge that’s not likely to satisfy everyone. And climate change has created a collision course with wildlife.

The river isn’t just managed to accommodate people. Governments are also responsible for the ecosystems that sustain fish, birds and other animals. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is an important player in the battle that’s ahead. A letter submitted by USFWS to the Bureau of Reclamation has as many questions as answers.

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Walnut Students Partner With Water District to Promote Water-Saving Technology

/in , , /by /San Gabriel Valley Tribune by Georgia Valdes

Returning middle and high school students in Walnut are adding an extra item to their agendas – helping members of their community monitor their home’s water usage.

Dubbed Project Bright, the students earn community service hours by engaging with the public over the environmental and fiscal benefits of more efficient water usage.

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Idea of Water Agency for All Napa County is Still Alive

/in , , /by /Napa Valley Register by Barry Eberling

Napa County civic leaders want to keep exploring whether the dozens of local agencies that deliver water to tens of thousands of residents and businesses should be working together more closely.

County agencies involved with water range from the city of Napa serving 80,000 residents to rural districts serving a few hundred customers. They have various water sources and make their own water decisions.

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