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When Will California Experience Another Drought? Experts Aren’t Entirely Sure

/in , , /by /KTLA 5by Iman Palm

Most of California is in recovery mode after a years-long drought plagued the Golden State from 2020 until 2022, which depleted the state’s reservoirs and groundwater resources. Thanks to the historic wet winter season, many areas, such as Los Angeles, Merced and Alameda countries, are no longer in a drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. However, with the summer season in full swing, temperatures across the state have begun to increase and the hotter weather brings renewed potential drought concerns for many across the state.

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Freeing Up Colorado River Water from California Farms Will Take More than Just Money, Just Ask the Farmers

/in , , /by /kuncby Alex Hager

Under the broiling hot sun of California’s Imperial Valley, a canal cuts the land in two. On one side, gravelly beige sand is dotted with scrub and shimmering waves of heat blur the mountains in the distance. On the other, sprawling fields of crops blanket the valley floor in a mat of bright green squares.

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Deadpool Diaries: Mid-July Colorado River Status Report

/in , , /by /Inkstainby JFleck

When last we visited, Lake Mead sat at elevation 1,054.28 feet above sea level. It’s now at 1,058.34, which is up ~13 feet from when I took the above photo last December. I hope they moved those chairs. The good news is the current forecast calling for the combined storage of Lake Mead and Lake Powell to end the water year up nearly 5 million acre feet from a year ago. The bad news is that total identifiable water use reductions in this year of chaotic crisis fire drill total just 1.2 million acre feet, according to the Bureau of Reclamation’s July 14, 2023 forecast.

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Navajo President Presses Congress for More Time, Money, for Water Project

/in , /by /azpmby Lillie Boudreaux, Cronkite News

Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren asked senators Wednesday for more funding, and time, for a pipeline project that would create a reliable water supply for 250,000 people across Arizona and New Mexico. The project would deliver 37,767 acre-feet of water annually from the San Juan River basin through 300 miles of pipeline to 43 Navajo chapters, the city of Gallup, New Mexico, as well as the Teepee Junction area of the Jicarilla Apache Nation.

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Meteorologists say Earth Sizzled to a Global Heat Record in June and July Has Been Getting Hotter

/in , , /by /APby Seth Borenstein

An already warming Earth steamed to its hottest June on record, smashing the old global mark by nearly a quarter of a degree (0.13 degrees Celsius), with global oceans setting temperature records for the third straight month, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday.

June’s 61.79 degrees (16.55 degrees Celsius) global average was 1.89 degrees (1.05 degrees Celsius) above the 20th Century average, the first time globally a summer month was more than a degree Celsius hotter than normal, according to NOAA

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Lake Powell Water Levels Threatened by Heat Wave

/in , , /by /Newsweek by Anna Skinner

An extreme heat wave in the Southwest could pose a risk to Lake Powell’s water levels, which have been steadily increasing all summer.

After an extended drought period, Lake Powell, which is in Utah and Arizona, reached drastically low levels last summer, but levels began rising in earnest in April after California experienced a wet winter. The above-average snowfall in the mountains led to an increased snowpack melt that has continued to supplement Lake Powell, as well as Lake Mead in Arizona and Nevada, this summer.

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Scottsdale Bans Natural Grass in Front Yards of New Houses to Conserve Water Amid Arizona’s Drought

/in , , /by /CNN by Mitchell McCluskey and Holly Yan

As drought-stricken Arizona bakes in searing heat, the Scottsdale City Council unanimously agreed this week to ban natural grass in front of future single-family homes in an effort to conserve water.

The new ordinance will apply to new houses constructed or permitted after August 15.

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Court Pauses Cybersecurity Rule Following Legal Challenge

/in , /by /Water Finance and Management by WFM Staff

This week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit granted a request from the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the National Rural Water Association (NRWA) to stop the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Cybersecurity Rule from going into effect until a current case challenging the rule has been decided.

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El Niño Increases Global Health Threats That Require a One Health Response

/in , /by /Bulletin of the Atomic Scientistsby Laura H. Kahn

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), El Niño is here. Its arrival likely augurs an increased occurrence of health threats around the world. Brought on by deviations in sea-surface temperatures, El Niño negatively impacts human, animal, and plant health—and their interconnections. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the changing atmospheric conditions brought on by El Niño will increase the risks for droughts, fires, floods, and storms that can lead to the increased incidence of vector-borne diseases, food insecurity, and heat stress, among other health threats.

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Interior Department Official with Key Role in Colorado River Talks is Stepping Down

/in , , /by /APby Suman Naishadham and Felicia Fonseca

A senior Interior Department official who has had a key role in negotiations over the shrinking Colorado River plans to step down from the job next week.

Tanya Trujillo told the department of her intention to resign as assistant secretary for water and science about six weeks ago and her last day is Monday, she told The Associated Press. Trujillo, who has served in the role since June 2021, said it made sense to leave now as the Biden administration gears up for a reelection campaign.

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