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Drought Threatens Hydropower Produced by Colorado River

/in , , /by /Marketplaceby Savannah Maher

The seven U.S. states along the Colorado River — Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California — are up against yet another deadline to curb their water use amid extreme drought. They have until Tuesday to agree on massive voluntary cuts or the Bureau of Reclamation, a Department of the Interior agency, has said it will impose cuts on them.

The basin states have called the federal government’s bluff before, but whatever happens next week, millions of westerners and their livelihoods will be affected.

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Storm Deluge Stirs Hope for Water Supply

/in , , /by /Ag Alertby Christine Souza

California farmers are encouraged by the series of atmospheric river storms that brought near-record rain and snow, filling depleted reservoirs and bolstering the snowpack.

Frost Pauli, vineyard manager for Pauli Ranch in Potter Valley in Mendocino County, said he feels optimistic after three intense years of drought. He said the winter storms “have been excellent for our water supply.”

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Why the Snowfall in Colorado Rockies Isn’t Likely to Alleviate the Drought

/in , , /by /The Hillby Gianna Melillo

A string of winter storms that brought heavier than average snow and rain across the west increased snowpack in the Western Rockies to 146 percent of average, a gain that holds the potential to boost reservoir levels in the coming months.

Despite the extra snowpack, experts say it’s too early to tell what things will look like in the spring, and that much more steady precipitation is needed to make any significant dents in the dwindling water supply of the Colorado River.

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New Rules Will Expand How Water Can Be Reused in Colorado

/in , /by /CBS Coloradoby Michael Abeyta

Water is already a scarce commodity in the West, but if Colorado keeps growing we are going to need even more. One source could be treating reused drinking water. It’s a scenario water providers and the state are already planning for.

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Two of California’s Largest Reservoirs Hit Their Highest Level Since the Summer of 2020

/in , , /by /KCRAby Mark Finan

California’s water supply has hit a new milestone for the year in the wake of three weeks of wet weather.

Water levels at two of the state’s largest reservoirs are now at their highest point in 2.5 years, Chief Meteorologist Mark Finan said.

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Opinion: California Was Just Inundated With Much-needed Water. Too Bad We Didn’t Save Much of It

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Ian Lemay

The recent series of atmospheric rivers dumped enough rain and snow on Northern California to give us hope that the end of the drought may be near. California’s Department of Water Resources is reporting that the state’s snow water equivalent, or how much water the snowpack is expected to yield, is almost double what we expect at this time of year. According to department officials, it’s “the best start to our snowpack in over a decade.”

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Lake Mead’s Decline May Slow, Thanks to Winter’s Wet Start

/in , , /by /Las Vegas Review-Journalby Colton Lochhead

Hefty snowfalls from a series of atmospheric rivers have brought a slightly rosier outlook for the beleaguered Colorado River.

While not enough to fend off the falling water levels entirely, the snow that has dropped in recent weeks across the mountains that feed the river is expected to slow the decline at Lake Mead, according to the latest federal projections released last week. Forecasters now expect Lake Mead to finish this year around 1,027 feet elevation, about 19 feet lower than its current level. That’s about 7 feet higher than the 2023 end-of-year elevation in the bureau’s forecast from last month.Colorado River

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DWR Expects to Begin Spillway Work Between May and October

/in , , /by /Enterprise-Recordby Jake Hutchison

The California Department of Water Resources is set to begin phase one of its plan to replace the hoists on the Oroville Dam spillway sometime between May and October.

Project Manager Zerguy Maazouddi, who works under DWR’s Division of Operations and Maintenance, said the first phase of prerequisites such as site surveys and approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

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The Big Yawn: Water Crisis Not Registering as a Priority with Californians, Preview Las Vegas Panelist Says

/in , , /by /Las Vegas Sunby Ray Brewer

Las Vegans are constantly reminded about the crisis facing Nevada and other Western states as water supplies from the drought-choked Colorado River system dwindle.

Ads prompting us to conserve water are front and center at sporting events, on commercials during our favorite television shows and when picking up the daily newspaper. We’ve been diligent in removing natural grass and replacing it with artificial turf, limiting the size of our pools and watering plants only on assigned days.

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CA’s Depleting Groundwater in Key Agricultural Region Could Be a Warning Sign for AZ

/in , , /by /KJZZby Greg Hahne

A recent report showed that there is not enough groundwater in a sub-basin surrounding Buckeye to provide the area with a 100-year supply.

That could be a trend seen across the West as a study from ASU found that California’s megadrought has excellent groundwater depletion.

California’s Central Valley covers 20,000 square miles and is a vast agricultural region with a value of approximately $17 billion per year in crops.

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