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4 States Launch Colorado River Payout Program

/in , , /by /E&E Newsby Jennifer Yachnin

States in the Upper Colorado River Basin on Wednesday launched a $125 million program aimed at reducing reliance on the shirking waterway, although it remains to be seen how much water could actually be conserved. The Upper Colorado River Commission, which represents Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, released details on its Upper Basin System Conservation Pilot Program, which will pay users with rights to the river’s waters to temporarily forego their allocations.

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Yuma County Joins Lawsuit Over Colorado River Water Transfer

/in , /by /KYMAby Adam Klepp

Yuma County continues to fight for its water rights. Joining La Paz and Mohave counties in a lawsuit against the Bureau of Reclamation, uniting western Arizona. Earlier, the Yuma County Supervisors voted unanimously in November to combine resources. Joining a legal challenge over a transfer of 2,000 acre-feet of water from La Paz County to Queen Creek in central Arizona. The lawsuit’s overall goal is to prevent future transfers of Colorado River water to Queen Creek.

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Alameda County Water District Proposes Rate Increases

/in , , /by /The Mercury Newsby Martha Brennan

It seems like everything is going up in price these days, especially bills, and for residents in Fremont, Newark and Union City, water is no exception. Households in these areas could start paying 4% more for the commodity beginning next March, and another 4% on top of that in March 2024. The increases are being proposed by the Alameda County Water District, which will hold a public hearing on the rate hikes in February.

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New ‘SWOT’ Satellite Will Track the Movement of All of Earth’s Surface Water

/in , /by /KCRAby Heather Waldman

Technology has allowed scientists to observe water from space for the past several decades. A new satellite called Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) is scheduled to launch early Thursday morning, sending our ability to track and predict our planet’s water supply to new heights.

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Marin Municipal Water District Weighs Rate Hikes Amid Fiscal Stress

/in , /by /Marin Independent Journalby Will Houston

The Marin Municipal Water District board is considering raising rates for the first time since 2019 in response to sobering financial forecasts. District staff told the board Monday that unless the agency can find more revenue, the effects of inflation, drought and maintaining the water supply system could deplete reserve funds by mid-2024 and increase budget deficits as high as $45 million in the coming years.

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December’s Winter Storms Were a Boon for California’s Snowpack Levels — but Trends Could Radically Change

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Gerry Díaz and Annie Vainshtein

December’s parade of winter storms left a mark on California’s snowpack, with some substantial gains in the Sierra Nevada and Southern Cascades’ snowfall totals tallied in past days. The state has already seen an active wet season that began in September, but even with recent deluges, data shows that much more precipitation is needed to actually get out of multiyear drought.

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As the Colorado River Shrinks, Arizona Looks at Water Recycling, Desalination, Taller Dams

/in , , /by /The Arizona Republicby Brandon Loomis

The Southwest’s next source of water might be gurgling through the sewage pipes under this corner of Los Angeles County, an untapped stream in a Colorado River Basin that is otherwise tapped out. Indirectly, Arizonans are poised to reap the benefits of a plan to recycle the last drops from a river that begins as Rocky Mountain snow but ends as treated wastewater dumped into the Pacific Ocean.

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Water Wells Go Dry as California Feels Warming Impacts

/in , , /by /Scientific Americanby Anne C. Mulkern

A record number of water wells in California have gone dry as climate change amplifies heat and drought in the parched state. Residents reported having 1,394 dry wells statewide from January through last month, an increase of nearly 40 percent from the same time last year. It’s the highest number since the start of record keeping in 2013.

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Pollution Cleanup Method Destroys Toxic “Forever Chemicals”

/in , /by /UC Riverside Newsby David Danelski

An insidious category of carcinogenic pollutants known as “forever chemicals” may not be so permanent after all. University of California, Riverside, chemical engineering and environmental scientists recently published new methods to chemically break up these harmful substances found in drinking water into smaller compounds that are essentially harmless.

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Reformist Farmers in California Are Rethinking Water

/in , , /by /NPRby Dan Charles

Reformist farmers in California have deposed the leader of the country’s biggest irrigation district, who was known for fighting water regulations. Farmers are accepting less water means less farming. A local election in rural California caught our attention last month. Farmers ousted the longtime leaders of the organization that supplies their irrigation water, which may sound small, but as Dan Charles reports, it’s a sign of something bigger – farmers reacting to a hotter climate.

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