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California Drought: Here Are the Biggest Water Users in the East Bay

/in , /by /The Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers and Jakob Rodgers

More than 300 East Bay homeowners have been fined for excessive water use, ignoring repeated warnings to cut back and instead guzzling at least 8 times as much water every day — and in some cases 30 or 40 times more — than their neighbors as California’s drought continues. The list released late Tuesday by the East Bay Municipal Utility District includes many wealthy and prominent residents, among them developer Tom Seeno, former Chevron vice president George Kirkland, and former Safeway CEO Steven Burd.

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California Warns Water Agencies Over Shutoffs Amid Higher Prices, Missed Payments

/in , /by /CBS News Bay Area

The California Department of Justice on Wednesday issued a “legal alert” intended to help protect people from water shutoffs as the state continues to struggle with drought, rising prices and the lingering economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. State Attorney General Rob Bonta said he issued the alert partly as a response to an estimated 40% increase in the price of certain types of water transactions so far this year and the fact that roughly 1.6 million Californians have fallen behind on their payments as of January 2021

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Recycled Water May Prove Crucial for Northern California Amid Ongoing Droughts, Climate Change

/in , , /by /KQEDby Ezra David Romero

The San Francisco Bay Area is far behind Southern California in reusing water. Policy experts say it could take decades for the state’s second-most populous region to catch up — the lower half of the state recycled 83% more water than the Bay Area last year.

Standing outside Google’s Bay View campus in Mountain View in early August, wearing a pool-blue collared shirt and a gray blazer, California’s Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot pressed the state’s northern region to do more.

“If you spend time in Orange County, there’s a chance that you’re consuming purified water that’s been recycled,” he said. “We need to expand water recycling throughout the Bay Area.”

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Western States Propose Deal Over Beleaguered Rio Grande

/in , , /by /Associated Pressby Susan Montoya Bryan

New Mexico, Texas and Colorado have negotiated a proposed settlement that they say will end a yearslong battle over management of one of the longest rivers in North America, but the federal government and two irrigation districts that depend on the Rio Grande are objecting. New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas on Tuesday announced that the states had brokered a deal following months of negotiations. While the terms remain confidential, his office called it “a comprehensive resolution of all the claims in the case.”

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California Water Crisis: In-Depth Look at Colorado River Water Use

/in , , /by /ABC7by Rob McMillan

Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States and a critical source of water for Nevada, Arizona and California. But right now, it’s at only about 25 percent of total capacity.

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Sen. Kelly Asks Feds to Halt Salton Sea Project Funding Until California Gives Up More Colorado River Water

/in , , /by /12NEWSby Hunter Bassler

Arizona Senator Mark Kelly is calling on federal officials to halt funding for California’s Salton Sea project until the state gives up more of its Colorado River Water, a letter from the senator said Tuesday. The letter, sent to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, said that the Department of the Interior needs to step in to secure the river’s water and ensure that the 40 million people who rely on its waters don’t go thirsty.

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As State Seeks Water Lifeline With Delta Tunnel, Small Delta Town Remains Concerned

/in , /by /FOX40by Karma Dickerson

California has long had a mismatch. “Where the waterfalls and where the people are. Much of the water, about two-thirds, fall in the Sierra Nevada, but most of the population is in the Central Valley, the Bay Area, along the coast or in Southern California,” said Carrie Buckman, Environmental Program Manager with Delta Conveyance.

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United States of Megadrought

/in , , /by /Politicoby Arianna Skibell

Drought has engulfed large swaths of the country, threatening parts of the nation’s food and power supply. And it’s getting worse.

More than 80 percent of the continental U.S. is experiencing unusually dry conditions or full-on drought, which is the largest proportion since the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration began tracking 20 years ago.

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Colorado Snowpack Levels at 229% of Average, A Good Start for Lake Mead

/in , , /by /KLAS Las Vegas by Greg Haas

Snowpack in the Upper Colorado River Basin is more than double the average normally seen at this time of the year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s website.

A snapshot of the water situation shows above-average precipitation levels at five of the nine regions that make up the basin, and overall snowpack at 229% of average as of Oct. 24. Overall, precipitation is at 83% of average.

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Opinion: Enough Messing Around. Will the Feds Mandate Cuts to Save Lake Mead or Not?

/in , , /by /Arizona Republicby Joanna Allhands
The Gila River Indian Community announced in August that it would no longer leave part of its sizable Colorado River water allocation in Lake Mead, citing lack of progress on a deal to stop it from tanking.

Two months later, the tribe became the first major Arizona player to take the feds up on a new offer to voluntarily leave water in the lake.

What changed?

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