You are now in California and the U.S. Home Headline Media Coverage category.

La Niña: What it Means for California’s Drought and the Upcoming Winter Rainy Season

/in , , /by /The Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers

The day before the state’s “water year” ended, Silicon Valley leaders gathered on Google’s campus in Mountain View and urged residents to continue conserving water as California’s drought drags on.

“It’s the third straight year of a bad and worsening drought,” said Wade Crowfoot, secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency, on Thursday. “Our scientists and climatologists predict that as we move into the winter, we can expect another, fourth dry year.”

Full Story

The Colorado River Water Shortage is Forcing Tough Choices in 7 States

/in , , /by /KALWby Dave Davies

This summer, officials of the U.S. Interior Department gave seven states in the American West an ultimatum – either come up with a voluntary agreement to curtail their use of water from the Colorado River, or the federal government will impose mandatory restrictions. Lake Mead, the reservoir created by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado, is now at just 25% of its capacity.

Full Story

Bleak Water Year Ending, With Hope for Future Elusive

/in , , /by /Ag Alert by Christine Souza

Nearing the end of the water year on Sept. 30, California farmers and water officials are eager to turn the page to begin the next opportunity for the state to accrue snowpack and precipitation.

However, with a La Niña atmospheric phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, which generally signals drier, warmer conditions, water officials say they are preparing for a fourth dry year next year.

Full Story

Cadiz Pipeline Conversion Dealt Legal Setback; Company Still Proceeds with Water Transfer Plan

/in , /by /Los Angeles Business Journal by Howard Fine

Downtown-based water infrastructure company Cadiz Inc. last month encountered yet another legal setback in its 25-year effort to convey water from its desert aquifer to a regional water aqueduct when a federal judge revoked a permit to use an old natural gas pipeline.

But far from putting its project on hold, Cadiz in subsequent days announced it would begin digging three new wells atop its aquifer and that it had completed an engineering study on converting the natural gas pipeline to carry water.

Full Story

Newsom Signs Legislation to Save Californians Money and Water

/in , , /by /ABC7 KRCRby Ashley Harting

Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law on Wednesday to make it cheaper for Californians to replace their traditional grass lawns with more sustainable, drought-resistant plants. The focus behind this new law is to help Californians save water, and a big way they can do that is by opting for these more sustainable plants and landscaping.

Full Story

Am I a Water Hog? Here’s What Could Land You on California’s List of Homes Using Too Much Water

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Michael Cabanatuan

With California’s water supply shrinking and the drought dragging on, Bay Area water agencies are getting serious about persuading their customers to use water responsibly.

Full Story

‘It’s Getting Close’: as Megadrought Grinds on, Arizona Working to Meet Water Demands

/in , , /by /Arizona Daily Sunby Syndee Wilson

NASA satellite photos show how drastically the water levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead have receded in just the past few years. They demonstrate the severity of long-term drought and the challenges Arizona will face to conserve and enhance its precious water supply. Susanna Eden is the research program manager for the Water Resources Research Center at the University of Arizona.

Full Story

Will the Supreme Court Gut the Clean Water Act?

/in , /by /High Country Newsby Jonathan Thompson

If you want to cross the Rillito River in Tucson, Arizona, anytime between October and July, you probably won’t need a boat, a bridge, waders or even waterproof shoes. During most of the year, the river is an arroyo, a curvy strip of dry sand that holds no more than the memory of water: braided serpentine patterns in the sand, erosion-smoothed stones, debris wrapped around the trunks of the few hardy deciduous trees.

Full Story

‘Sometimes Shaming is Your Best and Only Option’: Should California Scorn People Over Water Use?

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

Amid a third painfully dry year, the Bay Area’s biggest water retailer began releasing the names of customers using “excessive” amounts of water this week, a practice that may soon tee up hundreds of households for humiliation and shame.

Full Story

California Is Expected to Enter a Fourth Straight Year of Drought

/in , , /by /New York Timesby Soumya Karlamangla

California is most likely heading into a fourth consecutive year of drought.

The state’s water year ends tomorrow, which has prompted predictions about what’s in store for the next 12 months. (California’s water year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, so that the winter rainy season falls within a single water year.)

Full Story