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

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.”

Full Story

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.

Full Story

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.

Full Story

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.

Full Story

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.

Full Story

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.

Full Story

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?

Full Story

California Ranch Works to Replenish Groundwater Supplies

/in , , /by /Yale Climate Connectionsby YCC Team

California farms grow about a quarter of U.S. food, and that takes a lot of water. Many farmers rely on water pumped from the ground. But over time, pumping is depleting the aquifers. And severe droughts are making the problem worse.

“Eventually, you’re going to run out of water,” says Don Cameron, vice president and general manager of Terranova Ranch in California’s Central Valley.

To help protect the ranch, he’s been working for years to replenish groundwater supplies.

Full Story

The Marin Water District has a New Drought Plan

/in , , /by /KTUV Fox 2by Tom Vacar

The Marin Water District has a new plan to deal with California’s worsening drought.

As of Oct. 24, Marin reservoirs have more water than normal, but the county said they’re not waiting for things to get worse.

Marin’s seven reservoirs hold 80,000 acre feet of water, the new plan would kick in when levels fall below 70,000 acre feet. The prior conservation plan didn’t go into effect until levels fell to 50,000.

Full Story

Environmental Groups Push for Increased River Flow in Wake of Delta Algal Bloom

/in , , /by /ABC7 by Tim Didion

The destructive algal bloom that struck San Francisco Bay this summer has researchers looking at both causes and solutions. But now, several environmental groups are demanding action on a similar challenge miles upstream from the Bay. They’re focused on a toxic bloom that’s become almost a yearly occurrence in and around the Delta.

 

Full Story