California Drought Raises Red Flags for Agriculture
More than 97 percent of California is under at least “severe” drought conditions, raising the specter of difficult agricultural decisions in a state that produces a quarter of U.S. food.
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AZ Republicans and Democrats Sign Letters on Colorado River Water
Divvying up Colorado River water has been the subject of at least two letters this week from Republican and Democratic members of Arizona’s congressional delegation.
One note was sent to the head of the U.S. Department of Interior and the other to the governor of California.
Water Use Drops 10% in July as California Deals With Drought
Californians stepped up their water conservation in July, using 10.4% less than two years ago as the state struggles with a years-long drought, state water officials said Wednesday.
July marks the first full month that new conservation rules like a ban on watering decorative grass were in effect, which state water officials said helped make a difference. Water use started to trend down in June after a bump in April and May.
Cal Am Receives Thumbs Up From Regulator for Desal Project Application
California American Water Co.’s effort to build its estimated $322 million desalination plant on the Monterey Peninsula has reached an important milestone with a state regulator and now sets the stage for what promises to be a contentious hearing in front of the full California Coastal Commission.
California Approves Microplastics Testing of Drinking Water Sources
California water regulators today approved the world’s first requirements for testing microplastics in drinking water sources — a key step towards regulating tiny fragments that are ubiquitous in the environment.
On the Frontlines of Drought, Communities in Mexico Strive to Save Every Drop of Water
“Look up to the El Peral mountains. That is where we do our ritual ceremony to call for rain,” says Josefina Santiago, 43, a Zapotec Indigenous leader. “We bury chocolate, flowers and a maize beverage called tejate to ask for gentle rainfall. We call ourselves water sowers: [we are] reclaiming our traditional rituals while developing absorption wells, water pans, and small dams.”
California’s Grid Holds Up Another Night and Avoids Rolling Blackouts Here
California came within a hair’s breadth of experiencing rolling blackouts Tuesday night, but the system operator that manages the grid for about 80% of the Golden State continued to keep the lights on.
The California Independent System Operator at 5:17 p.m. issued a stage 3 Energy Emergency Alert, a measure that warns energy users that rotating outages may be imminent due to sustained electricity demand eating into reserve margins.
San Diego County Residents Are Saving Water, Poll Says
A regional public opinion survey, released by the San Diego County Water Authority, finds that San Diego County residents have taken multiple actions to conserve water and nearly two-thirds feel they can do more to conserve.
An overwhelming majority (88 percent) of respondents agree that they have a civic duty to use water efficiently. Even though conservation has become a way of life in San Diego County, two-thirds (66 percent) of respondents feel they can do “a little more” or “much more” to conserve.
At Lake Powell, a ‘Front-Row Seat’ to a Drying Colorado River and an Uncertain Future
At his office whiteboard on this dam town’s desert edge, the water utility manager recited the federal government’s latest measures of the colossal reservoir that lay 4 miles down the road, then scrawled an ominous sketch showing how far it has shrunk.
In his stylized drawing of Lake Powell, the surface lapped just above where he marked his town’s drinking water pipe, bringing the Colorado River drought crisis uncomfortably close to home.
California Set To Become First in Nation to Test Drinking Water for Microplastics
Microplastic is everywhere.
The tiny particles that shed from clothing, food packaging and tires are in the air, the soil, the ocean and, almost certainly, your drinking water.
