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Sinema’s Last-Minute Push on Democrats’ Climate Bill Added $4 Billion to Combat Western Drought

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Jennifer Haberkorn and Ian James

When Sen. Joe Manchin III and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer landed a surprise agreement on a healthcare, climate and tax bill last month, all but one Senate Democrat accepted the deal rather than risk collapse with further negotiation.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the inscrutable Arizona Democrat who has at times voted against her party’s demands, staked her vote on two changes. Most attention focused on her push to eliminate a proposed tax on wealthy investors.

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California Unveils Water Strategy, Planning for Greater Scarcity

/in , /by /Reutersby Daniel Trotta

California Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled a new water strategy on Thursday that plans for a future with 10% less water and shifts the emphasis from conservation to capturing more water that otherwise flows out to sea.

Climate change has contributed to more severe drought but has also set the stage for more intense flooding when rain does fall, as was demonstrated last week in California’s Death Valley, one of the hottest, driest parts of the United States.

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With California Expected to Lose 10% of Its Water Within 20 Years, Newsom Calls for Urgent Action

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

With California enduring a historic drought amplified by global warming, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday released a new plan to adapt to the state’s hotter, drier future by capturing and storing more water, recycling more wastewater and desalinating seawater and salty groundwater.

The governor’s new water-supply strategy, detailed in a 16-page document, lays out a series of actions aimed at preparing the state for an estimated 10% decrease in California’s water supply by 2040 due to higher temperatures and decreased runoff.

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Newsom Calls for Boosting Water Supply Projects to Curb California Drought, Climate Change

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

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday said California must do more to expand its water supplies by building new reservoirs, desalination plants and recycled water facilities to address worsening droughts and water shortages from climate change.

Newsom released a 19-page plan that directs state agencies to accelerate permitting and offer increased financial assistance to local water projects as the state struggles with its eighth year of drought in the past 11 years.

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More Evidence That California Weather is Trending Toward Extremes

/in , , /by /UC San Diegoby Robert Monroe

A team led by Kristen Guirguis, a climate researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, found evidence that the risk of hazardous weather is increasing in the Southwest.

The researchers investigated the daily relationships among four major modes of weather affecting California. How they interact governs the formation of weather events such as atmospheric rivers capable of bringing torrential rains and Santa Ana winds that can spread devastating wildfires.

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Seven Stats That Explain the West’s Epic Drought

/in , , /by /The Hillby Zack Budryk

It’s difficult to capture the scale of the drought facing the western U.S., the worst the region has seen in 1,200 years.

The dry period began around 2000 and shows no signs of slowing down, with tens of millions Americans facing shrinking reservoirs and potential power outages amid extreme heat. The most-affected area stretches from Texas to Oregon.

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Bill Would Provide Relief to Farmworkers in Drought-Stricken California

/in , /by /Yale Climate Connections

About a quarter of the nation’s food is produced in California’s Central Valley. And for decades, people have come to the region to find jobs in agriculture.

State senator Melissa Hurtado says her parents immigrated there from Mexico.

“They came to the Central Valley in search of the American dream. What they had heard is that the Central Valley was the place where you can make that happen,” she says. “And this region provided that to them.”

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Amid Drought, Some California Communities Are Forced to Rely on Hauled-in or Bottled Water. This Map Shows Where

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Yoohyun Jung

Many small and rural communities across California are vulnerable to drought and water shortages as they lack the diverse water sources and infrastructure of big cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. In some cases, these communities are forced to rely on bottled water or water hauled in from elsewhere, which experts say is costly and unsustainable.

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Water Usage in Bakersfield Drops 5.5%

/in , /by /KGETby Jacqueline Gutierrez

The California Waterboards showed a state-wide drop in water usage and some regions of the state exhibited a drop of up to 17%.

The waterboard said at a statewide level in June of 2014 California residents used 131 gallons per capita daily (GPCD) compared to June of 2022 residents used 101 GPCD. In June of 2021 California residents used 112 GPCD.

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Urban Water Suppliers Report Water Savings Progress Statewide

/in , , /by /Water News Network Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Following Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent executive order and a State Water Board emergency regulation, members of the California Urban Water Agencies, or CUWA, including the San Diego County Water Authority continue to advance water-saving efforts, yielding measurable results. These efforts come on the back of the driest first quarter in California’s history, which prompted the Governor to call for local water conservation steps rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

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