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Will Water Pricing Be the Next Carbon Pricing?

/in , /by /GreenBizby Jesse Klein

The price of water — essential for human life, nature, communities and businesses — is often subsidized, reflecting a commonly held belief that everyone should have abundant access to clean water. But in many locations, those prices don’t reflect the true cost of addressing issues such as water quality or scarcity. That makes it difficult for companies to fully evaluate and account for the business risk of supplies drying up as a result of climate change.

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U.S. Megadrought is Worst for Over 1,000 Years: How Long Could It Last?

/in , , /by /Newsweekby Aristos Georgiou

Droughts are periods characterized by abnormally dry conditions. But what are megadroughts, and how bad is the one currently affecting parts of the United States?

While there are no clear definitions of what a megadrought is, in general these events are defined as droughts that last for multiple decades, i.e. two or more, according to Ashok Mishra, a professor in the Glenn Department of Civil Engineering at Clemson University.

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Feds Seek Ideas on How to Manage a Drier Colorado River

/in , , /by /Tuscon.comby Tony Davis

For many decades, the Colorado River was managed with the attitude that its water levels would remain roughly stable over time, punctuated by alternating wet and dry periods.

But in the face of possibly the river’s driest period in 1,200 years, a new approach is now needed to managing the river’s reservoirs — one that can account for “deep uncertainty” about future climate and runoff conditions, says the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

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California’s Drought Means Less Water to Go Around. Who is Winning the Pursuit for Water — and Who is Losing?

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander and Yoohyun Jung

After three years of drought, the massive state and federal water projects that serve California’s cities and farms have less water to distribute, forcing water managers to increasingly ration supplies.

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California Power Plant Deal: Fast-Tracking and Fossil Fuel Backups

/in , /by /CalMattersby Julie Cart

The expansive energy bill that so angered clean-energy advocates and city and county officials — negotiated last week behind closed-doors —  was softened somewhat over the weekend, restoring oversight of new energy projects to some critical state agencies.

But those hard-won concessions were nearly negated late Sunday night as Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration added an entirely new and unexpected section.  It reopened the heated debate over the trailer bill, intended, in part, to prop up California’s overstretched power grid.

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Major Water Reductions Cause Major Concern For Locals

/in , , /by /Imperial Valley Pressby Joyce Lobeck

Farmers in Imperial County feel like they’ve borne the “lion’s share” of cutbacks in use of water from the Colorado River as the megadrought gripping the West the last couple of decades continues to diminish that vital resource for the Southwest.

With elevations of the river’s reservoirs having now fallen to the point that significant additional cuts to the water supplied to the states that rely on the river are a grim likelihood next year, the Imperial Valley farmers are resigned to seeing further cuts in their water delivery. But they fear those cuts will adversely impact their farms, their lifestyle, their businesses and their communities.

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‘SAVE OUR WATER’: Signs Urge Californians To Limit Outdoor Watering Amid Drought

/in , , /by /ABC7 KRCRby Nazy Javid

Beginning Friday, June 24, and running through Monday, June 27, Caltrans electronic signs across the state will display the message “Severe Drought. Limit Outdoor Watering.” The messaging raises awareness of the urgent need for Californians to save water as the state faces severe drought. Limiting outdoor watering is one of the best ways Californians can cut back on water use – outdoor watering accounts for up to 60% of the average Californians’ water use, according to the California Department of Water Resources.

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‘A Subtraction Problem:’ A Shrinking Colorado River Faces Sharp, Sudden Cuts

/in , /by /The Nevada Independentby Daniel Rothberg

Within the next two months, Colorado River negotiators face a daunting task: Develop ways to reduce use by an enormous amount, or the federal government will make the cuts on its own.

Earlier this month, the federal government told the seven states in the Colorado River Basin that reservoir levels are so low they face a pressing crisis that warrants large-scale conservation, even as water users negotiate long-term operating guidelines for a shrinking river in an arid future.

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Opinion: The Drought-Parched West Wants To Take Mississippi River Water? Fat Chance! Or Is It?

/in , /by /Desert News

Leave it to the Westerners to come up with solutions to their problems by causing problems for others.  Las Vegas resident Bill Nichols’ June 22 suggestion of diverting Mississippi River water to the Southwest to help solve the Southwest’s drought problem is nothing more than a plan to steal, under federal-government oversight at taxpayers’ expense, water that belongs to the Midwest. Bill doesn’t say what the Midwesterners who are deprived of this diverted water will do for their water needs.

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Lake Mead Nears Dead Pool Status as Water Levels Hit Another Historic Low

/in , , /by /NBC Newsby Denise Chow

Lake Mead’s water levels this week dropped to historic lows, bringing the nation’s largest reservoir less than 150 feet away from “dead pool” — when the reservoir is so low that water cannot flow downstream from the dam.

Lake Mead’s water level on Wednesday was measured at 1,044.03 feet, its lowest elevation since the lake was filled in the 1930s. If the reservoir dips below 895 feet — a possibility still years away — Lake Mead would reach dead pool, carrying enormous consequences for millions of people across Arizona, California, Nevada and parts of Mexico.

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