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Extreme Heat, Drought Will Permanently Scar California and Its Social Fabric

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith

Unprecedented dryness across the western United States is meeting with increasingly warm temperatures to create climate conditions so extreme that the landscape of California could permanently and profoundly change, a growing number of scientists say.

The Golden State’s great drying has already begun to reduce snowpack, worsen wildfires and dry out soils, and researchers say that trend will likely continue, along with the widespread loss of trees and other significant shifts.

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Water Deal to Keep Taps Flowing in Bakersfield Even as Lake Isabella Levels Continue to Drop

/in , , /by /SJV Waterby Lois Henry

Bakersfield City water managers learned from California’s last “epic” drought – don’t wait to make a deal.

In 2015,  city water managers scrambled to keep taps flowing for more than 20,000 Bakersfield residents as the Kern River ran so low the city had zero water entitlement coming down the river.

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Lack of Water Access Costs U.S. $8.6B Each Year

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Leah Willingham

At least 2 million Americans don’t have running water or a working toilet at home, a crisis that costs the U.S. economy $8.58 billion each year, according to a report released Tuesday by nonprofit DigDeep.

These water access issues disproportionately impact Indigenous tribes, people of color, immigrants, low-income people and those living in rural areas — communities that have been largely excluded from past investments in water infrastructure, according to the report.

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Grass Is a Water Hog. Here’s How to Create a Drought-Tolerant Yard.

/in , , /by /The Washington Postby Laura Daily

With numerous municipalities and states considering or enacting strict limits on residential grass, you may have considered ditching your home’s turf. Xeriscaping — or designing a landscape that needs little irrigation to survive — is no longer a radical idea, even if you don’t live in an area where lawns are being restricted. Traditional lawn grasses are thirsty.

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The West Just Experienced an Aspect of the Climate Crisis That Scientists Have Warned of for Years

/in , , /by /The Mercury Newsby Rachel Ramirez and Brandon Miller

The West saw an aspect of the climate crisis play out this month that scientists have warned of for years.

In the middle of a prolonged, water shortage-inducing megadrought, one area, Yellowstone, was overwhelmed in mid-June by drenching rainfall and rapid snowmelt that — instead of replenishing the ground over a matter of weeks or months — created a torrent of flash flooding that ripped out roads and bridges and caused severe damage to one of the country’s most cherished national parks.

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Pipelines? Desalination? Turf Removal? Arizona Commits $1B to Augment, Conserve Water Supplies

/in , , /by /AZ Centralby Brandon Loomis

The Colorado River’s precipitous decline pushed Arizona lawmakers to deliver Gov. Doug Ducey’s $1 billion water augmentation fund — and then some — late Friday, their final night in session.

Before the votes, the growing urgency for addressing the state’s oncoming water shortage and the long timeline for approving and building new water projects nearly sank the legislation.

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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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