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‘There’s Simply Not Enough Water’: Colorado River Cutbacks Ripple Across Arizona

/in , , /by /Arizona Republicby Debra Utacia Krol

Up and down the Colorado River last week, the state, local and tribal leaders in charge of water supplies for more than 40 million people waited to see if the federal government would impose deeper cuts to river allocations.

The Bureau of Reclamation had given states and tribes an Aug. 15 deadline to find ways to conserve 2 to 4 million more acre-feet of water to stabilize the drought-stricken river and its two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell. Without such a plan, the bureau said, it would act.

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No Firm New Deadline for Colorado River Basin States’ Conservation Plans

/in , , /by /KUNCby Luke Runyon

Federal officials aren’t ready to give states along the Colorado River a new deadline for water conservation goals.

The seven states that rely on the river blew past an August 16 deadline without a plan to conserve 2 to 4 million acre-feet of water. They were given that task by officials with the Bureau of Reclamation and from within the Interior Department. The agency’s models show that amount is what is necessary to keep the river’s biggest reservoirs — lakes Mead and Powell — from reaching critical levels.

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Does the Bay Area Have Enough Water to Build Housing During the California Drought?

/in , , /by /The Mercury Newsby Ethan Varian

When Contra Costa County supervisors last summer signed off on 125 new homes slated for 30 acres of grazing land in the oak-dotted Tassajara Valley, they were warned water was going to be an issue.

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Analysis: As Drought Risks Rise, Investors Eye Thirsty Companies, Solutions

/in , , /by /Reutersby Cole Horton, Ross Kerber and Simon Jessop

As droughts worsen across the world, investors are turning up the heat on companies wasting water and trying to pick winners from a sparse crowd of specialist listed companies looking to address the problem.

From Kenya to California and nearly half of Europe, a shortage of fresh water has grabbed the attention of policymakers and given millions of citizens a fresh window into the stressed state of the planet.

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Opinion: Give L.A. a Little More Money to Help it Take a Lot Less Water

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Times by The Times Editorial Board

California has $1.5 billion to distribute to cities and local water agencies to help the state cope with increasing aridity and less predictable rainfall. Should at least a third of it go to Los Angeles to boost a historic water recycling project?

That’s an easy “yes.” $500 million in state funding would be a smart investment not just for residents of L.A. but for the entire state.

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Opinion: California Dodges Colorado River Water Cutbacks

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Dan Walters

One cannot overstate the importance of Colorado River water in the evolution of Southern California from a collection of small cities and villages into a megaregion of 20-plus million people — more than the population of all but three states.

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Colorado River Agreements: Why California was Spared and Arizona Wasn’t

/in , , /by /The Gazetteby Marianne Goodland

Tuesday’s announcement by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that it would require Arizona and Nevada to reduce their annual allocation of water from the Colorado River came as no surprise to most water experts.

The reductions announced by Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton have been part of a long-standing agreement, known as the interim guidelines, since 2007.

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California Heat Waves In 30 Years Could Be Longer, Hotter and More Frequent, Research Shows

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Danielle Echeverria

A new report shows what temperatures in the United States could look like in 30 years — and the outlook isn’t good.

The report, from the First Street Foundation, a climate-focused research organization, found that temperatures will likely rise everywhere due to climate change, though the way that is expected to play out varies in different parts of the U.S.

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Newsom’s ‘Water Supply Strategy’ Geared to Combat Drought, Climate Change

/in , /by /Los Angeles Sentinelby McKenzie Jackson Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The Golden State is doing more than just praying for rain amidst the historic drought that is battering the state and the western United States.

Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a plan that would increase California’s water supply and combat the extreme weather patterns caused by climate change. The initiative, its scope captured in the 19-page “California’s Water Supply Strategy, Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future” document released by Newsom’s administration, will invest $8 billion in water recycling, storage, and desalination.

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Western States Hit With More Cuts to Colorado River Water

/in , , /by /AP News by Sam Metz, Suman Naishadham and Kathleen Ronayne

For the second year in a row, Arizona and Nevada will face cuts in the amount of water they can draw from the Colorado River as the West endures more drought, federal officials announced Tuesday.

Though the cuts will not result in any immediate new restrictions — like banning lawn watering or car washing — they signal that unpopular decisions about how to reduce consumption are on the horizon, including whether to prioritize growing cities or agricultural areas. Mexico will also face cuts.

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