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Will Colorado River Shortages Limit Water Use? Arizona Cities Seek ‘Culture Change’ First

/in , , /by /AZ Centralby Brandon Loomis

Arizona’s cities should consider imposing unprecedented restrictions on outdoor water use if the Colorado River’s flow continues to decline as expected this year, the state’s water resources director says.

Scottsdale and Tucson already have declared themselves to be in the first stage of their respective drought plans, and are reducing government water uses. Phoenix plans to take payments from the state in lieu of some of its Colorado River deliveries next year, part of the state’s latest drought mitigation effort.

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Desalination: California’s Best Hope to Stave Off Water Restrictions in the Future

/in , , /by /California Globeby Evan Symon

During the last few years, California’s drought situation has become more and more dire. While a large chunk of it is self-inflicted by the state, as they release an incredible amount of water from dams each year for environmental purposes instead of, you know, agriculture and people, part of it is also that rain and snowpack build have been well below averages in the past. Northern California still has restrictions going on, with Southern California, facing another hot summer, may face a scenario in some areas where water may run out if usage stays as high as it is now.

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As Colorado River Shrinks, Pain of Drought to Spread

/in , , /by /E&E Newsby Jennifer Yachnin

Rolf Schmidt-Petersen knows what can happen when a water shortage hits: Reservoirs shrink and tempers flare.

“We had people literally throwing rocks, tomatoes when Elephant Butte went down,” recalled Schmidt-Petersen, director of the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission. He was talking about a 2003 deal to release water from a reservoir in southern New Mexico and drop the lake by about 33 feet to assist farmers in the state and neighboring Texas.

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Assessing Water Infrastructure Investments in California

/in , /by /Eosby Terri Cook

With water scarcity increasing around the globe, arid regions are striving to develop more flexible and diversified water supplies. For example, California’s 2020 Water Resilience Portfolio Initiative recommends improving and expanding the state’s conveyance and storage infrastructure as well as developing groundwater banking and other means of more flexibly sharing water. The success of such initiatives depends in large part upon the ability of water providers to collaboratively finance and build new infrastructure.

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AP Analysis Finds Growing Number of Poor, High-Hazard Dams

/in , /by /AP Newsby David A. Lieb, Michael Casey and Michelle Minkoff

Constructed four generations ago, the massive rock and clay dam at El Capitan Reservoir is capable of storing over 36 billion gallons of water, enough to supply every resident in San Diego for most of a year.

Today, it’s three-quarters empty, intentionally kept low because of concerns it could fail under the strain of too much water.

During “a big earthquake, you never know what’s going to happen, if this is going to hold,” said Samuel Santos, a longtime resident who frequently fishes near the dam.

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AccuWeather Long-Term Northern California Forecast Includes Potential for Dry Lightning, Continued Drought Next Fall

/in , /by /The Press Democratby Mary Callahan

With more than 1.1 million acres across the drought-afflicted West already charred, 2022 is shaping up to be another year of extremely intense fire activity.

But with the release Wednesday of its official 2022 Wildfire Season Forecast, AccuWeather forecasting company has added a couple of gut punches to this year’s outlook for flame-battered Northern California and the North Bay region.

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As Drought Shrinks the Colorado River, a SoCal Giant Seeks Help from River Partners to Fortify its Local Supply

/in , , /by /Western Water (Water Education Foundation)by Nick Cahill

Momentum is building for a unique interstate deal that aims to transform wastewater from Southern California homes and business into relief for the stressed Colorado River. The collaborative effort to add resiliency to a river suffering from overuse, drought and climate change is being shaped across state lines by some of the West’s largest water agencies.

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Marin Water Supplier Makes Some Drought Rules Permanent

/in , /by /Marin Independent Journalby Will Houston

Some water use restrictions that were imposed on most Marin County residents during the drought last year are now set to become permanent.

The Marin Municipal Water District Board of Directors voted unanimously on Tuesday to continue limiting sprinkler use to two days per week, which is down from three days it allowed before it adopted its drought restrictions in 2021. Drip irrigation will be allowed three days a week. All pool owners in the district must also have a pool cover.

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Federal Government Rolls Out ‘Extraordinary Actions’ to Prop Up Lake Powell

/in , , /by /KUNCby Alex Hager

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced two measures today to boost water levels in Lake Powell, keeping them high enough to continue generating hydropower at the Glen Canyon Dam. Both moves are being framed as painful but necessary band-aids, cutting into reserves elsewhere in the region to stave off the worst effects of a decades-long drought that has sapped the nation’s second-largest reservoir.

One measure will send water from upstream to help refill Lake Powell. About 500,000 acre-feet of water will be released from Flaming Gorge Reservoir, which straddles the border between Wyoming and Utah.

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One Way Around California’s Water Restrictions: Recycle Water From Your Laundry

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Jon Healey

Despite years of drought and conservation mandates, Californians continue to sprinkle a lot of clean, drinkable water onto yards to keep the greenery alive. That’s true even on properties that have scaled back thirsty lawns and added drought-tolerant native plants.

Now, however, Southern California officials have imposed unusually strict limits on outdoor water use in response to a water shortage emergency, effective June 1. So you may need to find an alternative way to keep your plants from desiccating in the summer sun.

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