The demand for water from the Colorado River is of paramount importance out West and the focus of some big battles. It’s been especially critical for farming and agriculture. In California’s Imperial Valley, there are growing questions over the use of that resource and whether bigger changes are needed. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien reports.
Earlier this year, several environmental groups sent a petition to the federal government with a seemingly simple message: Ensure that water from the imperiled Colorado River is not wasted and only being delivered for “reasonable” and “beneficial” uses.
The organizations urged the Bureau of Reclamation to use its authority to curb water waste in the Lower Basin states: California, Arizona and Nevada. They argued it was necessary to help address the river’s water shortages.
As the United States passes a tipping point in water security, new research reveals that millions of Americans now face a growing crisis in accessing clean, affordable water.
“Our research shows water insecurity in the U.S. is not just a problem of pipes and infrastructure—it’s a human issue that affects health, daily life and dignity,” Jepson said.
When it comes to determining the fate of big water projects in California, there is no bigger influencer than the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Metropolitan is the largest water wholesaler in the nation, supplying water to 26 water districts throughout the region that in turn keep the taps flowing to 19 million people. As such, the agency is often the 800-pound gorilla in the room when big-ticket water infrastructure projects are looking for investors in California.
As Metropolitan’s board represents communities from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties, it should be no surprise that its members do not always see eye-to-eye on the best way to provide economically and environmentally sustainable water supplies to the region. And as much of the state’s gray infrastructure ages and climate change worsens, the agency will continue to face tough choices about which investments to prioritize in a world with limited resources and escalating climate concerns.
A dry summer in Colorado and across the Colorado River Basin is ratcheting up the pressure to cut back on water use, fast, but one federal conservation program has been stalled in Congress since June.
The reason why isn’t clear to U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, a Democrat who represents Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District.
America’s has a hidden water crisis. Parts of the US are drying out, and scientists warn the aquifers that keep the Southwest alive are disappearing far faster than they can be replenished. Jay Famiglietti, a global futures professor at Arizona State University who has extensively studied the nation’s water supplies, joins The Excerpt to explain.
A major ocean temperature index in the North Pacific has plunged to record low levels signaling a shift that tends to lock in coastal fog, delay California’s rainy season and reroute storms to the north.
This summer already bears the stamp of this setup. Around the Bay Area, mornings have been trapped in gray, afternoons unusually breezy, and inland heat has arrived in short, erratic bursts.
The most important water job in this region, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, is in flux.
Three people have held the position over the past five years, including two since the end of January. Now, Met Water is in the process of hiring yet another new leader, with district officials saying their goal is to find a general manager who will stay on the job for several years.
A UC Davis study is highlighting what it calls inequities in California’s water management, showing underrepresentation of women and people of color in positions on water boards.
Sponsored by the nonprofit group Water Education for Latino Leaders (WELL), the study was unveiled at the State Capitol, revealing that women occupy only about 27% of water board positions, Latinos hold 15% of board seats, and other people of color account for just 5% of board positions.
The effort to build California’s largest new reservoir in decades has received a welcome commitment of cash — nearly $220 million — which will help keep the project on track to break ground as soon as next year.
Planned for 70 miles northwest of Sacramento, the proposed Sites Reservoir won the bulk of the funding because plans to expand the Los Vaqueros Reservoir in Contra Costa County fell through, freeing up money in the state’s 2014 water bond. The remainder of the money for Sites came from last year’s state climate bond.
