The framework for how Upper Colorado River Basin states will respond to low water levels at Lake Powell is now out for public review.
It’s called the Drought Response Operations Plan, which is part of the larger Drought Contingency Plan signed in 2019. These policies were put in place because of the troubling hydrology in the region.
After facing critical water shortages last year, Marin County’s two largest water agencies are exploring new supply options.
Connecting to other water agencies, desalination, capturing more rainwater and raising existing dams are among the options being explored by Marin Municipal Water District, which serves 191,000 residents in central and southern Marin, and the North Marin Water District, which serves about 62,000 residents in Novato and West Marin.
The lack of winter cold snaps are now another issue piling on the the climate change situation. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), released it’s climate summary findings, and in California, the key messages involved a 3°F temperature increase over the 20th century.
The warming temperatures over time are causing big swings across the board. Warmer temperatures mean snow is prone to fall at higher altitudes. What would have fallen at lower altitudes is becoming rain. The lack of snow limits our use of snowpack, a natural reservoir in California.
President Biden and Congress may have passed the law pouring more than $1 trillion into the nation’s infrastructure — but it’s what state governments like California do next that really matters.
State coffers are poised to get nearly $14 billion over the next five years through automatic funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act alone, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget, not including potentially billions more through grant programs still being crafted. But what the Newsom administration does next with the money remains to be determined, and could make or break the efficacy of the bill.
Drought is exposing new layers of risk posed by PFAS contamination in drinking water nationwide, a public health hazard expected to cost billions of dollars and take years to solve, state and federal officials say.
As the historic drought hitting much of the country decreases the flow of rivers and streams, more municipalities are drawing water from underground aquifers and wells. And emerging data shows PFAS contamination could be prevalent in some of those groundwater sources.
Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo wrapped up a three-day trip to California today where she highlighted President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s $8.3 billion investments in water management and drought resilience. During her visit, Assistant Secretary Trujillo met with elected officials, water managers, scientists, and local leaders to hear about the impacts that the climate crisis is having on the region and the Department’s commitment to investing in Western communities’ water infrastructure.
“As the West continues to face the impacts of the climate crisis and aging infrastructure, the Department of the Interior is working closely with local and federal partners to deploy critical resources to drought-stricken communities,” said Assistant Secretary Trujillo.
Lake Mead in southern Nevada saw extremely low levels of water in 2021.
And so the lower basin states of California, Nevada, and Arizona developed a plan to address the diminishing inflow from the Colorado River.
It’s called the “500-plus plan.”
The title refers to the goal of saving 500,000 acre feet of water per year in Lake Mead.
With all the rain California received in December, the state is in a better place fighting the drought.
Water levels are higher, which means there is more rainwater being saved in the state’s reservoirs.
This in turn means there is more water to go around as the state distributes from this supply to local water districts, which here in Kern County helps our agriculture community.
However, officials said it does not mean we can let our guard down.
Daniel Sinton’s family has raised cattle on their 18,000-acre ranch outside Paso Robles, California, for 140 years. But he likes to say he’s in the grass growing business.
“When you get so little rain, we’re not able to grow grass and we’re not able to feed the cattle. That means we ended up having to sell them off,” Sinton told CBS News. “We sold off about 40% of the cattle this last year.”
Putting steaks on plates has gotten more difficult, with 87% of the West currently in at least moderate drought. Industry analysts say a majority of California ranchers have had to sell at least some of their cattle because of the drought.
A massive water pipeline being laid in southern Kings County is sparking fresh fights between local farmers and the county’s biggest player in the water industry.
Wednesday, the Tulare Lake Canal Company, which operates the eponymous canal, sued Sandridge Partners, the diversified farming and water giant owned by John Vidovich, alleging Vidovich’s pipeline will interfere with its property rights and damage its ability to deliver water to its users.
Tulare Lake Canal holds dominant rights of way over its canal space and some adjacent property.
