You are now in California and the U.S. Home Headline Media Coverage category.

Touring Friant Dam in Fresno and Yolo Bypass, Assistant Secretary Trujillo Highlights Infrastructure Law Investments in Water Management and Drought Mitigation

/in , , /by /Sierra Sun Times

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.

Full Story

Lower Basin States Unveil New Water Plan to Bolster Levels in Lake Mead

/in , , /by /Aspen Public Radioby Halle Zander

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.

Full Story

‘Save Our Water’ Initiative Encourages Younger Generation to Spread the Word

/in , , /by /23ABC Newsby Vania Patino

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.

Full Story

“I’m Trying to Raise Cattle Without Killing the Earth”: Historic Drought Forces Ranchers to Innovate

/in , /by /CBS Newsby Jonathan Vigliotti and Simon Bouie

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.

Full Story

Massive Pipeline Under Construction Reignites Water Heartburn in Kings County

/in , /by /The Sunby Alex Tavlian

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.

Full Story

If the Supreme Court Rolls Back the Clean Water Act, California Will Be Ready — Thanks to Trump

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Bob Egelko

The Supreme Court appears ready to narrow the scope of the Clean Water Act, eliminating protections for many inland streams and wetlands that feed rivers, lakes and bays. But California is also ready, thanks to former President Donald Trump.

When Trump tried to roll back federal regulation of inland waterways toward the end of his term, California stepped in with new pollution controls designed to protect those waters within the state’s borders — regulations that would largely fill the gap the Supreme Court seems poised to create by mid-2023.

Full Story

Is California Entering a Megadrought? Water Experts Weigh In

/in , , /by /ABC 10by Luke Cleary

Despite the rain and snow that closed out 2021, California could be entering a third drought year as weeks of dry winter weather open the new year.

The state has experienced drought in 15 of the last 20 years, according to UC Davis. Experts say California is in the grip of a “megadrought.”

“It looks like, with a warming climate and climate change, it’s going to become more like this,” said Jay Lund, professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis and director of the Center for Watershed Sciences.

Full Story

White House Expands Digital Regulations for U.S. Water Supply

/in , , /by /NBC Newsby Kevin Collier

The White House launched a new cybersecurity initiative for the U.S. water supply Thursday after a handful of worrisome hacks against the sector last year.

The new initiative is designed to create a system that shares information about cyberthreats with the water sector and industry-wide basic security practices, though water facilities will not be forced to adopt any new practices.

Bryson Bort, a cybersecurity consultant for industrial systems, said it was an important first step toward more secure water infrastructure.

Full Story

Proposed Ballot Measure to Build More California Dams, Desalination Projects Likely to Be Withdrawn Due to Lack of Money and Signatures

/in , , /by /Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers

Despite California’s drought, a proposed statewide November ballot measure to speed up the construction of new dams and other large water projects — and provide billions of dollars to fund them — has fallen short in its fundraising goals and is likely to be withdrawn by early next week.

The initiative would require that 2% of California’s general fund, or about $4 billion, be set aside every year to expand water supplies. Those could include new dams and reservoirs, desalination plants, recycled water plants and other projects such as upgrading canals and pipes. The measure also would streamline permitting for those projects.

Full Story

Megadrought Fuels Debate Over Whether a Flooded Canyon Should Reemerge

/in , , /by /NPRby Dan Charles and Nathan Rott

In the 1960s, the Bureau of Reclamation built a dam that flooded a celebrated canyon on the Utah-Arizona border. Today, it’s known as Lake Powell — the second-largest reservoir in the U.S.

A half billion dollar tourism industry has grown in the desert around the reservoir but a decades-long megadrought is putting its future in question.

With what some call America’s ‘lost national park’ reemerging, an old debate is also resurfacing: should we restore a beloved canyon or refill a popular and critical reservoir?

Full Story