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California Drought: Which Cities in Santa Clara County are Saving the Most and the Least Water

/in , /by /The Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers

The Santa Clara Valley Water District, which is the main wholesale water provider in Santa Clara County, on June 9 declared a drought emergency and called on all residents to reduce water use 15% from 2019 levels to preserve supplies.

In August, the most recent month for which data is available, countywide water use dropped by 9%. That was an improvement from a 6% drop in July, but still is significantly under the goal.

Here is the percentage change in water use between August 2019 and August 2021 at the 13 cities and private water companies the Santa Clara Valley Water District serves.

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Trump-Era Water Opinions in the Air as Biden Considers New Plan

/in , /by /The Business Journalby Edward Smith

Following nearly two years of litigation regarding Trump-era water policy, the federal government has until Oct. 14 to come up a plan to balance competing needs for the precious resource.

A minute order from District Judge Dale A. Drozd from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California extended by two weeks the due date for the status update that was originally expected to be delivered Sept. 30.

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Colorado Heads Into Snowpack Season With Low Reservoirs — but a Twinge of Hope

/in , , /by /The Colorado Sunby David Gilbert

Drought conditions have eased up a bit from this time last year, but as the calendar turns on Colorado’s water year, worries about a dry winter still loom, the state’s assistant climatologist says.

That’s not to say Colorado isn’t parched. Most of the state remains in drought, including the Eastern Plains, which spent much of the summer drought-free.

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California and the West Can See Small Glimmers of Hope in Weather Outlooks for October

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Paul Duginski

Outlook maps for October temperature and precipitation in the U.S. offer a glimmer of hope for California and parts of the West. For the first time in months, California’s precipitation outlook map isn’t colored a desiccated brown, indicating drier-than-normal conditions.

Likewise, the temperature outlook map isn’t glowing red, resembling a stove-top burner set on high.

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New Protections for California’s Aquifers Are Reshaping the State’s Central Valley

/in , , /by /NPRby Dan Charles

California’s agricultural empire is facing a shakeup, as a state law comes into effect that will limit many farmers’ access to water.

The seven-year-old law is supposed to stop the over-pumping from depleted aquifers, and some farmers — the largest users of that water — concede the limits are overdue.

 

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Un Agency Warns of Looming Global Water Crisis

/in , , /by /The Hillby Zack Budryk

Climate change is poised to result in a worldwide water crisis, and international institutions and governments have not done enough to prepare, according to a report released Tuesday by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

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Drought Emergency: San Jose Mayor Liccardo Proposes Outdoor Watering Limits To 2x/Week, Renews Calls To Conserve

/in , , /by /CBS SF Bay Area

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo renewed calls for residents to conserve water and proposed outdoor watering restrictions Wednesday as California’s ongoing drought deepens.

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City Takes Possession of Water Desalination Unit

/in , /by /Fort-Bragg Advocate Newsby Chris Pugh

On Tuesday, September 14, the City of Fort Bragg council declared a Stage 4 Water Crisis at its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday night. A Stage 4 Water Crisis targets a 30-40% decrease in seasonal water use based on the most recent year in which water conservation measures were not required (2019).

Six months ago the City of Fort Bragg ordered a desalination-reverse osmosis treatment system to help provide drinking water during periods of saltwater intrusion at its main Noyo River water source. The skid-mounted unit has arrived and can produce 200 gallons of desalinated water a minute, or 288,000 gallons of water per day, but because the unit can only run for 12 hours a day, the daily capacity will top out at 144,000 gallons.

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Water Is Scarce in California. But Farmers Have Found Ways to Store It Underground

/in , , /by /NPRby Dan Charles

Aaron Fukuda admits that the 15-acre sunken field behind his office doesn’t look like much.

It’s basically a big, wide hole in the ground behind the headquarters of the Tulare Irrigation District, in the southern part of California’s fertile Central Valley. But “for a water resources nerd like myself, it’s a sexy, sexy piece of infrastructure,” says Fukuda, the district’s general manager.

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Another Bay Area City Is Poised to Declare a Drought Emergency and Mandate Water Conservation

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Jessica Flores

Amid California’s worsening drought, Pleasanton city officials on Tuesday are expected to declare a local drought and water shortage emergency, and require residents to reduce their water usage by 15%. The Pleasanton City Council will vote at Tuesday’s meeting. In a report accompanying the council’s agenda, staff urged council members to make such declarations after board members with the Zone 7 Water Agency voted to do the same in September. The water agency, which serves the cities of Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon and parts of Dougherty, said Tri-Valley customers are falling short on water reduction compared with 2020.

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