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Water Wars: Arizona Counties, Towns Battle Over Colorado River Water Rights

/in , , /by /ABC 15by Courtney Holmes

As Arizona’s population continues to swell by record numbers, cities and towns housing the transplants are looking for ways to increase their water supply.

That search has pitted the growing Town of Queen Creek against counties along the Colorado River. Cibola, Arizona in La Paz County sits near the border with California directly on the river. The population ranges from 250 to 350 people depending on the time of year according to La Paz County Supervisor Holly Irwin.

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Dry and Failing Wells in Tuolumne County are a Sign of Drought’s Severity

/in , , /by /The Union Democratby Guy McCarthy

Terry Carney, 71, showed the head of his well Thursday and said it dried up about two weeks after the July 9 magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck near Walker, Nevada and was felt by people up and down the Sierra Nevada and as far west as the Bay Area.

Carney’s well is one of more than a dozen that have dried up so far this year in Tuolumne County, in addition to at least 19 other wells that are failing but have not yet dried up, according to county staff.

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The Complex And Surprising History Of Humanity And Water

/in , /by /NPRby Courtney Dorning, Kat Lonsdorf and Ari Shapiro

NPR’s Ari Shapiro speaks with author Giulio Boccaletti about his new book Water: A Biography, which takes readers through the complex and surprising history of humanity and water.

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Drought: Marin, Saudi Crown Prince Eyeing Same Desalination Plants

/in , /by /Marin Independent Journalby Will Houston

Marin County water officials are thinking of buying three desalination plants to bolster local supplies, but they’re facing an unlikely competitor — Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Marin Municipal Water District, which might deplete its reservoirs by next summer if the drought continues, had considered renting two portable desalination plants for nearly $30 million from Osmoflo, an Australian company. Last week, the district staff said a third plant has become available and that purchasing them might be less expensive than renting.

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RFP Issued for 500MW Pumped Hydro Energy Storage in California

/in , , /by /Energy Storage Newsby Andy Colthorpe Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

A Request for Proposals (RFP) has been issued for a 500MW pumped hydro energy storage project at a reservoir in California by the San Diego County Water Authority.

The authority supports water supplies for more than three million people, supplying wholesale to 24 retail water providers. It has decided to put its San Vicente Reservoir into dual use by turning it into an on-demand clean energy facility while it also supplies water.

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Opinion: Water Markets Can Help Bring California’s Groundwater Into Balance

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Andrew Ayres and Ellen Hanak

The San Joaquin Valley town of Corcoran is sinking. It’s fallen as much as 11.5 feet in some places, damaging drinking wells, changing the town’s flood zones and undermining critical infrastructure. The story is so dramatic that the New York Times covered it recently. The culprit here, though, is no ordinary villain – it’s the overpumping of groundwater.

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Sacramento Reduces Water Consumption but Falls Short of Newsom’s Goal for California

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

As California’s drought deepens, Sacramento residents are falling short of meeting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call for water conservation — at least so far.

Area residents reduced water usage by an average of 6% last month, compared to August 2020, according to data released this week by the Sacramento Regional Water Authority. That compares with the 15% voluntary goal announced by Newsom in an executive order in July.

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Stunning Photos Show Drought’s Impact on Huge California Reservoir

/in , , /by /Mercury Newsby Nhat V. Meyer

The California drought has been brutal over the past few years, but to see just how devastating it has been, you need to see before-and-after pictures side by side.

Bay Area News Group photojournalist Nhat V. Meyer went out to the San Luis Reservoir in Merced County this week and took pictures in approximately the same places that he did in January 2019. The reservoir is one of the largest in California.

The results are startling.

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Caldor Fire Evacuees Getting Highway 50 Access as Crews Work Toward Full Reopening

/in , /by /KCRA3

Some Caldor Fire evacuees will be able to access their properties using Highway 50 as crews work toward reopening the closed stretch of the road to the public.

The highway is closed between Kyburz and Meyers because of the fire, but starting Monday, property owners who live in that region will be able to receive a pass to enter the area and survey their properties.

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Drought Tests Centuries-Old Water Traditions in New Mexico

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Susan Montoya Bryan

At the edge of a sandstone outcropping, Teresa Leger Fernández looks out on the Rio Chama. The river tracks a diverse landscape from the southern edge of the Rocky Mountains through rugged basalt hillsides, layers of volcanic tuff, and the red and yellow cliffs made famous by painter Georgia O’Keeffe.

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