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Kern County Farmers Say Water Infrastructure is Needed to Curb Drought

/in , , /by /Spectrum News 1 (Los Angeles)by Sarah Pilla

On Aug. 3, the State Water Resources Control Board completely eliminated 2021’s surface water supplies for farms in much of the state. It has impacted farmers like John Moore III, who grows pistachios at Moore Farms in Arvin.

“We’ve got about 100 acres of pistachios, 200 of almonds and everything else goes to open farmland, carrots, potatoes and we have a small block of citrus as well that goes to both domestic and export buyers,” said Moore

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Central Valley Farmers Weigh in on California’s Historic Drought

/in , , /by /KQEDby Amanda Stupi

Unless you have a personal connection to the Central Valley or work in agriculture, chances are you haven’t been able to speak directly to a farmer about how they’re experiencing this year’s historic drought.

Recently on  KQED Forum, three farmers from the Central Valley, where roughly 40% of the nation’s fruits, vegetables and nuts are grown, shared just how little water they have to work with, how they’re adapting, and what the drought means for their industry long term.

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Petaluma Enters Stage 4 Water Emergency Amid Drought Concerns

/in , , /by /Petaluma Argus Courier by Amelia Parreira

The Petaluma City Council on Monday night declared a drought emergency, ratcheting up restrictions on residents’ water use in the city’s latest effort to conserve the region’s dwindling water resources.

In a 6-1 vote late Monday night, the council approved a resolution for the Stage 4 emergency. The move calls for a 30% mandatory water reduction goal for city water customers, up from the previous goal of 25%.

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Water Begins Flowing to the Coast Due to New County Program

/in , /by /The Mendocino Voiceby Sonia Waraich

Water has begun trickling from Ukiah to Fort Bragg, and the county’s main task going forward is to scale up hauling to meet demand.

The city of Fort Bragg announced Sept. 9 that it had received its first 5,000-gallon delivery of water from Ukiah and is expected to receive 10,000 gallons per day that will allow Fort Bragg to resume outside water sales after halting them in mid-July. The two certified water haulers on the coast can resume their water sales, too, which were put to a stop once Westport shut off outside water sales at the start of the month. Josh Metz, who was contracted by the county to help coordinate the drought response, told the countywide drought task force, also on Sept. 9, the process has been “set up to address both domestic and commercial needs with some price difference.”

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California Fires Are Burning at Higher Elevations Than Ever, Creating New Dangers

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith

Just hours before the Caldor fire threatened to level the resort town of South Lake Tahoe, the massive blaze performed a staggering feat: burning from one side of the Sierra to the other.

It seared through crests and valleys, over foothills and ridges — and also at elevations of 8,000 feet or higher.

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Opinion: Climate Change Is Bankrupting California’s Ecosystems

/in , /by /CalMattersby Martha Davis

For decades, scientists have warned that climate change would disrupt almost every natural life-sustaining system on our planet. What have we done about it? We’ve dithered. We refuse to believe the evidence, or rail against the cost and inconvenience of change, or hope the problem will just go away. But global warming is not going away. Last month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued its most alarming report yet: Earth is on the edge of ecological bankruptcy.

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Here’s What’s in the $1T Infrastructure Package for Western Water

/in , , /by /Las Vegas Review-Journalby Blake Apgar

A $1 trillion infrastructure bill that received bipartisan support in the Senate last month includes billions of dollars for Western water projects and programs.

The Biden administration has called the infrastructure bill, which includes $8.3 billion for Western water infrastructure, “the largest investment in the resilience of physical and natural systems in American history.”

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Could California Weather a Mega-Drought?

/in , , /by /UC Davis Water Sciencesby Jay Lund

“Mega-drought” has become a frightful “thing” in public and media discussions.  In the past 1,200 years, California had two droughts lasting 120-200 years, “megadroughts” by any standard. Could the state’s water resources continue to supply enough water to drink, grow crops and provide habitat for fish with such an extreme, prolonged drought today?

Clearly, some ecosystems and rural communities would be devastated by such a drought, and it would certainly affect all California residents.  But with careful management, California’s economy in many ways could substantially withstand such a severe drought.

Torture Orchard: Can Science Transform California Crops to Cope with Drought?

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Julie Cart

There’s a hive of PhDs at the University of California at Davis who are working to reinvent food production in the Golden State. Researchers have fanned out across the globe collecting rare plant samples; others are grafting Frankenstein trees and stitching together root systems of plums and peaches to create better almond and walnut trees.

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Deeper Droughts Possible In Southwest, Scientists Warn

/in , , /by /KNAUby Melissa Sevigny Quoted: https://www.knau.org/post/deeper-droughts-possible-southwest-scientists-warn

The Colorado River Basin is enduring two decades of drought, and water shortages are on the horizon. But scientists say this isn’t the worst-case scenario. The region has undergone longer, deeper droughts in the past. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke with paleoclimatologist Matt Lachniet of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas about how knowing the past can help us plan for a warmer, drier future.