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

Drought-Stricken Nevada Enacts Ban on ‘Non-Functional’ Grass

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Sam Metz

In Sin City, one thing that will soon become unforgivable is useless grass. A new Nevada law will outlaw about 31% of the grass in the Las Vegas area in an effort to conserve water amid a drought that’s drying up the region’s primary water source: the Colorado River. Other cities and states around the U.S. have enacted temporary bans on lawns that must be watered, but legislation signed Friday by Gov. Steve Sisolak makes Nevada the first in the nation to enact a permanent ban on certain categories of grass.

Full Story

Drought: Mandatory Water Restrictions Coming to Santa Clara County

/in , , /by /San Jose Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers and Kate Selig

In a major sign of California’s worsening drought, Santa Clara County’s largest water provider announced Monday that it is moving forward with plans to declare a water shortage emergency and to urge cities and water companies that serve 2 million residents in and around San Jose to impose mandatory water restrictions.

Full Story

‘Truly An Emergency’: How Drought Returned to California – and What Lies Ahead

/in , , /by /The Guardianby Gabrielle Canon

Just two years after California celebrated the end of its last devastating drought, the state is facing another one. Snowpack has dwindled to nearly nothing, the state’s 1,500 reservoirs are at only 50% of their average levels, and federal and local agencies have begun to issue water restrictions.

Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a drought emergency in 41 of the state’s 58 counties. Meanwhile, temperatures are surging as the region braces for what is expected to be another record-breaking fire season, and scientists are sounding the alarm about the state’s readiness.

Full Story

Hoover Dam, A Symbol of the Modern West, Faces An Epic Water Shortage

/in , , /by /USA Todayby Ian James

Hoover Dam towers more than 700 feet above Black Canyon on the Arizona-Nevada state line, holding back the waters of the Colorado River. On top of the dam, where visitors peer down the graceful white arc of its face, one of its art deco-style towers is adorned with a work of art that memorializes the purposes of the dam.

In five relief sculptures by Oskar Hansen, muscular men grip a boat’s wheel, harvest an armful of wheat, stand beside cascading water and lift a heavy weight overhead. Words encapsulate why the dam was built, as laid out in a 1928 law: FLOOD CONTROL, NAVIGATION, IRRIGATION, WATER STORAGE and POWER.

Full Story

Worsening Droughts Could Increase Arsenic Exposure for Some Americans

/in , , /by /Popular Scienceby Lauren Leffer

More than half of the continental US is currently experiencing some level of drought, and about a quarter is in severe drought or worse. In recent years, the western and southwestern US has been in a seemingly continual state of reduced rainfall and snowpack. Droughts have many well-known, potentially catastrophic consequences, from crop failures to water shortages to wildfires. Yet they can also have more direct human health impacts by not only affecting how much water there is, but also the quality of that water.

Full Story

74% of California and 52% of the Western U.S. Now in ‘Exceptional’ Drought

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Steve Rubenstein
Full Story

State Takes Action on Water Exports from the Delta

/in , , /by /The Press (Bay Delta)by Tony Kukulich

Construction of a temporary salinity barrier on the False River is underway after an emergency request by the Department of Water Resources was approved by the State Water Resources Control Board.

The barrier, necessitated by worsening drought conditions, is intended to help preserve water quality in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta by reducing saltwater intrusion. The declaration of a drought emergency made by Gov. Gavin Newsom on May 10 suspended the requirement that a project of this nature complete a California Environmental Quality Act assessment.

Full Story

IID Board Takes Action to Protect Water Rights and Address Coachella Valley Concerns

/in , , /by /The Desert Review (Imperial Valley)

The Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors adopted a resolution Tuesday, June 1, to better serve IID’s Coachella Valley energy customers and better protect Imperial Valley’s water rights, according to a press release.

Full Story

Don Galleano, Winery Owner and Western Municipal Water District Board Member, Dies

/in , , /by /The Press-Enterpriseby Beau Yarbrough

Longtime Western Municipal Water District board member Don Galleano has died. He was 69.

Galleano, who died Wednesday, June 2, had served on the Western Municipal Water District’s board of directors since 2004, representing Eastvale, Jurupa Valley and Norco.

“He was truly a water icon in California, treasured board member, and pillar of the community who was known for his historic relationships with the agricultural community and for being a big picture water thinker,” board President Brenda Dennstedt is quoted as saying in a water district news release. “His support will be missed tremendously, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Full Story

Latest Water War Over Kings River Involves Claim by Water District in Kern County

/in , , /by /Fox 26 Newsby Liz Gonzalez

A water war is under way in Sacramento right now that could have far-reaching impacts on families in the Central Valley. “We totally believe this is a water grab,” says Ryan Jacobsen, Board President for the Fresno Irrigation District.

Full Story