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Study Reveals Effects of Extreme Heat on Tens of Millions of Americans

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The summer of 2020 brought fear of Covid-19, social distancing – and heat-related health problems that affects tens of millions of Americans.

During those months, more than a quarter of the US population suffered from the effects of extreme heat, according to a study released this week. People reported health symptoms like nausea and cramps, as well as a decreased ability to focus, and the effects hit low-income households the hardest.

The study focuses on last summer but given the brutal heatwaves that have hit the US in 2021, especially in western states, it raises the prospect that the impact of extreme heat is highly likely to be worse this year.

Big Battle Looms Over California Water Rights

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Dan Walters

California doesn’t have enough water to meet all demands even in wet years, and when drought strikes the competition becomes, to put it mildly, intense.

State and federal officials who must ration the restricted supply are beset with pleas from farmers, municipal water systems and advocates for the environment.

However, water managers must also contend with a bewildering array of water rights, some of which date to the 19th century, as well as long-standing contractual obligations and laws, both statutes and judicial decrees, on maintaining flows for spawning salmon and other wildlife.

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Drought Hits South American River, Threatening Vast Ecosystem

/in , /by /AP Newsby Victor Caivano and Almudena Calatrava

The Paraná River, one of the main commercial waterways in South America, has reached its lowest level in nearly 80 years due to a prolonged drought in Brazil that scientists attribute to climate change.

At peril is a vast ecosystem that includes potable water for 40 million people, the livelihood of fishing communities and farmers, and the navigability of a major grain export hub.

The National Water Institute of Argentina has defined the low water level of the Paraná River, which goes through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, as “the worst since 1944.”

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California Hydroelectric Plant Shut as Water Level Drops

/in , , /by /AP News

Drought-stricken California on Thursday shut down one of its largest hydroelectric plants because there’s not enough water to power it.

The six-turbine Edward Hyatt Power Plant was taken off-line after the water level in the Oroville Dam reservoir that feeds it sank to an historic low of less than 642 feet (195.7 meters) above mean sea level.

The reservoir in the Sierra Nevada foothills north of Sacramento was less than a quarter full.

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Drought Will Force Western U.S. to Rethink Water Use, Experts Say

/in , /by /Newsweekby Troy Albert Schulz, Zenger News

A record hot summer has laid bare a stark new reality for many states on America’s West Coast: Amid rising temperatures and worsening droughts, many will need to systematically rethink the way they manage limited water supplies.

“One of the problems with rising temperatures is how it’s going to affect water management,” said Washington state’s official climatologist, Nicholas Bond. “Simply from an agricultural point of view, generally when it is warmer, the demands of crops for water goes up. At higher temperatures, crops need more to be able to thrive.”

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Lake Mendocino Reaches Second-Lowest Level in History

/in , , /by /The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa)by Mary Callahan

Historic drought has reduced Lake Mendocino to its second-lowest level since it was built, leaving reservoir storage in startling condition with months of likely warm, dry weather still ahead.

The lake on Thursday held just more than 24,000 acre feet of water — a result of critically low rainfall totals that, combined, make 2019-21 the driest two years on record, the National Weather Service said.

Storage in the reservoir, completed in 1958 with a flood storage capacity of 122,400 acre feet, has dipped below 25,000 acre feet only three times before and below 24,000 acre feet only once — by half, according to Sonoma Water.

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Opinion: California Could Have Water to Avoid Droughts, But Lacks the Political Will

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Marie Waldron

Droughts are a fact of life in California and shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Yet somehow we don’t seem capable of preparing for them.

We are now in the second year of severe drought, and much of California’s agriculture, especially in the Central Valley, is facing devastation.

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‘Running out of Options’: California Resorts to Water Cutoffs as Drought Worsens

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Julia Wick

California water regulators took unprecedented action this week, passing an emergency regulation that will bar thousands of Californians from diverting stream and river water as the drought worsens.

The State Water Resources Control Board voted unanimously Tuesday to pass the “emergency curtailment” order for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed. The watershed encompasses a wide swath of the state, from the Oregon border in northeastern California down into the Central Valley.

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Rare California Water Restrictions Hit Farmers Amid Dire Shortages

/in , , /by /The Guardianby Dani Anguiano

Faced with dire water shortages and a severe drought, California has moved to enact emergency restrictions that will prevent thousands of farmers and landowners from using water drawn from an enormous system of streams and rivers that services nearly two-thirds of the state.

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‘We are Very Fortunate With Our Water Supply’: Ruth Reservoir at 87% Capacity

/in , , /by /Times Standardby Isabella Vanderheiden

As wells and reservoirs dry up across California amid worsening drought conditions, Ruth Reservoir, which provides water for most of Humboldt County’s population centers, is at 87% capacity — exactly where it should be.

John Friedenbach, general manager of the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District, said Ruth Reservoir has remained resilient through the drought.

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