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The Ongoing Collapse of the World’s Aquifers

/in , , /by /Wiredby Matt Simon

As California’s economy skyrocketed during the 20th century, its land headed in the opposite direction. A booming agricultural industry in the state’s San Joaquin Valley, combined with punishing droughts, led to the over-extraction of water from aquifers. Like huge, empty water bottles, the aquifers crumpled, a phenomenon geologists call subsidence. By 1970, the land had sunk as much as 28 feet in the valley, with less-than-ideal consequences for the humans and infrastructure above the aquifers.

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How Low Will They Go? Local Lakes Shrinking

/in , , /by /Mountain Democrat (Placerville, Calif.)

Water supplies in El Dorado County lakes are dropping. In a report to the El Dorado Irrigation District Board of Directors Monday Operations Director Dan Corcoran said the water agency expects to have adequate water supplies for 2021 but continues to be diligent regarding signs of a possible multiyear rainfall shortage.

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Hot Again: 2020 Sets Yet Another Global Temperature Record

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Seth Borenstein

Earth’s rising fever hit or neared record hot temperature levels in 2020, global weather groups reported Thursday.

While NASA and a couple of other measurement groups said 2020 passed or essentially tied 2016 as the hottest year on record, more agencies, including the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, said last year came in a close second or third. The differences in rankings mostly turned on how scientists accounted for data gaps in the Arctic, which is warming faster than the rest of the globe.

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Satellite Data, Teamwork Help Chart Future of Colorado River Basin

/in , , /by /Public News Service

The Colorado River is the lifeblood of the American West, but the viability of the massive river basin is being threatened by climate change. To plan future water use in the region — which includes Arizona — the Central Arizona Project is teaming up with NASA and Arizona State University, to evaluate how climate and land-use changes will affect patterns of hydrology.

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Water Bill Debt Soars During Pandemic, Prompting Fears of Future Shutoffs

/in , , /by /NBC Bay Areaby Stephen Stock

Tens of thousands of Bay Area residents financially impacted during the COVID-19 crisis now face tens of millions of dollars in unpaid water bills, prompting both long-term financial and public health concerns.

That’s the conclusion of a new a report released Thursday by the non-profit public policy organization SPUR, and that looming potential crisis has experts concerned about vulnerable customers.

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Here’s How Much Snow is Typical During the Second Half of Winter

/in , , /by /The Weather Channel

The halfway point of meteorological winter is Friday, Jan. 15, and while that might seem like the light at the end of the tunnel for those tired of snow and cold, many cities still average more than half their season’s snowfall after this date.

Winter in meteorological record-keeping is from Dec. 1 to Feb. 28. But for some parts of the nation, snowy conditions are still possible deep into March and even April.

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Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, AES Pursue Nation’s First Solar-Powered Pumped Hydro Project

/in , , /by /Utility Diveby Robert Walton

Kauai Island Utility Cooperative and AES Corp. have executed and filed a power purchase agreement with Hawaii regulators to develop a solar-powered pumped hydro storage project the utility says will bring its total resource mix above 80% renewables. The West Kauai Energy Project could come online in 2024.

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A “Forever” Drought Takes Shape in the West

/in , , /by /Axiosby Jennifer A. Kingson

The Southwest U.S. is mired in an ever-worsening drought, one that has left deer starving in Hawaii, turned parts of the Rio Grande into a wading pool, and set a record in Colorado for the most days of “exceptional drought.”

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Industry Groups Urge New Administration to Address Water Infrastructure

/in , /by /AgNet Westby Brian German

A large group of agricultural organizations and water districts are calling for more federal support to address water infrastructure. More than 200 organizations sent letters to President-elect Joe Biden and congressional leadership, highlighting water issues in the West. The coalition points out the significant need for federal support in any future infrastructure or economic recovery package. Much of the Western water infrastructure is more than 50 years old and is in dire need of upgrades.

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Opinion: To Protect the Colorado River from Drought and Speculation, We Need to Collaborate

/in , , /by /The Denver Postby Rebecca Mitchell

Colorado is headwaters to a hardworking river that provides for 40 million people. The importance of the Colorado River to the state and the nation cannot be overstated, and its recent hydrology serves as a reminder that we must continue to find workable solutions that will sustain the river. History shows that we are up to the challenge.

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