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With California Expected to Lose 10% of Its Water Within 20 Years, Newsom Calls for Urgent Action

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

With California enduring a historic drought amplified by global warming, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday released a new plan to adapt to the state’s hotter, drier future by capturing and storing more water, recycling more wastewater and desalinating seawater and salty groundwater.

The governor’s new water-supply strategy, detailed in a 16-page document, lays out a series of actions aimed at preparing the state for an estimated 10% decrease in California’s water supply by 2040 due to higher temperatures and decreased runoff.

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Newsom Calls for Boosting Water Supply Projects to Curb California Drought, Climate Change

/in , , /by /The Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday said California must do more to expand its water supplies by building new reservoirs, desalination plants and recycled water facilities to address worsening droughts and water shortages from climate change.

Newsom released a 19-page plan that directs state agencies to accelerate permitting and offer increased financial assistance to local water projects as the state struggles with its eighth year of drought in the past 11 years.

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Home Grown: Imperial Valley and Yuma Farmers Draft Plan for Water Cuts

/in , , /by /KYMAby Samantha Byrd

A plan is circulating among irrigation districts in Imperial Valley and Yuma to reduce Colorado River use by as much as 925,000 acre-feet.

This after federal officials demanded historic cuts in water use next year, on the order of 2 million to 4 million acre-feet.

One imperial valley grower says the Imperial Irrigation District holds more rights to Colorado River water than any other user in the basin.

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More Evidence That California Weather is Trending Toward Extremes

/in , , /by /UC San Diegoby Robert Monroe

A team led by Kristen Guirguis, a climate researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, found evidence that the risk of hazardous weather is increasing in the Southwest.

The researchers investigated the daily relationships among four major modes of weather affecting California. How they interact governs the formation of weather events such as atmospheric rivers capable of bringing torrential rains and Santa Ana winds that can spread devastating wildfires.

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Rattlesnake Tank Gets Class of 2023 Makeover

/in , , /by /Water News Network

The Fallbrook Public Utility District’s water storage tank uphill from South Mission Road has received a fresh set of painted numbers the past 40 years, but not everyone knows the story behind the annual makeover.

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Seven Stats That Explain the West’s Epic Drought

/in , , /by /The Hillby Zack Budryk

It’s difficult to capture the scale of the drought facing the western U.S., the worst the region has seen in 1,200 years.

The dry period began around 2000 and shows no signs of slowing down, with tens of millions Americans facing shrinking reservoirs and potential power outages amid extreme heat. The most-affected area stretches from Texas to Oregon.

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Urban Water Suppliers Report Water Savings Progress Statewide

/in , , /by /Water News Network Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Following Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent executive order and a State Water Board emergency regulation, members of the California Urban Water Agencies, or CUWA, including the San Diego County Water Authority continue to advance water-saving efforts, yielding measurable results. These efforts come on the back of the driest first quarter in California’s history, which prompted the Governor to call for local water conservation steps rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

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Californians See Drought as Top Priority, Demand More Action: Survey

/in , , /by /The Hillby Sharon Udasin

Californians in a new statewide survey cite drought and water supply issues as their chief environmental concern for the third year in a row.

Thirty percent of respondents ranked water as the most pressing issue — topping wildfires and climate change, which garnered 13 percent and 11 percent, respectively, in the poll, released by the Public Policy Institute of California.

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Ensenada, Last in Line for Colorado River Water, is Facing the Worst of the West’s Drought

/in , , /by /Voice of San Diegoby MacKenzie Elmer and Vicente Calderón

Drought ravaging the western United States is falling even harder on Mexico, especially in places like Ensenada, which is dead last in line for water from the Colorado River that keeps much of the North American west alive.

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L.A. Residents Saving More Water but Face Bigger Test as Heat Intensifies

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

In another promising sign that residents are taking calls for conservation to heart, Angelenos in July achieved an 11% reduction in water use — more than any other July on record, officials announced this week.

The report from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power comes as drought continues to sap supplies across the region. But while July’s conservation surpassed the record 9% reduction achieved in L.A. in June, officials urged residents to keep going.

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