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

Changes in Snowmelt Threaten Farmers in Western U.S.

/in , , /by /Colorado State Universityby Mary Guiden

For decades, scientists have thought that changes in snowmelt due to climate change could negatively impact agriculture. Now, a new study reveals the risks to agriculture around the world from changes in snowmelt, finding that farmers in parts of the western United States who rely on snowmelt to help irrigate crops will be among the hardest hit in the world by climate change.

In a study published April 20 in Nature Climate Change, an interdisciplinary team of researchers analyzed monthly irrigation water demand with snowmelt runoff across global basins from 1985 to 2015. The goal was to determine where irrigated agriculture has depended on snowmelt runoff in the past and how that might change with a warming climate.

Full Story

San Diego Regional Water Agencies Boost Efforts to Fight Hunger

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

An effort to bolster food bank supplies and fight hunger in San Diego County is getting a helping hand from the region’s public water agencies.

The San Diego County Water Authority and its member agencies are supporting a virtual food drive in partnership with the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank. The campaign allows donors to select and purchase items such as canned meats, vegetables, fruits, peanut butter and oatmeal for distribution to needy residents. To donate, go to www.bit.ly/SDWaterAgencyFoodDrive.

 

Full Story

Opinion: California’s Drought Without End

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Chronicle Editorial Board

Californians tend to regard our droughts in seasonal and annual terms: The winter storms fill reservoirs with rain and mountains with snow, or they don’t, or sometimes, like this year, they do so in the spring. But a new study proposes a broader perspective in which recent years’ shifts from dry to wet to weird are just minor variations within a longer and more extraordinary period of widespread parching.

Full Story

150 Ag and Water Groups Call for Water Relief

/in , , /by /AGNet Westby Brian German

A group of 150 agricultural and water organizations is calling on federal officials to provide water relief for the Western United States.  Two separate letters sent to President Donald Trump and members of Congress highlight the importance of providing support for enhancing water management, particularly in light of the tumultuous conditions created by COVID-19.

Full Story

Study: Snowpack Will Become a Less Reliable Predictor of Drought in Western U.S.

/in , , /by /Colorado Public Radioby Grace Hood

In the next 16-45 years, two-thirds of Western states may have to turn away from snowpack and find new tools to predict drought.

And by the late century, scientists estimate that area will grow to four-fifths of the western United States, according to a new paper in Nature Climate Change.

“When the temperature warms, the phase of the precipitation is likely to change from snow to rain. So less snowpack is something that’s pretty likely,” said lead author Ben Livneh, an assistant professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Full Story

Changes in Snowmelt Threaten Farmers in Western U.S.

/in , , /by /Science Dailyby Jeff Grabmeier

Farmers in parts of the western United States who rely on snowmelt to help irrigate their crops will be among the hardest hit in the world by climate change, a new study reveals.

Full Story

Santa Fe Irrigation District to Appoint New Director, Applications Due May 8

/in , , /by /Rancho Santa Fe Reviewby Karen Billing

The Santa Fe Irrigation District is seeking a new local representation after Division 1 Director Kenneth Dunford submitted his resignation. Dunford sent notice to the district and his fellow board members that he had made a commitment to move to Carlsbad; his last day of service was March 31.

The vacancy will be filled by the appointment process and the new board director will serve until the November 2020 election.

Full Story

Helix Water District Employees Fundraiser Not Just Food for Thought

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union Tribuneby Karen Pearlman

“Helix Helps,” the Helix Water District’s employee volunteer program, started a “virtual food drive” on Wednesday in partnership with the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, and had raised more than $1,860 Friday morning, with more expected.

Full Story

Shows That Teach Creates Free Online Educational Videos

/in , , /by /Water News Networkby Kristiene Gong Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority’s long-running and highly popular school assembly programs are suspended as students nationwide stay home due to the coronavirus pandemic. To help students, parents and teachers continue learning about water and science, the Water Authority is partnering with Shows That Teach, a Southern California company that specializes in school education programs, to produce a series of free online educational videos.

Full Story

Opinion: California Water War Re-ignited

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Dan Walters

The COVID-19 pandemic, we have been told, is transforming how we live, but one aspect of life in California appears immune to change: the state’s perennial war over water.

President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom may have set aside their incessant squabbling over most issues to cooperate on the pandemic, but they are poised for showdown over who controls the state’s vital water supply.

Full Story