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‘It Is What It Is’: Sacramento Residents Step Up Water Conservation Efforts as State Mulls Drought Measures

/in , , /by /CBS Sacramentoby Andrew Haubner

Water conservation numbers are strong in the capital region, but is it enough to satisfy statewide water restrictions?

We’re getting answers on how local counties are making conservation worth it for the people who live there.

As California’s drought worsens, local water agencies have been given level two regulations with the intention of cutting water usage by twenty percent. Residents are answering the call but it still may not be enough as Gov. Gavin Newsom mulls the idea of a statewide mandate.

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How Much Can At-Home Conservation Impact Arizona’s Water Shortage?

/in , , /by /KJZZby Robert Dungan

The Southwest’s ongoing drought has put the spotlight on water conservation. Experts agree it’s an important part of the solution. But what does conservation mean to the average Arizonan? Shorter showers? No more grass lawns?

What really matters might surprise you.

Let’s say you’re standing at the kitchen sink with an empty peanut butter jar. You want to put it in the recycling bin, but you’re going to rinse it out first. Is it worth the water?

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Tearing Out Her Lawn Was Like Therapy After a Year of Illness and Grief

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Lisa Boone

Even here, in the scorching summer heat of Altadena, Seriina Covarrubias’ front yard feels cool and inviting under the dappled shade of a magnificent elm tree.

“I thought it was going to take longer for a natural habitat to materialize,” Covarrubias says of her two-year-old garden, which is filled with fragrant coastal scrub.

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Calexico Celebrates $28M in New River Funding

/in , , /by /The Desert Reviewby Kassandra Mendoza

After a decade of immense effort, the New River Project received $28 million in funding to begin the first phase of restoration said to bring public health safety and environmental justice to Calexico, Mexicali, and Baja California, at a press conference at the Women’s Improvement Club in Calexico July 7.

Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia and Senator Ben Hueso, along with California Secretary for Environmental Protection Jared Blumenfeld and his team, were welcomed to The City of Calexico by the Mayor of Calexico, Javier Moreno.

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California’s Department of Water Resources Plans for Future Drought With Salinity Barrier Study

/in , , /by /KCRAby Heather Waldman

On Monday, California’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) released a draft Environmental Impacts Report, which looked into the benefits and potential negative impacts of repeated use of a temporary drought salinity barrier in the delta.

This drought barrierCalifornia’s Department of Water Resources is in the West False River. It is a wall of earth that helps to keep salt water from the Bay Area from infiltrating into the freshwater delta system during times of severe drought.

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Arizona to Spend $1.2 Billion on Water Security

/in , , /by /Western Farm Pressby Robert Medler

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed B1740 yesterday, investing $1.2 billion over three years to fund projects that will bring additional water to the state to secure Arizona’s water future, improve existing water infrastructure and implement effective conservation tools.

The projects will help ensure that Arizona families, businesses and agriculture continue to have adequate long-term water supplies.

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Oregon State, Yurok Tribe Partner to Study Klamath River After Dam Removal

/in , /by /Herald and Newsby George Plaven

On the precipice of the largest dam removal project in U.S. history, researchers at Oregon State University are partnering with a northern California tribe to envision what lies ahead for the Klamath River.

Demolition of the J.C. Boyle, Copco 1, Copco 2 and Iron Gate dams could begin as early as next year, though federal energy regulators are still reviewing plans submitted by the Klamath River Renewal Corp. to decommission and raze the structures.

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Find New Ways to Be WaterSmart | Small Decisions Make a Big Impact in Conserving Water

/in , , /by /CBS 8 Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

California has experienced some of the driest months in our state’s history. Currently scientists say that we’re experiencing the worst megadrought in the last 1200 years.  That prompted Governor Newsom to order new emergency water rules and cutbacks. But San Diego has been leaning into conservation for some time and we are uniquely positioned to weather these water supply-related woes. San Diegans know how to conserve water, but there is always more we can do.

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Californians Are Using Less Water. But Drought Conservation Still Misses Newsom’s Target

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

Californians are starting to save water, but not enough to meet Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call for conservation in the face of one of the worst droughts in recorded history.

Urban water use fell 3.1% in May compared to the 2020 baseline set by the governor, according to figures released Friday by the State Water Resources Control Board.

While that’s well short of the 15% call issued by Newsom last July, it does show that Californians are beginning to heed the governor’s call for reduced consumption. Water use actually rose in March and April, according to water board data.

 

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Property Owners and Officials Find Ways Around Century-Old Laws as the West Runs Out of Water

/in , , /by /CNNby Stephanie Elam

With a megadrought draining water reserves in the West, states are looking for alternatives to handle water rights, many of which were set more than 100 years ago when water supplies were far more abundant.

Back then, just posting a sign next to a water diversion was enough to be considered a right, one which could still be honored now. But the climate crisis is now straining those rights. There just isn’t enough water in California to satisfy what’s been allotted on paper.

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