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SoCal’s Lush Golf Courses Face New Water Restrictions. How Brown Will the Grass Go?

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith and Ian James

To some residents of Southern California, the golf course is a detested symbol of social privilege and water profligacy — a lush playground for the wealthy that can drink more than 100 million gallons a year, even as neighboring lawns shrivel and brown.

“Why are golf courses still a thing?” East Hollywood resident Spence Nicholson said recently. The 38-year-old called them little more than a “massive waste” of resources.

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State Curtails River Diversions Again. What That Means to Modesto-area Water Users

/in , , /by /The Modesto Beeby John Holland and Dale Kasler

The state has again stopped river diversions in much of Stanislaus and nearby counties, but the effect on farms and cities is minimal for the moment.

The orders allow water agencies to continue delivering supplies already in reservoirs. They include the Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts and San Francisco on the Tuolumne River, and the Oakdale and South San Joaquin districts on the Stanislaus River.

These agencies have enough stored water for this year, but they still challenge the state’s authority over their long-held river rights.

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This SoCal Business Developed a System to Reuse Water as a Way to Fight the Drought

/in , , /by /ABC 7by Rob McMillan

Recycling has become a big part of saving water amid California’s historic drought, and businesses across the state are implementing it in interesting ways.

Wasting water is something that has bothered Buzz Boettcher for years.

“I’ve done a lot of offshore sailing and racing over the years, and it didn’t make sense that ten people could live on a boat for 15 days out in the ocean and survive on 200 gallons of water, and you come ashore, and you use 20,000 gallons a month,” he said.

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How CA’s Ancient Hidden Waterways Could Be Key to Recharging State’s Depleted Groundwater

/in , /by /ABC 7by Spencer Christian and Tim Didion

For California’s water experts, months in the air could soon reveal secrets under the ground, including the remnants of ancient waterways hidden for thousands of years. It’s a discovery that could be key to recharging the state’s depleted groundwater.

Katherine Dlubac, Ph.D., is overseeing the high-tech survey for the California Department of Water Resources.

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Scientists Find the Colorado River Was Blighted by a Worse Drought in the 2nd Century

/in , , /by /Courthouse News Serviceby Matthew Renda

While the current drought afflicting the Colorado River Basin is the worst since federal scientists began keeping records, a new study using paleoclimatic data discovers it is not the worst drought in the region’s recent geological history.

Researchers at the Bureau of Reclamation published the study Thursday in Geophysical Research Letters, a peer-reviewed geoscience journal.

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Poway Heads Into Level 2 Drought Restrictions

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Angela Brandt Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The Poway City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to move to Level 2 drought restrictions.

The decision follows an executive order in March by Gov. Gavin Newsom calling for increased water conservation after the driest first quarter in California’s history. The state is in the third year of significant drought.

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California Farms and Bay Area Cities Ordered to Stop Diverting Water From Rivers

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James and Sean Greene

Responding to California’s extreme drought, state water regulators have ordered many farmers, agricultural water districts and cities to stop diverting water from rivers and streams along the San Joaquin River.

Starting Wednesday, the State Water Resources Control Board is making “significant, very deep cuts” for water users, primarily in the San Joaquin River watershed, said Erik Ekdahl, deputy director of the state water board’s water rights division.

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Opinion: Why Is Almost No One Planning for a Future Without the Colorado River?

/in , /by /AZ Centralby Joanna Allhands

You’d think that, given how dangerously low Lake Mead is getting, we’d have a good idea of what life might look like without that water.

Yet few major players are modeling for a future without Colorado River water – or even a future in which we are asked to live on markedly less of it.

Ironically, the deeper the lake plunges, the more reluctant water managers seem to be about fleshing out the worst-case scenario.

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A ‘Dangerous and Deadly Heat Wave’ Is on the Way, the Weather Service Warns

/in , /by /CNNby Judson Jones

A “dangerous and deadly heat wave” is on the way for the Southwest through the weekend, the Phoenix National Weather Service warns.

More than 30 million people are under heat alerts, and more than 50 daily high-temperature records could be broken through the weekend – including in Death Valley, California, one of the hottest places on earth.

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How One Renter Swapped His Lawn for a Drought-Tolerant Family Retreat

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Lisa Boone

Landscape designer Paul Robbins had more than water conservation in mind when he removed the muddy turf and bamboo behind his Pasadena rental and created a welcoming, low-water landscape.

“Our garden is very family-friendly,” says Robbins, gesturing toward the Victorian box tree where his 5-year-old daughter Zara likes to swing.

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