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Invest In Water Conservation During Fix a Leak Week 2022

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

Fix a Leak Week is a time to check indoor and outdoor plumbing systems for leaks. This year’s reminder about water conservation comes as California and much of the U.S. Southwest are in the third consecutive year of drought.

Minor water leaks account for more than one-trillion gallons of water wasted each year in homes across the United States. One-trillion gallons equals 3.068 million acre-feet, nearly enough water to meet the needs of San Diego County for seven years.

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Governor Increases Funding for Drought Emergency

/in , , /by /Paso Robles Daily News

After California recorded its driest January and February in more than 100 years of records in the Sierra Nevada, Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration announced this week that it is spending an additional $22.5 million to respond to the immediate drought emergency.

The additional $22.5 million allocation includes more funding for the Department of Water Resources, State Water Resources Control Board, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

More than a third of the money – $8.25 million – will be used to increase outreach efforts to educate Californians on water conservation measures and practices.

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Opinion: For California, Drought is the New Normal

/in , , , /by /The Press Democrat

Rain came early last fall, but whatever hope blossomed for a better than normal — or even average — year is gone. There is no March miracle in the forecast, and summers are dry in California, so mandatory water conservation isn’t going away any time soon.

“We had a great start to the beginning of the wet season … and we have basically flatlined since then,” Jeanine Jones of the California Department of Water Resources said during a virtual town hall meeting on Thursday that Sonoma Water billed as “a huge reality check.”

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Cash for Grass: Colorado Bill Would Pay to Abandon Lawns

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Conrad Swanson

Facing a historic megadrought all across the American West with no end in sight, Colorado lawmakers, looking for easy and effective ways to conserve water, set their sights on Kentucky Blue Grass.

Not just Kentucky Blue Grass but all kinds of non-native grasses planted in front lawns, back lawns, green strips fronting businesses and apartment complexes. Those lawns take up about half the water used in Colorado’s cities.

“There’s not any more water out there and what water is out there is becoming really expensive,” John Berggren, a water policy analyst with Western Resource Advocates, said. “So let’s look at how we’re using it now.”

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Opinion: Farms, Fish and the Future: State Water Board Must Balance the Needs of All Californians

/in , , /by /The Fresno Beeby Mike Wade

On Wednesday, March 16 the State Water Resources Control Board will meet to discuss Sacramento River temperature management and its impact on salmon for 2022 and beyond.

Salmon, salmon fishermen, and all Californians, are struggling with drought impacts. And as we work toward long-term solutions, that doesn’t make this year easier for anyone.

However, it is important to maintain balance between all water users and observe the California Water Code, which requires “reasonable” decisions among competing water uses. And while some may want to define “reasonable” solely on the basis of an amount of water allocated to each user, it’s clearly not that simple.

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Between a Rock and a Dry Place: Effects of Drought on Stream Drying Patterns in California’s Intermittent Streams

/in , , /by /California WaterBlogby Hana Moidu, Mariska Obedzinski, Stephanie Carlson, and Ted Grantham

You may have heard the saying from the Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus, “No man steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man.” If you walk along a coastal stream in California at the end of the summer, you will understand the dynamic nature of these systems. In a wet year, such as 2017, you might find a stream that is fully connected with flowing water. But in a dry year, like 2021, you might walk miles of dry stream channel before discovering an isolated pool. Many of California’s streams naturally become intermittent at some point in the dry season. However, when and where stream channels go dry is highly variable year-to-year and difficult to predict (van Meerveld et al., 2020).

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Opinion: With Another Drought, Water Conservation and Reclamation Projects Are Vital

/in , , /by /Santa Cruz Sentinel

On the day we spring forward, actual springtime is only a week or so off. And with it, the chances of winter-like storms drift away like spring blossoms on flowering trees.

Except we haven’t had any winter storms since December, thereby missing out on any appreciable rainfall for more almost three months, which historically are three of the four wettest months.

And that’s a problem for Santa Cruz County and for California.

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Why It’s Been So Warm and Windy in Southern California This Winter

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Paul Duginski

The official stats are in: January and February were the driest first two months of the year on record across much of California. Those months should normally be the wettest period of the year.

February was also unusually warm. In Southern California, the warm readings were repeatedly accompanied by Santa Ana winds. These conditions dried out vegetation after an uncommonly wet December in the state and spurred winter wildfires such as the Emerald fire in Laguna Beach.

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Opinion: Amid growing water shortages, Colorado’s agricultural scene must change

/in , /by /The Colorado Sunby Trish Zornio

Two weeks ago, experts predicted that Lake Powell — the second-largest man-made reservoir in the nation — will soon drop below critical water levels. With over three million people in danger of losing hydropower, it’s yet another bleak reminder that the Colorado River is drying up.

The Colorado River, which flows into Lake Powell on the Arizona and Utah border, originates at 10,184 feet above sea level on La Poudre Pass in the southern Rocky Mountains. In total, 40 million people gain water access from the river, and countless farms are irrigated along the way.

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With No Respite From Drought, Officials Call Upon Californians to Conserve Water

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

The start of this year has been the driest in California’s history. With the severe drought now in a third year, the state faces depleted reservoirs, a meager snowpack in the Sierra Nevada and a worsening water shortage on the Colorado River.

Under sunny blue skies in Sacramento, where it hasn’t rained in two months, officials stood Thursday in front of a mulch-covered garden and appealed for Californians to save water.

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