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Facing Drought, Southern California Has More Water Than Ever

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Quintby Laura Bliss

The cracked and desiccated shoreline of Lake Mendocino made a telling backdrop for California Governor Gavin Newsom’s message at a news conference last week: Drought conditions are here, and climate change makes the situation graver.  But water supplies vary across regions, which is why the governor limited a drought emergency declaration to just two northern counties. In fact, highly urbanized Southern California has a record 3.2 million acre-feet of water in reserve, enough to quench the population’s needs this year and into the next.

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Fresno County Joins Coalition Seeking California Emergency Drought Declaration

/in , , /by /Roseville Today

Fresno County is once again in a water crisis. In late March, the California Department of Water Resources announced the 2021 State Water Project allocation to Fresno County farmers would be only 5% of requested water supplies, half of what DWR had announced would be available in December.

The reduction will have a serious impact on Fresno County farmers and agriculture throughout the Central Valley.

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Monterey Venture Moves a Step Closer to Increasing Area Water Supply

/in , , /by /Monterey Heraldby Dennis L. Taylor

Monterey One Water officials on Monday moved closer to its goal of providing additional water for the Monterey Peninsula when it unanimously approved a key environmental report for its expansion project. The 10 members of the board of Monterey One Water all voted to approve an environmental document called a supplemental environmental impact report, or SEIR, that advances closer to the expansion of its regional treatment plant. Monterey One is the sewer treatment provider in northern Monterey County that has invested in proven technology that can purify wastewater to the degree it becomes drinkable. It is then reintroduced into local groundwater.

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San Diego County’s Climate Future

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

Climate change and drought will impact San Diego County’s climate future, but regional water supply planning and adaptation measures will ensure a safe, reliable supply for the region.

Water supply strategy was one of the key points participants learned about during a Monday panel discussion, “San Diego County’s Climate Future,” hosted online by the San Diego County Water Authority, Citizens Water Academy, Leaders 20/20 and San Diego Green Drinks.

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Major Bay Area Water District on Brink of Declaring Stage 1 Drought

/in , /by /SF Gateby Amy Graff

After two exceptionally dry California winters, the East Bay Municipal Utility District is on the brink of declaring a stage 1 drought and asking customers to establish a district-wide voluntary water use reduction of 10 percent.

The utility district’s board of directors is meeting Tuesday night and district staff members will present the 2021 Water Supply Availability and Deficiency Report and make the recommendation.

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Cutbacks in Water for Central AZ Farmers Expected

/in , , /by /Arizona Capitol Timesby Greta Forslund

Arizona may be facing its first official declaration of water shortage next year, a move that would trigger water cutbacks of 512,000 acre-feet — almost 20% of Arizona’s Colorado River entitlement — affecting mainly agricultural users. 

The 24-Month Study on the Colorado River system, released this month by the Bureau of Reclamation, projects that in June water levels in Lake Mead will fall below 1,075 feet for the first time, which would put the state in a Tier 1 shortage.

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Opinion: Pumping Up Fear Along the Colorado River

/in , , /by /The Salt Lake Tribuneby George Sibley

Some Colorado River tribulations today remind me of a folk story: A young man went to visit his fiancé and found the family trembling and weeping. They pointed to the ceiling, where an axe was embedded in a rafter.

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Arizona’s Water Supply Could be Impacted by Continued Drought Conditions

/in , , /by /ABC 15by Jorge Torres

The long-term drought and effects of climate change means more trouble for the millions of people that depend on the Colorado River.

In a statement released in early April, the Arizona Department of Water Resources, and the Central Arizona Project state that they expect the first-ever shortage declaration for the river in 2022, meaning substantial cuts to Arizona’s share of the water supply.

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A Better Way to Understand Drought

/in , , /by /EOSby Elizabeth Thompson

Scientists have few categories at their disposal to describe droughts, which are more complex than mere shortages of precipitation or surface water. For example, some local shortages can be invisible, as when water is transferred into a dry area from a distant source. Other shortages are chronic, with communities continuously requiring more water than is available, even in wet years. Some water shortages occur when water quality becomes so degraded that even though there may be plenty of water available, little of it is usable. With such variation in conditions, scientists need better language to conceptualize droughts.

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Toxic Algae Outbreak Prompts Advisory at Salton Sea

/in , /by /NBC Palm Springs

The California State Water Resources Control Board Friday urged people and their pets to avoid the water in the Salton Sea due to a toxic algae outbreak.

Officials said that patches of toxic cyanobacteria have been discovered at numerous sites in the sea, and a dog recently died after swimming in the water.

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