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Arizona Changes ‘Use It or Lose It’ Water Law

/in , , /by /AZPM News (Arizona Public Media)by Ariana Brocious

A change in Arizona water law will let farmers and ranchers conserve water without worrying about losing their rights to it in the future.

Like most western states, Arizona water rights are “use it or lose it,” meaning that if farmers or ranchers don’t use their full amount for a certain number of years they risk forfeiting their rights forever. Kim Mitchell, senior water policy advisor with Western Resource Advocates, said that disincentivizes conservation at a time when we increasingly need more of it.

“We’re on the heels of 20 years of drought and now we have these recent commitments to divert less water from the Colorado River. And annual flow in many of our water courses have been decreasing with climate change and the drought that continues to grip the region,” Mitchell said.

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One California Community Shows How to Take the Waste Out of Water

/in , /by /Phys.Orgby Bridget Gile

Caught between climate change and multi-year droughts, California communities are tapping groundwater and siphoning surface water at unsustainable rates. As this year’s below-average rainfall accentuates the problem, a public-private partnership in the Monterey/Salinas region has created a novel water recycling program that could serve as a model for parched communities

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How Does a State Use 40 Percent Less Water?

/in , , /by /The New Republicby Nick Martin

A recent study found that if the Colorado River drought continues, Arizona, California, and Nevada may have to cut their water usage by nearly half. Acceptance is the first step.

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$650 Million Santa Ana River Plan Adds Fish-Saving Methods to Water-Saving Projects

/in , , /by /The Sun (Central Valley)by Steve Scauzillo

The San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District has decided to join them, not fight them.

Stymied by environmental barriers and losses in court for 11 years, the large water wholesaler serving 700,000 residential and business customers from Fontana to Yucaipa is on the precipice of releasing an environmentally based plan that would nearly double its supply of water by diverting billions of gallons from the Upper Santa Ana River, while mitigating the effects on 20 indigenous fish and bird species.

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Valley Farmers Disappointed at Low Reservoir Water Allocation This Year

/in , , /by /ABC 30 (Fresno)by Dale Yurong

Valley farmers as well as communities that rely on surface water deliveries from reservoirs were disappointed to learn how low their allocations will be this year.

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Develop a Mulch Master Plan

/in , , /by /Water News Network

How much mulch does your landscaping plan need? To develop your mulch master plan and answer this question, you first need to understand the job it will perform in different areas of your watersmart landscaping plan.

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Hurtado Introduces Bill to Improve California’s Water Resilience

/in , /by /The Sentinelby Julissa Zavala

Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) has introduced the State Water Resiliency Act of 2021 – legislation that could provide up to $785 million to restore the capacity of California’s critical water delivery infrastructure and repair aging roads and bridges.

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Water Utility Hero of the Week, Phil Stevens, Padre Dam MWD

/in , , /by /Water News Network

The water industry is among the sectors that are classified as essential. Phil Stevens, Padre Dam Municipal Water District Senior Lab Analyst, is the Water Utility Hero of the Week.

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Red Alert Sounding on California Drought, as Valley Gets Grim News About Water Supply

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow

A government agency that controls much of California’s water supply released its initial allocation for 2021, and the numbers reinforced fears that the state is falling into another drought.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said Tuesday that most of the water agencies that rely on the Central Valley Project will get just 5% of their contract supply, a dismally low number. Although the figure could grow if California gets more rain and snow, the allocation comes amid fresh weather forecasts suggesting the dry winter is continuing.

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Will the Climate Crisis Tap Out the Colorado River?

/in , , /by /High Country Newsby Nick Bowlin

Southern California farmers spend their winters watching the snowpack in the Colorado Rockies, and what they see is the climate crisis hitting hard. When it melts, the snow that falls on these peaks will, eventually, make its way into the Colorado River, which connects the Southwest like a great tendon, tying the Continental Divide in Colorado to Southern California’s hayfields, where the Imperial Irrigation District is one of the country’s largest, and pouring from the faucets of urban users in Los Angeles and San Diego.

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