California and the U.S.

The latest news and analysis covering water issues in Caliornia and the rest of the United States.

Can A Truce Hold Off Another Water Rebellion?

The last time water was this scarce in the Klamath Basin, a rugged agricultural area straddling the California-Oregon border, farmers clashed with U.S. marshals and opened locked canal gates with blowtorches so they could irrigate. Nearly 10,000 agriculture activists from around the U.S. later converged on the region to hold symbolic “bucket brigade” protests. Months […]

Shrinking Glaciers, Bigger Fires And Hotter Nights: How Climate Change Is Altering California

California may be a leader in the fight against climate change, but the state is increasingly hard hit by symptoms of the unrelenting rise of greenhouse gases, a new state assessment finds. As global warming accelerates, California is getting hotter and drier. Trees and animals are moving to higher ground. Air conditioning is an increasing […]

November Water Bond Promises $8.7 Billion Towards Securing California’s Future

California voters are being presented with two upcoming water bond propositions in the June and November elections. In June, Prop 68 will present voters with a $4 billion Parks and Water Bond, and in November the Water Supply and Water Quality bond will present voters with an $8.7 billion bond. Recently, TPR sat down with Jerry Meral, […]

What If People Were Paid To Use Less Water?

From Sao Paulo and Cape Town to Beijing and San Diego, water demand in cities around the world is outstripping supply. Urbanization, developing economies, and shifting precipitation patterns are some of the causes, all with the same result: diminishing water availability in cities all over the world. We need a global rethink, one that starts with […]

Gov. Jerry Brown Warns That Delta Tunnels Project Could Be Jeopardized If Momentum Is Not Maintained

Gov. Jerry Brown warned local water agency officials throughout California on Thursday that unless the delta tunnels project gets needed state and federal permits soon and continues advancing, the major infrastructure project may not happen in their lifetime. Brown issued the warning Thursday in a speech to more than 1,000 water experts and officials whom he […]

Gov. Brown Pitches Nearly $100 Million In Spending To Prevent Wildfires

Gov. Jerry Brown plans to add $96 million to next year’s spending plan to address threats of wildfires and climate change. Brown made the announcement in an executive order issued Thursday. Among other changes, the state will double the land currently managed for vegetation thinning, controlled burns and reforestation from 250,000 acres to 500,000 acres, boost education […]