The Southern Nevada Water Authority plans to spend up to $7.5 million in Mexico over the next 10 years in exchange for more Colorado River water. Authority board members unanimously approved the payments Aug. 17 as they gave their blessing to a sweeping water-sharing agreement the U.S. and Mexico are expected to sign next month. […]
State dam operators have issued a new report that refutes troubling allegations raised by a catastrophic engineering expert who contends Oroville Dam may be dangerously leaking. On Wednesday, the Department of Water Resources reiterated what state dam managers have insisted for months: that the public is in no risk from the persistent green wet spots near […]
When Freddie Botur, 45, whose ranch spans 72,000 acres outside of Pinedale, Wyoming, first heard about a program that was paying ranchers to let water run down the river instead of irrigating with it, he was skeptical. But Nick Walrath, a project coordinator for Trout Unlimited, told him he’d receive about $200 for every acre-foot […]
A day before Hurricane Harvey inundated Houston, an obscure arm of the California Department of Water Resources delivered a report detailing the impact of the Central Valley deluge that surely will strike, and how best to prepare for it. We in this reclaimed city and in this re-engineered valley need to pay heed. Even in […]
Bryan Brock stared out at a rice field on Twitchell Island, nestled between the meandering river paths of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Brock, a senior engineer with California Department of Water Resources’ West Delta Program, rubbed his goatee and pointed at foot-tall emerald stalks. The plots were drenched in about 4in of water. Medium-grain rice was […]
When Freddie Botur, 45, whose ranch spans 72,000 acres outside of Pinedale, Wyoming, first heard about a program that was paying ranchers to let water run down the river instead of irrigating with it, he was skeptical. But Nick Walrath, a project coordinator for Trout Unlimited, told him he’d receive about $200 for every acre-foot of water […]
Pact To Boost Water Level In Lake Mead OK’d
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Boulder City Reviewby Henry BreanThe Southern Nevada Water Authority plans to spend up to $7.5 million in Mexico over the next 10 years in exchange for more Colorado River water. Authority board members unanimously approved the payments Aug. 17 as they gave their blessing to a sweeping water-sharing agreement the U.S. and Mexico are expected to sign next month. […]
Those Green, Wet Spots On Oroville Dam Aren’t Worrisome, State Insists
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Ryan SabalowState dam operators have issued a new report that refutes troubling allegations raised by a catastrophic engineering expert who contends Oroville Dam may be dangerously leaking. On Wednesday, the Department of Water Resources reiterated what state dam managers have insisted for months: that the public is in no risk from the persistent green wet spots near […]
Money For Water: A Pilot Project Wins Over Skeptical Farmers And Ranchers
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Aspen Journalism (Aspen, Colo.)by Sarah ToryWhen Freddie Botur, 45, whose ranch spans 72,000 acres outside of Pinedale, Wyoming, first heard about a program that was paying ranchers to let water run down the river instead of irrigating with it, he was skeptical. But Nick Walrath, a project coordinator for Trout Unlimited, told him he’d receive about $200 for every acre-foot […]
OPINION: As Hurricane Harvey Hits Gulf Coast, Central Valley Must Prepare for the Coming Storm
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento BeeA day before Hurricane Harvey inundated Houston, an obscure arm of the California Department of Water Resources delivered a report detailing the impact of the Central Valley deluge that surely will strike, and how best to prepare for it. We in this reclaimed city and in this re-engineered valley need to pay heed. Even in […]
OPINION: The Delta Is Sinking: Scientists Think Planting Rice Will Help
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York)by Meredith Rutland BauerBryan Brock stared out at a rice field on Twitchell Island, nestled between the meandering river paths of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Brock, a senior engineer with California Department of Water Resources’ West Delta Program, rubbed his goatee and pointed at foot-tall emerald stalks. The plots were drenched in about 4in of water. Medium-grain rice was […]
There’s Success In Money-For-Water Programs — But For How Long?
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /High Country News (Paonia, Colo.)by Sarah ToryWhen Freddie Botur, 45, whose ranch spans 72,000 acres outside of Pinedale, Wyoming, first heard about a program that was paying ranchers to let water run down the river instead of irrigating with it, he was skeptical. But Nick Walrath, a project coordinator for Trout Unlimited, told him he’d receive about $200 for every acre-foot of water […]