Wedged between Arizona and Utah, less than 20 miles up river from the Grand Canyon, a soaring concrete wall nearly the height of two football fields blocks the flow of the Colorado River. There, at Glen Canyon Dam, the river is turned back on itself, drowning more than 200 miles of plasma-red gorges and replacing […]
Water rates for some 200,000 Central Contra Costa residents will drop in early June after the Contra Costa Water District board agreed Wednesday to end a temporary drought surcharge. With plenty of water this year, the water board decided there is no need to continue collecting the higher drought rate that was passed last summer to […]
On Wednesday, California said goodbye to its mandatory statewide water restrictions for urban use, a tip of the umbrella to the relatively wet winter northern parts of the state had, which helped fill reservoirs and brought a relatively normal snowpack to the Sierras. That decision was probably premature. For Southern California especially, the drought is […]
A plan that was supposed to serve as a comprehensive roadmap for the Delta through the year 2100 now must be partially rewritten, after a judge this week ruled on complaints stemming from no fewer than seven lawsuits.The “Delta Plan,” as the document is known, had been challenged by players on multiple sides of California’s […]
The lake is drying up, uncounted dead fish line the shore, and the desert town is losing people. It could be the plot of a post-apocalyptic movie set in the future, but this is actually happening here and it has been going on for years. It wasn’t always like this, of course. There was a […]
California today moved a big step closer to implementation of an historic law to protect groundwater basins from overdraft, as the California Water Commission approved regulations that will guide creation of sustainability plans by local groundwater agencies. Approval of the regulations advances the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), enacted by Governor Edmund […]
Drought Be Dammed
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /ProPublica (New York)by By Abrahm LustgartenWedged between Arizona and Utah, less than 20 miles up river from the Grand Canyon, a soaring concrete wall nearly the height of two football fields blocks the flow of the Colorado River. There, at Glen Canyon Dam, the river is turned back on itself, drowning more than 200 miles of plasma-red gorges and replacing […]
Drought Water Rates End at Contra Costa Water District
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /East Bay Times (Walnut Creek)by By Denis CuffWater rates for some 200,000 Central Contra Costa residents will drop in early June after the Contra Costa Water District board agreed Wednesday to end a temporary drought surcharge. With plenty of water this year, the water board decided there is no need to continue collecting the higher drought rate that was passed last summer to […]
We’re in Year Five of California’s Drought
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Slate Magazine (New York)by By Eric HolthausOn Wednesday, California said goodbye to its mandatory statewide water restrictions for urban use, a tip of the umbrella to the relatively wet winter northern parts of the state had, which helped fill reservoirs and brought a relatively normal snowpack to the Sierras. That decision was probably premature. For Southern California especially, the drought is […]
Judge Finds Fault With “Delta Plan”
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Stockton Recordby By Alex BreitlerA plan that was supposed to serve as a comprehensive roadmap for the Delta through the year 2100 now must be partially rewritten, after a judge this week ruled on complaints stemming from no fewer than seven lawsuits.The “Delta Plan,” as the document is known, had been challenged by players on multiple sides of California’s […]
Inside The Looming Disaster of the Salton Sea
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /ThinkProgressby by Alejandro Davila FragosoThe lake is drying up, uncounted dead fish line the shore, and the desert town is losing people. It could be the plot of a post-apocalyptic movie set in the future, but this is actually happening here and it has been going on for years. It wasn’t always like this, of course. There was a […]
California Water Commission Approves Regulations to Guide the Sustainable Groundwater Management Plans of California Communities
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /YubaNet (Nevada City)California today moved a big step closer to implementation of an historic law to protect groundwater basins from overdraft, as the California Water Commission approved regulations that will guide creation of sustainability plans by local groundwater agencies. Approval of the regulations advances the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), enacted by Governor Edmund […]