California’s groundwater is threatened – unsustainable use is causing impacts around the state. Pumping during the drought has been so rapid that changes in groundwater levels can be observed from space. In some areas, the land surface has collapsed almost two inches per month. Deep new wells take water from neighbors in a race to […]
Dams and reservoirs are an obsolete technology and the shouting for more dams can exacerbate hard water times. Bullet trains make sense; bullet dams do not. In the December issue of Science, researches expounded on the mishandling of numbers; the estimates of how much water evaporates from watersheds around the world missed their mark by […]
America’s substantial water challenges are not secret any longer. Cities poisoned by lead-contaminated drinking water and toxic algae, along with crippling droughts and dwindling groundwater reserves, make it increasingly clear that the nation’s water systems urgently require an overhaul. That was the consensus view of experts convened this week in New York City during H2O […]
The improved water outlook in Northern California has led to a recovery in rice planting. Farmers say that will help rural businesses such as rice mills and seed sellers that suffered during previous, drought-reduced crops. California rice farmers say the improved plantings should also help them regain markets from farmers in other states and nations. A […]
In a rumpled suit jacket and faded jeans, Giles Slade stands atop an earthen levee and looks out over a vast expanse of water. It’s mid-November, and the Fraser River runs gray and glasslike into the Salish Sea. Overhead, airplanes flash through low clouds, descending into Vancouver International Airport. To our backs is the city […]
So now we are deluged by calls to raise Shasta Dam and build the Sites Reservoir. A previous writer explains how we simply have to build higher dams and the Sites Reservoir. An editorial reluctantly falls in line with the raise-the-dam argument. Momentum seems to be building. This whole conversation boils down to climate deniers […]
OPINION: California Needs Strong, Fair and Effective Groundwater Agencies
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Fresno Bee by By Michael Kiparsky and Holly DoremusCalifornia’s groundwater is threatened – unsustainable use is causing impacts around the state. Pumping during the drought has been so rapid that changes in groundwater levels can be observed from space. In some areas, the land surface has collapsed almost two inches per month. Deep new wells take water from neighbors in a race to […]
Percolation, Not Dams and Roads, Can Protect Water Supply
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Calaveras Enterprise (San Andreas) by By Bud HoekstraDams and reservoirs are an obsolete technology and the shouting for more dams can exacerbate hard water times. Bullet trains make sense; bullet dams do not. In the December issue of Science, researches expounded on the mishandling of numbers; the estimates of how much water evaporates from watersheds around the world missed their mark by […]
BLOG: America’s Water Infrastructure Requires New Mindset
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Circle of Blue (Traverse City, Mich.)by By Codi KozacekAmerica’s substantial water challenges are not secret any longer. Cities poisoned by lead-contaminated drinking water and toxic algae, along with crippling droughts and dwindling groundwater reserves, make it increasingly clear that the nation’s water systems urgently require an overhaul. That was the consensus view of experts convened this week in New York City during H2O […]
California’s Rice Acreage Recovers
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Porterville ReporterThe improved water outlook in Northern California has led to a recovery in rice planting. Farmers say that will help rural businesses such as rice mills and seed sellers that suffered during previous, drought-reduced crops. California rice farmers say the improved plantings should also help them regain markets from farmers in other states and nations. A […]
BLOG: Droughtlandia
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Pacific Standard (Santa Barbara)by Jeremy MillerIn a rumpled suit jacket and faded jeans, Giles Slade stands atop an earthen levee and looks out over a vast expanse of water. It’s mid-November, and the Fraser River runs gray and glasslike into the Salish Sea. Overhead, airplanes flash through low clouds, descending into Vancouver International Airport. To our backs is the city […]
OPINION: Water Solutions Debate Continues as we Go Thirsty
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Redding Record Searchlightby By Greg BealeSo now we are deluged by calls to raise Shasta Dam and build the Sites Reservoir. A previous writer explains how we simply have to build higher dams and the Sites Reservoir. An editorial reluctantly falls in line with the raise-the-dam argument. Momentum seems to be building. This whole conversation boils down to climate deniers […]