The winter of 2015 capped four years of drought that resulted in an unprecedented water deficit in Sierra Nevada snowpack. Much of California’s water comes from snowmelt. Researchers at UCLA say in a new study, that this winter’s strong El Niño didn’t make up for that deficit. They found that even if the state gets […]
When forecasters last year warned of a massive El Niño, some Californians held out hope that a single extremely wet year could bust the state’s severe drought. But a study published Tuesday in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, offered support for the argument that state hydrologists have been making for months: It […]
Every spring, snow begins to melt throughout the Rocky Mountains, flowing down from high peaks and into the streams and rivers that form the mighty Colorado River Basin, sustaining entire cities and ecosystems from Wyoming to Arizona. But as spring becomes summer, the melting snow slows to a trickle and, as summer turns to fall, […]
California’s drought has revealed that when it comes to water, not every community is equal. Large urban areas, from the Bay Area to Los Angeles, asked residents to conserve, raised rates to buy water from other places and generally have gotten by without much inconvenience, other than brown lawns and shorter showers. But communities served by […]
When the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced last month that the country’s largest reservoir, Lake Mead, had fallen to its lowest-ever level at 1,074ft (327m), the question many asked was: How will it affect one of California’s primary drinking sources? After all, some 19 million Californians, nearly half the state’s population, receive some part of […]
California Snowpack Won’t Recover From Drought For Years
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Capital Public Radio (Sacramento)by Amy QuintonThe winter of 2015 capped four years of drought that resulted in an unprecedented water deficit in Sierra Nevada snowpack. Much of California’s water comes from snowmelt. Researchers at UCLA say in a new study, that this winter’s strong El Niño didn’t make up for that deficit. They found that even if the state gets […]
Water-Wasting Leaks Plague Many Cities
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Wall Street Journalby Cameron McWhirterCash-strapped cities are contending with aging, leak-prone water systems that waste trillions of gallons a year and result in damaging breaks.
It Will Take Years of Wet Weather Before California Recovers From Drought, Study Finds
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby Matt StevensWhen forecasters last year warned of a massive El Niño, some Californians held out hope that a single extremely wet year could bust the state’s severe drought. But a study published Tuesday in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, offered support for the argument that state hydrologists have been making for months: It […]
Study Finds Surprising Source of Colorado River Water Supply
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /High Country News (Paonia, Colo.)by Sarah ToryEvery spring, snow begins to melt throughout the Rocky Mountains, flowing down from high peaks and into the streams and rivers that form the mighty Colorado River Basin, sustaining entire cities and ecosystems from Wyoming to Arizona. But as spring becomes summer, the melting snow slows to a trickle and, as summer turns to fall, […]
Should California Limit the Number of Small, New Water Systems?
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /East Bay Timesby Paul RogersCalifornia’s drought has revealed that when it comes to water, not every community is equal. Large urban areas, from the Bay Area to Los Angeles, asked residents to conserve, raised rates to buy water from other places and generally have gotten by without much inconvenience, other than brown lawns and shorter showers. But communities served by […]
BLOG: What Lake Mead’s Record Low Means for California
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York)by Michael LevitinWhen the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced last month that the country’s largest reservoir, Lake Mead, had fallen to its lowest-ever level at 1,074ft (327m), the question many asked was: How will it affect one of California’s primary drinking sources? After all, some 19 million Californians, nearly half the state’s population, receive some part of […]