Drought has taken a record toll on the western United States. The 16-year drought we are experiencing (with no end in sight) affects millions of Americans and poses a serious threat to local communities. From farmers who need water to irrigate crops to families that rely on healthy waterways for jobs and recreation, to wildlife and […]
This week, California lifted some — but not all — of its statewide restrictions on urban water use. This comes as Lake Mead’s water level, affected by the same dry conditions that have devastated California, reached its lowest level on record. Unlike several past winters, this last one was relatively wet, relieving drought conditions in […]
Remember that “historic” drought? The one that erased snow from the Sierra and was turning the Central Valley into a dusty bowl? Remember how it was supposed to be permanent? How all Californians need to forever change the wasteful ways we use water because most of the state is, in fact, a desert? We remember. We’re […]
A judge has upheld major provisions of a state plan that lays out a long-term strategy for managing the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, rejecting most complaints included in a cluster of long-standing lawsuits. But in a ruling Wednesday, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael P. Kenny also found that some aspects of the plan are inadequate, raising […]
Winter and spring rains put a decent-sized dent in California’s water woes. In Yosemite National Park, its storied falls are flowing with the kind of force not seen in four years. But the return of torrents of swift, cold water also have park officials concerned about increased drowning hazards. “The hazard is the water is flowing […]
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 […]
White House Drought Strategy Will Help Southwest
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Pueblo Chieftain (Pueblo, Colo.)Drought has taken a record toll on the western United States. The 16-year drought we are experiencing (with no end in sight) affects millions of Americans and poses a serious threat to local communities. From farmers who need water to irrigate crops to families that rely on healthy waterways for jobs and recreation, to wildlife and […]
9 Counties Running Out Of Water
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /24/7 Wall St (New York)by By Michael B. SauterThis week, California lifted some — but not all — of its statewide restrictions on urban water use. This comes as Lake Mead’s water level, affected by the same dry conditions that have devastated California, reached its lowest level on record. Unlike several past winters, this last one was relatively wet, relieving drought conditions in […]
OPINION: California’s ‘Historic’ Drought Isn’t History Just Yet
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento BeeRemember that “historic” drought? The one that erased snow from the Sierra and was turning the Central Valley into a dusty bowl? Remember how it was supposed to be permanent? How all Californians need to forever change the wasteful ways we use water because most of the state is, in fact, a desert? We remember. We’re […]
Judge Upholds Major Provisions of Complex Delta Management plan
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento BeeA judge has upheld major provisions of a state plan that lays out a long-term strategy for managing the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, rejecting most complaints included in a cluster of long-standing lawsuits. But in a ruling Wednesday, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael P. Kenny also found that some aspects of the plan are inadequate, raising […]
Yosemite’s Waterfalls Bring Torrents of Swift, Cold Water and Drowning Concerns
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /NBC Bay Area (San Jose)by By Joe Rosato Jr.Winter and spring rains put a decent-sized dent in California’s water woes. In Yosemite National Park, its storied falls are flowing with the kind of force not seen in four years. But the return of torrents of swift, cold water also have park officials concerned about increased drowning hazards. “The hazard is the water is flowing […]
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 […]