As droughts strain water supplies across Western states, some cities and farmers have struggled with mandatory cutbacks. Determining who gets cut is decided by the foundational pecking order of Western water: the older your claim to water, created as the country expanded westward, the better protected it is. When there’s a shortage, those with newer […]
California’s Imperial Valley is one of the few places where a 95 degree day can be described as unseasonably cool. In the shade of a sissoo tree, with a dry breeze rustling its leaves, JB Hamby called the weather “pretty nice” for mid-June. Over his shoulder, sprinklers ticked away over a field of onions. Every […]
Thunderstorms high in the Cascades recently stirred up a lot of dirt in a central Washington river, causing problems for people on its banks. All the dirt in the Naches River was too much for the city of Yakima’s water treatment plant to handle. Cities and towns could see situations like this happen more often […]
Mother Nature is being very generous this year. Record-setting rain totals this year means landowners and municipalities, alike, are enjoying some serious savings on their water bills. In a press release Thursday, Denver Water said customers hadn’t used this little water in the month of June since 1969. And many reservoirs are full.
After a winter of historic rains, California’s reservoirs are filled to the brim. Rivers are supercharged—and have flooded much of the Central Valley. With the water came a deluge of news voicing worries that California is letting all that water wash into the sea after years of drought—and heralding the idea of capturing it to […]
Solar farms stretch out mile after mile along Interstate 10 around Palm Springs, creating one of the densest areas of solar development in North America in the heart of California’s Colorado Desert. But the area’s success in meeting the state and the nation’s renewable energy goals is running up against the Southwest’s biggest climate challenge: […]
A Racist Past and Hotter Future Are Testing Western Water Like Never Before
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Andrea Mora /nprby Lauren SommerAs droughts strain water supplies across Western states, some cities and farmers have struggled with mandatory cutbacks. Determining who gets cut is decided by the foundational pecking order of Western water: the older your claim to water, created as the country expanded westward, the better protected it is. When there’s a shortage, those with newer […]
Meet the Colorado River’s Newest – and Youngest – Power Player
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /KUNCby Alex HagerCalifornia’s Imperial Valley is one of the few places where a 95 degree day can be described as unseasonably cool. In the shade of a sissoo tree, with a dry breeze rustling its leaves, JB Hamby called the weather “pretty nice” for mid-June. Over his shoulder, sprinklers ticked away over a field of onions. Every […]
Northwest Drinking Water Concerns Could Get Worse as the Climate Changes
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Northwest News Networkby Courtney FlattThunderstorms high in the Cascades recently stirred up a lot of dirt in a central Washington river, causing problems for people on its banks. All the dirt in the Naches River was too much for the city of Yakima’s water treatment plant to handle. Cities and towns could see situations like this happen more often […]
Denver Metro Counts its Water Savings After Wet Year
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /9News Denverby Kyle ClarkMother Nature is being very generous this year. Record-setting rain totals this year means landowners and municipalities, alike, are enjoying some serious savings on their water bills. In a press release Thursday, Denver Water said customers hadn’t used this little water in the month of June since 1969. And many reservoirs are full.
Recharge Alone Won’t End California’s Groundwater Drought
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Andrea Mora /Bay Natureby Guananí Gómez-Van CortrightAfter a winter of historic rains, California’s reservoirs are filled to the brim. Rivers are supercharged—and have flooded much of the Central Valley. With the water came a deluge of news voicing worries that California is letting all that water wash into the sea after years of drought—and heralding the idea of capturing it to […]
Solar Farms Are Booming in the California Desert—but They Could Make the Drought Much Worse
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Andrea Mora /Fast Companyby Wyatt MyskowSolar farms stretch out mile after mile along Interstate 10 around Palm Springs, creating one of the densest areas of solar development in North America in the heart of California’s Colorado Desert. But the area’s success in meeting the state and the nation’s renewable energy goals is running up against the Southwest’s biggest climate challenge: […]