Some water use restrictions that were imposed on most Marin County residents during the drought last year are now set to become permanent. The Marin Municipal Water District Board of Directors voted unanimously on Tuesday to continue limiting sprinkler use to two days per week, which is down from three days it allowed before it […]
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced two measures today to boost water levels in Lake Powell, keeping them high enough to continue generating hydropower at the Glen Canyon Dam. Both moves are being framed as painful but necessary band-aids, cutting into reserves elsewhere in the region to stave off the worst effects of a decades-long drought that […]
Despite years of drought and conservation mandates, Californians continue to sprinkle a lot of clean, drinkable water onto yards to keep the greenery alive. That’s true even on properties that have scaled back thirsty lawns and added drought-tolerant native plants. Now, however, Southern California officials have imposed unusually strict limits on outdoor water use in response to a water shortage emergency, effective June 1. […]
Heat waves. Severe drought. Extreme wildfires. As Southern California braces for unprecedented drought restrictions, long-range forecasts are predicting a summer that will be fraught with record-breaking temperatures, sere landscapes and above-average potential for significant wildfires, particularly in the northern part of the state. “The dice are loaded for a lot of big fires across the […]
With little hope of reprieve ahead of the warming summer months, demand for water in parts of drought-stricken California is outpacing supply. The metropolitan water district of southern California declared a water shortage emergency last week for areas that rely on the State Water Project, a sprawling system of canals, reservoirs, and pipelines that snake across roughly […]
It was a perfectly decent patch of lawn, several hundred square feet of grass in a condominium community on this city’s western edge. But Jaime Gonzalez, a worker with a local landscaping firm, had a job to do. Wrangling a heavy gas-powered sod cutter, Mr. Gonzalez sliced the turf away from the soil underneath, like […]
Marin Water Supplier Makes Some Drought Rules Permanent
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Marin Independent Journalby Will HoustonSome water use restrictions that were imposed on most Marin County residents during the drought last year are now set to become permanent. The Marin Municipal Water District Board of Directors voted unanimously on Tuesday to continue limiting sprinkler use to two days per week, which is down from three days it allowed before it […]
Federal Government Rolls Out ‘Extraordinary Actions’ to Prop Up Lake Powell
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /KUNCby Alex HagerThe U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced two measures today to boost water levels in Lake Powell, keeping them high enough to continue generating hydropower at the Glen Canyon Dam. Both moves are being framed as painful but necessary band-aids, cutting into reserves elsewhere in the region to stave off the worst effects of a decades-long drought that […]
One Way Around California’s Water Restrictions: Recycle Water From Your Laundry
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby Jon HealeyDespite years of drought and conservation mandates, Californians continue to sprinkle a lot of clean, drinkable water onto yards to keep the greenery alive. That’s true even on properties that have scaled back thirsty lawns and added drought-tolerant native plants. Now, however, Southern California officials have imposed unusually strict limits on outdoor water use in response to a water shortage emergency, effective June 1. […]
With Water Running Out, California Faces Grim Summer of Dangerous Heat, Extreme Drought
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby Paul Duginski and Alex WigglesworthHeat waves. Severe drought. Extreme wildfires. As Southern California braces for unprecedented drought restrictions, long-range forecasts are predicting a summer that will be fraught with record-breaking temperatures, sere landscapes and above-average potential for significant wildfires, particularly in the northern part of the state. “The dice are loaded for a lot of big fires across the […]
California’s New Drought Rules: Will They Be Enough to Halt the ‘Alarming Challenges’ Ahead?
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Guardianby Gabrielle CanonWith little hope of reprieve ahead of the warming summer months, demand for water in parts of drought-stricken California is outpacing supply. The metropolitan water district of southern California declared a water shortage emergency last week for areas that rely on the State Water Project, a sprawling system of canals, reservoirs, and pipelines that snake across roughly […]
Where Lawns Are Outlawed (and Dug Up, and Carted Away)
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The New York Timesby Henry FountainIt was a perfectly decent patch of lawn, several hundred square feet of grass in a condominium community on this city’s western edge. But Jaime Gonzalez, a worker with a local landscaping firm, had a job to do. Wrangling a heavy gas-powered sod cutter, Mr. Gonzalez sliced the turf away from the soil underneath, like […]