The powerful interests who vie for shares of the state’s ever-changing water supply — dubbed “water buffaloes” — are adept at fending off political and legal assaults by their rivals and the outcomes of their clashes are often stalemates. That’s why it was surprising in June to see two game-changing decrees out of Washington, one […]
The water spigots on California farms will soon be twisted tighter. As the state faces a growing threat from drought, an increasing number of water agencies are planning to require flow meters on agricultural wells, part of a landmark effort to measure and constrain pumping that used to be free and unlimited. It’s a controversial […]
One of the standard tropes we hear from outsiders about Los Angeles is that it is located in a desert — a dry biome that cannot sustain our millions of people without importing water from somewhere (and someone) else. And the standard retort from folks like us on the Los Angeles Times editorial board is […]
For thousands of years, an Arizona tribe relied on the Colorado River’s natural flooding patterns to farm. Later, it hand-dug ditches and canals to route water to fields. Now, gravity sends the river water from the north end of the Colorado River Indian Tribes reservation through 19th century canals to sustain alfalfa, cotton, wheat, onions […]
Ben DuVal knelt in a barren field near the California-Oregon border and scooped up a handful of parched soil as dust devils whirled around him and birds flitted between empty irrigation pipes. DuVal’s family has farmed the land for three generations, and this summer, for the first time ever, he and hundreds of others who […]
Droughts are common in California, but this year’s is much hotter and drier than others, evaporating water more quickly from the reservoirs and the sparse Sierra Nevada snowpack that feeds them. The state’s more than 1,500 reservoirs are 50% lower than they should be this time of year, according to Jay Lund, co-director of the […]
Opinion: Two Decrees Affect California Water Wars
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /CalMattersby Dan WaltersThe powerful interests who vie for shares of the state’s ever-changing water supply — dubbed “water buffaloes” — are adept at fending off political and legal assaults by their rivals and the outcomes of their clashes are often stalemates. That’s why it was surprising in June to see two game-changing decrees out of Washington, one […]
Drought: The End of California’s Groundwater Free-For-All
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Mercury Newsby Lisa M. KriegerThe water spigots on California farms will soon be twisted tighter. As the state faces a growing threat from drought, an increasing number of water agencies are planning to require flow meters on agricultural wells, part of a landmark effort to measure and constrain pumping that used to be free and unlimited. It’s a controversial […]
Opinion: No, L.A. is Not a Desert. But We are Getting There
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Times by The Times Editorial BoardOne of the standard tropes we hear from outsiders about Los Angeles is that it is located in a desert — a dry biome that cannot sustain our millions of people without importing water from somewhere (and someone) else. And the standard retort from folks like us on the Los Angeles Times editorial board is […]
Tribe Becomes Key Water Player with Drought Aid to Arizona
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /AP Newsby Felicia FonsecaFor thousands of years, an Arizona tribe relied on the Colorado River’s natural flooding patterns to farm. Later, it hand-dug ditches and canals to route water to fields. Now, gravity sends the river water from the north end of the Colorado River Indian Tribes reservation through 19th century canals to sustain alfalfa, cotton, wheat, onions […]
‘Nobody’s Winning’ as Drought Upends Life in US West Basin
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /AP Newsby Gillian FlaccusBen DuVal knelt in a barren field near the California-Oregon border and scooped up a handful of parched soil as dust devils whirled around him and birds flitted between empty irrigation pipes. DuVal’s family has farmed the land for three generations, and this summer, for the first time ever, he and hundreds of others who […]
Stunning Drone Photos Show Severity of Drought at Lake Shasta
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Times / Associated Press by Photos: Brian Van Der BrugDroughts are common in California, but this year’s is much hotter and drier than others, evaporating water more quickly from the reservoirs and the sparse Sierra Nevada snowpack that feeds them. The state’s more than 1,500 reservoirs are 50% lower than they should be this time of year, according to Jay Lund, co-director of the […]