Faced with dire water shortages and a severe drought, California has moved to enact emergency restrictions that will prevent thousands of farmers and landowners from using water drawn from an enormous system of streams and rivers that services nearly two-thirds of the state.
As wells and reservoirs dry up across California amid worsening drought conditions, Ruth Reservoir, which provides water for most of Humboldt County’s population centers, is at 87% capacity — exactly where it should be. John Friedenbach, general manager of the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District, said Ruth Reservoir has remained resilient through the drought.
Colorado is proposing to ramp up requirements that agricultural water users, ranging from big companies to small mom-and-pop farms, measure the amount of water they divert from streams, rivers and waterways. The state engineer says a statewide rule is necessary to prepare Colorado for a water-scarce future. Some water users, however, accuse the state of […]
This year’s drought is on the verge of going from bad to worse for thousands of farmers in the Central Valley. Tuesday, the State Water Resources Control Board approved emergency curtailment regulations. The move impacts 5,700 of the 6,600 water rights holders in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed. Assemblyman Adam Gray (D-Merced) says Tuesday’s decision […]
A “mega-drought” across the Southwest will force the federal government to declare a water shortage on the Colorado River this month. The decision would be historic for the watershed, which serves 40 million people in seven states: California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Wyoming. The river system provides irrigation that turns desert into […]
Lake Oroville, one of California’s biggest reservoirs, reached its lowest-ever point this week, breaking a record set decades ago in the latest troubling sign of the punishing drought conditions afflicting the state. The lake reached a “new historic low elevation” of 642.73 feet of water, which is down from 645 feet in September 1977, said John […]
Rare California Water Restrictions Hit Farmers Amid Dire Shortages
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Guardianby Dani AnguianoFaced with dire water shortages and a severe drought, California has moved to enact emergency restrictions that will prevent thousands of farmers and landowners from using water drawn from an enormous system of streams and rivers that services nearly two-thirds of the state.
‘We are Very Fortunate With Our Water Supply’: Ruth Reservoir at 87% Capacity
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /Times Standardby Isabella VanderheidenAs wells and reservoirs dry up across California amid worsening drought conditions, Ruth Reservoir, which provides water for most of Humboldt County’s population centers, is at 87% capacity — exactly where it should be. John Friedenbach, general manager of the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District, said Ruth Reservoir has remained resilient through the drought.
Drought-Stricken Colorado Mulls Water Measuring for Agriculture
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /Bloomberg Lawby Tripp BaltzColorado is proposing to ramp up requirements that agricultural water users, ranging from big companies to small mom-and-pop farms, measure the amount of water they divert from streams, rivers and waterways. The state engineer says a statewide rule is necessary to prepare Colorado for a water-scarce future. Some water users, however, accuse the state of […]
Lawmakers React to State Water Board Emergency Restrictions
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /Fox26 Newsby Liz GonzalezThis year’s drought is on the verge of going from bad to worse for thousands of farmers in the Central Valley. Tuesday, the State Water Resources Control Board approved emergency curtailment regulations. The move impacts 5,700 of the 6,600 water rights holders in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed. Assemblyman Adam Gray (D-Merced) says Tuesday’s decision […]
A Watershed Moment
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /Politicoby Catherine BoudreauA “mega-drought” across the Southwest will force the federal government to declare a water shortage on the Colorado River this month. The decision would be historic for the watershed, which serves 40 million people in seven states: California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Wyoming. The river system provides irrigation that turns desert into […]
California Drought: One of the State’s Biggest Reservoirs Hit a Record Low this Week
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /San Francisco Chronicleby Jessica FloresLake Oroville, one of California’s biggest reservoirs, reached its lowest-ever point this week, breaking a record set decades ago in the latest troubling sign of the punishing drought conditions afflicting the state. The lake reached a “new historic low elevation” of 642.73 feet of water, which is down from 645 feet in September 1977, said John […]