Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has signed off on increased funding for water development projects that state officials regard as critical to meet growing demands. But the state’s plans to secure more water from rivers here are colliding with the hotter, drier climate that’s hammering the Southwest, where Colorado River reservoirs are at record-low levels.
Gov. Jared Polis formally declared a drought emergency Friday for almost two dozen western Colorado counties. Colorado’s Drought Task Force, Agriculture Impact Task Force and Municipal Water Task Force will remain active and responsive to local needs, a release from the Colorado Water Conservation Board states Friday. Moffat, Routt, Jackson, Rio Blanco, Grand, Garfield, Eagle, […]
Except for a brief stint in the military, Paul Crawford has spent his entire life farming in southern Oregon. First, as a boy, chasing his dad through hayfields and now, growing alfalfa on his own farm with his wife and two kids, who want to grow up to be farmers. “I wouldn’t trade a day of […]
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 […]
Why the Southwest’s Shrinking Water Reservoirs Matter to Colorado
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Denver Postby Bruce FinleyColorado Gov. Jared Polis has signed off on increased funding for water development projects that state officials regard as critical to meet growing demands. But the state’s plans to secure more water from rivers here are colliding with the hotter, drier climate that’s hammering the Southwest, where Colorado River reservoirs are at record-low levels.
Governor Declares Drought Emergency for Much of Western Colorado
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /Sky-Hi Newsby Cuyler Meade and Craig PressGov. Jared Polis formally declared a drought emergency Friday for almost two dozen western Colorado counties. Colorado’s Drought Task Force, Agriculture Impact Task Force and Municipal Water Task Force will remain active and responsive to local needs, a release from the Colorado Water Conservation Board states Friday. Moffat, Routt, Jackson, Rio Blanco, Grand, Garfield, Eagle, […]
Running Out of Water: How Climate Change Fuels a Crisis in the US West
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /The Hillby Jeremy Deaton and Briana FlinExcept for a brief stint in the military, Paul Crawford has spent his entire life farming in southern Oregon. First, as a boy, chasing his dad through hayfields and now, growing alfalfa on his own farm with his wife and two kids, who want to grow up to be farmers. “I wouldn’t trade a day of […]
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 […]