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 […]
Skiers and snowboarders pray for snow so they can shred the slopes. Climatologists and hydrologists have an entirely different and more critical reason to cross their fingers for the “white gold.” The West’s historic drought has many impacts, including water shortages, more severe wildfire seasons and unprecedented heat waves, to name a few. Intense droughts are […]
A question has bothered climatologist Park Williams during the decade he’s been probing drought in the Southwest. Like other climate scientists, he knew from research papers and worldwide storm patterns that a warming atmosphere is thirstier and sops up more moisture from oceans and the land. “But, in the Southwest, we’ve seen the exact opposite […]
A pair of bills addressing the state’s water crisis have now cleared another hurdle in Sacramento. Senate bill 559 from Senator Melissa Hurtado (14th District- Sanger) would allocate $785 million dollars to repair three canals that move water across the state.
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 […]
Water is Disappearing in the West – and Not Just During the Summer
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /CNN by Hannah GardSkiers and snowboarders pray for snow so they can shred the slopes. Climatologists and hydrologists have an entirely different and more critical reason to cross their fingers for the “white gold.” The West’s historic drought has many impacts, including water shortages, more severe wildfire seasons and unprecedented heat waves, to name a few. Intense droughts are […]
Drier Springs Bring Hotter Summers in the Withering Southwest
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Inside Climate Newsby Judy FahysA question has bothered climatologist Park Williams during the decade he’s been probing drought in the Southwest. Like other climate scientists, he knew from research papers and worldwide storm patterns that a warming atmosphere is thirstier and sops up more moisture from oceans and the land. “But, in the Southwest, we’ve seen the exact opposite […]
Bills Addressing California Water Crisis Advance in Sacramento
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /Fox 26 Newsby Liz GonzalezA pair of bills addressing the state’s water crisis have now cleared another hurdle in Sacramento. Senate bill 559 from Senator Melissa Hurtado (14th District- Sanger) would allocate $785 million dollars to repair three canals that move water across the state.