If there was any respite to be found, it was here on the Russian River. A river otter popped up next to Larry Laba’s inflatable canoe, then dived down with a plop. A yellow swallowtail butterfly, big as a hand, fluttered past. Yet everywhere were signs of the West’s ever-intensifying drought, with the Russian River taking […]
Summer is here and, as most everyone knows, we are in a severe and historic drought. Rainfall levels for the last 18 months have been the lowest on record in more than 140 years. The Marin Municipal Water District board of directors called for voluntary water conservation, then adopted mandatory water-use restrictions months ago, well […]
The San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors welcomed new Metropolitan Water District of Southern California General Manager Adel Hagekhalil at its June 24 meeting. Hagekhalil was greeted with applause and smiles during the meeting, and at a special reception that followed at the Water Authority’s San Diego office. Board Chair Gary Croucher called […]
Las Vegas, known for its searing summertime heat and glitzy casino fountains, is projected to get even hotter in the coming years as climate change intensifies. As temperatures rise, water demand for the desert community is expected to spike. That is not good news in a fast-growing region that depends largely on a limited supply […]
Colorado River water managers could be pulled back to the negotiating table as soon as next year to keep its biggest reservoirs from declining further. The 2019 Drought Contingency Plan was meant to give the U.S. and Mexican states that depend on the river a roadmap to manage water shortages. That plan requires the river’s […]
Wrangling a 25-foot-long tube of straw up a steep hillside studded with charred pine trees, three volunteer workers placed it in a shallow trench that had been dug along the slope. Locked in place with wooden stakes, the sausage-like tube was part of an effort to avoid a potentially large and long-term problem with the […]
Summer Dreams Dry up on the Russian River, a Paradise Whipsawed by Drought, Flood and Fire
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby Diana MarcumIf there was any respite to be found, it was here on the Russian River. A river otter popped up next to Larry Laba’s inflatable canoe, then dived down with a plop. A yellow swallowtail butterfly, big as a hand, fluttered past. Yet everywhere were signs of the West’s ever-intensifying drought, with the Russian River taking […]
Opinion: Answering Your Questions About Marin Municipal Water District Supply
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Marin Independent Journal by Cynthia KoehlerSummer is here and, as most everyone knows, we are in a severe and historic drought. Rainfall levels for the last 18 months have been the lowest on record in more than 140 years. The Marin Municipal Water District board of directors called for voluntary water conservation, then adopted mandatory water-use restrictions months ago, well […]
MWD GM Hagekhalil: “We Need to Work Together”
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage, San Diego County /by Mike Lee /Water News Network Quoted: San Diego County Water AuthorityThe San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors welcomed new Metropolitan Water District of Southern California General Manager Adel Hagekhalil at its June 24 meeting. Hagekhalil was greeted with applause and smiles during the meeting, and at a special reception that followed at the Water Authority’s San Diego office. Board Chair Gary Croucher called […]
As Climate Change Turns Up The Heat in Las Vegas, Water Managers Try to Wring New Savings to Stretch Supply
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Western Water (Water Education Foundation)by Gary PitzerLas Vegas, known for its searing summertime heat and glitzy casino fountains, is projected to get even hotter in the coming years as climate change intensifies. As temperatures rise, water demand for the desert community is expected to spike. That is not good news in a fast-growing region that depends largely on a limited supply […]
Another Dry Year on the Colorado River Could Force States, Feds Back to Negotiating Table
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /KUNCby Luke RunyonColorado River water managers could be pulled back to the negotiating table as soon as next year to keep its biggest reservoirs from declining further. The 2019 Drought Contingency Plan was meant to give the U.S. and Mexican states that depend on the river a roadmap to manage water shortages. That plan requires the river’s […]
Wildfires Threaten Urban Water Supplies, Long After the Flames Are Out
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /The New York Timesby Henry FountainWrangling a 25-foot-long tube of straw up a steep hillside studded with charred pine trees, three volunteer workers placed it in a shallow trench that had been dug along the slope. Locked in place with wooden stakes, the sausage-like tube was part of an effort to avoid a potentially large and long-term problem with the […]