Southern California farmers spend their winters watching the snowpack in the Colorado Rockies, and what they see is the climate crisis hitting hard. When it melts, the snow that falls on these peaks will, eventually, make its way into the Colorado River, which connects the Southwest like a great tendon, tying the Continental Divide in Colorado […]
Sierra snowpack is so vital to California as it provides one third of the state’s water supply and it seems more and more lately we are seeing this dwindle. You can see from 2002 to 2011 60% of the time the Sierra snowpack was 100% or better, a pretty good trend.
Picture the desert landscape of a Mad Max movie populated with vigilantes devoted to acquiring not gasoline — but water. This scenario isn’t as far-fetched as you might think. “Water wars” describes conflicts between countries, states, or groups over the right to access water resources, usually freshwater. Freshwater is necessary for drinking, irrigation, and electricity generation, and […]
Conservation groups said 80 species were known to have gone extinct, 16 in the last year alone. Millions of people rely on freshwater fish for food and as a source of income through angling and the pet trade. But numbers have plummeted due to pressures including pollution, unsustainable fishing, and the damming and draining of […]
The state’s Ocean Protection Council has awarded $1.3 million to preserving and safeguarding estuary habitat at Elkhorn Slough, which boasts the second-largest tidal salt marsh in California. The wetland, once degraded by farming activities such as diking, is at risk of impacts from climate change — particularly rising sea levels.
Valley farmers had low expectations heading into the spring. Federal water authorities likely met them, to say the least. Tuesday, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced its first water allocations for farmers and water users along the Central Valley Project. Light snowpack is, once again, the culprit, Federal officials said. “Although we had a couple […]
Will the Climate Crisis Tap Out the Colorado River?
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /High Country Newsby Nick BowlinSouthern California farmers spend their winters watching the snowpack in the Colorado Rockies, and what they see is the climate crisis hitting hard. When it melts, the snow that falls on these peaks will, eventually, make its way into the Colorado River, which connects the Southwest like a great tendon, tying the Continental Divide in Colorado […]
Sierra Snowpack Has Major Drop Over the Past Decade
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /NBC Bay Areaby Jeff RanieriSierra snowpack is so vital to California as it provides one third of the state’s water supply and it seems more and more lately we are seeing this dwindle. You can see from 2002 to 2011 60% of the time the Sierra snowpack was 100% or better, a pretty good trend.
“Water Wars” – Fights Over a Precious Resource
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /Interesting Engineeringby Marcia WendorfPicture the desert landscape of a Mad Max movie populated with vigilantes devoted to acquiring not gasoline — but water. This scenario isn’t as far-fetched as you might think. “Water wars” describes conflicts between countries, states, or groups over the right to access water resources, usually freshwater. Freshwater is necessary for drinking, irrigation, and electricity generation, and […]
Extinction: Freshwater Fish in ‘Catastrophic’ Decline
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /BBC Newsby Helen BriggsConservation groups said 80 species were known to have gone extinct, 16 in the last year alone. Millions of people rely on freshwater fish for food and as a source of income through angling and the pet trade. But numbers have plummeted due to pressures including pollution, unsustainable fishing, and the damming and draining of […]
State Ocean Protection Council Awards $1.3 Million to Elkhorn Slough Restoration
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /Monterey Heraldby Hannah HagemannThe state’s Ocean Protection Council has awarded $1.3 million to preserving and safeguarding estuary habitat at Elkhorn Slough, which boasts the second-largest tidal salt marsh in California. The wetland, once degraded by farming activities such as diking, is at risk of impacts from climate change — particularly rising sea levels.
Feds Start 2021 with Light Water Supply for Valley Farmers
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /San Joaquin Valley Sunby Alex TavlianValley farmers had low expectations heading into the spring. Federal water authorities likely met them, to say the least. Tuesday, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced its first water allocations for farmers and water users along the Central Valley Project. Light snowpack is, once again, the culprit, Federal officials said. “Although we had a couple […]