This week one of the nation’s earliest and most important public works projects, the 363-mile Erie Canal linking the Hudson River with Lake Erie, marked its 200th anniversary. There was only negligible media and political notice. That’s regrettable, because the canal opening in 1825 utterly transformed the nation’s economy and ignited its expansion from a few sparsely populated […]
In a plan that will reverberate more than 300 miles north at Mono Lake, Los Angeles city leaders have decided to nearly double the wastewater that will be transformed into drinking water at the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant in Van Nuys. Instead of treating 25 million gallons per day as originally planned, the […]
The city of Clyde sits about two hours west of Fort Worth on the plains of north Texas. It gets its water from a lake by the same name a few miles away. Starting in 2022, scorching weather caused its levels to drop farther and farther. Within a year, officials had declared a water conservation […]
President Donald Trump loves a good water war — and the biggest one yet is about to land in his lap. A quarter century of climate change and drought has driven water levels along the Colorado River and its two main reservoirs to historic lows, threatening supplies that support 40 million people and economies from […]
Why is it axiomatic among California’s water agencies and policymakers that large scale desalination is inconceivable in California? That certainly isn’t the case in other arid locales. In 2024, an estimated 30 million acre feet of fresh water was produced by desalination plants worldwide. On the coast of the Red Sea, about 60 miles south of the port city […]
Utah and six other states along the Colorado River are pushing up against a deadline to figure out as a group how to manage the river and its reservoirs. If they can’t reach an agreement by Nov. 11, the federal government is set to intervene and make its own plan. The existing agreement expires at […]
OPINION: Erie Canal Creation Contrasts With the Glacial Pace of Public Works in California
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Sierra Stewart /Cal Mattersby Dan WaltersThis week one of the nation’s earliest and most important public works projects, the 363-mile Erie Canal linking the Hudson River with Lake Erie, marked its 200th anniversary. There was only negligible media and political notice. That’s regrettable, because the canal opening in 1825 utterly transformed the nation’s economy and ignited its expansion from a few sparsely populated […]
Los Angeles Will Nearly Double Recycled Water for 500,000 Residents
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Sierra Stewart /Los Angeles Timesby Ian JamesIn a plan that will reverberate more than 300 miles north at Mono Lake, Los Angeles city leaders have decided to nearly double the wastewater that will be transformed into drinking water at the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant in Van Nuys. Instead of treating 25 million gallons per day as originally planned, the […]
Drought Is Quietly Pushing American Cities Toward a Fiscal Cliff
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Sierra Stewart /Grist.orgby Tik RootThe city of Clyde sits about two hours west of Fort Worth on the plains of north Texas. It gets its water from a lake by the same name a few miles away. Starting in 2022, scorching weather caused its levels to drop farther and farther. Within a year, officials had declared a water conservation […]
The Water War Trump Hasn’t Blown Up
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Sierra Stewart /Politicoby Annie SniderPresident Donald Trump loves a good water war — and the biggest one yet is about to land in his lap. A quarter century of climate change and drought has driven water levels along the Colorado River and its two main reservoirs to historic lows, threatening supplies that support 40 million people and economies from […]
OPINION: Large Scale Desalination Could Transform California
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Sierra Stewart /Maven's Notebookby Edward RingWhy is it axiomatic among California’s water agencies and policymakers that large scale desalination is inconceivable in California? That certainly isn’t the case in other arid locales. In 2024, an estimated 30 million acre feet of fresh water was produced by desalination plants worldwide. On the coast of the Red Sea, about 60 miles south of the port city […]
Deadline Closing in for Utah and 6 Other States Hammering Out a New Water Plan
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Sierra Stewart /Utah News Dispatchby Annie KnoxUtah and six other states along the Colorado River are pushing up against a deadline to figure out as a group how to manage the river and its reservoirs. If they can’t reach an agreement by Nov. 11, the federal government is set to intervene and make its own plan. The existing agreement expires at […]