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In Dry California, Salty Water Creeps Into Key Waterways

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Kathleen Ronayne

Charlie Hamilton hasn’t irrigated his vineyards with water from the Sacramento River since early May, even though it flows just yards from his crop.

Nearby to the south, the industrial Bay Area city of Antioch has supplied its people with water from the San Joaquin River for just 32 days this year, compared to roughly 128 days by this time in a wet year.

They may be close by, but these two rivers, central arms of California’s water system, have become too salty to use in some places as the state’s punishing drought drags on.

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A Battle for Safe Drinking Water Grows Heated Amid Drought in California’s Central Valley

/in , , /by /Courthouse News Serviceby Natalie Hanson

Thousands of acres of crops, from corn to nectarines, surround Melynda Metheney’s community in West Goshen, California — one of the key battlegrounds where residents say irrigation and overpumping have depleted drinkable water.

“You know what you’re up against when you live in these communities. You have to decide, are there enough of us?” said Metheney, standing in her parched yard.

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Opinion: If Our Colorado River Water Supply is Cut, Prepare to See Empty Shelves at the Grocery Store

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Mike Wade

When you go to the grocery store and fill the cart with food for your family, you are part of a long process that begins with soil, water, sunlight and the labor of farmers and farm workers. Most likely, the farms that grow most of your food are in a neighboring rural area or within a day’s drive from your home. California grows 61 percent of U.S.-produced fruits, nuts and vegetables. Many of our winter fruits and vegetables come from the Imperial and Coachella valleys as well as from the San Joaquin, Salinas and Sacramento valleys the remainder of the year.

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Tracking the California Drought

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Sean Greene and Thomas Suh Lauder

Californians are living in the state’s driest period on record. Officials have urged people to conserve as reservoirs run low and demand exceeds a supply stressed by climate change.

A large share of the state’s water is used for agriculture, and growers have seen water deliveries slashed during the drought. State regulators track water use in cities and towns across the state, collecting monthly data from more than 400 urban suppliers that serve about 37.2 million Californians.

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Did California Learn Anything From the Last Drought? ‘Gambling’ With Water Continues

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith

The governor of California stood in a patch of dry brown grass as he made his proclamation:

“We’re in a new era. The idea of your nice little green grass getting lots of water every day — that’s going to be a thing of the past,” he said. “We’re in a historic drought, and that demands unprecedented action.”

But it wasn’t Gavin Newsom speaking — it was the state’s previous governor, Jerry Brown, and the year was 2015.

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As California’s Big Cities Fail to Rein in Their Water Use, Rural Communities Are Already Tapped Out

/in , , /by /CNNby Rachel Ramirez

Gary Biggs’ family hasn’t had water coming out of their private well for over a decade, after a multi-year drought and overpumping by agriculture and industry.

Now, the eight-acre farm in West Goshen, California, which Biggs passed down to his son, Ryan, in the 1970s, is parched and fallow. His son and granddaughter carry in water from sources to drink and shower. They go to town to wash their clothes, Biggs says.

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Opinion: As Drought Persists, Water Rights on Agenda

/in , /by /CalMattersby Dan Walters

As a third year of drought continues, California officialdom is increasing pressure for more water conservation.

Last week, the state Water Resources Control Board imposed a statewide ban on watering of “non-functional” turf, such as grass around commercial buildings, and directed local water agencies to implement water use restrictions.

“California is facing a drought crisis and every local water agency and Californian needs to step up on conservation efforts,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a supportive statement.

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California Still in a Drought: 3 Years and Counting

/in , , /by /Earth.orgby Alexander Pham

Climate change and water shortages are in large part responsible for causing the drought within California in the US, as well as other western states. This has been an ongoing trend for three years now, and in 2022 alone, California has experienced 1,402 wildfires that have consumed at least 6,507 acres of land. However, there is also a weather phenomenon known as La Niña, trade winds that blow across the Pacific Ocean that bring warmer and drier winters to the western United States.

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Newsom Pitches $75 Million in Drought Relief for Agriculture

/in , , /by /Agri Pulseby Brad Hooker

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised budget proposal would set aside $75 million to aid small agricultural businesses as the drought deepens. The one-time assistance would provide grants ranging from $30,000 to $50,000, depending on the amount of lost revenue.

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Desperate for Water, Wine Country Grape Growers Build Expensive Pipelines to Cities’ Recycled Sewage

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Esther Mobley

Justin Seidenfeld’s vineyard ran out of water last year. The area of Petaluma where his Parliament Hills Vineyard is located received just 4.5 inches of rain throughout 2021, not nearly enough sustenance for his vines of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

“We ended up trucking water in at a very, very high cost,” Seidenfeld said, “and even with that trucking, we had barely enough to get by.”

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