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Feds are Putting a Price Tag on Water in the Colorado River Basin to Spur Farmers to Conserve

/in , , /by /KUNCby Alex Hager

The federal government is designating $4 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act for drought mitigation work in the Colorado River basin.

On Wednesday, the Department of the Interior announced that total, indicating that $500 million will go to efficiency upgrades in the river’s Upper Basin states of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Another chunk of IRA money will be set aside for direct payments to farmers and ranchers to forgo water deliveries from Lake Mead in the river’s Lower Basin, primarily in Arizona and California. Federal officials are not specifying how much money will be available for that first round of payments.

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Can California Help Drought-Stricken Farmworkers Following Gavin Newsom’s Recent Veto?

/in , /by /The Fresno Beeby Melissa Montalvo

A Central Valley lawmaker says she’s committed to supporting farmworkers who risk losing income during the drought – but state and labor groups are at odds on the best approach.

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California Offers to Reduce Imports of Colorado River Water

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Rachel Becker

Facing demands from the federal government, California water agencies offered today to cut back the amount of water they import from the Colorado River starting in 2023.

After months of negotiations, water agencies wrote to federal agencies today offering to reduce California’s water use by 400,000 acre-feet every year through 2026. That amounts to 9% of the river’s water that California is entitled to under its senior rights.

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Upper Basin Officials See California Proposal to Conserve Colorado River Water as a Positive Sign — Even if It’s Not Enough

/in , , /by /The Colorado Sunby Chris Outcalt

California water agencies that use Colorado River water indicated Wednesday they’d be willing to cut 400,000 acre-feet of water use annually starting next year and running through 2025 — a move a top Upper Basin water official cast as a promising development in the negotiations over the future of the river.

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Amid Punishing Drought, California Is Set to Adopt Rules to Reduce Water Leaks. The Process has Lagged

/in , /by /Inside Climate Newsby Emma Foehringer Merchant

Underneath pavement, parks and lawns, a web of pipes carry the water that fuels urban life from the companies that distribute it to the people who consume it. Many Americans never think twice about how much water might be leaking from that system.  And water providers haven’t always been required to contain the leaks.

Am I a Water Hog? Here’s What Could Land You on California’s List of Homes Using Too Much Water

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Michael Cabanatuan

With California’s water supply shrinking and the drought dragging on, Bay Area water agencies are getting serious about persuading their customers to use water responsibly.

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California Is Expected to Enter a Fourth Straight Year of Drought

/in , , /by /New York Timesby Soumya Karlamangla

California is most likely heading into a fourth consecutive year of drought.

The state’s water year ends tomorrow, which has prompted predictions about what’s in store for the next 12 months. (California’s water year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, so that the winter rainy season falls within a single water year.)

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Ranchers’ Rebellion: the Californians Breaking Water Rules in a Punishing Drought

/in , , /by /The Guardianby Dani Anguiano

Before Rick Lemos and the other directors of the Shasta River Water Association broke the law, they made a decision that under most circumstances might be considered unusual: they sent a letter to authorities spelling out exactly what they intended to do.

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California Should Expect a ‘Fourth Dry Year’ as Drought Persists

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

California’s reservoirs will enter fall in a slightly better position than last year, but the Golden State should prepare for more dryness, extreme weather events and water quality hazards in 2023, officials say. The latest climate forecasting update from the Department of Water Resources came Wednesday, just days before the end of the water year, which runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 in California.

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The Mad Rush for Groundwater in the Central Valley

/in , /by /KQEDby Saul Gonzalez, Attila Pelit and Katrin Snow

Most Californians are feeling the effects of the drought. But in areas of the state where people rely on groundwater, such as the San Joaquin Valley, the pain of this drought is especially severe. Wells are going dry and there’s intense competition to find and pull more water from underground.

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