California’s water infrastructure is buckling under the weight of inaction. The State Water Project — the backbone of water delivery for 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland — is being pushed to the brink by climate change, extreme weather swings and seismic vulnerabilities. Without action, we’re facing a future of increased water shortages, higher costs and diminished reliability for communities and farms alike.
As hot, dry and disastrous as the last few years have been, it appears that the chaos caused by a warming planet is just getting started. Though the hottest year in nearly two centuries was recorded only last year, the world will probably shatter that record yet again by 2029, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization, the climate and weather arm of the United Nations.
As the Colorado River’s giant reservoirs have declined during the last two decades, even larger amounts of water have been pumped and drained from underground, according to new research based on data from NASA satellites.
California’s climate is changing faster than our infrastructure can keep up. In the past five years, we’ve seen atmospheric rivers cause catastrophic flooding, prolonged drought has devastated agricultural communities and perpetuated a lack of access to safe drinking water, and inconsistent snowpack makes it difficult for water managers to plan for the future. This is our new norm. Yet, much of California’s water infrastructure was built for a climate reality that no longer exists.
April 1 marks an important milestone for snowpacks and water supply forecasts as the date basin snowpacks typically reach a peak before melting. However, a wave of warm temperatures late March started the melt early, adding a caveat to April 1 measurements.
L.A.’s big plans to recycle almost all of its wastewater for drinking is likely to take a lot longer than originally proposed.
Back in 2019, former L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a goal to recycle almost all of L.A.’s wastewater by 2035. But the long-awaited plan on how to actually do that pushes the timeline back more than 20 years — to 2056, though some wastewater would be recycled for drinking by 2040.
For more than 80 years, the Water Authority and its 22 member agencies have worked together to deliver safe and reliable water to sustain our economy – from biotech and farming to tourism and outdoor sports.
The Trump administration announced a wave of regulatory rollbacks on Wednesday including a repeal of Biden-era emissions limits on power plants and automobiles, as well as reduced protections for waterways.
Fires in and around Los Angeles continue to rage as gusting Santa Ana winds drive the flames through brush and into neighborhoods. Two major blazes, the Eaton Fire and the Palisades Fire, have combined burned almost 40,000 acres since last week. Another fire, the Auto Fire, erupted Monday evening in Ventura County. The fires have killed at least 24 people.
A billionaire couple was accused of withholding water that could help stop Los Angeles’ massive wildfires. Democratic leadership was blamed for fire hydrants running dry and for an empty reservoir. Firefighters were criticized for allegedly using “women’s handbags” to fight the fires.
