Tag Archive for: Climate Change

Long Beach Looks to Invest More in Groundwater as Colorado River Shrinks

/in , , /by /Long Beach Post Newsby Jason Ruiz

With the future of the Colorado River and the amount of water it will be able to deliver to Southern California in question, the Long Beach Utilities Department is looking at investing $157 million into its groundwater system, which could reduce the city’s reliance on expensive and diminishing imported water.

Groundwater accounts for about 60% of the water that Long Beach residents use each year, and the Colorado provides about 25% of the city’s supply, with the rest coming from the State Water Project, both of which can fluctuate with precipitation patterns.

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Colorado Leaders Are Rallying Against a Railway Project That Would Carry Crude Oil Along the Colorado River

/in , , /by /CPR Newsby Tom Hesse

A railway project in Eastern Utah is drawing significant pushback in Colorado as elected officials voice concerns about crude oil risks to the Colorado River, which is the West’s primary freshwater river.

The Uinta Basin Railway project would build around 80 miles of train tracks connecting oil production to America’s rail network.

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‘We Can’t Be Living in an Economy of 40 Million People This Close to the Edge.’

/in , , /by /Capital & Mainby Dan Ross

Lake Mead, in Arizona and Nevada, is the largest reservoir in the United States and part of the Colorado River system, which supplies water to seven U.S. states and part of Mexico, including one third of the water used in Southern California. It also supplies 30 Tribal Nations.

At the end of last year, experts predicted that, due to drought and heavy demand for water, Lake Mead was just two years shy of dead pool, when water levels drop below the point at which it can flow downstream of the reservoir.

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The Very Bad Math Behind the Colorado River Crisis

/in , , /by /Gristby Jake Bittle & Daniel Penner

California and Arizona are currently fighting each other over water from the Colorado River. But this isn’t new — it’s actually been going on for over 100 years. At one point, the states literally went to war about it. The problem comes down to some really bad math from 1922.

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Lawmakers Propose $4.5B Flood Protection Bond Measure

/in , , /by /ABC 7 KRCR by Muna Sadek

Californians could be voting on a major flood protection bond next November.

State lawmakers are pushing a $4.5 billion bond measure which would help fund water infrastructure projects across the state.

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Land of Fire and Flood: How the Climate Crisis is Challenging Our Water Supply

/in , , /by /LAist by Erin Stone

Mark Pestrella is the director of L.A. County Public Works, which oversees 27 spreading grounds and 14 dams that both hold most of our local water supply as well as prevent massive flooding in the cities below.

Pestrella said he isn’t losing sleep over a megaflood. His biggest concern? The increasing severity of smaller, but intense storms — like many we experienced this winter.

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Opinion: Future of California at Risk the Longer Landmark CEQA Environmental Law Remains Unchanged

/in , /by /Cal Mattersby Tracy Hernandez & Jim Wunderman

Like our changing climate and its many impacts on our communities, economy and environment; like the collapse of critical infrastructure; like the humanitarian homelessness crisis on our streets and the housing shortage driving it; like so many other slow-motion disasters that have befallen us, the warning signs have been unmistakably clear.

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California Faces Rapid Snowmelt From Heat Wave; Flood Fears in Yosemite, Elsewhere

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

After weeks of uncertainty, forecasters say an incoming California heat wave will trigger rapid snowmelt on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada and cause more flooding in portions of the San Joaquin and Owens valleys this week.

Temperatures in Central California are forecast to climb into the high 80s and mid-90s beginning Wednesday and into the weekend, with the potential for some areas to approach daily records.

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California Snowpack Data Debunked: 2023 Was No Record Year. And Neither Was 1952

/in , , /by /East Bay Times by Scooty Nickerson

It was the snowpack reading that spawned a hundred headlines. “California ties 1952 record for all-time Sierra snowpack,” proclaimed KTVU. “California’s snowpack soars to record high after 17 atmospheric rivers,” trumpeted the Washington Post.

State officials largely seemed to agree.

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Above-Average Snowpack Will Raise Lake Mead, Buy Time for Collaboration

/in , , /by /Water News Network Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

A federal report released April 20 says near-record snowpack in the Colorado River Basin could raise the elevation of Lake Mead by more than 20 feet by the end of the year, providing a critical opportunity for water agencies to improve long-term management of the river.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s report shows vastly improved hydrological conditions are also expected to raise the water level in Lake Powell by more than 50 feet. California relies heavily on lakes Powell and Mead for water, as do Arizona and Nevada.

Despite the good news this year, the ongoing trend toward a hotter and drier climate means long-term solutions remain critical. About two-thirds of San Diego County’s supplies are conserved Colorado River water.

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