Tag Archive for: Colorado River

A Plan to Replenish the Colorado River Could Mean Dry Alfalfa Fields. And Many Farmers are for it

/in , /by /Fox 5/KUSIby Amy Taxin

A plan to help shore up the depleted Colorado River by cutting off water to alfalfa fields in California’s crop-rich Imperial Valley is finding support from the farmers who grow it.

The Imperial Irrigation District — the biggest user of water from the 1,450-mile (2,334-kilometer) river — has offered to pay farmers to shut off irrigation to forage crops including alfalfa for up to 60 days during the peak of the sweltering summer. While farmers often balk at the idea of letting fields lie fallow, at least 80% of properties eligible for the new program have been signed up to participate, said Tina Shields, the district’s water department manager.

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WATCH: Tipping Point: Colorado River Reckoning- A PBS News Special

/in , /by /KPBS by Miles O'Brien

Forty million people depend on the Colorado River for water, but that vital resource is in peril. The river’s storage system has shrunk to an estimated 41 percent capacity as of June 2024.

The river, which irrigates 4 million acres of some of the most productive agricultural land in the United States, may never fully recover due to climate change, according to scientists.

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California Farmers Set to Cut Use of Colorado River Water, Temporarily Leaving Fields Dry

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

Farmers who grow hay in the Imperial Valley will soon be eligible to receive cash payments in exchange for temporarily shutting off water to their fields for up to two months this year.

Under a program approved by the board of the Imperial Irrigation District, farmers can now apply for federal funds to compensate them for harvesting less hay as part of an effort to ease strains on the Colorado River.

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Feds Tout Colorado River Deal Despite Concern Over Residents, Wildlife Near Salton Sea

/in , /by /Desert Sunby Janet Wilson

The federal government and Imperial Irrigation District on Friday unveiled a key environmental assessment of a potential huge Colorado River conservation deal that could save nearly 1 million acre-feet of water through 2026 — and yield the agency and area farmers as much as $700 million in public funds.

Growers said they’re ready to begin summertime fallowing and other measures as soon as the paperwork is finalized, and the clock is ticking. But a veteran analyst of intertwined Colorado River and Salton Sea issues and an area environmental justice advocate both said they have concerns.

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A Look at How Far Away Some of Southern California’s Water Needs to Travel

/in , /by /The Orange County Registerby Kurt Snibbe

Southern California relies on most of its water coming from a long way away. Here’s a look at several of the aqueducts that keep our taps flowing year-round. California receives 75% of its rain and snow in the watersheds north of Sacramento. However, 80% of water demand comes from the southern two-thirds of the state.

About 25% of the water used in Southern California comes from the Colorado River. Another 30% originates in the northern Sierra. The remaining 45% comes from a mix of what are considered local supplies, which include Los Angeles’ Eastern Sierra deliveries as well as recycling, desalination and groundwater supplies.

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The Water War Between the US and Mexico

/in , /by /The Week USby Devika Rao

The U.S. and Mexico are experiencing another border dispute, and this one is about water. The conflict stems from an 80-year-old treaty where the countries agreed to share water from the Colorado River and the Rio Grande. However, because water is in more demand but scarcer than ever, sharing has not been going to plan.

The U.S. and Mexico signed a treaty in 1944 stipulating that Mexico send 1.75 million acre-feet of water to the U.S. every five years from the Rio Grande, and the U.S. send 1.5 million acre-feet of water to Mexico from the Colorado River each year. But water levels are lower than ever, and Mexico has “sent only about 30% of its expected deliveries, the lowest amount at this point of any four- or five-year cycles since 1992,” said Reuters.

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Nevada Leads as 40-year Low is Reached in Colorado River Water Use

/in , /by /Las Vegas Review Journalby Alan Halaly

Efforts to stretch the overused Colorado River appear to be working: The total amount of water used across Nevada, California and Arizona is the lowest it’s been in 40 years.

The reduction is the result of several factors, including a good snowpack year allowing for more use of groundwater, increased conservation efforts and millions of dollars in Inflation Reduction Act funding to incentivize farmers to use less water.

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Rep. Levin Announces $32 Million in Federal Funding for Regional Desalination Projects

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Rep. Mike Levin announced Thursday that he has secured $32.2 million in federal funds for three desalination projects to increase water security in north San Diego and south Orange counties.

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Colorado River Negotiators Say They Need More Time, As Biden Administration Wants Deal By Election

/in , /by /KJZZby Alex Hager

The policymakers working on a new management plan for the Colorado River say they need more time to bridge disagreements about how to share its water.

State negotiators from Wyoming to California are under pressure to agree on new guidelines for managing the river. The current rules expire in 2026, but state leaders disagree about who should bear the brunt of cutbacks to water demand. At a meeting this week in Colorado, John Entsminger, who manages water in Nevada, says those hard decisions probably won’t come soon.

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UCD: A Drying Salton Sea Pollutes Neighboring Communities

/in , /by /Davis Enterpriseby Emily C. Dooley

When desert winds stir up dust from the Salton Sea’s exposed lakebed, nearby communities suffer from increased air pollution. The deterioration coincides with reduced flows into California’s largest lake, a new research paper in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics finds.

Disadvantaged communities have been affected more than others in the areas near the Salton Sea, which has been shrinking for years, said the paper’s co-leading author Eric Edwards. He is an assistant professor of agricultural economics at UC Davis, who did the research while at North Carolina State University.

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