Tag Archive for: Colorado River

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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The U.S. Drought Monitor Is A Critical Tool For The Arid West. Can It Keep Up With Climate Change?

/in , /by /Aol.by Hayley Smith

Known for its glowing swaths of yellow, orange and red, the U.S. Drought Monitor has warned farmers, residents and officials throughout the nation of impending water scarcity every week since 1999.

Backed by data on soil moisture, temperature, snow cover, meltwater runoff, reservoir levels and more, the map has become an essential instrument for determining the outlook of water supplies, declaring drought emergencies and deciding where and when government aid should be distributed, among other things.

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A Drying Salton Sea: Research Finds Higher Particulate Pollution After Water Diverted to San Diego

/in , /by /Phys.org

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, finds a new research paper in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics.

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Major California Water Recycling Program Gets $99M Boost

/in , /by /E&E Newsby Jennifer Yachnin

The Biden administration on Tuesday announced it would invest $99 million in taxpayer funds to support the creation of the world’s largest water recycling center, a project aimed in part at easing California’s reliance on the drought-stricken Colorado River.

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Water Recycling Gets a Boost in Southern California With New Federal Funding

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

The Biden administration has announced that Southern California’s plan to build the largest wastewater recycling plant in the nation will be supported by $99.2 million in federal funds, an investment that officials said represents a down payment toward making the region more resilient to the effects of climate change.

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