Tag Archive for: Drought

Gov. Newsom Issues Executive Order Demanding Drought-Climate Plan

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

Like many governors before him, Gov. Gavin Newsom is seeking to get his arms around California’s myriad water problems, issuing an executive order Monday that calls for his administration to do nothing less than ensure safe and sufficient water for the next century. The order directs state agencies to review and come up with plans to improve policies addressing such issues as California’s chronic water shortages, contaminated drinking water, unaffordable water rates, and the declining health of rivers and lakes.

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Drilling Down To Defend Against Drought in Atlanta

/in , /by /The Engineering New Recordby Jim Parsons

The 2005-2007 drought that parched the Southeast wasn’t the worst Atlanta has endured since its establishment as a railroad hub in the 1830s. But with a burgeoning population dependent on a single water supply source the Chattahoochee River, fed by Lake Lanier that itself had been crippled by prolonged dry conditions, the drought was bad enough to spur action.

 

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OPINION: Drilling A Danger To Water Supply

/in , , /by /Ventura County Star

Drought isn’t the only danger to our water supply, as we have discovered in the last few weeks. Deep under the ground, our life-saving aquifers have been filling up from the rain. But on the Oxnard Plain, oil drilling threatens what we’re working so hard to protect. A recent U.S. Geological Survey report found petroleum-related gases in two groundwater wells sited directly over cyclic steam oil recovery operations, and possibly a third.

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Drought Will Become The Norm By Mid-Century As The Planet Warms

/in , , /by /Long Beach Postby Kelly Puente

In a sea of grassy lawns in Long Beach’s Rose Park neighborhood, Susan Moffett’s yard is a drought-tolerant retreat dotted with lavender, rosemary and pink-flowered abutilon plants. Originally from the Midwest, Moffett grew up with suburban green lawns, but as a landscape designer, she said drought tolerant plants are the necessity in Southern California. “A lot of people don’t realize the magnitude of our water shortage,” she said. “We all have a responsibility to conserve water.” One particularly perilous effect of climate change is the fact that Southern California is expected to become much hotter and drier in the coming decades.

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Colorado River Drought Plan Could Improve Local Drought Resilience

/in , , /by /Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction, Colo.)by Hannah Holm

Even as successive snowstorms obliterated drought conditions in the state of Colorado, the states that share the Colorado River put the final touches on a plan to use less water. On March 19, representatives from California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado asked Congress to approve their “Drought Contingency Plan.” Congressed obliged, and President Trump added his signature on April 16. The lightning speed with which the Drought Contingency Plan was approved in contentious Washington, D.C. reflects the plan’s importance. Over the past two decades, water use from the river has regularly exceed inputs from snow and rain, leading water levels in Lakes Mead and Powell to drop perilously low.

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The End Of California’s Drought Could Mean Fewer Cases Of West Nile Virus

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Harriet Blair Rowan

Researchers say the end of California’s drought could offer a surprising benefit: reduced transmission of the mosquito-borne West Nile virus. Drought is the most important weather-related factor that affects the rate of West Nile infection, scientists say. Mosquito eggs need water to hatch, but dry conditions tend to spur greater transmission of the virus.

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Drought Is Not Just About Water. It Affects Air Pollution, Too

/in , /by /Science Magazine (Washington D.C.)by Jason Plautz

The severe drought that struck California from 2011 to 2015 had an obvious impact on rivers, forests, and wildlife. Now, a new study shows it also had some surprising effects on the state’s notorious air pollution, adding new wrinkles to the state’s efforts to clear the skies. Researchers have long known that plants can both help create and cleanse one dangerous air pollutant: ground-level ozone, which causes breathing problems and exacerbates lung damage. Plants can scrub ozone from the air by absorbing the pollutant through their stomata, or pores. But certain plants also emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that react with other atmospheric chemicals to create ozone.

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Shadow Of Drought: Southern California’s Looming Water Crisis

/in , /by /KCET (Burbank, Calif.)

While California recovers from the worst drought in state history, a myriad of impacts resulting from climate change threaten Southern California’s imported water supply. As a shadow of drought hangs over the region, this documentary explores the dire consequences of inaction that lie ahead.

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Santa Barbara declares End To Drought Emergency

/in , /by /KSBY (Santa Barbara)by Lindsay Zuchelli

The City of Santa Barbara declared an end to its drought emergency Tuesday. The city says the above-average rainfall this winter improved water supplies. Based on current water supply forecasts, the city believes it has enough supply to meet demands through 2021. On Tuesday, the City Council ended its Stage Three Drought Emergency, lifting drought water use regulations. The City Council first enacted the Stage Three Drought Emergency in 2015, requiring 25 percent water conservation initially. According to the city’s website, that conservation number eventually increased to 40 percent. Now that the drought emergency is over, that requirement will be lifted, however, the city will still enforce regulations against irrigation runoff and anyone who fails to repair a leak.

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California May Be Drought Free, But Water Conservation Is Here To Stay

/in , , /by /ABC10 (Sacramento) by Tracy Humphrey

Let’s face it, the 2018-2019 water year has been awesome! The numbers tell the story. Sacramento is more than four inches above average for rainfall and Stockton is more than three inches above average for rainfall since October 1, 2018. Thanks to all the rainfall along with a very impressive snowpack, California is now completely drought free! The last time that happened was December 2011.

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