Tag Archive for: Drought

OPINION: Arizona Has No Choice But To Act On The Drought Contingency Plan

/in , /by /The Arizona Republic (Phoenix)

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman has issued an edict to Arizona and the two other lower Colorado basin states: Come up with a drought contingency plan by Jan. 31 or she will step in and do it for us. Burman is right to throw down the gauntlet. The Colorado River is in trouble. A nearly two-decade drought and the ravages of climate change have reduced water levels in Lake Mead, the lower basin reservoir, to record lows. Hydrologists predict water levels in Lake Mead will likely drop below levels that, under the existing multistate agreement, trigger the first tier of mandatory cutbacks in Colorado River water deliveries to lower-basin states.

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All Eyes are on Arizona as Colorado River Meetings Open with Focus on Finishing Drought Deal

/in , /by /The Arizona Republicby Ian James

Representatives of water agencies from across the West convened here this week for their annual Colorado River meetings, focusing on finishing a drought plan to prevent the levels of reservoirs from continuing to drop. Many of the water managers said they’re looking to Arizona to finish negotiating the details of its plan so the state can sign on and make possible a larger deal aimed at preventing Lake Mead from falling further. Federal officials had expressed hopes that Arizona, California and Nevada would iron out remaining issues and be ready to sign the Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan at the Las Vegas conference.

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7 Southwestern States, Including California, Expected to Miss Deadline on Colorado River Drought Plan

/in , /by /KTLA 5 (Los Angeles)

With drought entering a second decade and reservoirs continuing to shrink, seven Southwestern U.S. states that depend on the overtaxed Colorado River for crop irrigation and drinking water had been expected to ink a crucial share-the-pain contingency plan by the end of 2018. They’re not going to make it — at least not in time for upcoming meetings in Las Vegas involving representatives from Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and the U.S. government, officials say.

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Controversy, Concerns Surround Drought Contingency Plan

/in , /by /Imperial Valley Pressby Richard Montenegro Brown

After four public workshops, the Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors will be asked Monday to approve an agreement that addresses California’s part to save the drought-plagued Colorado River as well as bolster supplies of water to Lake Mead. IID General Manager said staff will recommend the approval of the intra-California drought contingency plan agreement between IID and Metropolitan Water District, but the decision ultimately lies with the board.

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OPINION: Gov. Doug Ducey: Why I put $30 Million Toward Arizona’s Drought Contingency Plan

/in , /by /The Arizona Republicby Doug Ducey

After a great deal of hard work in recent weeks, water leaders from across Arizona have made significant progress in the effort to protect Arizona’s Colorado River water supplies. This progress brings us closer to a statewide agreement on Arizona’s internal plan for implementation of the Drought Contingency Plan. The long, hard-fought struggle to develop an Arizona DCP has not yet concluded, as there are still many details yet to be worked out.

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Arizona Makes Progress on Colorado River Drought Plan

/in , /by /Associated Press

Arizona says it’s one step closer to figuring out how to divvy up water cuts as the supply from the Colorado River becomes more limited. Several Western states that rely on the river are working on drought plans. The federal government wants them done by the end of the year. While Arizona hasn’t said it would meet that deadline, a committee meeting on the issue announced Thursday it is making progress. The plan isn’t final, including how to fund it.

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The Doldrums Of Drought: Water Managers, County Wrangle Over Lake Cachuma Supply

/in , /by /CoastalView.com (Carpinteria)by Melinda Burns

Where are the rains of yesteryear? The wet winter of 2017 is a distant memory as the county, like a thirsty desert survivor, staggers into its eighth year of drought. As of this month, the water level at Lake Cachuma, once the main water supply for the Carpinteria Valley, Montecito, Santa Barbara, and the Goleta and Santa Ynez valleys, has dropped back to 31 percent of capacity, a mark the reservoir hit in October 2014, on the way down to a record low of 7 percent in October 2016.

 

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Oregon, Already Struggling With Drought, May Have Still More to Come

/in , /by /Water Deeply (New York)by Matt Weiser

Oregon is known by many as a wet place, with persistent rain and forests enveloped in fog. This year is different. In a matter of just six weeks over the summer, one-third of Oregon was instead enveloped by extreme drought. That figure comes from the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), a branch of NOAA. The results also rank 86 percent of Oregon in severe drought territory, a slightly less severe category.

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Another Hot and Dry Winter for LA?

/in , /by /LA Curbedby Elijah Chiland

Los Angeles is in for another hot winter, with little chance for relief from drought conditions that now exist throughout California, according to a new forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That’s in spite of a probable El Niño event, which could bring above-average rainfall to the southwestern United States. The NOAA estimates that there’s a 70 to 75 percent chance that an El Niño develops in late fall or early winter, but it’s likely to be a weak El Niño, meaning that it’s less likely to bring higher than average rainfall to Southern California.

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Deeply Talks: Drought on the Colorado – Can We Adapt to Changing Runoff?

/in , /by /Water Deeply (New York)by Matt Weiser

Snowmelt is shrinking and runoff is coming earlier on the Upper Colorado River, the source of 90 percent of water for 40 million people in the West. This is leading to vegetation changes, water quality issues and other concerns. But it may be possible to operate reservoirs differently to ease some of these effects. In September’s episode of Deeply Talks, we spoke with two experts about the consequences and opportunities of these changes on the river.

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