Tag Archive for: Drought

California’s Opening Bid Won’t Solve the Colorado River Crisis Alone

/in , , /by /Politicoby Annie Snider

California’s offer to conserve some of its share of Colorado River water over the next few years won’t solve the looming water and power crisis in the West — but it might be enough to kickstart negotiations among the states on a deal that could.

The biggest hurdle to striking an agreement that would sharply curtail water use among the seven states that share the river has been the impasse between the two thirstiest states — California and Arizona — over which should shoulder the brunt of the cuts as climate change fuels the deepest drought in the region in 1,200 years.

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Tempe Plans to Reopen Long Dormant Water Reclamation Plant Amid Grinding Drought

/in , , /by /Arizona Public Mediaby Cole Januszewski

The Kyrene Water Reclamation Facility, built in the late 1980s and closed by budget cuts in 2010, is being brought back online as a part of Tempe’s response to the ongoing drought. The plant will collect and recycle wastewater, used mainly to recharge aquifers beneath the city.

The announcement comes as Arizona experiences abnormally dry conditions, with 23% of the state in severe drought, a term used to describe conditions where water and feed are inadequate for livestock, fire danger is high and little forage remains for wildlife, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System. In fact, the drought that has gripped Arizona since 2000 has been the driest in more than 1,200 years, and it’s expected to persist in the near future, according to a study by Nature Climate Change.

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Opinion: Restore California’s Salton Sea to its Role in the Ecosystem

/in , , /by /The Mercury Newsby Brent M. Haddad and Robert Glennon

California’s largest inland body of water is in trouble. Inflows to the Salton Sea have decreased, salinity is growing, the ecosystem is collapsing, and neighboring communities are suffering high rates of respiratory illnesses caused, many believe, by contaminants in dust blowing off the exposed former seabed.

It’s not possible to import enough water quickly enough to save the ecosystem and cover the contaminants. The solutions must be more practical: Fixing the salinity will be the key to saving this crucial habitat. A targeted approach can also reduce dust.

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Opinion: Climate Change Forces California to Make Long-Term Adjustments, Immediate Water Cuts

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Michael Smolens

Internationally, the polar bear may be the climate-change canary in a coal mine.

Locally, it could be the avocado.

The fruit so identified with San Diego County agriculture has been on the decline for years. Severe weather, water availability and rising water prices — at least in part attributed to climate change — have reduced the yield of the crop and the revenue it generates.

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California’s Drought Withers Tomatoes, Pushing Grocery Prices Higher

/in , , /by /Reutersby Nathan Frandino , Christopher Walljasper and Aude Guerrucci

A lack of rain and snow in central California and restricted water supplies from the Colorado River in the southernmost part of the state have withered summer crops like tomatoes and onions and threatened leafy greens grown in the winter.

That has added pressure to grocery prices, putting a squeeze on wallets with no end in sight.

The rise in food prices this year has helped drive U.S. inflation to its highest levels in 40 years. California’s drought conditions, on top of Hurricane Ian ravaging citrus and tomato crops in Florida, are likely to push food costs even higher. Drought in an area known as the U.S. salad bowl has not only impacted fresh produce, but also pantry staples like pasta sauce and premade dinners.

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A California City’s Water Supply is Expected to Run Out in Two Months

/in , , /by /Washington Postby Joshua Partlow

The residents of this sun-scorched city feel California’s endless drought when the dust lifts off the brown hills and flings grit into their living rooms. They see it when they drive past almond trees being ripped from the ground for lack of water and the new blinking sign at the corner of Elm and Cherry warning: “No watering front yard lawns.”

The fire chief noticed it when he tested hydrants in August — a rare occurrence as Coalinga desperately seeks to conserve water — and the first one shot out a foot-long block of compacted dirt. The second one ejected a can of Axe body spray.

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After Coral Mountain Vote, Where Do Other Water, Surf Projects in the Valley Stand?

/in , , /by /Desert Sunby Tom Coulter and Erin Rode

Plans for a large, high-tech wave pool in La Quinta were recently rejected by its city council, but a handful of other water-centric attractions — including a trio that would feature artificial wave technology — are moving forward in the Coachella Valley.

The projects, which range from Palm Springs in the west to Thermal in the east, have gained approval from elected bodies to move forward. But some say more needs to be done to reduce the parks’ water usage, particularly as California just saw its driest three-year period on record.

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Upper Basin Officials See California Proposal to Conserve Colorado River Water as a Positive Sign — Even if it’s Not Enough

/in , , /by /The Colorado Sunby Chris Outcalt

California water agencies that use Colorado River water indicated Wednesday they’d be willing to cut 400,000 acre-feet of water use annually starting next year and running through 2025 — a move a top Upper Basin water official cast as a promising development in the negotiations over the future of the river.

“All in all, it appears to be an encouraging first step,” said Chuck Cullom, executive director of the Upper Colorado River Commission, an interstate agency that manages water in the Upper Basin states of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico.

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Collaboration Key to Stabilizing Colorado River Basin Decline

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

Collaboration among all water users is key to developing solutions for the Colorado River Basin, which is in the midst of a 22-year megadrought. That was one of the common themes during a webinar Thursday, in which water managers and other officials discussed ways to slow or stabilize the rate of decline of the major source of water for seven states and Mexico.

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Drought Means Central Valley Project Begins 2023 Water Year With Low Storage

/in , , /by /Hydro Reviewby Elizabeth Ingram

After a third straight year of severe drought, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Central Valley Project in California is beginning the 2023 water year with 3.6 million acre-feet of water in storage — one of the lowest starting points in recent years.

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