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Opinion: Dangerous Game of Chicken on the Colorado River

/in , , /by /The Salt Lake Tribuneby Kyle Roerink

Seven Western states and their leaders — all depending on water from the Colorado River — remain divided.

Split into basins by an imaginary border at Lees Ferry, Arizona, each state can share blame for the rapid depletion of reservoirs that once held over four years’ flow of the Colorado River. But now, Lake Powell and Lake Mead edge closer to empty. With water savings gone, the Lower Basin has been trying to cope, though the Upper Basin carries on business as usual. Meanwhile, 40 millions Americans depend on flows from this over-diverted river.

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Invest In Water Conservation During Fix a Leak Week 2022

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

Fix a Leak Week is a time to check indoor and outdoor plumbing systems for leaks. This year’s reminder about water conservation comes as California and much of the U.S. Southwest are in the third consecutive year of drought.

Minor water leaks account for more than one-trillion gallons of water wasted each year in homes across the United States. One-trillion gallons equals 3.068 million acre-feet, nearly enough water to meet the needs of San Diego County for seven years.

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With No Respite From Drought, Officials Call Upon Californians to Conserve Water

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

The start of this year has been the driest in California’s history. With the severe drought now in a third year, the state faces depleted reservoirs, a meager snowpack in the Sierra Nevada and a worsening water shortage on the Colorado River.

Under sunny blue skies in Sacramento, where it hasn’t rained in two months, officials stood Thursday in front of a mulch-covered garden and appealed for Californians to save water.

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Size of Drought in US Increased by the Area of California in the Past Month

/in , , /by /CBS Sacramento 13

The West is far from the only region experiencing remarkably dry weather so far this year. According to Thursday’s report from the US Drought Monitor, more than 61% of the contiguous US is in some classification of drought. It is the largest portion of the country in a state of drought since 2012, the year when the continental US saw an all-time record of 65% during September.

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2022 Water Year Looks Dismal as Snowpack Melts

/in , , /by /Imperial Valley Pressby Christine Souza (California Farm Bureau Federation)

The optimism spurred by heavy snowstorms in December has melted away, and the 2022 water year is now looking bleak.

After facing the driest recorded January and February in state history, California Department of Water Resources reported that statewide, the snowpack stood at 63% of average for the date last week after conducting the agency’s third manual snow survey of the year.

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Lake Powell’s Levels Projected to Drop Below Critical Threshold

/in , , /by /12 News

Lake Powell’s water levels are on the cusp of dropping below a critical benchmark and federal officials don’t expect the reservoir’s supply to be replenished until May.

As of Thursday, the lake’s levels were hovering inches above 3,525 feet, which is the threshold local officials set as the “target elevation” while drafting the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan Agreements.

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Water-Energy Program Helps Low-Income Families Achieve Savings

/in , , /by /ACWA Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority’s water-energy partnership with San Diego Gas & Electric is seeking $1.8 million in additional funding through 2026 to continue saving water and energy for thousands of income-qualified residents across the San Diego region. For more than 25 years, the Water Authority’s Water-Energy Nexus Program, or WEN, has maximized energy savings while supporting water efficiency in the San Diego region

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Some Light to Locally Moderate NorCal Showers to Come, But a “Miracle March” It Is Not

/in , , /by /WeatherWestby Daniel Swain

I don’t think it’s any surprise to anyone reading this blog that the past couple of months have been astonishingly dry across nearly all of California. The official stats certainly reflect this: the 2 month period during January-February 2022 was the driest such period in well over a century of record keeping for a majority of California (i.e., the northern 2/3).

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Lake Powell to Drop Below Target Level, a Troubling Sign for Colorado River

/in , , /by /The Nevada Independentby Daniel Rothberg

In the coming days, Lake Powell, a major reservoir on the Colorado River, is expected to drop below a critical threshold, a sign of the water stress facing the region amid a prolonged drought, warming temperatures and changes in how water cycles through the environment.

Forecasters with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency charged with managing much of the West’s water infrastructure, expect Lake Powell to fall below a key low-level water mark within a matter of days.

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Santa Barbara County Sees Third Year in a Row of Drought

/in , , /by /The Independentby Jean Yamamura

Santa Barbara County supervisors had the bad news confirmed that the drought is on and not about to end, but water agency manager Matt Young also brought some promising ideas to the mix.

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