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Transformer Explodes at Hoover Dam, Prompting Emergency Response; Fire Quickly Extinguished

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Felicia Alvarez

An explosion at the Hoover Dam has prompted an emergency response from a Nevada fire crew, authorities said Tuesday morning.

“We have a crew on the way where we have a report of a fire,” said Lisa LaPlant, a spokesperson for Boulder City.

Boulder City officials said on Twitter that the city fire department was heading toward the incident about 10:30 a.m. after video circulated on social media showing an explosion near the dam.

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Opinion: What Will Happen if Lake Mead Dries Up? Look to the Salton Sea

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Richard Thomas

Recently, historic record-low water volume in Lake Mead and Lake Powell has been headline news. While the trend of dropping water levels at two of the nation’s largest water reservoirs has been widely recognized for years (perhaps decades), a discussion about what it truly means for those who rely on its source for water and electricity downstream is rarely heard.

Lake Mead’s water level continues to fall to historic lows, bringing the reservoir less than 150 feet away from “dead pool” — so low that water cannot flow downstream from the dam.

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They Sounded Alarms About a Coming Colorado River Crisis. But Warnings Went Unheeded

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

The Colorado River is approaching a breaking point, its reservoirs depleted and western states under pressure to drastically cut water use.

It’s a crisis that scientists have long warned was coming. Years before the current shortage, scientists repeatedly alerted public officials who manage water supplies that the chronic overuse of the river combined with the effects of climate change would likely drain the Colorado’s reservoirs to dangerously low levels.

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Supervisor Plancarte Calls for Water Shortage Summit

/in , , /by /Holtville Tribuneby Marcie Landeros

 Imperial County District 2 Supervisor Luis Plancarte called for a water shortage summit for all of the water providers in Imperial County to see where they stand with plans to reduce water consumption in light of extreme drought conditions in the state.

An emergency regulation was passed on May 24 by the state Water Resources Control Board, which required urban and commercial water suppliers to implement the second stage of their respective water shortage plans.

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How Much Can At-Home Conservation Impact Arizona’s Water Shortage?

/in , , /by /KJZZby Robert Dungan

The Southwest’s ongoing drought has put the spotlight on water conservation. Experts agree it’s an important part of the solution. But what does conservation mean to the average Arizonan? Shorter showers? No more grass lawns?

What really matters might surprise you.

Let’s say you’re standing at the kitchen sink with an empty peanut butter jar. You want to put it in the recycling bin, but you’re going to rinse it out first. Is it worth the water?

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Opinion: A Water Strategy for the Parched West: Have Cities Pay Farmers to Install More Efficient Irrigation Systems

/in , , /by /The Conversationby Robert Glennon

“Are you going to run out of water?” is the first question people ask when they find out I’m from Arizona. The answer is that some people already have, others soon may and it’s going to get much worse without dramatic changes.

Unsustainable water practices, drought, and climate change are causing this crisis across the U.S. Southwest. States are drawing less water from the Colorado River, which supplies water to 40 million people.

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The Southwest Is Bone Dry. Now, a Key Water Source Is at Risk

/in , , /by /Politicoby Lara Korte

California and six other Western states have less than 60 days to pull off a seemingly impossible feat: Cut a multi-way deal to dramatically reduce their consumption of water from the dangerously low Colorado River.

If they don’t, the federal government will do it for them.

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Colorado’s Water Leader Thinks Most of the Needed Colorado River Cuts Should Be Made by Arizona, Nevada and California

/in , /by /CPR Newsby Michael Elizabeth Sakas

Last month, the federal government dropped a bombshell on the states that share the Colorado River.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation gave Colorado and the other six states in the basin just two months to come up with a plan to drastically reduce the amount of river water they use. If they don’t, the federal government has threatened to use its emergency authority to make the cuts it feels are necessary.

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Opinion: What Will Happen to the Colorado River? What We Know About Looming Water Cuts

/in , , /by /AZ Centralby Joanna Allhands

The seven states that rely on the Colorado River must come up with a plan to cut 2 to 4 million acre-feet of water use.

By mid-August.

And if they don’t, the federal Bureau of Reclamation will act for them.

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Feds Seek Ideas on How to Manage a Drier Colorado River

/in , , /by /Tuscon.comby Tony Davis

For many decades, the Colorado River was managed with the attitude that its water levels would remain roughly stable over time, punctuated by alternating wet and dry periods.

But in the face of possibly the river’s driest period in 1,200 years, a new approach is now needed to managing the river’s reservoirs — one that can account for “deep uncertainty” about future climate and runoff conditions, says the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

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