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Calif. Regulators Buckle Up for the Potential of 0% Water Allocation for 2022

/in , , /by /The San Joaquin Valley Sunby The San Joaquin Valley Sun Staff

California’s reservoirs are so dry from a historic drought that regulators warned Thursday it’s possible the state’s water agencies won’t get anything from them next year, a frightening possibility that could force mandatory restrictions for residents. This year, unusually hot, dry conditions caused nearly 80% of that water to either evaporate or be absorbed into the parched soil — part of a larger drought that has emptied reservoirs and led to cuts for farmers across the western United States. It caught sate officials by surprise as California now enters the rainy season with reservoirs at their lowest level ever.

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California Will Consider Mandatory Water Restrictions if Dryness Continues This Winter

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

With California’s extreme drought persisting and reservoirs declining to new lows, state officials said they will consider imposing mandatory water restrictions if dryness continues this winter. Gov. Gavin Newsom called on Californians in July to voluntarily reduce water use by 15%, saying state water regulators would track progress toward that target and decide whether additional measures would be necessary.

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Here’s How California’s Drought is Impacting Bay Area Reservoirs

/in , , /by /NBC Bay Areaby Robert Handa

California is running out of water. That’s the harsh assessment by experts who say 90% of the state is dealing with drought conditions with the threat of mandatory statewide water restrictions looming.

The most glaring indications of the drought in the Bay Area are the local reservoirs. The reservoirs during the last drought were relatively full and offered a temporary buffer to a major water shortage. That is not the case this time around.

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Opinion: Depleted by Drought, Lakes Powell and Mead Were Doomed from the Beginning

/in , , /by /Washington Postby Becky Bolinger

For the first time, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation issued a water shortage for Lake Mead starting in 2022. Located between southern Nevada and northwestern Arizona, Lake Mead provides water and generates electricity for the more than 20 million people in the lower Colorado River Basin.

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Biden’s Interior Secretary Backs West Side Reservoir, More California Water Storage

/in , , /by /The Modesto Beeby John Holland

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland talked about dealing with drought, including a reservoir planned near Patterson, in a Zoom call with reporters Wednesday.

She was joined by Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, who has urged increased federal spending on such efforts.

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Drought Emergency: Santa Clara Water Officials Issue Dire Warning as Reservoirs Dip to Historic Lows

/in , , /by /CBS 5 SF Bay Area

With the state in the grips of a historic drought, reservoirs in Santa Clara County are at extremely low levels, as seen in a new video from the county’s water provider.

Santa Clara Valley Water, which provides for and manages the water needs of two million people in the county, released a new video Wednesday illustrating the dire state of the county’s reservoirs.

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These Before-After Images of Bay Area Reservoirs Show Drought’s Severe Impact

/in , , /by /The San Francisco Chronicleby Jessica Flores

Water levels at several Bay Area reservoirs have reached historical lows — just one of the devastating environmental impacts of California’s punishing drought, the Santa Clara Valley Water District said Wednesday.

Reservoirs operated by Valley Water, the main provider in Santa Clara County, were 85% full in April 2017, the agency said. As of Wednesday morning, they were at 12.5%. Then-and-now images illustrating how low the reservoirs have dwindled reinforced the agency’s grim report.

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Concerns Rise Over Monterey County’s Reservoir Water Levels

/in , , /by /Salinas Valley Tribuneby Sean Roney

State and county leaders recently took a tour of Nacimiento and San Antonio dams to get a first-hand look of the impacts of drought and facility conditions.

Both reservoirs have reached near record lows, with Nacimiento at 14% capacity and San Antonio at 7%. Water releases from the reservoirs have ceased as of July 28, with the visible effects in the north county being a drying of the Salinas River.

Though the 7% at San Antonio amounts to 50,000 acre-feet of water, it can’t be released.

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California Drought: Santa Clara County Residents Falling Far Short of Water Conservation Target

/in , , /by /The Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers

When it comes to California’s worsening drought, Santa Clara County residents are falling far short in conserving water.

On June 9, the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the county’s main wholesale water provider, declared a drought emergency and asked all 2 million county residents to cut water use by 15% from 2019 levels as local reservoirs dropped alarmingly and state and federal water agencies reduced water deliveries.

But new numbers out Friday show that instead of hitting the 15% target, residents saved 0% in June — essentially using the same amount of water as they did in June 2019.

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California Hydroelectric Plant Shut as Water Level Drops

/in , , /by /AP News

Drought-stricken California on Thursday shut down one of its largest hydroelectric plants because there’s not enough water to power it.

The six-turbine Edward Hyatt Power Plant was taken off-line after the water level in the Oroville Dam reservoir that feeds it sank to an historic low of less than 642 feet (195.7 meters) above mean sea level.

The reservoir in the Sierra Nevada foothills north of Sacramento was less than a quarter full.

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