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Rocky Mountain Snow Pack Good for the Valley, Pandemic Not So Good

/in , , /by /The Desert Reviewby Betty Miller

The water and electrical divisions of the Imperial Irrigation District presented positive and negative reports respectively to the IID Board at the Tuesday, Jan. 18, regular meeting.

IID Water Manager Tina Shields gave a hydrology report about the recent, “nice little snowpack” brought by the recent storm. She said the Bureau of Reclamation had been having operational discussions of moving waters to Lake Powell to keep its water levels from falling below the minimum level necessary for the lake’s Glen Canyon Dam turbines to generate hydroelectricity. The snowpack will keep the water level high enough for the turbines to intake water for producing electricity.

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California Prepares for More Water Restrictions as Drought Worsens

/in , , /by /The Wall Street Journalby Jim Carlton

Californians may face new restrictions, including fines for improperly washing their cars, as the state prepares to virtually eliminate the water it supplies to local communities as it grapples with an unrelenting drought.

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Water Cutbacks Coming to Arizona

/in , , /by /Arizona Public Mediaby Christopher Conover

The “bathtub ring” at Lake Mead has become a familiar sight. The water level in the lake is the lowest it has been since the Hoover Dam, which created the lake, was built in the 1930s. Those low levels have been decades in the making.

“Back in around 2000, Lake Mead was pretty close to being full, but over the last 20 years-plus now we’ve just not had good hydrologic conditions. It will take years to recover from that, years of good conditions and unfortunately the climate models and projections don’t predict us getting cooler and they don’t predict us, let’s say, getting wetter,” said Dr. Sharon Megdal, University of Arizona professor and former board member for the Central Arizona Project.

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Southwest Braces for Water Cutbacks as Drought Deepens Along the Colorado River

/in , , /by /Arizona Republicby Ian James

Unrelenting drought and years of rising temperatures due to climate change are pushing the long-overallocated Colorado River into new territory, setting the stage for the largest mandatory water cutbacks to date.

Lake Mead, the biggest reservoir on the river, has declined dramatically over the past two decades and now stands at just 40% of its full capacity. This summer, it’s projected to fall to the lowest levels since it was filled in the 1930s following the construction of Hoover Dam.

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California, Get Ready for Water Cutbacks. Cities, Farms Receive Grim Warning About Supply

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

The rainy season is nearly over, there’s been no “March miracle” and the possibility of parched lawns and fallowed farm fields is growing.

State and federal officials issued remarkably bleak warnings Tuesday about California’s summer water supplies, telling farmers and others to gear up for potential shortages.

The Department of Water Resources, in a rare turnabout, actually lowered its forecast of the deliveries it expects to make to the cities and farms that belong to the State Water Project. In its new forecast, the agency said its customers can expect just 5% of contracted supplies. In December the expected allocation was set at 10%.

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Lakes Mead, Powell at Risk Again from Drought Despite Major Conservation Efforts

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

For the second time in two years, federal officials are warning that Lake Mead could drop in five to six years to levels low enough to possibly warrant major Central Arizona Project water cutbacks to Tucson and Phoenix.

These warnings were ratcheted up significantly compared to forecasts made earlier this year. That’s due to the severely hot and dry weather that struck most of the West during the summer, including the hottest two months on record in Tucson and Phoenix in August and July, respectively.

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First-Ever Mandatory Water Cutbacks Will Kick In Next Year Along The Colorado River

/in , , /by /The Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Ariz.)by Ian James

Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will be required to take less water from the Colorado River for the first time next year under a set of agreements that aim to keep enough water in Lake Mead to reduce the risk of a crash. The federal Bureau of Reclamation activated the mandatory reductions in water deliveries on Thursday when it released projections showing that as of Jan. 1, the level of Lake Mead will sit just below a threshold that triggers the cuts. Arizona and Nevada agreed to leave a portion of their water allotments in the reservoir under a landmark deal with California called the Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan, which the states’ representatives signed at Hoover Dam in May.

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