Tag Archive for: Water cuts

Colorado River States Attempt To Reach Water-Use Plan — Again

/in , /by /Roll Callby Valerie Yurk

The seven states most affected by dwindling Colorado River levels are meeting over the next few days to draft proposals for managing the basin’s water levels, potentially preventing the Interior Department from imposing its own water cuts.

The seven Colorado River Basin states — Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California — have been sparring over who receives the biggest reductions in allocations after Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton announced a 2019 deal with the states that hinged on them saving 2 million to 4 million acre-feet of water, as much as a third of the river’s flows, or the federal government would intervene.

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Colorado River Water Negotiators Optimistic Ahead of Deadline

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Bobby Magill

Officials involved in the talks over how to cut Colorado River water use amid a historic drought say they’re optimistic a consensus will be reached by states before a Feb. 1 deadline even though the negotiations are in a delicate place.

If the seven Western states don’t reach consensus, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Reclamation will consider mandating water cuts—a move the states are working feverishly to avoid.

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Opinion: Imperial Valley Can’t Sustain Another Water Cut

/in , , /by /The Desert Sunby Mike Wade

As we head into winter, and growing season is over in most of the country, it is California’s Imperial Valley that supplies many of the winter vegetables you count on to keep your family eating healthy. It supplies much of the country’s winter vegetables including lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and other healthy produce. The Imperial Valley also provides a critical food source that consumers never see, but greatly impacts what we eat.

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Water Conservation is Critical in San Diego County as Colorado River Declines

/in , , /by /CBS 8 by CBS 8 staff, AP Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego County is not currently facing water cuts as the historic drought reaches a new low and the nation’s largest reservoir — Lake Mead — is at its lowest water level on record, according to the San Diego County Water Authority.

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US West Hit With Water Cuts but Rebuffs Call for Deeper Ones

/in , , /by /Associated Pressby Sam Metz, Suman Naishadham and Kathleen Ronayne

For the second year in a row, Arizona and Nevada will face cuts in the amount of water they can draw from the Colorado River as the West endures more drought, federal officials announced Tuesday.

The cuts planned for next year will force states to make critical decisions about where to reduce consumption and whether to prioritize growing cities or agricultural areas. Mexico will also face cuts.

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Sinema Meets With Regional Water Officials to Talk About $4B in Colorado River Drought Aid

/in , , /by /AZ Centralby Zayna Syed

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema introduced a new water advisory council at Hoover Dam on Monday to discuss how to spend $4 billion in water and drought aid included in the Inflation Reduction Act.

The $4 billion is meant to stave off the worst effects of drought across the Colorado River system, which is suffering from overuse and two decades of drought exacerbated by climate change.

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More Water Cuts AZ, NV, CA Try to Keep Lake Mead Levels Up

/in , , /by /ABC 15 Arizonaby Courtney Holmes

Arizona, California, and Nevada have agreed to further reduce their usage of Colorado River water over the next two years as the states figure out ways to prevent critically low water levels in Lake Mead.

The river accounts for 40% of Arizona’s water supply.

The states were already preparing for mandatory water cuts in 2022 resulting from the Tier 1 shortage federal declaration.

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Water Officials Set to Wring More Savings From Stressed Colorado River

/in , , /by /KNPR Radioby Nate Hegyl

Last week water officials from Nevada and two other Colorado River states said they would reduce their draws from the ailing waterway.

Now they need to make that happen.

Water leaders in Nevada, Arizona, and California signed an agreement to voluntarily reduce their take from the Colorado River to help stave off mandatory cuts in the upcoming years.

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California’s Drought Threatens Food Production in 2022 With Water Cuts

/in , , /by /Bloombergby Elizabeth Elkin and Alvaro Ledgard

California farmers who struggled to make it through record-breaking drought and heat in 2021 are bracing for another bad year, this time without any additional water from the state.

The state said it won’t give any water from the State Water Project to farmers unless drought conditions improve. That could mean even higher food prices at a time when consumers are struggling with an ongoing pandemic and inflation across the board.

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SFPUC Calls For 10% Voluntary Reduction In Water Use As It Declares Water Emergency

/in , , /by /CBS 5 Bay Area

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is urging nearly 3 million water customers throughout the Bay Area to cut water usage by 10%, as it declares a water shortage emergency due to the ongoing drought.

“With California still experiencing devastating drought and the uncertainty around this rainy season, we need to make tough decisions that will ensure that our water source continues to be reliable and dependable for the future,” Mayor London Breed said in a statement Tuesday.

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