Crop water demand in California’s San Joaquin Valley has increased to the size of a major reservoir in just 12 years due to climate change, a study has found.
An integral region for agriculture, particularly in fruit and nut production, it has been subjected in the past 10 years to severe drought conditions, with extreme temperatures that have evaporated water supply.
Spring is arriving sooner and warming up faster than ever before, new research shows. And that means more than just early wildflower blooms across Arizona.
A longer, warmer spring can stress water supplies in the West. The longer spring season may also produce ripple effects on agriculture as water demand will likely increase, and growing seasons may shift.
Recognizing that a reliable water supply is critical to all economies and communities relying on the drought-stricken Colorado River Basin, more than 30 water agencies and providers have committed to take additional actions to reducing water demands and helping protect the Colorado River system.
Through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was delivered to the Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton, municipal and public water providers in the Upper and Lower Colorado River Basin affirmed their commitments to implement comprehensive and innovative water conservation programs, initiatives, policies, and actions within their communities, including:
“As we consider the long-term aridification of the Colorado River Basin, the math is simple: water uses exceed water supplies,” said John Entsminger, General Manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority. “But solving that equation will require all Colorado River water users across every sector to make hard decisions and be fully invested in water conservation if we are going to bring our shared river system into balance.
“This problem is of the highest magnitude, but collectively we have the resources to find the solution,” said Brenda Burman, Executive Strategy Advisor of Central Arizona Project. “The path forward will require all Colorado River water users to contribute, and Central Arizona Project continues to make investments and commitments to support the Basin to reach a sustainable water future.”
“The significance of nearly 30 municipal and industrial providers of Colorado River water signing on to this agreement is truly historic,” said Gene Shawcroft, General Manager of the Central Utah Water Conservancy District. “The commitments of municipal and industrial water agencies in both the Upper and Lower Colorado River Basins toward a unified approach to problem solving is critical in light of the current drought conditions and historic low reservoir elevations confronting the basin. I hope this agreement will provide an example of effective Basin-wide collaboration on the many Colorado River issues we face now and into the future.”
“Forging a sustainable future for the Colorado River will take a commitment from all of us to use less water. More than two dozen water agencies from cities across the Southwest have made this commitment on behalf of the millions of people they serve,” said Adel Hagekhalil, General Manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. “This MOU is a key step towards bringing the River into balance, and powerful proof that working together, we can build solutions.”
Metropolitan is among 30+ water agencies committing to reducing demands on the #CoRiver by implementing comprehensive and innovative water conservation programs, initiatives, policies, and actions within their communities. Read more about the MOU: https://t.co/17K3FkgPtW pic.twitter.com/2xy0HCYYUi
— MWD of SoCal (@mwdh2o) November 16, 2022
Under the MOU, each participating water provider will implement the conservation actions, programs and/or policies most appropriate for its individual communities and water efficiency goals. While these water agencies primarily represent urban water uses, which is only a small fraction of the Colorado River’s total water consumption, the conservation strategies outlined will help reduce demands and protect water levels in lakes Powell and Mead.
“A sustainable, long-term plan for the Colorado River Basin requires all water users to reduce water demand commensurate with what the Colorado River can realistically supply given the new normal of hotter, drier weather,” said Ron Burke, President and CEO of the Alliance for Water Efficiency. “To this end, the Alliance for Water Efficiency commends the commitments from local water providers to expand water efficiency and conservation programs.”
In a joint letter of support, seven environmental, conservation, and non-governmental organizations called the MOU “an important step in the right direction,” further stating that “achieving these commitments is a necessary first phase to preserve the longevity of the Basin.”
Today’s announcement builds upon an initial MOU executed in August 2022 between Aurora Water, Denver Water, The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Pueblo Water and Southern Nevada Water Authority, significantly expanding participation and commitments from water providers across the Basin to implement best practices to conserve and enhance water efficiency.
Links to Water Provider Letters, Joint Letter from NGOs and Alliance for Water Efficiency Letter
Below is a list of all participating municipal and public water providers, as well as the respective media contacts:
ARIZONA
Central Arizona Project
Crystal Thompson, , 602-321-9349
City of Chandler
City of Mesa
City of Peoria
Briana Cortinas, , 623-773-7825
City of Phoenix
Michael Gertzman, , 602-534-1209
Athena Sanchez, , 602-261-8681
City of Tempe
City of Tucson
Scottsdale Water
Valerie Schneider, , 480-312-5689
Town of Gilbert
CALIFORNIA
City of Burbank Water and Power
Jeannine Edwards, , 818-238-3856 or 818-561-8019
City of Santa Monica
Constance Farrell, , 424-280-0008
Coachella Valley Water District
Lorraine Garcia, , 760-398-2661 x2549
Eastern Municipal Water District
EMWD, Public and Government Affairs Department, 951-928-3777 x4219
Foothill Municipal Water District
Nina Jazmadarian, , 818-790-4036 x102
Long Beach Water
Lauren Gold Howland, , 562-570-2314
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Rebecca Kimitch, , 202-821-5253
Maritza Fairfield, , 909-816-7722
Rancho California Water District
San Diego County Water Authority
Western Municipal Water District
Grace Cardenas, , 951-290-7026
COLORADO
Aurora Water
Castle Rock Water
Carrie Mahan Groce, , 303-660-1381
Colorado Springs Utilities
Jennifer Jordan, , 719-668-3848
Denver Water
Todd Hartman, , Media line: 303-628-6700
Travis Thompson, , Media line: 303-628-6700
Pueblo Water
Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District
NEVADA
Southern Nevada Water Authority
NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority
City of Santa Fe
Christine Chavez, , 505-955-4219
UTAH
Central Utah Water Conservancy District
Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District
Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities
Washington County Water Conservancy District
An estimated 40 million people rely on water that originates in the Colorado River Basin, but the river can no longer keep up with demand, and it’s raising serious questions about the future of water in the west.
Surrounded by bright orange pumpkins and empty shanks of corn outside his store east of Pueblo, Shane Milberger surveys his field.
An update to the plan for meeting the region’s long-term water needs is under development by the San Diego County Water Authority, in collaboration with its 24 member agencies. Once completed, the Water Authority’s 2020 Urban Water Management Plan will serve as the long-term guide to ensure a reliable water supply that sustains the region’s 3.3 million residents and its $245 billion economy.
The Water Authority Board of Directors’ Water Planning and Environment Committee is holding a special online meeting at 1:30 p.m. on November 12 for an update on the developing plan.
Californians have grown used to the idea that water is a precious commodity, one that we risk running out of without conservation.
A new report by the Pacific Institute suggests Californians have learned to conserve so well that water forecasters need to rethink their approach to estimating future water demand.
The last seasonal survey of snow in the Sierra Nevada confirms that California had a dry winter that will leave much-needed runoff levels below normal, authorities said Thursday.
The snow was only 1 ½ inches deep at the traditional manual measuring site at Phillips Station in the range east of Sacramento, and the water contained in it was equivalent to just a half-inch, which is 3 percent of the May average for the location, according to the state Department of Water Resources.
Sierra snow melt typically provides about 30% of the state’s water supply.
More broadly, 130 electronic snow sensors scattered throughout the Sierras indicated that California’s snow pack water equivalent is 37 percent of the May average.
Readings for April also were well below average.
“March and April storms brought needed snow to the Sierras, with the snow pack reaching its peak on April 9, however those gains were not nearly enough to offset a very dry January and February” and the last two weeks of higher temperatures have rapidly reduced the snow pack, said Sean de Guzman, chief of the department’s Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecast Section.
The snow measurements help in predicting runoff into reservoirs that will help meet California’s water demand in the summer and fall, the water agency said.
At the moment, reservoirs are in good shape, with the six largest close to or even above their historical averages. Lake Shasta, California’s largest surface reservoir, is currently more than 80% full, authorities said.
As California approaches what could be another drought, water utilities are eager to find new ways of curbing water demand. Stanford researchers have developed a machine learning model that detects unexpected water-use consumption patterns – data water utilities can use to inform resource planning and water conservation campaigns.
More than 100 Western water and agricultural organizations are urging Congress to include rebuilding and improving water infrastructure in any construction legislation it considers. The group sent a letter March 25 to key committees and Western senators, saying investments are needed to meet current and future water demands. The group is led by the Western Growers Association, California Farm Bureau Federation, Family Farm Alliance and the Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. The group noted that President Donald Trump has said rebuilding highways, roads and bridges is an area both political parties should be able to work on together. The Democratic party’s list of priorities includes an ambitious infrastructure program.
Updated water-use projections for the San Diego region through 2040 are substantially lower than earlier forecasts due to efficiencies that have become standard practice at homes and businesses countywide. That’s good news because it signals the potential for lower spending on water supply development and delivery in coming decades compared to previous forecasts.
