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Los Angeles Reduces Eastern Sierra Water Deliveries Because Of Climate Change. At Risk, Ranchers Say, Is A Way Of Life

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Louis Sahagun

The lush plains east of Yosemite National Park offer a window into a bygone California — a place where sage grouse welcome the arrival of spring with theatrical mating rituals and cattle graze on verdant pastures. For nearly a century, these lands have been made green thanks to annual flooding by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, helping maintain cattle forage and keeping alive a culture of ranching in southern Mono County. But those days may have come to an end in August.

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OPINION: The More We Drink, The Thirstier We Get

/in , /by /Santa Monica Mirror

Thirst, according to Merriam-Webster: “a sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat associated with a desire for liquids.” We’re getting thirstier. A year ago our colleague Thane Roberts pointed out that between 2005 and 2013 the City’s commercial sector increased its water consumption enormously, while the residential sector reduced its overall use–even while the city’s population grew. Why is this important? Because Santa Monica buys part of its water–roughly a quarter of its needs–from the Metropolitan Water District. The MWD’s water is obtained from sources that are becoming increasingly scarce, and the price is going up as the sources dry up.

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Environment Report: San Diego, Don’t Fear The Water Police

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Ry Rivard

For weeks, there’s been a lot of misinformation on social media about a pair of new state laws that attempt to limit indoor water use in California. For most people, the laws don’t do much more than set a new daily goal for indoor water use of 55 gallons per person, starting in 2022. In San Diego, that goal will be pretty easy to meet. In fact, we probably already meet it. According to the city’s water department, the average person uses 60.3 gallons per day, a figure that includes all water used inside and outside.

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