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Topic: Water Conservation

Overview April 24, 2014

Water Conservation

Water conservation has become a way of life throughout the West, with water demand commonly outpacing supply.

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Aquafornia news June 2, 2023 Christian Science Monitor

Breakthrough Colorado River plan: The benefits and limits

After nearly a year of gridlocked negotiations on the future of the stressed Colorado River, Arizona, California, and Nevada reached a breakthrough last week, uniting behind a voluntary proposal to further curtail their water use. Some observers call the proposal “historic.” But how significant is it? Since the news broke, others have described the Lower Basin agreement as overhyped. It’s still just a proposal, and only a short-term one for managing critically low reservoirs, which threaten hydropower and water supplies for millions of people.

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Aquafornia news June 1, 2023 The New York Times

Can Californians keep their lawns?

The tremendous rains over the winter have filled California’s reservoirs, blessed the snowpack and brought waterfalls and ancient lakes back to life. In some parts of the state, the precipitation has also revived something that was thought to have been a thing of the past: green lawns. Last spring, when California was still in a worsening drought, Jeff Fox and Amy Bach let the grass in their San Francisco backyard go dry. They covered their desiccated lawn with bark chips, added some succulents and well-placed rocks, and welcomed their new, drought-friendly landscaping. They were among the thousands of people who abandoned the California dream of a single-family home surrounded by a lush, neatly kept lawn. Then this winter, the Bay Area, like much of the state, was battered with enormous amounts of rain. 

Related articles: 

  • YourCentralValley: Save water and money with a “California native” front yard
  • Bakersfield.com: City of Bakersfield maintains water restrictions, even as Cal Water eases grip
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Aquafornia news June 1, 2023 Arizona Republic

Phoenix will voluntarily reduce Colorado River usage by 30% to combat low reservoir levels

Phoenix will leave 150,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Mead and Lake Powell over the next three years as part of a multi-state effort to protect the Colorado River, whose water levels have dropped to dangerously low levels after decades of severe regional drought.The move, unanimously approved by the City Council on May 31, reduces the city’s typical Colorado River allocation by 30% for 2023 and adds to a 9,300 acre-feet reduction already enacted as a result of the state’s drought contingency plan. Phoenix will receive $60 million in exchange for leaving the water in the lakes. 

Related articles:

  • KJZZ-Tempe: Phoenix to get up to $60M for giving up Colorado River water
  • Arizona Republic: Arizona has a lot of ideas to use less water. Which will win state cash?
  • Sky-Hi News: Colorado River District hosts annual State of the River meeting in Granby
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Aquafornia news May 31, 2023 Fox 5 - San Diego

San Diego County Water Authority: Colorado River agreement won’t impact supply

In a historic consensus, California, alongside the six other states that rely on the Colorado River for survival, announced an agreement last week for a plan to cut back water usage over the next three years. The proposal drafted by the three lower basin states – California, Arizona and Nevada – would cut water use from the river by at least 3 million acre-feet by the end of 2026 through conservation to prevent the river’s reservoirs from falling to critically low levels.  Of that total, 1.5 million acre-feet at minimum will be conserved by the end of next year under the proposal. One acre-foot of water supplies enough water for about 2.5 households of four people per year.

Related article: 

  • Times of San Diego: Assembly bill would require countywide vote for Fallbrook, Rainbow to exit San Diego County Water Authority
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Aquafornia news May 31, 2023 Arizona Republic

Climate change adds questions to Supreme Court case on Navajo water

News of water shortages, exacerbated by climate change, population growth, mining and other development, is everywhere these days in the American Southwest. But on the Navajo Reservation, a sovereign tribal nation that sits on about 16 million acres in northeast Arizona, southern Utah and western New Mexico, nearly 10,000 homes have never had running water. How that can and should be resolved is one aspect of a case brought before the U.S. Supreme Court on March 20, with the justices’ decision due any day now.

Related article: 

  • Navajo-Hopi Observer: Tribes to receive $48 mil to repair and revitalize water systems 
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Aquafornia news May 31, 2023 Associated Press

Nevada fight over leaky irrigation canal and groundwater more complicated than appears on surface

Water conflicts are nothing new to the arid West, where myriad users long have vied for their share of the precious resource from California’s Central Valley to the Colorado and Missouri rivers. But few have waded into the legal question playing out in rural Nevada: To what extent can local residents, farmers and ranchers claim the water that is soaking into the ground through the dirt floor of an antiquated, unlined irrigation canal? A federal appeals court recently breathed new life into litigation that has entangled the U.S. government and the high-desert town of Fernley ever since a 118-year-old canal burst and flooded hundreds of homes in 2008. This year the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation began work on a plan to line parts of the 31-mile (50 kilometer) canal with concrete.

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Aquafornia news May 31, 2023 Los Angeles Times

An easy and affordable way to track home water usage in L.A.

Last fall, before the epic, near-biblical rains of early 2023 pushed California’s historic drought off our collective radar, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power announced a pilot water-conservation program that sounded too good to be true. According to the announcement, for just $24, single-family homeowners in the city would be able to track real-time water usage, detect leaks and create a water budget from a smartphone app using a Wi-Fi-enabled, easy-to-install Flume water-meter sensor. Both eager to conserve water where I could and cynical that the gadget would end up being as affordable, user-friendly and effective as described, I took the plunge and ordered one.

Related article: 

  • Denver Post: Colorado communities juggle water conservation with development
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Aquafornia news May 26, 2023 Arizona Republic

Arizona water utilities take volunteer cut on CAP water allocations

Two Tucson water utilities will take new voluntary reductions on their allotment of Colorado River water, part of a wider effort by federal water managers to shore up supplies in the drought-stricken system. Tucson Mayor Regina Romero signed an agreement Wednesday with the Bureau of Reclamation to leave 110,000 acre-feet in Lake Mead over the next three years. Metropolitan Domestic Water Improvement District, or Metro Water, which serves over 50,000 people and hundreds of businesses in the Tucson area, signed a similar agreement for 15,000 acre-feet. Tucson and Metro Water will take the reduction through 2025 and will be compensated with $400 per acre-foot. Tucson had already offered to leave 60,000 acre-feet in the system between 2022 and 2023.

Related articles: 

  • USA Today: With the Colorado river drying up, how states plan to use less water
  • KJZZ – Tempe, AZ: The new Colorado River deal gives Phoenix water stability, but only in the short term 
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Aquafornia news May 25, 2023 Desert Sun

Nearly $1 billion sought by California desert water agencies to save Colorado River

The Biden Administration is finalizing agreements to pay an estimated $1.2 billion in taxpayer dollars to prop up the Colorado River system that provides 40 million people with water. California desert water districts who are entitled to the most river water are vying for nearly $900 million of those funds, according to interviews with key negotiators and funding announcements to date. In exchange, they would leave nearly 1.4 million acre-feet of water in Lake Mead, one of two massive reservoirs along the river. That’s almost half of the nearly trillion gallons that California, Nevada and Arizona officials on Monday told federal authorities they could collectively conserve through 2026. That proposal and related environmental reviews must still be approved by federal officials.

Related articles: 

  • Associated Press: Breakthrough proposal would aid drought-stricken Colorado River as 3 Western states offer cuts
  • Vox: Why the new Colorado River agreement is a big deal — even if you don’t live out West
  • Desert Sun: Nearly $1 billion sought by California desert water agencies to save Colorado River 
  • KSL – Salt Lake City: Lake Powell bounces back from record-low water levels
  • Modern Farmer: At Last, States Reach a Colorado River Deal: Pay Farmers Not to Farm
  • Time: Western States Finally Strike Colorado River Deal. But The Hard Work Has Only Just Begun
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Aquafornia news May 25, 2023 SF Gate

City lifts most restrictive water conservation measures

The Mountain View City Council on Tuesday lifted restrictive water conservation measures in effect for nearly a year. The council rescinded a stage 2 water emergency in place since June 28, 2022 that had included limiting outdoor irrigation to two days per week citywide. ”Although this most recent water shortage emergency is officially over, the city continues to support long-term water use efficiency efforts,” according to an update from the city on Wednesday. As of April 2023, California water supply conditions have improved, with the state’s snowpack exceeding 250% and many reservoirs reaching historic high levels.

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Aquafornia news May 24, 2023 Salt Lake Tribune

Meet the czar coordinating Great Salt Lake’s rescue plan

The state’s new czar overseeing all things Great Salt Lake has a lot of work ahead while an environmental time bomb continues to tick. Last week, Gov. Spencer Cox tapped Brian Steed to fill a new slot as lake commissioner. If confirmed by the Senate, Steed will coordinate the many state agencies overseeing the Great Salt Lake’s water supply, water quality, wildlife and industries, all while preparing a strategic plan on how to keep the lake from shriveling up, and delivering it to lawmakers by November. That’s no small feat for any state employee, and Steed’s also going to juggle it with his current job as executive director of the Institute for Land, Water and Air at Utah State University. Record-breaking snowpack may have bought Steed a little breathing room — it has already raised the lake’s elevation more than four feet from its record low in November. 

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Aquafornia news May 22, 2023 The Nevada Independent

Inside Las Vegas’ legislative push for tools to reduce water use before any big cuts come

In 2021, at a Colorado River conference in Las Vegas, the Southern Nevada Water Authority laid out an ambitious and detailed plan to lower per capita water use through conservation. The presentation quantified why deep municipal conservation — limits on decorative grass, pool sizes, golf courses, septic tanks and landscaping — was necessary to adapt to a far drier future.  It was a signal that Las Vegas planned to go all-in on conservation. Part of this was necessity. Of the seven states that rely on the Colorado River, Nevada has by far the smallest allocation. It is also one of the urban centers most reliant on the river, the source of 90 percent of its water supply. Part of the plan was to shore up water for more growth. 

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Aquafornia news May 17, 2023 The Washington Post

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: States Near Historic Deal to Protect Colorado River

After nearly a year wrestling over the fate of their water supply, California, Arizona and Nevada — the three key states in the Colorado River’s current crisis — have coalesced around a plan to voluntarily conserve a major portion of their river water in exchange for more than $1 billion in federal funds, according to people familiar with the negotiations.

Related articles: 

  • Rocky Mountain PBS: As the Colorado River dries up, a documentary satirizes — and examines — the greed that got us here
  • Colorado Public Radio: Viva Las Vegas
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Aquafornia news May 16, 2023 Las Vegas Review-Journal

Bill that could limit home water use in Las Vegas proceeding

A sweeping water conservation bill that would give Las Vegas Valley water managers the unprecedented ability to limit how much water single-family residential homes in Southern Nevada could use continues to make its way through the state Legislature. Assembly Bill 220 would give the Southern Nevada Water Authority the power to limit residential water use to 0.5 acre-feet per home per year in Clark County during times when the federal government has declared a water shortage along the drought-stricken Colorado River that supplies about 90 percent of Southern Nevada’s water. If approved, Nevada would be the first state to give a water agency the power to cap the amount of water that flows into individual homes.

Related article: 

  • Havasu News: County to draft rebuttal of BOR Colorado River plan
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Aquafornia news May 16, 2023 Napa Valley Register

Napa’s cities step back water restrictions following California’s winter storms

Two years ago, Napa County’s cities imposed strict water-use curbs in response to the encroaching pressure of California’s historic drought. The city of Napa, for instance, limited most outdoor residential irrigation to only two days a week, prevented residents from irrigating for much of the day and restricted the trucking of water from city hydrants, all in an effort to cut community water use in 2021 by 20% compared to the year before. But in recent weeks, following a wintertime deluge of rain and snow across the state — which refilled dry reservoirs and packed mountain ranges with unprecedented levels of snow — California’s drought emergency has lifted. Napa’s cities have pulled back their water restrictions as a result.

Related article: 

  • Press Democrat: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to consider sewer rate increase 
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Aquafornia news May 15, 2023 KGET - Baksersfield

In which states are people allowed to collect rainwater?

It may seem like the most natural thing to do, even a great use of rain water: collecting it. But did you know it could be illegal to do it in your state? While collecting rainwater is not federally illegal, many states have restrictions in place, and water laws are primarily handled on the state level. Alternatively, some states even offer incentives for those who collect rainwater. States that have some level of rainwater collection restrictions include: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

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Aquafornia news May 15, 2023 Aspen Journalism

Water saved through upper-basin program unlikely to move needle in Powell

Three of western Colorado’s biggest irrigation districts are not participating on a large scale in a federally funded program to conserve water, and the amount of water saved by the program overall won’t be enough to rescue depleted reservoirs. The rebooted System Conservation Program was one of the legs of the Upper Colorado River Commission’s 5-Point Plan, announced in July and aimed at protecting critical elevations in Lake Powell and Lake Mead, which have fallen to record-low levels in recent years because of overuse, drought and climate change. … The total water estimated to be saved across the upper basin for this year of the restarted, temporary and voluntary System Conservation Program is nearly 39,000 acre-feet. By comparison, Lake Powell when full holds more than 23 million acre-feet. 

Related articles: 

  • Las Vegas Review-Journal: NASA images show Colorado River changes after simulated flood
  • NPR: The fate of the imperiled Colorado River and attempts to mitigate disaster
  • KJZZ – Tempe, AZ: Is Arizona in a drought or not?
  • Farmington Daily News: Officials say releases from Navajo Dam ramping up quickly in days ahead
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Aquafornia news May 11, 2023 Associated Press

Long popular in Asia, floating solar catches on in US

When Joe Seaman-Graves, the city planner for the working class town of Cohoes, New York, Googled the term “floating solar,” he didn’t even know it was a thing. What he did know is that his tiny town needed an affordable way to get electricity and had no extra land. But looking at a map, one feature stood out. … Seaman-Graves soon found the reservoir could hold enough solar panels to power all the municipal buildings and streetlights, saving the city more than $500,000 each year. He had stumbled upon a form of clean energy that is steeply ramping up. Floating solar panel systems are beginning to boom in the United States after rapid growth in Asia. They’re attractive not just for their clean power and lack of a land footprint, but because they also conserve water by preventing evaporation.

Related article: 

  • Los Angeles Times: How can we speed up solar and wind energy? Here are some ideas
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Aquafornia news May 11, 2023 Colorado Sun

Colorado’s legislative action on water this year was mostly about what lawmakers didn’t do 

The 2023 Colorado lawmaking session was one of “incremental steps” on water issues, which means Coloradans have to wait until next year to see if legislators can find policy solutions to key water security questions. Colorado, like the six other Western states in the Colorado River Basin, is facing an uncertain water future as a two-decade drought and overuse threaten the basin’s water supply. This year, state officials started the 120-day lawmaking session saying water was going to be the “centerpiece” of Democratic environmental policy. … Fewer than 20 bills specifically addressed water issues, although several other bills could have indirectly impacted the state’s water system. 

Related article: 

  • Aspen Daily News: New legislation addresses drought 
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Aquafornia news May 11, 2023 Los Angeles Times

Fountain Valley adopts resolution declaring end to water supply shortage

Fountain Valley has declared an end to a water supply shortage it had been observing for the past 11 months. The City Council, at its May 2 meeting, voted unanimously to adopt a resolution restoring the normal water supply conditions for the community. Gov. Gavin Newsom had declared a state of emergency concerning drought for all of California on Oct. 19, 2021. The California State Water Resources Control Board subsequently implemented emergency measures on May 24, 2022, including required water supply and demand assessments, implementation of water use reduction measures, and a prohibition on the use of potable water to irrigate nonfunctional turf at commercial, industrial and institutional facilities.

Related article:

  • Desert Sun: Water agencies lift some restrictions following wet winter: What’s changed, what hasn’t
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Aquafornia news May 9, 2023 Outside Online

The plan to save Utah’s Great Salt Lake involves a big pipe

Out in Utah’s barren West Desert, past the hazardous-waste landfill and the military bombing range, on the far side of the Great Salt Lake, sits a silent, mysterious structure that will make a great ruin someday. Scratch that: it already is one. The three-story industrial building was hastily erected in the late 1980s, at a cost of $60 million, to house a pumping station with an urgent task: to suck water out of the Great Salt Lake and spew it into the desert flats farther west. The lake was then at record-high levels, threatening to flood railway lines, ­interstate highways, and farmland. The pumps were in operation for about two years before nature took over and the lake receded on its own. More than three decades later, the Great Salt Lake has the opposite problem—too little water. 

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Aquafornia news May 8, 2023 KCRA - Sacramento

The rain catcher: Sacramento man catches, saves rainwater

The first few months of 2023 brought with it to California months of rain, atmospheric rivers and the deepest snowpack the Sierra has seen in decades. The state’s water supply is looking better than it has in the past several years. In Sacramento County, officials are encouraging people to continue saving water. The problem is that much of the water from the storms flows into the Pacific Ocean, but the county is encouraging you to save the water and points to residents already committed to the process. One such resident is Elder Yehudah, whose backyard is a plentiful place filled with citrus trees, vegetables, plants and bees. He also has plenty of water.

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Aquafornia news May 8, 2023 KLAS - Las Vegas

Los Angeles County officials working to lower water consumption

The 8 News Now Investigators ran a four-part series on the “California Water Hogs,” with a special focus on the water used to irrigate farmland in the Imperial Valley, water storage, water recycling, and desalinating seawater. However, officials in Los Angeles County said they are doing more there than people in Las Vegas might think. … In addition to pointing out that Los Angeles water customers have lowered their water consumption by 30% in the last 15 years, … L.A. County is offering residents rebates to tear out their lawns and replace them with sustainable landscapes.

Related articles: 

  • Press Enterprise: Riverside County must plan for 40,647 new homes by 2030. It’s only issued permits for 1,138
  • Pasadena Now: Pasadena’s Watering Rules Could Be Relaxed, 15% Water Conservation Target Could Be Lifted
  • ABC 10: California cities rank among best in US for indoor water use
  • Tehachapi News: Golden Hills - Long after developers moved on, CSD still works to secure water rights for community
  • Bakersfield Californian: City to start pilot meter program in southwest​
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  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 8, 2023 Denver Post

A plan to pay farmers to use less of the Colorado River comes up dry

One way to save massive amounts of water from the drying Colorado River — state and federal officials had hoped — was to effectively buy water this year from farmers and ranchers with a $125 million conservation program. But very few are taking the offer. Or those willing to sell were turned away. … Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, which make up the river’s upper basin, launched the System Conservation Pilot Program late last year, offering money to farmers and others willing to forgo their water use this year, restarting a water-saving initiative that ran just a few years ago. This time around, though, the program is slated to spend twice as much to save a fifth less water, Colorado River officials say.

Related articles: 

  • Mother Jones: The Colorado River Wars Are Based on Bad Math
  • Arizona Daily Star: Wet year amid Colorado River drought puts water-use cuts in question
  • Mexico Daily Post: These are the states of Mexico that will run out of water in 2050. 
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Aquafornia news May 8, 2023 Agence France-Presse

The ‘water cops’ of Las Vegas make city a model in drought-hit US

Known around the world as an oasis of overindulgence, the desert city of Las Vegas has emerged as a surprising model of austerity and prudence when it comes to water. Some 2.3 million people live in the arid Las Vegas Valley, and 40 million tourists are drawn each year to its giant casinos and hotels. Yet because Nevada is allowed to use less than two percent of the drought-hit Colorado River’s total water, it has taken drastic action, from banning lawns to capping the size of swimming pools. Even as the region’s population has exploded by more than half in the past two decades, use of the mighty but dwindling river—by far Las Vegas’s main water source—has declined by almost a third.

Related articles:

  • Inside Climate News: Amid Continuing Drought, Arizona Is Coming up With New Sources of Water—if Cities Can Afford Them
  • Arizona Daily Republic: What’s the status of water’s future in Arizona? 7 things we know
  • Salon: The Water Brokers
  • Arizona Republic: Gilbert AZ water park gets new opening date. Here’s what’s coming
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Aquafornia news May 5, 2023 Water News Network

Students showcase innovation in water technology

Middle and high school students from San Diego and Imperial counties showcased their creativity and innovation in water technology at the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair. Winning students at the March event presented multi-faceted water technology designed for use in agriculture, water conservation, safety and treatment, creating solutions to some of the San Diego region’s most pressing water issues. For decades, the San Diego County Water Authority has partnered with the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair to inspire students to pursue water industry careers and experiment with sustainable water designs.

Related article: 

  • TurnTo23 - Bakersfield: High-tech water recycling helps So-Cal families save every drop
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Aquafornia news May 4, 2023 News Channel 3-12 - Santa Barbara

Despite wet winter, Santa Maria begins Water Awareness Month still encouraging continued conservation

Even after a record-setting winter of heavy rainfall that filled local reservoirs, the City of Santa Maria is still encouraging everyone in the community to continue water conservation efforts. On Tuesday night at the Santa Maria City Council meeting, Mayor Alice Patino officially proclaimed May as Water Awareness Month. … Water Awareness Month is an annual observation throughout California that was created to help educate residents about the efficient use of water resources. This year, unlike in the recent previous years when the state was gripped by continued dry weather, Water Awareness Month comes following heavy rainfall throughout the past winter.

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Aquafornia news May 3, 2023 Popular Science

Blog: An elite few are fueling the sustainable water crisis

Over the last four decades, global water use has increased by about 1 percent per year. This rise is driven by many factors, including population growth, changing consumption patterns, and socioeconomic development. By 2050, the United Nations Water estimates urban water demand to increase by 80 percent. As freshwater needs continue to rise in cities, the sustainable management of urban water supply becomes even more critical. … In general, Zuniga-Teran says the reasons for urban water crises are, to an extent, caused by “a consequence of uncontrolled urban growth and the unsustainable use of water resources.”

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Aquafornia news May 3, 2023 KTLA - Los Angeles

Los Angeles County fully out of a drought

The latest update from the official U.S. Drought Monitor shows that more areas of the Golden State are no longer in a drought, including all of Los Angeles County. Drought conditions have continued to retreat across the state after the winter season brought heavy rain and historic snowfall. The data, released on April 27, shows that more than 60% of California is free from any drought classification, a percentage that has continued to increase since March when researchers found that more than 50% of the state was out of a drought, which was the first time that happened in three years.

Related articles: 

  • Coachella Valley Independent: Opinion – Restriction rollback – Coachella Valley’s water agencies are dropping rules regarding water use—but the Colorado River remains a problem
  • KLAS – Las Vegas: This is what Southern California is doing to save water 
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Aquafornia news May 2, 2023 Axios

Lawn wars consume America’s neighborhoods

The American lawn has become the latest front-line issue in neighborhoods across the country: Some are shelling out to maintain lush greens while others forgo mowing and chemical treatments. Why it matters: Environmental campaigns like “No Mow May,” the “anti-lawn” movement, “Food Not Lawns” and “Climate Victory Gardens” are gaining steam — but prompting homeowner associations and other traditionalists to dig in their heels. The issue pits property values, aesthetics and “curb appeal” against concerns about drought, gas-powered mowers and biodiversity. Even among those who prize sustainability, there’s debate over lawn care techniques — but agreement that too much mowing is bad for pollinators. Driving the news: As spring gardening season begins, homeowners are wrestling with personal decisions about how to tackle lawn care: To mow or not to mow? Irrigate? Fertilize?

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Aquafornia news May 2, 2023 The Guardian

This beer is made from recycled shower water. Is it the taste of the future?

After years of historic drought in California, water recycling has become a pressing issue – but just how much can be done with what we’ve got? A water-recycling company is seeking to answer that question, with help from a local brewery. The result is a beer made from wastewater, and I can tell you from personal experience that it’s pretty good. Epic OneWater Brew, from Epic Cleantec and Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company, is made from greywater recycled from showers, laundry and bathroom sinks in a 40-story San Francisco apartment building, where Epic has onsite equipment to capture, treat and reuse water for non-drinking purposes.

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Aquafornia news May 1, 2023 The Mendocino Voice

BOS declares end to local drought emergency in Mendocino County

A drought emergency declaration in place over the past two years was lifted in the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday. “Current conditions are not beyond the control of the services, personnel equipment and facilities of the county” after a stormy winter and spring helped replenish local water reserves, the resolution states.  The board voted unanimously to approve the item as part of this week’s consent calendar. Governor Gavin Newsom lifted some drought provisions, such as emergency water deliveries, around the state last month. The measure maintained the ban on wasteful water uses like ornamental lawns and preserved emergency orders focused on groundwater supply, among other responses to drought.

Related article: 

  • North Bay Business Journal: Drought pressure subsides at Lake Sonoma, but marina operators still struggling 
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Aquafornia news May 1, 2023 Deseret News

What Utah can learn from Israel about water savings

The delegation of Utah officials, lawmakers and researchers have been impressed with what Israel has accomplished when it comes to water. … Lake Kinneret (also known as the Sea of Galilee) was once a major part of Israel’s water supply. That’s no longer the case as the country has created other sources of water using desalination and water reuse. Israel’s advances in technology and water development are something state leaders are looking at closely as they try to deal with drought and the shrinking Great Salt Lake.

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Aquafornia news April 28, 2023 Stanford University News

New research: A better, faster tool for saving water on farms

Stanford researchers have designed an irrigation optimization tool that could help farmers slash water use. The tool rapidly estimates water loss from soils due to “evapotranspiration,” a process that involves the evaporation of water into the atmosphere and the uptake of water by plants. Compared to state-of-the-art ways of getting such evapotranspiration estimates, the new Stanford modeling tool works 100 times faster while maintaining high levels of accuracy. In practice, the tool could dramatically reduce the time needed to devise strategic, efficient irrigation schedules that best position watering and sensing equipment across entire farms.

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Aquafornia news April 28, 2023 Governing Magazine

California county recycles all its wastewater, a world first

On April 14, Orange County, Calif.’s Water District (OCWD) and Sanitation District (OC San) announced that together, they had accomplished something that has never been done anywhere else, ever. They are purifying and recycling 100 percent of the county’s reclaimable wastewater. The county’s Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS), operational and expanding continuously since 2008, is the largest indirect potable water reuse facility in the world…. The GWRS now provides 130 million gallons of water a day, enough to meet the daily needs of a million residents.

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Aquafornia news April 27, 2023 Porterville Recorder

Lower Tule River Irrigation District receives $2 million water preservation grant

Since “every drop” of water counts a $2 million grant awarded to the Lower Tule River and Pixley Irrigation Districts will help those districts preserve as much of their water as possible. On Friday the Bureau of Reclamation announced the districts were awarded the $2 million grant. The funding was part of $140 million announced by President Joe Biden’s administration. The Department of the Interior is providing the funding for water conservation and efficiency projects. There were 84 projects in 15 western states that received the funding from the Infrastructure Bill. In addition the Tule Hydroelectric Rehabilitation Project for a facility above Springville was awarded a $500,000 grant as part of the $140 million awarded.

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Aquafornia news April 26, 2023 East Bay Municipal Utility District

EBMUD further eases drought restrictions and focuses on long-term conservation

Following a unanimous 7-0 vote by its Board of Directors, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) has moved to a stage 0, further easing drought restrictions, while continuing to urge customers to conserve water. The April 25, 2023 Board action ends the water shortage emergency that began in April 2021, and suspends a District-wide voluntary 10 percent water use reduction. Drought restrictions issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom in a March executive order remain in place. They include no irrigation within 48 hours of rainfall, no irrigation of ornamental turf on non-residential sites, no irrigation runoff, no spraying sidewalks and driveways, and only allowing hoses with shut-off nozzles when washing vehicles. All changes went into immediate effect on April 25.

Related article: 

  • ABC7 – Bay Area: How does drinking water get to the East Bay?
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Aquafornia news April 26, 2023 UC Riverside

New research: Forced water-use cuts made California more waterwise

After a drought-stricken California lifted a year of mandatory water-use cuts that were effective in 2015 and 2016, urban water use crept back up somewhat, but the overall lasting effect was a more waterwise Golden State, a University of California, Riverside, study has found. Published Tuesday, April 25, in the journal Water Resources Research, the UCR study found that water use by 2019 was still lower than it was in 2013, thanks in large part to water use changes by larger water users.   The water-reduction mandate imposed in 2015 by then-Gov. Jerry Brown also spurred Californians to develop better water-saving habits, such as irrigating their lawns and gardens during cooler morning hours when less water is lost to evaporation, the researchers found. The study analyzed about half a billion records of hourly water use data.

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Western Water April 21, 2023 Nick Cahill Colorado River Bundle WESTERN WATER-Upper Colorado River States Add Muscle as Decisions Loom on the Shrinking River’s Future By Nick Cahill

Upper Colorado River States Add Muscle as Decisions Loom on the Shrinking River’s Future
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Upper Basin States Seek Added Leverage to Protect Their River Shares Amid Difficult Talks with California and the Lower Basin

The White River winds and meanders through a valley.The states of the Lower Colorado River Basin have traditionally played an oversized role in tapping the lifeline that supplies 40 million people in the West. California, Nevada and Arizona were quicker to build major canals and dams and negotiated a landmark deal that requires the Upper Basin to send predictable flows through the Grand Canyon, even during dry years.

But with the federal government threatening unprecedented water cuts amid decades of drought and declining reservoirs, the Upper Basin states of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico are muscling up to protect their shares of an overallocated river whose average flows in the Upper Basin have already dropped 20 percent over the last century.

They have formed new agencies to better monitor their interests, moved influential Colorado River veterans into top negotiating posts and improved their relationships with Native American tribes that also hold substantial claims to the river.

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Western Water February 16, 2023 Nick Cahill California Groundwater Map WESTERN WATER-California Water Agencies Hoped A Deluge Would Recharge Their Aquifers. But When It Came, Some Couldn't Use It By Nick Cahill

California Water Agencies Hoped A Deluge Would Recharge Their Aquifers. But When It Came, Some Couldn’t Use It
WESTERN WATER IN-DEPTH: January storms jump-started recharge projects in badly overdrafted San Joaquin Valley, but hurdles with state permits and infrastructure hindered some efforts

An intentionally flooded almond orchard in Tulare CountyIt was exactly the sort of deluge California groundwater agencies have been counting on to replenish their overworked aquifers.

The start of 2023 brought a parade of torrential Pacific storms to bone dry California. Snow piled up across the Sierra Nevada at a near-record pace while runoff from the foothills gushed into the Central Valley, swelling rivers over their banks and filling seasonal creeks for the first time in half a decade.    

Suddenly, water managers and farmers toiling in one of the state’s most groundwater-depleted regions had an opportunity to capture stormwater and bank it underground. Enterprising agencies diverted water from rushing rivers and creeks into manmade recharge basins or intentionally flooded orchards and farmland. Others snagged temporary permits from the state to pull from streams they ordinarily couldn’t touch.

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Western Water December 9, 2022 Nick Cahill Colorado River Basin Map WESTERN WATER-As Colorado River Flows Drop and Tensions Rise, Water Interests Struggle to Find Solutions That All Can Accept By Nick Cahill

As Colorado River Flows Drop and Tensions Rise, Water Interests Struggle to Find Solutions That All Can Accept
WESTERN WATER IN-DEPTH: Chorus of experts warn climate change has rendered old assumptions outdated about what the Colorado River can provide, leaving painful water cuts as the only way forward

Photo shows Hoover Dam’s intake towers protruding from the surface of Lake Mead near Las Vegas, where water levels have dropped to record lows amid a 22-year drought. When the Colorado River Compact was signed 100 years ago, the negotiators for seven Western states bet that the river they were dividing would have ample water to meet everyone’s needs – even those not seated around the table.

A century later, it’s clear the water they bet on is not there. More than two decades of drought, lake evaporation and overuse of water have nearly drained the river’s two anchor reservoirs, Lake Powell on the Arizona-Utah border and Lake Mead near Las Vegas. Climate change is rendering the basin drier, shrinking spring runoff that’s vital for river flows, farms, tribes and cities across the basin – and essential for refilling reservoirs.

The states that endorsed the Colorado River Compact in 1922 – and the tribes and nation of Mexico that were excluded from the table – are now straining to find, and perhaps more importantly accept, solutions on a river that may offer just half of the water that the Compact assumed would be available. And not only are solutions not coming easily, the relationships essential for compromise are getting more frayed.

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Western Water April 29, 2022 Nick Cahill Colorado River Basin Map Layperson's Guide to Water Recycling WESTERN WATER-As Drought Shrinks the Colorado River, A SoCal Giant Seeks Help from River Partners to Fortify its Local Supply By Nick Cahill

As Drought Shrinks the Colorado River, A SoCal Giant Seeks Help from River Partners to Fortify its Local Supply
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Metropolitan Water District's wastewater recycling project draws support from Arizona and Nevada, which hope to gain a share of Metropolitan's river supply

Metropolitan Water District's advanced water treatment demonstration plant in Carson. Momentum is building for a unique interstate deal that aims to transform wastewater from Southern California homes and business into relief for the stressed Colorado River. The collaborative effort to add resiliency to a river suffering from overuse, drought and climate change is being shaped across state lines by some of the West’s largest water agencies.  

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Western Water June 25, 2021 Colorado River Basin Map As Climate Change Turns Up The Heat in Las Vegas, Water Managers Try to Wring New Savings to Stretch Supply By Gary Pitzer

As Climate Change Turns Up The Heat in Las Vegas, Water Managers Try to Wring New Savings to Stretch Supply
WESTERN WATER IN-DEPTH: Rising temperatures are expected to drive up water demand as historic drought in the Colorado River Basin imperils Southern Nevada’s key water source

Las Vegas has reduced its water consumption even as its population has increased. Las Vegas, known for its searing summertime heat and glitzy casino fountains, is projected to get even hotter in the coming years as climate change intensifies. As temperatures rise, possibly as much as 10 degrees by end of the century, according to some models, water demand for the desert community is expected to spike. That is not good news in a fast-growing region that depends largely on a limited supply of water from an already drought-stressed Colorado River.

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Western Water May 21, 2021 Colorado River Bundle Layperson's Guide to the State Water Project MWD's Jeff Kightlinger Reflects On Building Big Things, Essential Partnerships and His Hopes For the Delta By Gary Pitzer

MWD’s Jeff Kightlinger Reflects On Building Big Things, Essential Partnerships and His Hopes For the Delta
WESTERN WATER Q&A: Veteran Water Boss, Retiring After 25 Years With SoCal Water Giant, Discusses ‘Permanent’ Drought, Conservation Gains & the Struggling Colorado River

Jeff Kightlinger, longtime general manager of Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.When you oversee the largest supplier of treated water in the United States, you tend to think big.

Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for the last 15 years, has focused on diversifying his agency’s water supply and building security through investment. That means looking beyond MWD’s borders to ensure the reliable delivery of water to two-thirds of California’s population.

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Western Water June 13, 2019 Layperson's Guide to California Wastewater Gary Pitzer

As Californians Save More Water, Their Sewers Get Less and That’s a Problem
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Lower flows damage equipment, concentrate waste and stink up neighborhoods; should water conservation focus shift outdoors?

Corrosion is evident in this wastewater pipe from Los Angeles County.Californians have been doing an exceptional job reducing their indoor water use, helping the state survive the most recent drought when water districts were required to meet conservation targets. With more droughts inevitable, Californians are likely to face even greater calls to save water in the future.

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Western Water May 9, 2019 Layperson's Guide to the Colorado River Colorado River Basin Map Gary Pitzer

With Drought Plan in Place, Colorado River Stakeholders Face Even Tougher Talks Ahead On The River’s Future
WESTERN WATER IN-DEPTH: Talks are about to begin on a potentially sweeping agreement that could reimagine how the Colorado River is managed

Lake Mead, behind Hoover Dam, shows the effects of nearly two decades of drought. Even as stakeholders in the Colorado River Basin celebrate the recent completion of an unprecedented drought plan intended to stave off a crashing Lake Mead, there is little time to rest. An even larger hurdle lies ahead as they prepare to hammer out the next set of rules that could vastly reshape the river’s future.

Set to expire in 2026, the current guidelines for water deliveries and shortage sharing, launched in 2007 amid a multiyear drought, were designed to prevent disputes that could provoke conflict.

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Western Water April 25, 2019 California Water Map Gary Pitzer

California’s New Natural Resources Secretary Takes on Challenge of Implementing Gov. Newsom’s Ambitious Water Agenda
WESTERN WATER Q&A: Wade Crowfoot addresses Delta tunnel shift, Salton Sea plan and managing water amid a legacy of conflict

Wade Crowfoot, California Natural Resources Secretary.One of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s first actions after taking office was to appoint Wade Crowfoot as Natural Resources Agency secretary. Then, within weeks, the governor laid out an ambitious water agenda that Crowfoot, 45, is now charged with executing.

That agenda includes the governor’s desire for a “fresh approach” on water, scaling back the conveyance plan in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and calling for more water recycling, expanded floodplains in the Central Valley and more groundwater recharge.

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Western Water March 28, 2019 California Groundwater Map Layperson's Guide to Groundwater Gary Pitzer

As Deadline Looms for California’s Badly Overdrafted Groundwater Basins, Kern County Seeks a Balance to Keep Farms Thriving
WESTERN WATER SPOTLIGHT: Sustainability plans required by the state’s groundwater law could cap Kern County pumping, alter what's grown and how land is used

Water sprinklers irrigate a field in the southern region of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County.Groundwater helped make Kern County the king of California agricultural production, with a $7 billion annual array of crops that help feed the nation. That success has come at a price, however. Decades of unchecked groundwater pumping in the county and elsewhere across the state have left some aquifers severely depleted. Now, the county’s water managers have less than a year left to devise a plan that manages and protects groundwater for the long term, yet ensures that Kern County’s economy can continue to thrive, even with less water.

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Western Water February 28, 2019 California Groundwater Map Layperson's Guide to Flood Management Gary Pitzer

Southern California Water Providers Think Local in Seeking to Expand Supplies
WESTERN WATER SIDEBAR: Los Angeles and San Diego among agencies pursuing more diverse water portfolio beyond imports

The Claude “Bud” Lewis Desalination Plant in Carlsbad last December marked 40 billion gallons of drinking water delivered to San Diego County during its first three years of operation. The desalination plant provides the county with more than 50 million gallons of water each day.Although Santa Monica may be the most aggressive Southern California water provider to wean itself from imported supplies, it is hardly the only one looking to remake its water portfolio.

In Los Angeles, a city of about 4 million people, efforts are underway to dramatically slash purchases of imported water while boosting the amount from recycling, stormwater capture, groundwater cleanup and conservation. Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2014 announced a plan to reduce the city’s purchase of imported water from Metropolitan Water District by one-half by 2025 and to provide one-half of the city’s supply from local sources by 2035. (The city considers its Eastern Sierra supplies as imported water.)

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Western Water February 28, 2019 Groundwater Education Bundle Gary Pitzer

Imported Water Built Southern California; Now Santa Monica Aims To Wean Itself Off That Supply
WESTERN WATER SPOTLIGHT: Santa Monica is tapping groundwater, rainwater and tighter consumption rules to bring local supply and demand into balance

The Santa Monica Urban Runoff Recycling Facility (SMURRF) treats dry weather urban runoff to remove pollutants such as sediment, oil, grease, and pathogens for nonpotable use.Imported water from the Sierra Nevada and the Colorado River built Southern California. Yet as drought, climate change and environmental concerns render those supplies increasingly at risk, the Southland’s cities have ramped up their efforts to rely more on local sources and less on imported water.

Far and away the most ambitious goal has been set by the city of Santa Monica, which in 2014 embarked on a course to be virtually water independent through local sources by 2023. In the 1990s, Santa Monica was completely dependent on imported water. Now, it derives more than 70 percent of its water locally.

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Western Water November 16, 2018 California Water Map Layperson's Guide to the State Water Project Gary Pitzer

As He Steps Aside, Tim Quinn Talks About ‘Adversarialists,’ Collaboration and Hope For Solving the State’s Tough Water Issues
WESTERN WATER Q&A: Tim Quinn, retiring executive director of Association of California Water Agencies

ACWA Executive Director Tim Quinn  with a report produced by Association of California Water Agencies on  sustainable groundwater management.  (Source:  Association of California Water Agencies)In the universe of California water, Tim Quinn is a professor emeritus. Quinn has seen — and been a key player in — a lot of major California water issues since he began his water career 40 years ago as a young economist with the Rand Corporation, then later as deputy general manager with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and finally as executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies. In December, the 66-year-old will retire from ACWA.

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Western Water October 5, 2018 Douglas E. Beeman

What Would You Do About Water If You Were California’s Next Governor?
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Survey at Foundation’s Sept. 20 Water Summit elicits a long and wide-ranging potential to-do list

There’s going to be a new governor in California next year – and a host of challenges both old and new involving the state’s most vital natural resource, water.

So what should be the next governor’s water priorities?

That was one of the questions put to more than 150 participants during a wrap-up session at the end of the Water Education Foundation’s Sept. 20 Water Summit in Sacramento.

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Western Water October 5, 2018 California Water Map Gary Pitzer

In Water-Stressed California and the Southwest, An Acre-Foot of Water Goes a Lot Further Than It Used To
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK-As households get stingier with water, a common guide for describing how much they need gets a refresh

The Antioch/Oakley Regional Shoreline park displays a sign announcing their water conservation efforts at the park in 2014.People in California and the Southwest are getting stingier with water, a story that’s told by the acre-foot.

For years, water use has generally been described in terms of acre-foot per a certain number of households, keying off the image of an acre-foot as a football field a foot deep in water. The long-time rule of thumb: One acre-foot of water would supply the indoor and outdoor needs of two typical urban households for a year.

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Western Water August 10, 2018 Colorado River Basin Map Layperson's Guide to the Colorado River Gary Pitzer

New Leader Takes Over as the Upper Colorado River Commission Grapples With Less Water and a Drier Climate
WESTERN WATER Q&A: Amy Haas, executive director, Upper Colorado River Commission

Amy Haas, executive director, Upper Colorado River CommissionAmy Haas recently became the first non-engineer and the first woman to serve as executive director of the Upper Colorado River Commission in its 70-year history, putting her smack in the center of a host of daunting challenges facing the Upper Colorado River Basin.

Yet those challenges will be quite familiar to Haas, an attorney who for the past year has served as deputy director and general counsel of the commission. (She replaced longtime Executive Director Don Ostler). She has a long history of working within interstate Colorado River governance, including representing New Mexico as its Upper Colorado River commissioner and playing a central role in the negotiation of the recently signed U.S.-Mexico agreement known as Minute 323.

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Western Water June 15, 2018 Jenn Bowles Colorado River Basin Map Layperson's Guide to the Colorado River Jennifer Bowles

Domino Effect: As Arizona Searches For a Unifying Voice, a Drought Plan for the Lower Colorado River Is Stalled
EDITOR'S NOTE: Finding solutions to the Colorado River — or any disputed river —may be the most important role anyone can play

Nowhere is the domino effect in Western water policy played out more than on the Colorado River, and specifically when it involves the Lower Basin states of California, Nevada and Arizona. We are seeing that play out now as the three states strive to forge a Drought Contingency Plan. Yet that plan can’t be finalized until Arizona finds a unifying voice between its major water players, an effort you can read more about in the latest in-depth article of Western Water.

Even then, there are some issues to resolve just within California.

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Western Water June 15, 2018 Layperson's Guide to the Colorado River Colorado River Basin Map Gary Pitzer

As Colorado River Levels Drop, Pressure Grows On Arizona To Complete A Plan For Water Shortages
WESTERN WATER IN-DEPTH: A dispute over who speaks for Arizona has stalled work with California, Nevada on Drought Contingency Plan

Hoover Dam and Lake Mead

It’s high-stakes time in Arizona. The state that depends on the Colorado River to help supply its cities and farms — and is first in line to absorb a shortage — is seeking a unified plan for water supply management to join its Lower Basin neighbors, California and Nevada, in a coordinated plan to preserve water levels in Lake Mead before they run too low.

If the lake’s elevation falls below 1,075 feet above sea level, the secretary of the Interior would declare a shortage and Arizona’s deliveries of Colorado River water would be reduced by 320,000 acre-feet. Arizona says that’s enough to serve about 1 million households in one year.

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Western Water May 18, 2018 Layperson's Guide to Groundwater Gary Pitzer

Could the Arizona Desert Offer California and the West a Guide to Solving Groundwater Problems?
WESTERN WATER SPOTLIGHT: Environmental Defense Fund report highlights strategies from Phoenix and elsewhere for managing demands on groundwater

Skyline of Phoenix, ArizonaAs California embarks on its unprecedented mission to harness groundwater pumping, the Arizona desert may provide one guide that local managers can look to as they seek to arrest years of overdraft.

Groundwater is stressed by a demand that often outpaces natural and artificial recharge. In California, awareness of groundwater’s importance resulted in the landmark Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in 2014 that aims to have the most severely depleted basins in a state of balance in about 20 years.

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Western Water April 6, 2018 California Water Bundle Gary Pitzer

Statewide Water Bond Measures Could Have Californians Doing a Double-Take in 2018
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Two bond measures, worth $13B, would aid flood preparation, subsidence, Salton Sea and other water needs

San Joaquin Valley bridge rippled by subsidence  California voters may experience a sense of déjà vu this year when they are asked twice in the same year to consider water bonds — one in June, the other headed to the November ballot.

Both tackle a variety of water issues, from helping disadvantaged communities get clean drinking water to making flood management improvements. But they avoid more controversial proposals, such as new surface storage, and they propose to do some very different things to appeal to different constituencies.

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Western Water November 27, 2017 Layperson's Guide to Climate Change and Water Resources Gary Pitzer

The Drought May Be Over, But California Still Wants Residents to Act Like It’s On Forever
State considers adopting permanent wise water use rules starting in April

For decades, no matter the weather, the message has been preached to Californians: use water wisely, especially outdoors, which accounts for most urban water use.

Enforcement of that message filters to the local level, where water agencies routinely target the notorious “gutter flooder” with gentle reminders and, if necessary, financial penalties.

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Aquapedia background February 6, 2017

Water Use Efficiency

The message is oft-repeated that water must be conserved and used as wisely as possible.

The California Water Code calls water use efficiency “the efficient management of water resources for beneficial uses, preventing waste, or accomplishing additional benefits with the same amount of water.”

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Aquapedia background September 8, 2016

Xeriscaping

From the Greek “xeros” and Middle Dutch “scap,” xeriscape was coined in 1978 and literally translates to “dry scene.”  Xeriscaping, by extension, is making an environment which can tolerate dryness. This involves installing drought-resistant and slow-growing plants to reduce water use.

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Aquapedia background September 8, 2016

Irrigation

Irrigation is the artificial supply of water to grow crops or plants. Obtained from either surface or groundwater, it optimizes agricultural production when the amount of rain and where it falls is insufficient. Different irrigation systems are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but in practical use are often combined. Much of the agriculture in California and the West relies on irrigation. 

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Foundation Event October 14, 2014 Inland Empire Utilities Agency Riverside County Watershed Protection San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck Dudek Eastern Municipal Water District Jackson DeMarco Tidus Peckenpaugh San Bernardino County Flood Control District Western Municipal Water District BABCOCK Laboratories, Inc. Carollo Engineers, Inc. Chino Basin Water Conservation District CVStrategies and IEfficient The Dolphin Group The Energy Coalition GEOSCIENCE Support Services, Inc. Irvine Ranch Water District Kidman Law LLP Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Orange County Sanitation District Orange County Water District Riverside Public Utilities San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency Stetson Engineers Vali Cooper & Associates, Inc. West Valley Water District Conference Exhibitors

2014 Santa Ana River Watershed Conference

The 6th Annual Santa Ana River Watershed conference was held October 14, 2014 at the Riverside Convention Center in Riverside.

The event was convened by the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA) and coordinated by the Water Education Foundation.

What is One Water One Watershed (OWOW)?

OWOW is an innovative Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP) planning process being developed within the Santa Ana River Watershed.

  • Agenda
  • Garry Brown presentation
  • Paul Brown presentation
  • Col. Kimberly Colloton presentation
  • Girish Balachandran presentation
  • Paul Granillo presentation
  • Jim Herberg presentation
  • Kamyar Guivetchi presentation
  • Glen MacDonald presentation
  • Michael Osur presentation
  • Kurt Schwabe presentation
  • Jason Uhley presentation
  • Al Zelinka presentation
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Product May 29, 2014

Colorado River Facts Slide Card

This card includes information about the Colorado River, who uses the river, how the river’s water is divided and other pertinent facts about this vital resource for the Southwest. Beautifully illustrated with color photographs.

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Video May 27, 2014

The Klamath Basin: A Restoration for the Ages (60 min. DVD)

For over a century, the Klamath River Basin along the Oregon and California border has faced complex water management disputes. As relayed in this 2012, 60-minute public television documentary narrated by actress Frances Fisher, the water interests range from the Tribes near the river, to energy producer PacifiCorp, farmers, municipalities, commercial fishermen, environmentalists – all bearing legitimate arguments for how to manage the water. After years of fighting, a groundbreaking compromise may soon settle the battles with two epic agreements that hold the promise of peace and fish for the watershed. View an excerpt from the documentary here.

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Video May 27, 2014

Restoring a River: Voices of the San Joaquin

This 30-minute documentary-style DVD on the history and current state of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program includes an overview of the geography and history of the river, historical and current water delivery and uses, the genesis and timeline of the 1988 lawsuit, how the settlement was reached and what was agreed to.

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Video May 27, 2014

A Climate of Change: Water Adaptation Strategies

This 25-minute documentary-style DVD, developed in partnership with the California Department of Water Resources, provides an excellent overview of climate change and how it is already affecting California. The DVD also explains what scientists anticipate in the future related to sea level rise and precipitation/runoff changes and explores the efforts that are underway to plan and adapt to climate.

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Video May 27, 2014

Drinking Water: Quenching the Public Thirst (60-minute DVD)

Many Californians don’t realize that when they turn on the faucet, the water that flows out could come from a source close to home or one hundreds of miles away. Most people take their water for granted; not thinking about the elaborate systems and testing that go into delivering clean, plentiful water to households throughout the state. Where drinking water comes from, how it’s treated, and what people can do to protect its quality are highlighted in this 2007 PBS documentary narrated by actress Wendie Malick. 

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Video May 27, 2014

Drinking Water: Quenching the Public Thirst (30-minute DVD)

A 30-minute version of the 2007 PBS documentary Drinking Water: Quenching the Public Thirst. This DVD is ideal for showing at community forums and speaking engagements to help the public understand the complex issues surrounding the elaborate systems and testing that go into delivering clean, plentiful water to households throughout the state.

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Video May 21, 2014

Water on the Edge (60-minute DVD)

Water truly has shaped California into the great state it is today. And if it is water that made California great, it’s the fight over – and with – water that also makes it so critically important. In efforts to remap California’s circulatory system, there have been some critical events that had a profound impact on California’s water history. These turning points not only forced a re-evaluation of water, but continue to impact the lives of every Californian. This 2005 PBS documentary offers a historical and current look at the major water issues that shaped the state we know today. Includes a 12-page viewer’s guide with background information, historic timeline and a teacher’s lesson.

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Maps & Posters May 20, 2014

Carson River Basin Map
Published 2006

A companion to the Truckee River Basin Map poster, this 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, explores the Carson River, and its link to the Truckee River. The map includes Lahontan Dam and Reservoir, the Carson Sink, and the farming areas in the basin. Map text discusses the region’s hydrology and geography, the Newlands Project, land and water use within the basin and wetlands. Development of the map was funded by a grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Mid-Pacific Region, Lahontan Basin Area Office.

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Maps & Posters May 20, 2014

Nevada Water Map
Published 2004

This 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, illustrates the water resources available for Nevada cities, agriculture and the environment. It features natural and manmade water resources throughout the state, including the Truckee and Carson rivers, Lake Tahoe, Pyramid Lake and the course of the Colorado River that forms the state’s eastern boundary.

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Maps & Posters May 20, 2014

Water Cycle Poster

Water as a renewable resource is depicted in this 18×24 inch poster. Water is renewed again and again by the natural hydrologic cycle where water evaporates, transpires from plants, rises to form clouds, and returns to the earth as precipitation. Excellent for elementary school classroom use.

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Publication May 20, 2014

Layperson’s Guide to Integrated Regional Water Management
Published 2013

The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) is an in-depth, easy-to-understand publication that provides background information on the principles of IRWM, its funding history and how it differs from the traditional water management approach.

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Aquapedia background February 11, 2014

Water Conservation

Drought-tolerant landscaping reduces the amount of water used on traditional lawns

Water conservation has become a way of life throughout the West with a growing recognition that the supply of water is not unlimited.

Drought is the most common motivator of increased water conservation but the gradual drying of the West as a result of climate change means the amount of fresh water available for drinking, irrigation, industry and other uses must be used as efficiently as possible.

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Western Water Magazine January 1, 2013

Viewing Water with a Wide Angle Lens: A Roundtable Discussion
January/February 2013

This printed issue of Western Water features a roundtable discussion with Anthony Saracino, a water resources consultant; Martha Davis, executive manager of policy development with the Inland Empire Utilities Agency and senior policy advisor to the Delta Stewardship Council; Stuart Leavenworth, editorial page editor of The Sacramento Bee and Ellen Hanak, co-director of research and senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California.

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Western Water Magazine November 1, 2012

A Call to Action? The Colorado River Basin Supply and Demand Study
November/December 2012

This printed issue of Western Water examines the Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study and what its finding might mean for the future of the lifeblood of the Southwest.

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Western Water Magazine March 1, 2012

Keeping It Down on the Farm: Agricultural Water Use Efficiency
March/April 2012

This printed issue of Western Water examines agricultural water use – its successes, the planned state regulation to quantify its efficiency and the potential for greater savings.

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Western Water Magazine September 1, 2009

Dollars and Sense: How We Pay for Water
September/October 2009

This printed issue of Western Water examines the financing of water infrastructure, both at the local level and from the statewide perspective, and some of the factors that influence how people receive their water, the price they pay for it and how much they might have to pay in the future.

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Western Water Magazine November 1, 2008

Dealing with the ‘D’ Word: The Response to Drought
November/December 2008

This printed copy of Western Water examines California’s drought – its impact on water users in the urban and agricultural sector and the steps being taken to prepare for another dry year should it arrive.

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Western Water Excerpt January 1, 2008 Gary PitzerRita Schmidt Sudman

A Significant Challenge: Adapting Water Management to Climate Change
January/February 2008

Perhaps no other issue has rocketed to prominence in such a short time as climate change. A decade ago, discussion about greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the connection to warming temperatures was but a fraction of the attention now given to the issue. From the United Nations to local communities, people are talking about climate change – its characteristics and what steps need to be taken to mitigate and adapt to the anticipated impacts.

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Western Water Magazine May 1, 2005

Smart Water Use: Stretching the Urban Supply
May/June 2005

This issue of Western Water examines the continuing practice of smart water use in the urban sector and its many facets, from improved consumer appliances to improved agency planning to the improvements in water recycling and desalination. Many in the water community say conserving water is not merely a response to drought conditions, but a permanent ethic in an era in which every drop of water is a valuable commodity not to be wasted.

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Western Water Magazine November 1, 1999

Managing the Colorado River
November/December 1999

Drawn from a special stakeholder symposium held in September 1999 in Keystone, Colorado, this issue explores how we got to where we are today on the Colorado River; an era in which the traditional water development of the past has given way to a more collaborative approach that tries to protect the environment while stretching available water supplies.

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Western Water Magazine November 1, 1998

Cutting Colorado River Use: The California Plan
November/December 1998

This issue updates progress on crafting and implementing California’s 4.4 plan to reduce its use of Colorado River water by 800,000 acre-feet. The state has used as much as 5.2 million acre-feet of Colorado River water annually, but under pressure from Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and the other six states that share this resource, California’s Colorado River parties have been trying to close the gap between demand and supply.

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