Tag: drought
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The Colorado River is evaporating, climate change largely to blame
Colorado River water held back by the Hoover Dam. IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK / ROCKET PHOTOS – HQ STOCK An hour’s drive from Las Vegas stands America’s Hoover Dam, a commanding barrier of concrete holding back the trillions of gallons of Colorado River water held inside Lake Mead. The dam is a proud place, built by thousands…
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The Unanticipated Benefits of California’s Water Policies
Water drips from a leaking irrigation pipe in the west San Joaquin Valley. Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images From software to robots to technology originally designed to detect water on Mars, market-based policy approaches are spurring innovation, writes Ceres’ Kirsten James. Just as California’s climate policies have driven innovation in energy…
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Utah copes with drying streams, dying animals as drought tightens its grip
(Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune) Sam Plumb inspects the dry creek bed on his family’s property in Emigration Canyon. …with no relief in sight After one of the hottest and driest summers on record, Utah’s water supplies are so low that agricultural water deliveries have been cut short, stream gauges need to be repositioned…
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Drought Forces Hard Choices for Farmers and Ranchers in the Southwest
Large reservoirs have buffered urban areas in the Southwest from the worst of the year’s dry conditions, but rural farmers and ranchers are bearing the brunt of water shortages and the economic fallout. CHESTER, Utah – It’s only the beginning of August – typically the height of the farming season – but the irrigation ponds…
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Farmers drawing groundwater from Ogallala Aquifer faster than nature replaces it
Every summer the U.S. Central Plains go dry, leading farmers to tap into groundwater to irrigate sorghum, soy, cotton, wheat and corn and maintain large herds of cattle and hogs. As the heat rises, anxious irrigators gather to discuss whether and how they should adopt more stringent conservation measures. They know that if they do…
