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Will It Pay Off? In Colorado’s San Luis Valley, Paying for the Water They Use
February 11th, 2024
Via JFleck’s Inkstain, a look at an interesting experiement in western U.S. water management: Folks in Colorado’s San Luis Valley are engaged in a bold experiment in western water management – charging farmers for the water they use. Jerd Smith explains: A new rule approved by the area’s largest irrigation district, known as Subdistrict 1, and […]
Read more »Like Utah, California Has Had Pipeline Dreams To Save Its Drying Salton Sea
February 10th, 2024
Via KUER, an article on California’s – and Utah’s – pipeline dreams to save inland water bodies: Most people don’t know that California’s largest lake — the Salton Sea — was a mishap. Birthed in 1905 when the Colorado River experienced massive floods, the accidental lake soon became a community commodity. It once was a recreation destination, […]
Read more »Romancing the River: The Appropriation Doctrine – and Its Appropriation
February 10th, 2024
Via Sibley’s Rivers, commentary on the Colorado River Compact and the appropriation doctrine: ‘The single biggest roadblock to solving the problem of stabilizing the river is the priority system.’ – Tom Buschatzke, Director of Arizona’s ? Department of Water Resource Last post, I laid out some reasons why the water mavens now engaged in mapping […]
Read more »Environmentalists See Nevada Supreme Court Ruling Bringing State’s Water Management ‘Into the 21st Century’
February 4th, 2024
Via Inside Climate News, a look at a recent Nevada Supreme Court ruling that the state can restrict new groundwater pumping if it will impact other users and wildlife, a decision environmentalists are calling a major win in updating the state’s water law: The Nevada Supreme Court unanimously ruled last week that the state can […]
Read more »California’s Most Improbable Water Project Rebrands As Crusader For Environmental Justice
January 30th, 2024
Courtesy of the Los Angeles Times, a look at Cadiz Inc., a venture that has been trying to get a water project approved despite doubts about its financing, its water rights and its influence-peddling. Under new management, it now says it’s all about serving the disadvantaged: It’s hard to think of a California company that […]
Read more »Six U.S. States Facing The Most Serious Groundwater Crises
January 30th, 2024
Via The Hill, a report on the 6 states facing the most serious groundwater crises: A heating planet and expanding commercial agriculture are putting increasing pressure on America’s vital aquifers — underground reservoirs that supply water to an estimated 145 million Americans, as well as supporting much of the nation’s food supply. New research published […]
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