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High and Dry: The American West Is Drying Up
August 17th, 2021
Via The Economist, a report on the drought in the U.S. west: Locals call it the “bathtub ring”. A white strip more than 150 feet tall encircles the turquoise surface of Lake Mead, America’s largest reservoir, showing visitors how high the water once was, and how far it has fallen. The shrinking of Lake Mead and […]
Read more »First-Ever Water Cuts Declared For Colorado River In Historic Drought
August 17th, 2021
Via CNN, a report on the first-ever water cuts declared for Colorado River in historic drought: The federal government on Monday declared a water shortage on the Colorado River for the first time, triggering mandatory water consumption cuts for states in the Southwest, as climate change-fueled drought pushes the level in Lake Mead to unprecedented lows. Lake […]
Read more »The Colorado River Basin’s Daunting New Math
August 15th, 2021
Via Circle of Blue, an article examining how the Colorado River basin’s big reservoirs have fallen to uncharted territory, with a dire forecast in the future: Lakes Mead and Powell, icons of 20th century water engineering in the American West, are in bad shape. The story of their decline is written into the edges of the […]
Read more »The Massive Plumbing System Moving Water Across Colorado’s Mountains Has Less To Work With
July 21st, 2021
Via Aspen Public Radio, a look at the massive plumbing system that moves water across Colorado’s mountains which – this year – is finding less to go around: High up on Colorado’s Independence Pass, a narrow, winding road weaves through the evergreens and across mountain streams, up and over the Continental Divide at more than […]
Read more »Why Intel and TSMC are Building Thirsty Chip Factories In Dry U.S. Southwest
July 12th, 2021
Via CNBC, a look at why Intel and TSMC are building water-dependent chip factories in one of the driest U.S. states: KEY POINTS The Grand Canyon State may not seem like the most obvious place for a chip “foundry” or “fab” since the high-tech manufacturing plants guzzle millions of gallons of water every day. Arizona […]
Read more »Why Water Levels in Megadrought-Impacted Southwestern States Have Experts Concerned
July 4th, 2021
Via ABC News, an article on why water levels in megadrought-impacted Southwestern states have some experts concerned: California was once the site of a gold rush. But now arguably one of the most precious commodities in parts of the state and in the Southwest is something else entirely — water — as the region grapples […]
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