drought - CalMatters

Sprinklers water a lawn in Los Angeles on June 5, 2022. Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters

California lifts target for 15% water conservation as yet another storm approaches

by Alastair Bland March 24, 2023March 24, 2023

California ended its voluntary statewide target, triggering concerns from experts that many water supplies remain depleted. Other drought measures remain in place.

The All American Canal transports water from the Colorado River to the Imperial Valley near Felicity on Dec. 5, 2022. Photo by Caitlin Ochs, Reuters

Western water crisis solutions inevitably end with a lot less for California farms

by Jim Newton March 23, 2023March 22, 2023

A water release from the concrete gravity Pine Flat Dam built on the Kings River in Fresno County in 1967. The facility was completed in 1954 by and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which created one of the largest reservoirs in California. Photo by the California Department of Water Resources

California’s ghostly Tulare Lake will be revived this year

by Dan Walters March 15, 2023March 22, 2023

Early dawn at Mono Lake in the Eastern Sierra Nevada. Photo via iStock Photos

Why pausing water diversions to Los Angeles honors landmark Mono Lake deal

by Guest Commentary March 14, 2023March 13, 2023

The third media snow survey of the 2023 season at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The survey is held approximately 90 miles east of Sacramento off Highway 50 in El Dorado County. March 3, 2023. Photo by Fred Greaves, California Department of Water Resources.

California’s record winter storms could spawn disastrous floods

by Dan Walters March 7, 2023March 6, 2023

A farmworker works on land irrigated by sprinklers in El Centro on May 29, 2020. REUTERS/Bing Guan

State rejects local plans for protecting San Joaquin Valley groundwater

by Alastair Bland March 3, 2023March 2, 2023

María Dolores Díaz keeps a bowl in the sink while she washes her hands to save water on Aug. 8, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Education is vital for California Latinos affected most by water crisis

by Guest Commentary February 28, 2023February 27, 2023

Stone Corral Creek, shown here on on Feb. 14, 2023, will be about 200 feet underwater when the Sites Reservoir is built in the western Sacramento Valley. Photo by Julie A. Hotz, for CalMatters

This reservoir on the Sacramento River has been planned for decades. What’s taking so long?

by Alastair Bland February 27, 2023February 27, 2023

The Colorado River near Parker, Arizona on Nov. 28, 2022. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Western states play game of chicken over Colorado River

by Dan Walters February 8, 2023February 7, 2023

The Savory Basin outside of Fresno is designed to refill the aquifer with captured stormwater. The Fresno district spent millions to buy farmland and build basins for percolating water underground. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Water

Ground zero: Rain brings little relief to California’s depleted groundwater

by Alastair Bland February 7, 2023February 7, 2023