An agreement has been reached with the Western states that rely on the Colorado River for water. Thedeal has the Federal government paying water users in California, Arizona, and Nevada to use less waterfor the next several years. As a result, the government will not have to make unilateral cuts to waterusage that had been …
This has been one of the wettest years for the Rocky Mountains since the drought began 23 years ago.The unprecedented snowfall reached 174% above median levels by mid-April. So far, the resultingsnowmelt has Lakes Powell and Mead at levels of 3,525 feet and 1,049 feet, respectively. The criticalthreshold is 3,490 for Lake Powell and 950 …
Read more “Finally…Rising Water Levels, but Cuts are Still Needed”
The US Bureau of Reclamation announced a $250 million water-saving initiative that is intended topreserve up to 10 feet of Lake Mead’s declining surface levels this year. This initiative is part of a $4billion drought-relief fund passed by the federal government last year. This money will pay the lowerColorado River basin users, especially farmers, to …
The deadline from the Interior Department came and went without an agreement by all seven states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) that depend on water from the diminishing Colorado River. The states were asked to come up with a plan to voluntarily reduce water usage by two to four million acre-feet, …
Read more “Not All the States Agree on Colorado River Restrictions“
The snow keeps falling! This is good news as the greater snow melt expected in the Spring can helpwater levels of the Colorado River. We won’t know the impact for a few months but, in the meantime,this snow accumulation means we must watch out for avalanches. We know that avalanche risk isserious and can harm …
Good news for Colorado; it has been snowing a lot this Winter! We all know that snow is a major factor in how the western states get their water. The timing for snow melt is very important. Both the later in the year and the faster it melts, the better. In this case, there will …
The Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS) provides real-time data on water quantity, quality, and use to support systems required for daily water operations and decision-making during water crises. The headwaters of the Colorado and Gunnison River Basins provide an opportunity to apply NGWOS in a snowmelt-dominated system in the mountain west region. The US …
What are trails and greenways? Well, a trail is a path that can be used for walking, biking, horseback riding, or other forms of recreational transportation. A greenway is often a shared-use walkway that runs along a strip of undeveloped land in an urban or rural area that has been set aside for recreational or …
Trails are very important to protect natural landscapes, plants and animals. Trails connect populations and ecosystems for the growing species every day. USGS scientists are collaborating with a wide range of people to help the protection of trails. The effects of trampling native plants results in, soil erosion, poisoning water, limiting the food for wildlife, …
If you care about the environment, then you may know that the due date on the 60 day notice for states to cut water usage expired last week. Although there were some cuts made, it doesn’t look like it was nearly enough to stop the water reduction happening to the Colorado River. So, what will …
Last week, I attended Confluence, a water conference in northern Colorado. Several local representatives and water companies were present to discuss what they are doing to help the water shortage. Some of the discussion topics were pretty interesting, particularly the ideas of reusing “grey” water and replacing traditional lawns with indigenous plants that use less …
The water crisis I’ve been writing about is not getting any better in the Southwestern states. As a result, the federal government has threatened to step in for the first time. On June 17th, the federal government issued a 60-day notice to seven states – Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California – …
Lake Powell has seen its lowest water levels in 50 years. This dramatic change can even be seen from space as documented by the ESA (The European Space Agency). Lake Powell is particularly important since it helps deliver water to around 40 million people across many Southwestern states including Arizona and Utah. This water also …
Read more “Lake Powell Record Breaking Low Water Levels Impact Electric Power”
Many people across many states have come to rely on the Colorado River for their daily activities. But, the amount of water demanded is not being met since there is insufficient supply from the Colorado River. Now people are struggling to produce water for growing crops, drinking water, and electricity. Due to a lack of …
As we head into Spring, it’s normal for water reservoir levels to be low before the snow melt comes down to replenish them. This year, levels are lower than usual across the West. Lake Powell, the second largest reservoir in the US, has seen its levels drop to an historic low and the Sierra Nevada …
Did you know that more people die from drinking unfiltered water than from violence? Water pollution is a serious issue, especially in China and India. In China, only one-half of the whole population even has access to drinkable water. The other half is suffering, even dying, from all of the bacteria and diseases that are …
I am starting with the Amazon rainforest because it is one of earths’ greatest treasures and it is slowly dying. Over the years the Amazon has been being more and more torn apart and there needs to be a call to action. One of the many things that makes the Amazon so great is it’s …