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☆ California’s biggest snowstorm of the year will paralyze travel with blizzard conditions
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Mary Gilbert | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —An extremely-dangerous winter storm has arrived in California and will unload feet of snow, powerful winds and rare blizzard conditions in the mountains through the weekend. As snow continues to spread across California, so will strong winds and blizzard conditions. Snowfall rates are expected to reach extreme levels of 3 to 5 inches an hour from Friday through Saturday – especially along the Sierra Nevada. Heavy snow and roaring winds are expected to combine to produce rare and long-lasting blizzard conditions for much of the Sierra and parts of the northern ranges. Storm will provide much-needed boost to critical snowpackCalifornia’s Sierra Nevada snowpack got off to a slow start this winter.

Persons: ” Snow, We’ve, Edan, Lindaman Organizations: CNN, National Weather Service, Pacific Northwest, Sierra, Yosemite, National Park Service, Rockies, Storm, Sierra Nevada snowpack, California’s Department of Water Resources, US Environmental Protection Agency Locations: California, Reno , Nevada, Pacific, Klamath, Sierra Nevada, Northern California, Sierra, Reno

☆ Humans are depleting groundwater faster than in the past 40 years, but places like Saudi Arabia and Thailand have figured out how to boost their freshwater reserves
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Suman Naishadham | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Humans in many parts of the world are pumping groundwater faster than it can be replenished. Places like Thailand and Saudi Arabia, however, have managed to slow groundwater depletion rates. USGSGroundwater is one of the largest freshwater sources anywhere in the world, making the depletion of aquifers a significant concern. AdvertisementGroundwater depletion is more severe now than a few decades agoFarms are responsible for much of the US's groundwater depletion. The Bangkok basin in Thailand is another example the study highlighted where groundwater levels rose in the early 21st century compared to previous decades.

Persons: Scott Jasechko, Upmanu Lall, Jasechko, Richard Taylor, Taylor, Hydrologists, Felicia Marcus, Marcus, you've Organizations: Service, University of California, Columbia University, Columbia Water Center, University College London hydrogeology, Stanford, Water, West Program Locations: Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Santa Barbara, drylands, Mexico, Iran, California, Bangkok, Thai, Tucson , Arizona, Colorado

The Ely Shoshone, Duckwater Shoshone, and the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation — a coalition representing about 1,500 enrolled tribal members — are lobbying the federal government to designate nearly 40 square miles (100 square kilometers) as Bahsahwahbee National Monument. He testified in a multi-decade legal battle alongside ranchers, local officials and environmental groups who all opposed the project by the Southern Nevada Water Authority. Protecting water for sacred trees is not something the agency had previously done, Sullivan said. Even if the land becomes a national monument, the water beneath Bahsahwahbee would remain under the state’s jurisdiction. The Southern Nevada Water Authority supports a monument designation that allows for the continuation of existing ranching and agricultural activities, said Bronson Mack, water authority spokesman.

Persons: ELY, — White, ”, Warren Graham, Mamie Swallow, Spilsbury, Charlene Pete’s, —, ” Pete, Ely Shoshone, Alvin Marques, David Charlet, ” Charlet, Adam Sullivan, Sullivan, Neal Desai, Bahsahwahbee, Graham, Bronson Mack, Avi Kwa, Joe Biden, Catherine Cortez Masto, Jacky Rosen, Deb Haaland, Cortez Masto’s, Monte Sanford, “ Organizations: Rocky, Ely Shoshone, Southern Nevada Water Authority, College of Southern, Nevada Division of Water Resources, Southern, Southern Nevada Water, National Park Service, National Parks Conservation Association, National Register of Historic Places, Land Management, The Southern, The Southern Nevada Water Authority, Nevada Legislature, United, Associated Press, Walton Family Foundation, AP, Press, Lilly Endowment Inc Locations: Nev, Nevada, Ely, Duckwater Shoshone, ”, Bahsahwahbee, Vegas, College of Southern Nevada, Southern Nevada, The, The Southern Nevada, Arizona, U.S, United States

☆ As Groundwater Dwindles, Powerful Players Block Change
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Christopher Flavelle | Mira Rojanasakul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +19 min

They serve on the board of Groundwater Management District 3, which since 1996 has overseen the pumping of 16.2 trillion gallons of groundwater — enough to fill Lake Mead, the country’s largest reservoir, twice over. From Maryland to Hawaii groundwater levels are falling, often the result of overpumping and underregulation, made worse by climate change. Groundwater Levels at Goldstrike Mine Observation wells at Goldstrike show a pattern of immense groundwater withdrawals. “And money talks.”Kansas City Groundwater Management District 3 KANSAS Wichita KANSAS Groundwater Management District 3 Kansas City Groundwater Management District 3 KANSAS WichitaGrowing corn in the Kansas drylandsIn Kansas, the power of the men who run Groundwater Management District 3 is enormous. Groups like Groundwater Management District 3 have until 2026 to come up with plans to sustain groundwater.

Persons: Lake Mead, —, Catherine Hospital —, we’re, ”, Lindsay Vaughn, David Robert Elliott, Joe Newland, Nevada Adam Sullivan, Christina Erling, Erling, Adam Sullivan, Emily Najera, Kim Raff, Julie Pazina, ” Barrick, Michael McCarthy, Barrick, ” Mr, McCarthy, Michael H, Taylor, Patrick Donnelly, don’t, Helena Billings, it’s, Galt, Wylie Galt, Bill Galt, Dutton, Wylie, Errol Galt, Galt’s, Matthew Hamon, The New York Times Eugene Graf, Montana homebuilders, The New York Times Montana, Brad Dundas, Dundas, Mr, John Tubbs, Tubbs, The New York Times Errol Galt, Eugene Graf, Graf, Guy Alsentzer, “, Lucas Bessire, Vaughn, Newland, Mark Rude, Kan, The New York Times Mark Rude, Ms, Lall, Ali Zaidi, Biden, Jared Huffman, Huffman Organizations: Groundwater Management, Walmart, State, The New York Times, Kansas Farm Bureau, New York Times, NEVADA Carson City Las, Barrick, Carson City Las, NEVADA Carson City, North, Barrick Gold Corporation, Nevada Gold Mines, Nevada, of Water, University of Nevada, Center for Biological Diversity, Republican, Representatives, The Times, Galt, state’s Department of Natural Resources, The New York, Montana Fish, Montana Building Industry Association, KANSAS, KANSAS Wichita KANSAS Groundwater Management, KANSAS Wichita, Kansas drylands, Management, Kansas City Topeka, Kansas City, Topeka Wichita, Survey, University of Oklahoma, Groundwater, Kansas, Columbia Water Center, Columbia University, Natural Resources Defense Council, Marin Municipal Water District, Fisheries Locations: United States, Garden City, Kan, America, Lake, Kansas, Maryland, Hawaii, Barrick, NEVADA Carson, Carson, Nevada, Canada, Goldstrike, North America, Barrick’s, ” MONTANA, Helena, Bozeman MONTANA, Helena Billings Bozeman, Montana, Galt, ”, Broadwater County, Elk, Confederate, Sulphur Springs, Mont, Upper Missouri, Townsend, ” Kansas, Groundwater Management District, KANSAS Wichita KANSAS, KANSAS Wichita KANSAS Groundwater Management District, KANSAS, Kansas drylands In Kansas, District, Wichita, Kansas City Topeka, Management District, Topeka, Kansas City, Arkansas, Washington, California, Marin

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Federal officials said Wednesday that conditions have improved on the Colorado River to the point that a plan by California, Arizona and Nevada to voluntarily reduce water use should help keep the river basin on stable footing for the next few years. The states failed to reach a consensus on cuts, and the federal government did not end up forcing any. The threat of those two options finally forced the three states to reach their own voluntary plan for how to reduce their use of the river's water. Already, the three states have lowered their water use, said Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources and the state’s representative on Colorado River issues. Now, the states can turn their attention to a new long-term agreement for how to share the river’s water beyond 2026.

Persons: Lake Mead, Tommy Beaudreau, Camille Touton, Biden, JB Hamby, ” Hamby, Hamby, Tom Buschatzke, ”, __, Suman Naishadham, Ken Ritter Organizations: —, U.S . Department of, U.S . Bureau of Reclamation, Colorado River Board of California, Imperial Irrigation District, Arizona Department of Water Resources, Associated Press Locations: SACRAMENTO, Calif, Colorado, California , Arizona, Nevada, Lake Powell, Mexico, Arizona , California, California, Arizona, Santa Ana , California, Washington, Las Vegas

DAJABON, Dominican Republic (AP) — The Dominican Republic partially reopened its border with Haiti on Wednesday to limited commercial activity nearly a month after shuttering the frontier in a continuing spat over construction of a canal targeting water from a shared river. The Dominican border reopening was delayed after a pre-dawn fire at the main marketplace in Dajabon destroyed dozens of stalls. She called Abinader’s decision to close all land, sea and air borders last month “savage,” noting that businesses like hers are good for the Dominican Republic. She said that even if the Dominican Republic opens its borders, she hopes the Haitian side will remain closed. Haiti and the Dominican Republic have long had a contentious relationship despite strong economic ties.

Persons: DAJABON, Luis Abinader, wasn't, “ There’s, ”, Santo Rodríguez, Rodríguez, hadn’t, Abinader, Haiti’s, Diego Da Rin, Da Rin, Ariel Henry, ” Da Rin, “, Marie, Enge Belizaire, Belizaire, Orgline Pierre, “ Abinader, ” Pierre, ___ Dánica Coto, Evens Sanon Organizations: Authorities, International Crisis, Haitian, Dominican Republic’s Export, Investment Center, Dominican Republic’s, Bank, Port Locations: Dominican Republic, Haiti, Dominican, Dajabon, Haitian, Hispaniola, Spanish, Panama, Kenya, San Juan , Puerto Rico, Prince

☆ Libya says Derna mayor, other officials detained after flood
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A part of Al Sahaba Mosque is seen amid destroyed buildings in the aftermath of the deadly storm that hit Libya, in Derna, Libya September 21, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra Acquire Licensing RightsBENGHAZI, Sept 25 (Reuters) - The mayor of Libya's eastern city of Derna was detained along with other officials on suspicion of mismanagement and negligence over the collapse of dams that flooded the city two weeks ago, Libya's attorney general's office said on Monday. Those detained included the mayor and an official in charge of water resources, it said, without identifying them. Derna was controlled until 2019 by fighters from a series of groups including Islamic State. Reporting by Ayman al-Warfali Writing by Tarek Amara Editing by Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Zohra, Muammar Gaddafi, Derna, Abdulmenam, Ayman al, Tarek Amara, Peter Graff Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, NATO, Islamic, International, Thomson Locations: Al Sahaba, Libya, Derna, Rights BENGHAZI, Libya's, Tripoli, Islamic State

☆ California Escapes Fire Season Mostly Unharmed, but Danger Could Lie Ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

After disastrous years in 2020 and 2021, wildfire damage this season has been largely limited to the sparsely populated northwest corner of the state. Cal Fire has reported 5,474 wildfires burning 257,407 acres (104,169 hectares) in 2023, similar to the same period of 2022. The five-year average over the same interval is 6,142 fires and 1.2 million acres burned. "We're really only a prolonged heatwave followed by a windstorm away from having major fires," Chavez said. UCLA meteorologist Daniel Swain said climate change is going to result in more extreme dry years periodically interspersed with more extreme wet years.

Persons: Daniel Trotta, California's, Tim Chavez, Nick Schuler, Michele Steinberg, Chavez, Daniel Swain, we'll, Swain, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: of Water Resources, Labor, California Department of Forestry, Fire Protection, Cal Fire, National Fire Prevention, UCLA, YouTube Locations: California, Western Canada, United States, Hawaii, Lahaina, Southern California

Riverside Animal Control looks for stray dogs as as the Fairview Fire smoulders near Hemet, California, U.S., September 9, 2022. After disastrous years in 2020 and 2021, wildfire damage this season has been largely limited to the sparsely populated northwest corner of the state. The five-year average over the same interval is 6,142 fires and 1.2 million acres burned. "We're really only a prolonged heatwave followed by a windstorm away from having major fires," Chavez said. UCLA meteorologist Daniel Swain said climate change is going to result in more extreme dry years periodically interspersed with more extreme wet years.

Persons: David Swanson, California's, Tim Chavez, Nick Schuler, Michele Steinberg, Chavez, Daniel Swain, we'll, Swain, Daniel Trotta, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Riverside, REUTERS, of Water Resources, Labor, California Department of Forestry, Fire Protection, Cal Fire, National Fire Prevention, UCLA, YouTube, Thomson Locations: Fairview, Hemet , California, U.S, California, Western Canada, United States, Hawaii, Lahaina, Southern California

Spanish farmer Miguel Moreno was an early adopter of so-called cover crops. Spain's drought-hit olive oil production slumped to 663,000 tonnes last year, less than half the average of 1.45 million tons recorded in the previous four harvests, according to the government. In January, it began subsidising farmers who use cover crops as part of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). She said the company was pushed both by customers such as Walmart in the U.S. and by regulation to buy olive oil from producers using sustainable practices. Ecology professor Manzaneda is also coordinator of EU-funded project SOIL O-LIVE and is testing methods for coaxing Albacete's degraded earth back to health.

Persons: Chiclana de Segura, Jon Nazca, Andrea Ronca, Miguel Moreno, Angel, Dcoop, Gonzalo Delacamara, Emilio Gonzalez, Antonio Manzaneda, Manzaneda, Olive, Syngenta, Luis Miranda, Domingo, Marco Trevisan, Dean, Simone Rech, Catalonia's Cava, Sebastiano Conti, Charlie Devereux, Antonella, Corina Pons, Keith Weir, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: REUTERS, Companies Southern, VILLANUEVA DEL ARZOBISPO, Farmers, European Union, of Nutrition, Plant Science, IE, Water, University of Cordoba, University of Jaen, European, Walmart, Swiss, Syngenta, EU, TECH, Smart, Milan Polytechnic, University of Brescia, of Agricultural Sciences, Catholic University of Piacenza, Thomson Locations: Olive, Chiclana, Jaen, Spain, ROME, Italy, Madrid, European, France, Germany, Mantua, Andalusia, European Union, U.S, ITALY, Treviso, Venice, Sicily

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers were scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to give Democratic Gov. Five companies paid roughly $750 million last year to lease areas off the California coast to build wind turbines. The bill before lawmakers Thursday would let the state buy the power. Consumers would not pay it until the wind projects are up and running, likely several years from now. The bill lawmakers approved on Wednesday also includes provisions to fast-track new electric transmission projects.

Persons: Gavin Newsom's, Alex Jackson, ”, Sen, Brian Dahle, ” Scott Wetch, Newsom, Henry Stern, Alice Reynolds, ” Reynolds Organizations: Democratic Gov, American Clean Power Association, Republican, of Water Resources, Democratic, California Public Utilities Commission Locations: SACRAMENTO, Calif, California

AQUIFERS AQUIFERS AQUIFERS WASH. MAINE MONT. MONITORING WELLS MONITORING WELLS MONITORING WELLS WASH. MAINE MONT. FLA. DECLINING WELLS DECLINING WELLS DECLINING WELLS WASH. MAINE MONT. FLA. UNCHARTED WATERS America Is Using Up Its Groundwater Like There’s No Tomorrow Overuse is draining and damaging aquifers nationwide, a New York Times data investigation revealed. Groundwater level trends Rising Declining Groundwater level trends Rising Declining Groundwater level trends Rising Declining Groundwater level trends Rising Declining Note: Colors depict the median trend for each site over the previous 20 years.

☆ California Is Free of Extreme Drought Conditions for the First Time in 3 Years
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Nikita Richardson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In recent years, the prospect of heavy rains might have sounded good to many people living in California, where drought and wildfires have been the main worries. That was not the case on this weekend, as Hurricane Hilary moved north from the coast of Baja California in Mexico and threatened to dump six to 10 inches of rain on the region. After three of the driest years in California history, much of the state is currently free of drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Storms fueled by “atmospheric rivers” this winter led to flooding and destruction across the state, but they also relieved severe drought conditions across wide swaths of the state, including Los Angeles and San Diego Counties, both of which were in Hilary’s path. Heavy winter rain, as well as record amounts of snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains, also has filled many of the state’s reservoirs well above historical averages, according to California Water Watch, a daily tracker maintained by the California Department of Water Resources.

Persons: Hilary Organizations: U.S . Drought, Los, San, San Diego Counties, California Water Watch, California Department of Water Resources Locations: California, Baja California, Mexico, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sierra Nevada

Xinhua/Shutterstock‘Absolutely safe’As heavy rains moved toward the region in late July, China’s top flood control officials met to hash out their response plan. The flood was caused by flood water discharge, not by heavy rainfall.”CNN has reached out to the Zhuozhou and Bazhou governments for comment. Rescuers use rubber boats to transfer Zhuozhou residents trapped by flood waters after days of downpours brought by Typhoon Doksuri on August 2. In the recent rains, at least three upstream reservoirs released flood waters into rivers flowing into Baiyingdian from the west and the south, according to state media. Many countries have systems that involve discharging pent up flood waters into otherwise dry land after major storms.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi’s, ”, It’s, Xiong’an, Jade Gao, Ni Yuefeng, downpours, Typhoon Doksuri, Zhai Jujia, Li Guoying, Hongzhang Xu, Xiao, Li Na, Zhu Xudong, it’s, Xiong’an –, Xu, Baiyangdian Lake, Kevin Frayer, “, Meili Feng, Simon Song, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Xu Kuangdi, Yi Haifei, Andrew Stokols Organizations: CNN, Xinhua, Getty, Censors, China News Service, China’s, Water, Australian National University, Authorities, China’s Ministry of Water Resources, Hebei Provincial Department of Water Resources, Geographical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Shanghai’s Pudong New, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urban Computing Center Locations: Beijing, China, Hebei, Xiong’an’s, Xiong'an, Zhuozhou, AFP, Bazhou, Xiong’an, Tianjin, ”, Xinhua, Baiyingdian, Baiyangdian, Mississippi, University of Nottingham Ningbo, “, Hebei province, Shenzhen, Shanghai’s Pudong, Shanghai

CNN —Days of heavy rain have caused severe flooding in China’s leading grain-producing region in the northeast, killing 14 people and raising concerns about food security as floodwater inundated farmlands. As the storm moved further north, another 14 deaths were reported Sunday in the city of Shulan in Jilin province. Firefighters operate a drainage machine near a village in the city of Mudanjiang in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province on August 5. A cornfield is submerged by floodwater in a village in Hebi city, Henan province on August 5. A flooded farm in Xinxiang city, Henan province on August 5.

Persons: Doksuri, Zhang Tao, floodwater, Typhoon Khanun, Xi Jinping Organizations: CNN, Xinhua, Firefighters, China’s Ministry of Water Resources, Communist Party, Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Affairs, National Bureau of Statistics, China Meteorological Administration, Qiushi, Communist Locations: China, Beijing, Hebei, Shulan, Jilin province, Heilongjiang, Mudanjiang, China's Heilongjiang, Jilin, Harbin, Shangzhi, Wuchang, Liaoning, Hebi city, Henan province, Henan, Xinxiang city

☆ China raises emergency response level for floods in northeast
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SHANGHAI, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Authorities in northeastern China raised their emergency response level on Sunday as tributaries of the Songhua, a major river, rose to dangerous levels after days of heavy rain caused by Typhoon Doksuri. China's Ministry of Water Resources said it raised the response for flooding to Level III at 10 a.m. (0200 GMT) in Inner Mongolia, Jilin and Heilongjiang. China uses a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I the most urgent. China on Sunday allocated an additional 350 million yuan ($48.8 million) to support rescues and house repairs in the flood-hit regions including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Heilongjiang and Jilin, according to a government statement. The government had previously allocated 170 million yuan for rescue and recovery work.

Persons: Doksuri, William Mallard, Tom Hogue Organizations: China's Ministry of Water Resources, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, China, China's, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei

People ride a boat through a flooded road after the rains and floods brought by remnants of Typhoon Doksuri, in Zhuozhou, Hebei province, China August 3, 2023. The vast Hai River basin covers an area the size of Poland that includes Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin. On his visit to flood storage areas in Baoding, Ni added that it was necessary to reduce the pressure on Beijing's flood control and create a "moat" for the Chinese capital. "I'd like to know, among all the people living in flood storage areas across the country, how many of them know they are living in such areas?" As of 8:00 a.m. (0000 GMT) on Friday, Hebei had relocated more than 1.54 million people, including 961,200 from flood storage areas, state media reported on Saturday.

Persons: Doksuri, Tingshu Wang, Xi Jinping, Secretary Ni Yuefeng, netizens, netizen, David Kirton, Ryan Woo, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, Beijing, Hebei's Communist, Secretary, Reuters, China Water Resources, Ministry of Water Resources, Thomson Locations: Zhuozhou, Hebei province, China, BEIJING, China's, Hebei, Poland, Beijing, Tianjin, Baoding prefecture, Baoding, Xiongan, Ni, Weibo, Bazhou, Shanghai

Evacuated residents have been transferred to makeshift shelters in hotels and schools, according to state media reports. A woman sits next to a flooded road following heavy rains in Zhuozhou, in northern China's Hebei province on August 2, 2023. Jade Gao/AFP/Getty ImagesFlood control zonesSome 857,000 people have been relocated from these areas, state media reported. Under national rules, the cost of properties damaged due to the release of waters in flood control areas will be compensated by 70%. Floods inundate a village in Baoding city, Hebei province, on August 2, 2023.

Persons: Typhoon Doksuri, Jade Gao, ” Yang Bang, Yang, Ni Yuefeng, “, –, Cheng Xiaotao, Shao Sun, Sun, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Ministry of Water Resources, Getty, University of California, CNN, Sun Locations: Hong Kong, China’s Hebei province, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Zhuozhou, China's Hebei, AFP, Hebei province, “, ”, Baoding, –, China, University of California Irvine, North China

☆ It’s Scorching in Iran, and There’s Less and Less Water to Help
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Vivian Yee | More About Vivian Yee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For a month and 10 days of unrelenting summer heat, Sepideh, a physician in southern Iran, and her dentist husband have left the house only for work (and only in the mornings) and for groceries (and only when the fridge is utterly bare). At one point last week, her car’s dashboard thermometer read 57 degrees Celsius, about 135 degrees Fahrenheit. “Only 57 degrees!” she posted. A combination of widening poverty and rising heat is crushing much of southern Iran, where sprawling desert, joined with the humidity of the nearby Persian Gulf, is especially prone to heat waves and droughts intensified by climate change. Although the mercury was lower elsewhere in the country, the misery has still been great.

Persons: Iran’s, Kaveh Madani Locations: Iran, Persian, United Nations

Listen and follow The DailyApple Podcasts | Spotify | StitcherOn the morning of Feb. 7, 2017, two electricians were working on a warning siren near the spillway of Oroville Dam, 60 miles north of Sacramento, when they heard an explosion. As they watched, a giant plume of water rose over their heads, and chunks of concrete began flying down the hillside toward the Feather River. The dam’s spillway, a concrete channel capable of moving millions of gallons of water out of the reservoir in seconds, was disintegrating in front of them. If it had to be taken out of service, a serious rainstorm, like the one that had been falling on Northern California for days, could cause the dam — the tallest in the United States — to fail. The rain, however, didn’t.

Persons: Kory Honea, Dino Corbin Organizations: Spotify, California’s Department of Water Resources Locations: Oroville, Sacramento, Northern California, United States, Butte County

☆ Evidence suggests the Ukrainian dam collapsed due to a controlled explosion set off inside the structure. An international investigative group says it's 'highly likely' Russian forces were behind the
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A critical dam in southern Ukraine collapsed on the early morning of June 6, displacing thousands. Experts say the dam's collapse could only happen with a large explosion from within, per NYT. "If your objective is to destroy the dam itself, a large explosion would be required," Michael W. West, a geotechnical and geological engineer, told The Times. The Times reported that a US intelligence satellite also captured infrared heat signals in the area just before the dam fell apart. A senior US military official told the Times that Russian operatives were most likely behind the attack.

Persons: —, Michael W, Strelets Organizations: Service, The New York Times, Times, The Times, Mobile Justice Team, European Union, CNBC Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Kherson, Dnipro, Romania

☆ As climate change hits, China weighs new water megaprojects
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( David Stanway | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"What they have been doing so far is using engineering solutions to try to physically supply water and fix their water problem," said Mark Wang, a geographer at Melbourne University who studies the impact of China's water infrastructure. "If China can reduce water use and increase efficiency, it doesn't need mega-diversion projects." Total investment in fixed water assets exceeded 1.1 trillion yuan ($154 billion) last year, up 44% compared with 2021, analysts said. It rose 15.6% to 407 billion yuan in the first quarter of 2023 and officials say even more funding will be made available. 'CHAIN REACTIONS'Part of the new plan involves the expansion of the South-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP), an ambitious engineering project that diverts surplus Yangtze River water to the arid Yellow River basin in the north.

Persons: Li Guoying, Mark Wang, Wang, Genevieve Donnellon, Gorges, David Stanway, Gerry Doyle Organizations: of Water, Melbourne University, China's Ministry of Water Resources, Oxford Global Society, Diversion, Thomson Locations: China, SINGAPORE, Sichuan, Liangshan County, Poyang Lake, Tibet, India

"The fresh water is finished," said Khamis Adel, a lifelong fishermen and indigenous Marsh Arab from Al-Khora in Basra. It's a question asked by many who once lived off Iraq's marshlands, rich waterways which gave birth to civilization in ancient Mesopotamia. As the rivers and marshlands dry out, so too does the economy that they sustain. "Now a fisherman is nothing, they are like beggars," he said, pushing his boat along the canal in humid heat. Even after the 2003 U.S. invasion, when parts of the marshes were flooded again, water levels did not fully recover.

Persons: Essam, Khamis Adel, Mohsen, Hasan Moussa, Hasan, Naame Hasan, Adel, Saddam Hussein, Ahmed Saeed, Issam, Timour Azhari, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, UNESCO, of, U.N's, Organization for Migration, WE, Thomson Locations: Iraqi, Basra, Iraq, BASRA, NAJAF, Al, Khora, of Eden, Mesopotamia, Turkey, Iran, Najaf, U.S, Issam Sudani, Timour, Baghdad

The action by the Arizona Department of Water Resources stands to slow population growth for the Phoenix Active Management Area, home to 4.6 million people and one of the most rapidly expanding areas of the United States. The state's recently concluded analysis projected a water shortfall of 4.86 million acre feet (6 billion cubic meters) in the Phoenix area over the next 100 years. In response, the state said it will deny new certificates of Assured Water Supply, which enable home construction. We need to have the water supplies in order to grow," said Sharon Megdal, director of the University of Arizona's Water Resources Research Center. The Department of Water Resources said developers would need to find other sources to build.

Persons: Sharon Megdal, Megdal, Spencer Kamps, Daniel Trotta, Richard Chang, Kim Coghill Organizations: Arizona Department of Water Resources, Phoenix Active Management, Supply, University of Arizona's Water Resources Research Center, The Department of Water Resources, Central, Home Builders Association of Central, Phoenix, Thomson Locations: Arizona, Phoenix, United States, Central Arizona, Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, Colorado

☆ Arizona sets limits on construction around Phoenix as groundwater dwindles
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Arizona will not allow new housing construction in the Phoenix area that depends on groundwater, a decision that comes as the state grapples with a multi-decade drought and diminishing water supplies. The decision by the Arizona Department of Water Resources applies only to groundwater supplies and would not affect current homeowners who already have an assured water source. Earlier this year, Arizona projected that developers planning to build homes in the desert west of Phoenix don't have enough groundwater supplies to execute those plans. The decision would allow developers to continue to build in the affected areas but would require them to find alternatives to groundwater supplies. During a nationwide housing shortage, developers are hoping to build homes in growing metropolitan regions such as Phoenix despite water shortages.

Persons: Florence Wednesday, Katie Hobbs Organizations: Arizona Gov, Arizona Department of Water Resources, U.S . Locations: Pinal County, AZ, Florence, Arizona, Phoenix, Colorado

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