Graph of the Day: August Water Volume in Lake Mead, 1941-2010

By Michael Carlowicz23 September 2010 In August 2010, Lake Mead reached its lowest level since 1956. The largest reservoir in the United States was straining from persistent drought and increasing human demand. Two images from the Thematic Mapper on the Landsat 5 satellite show some of the stark changes on the eastern end of the […]

Ocean conditions likely to reduce Colorado River flows this winter — ‘A recipe for a perfect drought’

By Meg Sullivan October 01, 2010 The convergence in the coming year of three cyclical conditions affecting ocean temperatures and weather is likely to create unprecedented challenges for states that depend on water from the Colorado River, a new UCLA study suggests. “If I were concocting a recipe for a perfect drought, this would be […]

Worst drought in recorded history to trigger shortage plan in Southwest US

By FELICITY BARRINGERSeptember 27, 2010 LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, Nev. — A once-unthinkable day is looming on the Colorado River. Barring a sudden end to the Southwest’s 11-year drought, the distribution of the river’s dwindling bounty is likely to be reordered as early as next year because the flow of water cannot keep pace […]

Lake Mead: Then and Now

Two images from the Thematic Mapper on the Landsat 5 satellite show some of the stark changes on the eastern end of Lake Mead since 1985. 22 August 1985   11 August 2010 Caption by Michael CarlowiczSeptember 23, 2010 In August 2010, Lake Mead reached its lowest level since 1956. The largest reservoir in the […]

Graph of the Day: Water Volume of Lake Mead, 1935-2009, and Lake Powell, 1963-2009

The filling of Lake Mead (green) was initiated in 1935, and that of Lake Powell (blue) in 1963. In 1999, the lakes were nearly full, but by 2007, the lakes had lost nearly half of their storage water after the worst drought in 100 years. The Colorado River system supplies water to over 30 million […]

Hoover Dam turbines adapted to cope with historic drought

By James Cartledge The US Bureau of Reclamation has awarded a $3.4 million contract to Andritz Hydro Corporation to upgrade generating facilities at the Hoover Dam. Andritz Hydro, which is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, will design and manufacture a new “wide head” turbine runner for the Number Eight generating unit at the power plant […]

With hungry bears rising early, Tahoe-area residents put on alert

By Barbara Barte OsbornBee Correspondent, The Sacramento BeePublished: Tuesday, Mar. 30, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 2BLast Modified: Tuesday, Mar. 30, 2010 – 12:28 am The Lake Tahoe-area bears are up early, and they’re ravenous. “They feel the warmth and come out of their dens, but there’s no natural food for them yet,” said […]

Graph of the Day: Groundwater Storage Loss in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Basins, October 2003 – March 2009

In the 66-month period analyzed, the water stored in the combined Sacramento and San Joaquin Basin decreased by more than 31 cubic kilometers, or nearly the volume of Lake Mead. Nearly two-thirds of this came from changes in groundwater storage, primarily from the Central Valley. NASA Data Reveal Major Groundwater Loss in California’s Heartland Technorati […]

Stimulus funds drill wells as California water vanishes

  By GARANCE BURKE, DOS PALOS, Calif. (AP) — The government is spending $40 million in federal stimulus funds to pull water from underground aquifers in drought-stricken California, even as evidence is growing that the well-drilling boom could degrade the quality of water delivered to millions of residents. Farmers, conservationists and engineers are criticizing the […]

Groundwater loss in Central Valley since 2003 equal to volume of Lake Mead

Irvine, Calif., December 14, 2009 — New space observations reveal that since October 2003, the aquifers for California’s primary agricultural region – the Central Valley – and its major mountain water source – the Sierra Nevada – have lost nearly enough water combined to fill Lake Mead, America’s largest reservoir. The findings, based on satellite […]

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