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By Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he would extend the drought emergency statewide and issued an executive order to have residents conserve water. As part of this effort, eight new counties were added to the state of emergency, and authorized the State Water Resources Control Board was authorized to ban activities that waste water, such as washing sidewalks and driveways.
Why this Matters: The California Department of Water Resources reported that 2021 was the state’s second-driest water year on record and the driest since 1924. This year, California received under half its average precipitation.
As droughts worsen in California, agriculture becomes more difficult and the risk of wildfires increases. This year, wildfires have burned over 6 million acres in California, more thanover 960,000 of which were destroyed by the still-burning Dixie Fire, the state’s second-largest fire in its history.
Another Year of Drought
There is some chance that the drought will ease slightly. Over the weekend, rain and snow hit Northern California, with the Sacramento area experiencing precipitation for the first time in 212 days. In the coming week, parts of California and the Pacific Northwest could see up to 10 inches of rain.
Governor Newsom emphasized the severity of the drought in a statement on Tuesday: “As the western US faces a potential third year of drought, it’s critical that Californians across the state redouble our efforts to save water in every way possible…”
By Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Writer For decades, uranium mining has contaminated the Navajo Nation, causing higher cancer rates and water pollution. Even though the health risks and environmental harms of uranium mining are well-established, new operations continue to move forward. One local group, the Eastern Navajo Diné Against Uranium Mining (ENDAUM) hasn’t found a […]
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By Elizabeth Love, ODP Contributing Writer Authorities in the Canadian Arctic territory Nunavut, announced a state of emergency this week due to a possible contamination event affecting the City of Iqaluit’s water supply. Tests were performed after residents reported the smell of gasoline coming from their tap water, but they came back clean. However, […]
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By Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Writer For 40 million people living in the Western US, the Colorado River basin is their source of water supply and last month, the federal government declared a water shortage on the river for the first time. Within the basin, Thirty Native tribes have recognized rights to more than one-fifth […]
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