Western water
Climate Change is Pushing Toxic Chemicals into Drinking Wells
PORTLAND, Ore. — Don Myron is probably best known as the guy who survived one of the deadliest fires in Oregon’s history by sheltering overnight in a river with a patio chair. So there was never any question that Myron would rebuild his home in Oregon’s Santiam Canyon after the house was destroyed in the […]
A Parched West Remains Divided on Desalinating Seawater
Editor’s note: The story was updated Feb. 25, 2022, to correct a quote from the Berkeley Lab’s Newsha Ajami. MONTEREY, Calif. — Gripped by drought, communities along California’s coast are exploring innovations and investments to ensure residents have access to drinking water. But desalinating seawater, one proposed solution, has provoked heated debate, as some environmentalists […]
California’s Drought Reckoning Could Offer Lessons for the West
MONTEREY, Calif. — The golden hills of California have turned green in recent weeks after a series of storms delivered much-needed rain and snow to a state suffering from two years of drought. But state officials and water policy experts are still urging caution even in these wet conditions, pushing for water-saving measures as the […]
Drought-Stricken Western Towns Say No to Developers
In the small city of Oakley, Utah, the drought conditions parching much of the West have depleted the natural springs that supply water to the community. During each of the past several summers, local leaders worried that quenching any major fire might empty the city’s water tanks. The city issued water-use restrictions this past April […]