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Water Resources

All articles tagged with #water resources

Elephant Butte Reservoir Dives to 1.4% Capacity Amid Rio Grande Strain
environment1 month ago

Elephant Butte Reservoir Dives to 1.4% Capacity Amid Rio Grande Strain

New Mexico’s Elephant Butte Reservoir, the state’s largest, plunged to 1.4% capacity in July 2026 after years of extreme drought and record early snowmelt, stressing Rio Grande irrigation for farms in New Mexico and Texas and exposing debris along the shoreline. Water releases ended after July 28, offering a slow rebound, but the drought underscores ongoing water-scarcity concerns in the basin. NASA-backed satellite monitoring and analysis are helping managers track water availability and guide allocation decisions.

via Science Daily|
#drought#elephant-butte-reservoir#environment
Mount Timpanogos Rock Glacier Hides Water Reserve
science1 month ago

Mount Timpanogos Rock Glacier Hides Water Reserve

University of Utah researchers estimate a rock glacier on Mount Timpanogos contains up to 150 feet of ice, enough to fill about 600 Olympic pools, identified through precise gravity measurements mapping ice beneath debris; the ice could sustain late-summer flows into streams and groundwater in Utah’s dry climate, but hidden ice also poses flood hazards, and Utah has about 836 rock glaciers with enough ice to fill roughly 400,000 Olympic pools, underscoring the state’s potential water storage amid warming and seismic risks along the Wasatch fault.

via KSL|
#climate-change#mount-timpanogos#rock-glacier
Utah’s hidden ice could become a billion-ton water source
environment1 month ago

Utah’s hidden ice could become a billion-ton water source

Researchers estimate Utah’s rock glaciers store about 1 billion tons of ice (roughly 815,000 acre-feet), buried under rock and including the Timpanogos Rock Glacier. This buried ice could become a meaningful water source as the West warms, supporting alpine ecosystems and wildlife, though scientists still need to quantify how much melt contributes to streams and urban water supplies.

via The Salt Lake Tribune|
#climate-change#environment#geology
England faces widespread drought as July becomes driest on record
environment2 months ago

England faces widespread drought as July becomes driest on record

71.3% of England is in drought after July, the driest month on record since 1836; the National Drought Group added regions to drought status, bringing 45 million people into drought areas and over 27 million under water-use restrictions as heatwaves persist. Amber health alerts remain, wildfire risk rises, and farmers warn of poor yields, with officials pushing on-site irrigation measures while climate scientists link the drought to warming and El Niño.

via BBC|
#climate-change#drought#england
Argentina loosens glacier protections to empower provincial mining
world6 months ago

Argentina loosens glacier protections to empower provincial mining

Argentina's Congress approved a reform to the 2010 Glacier Law that shifts protection of glacier regions from the national Ianigla agency to provincial authorities, making it easier to mine in glacier areas; supporters say it enables development, while opponents warn it endangers water resources since glaciers feed 36 river basins across 12 provinces and about seven million people. The reform keeps glaciers in the national inventory until provinces prove they are not strategic water reserves.

via BBC|
#argentina#environment#glaciers
West Sizzles Under Record Heat as Hawaii Faces Severe Flooding
environment6 months ago

West Sizzles Under Record Heat as Hawaii Faces Severe Flooding

Western states are experiencing a historic early-season heat wave, setting dozens of March temperature records (Phoenix hit 105F; forecast to exceed 200 more records), with rapid attribution studies finding such heat waves four times more likely due to climate change and threatening snowpack and water supplies. Meanwhile Hawaii faces relentless Kona-low storms causing severe flooding, with the Wahiawa Dam stressed and roughly $1 billion in damage plus about $11 million in farmer losses; officials have requested a major disaster declaration and relief efforts are underway.

via Inside Climate News|
#climate-change#environment#hawaii-flooding
The Future of Space Mining: Unlocking Asteroid Treasures
science9 months ago

The Future of Space Mining: Unlocking Asteroid Treasures

A study in MNRAS reveals that most asteroids, especially carbon-rich ones, contain low precious metals, making mining for gold unviable. Instead, water-rich asteroids are identified as more practical resources for future space exploration, providing water for fuel and life support, while also aiding planetary defense efforts. Technological challenges remain significant for actual mining operations, emphasizing the need for further research and development.

via The Daily Galaxy|
#asteroid-mining#carbonaceous-chondrites#planetary-defense
California's Sierra Nevada Snowpack Boosted by Recent Storms
environment9 months ago

California's Sierra Nevada Snowpack Boosted by Recent Storms

A series of December storms has improved California's snowpack, which is crucial for the state's water supply, currently at 71% of average, though it remains below last year's levels. The snowpack acts as a vital reservoir, and its health depends on continued storm activity through winter and spring. Reservoirs are above average, but the overall water situation remains uncertain amid fluctuating weather patterns.

via The Guardian|
#california#climate-change#december-storms
Senators Investigate California Wildfire Response and Funding
politics1 year ago

Senators Investigate California Wildfire Response and Funding

Two Senate Republicans are investigating the response to the Palisades fire, focusing on whether emergency preparations, especially water resources like the Santa Ynez Reservoir, were sufficient. The fire, which killed 12 and destroyed parts of Pacific Palisades, exposed issues with water supply and firefighting deployment, prompting multiple investigations and political debates about preparedness and response.

via Los Angeles Times|
#california#fire-response#palisades-fire