drought

How A Historical Blunder Helped Create The Water Crisis In The West

2:28pm July 06, 2015

In 1922, seven states drew up a plan for dividing the waters of the Colorado River. But they overestimated how much water the river could provide — and now 40 million Americans face a water crisis.

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Farmer Efi Cohen inspects almond trees on a kibbutz south of Jerusalem. The Israeli government says it's safe to use treated sewage water to irrigate tree fruit, but not all crops.

Israel Bets On Recycled Water To Meet Its Growing Thirst

2:19pm June 23, 2015

by Emily Harris

Treated sewage water accounts for half the water used by Israel's farms. Entrepreneurs are experimenting with ways to cut costs and to ensure that the 86 percent of wastewater that's recycled is safe.

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The sun sets over the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta near Rio Vista, Calif., in 2013. The delta is the largest West Coast estuary and a source of conflict over the state's water.

Endangered Species Protections At Center Of Drought Debate

2:23pm June 18, 2015

by Kirk Siegler

Lawmakers in hard-hit Western states are pushing for suspensions to the Endangered Species Act to free up stored water. But an entrenched partisan divide over the law continues to be a hang-up.

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Salt appears in white clumps in a newly sprouted chile field in Garfield, N.M.

For New Mexico's Chiles, The Enemy Isn't Just Drought But Salt, Too

12:44pm June 06, 2015

by Mónica Ortiz Uribe

Farmers in New Mexico are worried about the future of the state's most beloved crop: green and red chiles. They're increasingly relying on salty groundwater, which damages the soil and the crops.

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An Indian farmer sits Tuesday in his dried-up land in Gauribidanur village, in southern India's Karnataka state. More than 750 people have died in a heat wave that has swept across the country.

World News

Heat Wave Claims More Than 750 Lives In India

4:23pm May 27, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

Most of the deaths have occurred in southern Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states. But high temperatures persist across much of the country of 1 billion people.

A screen grab from the app VizSafe, where users can report things like fallen branches, potholes, and even water wasters to a geotagged map.

National

In California, Technology Makes Droughtshaming Easier Than Ever

7:22am May 26, 2015

by Sam Sanders

As California's drought continues, social media and smart phone apps let just about anyone call out water waste, often very publicly.

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Books
Arts

What If The Drought Doesn't End? 'The Water Knife' Is One Possibility

9:48pm May 23, 2015

by NPR Staff

It's Chinatown meets Mad Max in writer Paolo Bacigalupi's new desert dystopia, filled with climate refugees, powerful state border patrols, and secret agents called water knives.

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Tanimura & Antle workers use tractors to install drip tape into fields that will be used to grow lettuce and other crops in California's Salinas Valley.

Why California Farmers Are Conflicted About Using Less Water

3:39pm May 13, 2015

by Aarti Shahani

Cities in California have been ordered to cut water use. Farms have not, yet. Inside the industry, there's a quiet debate: Does it makes sense to invest in water-conserving tech now — or later?

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Mountain tops in Sierra Nevada, normally covered in snow this time of year, are seen nearly barren, near the Sequoia National Park during an aerial survey of the snowpack done by the California Department of Water Resources.

California Regulators Adopt Unprecedented Water Restrictions

6:40am May 06, 2015

by Eyder Peralta

Californians face a mandated 25 percent reduction in water use, after they failed to meet previous goals. The new restrictions will take effect in the summer months.

Gov. Jerry Brown announced mandatory statewide water restrictions at the site of a manual snow survey on April 1, in Phillips, Calif. The recorded level was zero, the lowest in recorded history for California.

Santa Barbara Leads California In Cutting Water Use

2:37pm May 05, 2015

by Sanden Totten

California officials are finalizing a mandatory plan to cut water use across the state. Cities looking for a road map on how to save water might consider Santa Barbara's example.

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