Headline

Ag In 1 Calif. County Uses More Water Than 2 States

 California

A man places his fishing pole along the shore line of Folsom Lake that would normally be underwater in Folsom, Calif., Monday, Oct. 3, 2022. The reservoir is filled to about 70% of its historical average as California began its new water year that started Oct. 1. The past three years have been California's driest on record and state officials said Monday that they're preparing for the streak to continue. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

California's record-smashing three-year drought will likely continue, state officials said Monday. Most of the state is in severe, extreme, or (the worst) exceptional drought. The 'water year' ending on September 30 saw precipitation at just 76% of average and reservoir levels at 69% of their historic levels. Despite the superlative-straining drought, not everyone is short for water, NPR reports. Farmers in Imperial County, California, currently pull more water from the Colorado river than the states of Arizona and Nevada — combined — water to which they are legally entitled due to a byzantine water rights system and land speculators who dug a canal in 1901.

(NPR; Ongoing drought: AP, E&E $)

(Climate Signals background: Western megadrought)

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