News-Archives

Op-Ed by Peter Gleick: We Have Seen The Future Of Water, And It Is Cape Town
02.09.2018 – Cape Town is parched. Severe drought and high water use have collided in South Africa’s second largest city…Read More.
Op-Ed by Peter Gleick: Cape Town Is Running out of Water. Could More Cities Be Next?
02.08.2018 – After more than three years of severe drought, Cape Town, a city of nearly 4 million people, is running…Read More.
Cape Town is Running Out of Water. Is Los Angeles Next?
02.06.2018 – There’s an expression in Afrikaans, n boer maak a plan, which roughly translates to “a farmer makes…Read More.
Circular Water Management: Still a Drop in the Bucket
02.05.2018 – While the risks associated with water are widely known within large businesses, the majority of companies…Read More.
Cape Town’s Water Restrictions Now Limit Residents to Absolute Minimum Needed for Survival
02.01.2018 – Cape Town is trying to make a little bit of water go a long way. Its reservoirs are down…Read More.
Winter Heat Wave Bakes the Southwest, Bringing Renewed Worries of Severe Drought
01.30.2018 – The pear trees are already blooming in Celeste Cantú’s garden. She usually sees the blossoms…Read More.
California Water: Desalination Projects Move Forward with New State Funding
01.30.2018 – California water officials have approved $34.4 million in grants to eight desalination projects…Read More.
Evian Will Make All Its Water Bottles Out Of 100% Recycled Plastic
01.18.2018 – Can the bottled water industry solve its sustainability problem…Read More.
Reno’s Warming Trend Continued in 2017 and Hindered Snowfall
01.09.2018 – Last year was the wettest on record in Reno and among the warmest. The 13.73 inches of precipitation …Read More.
Tahoe Snowpack Third-Lightest Since 1981
12.28.2017 – What a difference a year makes. The winter of 2017-18 is off to a slow start in the Sierra Nevada, a stark contrast …Read More.
Recycling More Water Could Reduce the Amount Flowing to the Salton Sea, Environmentalists Warn
12.08.2017 – The Coachella Valley’s biggest water district recycles wastewater at three of its six sewage treatment …Read More.
Executive Summary for December 1st
12.1.2017 – California begins its rainy season with only 15 percent of the state in moderate drought …Read More.
Can a New Salton Sea Plan Fend Off Ecological and Health Disasters?
11.10.2017 – State officials are moving forward with a strategy for a “smaller but sustainable Salton Sea,” but …Read More.
White House-Approved Report Says Climate Change is ‘Extremely Likely’ to be Caused by Human Activity
11.03.2017 – The US government released Friday a major scientific report that says climate change is “extremely likely” to be…Read More.
Our Voice: California Must Build on Salton Sea Momentum
10.28.2017 – After far too many years lost to the indecisiveness of “let’s do yet another study,” momentum finally seems to be …Read More.
Salton Sea Communities “No Longer a Good Place to Live” for Those with Respiratory Issues
10.26.2017 – Nancy Johnson has lived near the Salton Sea her entire life. Her grandparents originally moved to the …Read More.
Survey: Business Water Management Efforts Are Still a Drop in the Bucket
10.23.2017 – By the year 2030, water demand is expected to exceed sustainable supply by 40 percent, but only 42 percent…Read More.
The U.S. Could Have Avoided Puerto Rico’s Water Crisis
10.20.2017 – The numbers associated with the current situation in Puerto Rico, one month after Hurricane Maria struck…Read More.
California Hepatitis Outbreak Has Killed 19 People
10.20.2017 – In response to a hepatitis A outbreak that was incubated in unsanitary conditions among the homeless, Gov. Jerry…Read More.
Pacific Institute Celebrates 30 Years of Groundbreaking Environmental Research
10.13.2017 – Peter Gleick stood up in a crowded assembly hall on the edge of downtown Oakland holding Pacific Institute’s first publication…Read More.
Scared of Geoengineering? Rapid Arctic Warming is Far Scarier
10.12.2017 – The possibility that humans will tinker with nature to try to stop climate change from ravaging the planet has filmmaker…Read More.
Islamic State Occupation Wrecks Iraq Environment and Infrastructure
10.03.2017 – For nine months the Qayarrah oil field burned. Smoke from 18 oil wells that Islamic State militants blew up…Read More.
Banking on California’s Floodwater
10.02.2017 – California’s agricultural wealth comes at the expense of its groundwater reserves, which have been drawn downward at a rate of about…Read More.
We Are All at Risk From Poisonous Mercury. It’s time to take action
09.29.2017 – Mercury is far more pervasive than most people realise, and we have no idea how many people…Read More.
This Snap-On Sensor Could Tell Farmers Exactly How Much To Water Their Crops
09.27.2017 – In 2010, scientists at California’s Pacific Institute, a global water think tank, defined a condition Earth could face…Read More.
Two Major Cities Demand Fossil Fuel Companies Pay for Climate Damages
09.20.2017 – San Francisco and Oakland join a growing movement aiming to hold fossil fuel companies accountable through…Read More.
Deep Drought Stirred Action on California’s Right To Water
09.12.2017 – Though the nation’s first state law to assure the human right to safe water and sanitation was enacted in …Read More.
Our Voice: Leaders Hone Their Focus on the Salton Sea
09.09.2017 – There was another sign that Sacramento is feeling increasing urgency when it comes to solving the problem that is the…Read More.
Opinion: Delta Twin Tunnel ‘WaterFix’ Bad for Santa Clara County, Won’t Fix Anything
09.08.2017 – The League of Women Voters of California opposes the WaterFix—twin tunnels the Department of Water Resources proposes…Read More.
Agencies Urge California Water Board to Approve Salton Sea Agreement
09.07.2017 – Three agencies are urging California’s top water regulators to approve an agreement that would commit the state to following…Read More.
With Drought Restrictions Long Gone, California Keeps Conserving Water
09.06.2017 – Although there’s been some uptick in consumption since mandatory water conservation measures… Read More.
‘Show me the Money’: Calls for Action as California Water Board Considers Salton Sea Plans
09.06.2017 – With less than four months left until a critical deadline when the Salton Sea will begin to shrink rapidly, residents and activists …Read More.
Drought’s Over, Yet Californians Keep Saving Water
09.06.2017 – Good habits die hard, it seems, after five years of epic drought – for most Californians, anyway. …Read More.
‘Not One Drop’ of Poland Spring Bottled Water is From a Spring, Lawsuit Says
08.22.2017 – Poland Spring, the country’s bestselling bottled water, is “a colossal fraud,” according to a class-action lawsuit..Read More.
Poison Once Flowed in America’s Waters. With Trump, It Might Again
08.14.2017 – As a scientist working for decades on national and global water and climate challenges, I must speak out against what I see as an assault…Read More.
Federal Climate Report Finds ‘Extreme’ Conditions, Despite Trump’s Cold Shoulder
08.10.2017 – A new federal report could again challenge the Trump administration’s dismissive stance…Read More.
Federal Report sees Human-caused Changes to California’s Climate
08.08.2017 – The changes to California’s climate since 1980 — higher temperatures, with more extreme swings between droughts and floods…Read More.
How California Can and Must Stop Wasting its Storm Water
07.26.2017 – Californians have moved heaven and earth to get water to the state’s thirsty cities and farms. We pipe water through the nation’s longest aqueducts…Read More.
California Locales Sue Fossil Fuel Companies for Rising Seas
07.18.2017 – The locales say that actions by oil, natural gas and coal companies intensified climate change …Read More.
5 Things to Know About the Iceberg
07.13.2017 – It’s finally adrift. When the Larsen C Ice Shelf calved yesterday, it sent one of the largest icebergs ever recorded slipping into a sea frosted with smaller chunks …Read More.
The Next Crisis for California Will be the Affordability of Water
07.07.2017 – The price of almost everything is on the rise, but we tend to shrug off inflation in goods and services we can cut back or do …Read More.
Let’s Drink: Scenic Water Fountains and Why It’s Radical to Use Them
06.22.2017 – In 2005, Nestlé Group CEO Peter Brabeck was filmed saying, “The one opinion [is that] water is a public right. That as a human being …Read More.
Water and National U.S. Security
06.15.2017 – Around 2500 BC, Urlama, the King of the city-state of Lagash, diverted water from boundary irrigation canals between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers …Read More.
Op-Ed by Heather Cooley: Why Go for Desal When California Has Cheaper Options?
06.14.2017 – While winter rains have refilled California reservoirs and dumped near-record snow on the mountains, communities across the state are wisely seeking ways …Read More.
Water And Conflict: Fighting Wars Over A Precious Resource
06.13.2017 – We have been fighting wars over the most valuable resource on the planet since thousands of years B.C. We speak today of water wars …Read More.
Two Paths for Long-Term Fixes at California’s Shrinking Sea
06.12.2017 – Near the southeastern shore of the Salton Sea, hot steam bubbles up from the earth and gurgles out of mud volcanos, rising into the air …Read More.
California Far from Solutions as Salton Sea Crisis Looms
06.12.2017 – The Salton Sea is a disaster in slow motion. For the last few years, California, Arizona and Nevada have been working on a deal to use less water from the over-allocated Colorado River, which provides water for nearly …Read More.
The Challenge of Measuring Groundwater in California’s Central Valley
06.02.2017 – A new study estimates that around 9.5 cubic miles of groundwater was pumped from the region …Read More.
As Political Pressure for Approval Intensifies, the Case for a Big Desalination Plant Remains Cloudy
05.19.2017 – You can surmise that a business is running into trouble when it starts lining up political …Read More.
How the Colorado River’s Future Depends on the Salton Sea
05.16.2017 – California’s giant desert lake is key to negotiations over the future of Colorado River …Read More.
California’s Drought Is over, but We’re Still Toting up the Costs
04.26.2017 – It’s been quite a wet season in Sacramento. The National Weather Service Sacramento forecasters have compiled some stats …Read More.
Season of the Switch
04.26.2017 – The good news: After five years of historic drought, California is awash in water again. The bad news: Schizophrenic …Read More.
California’s Wet Year Eases Drought but Many Still Lack Water
04.17.2017 – Just a week after Governor Jerry Brown declared the end of the California drought emergency, the northern half of …Read More.
How the Drought Changed California Forever
04.15.2017 – California’s historic five-year drought is officially over, washed away with the relentlessly drenching rains, floods and snowstorms of …Read More.
Drought Declared Over, so Why Does Water Future Look Grim?
04.10.2017 – California’s historic drought is over, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) said Friday, while simultaneously launching a bid to enshrine water …Read More.
California Governor Lifts Drought Emergency
04.07.2017 – California Gov. Jerry Brown announced the end of the state’s drought emergency Friday …Read More.
Graphene Oxide: A Better Membrane, but No ‘Silver Bullet’ for Desalination
04.07.2017 – A new membrane marks a step forward for desalination technology. But it still faces a challenging …Read More.
The Battle to Save Public Drinking Fountains from Extinction
04.06.2017 – Concerns about water quality and contamination have led to the decline of public water-fountain use …Read More.
Americans’ Fears About Water Pollution Hit A 16-Year High
04.03.2017 – A new poll finds Americans are more concerned about their drinking water than they are about any other …Read More.
California’s Drought May Be Over, But Its Water Troubles Aren’t
03.21.2017 – In the years before California’s civil engineers got around to confining the Sacramento River …Read More.
How Hydroelectric Power has Roared Back in California
03.20.2017 – After slowing to a trickle during the past five years of punishing drought, hydroelectric power …Read More.
State Unveils a 10-year Plan to Restore Habitat and Control Toxic Dust Storms Along the Salton Sea’s Receding Shoreline
03.17.2017 – Salton Sea advocates on Thursday cautiously celebrated the announcement of a 10-year state plan to complete …Read More.
California has a New $383 Million Plan for the Shrinking Salton Sea
03.16.2017 – A $383 million plan released by the state’s Natural Resources Agency on Thursday lays out a schedule for building thousands of acres of ponds …Read More.
Why Solar Panels Bloom in Southwest’s Land of Hydropower
03.14.2017 – Electric utilities are seeking a new power mix, as shifts in precipitation diminish the role that dams have long played …Read More.
California Today: Why the State’s Biggest Lake Is Dying
03.07.2017 – California’s biggest lake, about 350 square miles, is dying. It’s not the first time. The Salton Sea, straddling the …Read More.
California’s Wild Climate Will Only Get More Volatile As Temperatures Rise
03.03.2017 – To understand how climate change is creating a world of extremes, look to California, where the reality of severe drought coupled with …Read More.
California’s Huge Storms Still Haven’t Ended the Drought’s Impacts
02.24.2017 – Several feet of dirty brown water flows through the fields outside Andrew Lockman’s truck window as he surveys the damage from the recent storms. …Read More.
Did the Drought Contribute to Severe Flooding in San Jose? Officials Search for Answers
02.23.2017 – For five long, drought-plagued winters, Mother Nature refused to refill Coyote Creek. Foliage filled its dry bed, and …Read More.
The Oroville Dam Crisis Has Exposed A Much Bigger Problem
02.23.2017 – When the overflowing Oroville Dam in Northern California was threatened due to damage sustained to its spillways …Read More.
California’s Wet Weather has Some Believing the Drought is Over
02.22.2017 – A statewide downpour brought chaos to Californians this week, but it also provided some welcome relief to the state’s …Read More.
Extreme Droughts and Floods will be California’s Future — Is the State Ready?
02.22.2017 – The erosion of the Oroville Dam’s emergency spillway, which triggered the evacuation of 188,000 people …Read More.
Dams Remain in Line For Bulk of Funding Over Cheaper Alternatives
02.21.2017 – Despite the spectacular near failure of Oroville Dam, a linchpin of California’s vast plumbing system, Congress …Read More.
Expect to See More Emergencies Like Oroville Dam in a Hotter World
02.20.2017 – Scientists predicted decades ago that climate change would add stress to water management systems like Oroville Dam …Read More.
2 Dams Illustrate Challenge of Maintaining Older Designs
02.19.2017 – Twelve years ago, widespread destruction from Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast helped compel federal engineers 2,000 miles away in California …Read More.
Disturbing Deficiencies Seen in California’s Dam Safety Efforts
02.19.2017 – The dam burst on a warm afternoon, unleashing nearly 300 million gallons of muddy water on a Los Angeles …Read More.
Op-Ed by Peter Gleick: Oroville Dam Crisis Shows why we Can’t Take Water Infrastructure for Granted
02.16.2017 – During the 20th century, the United States pioneered and built water-treatment and delivery systems that provide nearly …Read More.
The Dam Truth: Climate Change Means More Lake Orovilles
02.16.2017 – Just two years ago, Lake Oroville was so dry that submerged archaeological artifacts were starting to resurface …Read More.
Op-Ed: To Avoid Catastrophe, Don’t Build More Dams
02.15.2017 – In the wake of the Oroville Dam near-catastrophe, many are asking our organization …Read More.
Op-Ed by Laura Feinstein and Peter Gleick: Big-Picture Questions Raised by the Oroville Dam Emergency
02.15.2017 – Let’s not let a good crisis go to waste: Here are six important conversations that need to happen …Read More.
Oroville Is a Warning for California Dams, as Climate Change Adds Stress
02.14.2017 – The St. Francis Dam was a proud symbol of California’s engineering might and elaborate water system …Read More.
Oroville Dam: Crisis Highlights Need for Repairs to Anderson Dam, Other California Dams
02.13.2017 – One day after the deterioration of an Oroville Dam spillway forced the evacuation of more than 180,000 people in …Read More.
Broken California Dam Is a Sign of Emergencies to Come
02.13.2017 – A deluge of repeated rainstorms set the stage for the near-disaster at the Oroville Dam in California, a crisis …Read More.
What is the Oroville Dam, and What will Happen if the Spillway Fails?
02.13.2017 – At least 188,000 people living downstream of California’s Oroville Dam were ordered to evacuate late …Read More.
Amid California Dam Evacuations, Big Risks and a Costly Infrastructure Failure
02.12.2017 – Massive flows of water damaged the emergency spillway of California’s Oroville Dam and prompted the sudden evacuations …Read More.
Despite Floods, California Extends Drought Regulations
02.09.2017 – The Water Resources Control Board has voted to extend existing conservation regulations, to the chagrin of many water agencies. The decision …Read More.
Why Is the Drought Not Over Yet?
02.07.2017 – Since December storms have been battering Los Angeles. In this first week of the city’s traditionally rainiest month, L.A. is more …Read More.
California Struggles with Groundwater Depletion Following End of Drought
02.06.2017 – Perhaps a bit of good news on the climate change front? Although does it come at a cost. Recent California …Read More.
Op-Ed by Laura Feinstein: California Should Protect the Most Vulnerable People Affected by Drought
02.06.2017 – Do we ensure that, while nobody has all the water they want, everyone has enough clean, affordable water to drink …Read More.
Desalination of Aquifers Offers Drought-Weary California New Hope
02.06.2017 – California’s historic drought may be winding down. But water officials across the Golden State are increasingly exploring a hidden but …Read More.
Study Finds Two Groups Hardest Hit by California’s Drought
01.25.2017 – A new Pacific Institute study is the first statewide effort to explore the impact of the California drought on vulnerable communities …Read More.
Five Things to Know About California’s Drought After Big Storms
01.24.2017 – California has been hit with multiple large storms in the last month that have brought above-average snow and rainfall to most of the state …Read More.
Op-Ed by Peter Gleick: A Wet Year Wont Beat California’s Never-Ending Drought
01.22.2017 – Storm after storm has pummeled California over the past few weeks as a series of so-called atmospheric rivers has come ashore …Read More.
Focus: California Considers Ending Emergency Drought Rules
01.20.2017 – Defining drought in California can be a tricky business, especially when five years of severely dry conditions …Read More.
California Got Soaked—But Don’t Start Your Endless Showers Just Yet
01.15.2017 – It’s been pouring in rain-starved California for the past few weeks, so is the Golden State’s drought finally over …Read More.
Op-Ed by Peter Gleick: Is the Drought Over? Wrong Question!
01.13.2017 – Given the massive series of storms bringing rain and snow to California over the past month, people are asking …Read More.
Side Effect of California’s Drought: More Climate Pollution
01.03.2017 – Droughts are already getting longer and more severe because of human-caused climate change in the American Southwest and around …Read More.
Scroll to Top