Unusually scarce precipitation last winter has left little snow on the mountains, endangering a key California water reserve.
According to a study from the University of Arizona, the Sierra Nevada snowpack is currently at a 500-year low. Bare ground in places usually covered in feet of ice led California Governor Jerry Brown to declare mandatory water restrictions in April.
Because "the state witnesses roughly 80 percent of its precipitation in the winter months [...] Winters that yield less snow mean there's even less water for the state to use during summer, as melting snow is supposed to restock the state's reservoirs and aqueducts."
"The university says its research is the first of its kind to compare the 2015 snowpack with levels across five centuries. This was accomplished by examining tree-ring data that showed annual winter precipitation in central California from 1405 to 2005."
Read the full story: Study says Sierra Nevada snowpack lowest in 500 years
Los Angeles (and Climate Change) Seriously Threaten Air Quality at Mono Lake
With water levels habitually low, officials from the Eastern Sierra say they are "headed for a showdown” with L.A.
California Water Plan Foretells Tension Between Cities, Farmers
Recognizing the ongoing drought's severity, Sacramento is set to adopt a new statewide conservation plan. But some say the regulations don't place enough pressure on California's agricultural sector.
California’s Reservoirs are Filling Up, but For How Long?
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
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Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
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Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
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City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority