Drought
Southern California Water District Declares Drought Emergency
State water officials say the region’s agencies will only receive 5 percent of their requested supplies for the start of 2023 due to intense drought conditions that continue to sap western water supplies.
Superfund Project to Deliver Massive Water Supply Boon to Los Angeles
The semi-arid region of Los Angeles is often mistaken for a desert, but the local water supply is also constrained by the environmental sins of the 20th century. The water supply equation of Los Angeles will soon change, however.
Controversial Agreement Yields Funding for Salton Sea Restoration
An unprecedented, but deeply controversial, agreement changes the equation for the Colorado River and the Salton Sea.
Arizona’s Growth Threatens Water Supplies
New communities are popping up across Arizona’s desert, evading water consumption restrictions and straining the state’s groundwater supplies.
Colorado River Compact Needs 21st Century Update
While the historic agreement set a new precedent for water rights, its inherent flaws, growing demand, and the threat of climate change make much of it obsolete for today’s needs.
Proposed Legislation Sounds Alarm on Mississippi River Drought
Without concerted restoration efforts, the river’s historically low levels could dramatically impact shipping activities and economic development throughout the region.
Drought Threatens Mississippi River Shipping Corridor
Disruption of shipping on the Mississippi could imperil food supplies and cost billions in losses.
Ramping Up Recycled Wastewater
States like Colorado and water suppliers in parts of Southern California are expanding the use of recycled wastewater to protect dwindling drinking water supplies.
Federal Program Provides Direct Payments for Colorado River Water Conservation
A water buyback program will pay farmers who reduce their water use in an effort to sustain the West’s reservoirs, which are at historically low levels.
Colorado River Water Crisis Deepens
The states that rely on the Colorado’s water must make drastic cuts in water usage to maintain use of the West’s most important—and most threatened—water source.
The Declining Appeal of Lawns
Long held as a symbol of middle-class success and the American Dream, homogenous, monocultural lawns are quickly falling out of favor as people opt for more ecologically friendly gardens that conserve water and increase biodiversity.
Department of the Interior Forced to Intervene on the Colorado River
More questions than answers on the Colorado River this week as the federal government failed to deliver on threats to force Southwest states to cut back on water use.
Aurora Restricts ‘Cool Weather Turf’ For New Development
Drought is reshaping western U.S. landscapes. Las Vegas banned ornamental grass in 2021. Aurora is now the first municipality in Colorado to curb the use of some grasses in new developments.
California Governor Outlines Plan for a ‘Hotter, Drier Future’
With California’s water supply expected to drop by 10 percent in the next two decades, Governor Newsom’s strategy calls for conservation and increased investment in water collection, storage, and desalination infrastructure.
Report Sounds the Alarm for Western Reservoirs
Without more immediate, long-term reductions in water demand, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the West’s most important reservoirs, face imminent collapse.
The Rise of Artificial Turf
Once scratchy and unrealistic, artificial grass has come a long way. Now, it’s quickly becoming a popular lawn replacement as droughts and climate change make traditional lawns harder to maintain.
Californians Struggle To Cut Water Use
The state is slowly starting to curb water consumption, but progress has been ‘disappointingly slow’ as water supplies across the West diminish to historic lows.
Shrinking Great Salt Lake Is a Ticking Time Bomb
Climate change and population growth are shrinking the Great Salt Lake. The environmental consequences are dire.
Spokane To Implement Drought Response Ordinance
The city council voted to override a veto of the ordinance by the mayor, enacting new water conservation measures.
Declining Water Levels Trigger ‘Stage 1’ Drought Response in Austin
The effects of the megadrought in the American Southwest are reaching into Texas.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
