July 21, 2014
A review by The Associated Press of California government data has found a wide discrepancy in how state and local fire officials apply fines and citations for failing to clear vegetation in areas prone to wildland blazes. Property owners in …
July 16, 2014
In the third year of a drought, reservoirs in far Eastern Oregon are low, and farmers are running out of irrigation water. South of Ontario, Jay Chamberlin of the Owyhee (oh-WEYE’-hee) Irrigation District in Nyssa (NIS’-uh) says he’s been telling …
July 16, 2014
In one of the most drastic responses yet to California’s drought, state regulators on Tuesday will consider fines up to $500 a day for people who waste water on landscaping, fountains, washing vehicles and other outdoor uses. The rules would …
July 16, 2014
Farmers in pockets of California hardest hit by the drought could begin to see their wells run dry a year from now if rain and snow remain scarce in the agriculturally rich state, according to a study released Tuesday. Richard …
June 2, 2014
Federal officials have designated five Idaho counties as natural disaster areas due to recent drought conditions. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday declared that Butte, Clark, Custer, Jefferson and Washington counties qualified for federal assistance. The designation means farmers …
May 13, 2014
When Thomas Jeffery visits states like California, he likes to take some time out to drive around and take a hard look at the conditions and the landscape. As a scientist, Jeffery feels this helps put first-person observations into his …
May 5, 2014
With California in a drought, the coastal city of Santa Barbara is thinking about firing up a desalination plant that has been in storage for more than two decades. The city built the plant in the 1990s during the last …
May 2, 2014
With summer approaching state water managers say California’s snowpack is at 18 percent of average for the date. The Department of Water Resources on Thursday said the season’s final survey of the Sierra Nevada snowpack found more bare ground than …
April 28, 2014
Small businesses in eight New Mexico counties are eligible for federal disaster loans due to the drought. The U.S. Small Business Administration made the announcement Friday, saying the loans can help offset economic losses from reduced revenues caused by the …
April 21, 2014
Wildfires across the western United States have been getting bigger and more frequent over the last 30 years, according to a new study. The number of wildfires over 1,000 acres in size in the region stretching from Nebraska to California …