It's Tuesday. How California could be affected by cuts to water supplies from the Colorado River. Plus, thieves are draining millions from low-income families' E.B.T. cards. |
| Lake Powell in Page, Ariz. Along with Lake Mead, the reservoir provides water and hydropower for Arizona, Nevada and Southern California.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images |
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The Colorado River, a significant source of water for California and six other Western states, is shrinking. |
Over the past century, the river's flow has averaged about 15 million acre-feet of water a year. But from 2000 through 2022, a period of drought conditions, the average was closer to 12 million acre-feet. And in each of the past three years, it's been less than 10 million. (An acre-foot is enough to cover an acre of land with a foot of water. It's about as much water as two typical households use in a year.) |
The reduced flow in the river has forced major cutbacks for the states that rely on the river to supply water to as many as 40 million residents of the region. The Interior Department had asked those states — California, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah — to come up with a plan by today to collectively reduce the amount of water they draw from the Colorado. But the odds of such an agreement materializing appear slim, my colleague Christopher Flavelle reports. |
The states all have a lot to lose. Water from the Colorado River is essential for drinking water in cities and farm irrigation in the countryside. The stakes are particularly high in California, which currently receives more water from the Colorado than any other state. |
"I don't think there's any pain-free path to these cuts," Christopher, who writes about climate adaptation, told me. |
The federal government's demand for cuts has led to a standoff between California and Arizona, which have rights to 4.4 million and 2.8 million acre-feet a year from the Colorado — typically the largest and third-largest allotments among the seven states. Negotiators on each side seem convinced of one thing: The other state ought to come up with more cuts. |
California's water rights have historically been senior to Arizona's, meaning that when there isn't enough to go around, Arizona's supplies are supposed to be cut before California's are. But officials in Arizona say that any cuts should be shared equitably, even if that doesn't follow the letter of the law. |
It's likely that the federal government will have to step in and figure out the cuts itself. Tommy Beaudreau, deputy secretary of the Interior, told The Times that the department would weigh the competing claims. |
"We're in a period of 23 years of sustained drought and overdraws on the system," he said. "I'm not interested, under those circumstances, in assigning blame." |
As Christopher writes, the Colorado River crisis shows how climate change is overwhelming the foundations of American life — not only physical infrastructure like dams and reservoirs, but also the legal underpinnings that have made those systems work. A century's worth of laws that determine who gets how much water from the Colorado is facing off against a philosophy that says, as the climate changes, water cuts should be apportioned based on what's practical. |
"We're using more water than nature is going to provide," said Eric Kuhn, who worked on previous water agreements as general manager for the Colorado River Water Conservation District. "Someone is going to have to cut back very significantly." |
| Vona da Silva, left, lives in an accessory dwelling unit, or A.D.U., next to a house occupied by her daughter, Pia da Silva, right, in Portland, Ore.Tojo Andrianarivo for The New York Times |
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- Mountain lion killed: A mountain lion in the Santa Monica Mountains was found dead after an apparent vehicle strike, CNN reports.
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| Open Homes Photography for Sotheby's International Realty |
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For $1.6 million: A 1911 Craftsman house in Oakland, a stylish retreat in Lake Arrowhead and a two-bedroom condominium in Malibu. |
| Andrew Purcell for The New York Times |
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A creamy tropics-inspired cheesecake with pockets of jammy caramelized pineapple. |
| Daniel Slim Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
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Today's tip comes from Pelle P. Smits: |
"Visiting San Francisco on a day trip, you cannot miss out on the neighborhood of Russian Hill. From the vibrant atmosphere of its eponymous park and the evocative Lombard Street to the calm of Ina Coolbrith Park. Given that it is one of San Francisco's many hills, the neighborhood provides for stunning views over all sides of the city and will surprise many with its green spaces and the variety of blossoms they provide almost all year round, including the happiness-provoking pink lilly pilly trees, bright-yellow ginkgos, and red-flowering gums." |
Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We'll be sharing more in upcoming editions of the newsletter. |
| "This is me waiting for a friend to pick up the phone," writes the artist of this piece. "I value human connection much more than I did prior to the pandemic."Shashank Salgam |
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And before you go, some good news |
Last fall, The Times asked students around the world: What's it like to be a teenager right now? |
Celeste Wang, a 16-year-old living in San Mateo County, shared a painting, titled "Collective," depicting kids huddled around a bonfire. |
"Teenagers in my community crave connection with others," Wang wrote about her work. "Piecing together our identities in conjunction with each other, we learn how to be social while recovering from a year of social drought. Bonfire by bonfire, teens in our area sought each other out for comfort and companionship." |
Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Soumya |
Allison Honors and Shivani Gonzalez contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. |
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