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As drought worsens, Western states brace for wildfires, water shortages
Above-normal fire risk is spreading across much of the West as snowpack falls below half of median and river supplies tighten.
- From the Rockies to the Sierra Nevada, Western states including Arizona, California, and Nevada face a dangerous summer as mountainsides remain sparsely covered by snow while farmers and cities brace for water allocation cutbacks.
- Snowpack across the West sits at less than 50% of the median level for this time of year, according to the National Water and Climate Center, following a dry winter and a record-breaking March heat wave.
- Matthew Dehr, wildland fire meteorologist with the Washington Department of Natural Resources, warned wildfires will likely move faster, while the American Farm Bureau Federation noted water uncertainty "leaves farmers making planting decisions now without knowing whether sufficient water will be available."
- Last week, Arizona, California, and Nevada submitted a proposal to federal officials to impose further water cutbacks over the next two years to buy time for a longer-term Colorado River deal.
- Worsening conditions threaten hydropower from The Glen Canyon Dam, which produces about 5 billion kilowatt-hours annually powering nearly half a million homes, as Sharon Megdal, director of the Water Resources Research Center at the University of Arizona, called this an "extremely poor year.
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11 Articles
11 Articles
As drought worsens, Western states brace for wildfires & water shortages
From the Rockies to the Cascades to the Sierra Nevada, mountainsides across the West are sparsely covered by the snow and Western states are heading into the summer with a desperately low balance — threatening wildfires, drinking water, crops, electricity and more.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources11
Leaning Left7Leaning Right1Center0Last UpdatedBias Distribution88% Left
Bias Distribution
- 88% of the sources lean Left
88% Left
L 88%
12%
Factuality
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