California nixes plant, but says open to desalination

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — California officials have nixed a proposal for a $1.4 billion desalination plant but say they're open to growing the state's capacity to turn Pacific Ocean seawater into drinking water to buffer against persistent drought. After an hours-long...

Agency unanimously rejects California desalination project

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A California coastal panel on Thursday rejected a long-standing proposal to build a $1.4 billion seawater desalination plant to turn Pacific Ocean water into drinking water as the state grapples with persistent drought that is expected to worsen in coming years...

UN humanitarian official urges attention to drought in Kenya

TURKANA, Kenya (AP) — A top United Nations humanitarian official has raised concern about people going hungry in a remote part of northern Kenya, joining calls for the international community to commit more resources to address the wider region's drought crisis. Martin Griffiths,...

Climate change to make droughts longer, more common, says UN

The frequency and duration of droughts will continue to increase due to human-caused climate change, with water scarcity already affecting billions of people across the world, the United Nations warned in a report Wednesday. The U.N. desertification agency, which is currently hosting...

In drought-ravaged California, water use is up dramatically

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California's water use jumped dramatically in March, state officials said Tuesday, as one of the driest stretches on record prompted a wave of homeowners to start watering their lawns earlier than usual in defiance of Gov. Gavin Newsom's pleas for conservation amid a...

California's drought is worsening yet new figures show last March had the highest water use for that month since 2015 (CORRECTS: A previous APNewsAlert erroneously reported it was the most water used in any month since 2015.)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California's drought is worsening yet new figures show last March had the highest water use for that month since 2015 (CORRECTS: A previous APNewsAlert erroneously reported it was the most water used in any month since 2015.).

Watery graves recall early Las Vegas’ organized crime days

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Stories about long-departed Las Vegas organized crime figures are surfacing after a second set of unidentified human remains were revealed as the water level falls on drought-stricken Lake Mead. The reservoir on the Colorado River is about a 30-minute drive from...

Bodies surfacing in Lake Mead recall mob's time in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas is being flooded with lore about organized crime after a second set of human remains emerged within a week from the depths of a drought-stricken Colorado River reservoir just a 30-minute drive from the notoriously mob-founded Strip. “There’s no...

USDA: Farmers in 4 states can apply for drought loans

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture says drought during the growing season has made farmers in most of Texas, all of Louisiana and parts of Arkansas and Mississippi eligible to apply for federal aid. The department’s Farm Service Agency says low-interest...

Governor signs bill to help farms cope with extreme weather

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A bill to help Maine farmers respond to extreme weather conditions through a new grant program has become law. The bill signed by Democratic Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday followed persistent drought conditions in 2020, stunting the potato crop and hurting other...