Matt Weiser
Ensia
Ely, NV, United States
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Past articles by Matt:
How to grow more food with less water
Scientists and farmers collaborate on a quest for more efficient irrigation → Read More
Oregon's Extreme Drought Looks Set to Continue
The Oregon drought this year is most striking because it covers many coastal areas known historically as some of the wettest in the country. → Read More
Oregon, Already Struggling With Drought, May Have Still More to Come
Record heat and low rainfall have prompted drought emergency declarations in nearly a third of Oregon's counties. Predicted El Niño conditions may mean there’s no relief in store this winter. → Read More
Why This Winter's El Niño Will Not Bring More Rain to California
A conversation with Jan Null, a weather forecaster who explains why expectations of a wet winter are misplaced. → Read More
Should California Expand the Definition for the 'Beneficial Use' of Its Water?
A team of experts from a number University of California schools argue that recharging groundwater to manage pollution should be permitted by the state. → Read More
California’s Largest New Reservoir Likely to Face Water-Access Limits
October 1, 2018 – Sites Reservoir, the largest new water storage proposal in California, recently won a commitment of $816 million in state funds to help with construction. It promises to deliver enough water every year, on average, to serve 1 million homes. But regulatory realities looming in the background may mean the project has substantially less water at its disposal. The project would… → Read More
Monsoon Storms, Key to Recharging Groundwater, May Become Less Common
A new study has revealed that monsoons in the Southwest have already become less common but more extreme in nature, posing new challenges for water managers eager to capture crucial runoff. → Read More
California Works to Protect Its Shrinking Wetlands
The Trump administration is rolling back regulations aimed at preserving vital wetlands, but the state government isn't ready to cede control. → Read More
Why One Arizona County Could Upend the Southwest’s Drought Plan
New federal estimates suggest serious water shortages on the Colorado River are closer than thought. While Arizona water users try to cooperate on a conservation fix, one group of farmers stands in the way of a compromise. → Read More
California Farms’ Water Use Still Unclear, Despite New Reporting Rules
While some other states monitor water deliveries to farms in real time, California has allowed irrigation districts to submit annual reports on paper. According to one recent analysis, fewer than half are even doing that much. → Read More
New Groundwater Laws May Be Coming to California's Premier Wine-Growing Region
The aquifers in question are located in the Sonoma Lowlands sub-basin, and they are each a vital source of irrigation water for grape growing. → Read More
On the Yuba River, Climate Change Means It’s Time for a Dam Makeover
An aerial photo of the Yuba County Water Agency’s New Bullards Bar Dam on the North Yuba River in California. A proposed secondary spillway would be built just to the right of the existing spillway at an estimated cost of $160 million.Photo courtesy Yuba County Water Agency July 10, 2018 – Among California rivers, the Yuba is one of the most dramatic. Draining the Sierra Nevada just north of… → Read More
On the Yuba River, Climate Change Means It’s Time for a Dam Makeover
Climate change brings new flood risks and new challenges for water storage managers. In California, one local water agency is taking on the big task of modifying its primary storage reservoir to be ready for these changes. → Read More
Why California's Limit on Residential Water Use Doesn't Really Exist
Lost in the excitement around the legislation is the fact that water agencies have no way to measure how much water their customers use indoors. → Read More
Salmon Are Booming in Oregon’s Rogue River. Dam Removal May Be Why.
Eight obsolete dams have been removed or modified on the Rogue River over the past decade. Now its salmon help sustain commercial fishing, despite recent droughts that have devastated fish in other rivers. → Read More
Clean Streams Key to Aiding Recovery of Endangered Frogs in California
June 12, 2018 – Scientists working in the Santa Monica mountains of California recently announced that endangered red-legged frogs are successfully breeding on their own in four streams there, for the first time since the 1970s. It’s a huge success for a reintroduction program that began four years ago – and an important story about water quality. The California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii)… → Read More
Could Hemp Be a Lifeline for Struggling Farmers?
Hemp, which produces valuable CBD oil, is set to become recognized as an agricultural crop this year, and could provide a much needed influx of revenue for Western agriculture. → Read More
California Delta a Flash Point for Conflict as Climate Change Unfolds
Sea level rise and changing streamflows are converging with uncertain results in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Ronald Melcer, a senior environmental scientist at the Delta Stewardship Council, explains what the future may hold. → Read More
Inside the Ambitious Plan to Replenish a Depleted Aquifer
In Idaho, a state with stringent water rights, the people have managed to recharge the essential Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer that supplies hundreds of thousands with water. → Read More
Report: Half of the West’s Rivers Altered by Development, Diversions
A new report from the Center for American Progress found that rivers in Western states have been disturbed, from headwaters to floodplains. Kate Kelly sheds more light on the project, one of the most extensive of its kind. → Read More