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Ian James Profile picture
Ian James
@ByIanJames
Water Reporter, Los Angeles Times @latimes, examining water issues and climate change in California and the West | Also: https://t.co/QTX5xa91kq
Sep 9, 2023 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
California legislators have passed a bill that aims to close a long-standing loophole in the state’s water laws: Until now, regulators haven’t had clear authority to investigate the water rights of some of the biggest water users. latimes.com/environment/st… Legal experts say the change is overdue. "Imagine if a large segment of California taxpayers were not convinced the state’s Franchise Tax Board had the power to audit high-earning residents," @NellGreenNylen says. "That wouldn’t be a good situation." latimes.com/environment/st…
Dec 12, 2022 • 4 tweets • 3 min read
The storm this weekend blanketed the Sierra Nevada in heavy snow and soaked much of California with rain, bringing a wet start of the winter. It’s too early to know whether this winter will be wet enough to begin to ease the drought. latimes.com/environment/st… @UCB_CSSL Thanks to @nplareau, who shared that he's seeing a "real winter wonderland" in Truckee. latimes.com/environment/st…
Jun 9, 2022 • 17 tweets • 8 min read
Last year, I received a tip that a Saudi company was leasing thousands of acres of state-owned land in western Arizona at what appeared to be a discounted rate, while pumping unlimited amounts of water to irrigate alfalfa for cattle.🧵@robodellaz azcentral.com/in-depth/news/… .@robodellaz and I had previously investigated the groundwater crisis in rural areas of Arizona. And we had reported on how international companies like Saudi-owned Fondomonte had moved in and started farming thousands of acres, while shipping hay overseas azcentral.com/in-depth/news/…
Jun 7, 2022 • 6 tweets • 3 min read
Opinion | For 3 years, residents in three counties have been urging the Arizona Legislature to pass bills that would give them authority to manage unfettered groundwater pumping. "We are fed up waiting for the Legislature to act." azcentral.com/story/opinion/… "Groundwater is the only source of water for many people in rural Arizona but it is drying up quickly as a result of free-for-all groundwater pumping." azcentral.com/story/opinion/… @azcopinions
Sep 13, 2021 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
Struggling with the drying climate, a Hopi farmer works to sustain his people’s ancient traditions of growing corn azcentral.com/story/news/loc… @DavidWallce “Are we going to run out of corn?” A Hopi farmer is determined to continue growing corn the traditional way, relying on the rains. But this year, the soil was so dry that he and others had no corn to harvest. azcentral.com/story/news/loc… @azcentral
Sep 5, 2021 • 10 tweets • 6 min read
ICYMI, #mustread
"Sacred sites lack specific and enforceable protections”: Indigenous people face legal barriers that hinder the protection of sacred sites
Such important reporting by @DebKrol. Essential reading. Photos by @photoevans
azcentral.com/in-depth/news/… Across the Southwest, Native peoples continue to fight legal barriers and bureaucratic obstacles. “Their long-held spiritual ties to the land have been broken by laws, redrawn boundaries and the regulations that open public lands to profitable uses.” azcentral.com/in-depth/news/…
Aug 16, 2021 • 6 tweets • 3 min read
Breaking: The federal government has declared a shortage on the Colorado River for the first time, announcing mandatory water cutbacks next year that will affect Arizona, Nevada and Mexico.

Story coming w/ @zaynasyed_ via @azcenvironment Here's where things stand. Lake Mead, the largest reservoir at the country, has declined to its lowest levels since it was filled in the 1930s following the construction of Hoover Dam. Based on the reservoir level, the Lower Basin will be in a tier-one shortage in 2022.
Jul 16, 2021 • 8 tweets • 6 min read
'Damn the status quo': At Hoover Dam, a new coalition calls for stopping plans for new diversions of water from the depleted Colorado River azcentral.com/story/news/loc… By @antonldelgado & me
@azcenvironment Members of the coalition condemned plans for Utah's Lake Powell Pipeline. “While the Lower Basin is going on a diet of cutting its water use, we should not let the Upper Basin go on an all-you-can-eat buffet.” azcentral.com/story/news/loc… @antonldelgado #ColoradoRiver
Jun 10, 2021 • 5 tweets • 4 min read
Breaking:
Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the country, has declined to the lowest level since it was filled in the 1930s following the construction of Hoover Dam. Story coming soon via @azcentral/@USATODAY
#ColoradoRiver In the meantime, here's our recent story about the rapidly declining water levels at Lake Mead, where they're moving marinas and extending boat ramps along the shifting shorelines.
azcentral.com/in-depth/news/… @HenleMark @azcenvironment
Jun 9, 2021 • 7 tweets • 3 min read
The Biden administration is set to toss out Trump’s efforts to scale back the number of streams, marshes and other wetlands that fall under federal protections. washingtonpost.com/climate-enviro… @dino_grandoni Here's some of our previous coverage of what's at stake in Arizona and the Southwest:

Trump rollback of clean water rules leaves many streams without protections
azcentral.com/story/news/loc…
May 6, 2021 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
"Native American households are 19 times more likely than white households to lack indoor plumbing, according to the U.S. Water Alliance, and more likely to lack piped water services than any other racial group."
grist.org/politics/why-h… @grist "That problem is at an inflection point": A comprehensive analysis of water insecurity among tribes in the Colorado River Basin shows that, without federal intervention and billions of dollars, water accessibility in the basin will continue to deteriorate. grist.org/politics/why-h…
Apr 28, 2021 • 6 tweets • 5 min read
A 'hidden crisis': From the US to India, new research shows millions of wells are at risk of running dry

I wrote about a global water study by @sjasechko & Debra Perrone w/ @JayFamiglietti & @geosomething's insights about what these striking findings mean azcentral.com/story/news/loc… “Up to one in five wells are not much deeper than their local groundwater level,” researcher Debra Perrone says. “That's quite a lot of people that are vulnerable to having a well run dry.” azcentral.com/story/news/loc… @ScienceMagazine @brenucsb
Apr 25, 2021 • 42 tweets • 16 min read
Some people have asked for more information about Nestlé's bottled water operation in the San Bernardino National Forest. So let me share a chronology of my reporting, starting with our 2015 investigation: desertsun.com/story/news/201… (thread) @MyDesert In response to our investigation, the U.S. Forest Service said it would examine Nestlé's special-use permit for its water pipeline in the national forest, which listed an expiration date in 1988. desertsun.com/story/news/env…
Jun 25, 2020 • 10 tweets • 5 min read
State water officials holding 1st meeting of the AZ Reconsultation Committee, starting a new round of #ColoradoRiver discussions. Topics include:
• Status of the implementation of DCP
• Process to prepare AZ for the reconsultation of the 2007 Guidelines
new.azwater.gov/sites/default/… Livestream here:
cap-az.granicus.com/player/event/3…
@CAPArizona @azwater
Apr 25, 2020 • 20 tweets • 10 min read
.@StevePadilla2 just finished leading another fabulous writing workshop on Zoom, this one about story structure. I'm going to share some of his many valuable tips:
#journalism #amwriting #writingcommunity
(THREAD) .@StevePadilla2: Structure is inevitably the hardest thing we deal with. … The most important thing is the point, your meaning, your idea.
@LatinoJournosCA
Oct 11, 2019 • 4 tweets • 3 min read
Tom Buschatzke of @azwater is giving a presentation on groundwater in Pinal County: "Looking out 100 years, there is insufficient groundwater in the Pinal Active Management Area to support all existing uses" #AZwater @azwater My former colleague @dustingardiner wrote about the issue earlier this year. At the time, he reported that the latest data "raises red flags about growth and the water supply in one of the fastest growing parts of the state." azcentral.com/story/news/loc… @azcentral
Apr 23, 2019 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
A federal judge dismissed portions of a water lawsuit by the Agua Caliente tribe, ruling against its attempt to quantify its rights to groundwater. desertsun.com/story/news/env… @EvanWyloge This decision comes after an earlier court ruling that the tribe holds groundwater rights dating back to the creation of its reservation in the 1870s.
Mar 29, 2019 • 14 tweets • 8 min read
A terrific discussion about environmental journalism today with @cynthiabarnett @LukeRunyon @noahgshannon @AbrahmL, moderated by @gburton. Luke joked at the beginning that the panel was probably, from left to right, 'moving from most optimistic to most pessimistic.' #Journalism Lots of insightful points in the conversation, which ranged from a discussion of optimism/pessimism in reporting on climate change to the idea of a board game designed around managing water. Going to share a few of their comments.