Insights from a new UC San Diego study on the hidden drivers of drought risk I’ve always appreciated having the University of California, San Diego practically “up the street” from where I live. Beyond the ocean views and the innovation culture, UCSD continues to deliver research that reshapes how we think about climate, agriculture, and water. […]
If it feels like your water bill is creeping up month after month, you’re not imagining things. Homeowners across the country are opening their statements, doing a double take, and asking the same question: “How am I using this much water?” The truth is you might not be. In many cases, rising bills have less […]
Every November, as we gather around the table and give thanks for food, family, and friendship, it’s worth pausing to consider what quietly connects every part of that scene: water. From the fields that grew our food to the rivers that shaped our communities, water touches everything we celebrate at Thanksgiving. It’s in the soil […]
Every gardener knows the feeling. You walk outside the morning after a gentle rain, and your garden looks transformed. The colors are richer. The leaves are glossier. The whole landscape feels cleaner and more alive. It’s not your imagination, rain really does bring your garden to life in a way irrigation water rarely can. So what is it about rainwater that makes […]
For irrigation contractors and agricultural producers, water is not an abstract political topic. It is the operating system of your business. Every field, every landscape, every pivot, every valve, every crop depends on it. This week, that operating system became even more strained. The seven states that rely on the Colorado River failed to reach […]
Introduction: Landscapes Built for the Future Landscape professionals worldwide are encountering a new reality characterized by hotter summers, unpredictable rainfall, and rising client expectations for greener, more resilient outdoor spaces. In this current climate, sustainable and climate-adaptive landscapes have become essential rather than optional. Today’s property owners seek not only beauty but also long-term performance. […]
If you follow water in the American West, you’ve probably heard renewed buzz about cloud seeding, the idea that, under the right conditions, we can coax a little more snow or rain from passing storms. With reservoirs drawn down and snowpacks swinging wildly year to year, it’s fair to ask: Does cloud seeding work, and […]
There’s a quiet line item eating into NOI, and contractor margins every single day: inaction. In water management, “doing nothing” may seem harmless, keeping last year’s schedule, skipping the audit, ignoring the small leak, or postponing the retrofit. But the costs compound in ways that budgets rarely capture: water you didn’t need to buy, plants […]
Water is the West’s most valuable input. As we move into the 2025–26 water year, the climate signal to watch is La Niña, and it’s back on the table. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center says the Pacific is likely to tip from neutral into La Niña this fall (about 71% odds Oct–Dec), with the signal lingering […]
Monday, September 22nd was officially the first day of fall—one of two days each year when the sun aligns with Earth’s celestial equator, and day and night are roughly equal, each lasting about 12 hours. This “equal night” is the equinox, and it happens again in spring, too. From here, the Northern Hemisphere tilts away […]