Water Supply
California’s Reservoirs are Filling Up, but For How Long?
Recent storms are bringing plenty of water to parched parts of California, but scientists warn the relief won’t be a long-term solution to longer, drier periods.
New Map Deepens Understanding of Cross-Border Aquifers
A new analysis of U.S. and Mexico groundwater supplies reveals 72 aquifers shared between the two countries.
Winter Storm Knocks Out Drinking Water Systems in the South, Including in Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi made headlines and incurred a civil rights investigation earlier this year when flooding knocked out the city’s drinking water supply. This week’s winter storm had the same effect on Jackson as well as other Southern cities.
Arizona Tapping Groundwater to Fuel Suburban Growth
Critics say Arizona’s growth patterns are unsustainable and dangerous, given the depleted Colorado River and the state’s deepening reliance on groundwater.
Southern California Water District Declares Drought Emergency
State water officials say the region’s agencies will only receive 5 percent of their requested supplies for the start of 2023 due to intense drought conditions that continue to sap western water supplies.
Colorado Reservoir Project Clears Final Permit Hurdle
Though opponents of the massive water diversion project plan to keep fighting in court, the permit issued this month is a major success for a plan almost 20 years in the works.
Superfund Project to Deliver Massive Water Supply Boon to Los Angeles
The semi-arid region of Los Angeles is often mistaken for a desert, but the local water supply is also constrained by the environmental sins of the 20th century. The water supply equation of Los Angeles will soon change, however.
Arizona’s Growth Threatens Water Supplies
New communities are popping up across Arizona’s desert, evading water consumption restrictions and straining the state’s groundwater supplies.
Texas Water Officials Deaf on Climate Change
The state’s long-term water plan fails to account for the impacts of climate change on water supplies, setting Texas up for a severe water shortage in the coming decades.
Mississippi Investigated for Civil Rights Violations in Jackson Water Crisis
The NAACP has accused a pair of Mississippi departments of discrimination against Black Mississippians, leading to the loss of drinking water in the state's capital city at the end of the summer.
Ramping Up Recycled Wastewater
States like Colorado and water suppliers in parts of Southern California are expanding the use of recycled wastewater to protect dwindling drinking water supplies.
Orange County Desalination Plant Wins Key Approval
A desalination plant is moving forward in Orange County with California Coastal Commission approval just a few months after another, uch more expensive project, failed the same test.
Colorado River Water Crisis Deepens
The states that rely on the Colorado’s water must make drastic cuts in water usage to maintain use of the West’s most important—and most threatened—water source.
Bay Area Development Encounters the Limits of the Water Supply
A development battle pitting Contra Costa County against the East Bay Municipal Utility District illustrates the challenges of developing new housing supply in a time of drought.
California Governor Outlines Plan for a ‘Hotter, Drier Future’
With California’s water supply expected to drop by 10 percent in the next two decades, Governor Newsom’s strategy calls for conservation and increased investment in water collection, storage, and desalination infrastructure.
Declining Water Levels Trigger ‘Stage 1’ Drought Response in Austin
The effects of the megadrought in the American Southwest are reaching into Texas.
Drought Renews Momentum for $4 Billion Reservoir Project in California
Bipartisan political support, billions in state and federal funding, and an unrelenting drought are creating momentum for the Sites Reservoir project in California's northern Central Valley.
Controversy Follows California's Massive Desalination Plant Proposal
Poseidon Water, a massive desalination project proposed for the Pacific coast in Huntington Beach, has been in the works for more than two decades. A critical vote is expected for the project next month.
Utah Valleys Square Off in an Old-Fashioned Water War
The Central Iron County Water Conservancy District wants new sources of water so communities in the Cedar Valley in Utah can continue to grow. It's a story as old as the American West.
Booming Arizona Must Confront its Water Problem
Even as more people and companies flock to the state for its climate and economic opportunities, Arizona's water supplies are facing historic shortages.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
