The Stream, January 29: Some California Communities Have Only 60 to 120 Days of Water

Water Scarcity
A worsening drought in California has left 17 mostly rural communities with just 60 to 120 days of remaining water supplies, according to the state, the San Jose Mercury News reported. Drinking water officials are looking at everything from desalination to trucking in water from other areas to sustain the communities if their water supplies are eliminated, but the widespread drought is pinching water availability in all corners of the state.

Brewing businesses in Nairobi are leading efforts to form a task force of industrial and political leaders to ensure the continuing availability of scarce water supplies in the city, the Guardian reported. The task force will have an economic focus, which has raised questions about whether the conservation efforts will benefit more than just business interests.

Drinking Water
A report from NPR looks at the thousands of chemicals that drinking water companies do not test for—an oversight that became apparent following a chemical spill in West Virginia. Monitoring for all chemicals all the time would be cost-prohibitive, making it important to know which chemicals could potentially spill into water supplies, according to drinking water experts.

Conservation
Researchers fear that Mexico’s rare axolotl, a freshwater creature similar to a salamander, may not exist in the wild anymore, the Associated Press reported. The axolotl lives in lakes around Mexico City, which have become increasingly polluted.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

Codi Kozacek

A news correspondent for Circle of Blue based out of Hawaii. She writes The Stream, Circle of Blue’s daily digest of international water news trends. Her interests include food security, ecology and the Great Lakes.
Contact Codi Kozacek