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A recent study highlights the growing difficulty of tracking data center water use. Much of this operational information remains unavailable to the public. This lack of data creates significant planning challenges for communities located in water-scarce regions.   Facilities utilize massive amounts of water to cool computer servers. The current data gap includes both direct…

A new report from the Neptune Flood Research Group, California Underwater: A Blind Spot in the Golden State, reveals that California carries one of the largest residential flood insurance gaps of any state in the nation, leaving millions of homeowners financially exposed to a threat they may not even know they face.   Residential flood…

For anyone who has been forced to evacuate during a wildfire, the experience of not knowing how fast the fire is moving or which direction it will take is terrifying. That unpredictability is exactly what a team of researchers at USC Viterbi’s Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering is working to eliminate. The new model,…

A new study from researchers at the University of British Columbia, delivers some of the clearest evidence yet that the rhythm of the seasons is fundamentally changing — and faster than scientists previously measured.   The study analyzed global temperature data from 1961 through 2023, tracking not the calendar definition of summer, but the actual…

Applications Due June 29.   NOAA Fisheries has opened applications for up to $99 million through the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, directing federal investment toward conservation and habitat restoration projects across the West Coast and Alaska.   Eligible applicants include state agencies in Alaska, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, as well as federally…

A new policy report by UC Berkely Law entitled “Regulating Data Center Water Use in California” addresses the environmental impact of the AI-driven data center boom on the state’s water resources. The report identifies a critical lack of transparency and a fragmented regulatory framework, offering a roadmap for how the state and industry should manage this…

The Utah legislature has officially passed a bill requiring water reporting for new data facilities moving into the state. Driven by concerns over resource consumption, the new legislation aims to increase transparency by mandating that operators publicly disclose their annual water usage to state officials.   The bill specifically targets new data centers measuring at…

The California Department of Conservation has approved 13 new projects for the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program which now has more than 4,800 acres of land enrolled. Since launching in 2022, the initiative has allocated nearly $80 million to help transition the least-viable irrigated agricultural lands into alternative uses that conserve groundwater and support local ecosystems.…

A new study from the University of California Riverside and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) reveals that the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is placing unprecedented demand on municipal water supplies. As cloud computing grows, servers require massive amounts of cooling during peak temperatures, creating sudden spikes in demand that local systems cannot currently…

When severe weather strikes, the National Weather Service Office of Water Prediction relies on complex modeling to make critical safety forecasts. Despite improvements, these predictive capabilities have plateaued. To overcome these limitations, a University of Vermont scientist has collaborated with federal agencies to develop the Next Generation Water Resources Modeling framework, with the goal of…