Doug Ducey will ask for significant state dollars — $30 million — in his upcoming budget proposal to help make the Drought Contingency Plan a reality.
The news came as the heads of two big water agencies, the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) and the Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD), presented a plan to water stakeholders in hopes of pushing the group closer to a resolution.
Buschatzke also acknowledged several items still need to be worked out.
The plan builds on an earlier, three-year proposal from the CAWCD board put forward in case something longer could not garner support.
The plan now on the table provides specific amounts of water and money to “mitigate” Pinal County farmers, cities, and Native American tribes for water they will lose under the DCP, although the mitigation volumes will decrease as the plan goes on.
But Thursday’s framework creates a “Lake Mead Offset” component to make up for those drawdowns.
$30 million state appropriation proposed in Gov.
$20 million to $30 million in federal money already required under existing programs.
An unspecified amount of money, from both federal coffers and Central Arizona irrigation districts, for a groundwater infrastructure program for Pinal County farmers.
“I think this is the hallmark of the way we’ve done business in the past in Arizona water.” But Rob Anderson, with the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, said, “we think that economic development is an important message and that having nothing in there for developer mitigation is an issue.” He noted a separate but related water agreement between CAWCD’s groundwater replenishment arm and the Gila River Indian Community appears stalled without approval from the Gila River council.

Though the supply was assured, the factories have failed to keep their promise.
Though the supply was assured, the factories have failed to keep their promise.
Though the supply was assured, the factories have failed to keep their promise.
Though the supply was assured, the factories have failed to keep their promise.
Though the supply was assured, the factories have failed to keep their promise.
Though the supply was assured, the factories have failed to keep their promise.
Though the supply was assured, the factories have failed to keep their promise.
Though the supply was assured, the factories have failed to keep their promise.
Though the supply was assured, the factories have failed to keep their promise.
Though the supply was assured, the factories have failed to keep their promise.

The United Nation’s (UN) World Meteorological Organisation says there is a 75-80 percent chance that El Nino will be a “weak event” in the next couple of months.
Unfortunately this means El Nino’s role as a natural buffer to the formation of huge storms will also be weakened.
As a result, the natural weather phenomenon will lead to both serious droughts and serious flooding in early 2019 as climate patterns are thrown into chaos.
El Nino is responsible for warming ocean temperatures, which in turn leads to fewer major storms as it is more difficult for them to form over warmer seas.
However, with a weak El Nino predicted major weather systems will take advantage of the cooler ocean and could devastate the globe.
Maxx Dilley, director of the WMO’s Climate Prediction and Adaptation branch, said: “The forecast El Niño is not expected to be as powerful as the event in 2015-2016, which was linked with droughts, flooding and coral bleaching in different parts of the world.
“Even so, it can still significantly affect rainfall and temperature patterns in many regions, with important consequences to agricultural and food security sectors, and for management of water resources and public health, and it may combine with long-term climate change to boost 2019 global temperatures.” The 2016 event was the last El Nino on record, and in turn 2017, where there was no El Nino prior, turned out to be the hottest year on record.
This time it is back, but much weaker than in previous years which could lead to major flooding and droughts.
However, El Nino is just one meteorological aspect affecting the planet’s climate.
Climate change is increasing year-on-year, which is also disturbing global weather systems.

After more than a week of being holed up inside due to the toxic haze that had settled over the Bay Area, after I’d sealed my windows with blue painter’s tape, ran an air purifier in the bedroom and put on an N95 mask anytime I stepped outside, I felt trapped, with a disturbing cough deep in my chest.
I sent a desperate email to a friend who lives in Beijing with her two children: Do you have any tips for getting through this?
We had a long Skype call, in which she showed me a glimpse of her world: specialized masks with a changeable filter and silicone seals that give her and her children the look of fighter pilots.
During periods of bad outdoor air quality, they go from bubble to bubble of clean air, to other similarly outfitted apartments.
They have the routine down: Before heading out, her children know to check the monitor to see if they need their masks that day.
No different, say, than the hand-cranked radio, canned goods and gallons of water we in the Bay Area are supposed to have on hand in case of an earthquake, or the preparations people elsewhere take when preparing for a blizzard, stocking up on supplies, or a hurricane, like installing storm shutters.
These are the risks we weigh, and the safety measures we take, to remain where we are.
On the outside looking in, some may take the attitude, “I couldn’t live like that.” And yet, don’t we have to admit that our options are closing, due to climate change?
His grandmother, who has since recovered, has installed an air purifier in every room and wears her mask when the air quality worsens.
Her columns appear Fridays in Datebook.

Ezimnyama – As Zimbabwe’s farmers head to the fields to plant, the country is facing yet another dry growing season, meteorologists predict.
And when she travels to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city, to sell her crop, she can’t find buyers for the sorghum.
As climate change brings more frequent and harsh droughts, maize is becoming harder to grow in many parts of Zimbabwe – but it is still what people want to eat and many farmers want to plant, which makes shifting away from it a challenge.
Zimbabwe’s government is trying, however.
This year its Grain Marketing Board (GMB) has said it will buy "small grains" such as sorghum or finger millet from farmers at the same price as maize – or let farmers who grow small grains swap them for an equivalent amount of maize to take home.
“You can sell whatever quantity of small grains, such as rapoko, millet, sorghum, to the GMB at the same price as maize," said Marshall Perrance Shiri, Zimbabwe’s minister of land, agriculture, water, climate and resettlement, in an interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
But farmers have balked at switching, he said, because they fear they will have to eat the sorghum and other small grains they grow, and they prefer not to do that.
Babbage said his farmer’s union was working with the meteorological officials, the Ministry of Local Government and government agricultural support organisation AGRITEX to find ways to cut drought risks and get small-scale farmers to change their minds about planting small grains.
Seed companies "must avail adequate small grain seed for drought-prone areas so that farmers have no excuses not to plant small grains,” he said.
Shiri, the agriculture minister, said farmers who switch to growing and eating maize alternatives could see health benefits – and that such grains were, until recently, staple foods in Zimbabwe.

Drought-affected racing participants in NSW can now apply for grants from the Australian Turf Club’s newly established ATC Foundation.
The ATC Foundation was announced in October to oversee collections and programs for charitable organisations to enhance the club’s support of racing in its communities.
The initial grants are from money raised through the sale of Everest pins and other ATC and Racing NSW spring carnival initiatives ($45,000) and a percentage of prize money ($50,000) won by the ATC’s Everest runner Osborne Bulls, who finished third, in the race on October 13.
The Foundation’s board, chaired by ATC director Lauri Macri, has invited registered charities, NSW race clubs and racing industry bodies helping to aid drought relief to apply for the inaugural grants.
Macri said the invitation period for grants would be open for the next four weeks with applicants required to demonstrate that fundraising efforts were for drought-related causes with a specific focus on the racing industry.
"I’m proud of the fact that in our first three months the ATC Foundation has raised close to $100,000," Macri said.
"We invite all applicants to check out details on our website and apply to help out racing industry participants and groups who are affected by drought."

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Some villagers in one of Zimbabwe’s driest areas are appealing for food and fear their livestock, their source of livelihoods, will die due to a lack of water.
Our cattle are dying because there is not enough water to drink.
It must fix our dam so that we can survive…We want food and water for us and our cattle to survive,” Dungeni said.
The villagers in this Gatsheni-Matopo area say the Mabigwe reservoir dried up, leaving them with no reliable source of water for their animals.
The World Food Program says it needs about $75 million to ensure food stability for Zimbabwe’s “lean season” for the next six months for dry places like Gatsheni-Matopo.
Eddie Rowe, the WFP director in Zimbabwe, told VOA that about 2.4 million people in this southern African nation need food aid because of unusually long dry spells during the rainy season.
“As we speak, we know that in almost every district, most of these households have run out of their harvests and now depend on the market and we all know the problem we are facing.
USAID’s Food For Peace program has given $22 million to the WFP to ease Zimbabwe’s food insecurity.
But their animals will need water – and more drought is predicted.

EZIMNYAMA, Zimbabwe (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – As Zimbabwe’s farmers head to the fields to plant, the country is facing yet another dry growing season, meteorologists predict.
Drought-hardy grains such as sorghum are “unprofitable” and hard work, complains the 56-year-old, who farms two hectares (five acres) of land in Ezimnyama, a village near the Botswana border.
As climate change brings more frequent and harsh droughts, maize is becoming harder to grow in many parts of Zimbabwe – but it is still what people want to eat and many farmers want to plant, which makes shifting away from it a challenge.
Zimbabwe’s government is trying, however.
This year its Grain Marketing Board (GMB) has said it will buy “small grains” such as sorghum or finger millet from farmers at the same price as maize – or let farmers who grow small grains swap them for an equivalent amount of maize to take home.
“You can sell whatever quantity of small grains, such as rapoko, millet, sorghum, to the GMB at the same price as maize,” said Marshall Perrance Shiri, Zimbabwe’s minister of land, agriculture, water, climate and resettlement, in an interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
But farmers have balked at switching, he said, because they fear they will have to eat the sorghum and other small grains they grow, and they prefer not to do that.
Babbage said his farmer’s union was working with the meteorological officials, the Ministry of Local Government and government agricultural support organization AGRITEX to find ways to cut drought risks and get small-scale farmers to change their minds about planting small grains.
Seed companies “must avail adequate small grain seed for drought-prone areas so that farmers have no excuses not to plant small grains,” he said.
Shiri, the agriculture minister, said farmers who switch to growing and eating maize alternatives could see health benefits – and that such grains were, until recently, staple foods in Zimbabwe.

"We had a good base ground of our harvested goats before we started buying others — that was important."
"The crossbreds are a lot more of a meat goat, which is what we are after because we are looking for a quick turnover of our goats," Ms Dennis said.
Once cluster fencing was in place, Mr Counsell introduced the goats and said he became impressed by their resilience.
Growing demand from export and domestic markets According to figures from Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) 2–2.5 million goats were supplied for processing nationally in the 2017-2018 financial year.
Goat prices are holding strong in the market, and with the industry having lower production costs per animal than other livestock, returns are strong despite the drought.
Meat and Livestock Australia’s project manager for the goat industry Julie Petty said that despite the ongoing struggles in western Queensland, those turning to goats were seeing positive outcomes.
Fencing could improve goat numbers Western Meat Exporters managing director Campbell McPhee said that although the number of goats being processed had declined in western Queensland this year, mostly due to the conditions and wild dogs, more funding for cluster fencing would potentially see those numbers improve.
High demand for organic Mr McPhee said there was also an opportunity for producers to move into the organic goat meat market.
"We can definitely remain where we are pricewise — I think that’s what’s created the interest in the goat industry by more and more producers is our ability to hold those prices high and strong," he said.
"The ability of the market to attract, and continuing to attract, higher prices will remain.

Cork County Council is planning to dispatch more specialist teams to bolster water supplies in vulnerable areas because of the likelihood of a repeat of drought conditions experienced last summer.
They have also bored new supply wells in such areas and expect to do more in the coming years because of climate change.
Council engineers said they were adapting the pilot project to tackle urgent supply situations and hope to expand it further as it is shown to be effective.
It is believed that around 48% of all water is lost nationally through leaking pipes.
Engineers said they had found one very “significant” leak in the Liscarroll area of North Cork which they had fixed.
They also put a temporary dam on the River Allow, which rises in Limerick and flows through Kanturk into the River Blackwater.
The dam was erected because the river level went so low that drinking water couldn’t be taken from it.
Meanwhile, engineers have warned that lower river levels will lead to a change in supply for the Mallow area and the likelihood that the town will be served solely by hard water, which can lessen the life of a number of domestic appliances.
They said that at present, the southern side of the town gets its water from a different supply and this is soft water.
However, they pointed out that as river levels continue to lower due to climate change and the population of Mallow increases, it is likely the whole town will end up being supplied from the Box Cross source.