Aquafornia

Overview

Aquafornia
Water news you need to know

A collection of top water news from around California and the West compiled each weekday. Send any comments or article submissions to Foundation News & Publications Director Vik Jolly

Subscribe to our weekday emails to have news delivered to your inbox at about 9 a.m. Monday through Friday except for holidays.

For breaking news, follow us on X (Twitter).

Please Note:

  • Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without subscribing.
  • We occasionally bold words in the text to ensure the water connection is clear.
  • The headlines below are the original headlines used in the publication cited at the time they are posted here and do not reflect the stance of the Water Education Foundation, an impartial nonprofit that remains neutral.
Aquafornia news The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.)

Planned asphalt plant at family-owned Forestville quarry ignites environmental debate

A proposal to build an asphalt plant at a longtime gravel quarry in Forestville has set off a fierce local battle, with more than 700 residents warning it could pollute waterways, fuel wildfires and threaten endangered species. The plant, planned at Canyon Rock — a family-run quarry just west of Highway 116 — is still years from a final vote. … But the fight is already playing out in public meetings, letters to county supervisors and dueling websites, as the quarry’s owners and a new community group, Russian River Community Cares, push competing narratives.

Other industrial water impact news:

Aquafornia news CalMatters

California lawmakers extend cap and trade through 2045

Gov. Gavin Newsom closed out the legislative year with one of the most sweeping overhauls of California’s energy and climate policies in decades — a package that could give him a presidential debate-stage talking point on rising energy costs as the Democratic Party shifts its focus to affordability. The six-bill deal — passed Saturday after lawmakers extended their session by an extra day because of last-minute dealmaking — was sold as a way to ease gas prices and soaring electricity bills while preserving the state’s signature climate programs.

Other California climate policy news:

Aquafornia news The Conversation

Blog: What Native-held lands in California can teach about resilience and the future of wildfire

… In collaboration with families who have long been connected to this land, our research team at the University of California, Davis is working to … help allottees access and use their allotments. … [O]ur surveys of the vegetation on these lands suggest that they could serve as places that sustain both flora and fauna as the climate changes. … For example, Indigenous communities have long used fire to tend plants, reduce overgrowth, restore water tables and generally keep ecosystems healthy.

Other conservation news:

Aquafornia news Enterprise-Record (Chico, Calif.)

Big Chico Creek turns muddy brown

If anyone needs another reason not to swim in Big Chico Creek right now, it has turned brown. Opaque, murky water was present on Friday in Big Chico Creek at Sycamore Pool and as far as Forest Ranch after more than two months of a no-swim advisory, placed on Big Chico Creek because of the presence of E. coli that made five people sick this year. … The Chico Parks Department’s best guess is that the turbidity is from runoff caused by thunderstorm activity this week in the foothills.

Aquafornia news The Colorado Sun (Denver)

Friday Top of the Scroll: Experts warn low storage, water cuts in Colorado River’s future

People are still using more water than the Colorado River Basin can supply, and it’s shrinking the water savings account for 40 million people, according to a new analysis from basin water experts. The basin states, including Colorado, need to cut their uses now, the experts said. Water stored in Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the basin’s two largest reservoirs, could fall to less than 4 million acre-feet of available water if the river’s flows and water demands are repeated next year, according to a report released Thursday by a team of Colorado River water experts.

Other Colorado River Basin news:

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Fresno, California, growers appeal to Supreme Court

The city of Fresno, California, is asking the Supreme Court to weigh in on its long-running battle with the Bureau of Reclamation over the agency’s decision to halt water deliveries during a multiyear drought, as local leaders and other plaintiffs seek $350 million to repay the fair market value of the lost water. The city, along with more than a dozen irrigation districts and private landowners, is asking the Supreme Court to accept a writ of certiorari and review its case, which centers on the the federal government’s decision to curtail water deliveries in 2014.

Other agricultural water use news:

Aquafornia news KQED (San Francisco)

California lawmakers reach last-minute deals on climate, energy

Late-night negotiations between Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic leaders in the state Legislature produced a flurry of agreements on Wednesday on pivotal climate and energy programs. … Assembly Bill 1207 would extend cap-and-invest through 2045. … [Senate Bill 237] would also remove regulatory and legal obstacles for thousands of oil wells in Kern County by exempting them from a final review under the California Environmental Quality Act. … [Stanford Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Program Director Deborah A.] Sivas worried that more drilling would lead to more abandoned wells that threaten to taint water supplies.

Other California environmental and water policy news:

Aquafornia news American Institute of Physics

House Science Committee advances weather research bill

A bipartisan bill for weather research advanced out of the House Science Committee on Wednesday by unanimous vote. The Weather Act Reauthorization reaffirms and updates NOAA research, forecasting, and emergency preparedness programs authorized in the 2017 Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act. The bill recommends between $160 million and $170 million each year through 2030 for NOAA’s research office to carry out specified weather research programs, roughly steady with the program amounts for fiscal year 2024.

Other weather research news:

Aquafornia news UCLA

Report: Who governs your water in Southern California? Why it matters

… The 2025 Southern California Community Water Systems Atlas, produced by the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, shows how fragmented governance affects communities differently. The atlas expands the scope of earlier UCLA studies to cover not just Los Angeles County, but 663 systems across six counties: Los Angeles, Kern, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura. … The report and companion mapping tool provide the most comprehensive public resource on water systems, shedding light on disparities in water quality, affordability, governance and climate resilience.

Related article:

Aquafornia news SFGate

70% chance La Niña arrives in SF Bay Area within weeks

New data shows that a La Niña weather pattern is likely to develop in a few weeks, potentially impacting the Bay Area and California just at the start of the rainy season. The National Weather Service says there is now a 71% chance of a La Niña weather event in the Pacific Ocean starting in October. … San Francisco sits at the inflection point for the weather phenomenon’s effects, which means the region could see either more rain or drier weather during the fall months if La Niña arrives as predicted. … [C]urrent data points to a weaker La Niña this fall, but that doesn’t necessarily mean fewer big storms.

Other ENSO news:

Aquafornia news KCRA (Sacramento, Calif.)

Construction on Sacramento weir expansion hits snag as new project sinks

A major project aimed at improving flood management in the Sacramento region faces a setback. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Thursday confirmed a “differential settlement” on the new weir extension, meaning that different parts of the structure are sinking unevenly. … The new section of weir would widen the structure by more than 1,500 feet and will automatically allow water to pour over when river levels reach a certain height. The Army Corps of Engineers said it expects the analysis of the structure to be complete by the end of September.

Related article: 

Aquafornia news KRCR (Redding, Calif.)

Invasive golden mussels suspected in Butte County waters

Invasive golden mussels may have been spotted in Butte County last week, raising concerns about the potential impact on local water resources. A recent watercraft inspection at the Thermalito North Forebay prevented what is suspected to be the invasive species from entering the water, marking only the second time they have been seen at the site. … The Oroville facilities, including the Thermalito Forebay, Thermalito Afterbay, and Lake Oroville, supply water to roughly 23 million Californians. 

Aquafornia news KJZZ (Phoenix, Ariz.)

Tucson officials say the 1st round of settlement funding for PFAS contamination has arrived

Water officials in Tucson say the city has started receiving settlement funds from a class action lawsuit against major manufacturers of a firefighting foam that contains PFAS. The human-made chemicals don’t break down naturally and are linked to cancer and other health issues. A firefighting foam called AFFF that contains PFAS has been used for decades at military sites and airports — including in Tucson. The chemicals seeped in groundwater and caused contamination.

Other PFAS news:

Aquafornia news Aspen Times (Colo.)

Trump administration moves to kill Biden-era Public Lands Rule for Bureau of Land Management

The U.S. Department of the Interior is looking to overturn the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule in a move that has environmental groups decrying it as a way to favor extractive industries. … [The Federal Land Policy and Management Act] tasked the bureau with managing the following “principal or major” uses: recreation, range, timber, minerals, watershed, wildlife, and fish and natural scenic, scientific, and historical values. … In adding conservation explicitly as a use, the Bureau’s Public Lands Rule also formalized regulatory tools and frameworks for restoring degraded public lands and water.

Other public land news:

Aquafornia news Tahoe Daily Tribune (South Lake Tahoe, Calif.)

Agencies launch innovative pilot program to protect Lake Tahoe’s air and water

Keep Tahoe Blue, The Tyre Collective, and Desert Research Institute (DRI) announced a groundbreaking collaboration with the Emerald Bay Shuttle and its operator, Downtowner, that brings together science, technology, and alternative transportation to protect Lake Tahoe’s world-renowned water clarity. … The pilot program employs The Tyre Collective’s proprietary technology — discrete, compact devices affixed to a vehicle’s undercarriage — to capture harmful tire wear particles directly at the wheel.

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

EPA official eyes laxer standards to wrap up Superfund cleanups

The Trump administration’s top official in EPA’s land office is focused on expediting Superfund hazardous waste remediation, in part by loosening cleanup standards. “We need to make decisions faster and move forward faster,” said Steven Cook, principal deputy assistant administrator for the agency’s Office of Land and Emergency Management, during an American Bar Association conference Thursday. That involves state leaders, retraining project managers and rethinking acceptable cleanup levels for dangerous chemicals at Superfund sites, Cook said.

Other EPA news:

Aquafornia news Southern Illinois University

Blog: SIU grad’s research illuminates pollution threats to endangered Calif. fish

… [Cristina] La’s master’s research was part of a collaborative project focused on the Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel, one of the few remaining habitats for delta smelt and longfin smelt. … The results were striking: contaminants such as DDE, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene and chrysene turned up in every sample, with the highest concentrations in suspended solids. … The research team’s findings suggest that fish like the delta smelt face their greatest exposure in the water column — the vertical section of water where they swim and feed — particularly when ship traffic or storms stir up bottom sediments and release contaminated particles into the water.

Other fish conservation news:

Aquafornia news NBC Palm Springs (Calif.)

Healthy Desert, Healthy You summit opens with focus on Salton Sea health impacts

The Healthy Desert, Healthy You Summit wrapped up its first day in Rancho Mirage with a spotlight on one of the Coachella Valley’s most pressing issues — the future of the Salton Sea. The daylong event featured panels on air quality, water quality, and infrastructure, drawing strong attendance from residents and community leaders concerned about the region’s environmental health. The final panel, moderated by NBC Palm Springs Olivia Sandusky, focused on the health impacts of the Salton Sea, where shrinking waters have created dust pollution and ecological challenges.

Aquafornia news American Rivers

Blog: Restoring Ackerson Meadow — a historic milestone in headwaters conservation

Construction and revegetation at Ackerson Meadow are complete, and now it’s time to let nature do the work it does best! This marks a huge milestone in the movement towards headwaters restoration in California’s Sierra Nevada, with the Ackerson restoration standing as the largest full-fill meadow restoration in the Sierra Nevada and the largest wetland restoration in Yosemite National Park’s 135 years. … 150,000 cubic yards of soil and 434,000 wetland container plants later, water is flowing across the entirety of this fully restored meadow.

Aquafornia news Los Angeles Times

Thursday Top of the Scroll: Newsom’s push to fast-track water tunnel stalls in Legislature

Gov. Gavin Newsom and some of California’s major water agencies hit a setback this week when a proposal to fast-track plans for a 45-mile water tunnel beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta died in the state Legislature. … Delta lawmakers said they were pleased that the governor’s proposal failed to move forward in the final days of the legislative session. … Newsom and supporters of the project say the tunnel is essential to modernize the state’s water system for more severe droughts and deluges with climate change.

Other Delta tunnel news: