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.
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California’s existing groundwater infrastructure may fail to
quench the state’s thirst in an increasingly arid future, even
as officials celebrate widespread conservation achievements,
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) warned on Tuesday. “The data doesn’t lie,
and it is telling us that our water system is unprepared for
California’s hotter and drier climate,” Newsom said in
a statement. The governor was referring to data
published in a semiannual report by the California Department
of Water Resources that morning. The report, which indicated
California is collecting more groundwater data than ever
before, showed a 2.2 million acre-foot increase in storage last
year. Nonetheless, the governor’s office stressed that the
Golden State still lacks adequate water infrastructure to
provide Californians with the resources they will need in
future projected climate conditions.
Four major Front Range water managers have requested a state
hearing to fully air their objections to a Western Slope plan
to purchase historic, coveted Colorado River
water rights. The Colorado River Water Conservation District,
which represents 15 Western Slope counties, is leading the
effort to purchase the $99 million water rights tied to the
century-old Shoshone Power Plant, owned by a subsidiary of Xcel
Energy. The district wants to buy the rights to protect
historical water resources for Western Slope communities long
into the future. Front Range water managers — Aurora Water,
Denver Water, Colorado Springs Utilities and Northern Water
— also want to maintain the historical flows past Shoshone
which provides stability for their water supplies. They just
disagree over the numbers, namely how much water is included in
the deal. If the number is too high, it could throw a wrench in
their water systems.
The Kern County Water Agency is poised to cut off the only
water source for a 600-home development in Stanislaus County as
of June 30 unless residents there agree to a 200% increase in
water rates, jacking up their bills to $600 a month. Even then,
the increase will only buy a bare minimum of water through Dec.
31, according to a letter from KCWA to the Western Hills Water
District. … Western Hills serves the Diablo Grande
development, once planned as a sprawling 5,000-home luxury golf
community in the foothills west of Patterson. KCWA put
Western Hills on notice April 2 this year that it intends to
terminate the 24-year-contract under which it has been
delivering water to the community. KCWA’s stance is that
Western Hills stopped paying the water delivery costs five
years ago, racking up $13 million in debt, and KCWA can no
longer carry that load. Though the water Diablo Grande
residents run through their taps is actually State Water
Project overseen by the Department of Water Resources, that
agency is staying out of the fray.
The Colorado River runs over 1,450 miles through seven US
states, carving dramatic canyons and providing drinking water
for 40 million people before it crosses into Mexico. … Now,
in some of the region’s driest stretches, tech companies are
bringing a massive influx of water-guzzling data centers. …
Documents reviewed by Business Insider show that some of these
large data centers, football-field-size warehouses filled with
computer servers that power the artificial intelligence
revolution, could each demand millions of gallons of water a
day, enough for tens of thousands of Americans. Business
Insider found that 40% of the nation’s planned and existing
data centers are in areas that the nonprofit World Resources
Institute, which focuses on sustainability research, has
characterized as experiencing “extremely high” or “high” water
scarcity. … We found 24 of the largest centers, and 379
smaller ones, in the four states now negotiating over Colorado
River allotments.
The plan to put millions of acres of California forests, parks
and other public federal lands at risk of being sold got a
devastating, probably lethal, blow as the Senate
parliamentarian ruled lawmakers could not consider the proposal
as part of its “Big Beautiful Bill” this week. Before such
legislation can be considered by the Senate, Parliamentarian
Elizabeth MacDonough has to make sure what’s in it involves
fiscal policy. She decided the plan to sell the land did not
meet the standard. Popular destinations near Sacramento and
Lake Tahoe were on the original plan’s proposed sale list from
the Wilderness Society. … Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, led the
effort to sell up to 3 million acres nationwide. He vowed after
the ruling to keep fighting. “Stay tuned. We’re just getting
started,” he said in a post on X. … He outlined some of the
steps he plans. He said he would not be “selling off our
forests,” and only land within 5 miles of population centers
would be eligible for sales.
Several governors of Western states on Tuesday endorsed
formalizing a partnership to help each other deal with the
aftermath of increasingly devastating wildfires, citing the
long-term effects of post-fire flooding and also uncertainty
about the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s
future. Governors from New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and
Colorado attended a panel discussion on the topic of post-fire
flooding at the Western Governors’ Association meeting in Santa
Fe. … The governors described the phenomenon as increasingly
urgent due to wildfires burning hotter and larger across the
West. High-severity wildfires can change soil composition,
converting even modest rainstorms that fall on burn scars into
potential floods or debris flows. … (Utah Gov. Spencer) Cox,
who on Tuesday was named the new WGA chair, said he would
spearhead an effort to create a regional partnership.
The first recreational salmon season in California in three
years made such a big splash on its opening weekend that the
next three dates have been canceled. More than 9,000
Chinook salmon were taken statewide by 10,505 sport anglers
during the season opener on June 7 and 8, exceeding the harvest
limit of 7,000 fish for the summer season. As a result, the
remaining summer dates on July 5-6, July 31 through Aug. 3 and
Aug. 25 through 31 have been closed, the National Marine
Fisheries Service announced Monday. The opening weekend offered
“some of the best fishing many longtime anglers can remember,”
said California Department of Fish and Wildlife in a media
release. “We’ve seen so many pictures and heard many stories of
people enjoying their time on the water with family and
friends,” said director Charlton H. Bonham. “By all accounts,
the weekend was a huge success.”
Lifelong San José resident Apollo-Genesis Braddock-Layton has
fished the Pacific Coast’s shore for as long as he can
remember—catching horseshoe crabs, smelt, and stingrays while
listening to his grandfather’s stories of fishing in the
Philippines. “That’s how he had to feed his family,”
Braddock-Layton says. “If they didn’t catch fish that day, they
didn’t eat.” … But it’s likely that these fish contain
PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which
have been manufactured by chemical companies since the 1940s.
… PFAS ranks among the most concerning chemicals the San
Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) studies, says environmental
scientist Miguel Mendez, and they’ve slipped their way into the
Bay through runoff. … But this news won’t stop some Bay Area
residents like Braddock-Layton from fishing. While learning
about PFAS in fish “makes me not want to fish in the Bay
anymore,” he says, “I would most definitely go back.”
San Diego County leaders are committing the county to stepping
up efforts to help residents bearing the brunt of the
decades-long Tijuana River sewage crisis. On Tuesday, the Board
of Supervisors voted 3-1 to explore what it would take to
administer a plan that calls for further monitoring and
mitigation of cross-border pollution from Mexico and
implementing health protections. The plan, proposed by Imperial
Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre and brought before the board by
Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, consists of five key elements:
study the health impacts of chronic exposure to the toxic sewer
gas hydrogen sulfide; assess the full scope of crisis-linked
economic losses; eliminate a hot spot along the Tijuana River
to lessen aerosolization of the gas; and create a county sewage
crisis chief position. It also suggests giving schools and
child care centers air filtration that’s engineered to remove
hydrogen sulfide from the air if the county can show that the
infrastructure will effectively eliminate odors.
… In his May Revision, Newsom endorsed a proposal to fast
track housing production and urged lawmakers to do the same for
the controversial Delta Conveyance Project.
Specifics weren’t available Tuesday, but main components of two
bills to streamline the California Environmental Quality Act to
speed housing projects would be included in future trailer
bills, according to the Senate analysis. Lawmakers declined to
take action to cut red tape on the Delta Conveyance Project, a
long-discussed plan to divert water from the Sacramento-San
Joaquin Delta down to Southern California. The governor had
said the project was necessary for climate adaptation, and
should bypass unneeded delays. There were no details about why
lawmakers rejected the governor’s suggestion, although several
legislators recently voted to audit the project, a proposal
that was ultimately shot down.
The California Farm Water Coalition announced today that its
executive director, Mike Wade, will be stepping down in
February. Wade has served as the organization’s head since
1998. During his time at the Coalition, Wade expanded the
organization’s public education and outreach programs to where
they now reach tens of millions of consumers a year with
positive messaging about the importance of adequate and
dependable water supplies for California farmers.
… During his time at the Coalition, Wade also led the
Agricultural Water Management Council, advancing efficient
water management practices across California’s agricultural
sector. At the Coalition, Wade helped organize initiatives like
the Cultivate California Program, which brought together dozens
of agricultural organizations and water agencies to
successfully engage the public through direct-to-consumer
educational media.
Clear Lake is the heart of Lake County, a popular spot for bass
fishing and water sports about 2.5 hours north of San
Francisco. It is also, according to a recent letter sent
to the California Legislature, “choking on past pollution and
toxic blooms” and “exceedingly malodorous.” That description
comes courtesy of a coalition of stakeholders in Lake County
who are requesting upward of $15 million in state funds to
rehabilitate Clear Lake. In the warmer months, the lake turns
dangerous when toxic algal blooms and
cyanobacteria surge. Tests have found
cyanotoxins in 56% of homes that draw water from the lake,
posing health risks ranging from rashes to liver
damage. … In a joint letter to California
legislators dated June 17, members of the Blue Ribbon Committee
— including tribal leaders, a Farm Bureau representative and a
Lake County supervisor — sent a blunt message about the ancient
lake.
… Known as floating photovoltaics, or floatovoltaics, the
devices bob on simple floats, generating power while providing
shade that reduces evaporation. … As floatovoltaic systems
rapidly proliferate — the market is expected to grow an average
of 23 percent each year between 2025 and 2030 — scientists are
investigating how the technology might influence ecosystems.
The shading, for instance, might stunt the growth of algae that
some species eat — but at the same time, it might also prevent
the growth of toxic algae. The floats might prevent waterbirds
from landing — but also might provide habitat for them to hide
from predators. By better understanding these dynamics,
scientists say that if companies are willing, they can work
with manufacturers to customize floatovoltaics to produce as
much electricity as possible while also benefiting wildlife as
much as possible.
The typical American household consumes approximately 300
gallons of water daily. However, a segment of the population
still experiences water insecurity, a troubling trend that is
increasing and not limited to the southwestern United States. A
group of Arizona State University academics have documented
this emerging development in a new paper titled “When the
Household is the Utility: Ensuring Equitable Water Service for
Rural U.S. Communities Served by Decentralized Water Systems.”
Co-authored by Lee E. Voth-Gaeddert, a research professor
with the Biodesign Institute, and Claire Cropper, a PhD
student and researcher in ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of
Engineering, the paper reveals that economically disadvantaged
populations and rural households that aren’t connected to piped
water are much more likely to experience water insecurity. In
terms of numbers, that’s roughly 12% of the U.S. population or
about 40 million people, Voth-Gaeddert and Cropper estimate.
A sudden storm over Lake Tahoe Saturday afternoon churned up
towering waves and fierce winds that capsized a boat, killing
eight people and injuring more. What happened in less than an
hour is now being called one of the deadliest weather-related
boating accidents in recent Tahoe history — and a powerful
reminder of how quickly and violently mountain weather can
change. This tragic event raises urgent questions: What caused
such extreme weather? Could anyone have predicted it? And is it
something that could happen again? … While detailed regional
modeling of Lake Tahoe’s summer thunderstorms is limited, major
climate assessments point to broader trends that could impact
storm behavior in the Sierra Nevada. … Findings suggest a
shift toward stronger, more abrupt convective storms. That has
implications for Lake Tahoe, where an afternoon downdraft
hitting warm lake air could generate sudden wind spikes and
dangerous waves similar to those seen on June 21.
Winter storms, combined with debris from the Park Fire, pushed
the Five-Mile basin in northeast Chico to its limits for flood
control. Butte County Public Works Director Josh Pack received
a nod from the Board of Supervisors during Tuesday’s meeting to
look into a job order contract to mitigate flood risk, ideally
before winter. Pack said the Five-Mile Sediment Removal Project
would consist of two phases with the first made up of any work
that can be completed this year and the second being the
long-term work next year and beyond. Pack said the goal of the
first phase is to begin work by Aug. 15, creating a strict
timeline to get the project rolling. … To help aid in
the project, Pack said U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale)
helped secure $5.6 million in earmarked funding while state
Assemblyman James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) introduced a bill
that could expedite the work by exempting the project from the
California Environmental Quality Act and its required studies.
The United States Bureau of Reclamation celebrated the 80th
anniversary of the Shasta Dam and Powerplant’s completion, a
key element of California’s Central Valley Project. Acting
Regional Director Adam Nickels honored the 4,700 workers and
their families who contributed to this engineering milestone
from 1938 to 1945. … On June 20, 1945, the Bureau of
Reclamation officially took control of both the dam and power
plant from Pacific Constructors, Incorporated. Towering at 602
feet tall, Shasta Dam is the second-largest concrete dam in the
U.S., stretching 3,460 feet across the Sacramento River. It
required 6.5 million cubic yards of concrete, enough to circle
the Earth’s equator with a 3-foot-wide sidewalk.
… Shasta Reservoir, formed by the dam, is California’s
largest water storage facility, holding over 4.5 million
acre-feet of water.
A year of average precipitation gave California’s groundwater
supplies a significant boost, according to a state analysis
released Tuesday. California’s aquifers gained an estimated 2.2
million acre-feet of groundwater in the 12 months that ended
Sept. 30, the state’s 2024 water year. That’s about half the
storage capacity of Shasta Lake, California’s largest
reservoir. State officials said local agencies reported that
about 1.9 million acre-feet of water went underground as a
result of managed aquifer recharge projects designed to capture
stormwater and replenish groundwater. … Gov. Gavin
Newsom said California is collecting more groundwater data than
it has previously, and is continuing to prioritize efforts to
recharge aquifers. He said, however, that the state’s water
infrastructure is unprepared for the effects of climate change,
and he reiterated his support for building a water tunnel
beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
There’s a break in the clouds that have hovered over Colorado
River negotiations for more than a year. State water leaders
appear to be coalescing behind a new proposal for sharing the
river after talks were stuck in a deadlock for more than a
year. The river is used by nearly 40 million people across
seven states and Mexico, but it’s shrinking due to climate
change. As a result, state leaders need to rein in demand.
For months, they were mired in a standoff about how
to interpret a century-old legal agreement. The new proposal is
completely different. Instead of those states leaning on old
rules that don’t account for climate change, they’re proposing
a new system that divides the river based on how much water is
in it today. … The new plan says the amount should be
based on a three-year rolling average of the “natural flows” in
the river — basically, how much water would flow through it if
human dams and diversion weren’t in the way.
… On June 11, the California Energy Commission officially
approved the Darden Clean Energy Project, a sprawling solar
farm and battery storage facility proposed for a stretch of
fallow farmland in western Fresno County. Darden is the first
project approved under a new fast-track permitting program,
which gave the commission just 270 days to finish its
environmental review. …The land for the project, near Cantua
Creek, was once a productive site for agriculture. But droughts
and decades of farming have left the 9,500-acre area with dry
and alkaline soil. The Westlands Water District
currently owns the land and is shutting down irrigation on
it and other swaths of former farmland, aiming to
conserve water for areas with better dirt.
