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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

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  • 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 American Association for the Advancement of Science

Research shows how solar arrays can aid grasslands during drought

New research from Colorado State University and Cornell University shows that the presence of solar panels in Colorado’s grasslands may reduce water stress, improve soil moisture levels and – particularly during dry years – increase plant growth by about 20% or more compared to open fields. The findings were published in Environmental Research Letters this week. The paper outlines the potential benefits and challenges when photovoltaic (PV) arrays are located in grassland ecosystems. The findings are particularly relevant when considering drought in the arid west and the potential for future climate change. … Colorado’s semi-arid grasslands often need more water than is available through precipitation in each season. The team found that plants beneath and around the solar systems in that environment benefited from partial shading and additional water that collects on panels – aiding in their fight to survive during the harsh summer months. 

Aquafornia news KERO (Bakersfield, Calif.)

Local workshops aim to protect Kern’s water future

… Local agencies are hosting community workshops to explain how the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act works—and why it matters to you. The act, also known as SGMA, is a California law that requires local water agencies to manage groundwater to prevent overuse and water scarcity. … Dan Bartel, Engineer Manager at RRB, says: “SGMA requires that we coordinate not just amongst the public agencies, but with the public—because in the public, there are so many private pumpers. We’re required to get input from those beneficial users and incorporate their opinions, thoughts, questions, and concerns into our plans so we can, as a community, reach sustainability by 2040.” Starting last summer, GSAs held workshops across Kern County. More recently, they’ve been hosting pop-up events—going to the community rather than waiting for the community to come to them.

Aquafornia news Brown Political Review

Blog: Fueling the fire — Trump’s executive order threatens California’s future

In early 2025, California faced a series of devastating wildfires that ravaged vast areas of the state—particularly its southern regions. Two weeks after the fires broke out in Los Angeles, President Donald Trump issued an executive order mandating the release of 2.2 billion gallons of water from reservoirs in the Central Valley. This directive was presented as a measure to combat the wildfires. However, a closer examination reveals that the action was motivated more by politics than by emergency, ultimately undermining California’s water management authority, favoring agribusiness interests, and jeopardizing the state’s environmental and water resources.

Aquafornia news Orange County Register (Irvine, Calif.)

Opinion: Grid warnings and job losses: California’s climate lawfare has a cost

Fifteen states, led by California, are suing the White House over its April executive order to protect American energy from state overreach. They claim the order is an unconstitutional interference in state affairs. But they’re wrong. President Trump is doing what the Constitution empowers him to do — protect interstate commerce and ensure that America’s energy security is not compromised by a patchwork of state-led, politically motivated lawsuits. For years, progressive attorneys general — led by California’s — have kowtowed to the environmental lobby, waging lawfare through coordinated lawsuits against American companies for “causing” climate change. These suits are designed to bankrupt the energy sector, force Americans onto unreliable grids, and shift power to unelected climate czars.
–Written by Mimi Walters, who represented California in the U.S. Congress and served on the House Judiciary and Energy & Commerce Committees.

Aquafornia news The Denver Post (Colo.)

Monday Top of the Scroll: Colorado River negotiators running out of time to make long-term plan

Concerningly low amounts of water are flowing from Rocky Mountain snowpack this spring, a summer of drought looms across swaths of the West, and the negotiators tasked with devising a sustainable long-term water plan for the 40 million people who rely on the Colorado River are running out of time. Commissioners from the seven states in the Colorado River Basin — Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, California and Nevada — must create a plan that will govern how those states divvy up the river’s water after the current guidelines expire at the end of 2026. As the river shrinks due to drought and climate change, the negotiators must decide who will take less water — and they need to do so in the next few months. … The negotiators, who met in Las Vegas this week, have repeatedly said they are committed to finding a consensus solution, but have not yet done so and have already blown past previous deadlines set by federal authorities more than a year ago.

Other Colorado River Basin news:

Aquafornia news San Francisco Chronicle

‘Where’s the federal government?’ Newsom calls on Trump administration to fund more wildfire prevention

Gov. Gavin Newsom is calling on the Trump administration to do more to harden California’s forests to fire as the state fast-tracks plans of its own to confront the wildfire threat. On Friday, the governor announced $72 million of funding for a slew of large-scale forest resiliency projects, primarily tree-thinning and prescribed burns. All of the projects qualify for an expedited environmental review process initiated by Newsom in March for fire safety work. … The state funding announced this week will go to 12 forestry projects, from pulling out highly combustible weeds and planting fire-resistant trees in San Bernardino County to paring back overgrown forests with proactive burns in Humboldt County. One $7 million project would create a “ring” of protected space around communities in Santa Cruz County. Another project, costing $4.2 million, seeks to improve the health of forests in the upper Mokelumne River watershed in the central Sierra Nevada.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news Voice of San Diego

Big L.A.-San Diego water settlement reached

The San Diego County Water Authority and Metropolitan Water District are set to announce a historic settlement of decades of legal disputes following the 2003 deal to purchase water from Imperial Valley farmers. The disputes are insanely complex and they have cost San Diego ratepayers an estimated $20 million in legal fees. … The Water Authority agreed to purchase water for several decades from IID. It also invested heavily in lining the canals that bring water from the Colorado River, saving significant amounts of water that had been lost to seepage. … The settlement will set a framework for the Water Authority to sell water to other Southern California water agencies or to Metropolitan itself. And Metropolitan has agreed to even allow the Water Authority to sell water out of state, if it’s not needed here.

Aquafornia news The New York Times

Trump’s proposed budget would cut the Ecosystems Mission Area and much of its work

The Trump administration’s proposed budget for 2026 slashes about 90 percent of the funding for one of the country’s cornerstone biological and ecological research programs. Known as the Ecosystems Mission Area, the program is part of the U.S. Geological Survey and studies nearly every aspect of the ecology and biology of natural and human-altered landscapes and waters around the country. The 2026 proposed budget allocates $29 million for the project, a cut from its current funding level of $293 million. The budget proposal also reduces funds for other programs in the U.S. Geological Survey, as well as other federal science agencies. … The E.M.A. is also a core part of federal climate research. The Trump administration has sharply reduced or eliminated funds for climate science across federal agencies, calling the study of climate change part of “social agenda” research in an earlier version of the budget proposal.

Other water and environmental project funding news:

Aquafornia news San Francisco Chronicle

Could this major California city see mass ‘abandonment’? New risk model predicts just that

The flood plains of Sacramento are a geologic world away from the more cinematic California of coastal crags and lofty peaks. Yet that sometimes overlooked region could be home to one of California’s great disasters waiting to happen, according to a February report from First Street, a prominent climate risk prediction firm. The firm’s models suggest that the mounting risks of catastrophic flooding will drive Sacramento County — the heart of California’s fourth-largest metro area, at about 2.4 million people — to lose, in the average scenario, 28% of its population by 2055. … Few places in the U.S., if any, are more at risk of catastrophic flood than Sacramento. … In modern times, water has been corralled into aqueducts and dams and not allowed to pool into the fertile soil, drying out the wetlands and leaving hard, dusty earth that offers no buffer against floodwater.

Aquafornia news Lake County Record-Bee (Lakeport, Calif.)

Scotts Dam removal debated at Chamber sponsored forum

A Town Hall convened Thursday aimed at protecting a vital water resource that has, and could again, prove critical to fighting wildfires, but also to sustain the economy and enhance recreational opportunities for an isolated, yet popular destination point for longtime residents. The Lake County Chamber of Commerce hosted the event at the Soper Reese Theater, Thursday. Master of Ceremonies was Amanda Martin, Chief Economic Officer of the Chamber. Martin said the presentation was to promote awareness and to educate the community on the critical issue of a potential removal of Scotts Dam from the Potter Valley Project. … Should the dam be torn down, Lake County Treasurer estimated there could be a loss of $850,000 in tax revenue. Additionally, property values of $40 million could depreciate. … Meanwhile the decommissioning of Scotts Dam is estimated at $500 million and probably more, by the time the work is completed, based on a study by The Eel River Power Authority.

Other Potter Valley Project news:

Aquafornia news San José Spotlight (Calif.)

Santa Clara data centers hit max energy capacity

Santa Clara leaders are raising concerns about how the city’s dozens of data centers affect residents and the environment. Santa Clara has more standalone data centers than any other California city — 55 in operation and three in the pipeline, according to the city. Demand is growing as more people use the internet and digitally demanding technology advances, such as artificial intelligence. With data centers providing the city with millions in revenue, officials are questioning impacts to water and the electrical grid. … (Planning Commissioner Priya) Cherukuru, who is the executive director of space planning for Stanford Health Care, said Santa Clara needs to conduct a deeper study on the strain data centers put on city resources, such as electricity and water. Data centers use water to cool their densely packed servers. Ahmed Aly, the city’s principal engineer for water and sewer utilities, said more data centers are starting to use water efficient cooling systems, and 31 data centers in the city use recycled water.

Other data center water use news:

Aquafornia news The Vacaville Reporter

Local reps push back on Newsom’s Delta Tunnel fast-track plan

Solano County’s congressional representatives teamed up with collegues representing Sacramento, San Joaquin and Contra Costa counties to fire off a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom protesting his latest proposal to use the budget process to fast-track the Delta Conveyance Project, also known as the Delta Tunnel. The controversial project is a $20 billion plan to funnel more water south. U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson and John Garamendi teamed with representatives Doris Matsui, Mark DeSaulnier and Josh Harder to issue the letter to the governor and state legislative leadership reaffirming their strong opposition to the proposed tunnel. …  Noting that the Bay-Delta is one of the most ecologically significant estuaries on the West Coast, and that it supports thousands of fishing jobs, vital agricultural lands, tribal and environmental justice communities as well as some of the most vulnerable ecosystems in the state, the legislators said the tunnel plan would be devastating for the region. 

Aquafornia news ABC7 (San Francisco)

New high-tech maps developed by Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability could fast track groundwater recharge

Researchers at Stanford are hoping to jump start a water revolution in California. The goal is to rapidly expand the areas where we store water – not by building reservoirs, but by returning millions of gallons back into the ground in a new and efficient way. … A recent study found the elevation of San Jose has risen slightly over the decades, while dozens of other cities around the country are steadily sinking. One common factor is groundwater. … Valley Water manages a sophisticated system of ponds and groundwater injection wells to help replenish the area’s aquifers. While sites, like the Laguna Seca basin at Coyote Valley are being conserved as open space, allowing additional stormwater to sink into the water table. These are long term strategies that are paying off. … And now, researchers at Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability are hoping to use ground-breaking technology to expand groundwater recharge across California’s Central Valley. 

Other groundwater and subsidence news:

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Dems seek probe of Bureau of Reclamation staff losses

Democratic senators are pressing the Interior Department to determine whether significant staff losses at the Bureau of Reclamation could put water infrastructure at risk as well as derail the agency’s ability to fulfill congressional mandates. In a Friday letter to Interior acting Inspector General Caryl Brzymialkiewicz, eight senators asked for a review of staff reductions at Reclamation, pointing to an estimated loss of up to 25 percent of the agency’s staff under the Trump administration. “We are concerned that the administration’s actions to gut the agency of qualified public servants could leave critical water infrastructure and communities vulnerable to operational disruptions,” states the letter, led by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), ranking member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Aquafornia news Coronado Times (Calif.)

With International Collector complete, Coronado’s beaches reopen — aside from Silver Strand

Coronado’s northern beaches are open again after the city’s entire shoreline closed over Memorial Day weekend as wastewater from the ongoing Tijuana sewage crisis pushed bacteria into coastal waters. The reopenings came as Mexico completed work on its two-phase International Collector project. … Mexico completed the second and final phase of its International Collector project on May 21. During the two phases of the construction, excess sewage was pushed into the Tijuana River, causing beach closures in Coronado in April and in May. However, Mexico used temporary bypasses to prevent about 75 million gallons of untreated sewage from entering the river during phase two, the US International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) said. The International Collector is a pipeline that carries raw sewage from Tijuana to treatment plants, and it was aging and prone to leaks. Mexico has now relined the pipeline.

Other Tijuana River news:

Aquafornia news Vail Daily (Colo.)

Native trout species return to the new Colorado River Connectivity Channel near Granby

Native fish populations are returning more quickly than anticipated in the Colorado River Connectivity Channel near Granby. This news is according to the latest Colorado Parks and Wildlife electrofishing survey of the trout population along the newly constructed 1-mile river channel. In May, Parks and Wildlife biologists estimated that approximately 848 brown trout and 221 rainbow trout over 6 inches in length live within the channel.  The $33 million connectivity channel project sought to establish connectivity along the Colorado River after the construction of the 445-acre-foot Windy Gap Reservoir in 1985 disrupted flows in the region. The reservoir and dam — which were constructed to help divert water to two northern Front Range cities — impacted stream flows, caused sediment buildup and decimated fish populations. 

Other anadromous fish news:

Aquafornia news Marin Independent Journal (San Rafael, Calif.)

Nicasio Reservoir project prompts flooding concerns

Nicasio residents are urging the Marin Municipal Water District to reconsider a proposal to add storage to the nearby reservoir. Over the past two weeks, residents have told district officials that they fear the project could exacerbate flooding along Nicasio and Halleck creeks, and that the community would see no benefit from the added storage at Nicasio Reservoir. The community uses well water and is not served by the reservoir or the district’s supply. Residents said increased flooding would threaten their properties, the roads, the school and their well water and septic systems. … The proposal calls for modifying the spillway gates at Seeger Dam, which was constructed on Nicasio Creek in 1960 to create the reservoir. … The project would install a 280-foot-long, 4.4-foot-high inflatable rubber gate spanning the spillway crest to increase capacity by about 3,700 acre-feet. The project was selected from several proposals as a short-term and efficient way to increase supply.

Other inflatable dam news:

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

Lake Tahoe inspectors intercept vessel with golden mussels

Lake Tahoe watercraft inspectors on Friday identified highly invasive golden mussels on a vessel at the Alpine Meadows, Calif. inspection station. This is the first interception of the new invasive species by Lake Tahoe watercraft inspectors since their first detection in North America in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in October, 2024. … Inspectors at the Alpine Meadows station conducted an initial decontamination of the 65-foot vessel. It will be held under quarantine under California Department of Fish and Wildlife regulations until the vessel is deemed risk-free. Watercraft Inspection Program managers are also coordinating with Nevada Division of Wildlife and other state agencies and continue to share information on all detections with agencies in both states and the western U.S. As new threats to Lake Tahoe emerge, the emphasis on following Clean, Drain, Dry protocols remains for all boaters, paddlers, anglers, and beachgoers. 

Other invasive species news:

Aquafornia news The Fence Post (Greeley, Colo.)

USDA to distribute livestock payments due to wildfires

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins today (May 30) announced the release of congressionally mandated Emergency Livestock Relief Program payments to cover grazing losses due to eligible drought or wildfire events in 2023 and/or 2024.  USDA explained that USDA’s Farm Service Agency is leveraging existing Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) data to streamline payment calculations and expedite relief. Emergency relief payments are automatically issued for producers who have an approved LFP application on file for 2023 and/or 2024, and do not have to contact USDA to receive payments. USDA added, “The American Relief Act, 2025, provided funds for emergency relief payments. This program is the first of two programs authorized to assist with eligible losses suffered by livestock producers. FSA will announce additional ELRP assistance for other losses authorized by the act, including flooding, later this summer.”

Related articles:

Aquafornia news San Francisco Chronicle

These native California creatures are unusually well adapted for climate change

The tiny native oysters of San Francisco Bay managed to outlive the Gold Rush, bay-shore development and decades of punishing pollution. New research shows they have a fighting chance to survive global warming as well. … In recent years, extreme heat waves killed thousands of shellfish that inhabit the same type of intertidal zone, including mussels that were baked in their shells in both the Pacific Northwest and Northern California during low tide. Scientists involved with oyster restoration were really concerned when that happened, said Chela Zabin, ecologist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and one of two dozen co-authors on the study. … The study, which was published last month and involved significant team effort in 26 locations up and down the West Coast, with funding from the nonprofit organization the Nature Conservancy, showed that native oysters thrive in a wide range of habitats.