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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

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Aquafornia news SJV Water (Bakersfield, Calif.)

Friant lawsuit against groundwater agency over sinking canal will go on but it may be individual farmers who ultimately pay

The ongoing case against a Tulare County groundwater agency for allegedly not paying its fair share to fix the sinking Friant-Kern Canal will continue, according to a recent ruling. A trial date is set for Dec. 22 in Tulare County Superior Court. A judge recently shut down an attempt by the Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) to dismiss the lawsuit by the Friant Water Authority, which alleges Eastern Tule breached a 2021 agreement to pay up to $200 million toward fixing the canal. But Tulare County Superior Court Judge Brett Hillman’s Sept. 23 ruling also indicated that, should Friant win the case, it could be a hollow victory. 

Other groundwater news:

Aquafornia news Times-Standard (Eureka, Calif.)

West Coast fisheries ‘incredibly challenged’: McGuire forum addresses Dungeness, salmon impacts

Last week, the California State Senate’s Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture hosted its 50th annual Zeke Grader Fisheries Forum. … Committee Chair Senator Mike McGuire opened proceedings by noting the challenges the state’s fisheries are facing as well as some of the state’s redoubled efforts and funding, via Proposition 4 funding and other legislative commitments, to improve resiliency along the California coast and waterways. … California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot echoed those sentiments, praising Yurok and Karuk Tribe-led efforts to restore the Klamath River in the wake of historical dam removal and saying that he is increasingly inspired by tribally led land and water restoration projects. 

Other salmon and fishery news:

Aquafornia news The Guardian

Advocates raise alarm over PFAS pollution from datacenters amid AI boom

Datacenters’ electricity demands have been accused of delaying the US’s transition to clean energy and requiring fossil fuel plants to stay online, while their high level of water consumption has also raised alarm. Now public health advocates fear another environmental problem could be linked to them – Pfas “forever chemical” pollution. … Advocates are particularly concerned over the facilities’ use of Pfas gas. … No testing for Pfas air or water pollution has yet been done, and companies are not required to report the volume of chemicals they use or discharge. But some environmental groups are starting to push for state legislation that would require more reporting.

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Why Trump’s bid to save coal might raise your water bill

The Trump administration said this week it will lower American electric bills by delaying an EPA rule requiring coal-burning power plants to reduce discharges of toxic wastewater. But the EPA analysis justifying that decision paints a more complicated picture. It shows the long-term costs of allowing coal plants to continue with outdated water pollution controls could exceed potential cost savings. Coal plants draw large volumes of water to create steam to drive turbines that produce electricity. But when plants discharge that water, it carries mercury, lead, cadmium, bromide and nitrogen into rivers, lakes and streams that are also used as sources of drinking water.

Aquafornia news ABC30/KFSN (Fresno, Calif.)

Weather prediction outlook as California’s water year begins

October first marks the official start of California’s water year and local prediction centers, including the Department of Water Resources and National Weather Service in Hanford say long range forecasts could have a mixture of multiple patterns. ”So, as far as El Nino, it’s about a 20% chance we might see that for April, May, and into June. So it’s still a 20% chance, so it still could go back up to El Nino, but, the highest chances right now, near 70%, is for a neutral pattern,” explains Emily Wilson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford.

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

Bill to expedite Highway 37 project awaits Newsom’s signature

A bill aiming to relieve environmental constraints to speed up a project on Highway 37 is awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature. … The law would enable project planners to secure “incidental take” permits from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. … The protected species in question include the salt marsh harvest mouse, the California Ridgway’s rail, the California black rail and the white-tailed kite. … The project will replace the Tolay Creek Bridge, east of the Highway 37 and Highway 121 interchange, and extend an eastbound merge lane for a mile. The project also will restore a 3.5-mile section of degraded tidal salt marsh called Strip Marsh East to help protect against sea-level rise and flooding while creating habitat.

Aquafornia news FOX 5/KUSI (San Diego)

Tijuana River Valley Community Garden faces closure

San Diego County’s largest community garden, the Tijuana River Valley Community Garden, is set to close after more than two decades, displacing hundreds of local gardeners and small farmers. The Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County has decided to end its lease to operate the garden, citing ongoing concerns with sewage issues and potential flooding. This decision will return the site to the county, leaving the future of the garden uncertain.

Related article:

Aquafornia news Lost Coast Outpost (Eureka, Calif.)

The EcoNews Report podcast: Are your Easter lilies poisoning the Smith River?

For decades pesticide-intensive farming of Easter lily bulbs on the Smith River Plain has contaminated groundwater and surface waters of the Smith River estuary, threatening the health of wildlife and humans along one of California’s healthiest, most ecologically pristine rivers. Now the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board is considering new regulations to address this persistent pollution. Greg King, Executive Director of the Siskiyou Land Conservancy, joins the program to discuss an important upcoming townhall meeting … and what it would take to effectively regulation pesticide pollution.

Aquafornia news San Diego Union-Tribune

Opinion: Water chief keeps focused on long game amid rate-hike heat

Disputes over water have been a constant in California history, and San Diego is going through a particularly rough patch on that front these days. … Last week, the San Diego City Council delayed action until the end of this month on another round of proposed increases in water and sewer rates — 63 percent and 31 percent, respectively, over four years. A city budget analysis said there is no wiggle room and warns of dire consequences if the rates are not raised, but council members insisted it was too much.
–Written by San Diego Union-Tribune columnist Michael Smolens.

Other water management opinions:

Aquafornia news The Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction, Colo.)

Land trust counts early successes in protecting water

A year into an effort to prioritize protection of water resources as part of its mission, the Colorado West Land Trust is putting out some hard numbers on how it is doing on that so far. Since the plan’s introduction, the land trust has permanently conserved eight properties directly supporting livelihoods tied to water security, it said in a news release. … It also cites its completion of 13 weeks of on-the-ground restoration work, partnering with the Western Colorado Conservation Corps, to improve watershed function and resilience.

Aquafornia news San Francisco Chronicle

‘They’re everywhere’: Rodent boom overwhelms California farms

… Once rodents have settled in on one farm, they can spread to neighboring properties, creating a pervasive — and expensive — problem. The creatures chew through irrigation lines and equipment wires, pull bark from trees and feast on ripening fruit and nuts. Last month, the California Almond Board said rodents had racked up more than $300 million in damages to the state’s almond orchards between fall 2023 and fall 2024. The main culprit was roof rats, a species that has also plagued homes and restaurants in the South Bay. … [H]igher rainfall could also be a factor, since it fosters the low vegetation that gives the creatures shelter. A broader theory posits that shorter, warmer winters associated with a changing climate extend the rodents’ foraging and breeding season.

Aquafornia news Los Angeles Times

Marine mammals dying in record numbers along California coast

… The corkscrew-shaped bacteria, leptospirosis, causes severe abdominal pain in sea lions by damaging their kidneys and inflaming their gastrointestinal tracts. … Since the end of June, officials say nearly 400 animals have been reported stranded or sickened along the Central Coast beaches. … Hundreds more probably were washed away before anyone spotted them, or died at sea. The historically large and long bacterial outbreak is adding to an already devastating death toll for the seals, sea lions, dolphins, otters and whales who live in and migrate through the state’s coastal waters.

Aquafornia news KUTV (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Friday Top of the Scroll: Southern Utah prepares for possibility of water shortage

After a dismal snowpack, sustained drought conditions, and a relatively weak monsoon season, southern Utah is preparing for the possibility of a water shortage. A newly proposed conservation plan outlines what the county will require municipalities to do should reservoirs run low. … The water shortage contingency plan, released Wednesday, would require each city to decrease its water use by a set percentage. … If municipalities fail to reach that reduction rate, they could face punitive pricing, ranging from a 300% to 500% increase from the standard.

Other Utah drought news:

Aquafornia news WaterWorld

How the government shutdown affects water and wastewater utilities

… The shutdown may result in regulatory delays that included new or pending permits, guidance documents and approvals. State-submitted programs like NPDES permits and TMDLS won’t be acted on during shutdowns. … Routine EPA inspections for drinking water systems, wastewater facilities or stormwater compliance are paused until a funding bill is passed. Enforcement only continues if it is tied to imminent threats to human health or property. No new EPA grants for water infrastructure upgrades, stormwater resilience or research partnerships will be awarded during the shutdown. 

Other shutdown water impact news:

Aquafornia news Los Angeles Times

With Colorado River talks at impasse, critics demand transparency

The Colorado River, which provides water across the Southwest, has lost about 20% of its flow in the last quarter-century, and its depleted reservoirs continue to decline. But negotiations aimed at addressing the water shortage are at an impasse. … [Great Basin Water Network Executive Director Kyle] Roerink and leaders of five other environmental groups criticized the lack of information about the stalled negotiations, as well as the Trump administration’s handling of the situation during a news conference Wednesday as they released a report with recommendations for solving the river’s problems.

Other Colorado River news:

Aquafornia news The Sacramento Bee (Calif.)

Opinion: California’s dying salmon test our environmental values. We’re flunking

California salmon are as central to our historic identity as the symbol on our state flag, the California grizzly. It is a sad and ironic tragedy that the grizzly has been extinct for generations. What does it say about us if salmon may soon follow? … Losing salmon would be an ecological disaster for our freshwater ecosystems, forests, riverbanks and other native species if their links to the salmon were severed. Healthy salmon runs mean jobs for Californians, but the industry generating $1 billion is at risk, and is a historic piece of California’s culture.
–Written by Sacramento Bee columnist Tom Philp.

Other salmon news:

Aquafornia news Aspen Public Radio (Colo.)

How Colorado’s biggest water utility is approaching wildfire and its drinking water impacts

Bigger, hotter, and more severe wildfires are changing Colorado’s fire seasons. They change the way watersheds work, and can hurt drinking water resources across the state. Denver Water, the state’s largest utility, provides water to more than 1.5 million people in the metro area. It attempts to address some of these concerns in its From Forests to Faucets program. … Madelene McDonald, a watershed scientist for the utility oversees the program, and spoke with Rocky Mountain Community Radio’s Caroline Llanes to share more.

Other wildfire and water systems news:

Aquafornia news The Guardian (U.K.)

California governor under pressure over bill to ban cookware made with PFAS

Gavin Newsom, the California governor, is facing intense pressure from industry, and even some celebrity chefs, as he weighs whether or not to sign a bill that bans the sale of cookware made with Pfas or “forever chemicals”. … The industry pressure is part of a broader attack that aims to derail similar bans on Pfas in cookware in other states, public health advocates say. … [Clean Water Action Legislative Director Andria] Ventura noted the California water and sewer utility trade group endorses the ban because utilities are left with the cost of trying to remove PFAS pollution from drinking water.

Other PFAS news:

Aquafornia news Palo Alto Online (Calif.)

New horizontal levee aims to enrich Baylands habitat in Palo Alto

… The city [Palo Alto] broke ground in September on Bay Area’s first horizontal levee, a gently sloped expanse next to the Regional Water Quality Control Plant that officials hope to finish by next spring. Once completed, landscaped levee will incline from the tide toward Embarcadero Road. The area will be filled with marsh plants that will be treated with treated wastewater from the wastewater plant through an underground pipe. The levee will serve as yet another filtering system for the effluent as it goes from the treatment plant to the Bay.

Other water treatment news:

Aquafornia news The Record-Courier (Minden, Nev.)

Storm could bring first snow to higher peaks

Snow levels could drop to 7,500-8,000 feet by Friday morning, which might bring some snow to the higher peaks of the Sierra Nevada. “Two-day … totals have a majority of the Sierra between a Trace to 1-inch, with localized amounts of up to 2-4 inches in Mono County (Tioga Pass, Sonora Pass), and 1-2 inches for Mount Rose,” said National Weather Service Reno Meteorologist Colin McKellar. “It’s not a big snow event by any means, but the first decent snowfall this fall.”

Other snow forecast news: