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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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  • 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 MIT Technology Review

Lilac Solutions is planning a lithium empire from the shores of the Great Salt Lake

On a bright afternoon in August, the shore on the North Arm of the Great Salt Lake looks like something out of a science fiction film set in a scorching alien world. … This otherworldly scene is the test site for a company called Lilac Solutions, which is developing a technology it says will shake up the United States’ efforts to pry control over the global supply of lithium, the so-called “white gold” needed for electric vehicles and batteries, away from China. … Lilac is not the only company in the US pushing for DLE. In California’s Salton Sea, developers such as EnergySource Minerals are looking to build a geothermal power plant to power a DLE facility pulling lithium from the inland desert lake. 

Aquafornia news Los Angeles Times

Wild horses are trampling Mono Lake landscape. The feds plan a roundup

… Earlier this year, the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management approved a plan to round up and remove hundreds of wild horses roaming beyond the roughly 200,000 acres designated for them along the California and Nevada border. … Environmentalists say the horses are degrading the otherworldly landscape at Mono Lake, including bird habitat and its famed tufa. … Local tribes and nonprofits have partnered to fight the roundup plan, arguing that the Indigenous community should be tapped to manage the animals that roam their ancestral lands. A separate group of plaintiffs has sued the government, claiming it’s reneging on its duty to protect the horses.

Other Mono Lake news:

Aquafornia news Active NorCal (Redding, Calif.)

Kokanee salmon spawning season set to return to Taylor Creek in Tahoe

Each fall, one of Lake Tahoe’s most unique wildlife spectacles comes alive at Taylor Creek. The Kokanee salmon are preparing to begin their upstream journey, turning the waters of this South Lake Tahoe stream into a vibrant scene of red and silver. While the native Lahontan cutthroat trout spawn in the spring, the Kokanee—a landlocked cousin of the Sockeye salmon—take center stage in October and November. Their timing depends on environmental factors like colder water and higher stream flows, which are managed in part by the Fallen Leaf Lake Dam. Without these carefully balanced flows, Taylor Creek could run too low or even dry up in the fall.

Other Lake Tahoe news:

Aquafornia news The Nevada Independent (Las Vegas)

Geothermal developer sues feds for listing Nevada toad as endangered

Three years after the federal government listed a tiny Nevada toad on the endangered species list, a geothermal company seeking to develop a project near the toad’s only known habitat in Northern Nevada is suing the government over the listing. Ormat Technologies, headquartered in Reno, is suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and U.S. Department of the Interior, saying that the Dixie Valley toad was placed on the endangered species list “without any evidence” that its population is declining. … One of the concerns is that geothermal pumping in the area could affect the quality, temperature, or quantity of water in the wetlands where the toad lives.

Aquafornia news Phys.org

Coastal flooding in the Bay Area: New research illuminates strategies for adaptation

… [A]s sea levels continue to rise and extreme weather events become more frequent, the need for more effective response strategies is greater than ever. The San Francisco Bay is one such region experiencing this exact trajectory, making it a focal point for scientists like Patrick Barnard, research director for the Center for Coastal Climate Resilience at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Barnard co-authored a paper recently published in the Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering that explores coastal flooding patterns and mitigation strategies throughout the bay region.

Aquafornia news Gold Country Media (Auburn, Calif.)

El Dorado Water Agency GM elected to state water agency board

The El Dorado Water Agency (EDWA) has announced that its General Manager, Rebecca Guo, has been elected to the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) Board to represent Region 3 for the 2026-27 term. Officials from EDWA are celebrating this development, as Guo will be in a position to advocate for El Dorado County’s water resource needs, including investments in watershed management, water reliability and drought preparedness.

Other water management news:

Aquafornia news Voice of San Diego

Farmers say supervisor’s sewage efforts cost them their livelihood

For more than two decades, small-scale farmers and community gardeners have grown fresh fruits and vegetables, native plants, flowers and other produce at the Tijuana River Valley Community Garden, a 20-acre complex of publicly owned farmland adjacent to the Tijuana River. … All of that came to a halt last week when representatives from the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County, which manages the garden, issued mass eviction notices to all 217 community gardeners and farmers. One reason for the sudden eviction, the district’s executive director said, was a series of pollution warning signs erected six weeks ago at several locations throughout the river valley, including at the garden itself.

Aquafornia news Environmental General Counsel PC

Blog: Local voluntary cleanup agreements in California; how they can better promote state housing priorities and development of brownfields

Voluntary cleanup agreements have been a staple of cleanups under both state and federal cleanup programs for decades. … California Health & Safety (“H&S”) Code § 101480 et seq. (“Section 101480”) allows local agencies to enter into voluntary cleanup agreements and recover their oversight costs. Section 101480 provides no framework or authorization for local agencies to adopt their own corrective action requirements but requires that they oversee the investigation and cleanup consistent with the Water Code. Several local agencies in California – including some of the most populous cities and counties – have used Section 101480 as enabling legislation to establish site cleanup programs (“SCP”), including San Francisco City and County, Alameda County, and Orange County.

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Monday Top of the Scroll: Scott Cameron takes the reins as acting head of Reclamation

Scott Cameron will take over as acting head of the Bureau of Reclamation, shifting titles at the Interior Department while he maintains his role as the Trump administration’s lead official in negotiations over the future of the Colorado River Interior Secretary Doug Burgum tapped Cameron for the role on Oct. 1, announcing the decision in a secretarial order that also updated other leadership roles recently confirmed by the Senate. The decision comes in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision on Sept. 30 to withdraw his nomination of Ted Cooke, a former top official at the Central Arizona Project, to be Reclamation commissioner.

Aquafornia news Contractor magazine

Broad coalition backs landmark California water law

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed SB 72 into law after the bill passed unanimously through the California Legislature. The legislation establishes clear statewide water supply targets and sets in motion long-term strategies to secure reliable water for residents, businesses, agriculture, and the environment. … The bill requires state agencies, water providers, and stakeholders to work together on durable supply solutions that extend beyond any single administration.

Other California water policy news:

Aquafornia news Nevada Current

Paying farmers proves most cost effective way to conserve Colorado River, study says

The most cost-effective and quickest way to conserve the Colorado River’s shrinking water supply amid persistent drought and rapid population growth is changing how states handle the largest use of water on the river: agriculture. … That’s according to a comprehensive study examining 462 federally funded Colorado River conservation and supply projects using available spending data from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. … The water projects examined – ranging from large-scale infrastructure such as reservoirs and wastewater treatment plants to agricultural water use – totaled about $1 billion in federal funding between 2004 and 2024.

Other Colorado River news:

Aquafornia news FOX26 (Bakersfield, Calif.)

California enacts safety measures against invasive golden mussels

The California Department of Water Resources is implementing new safety measures after the discovery of invasive golden mussels in Merced County. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR), in collaboration with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and California State Parks, is implementing new measures to protect the state’s water infrastructure and curb the spread of invasive golden mussels. This follows the recent discovery of the species at San Luis Reservoir in Merced County, with confirmed findings in Fresno and Kings Counties.

Other invasive species news:

Aquafornia news KUNC (Greeley, Colo.)

Human emissions are helping fuel the Southwest’s epic drought

… Long before humans began altering the climate with greenhouse gases and other air pollutants, the Southwest was subject to feast-or-famine weather featuring extreme dry spells, raising the possibility that this current drought is just part of that natural variability. What scientists are exploring now is how the human touch is imprinted on the drought due to our ongoing transformation of the climate, atmosphere and oceans. Three recent scientific studies identify human emissions as a key driver in the precipitation declines that have helped cause the Southwest’s current drought, which has been made much worse by rising temperatures due to climate change.

Other climate and weather news:

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.

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