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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 Action News Now (Chico, Calif.)

Oroville City Council moves to address issue of trash in Feather River by sending letter to Governor Gavin Newsom

The Oroville City Council has moved to address the growing issue of trash along the Feather River by approving a motion to send a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom. The council is seeking assistance in tackling the environmental impact they believe is caused by nearby homeless encampments. … Last month, the Feather River Recreation and Parks District held their annual Feather River Cleanup event. … Joseph Velasquez, the park maintenance supervisor with the district, says their team and the community picked up about 10,000 pounds of trash.

Other watershed cleanup news:

Aquafornia news Pasadena Now (Calif.)

Pasadena Water and Power hosts events this fall to help capture rainwater and create water efficient landscapes

This fall, Pasadena Water and Power (PWP) invites the community to participate in programs that help conserve one of Southern California’s most precious natural resources: water. At these events, attendees can capture rainwater for irrigation by participating in an upcoming rain barrel distribution and attending water efficient landscape workshops. All events are open to the public and can be found at PWPweb.com/TheRippleEffect.

Aquafornia news The Colorado Sun (Denver)

Former clerk accused of diverting $26k from small Colorado town’s water project

A town administrator in Las Animas County is facing several felony charges after investigators say she funneled more than $26,000 from a small town’s water project intended to secure long-term water access, to her personal bank account. … Investigators say she took money from federal loans and grants that were awarded to the town of about 450 for a massive reservoir project. The money was allegedly commingled with the town’s general fund and used for unauthorized personal transactions and other town expenses, leaving contractors for the critical water project unpaid.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news The Raincross Gazette (Riverside, Calif.)

Wild pigs: Riverside’s most unwanted neighbors?

… Every few years, wild pigs emerge from river habitat to wreak havoc in the Fairmount Park area. … The pigs currently roaming Riverside’s corridors descend from domestic swine that escaped during catastrophic 1930s floods. … The Santa Ana River corridor creates a green highway connecting rural habitats to urban resources, with residential neighborhoods serving as unintended waypoints between wilderness areas. … The pigs have inhabited these river bottoms longer than most human families, and they’ll probably outlast current management strategies too.

Aquafornia news SJV Water (Bakersfield, Calif.)

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: Ruling in groundwater case out of Kings County could have far-reaching effects

Appellate court justices heard arguments Tuesday in the highly watched dispute over whether the state exceeded its authority when it placed the Tulare Lake subbasin on probation last year for failing to come up with an adequate plan to protect the region’s groundwater. … The outcome of Tuesday’s arguments could have far reaching effects throughout the San Joaquin Valley, most of which is severely overdrafted and struggling to comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).

Other groundwater news:

Aquafornia news The Arizona Republic (Phoenix)

Colorado River Indian Tribes may grant personhood rights to river

The Colorado River Indian Tribes may soon become the third Indigenous government in North America to grant personhood rights to a river. ‘Aha Kwahwat, or the Colorado River, has been at the heart of Mojave culture and history for millennia. The river is also critically important to the other three cultures that make up the Colorado River Indian Tribes: the Chemehuevi, whose ancestral lands lie to the northwest of CRIT’s lands, Navajo and Hopi who moved to the area in the 1940s. … Once the tribal membership has completed weighing in … the already-drafted resolution will be put before the tribal council, and once approved, will become part of CRIT’s law.

Other Colorado River news:

Aquafornia news The Packer

New California law focuses on long-term water planning

A bill with unanimous support is basically a unicorn in today’s divided politics, so California just saw the return of a water-planning unicorn in the form of SB 72 that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law Oct. 1. Prior to being signed, the bill — effectively an update to the California Water Plan that enforces the need for quantifiable water needs reports and water goals — passed through the state’s legislature without any “no” votes. This also isn’t the first time it happened. Past iterations of the bill also received unanimous support, but this is the first time the governor signed it.

Other California water planning news:

Aquafornia news Border Report

Mexico’s deadline for paying water it owes US fast approaching

The clock is ticking down on Mexico’s deadline this month to pay the United States water it owes under a 1944 international treaty. So far, Mexico has paid less than half what it owes during this five-year cycle, which ends on Oct. 25. … Mexico must pay the United States 1.75 million acre-feet of water every five years. The current cycle ends Oct. 25 but so far they have only sent 807,980 acre-feet to the Rio Grande. … Under the treaty, the United States must send Mexico 1.5 million acre-feet of water annually via the Colorado River out West.

Other U.S.-Mexico water news:

Aquafornia news Water Education Foundation

Announcement: Water Education Foundation honors Colorado River reporter Alex Hager

The Water Education Foundation has named Alex Hager, KUNC’s reporter covering the Colorado River Basin, as this year’s recipient of the Rita Schmidt Sudman Award for Excellence in Water Journalism. The award recognizes Hager’s clear, deeply sourced reporting that helps the public understand the people, policies and ecosystems tied to one of the West’s most important rivers, said Jenn Bowles, the Foundation’s Executive Director. Hager is the first broadcast journalist to receive the award that acknowledges outstanding work illuminating complicated water issues in California and the West. 

Aquafornia news The New York Times

Senate confirms Neil Jacobs, ‘Sharpiegate’ meteorologist, to lead NOAA

The Senate on Tuesday evening confirmed a new leader of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, installing Neil Jacobs. … Dr. Jacobs, an atmospheric scientist and meteorologist who has stressed a strong desire to improve the accuracy of U.S. weather forecasting models, is generally respected across NOAA, which oversees much of the federal climate research that the administration has targeted for deep cuts. At the same time, he has faced criticism and rebuke for his tenure during President Trump’s first term.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation

Building resilient utilities: UCLA issues report on key water and power infrastructure needs

More than 100 engineers, utility leaders, scientists, and public officials came together in the wake of January’s catastrophic Los Angeles firestorms to identify innovative strategies and emerging technologies that could build more resilient infrastructure, recognizing the broader challenges of growing climate and disaster risks. … The resulting report, “Innovation Opportunities for a Resilient L.A.,” emphasizes that no single strategy is sufficient. Instead, Los Angeles must pursue a mix of approaches, from upgrading infrastructure to improving coordination across agencies. 

Other water system and wildfire news:

Aquafornia news KCLU (Thousand Oaks, Calif.)

Pacific La Niña pattern may bring more drought conditions to the Tri-Counties

… Climatologists are forecasting a 71% chance of another La Niña this fall, which could lead to more drought conditions and potentially higher-than-normal wildfire danger. … While the latest data suggests that a La Niña may impact us, it remains unclear whether it will be a weak or moderate one. … [Bill Patzert, research scientist and oceanographer with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory] predicted that the best-case scenario is that we get a series of spaced-out storms over the next few months. So, even if rainfall is below normal again, if it’s spread out, and any potential fuels are damp enough, we won’t see another round of major wildfires this season.

Other rain and drought news around the West:

Aquafornia news KJZZ (Phoenix, Ariz.)

West Valley developers have a new water provider and path to growth

Under a new program developed by Arizona’s water department, West Valley housing developers have access to a new water provider. Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs announced that EPCOR is the first company operating in Arizona to receive an Alternative Designation of Assured Water Supply, or ADAWS. ADAWS went into effect in November and serves as a pathway for providers to prove they have enough water to last an area for 100 years. … Hobbs said the alternative designation allows water companies to prove they have an adequate supply from a variety of sources — in EPCOR’s case, a combination of groundwater and sources like Lake Pleasant and the Colorado River.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news SFGate

Land trust to preserve Bay Area property that’s currently acres of farmland

A Palo Alto environmental nonprofit recently acquired 668 acres of farmland in the Pajaro River Valley with the hopes of returning parts of the property to its former wetland landscape. The property, situated along the Upper Pajaro River on the border of Santa Clara and San Benito counties, was formerly a privately owned farm along with two ranches used for livestock grazing and vegetable crops. … POST [Peninsula Open Space Trust] crafted its vision for the site’s restoration with the hopes of making the surrounding watershed — and the communities it feeds into — more resistant to the effects of flooding.

Other wetland, lake and river restoration news:

Aquafornia news SFGate

Thomas Keller is urging California to block nonstick cookware ban

Some of the biggest names in the American food world are rallying to stop California from banning common nonstick cookware, saying the proposal will hurt restaurants and home cooks. … Proponents of the bill argue that there are already many nonstick cookware products that are made without PFAS. They have also argued that the environmental damage from manufacturing PFAS products and disposing of them significantly harms the environment, including drinking water sources.

Other PFAS news:

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

California AG sues offshore oil company over water pollution permit

California state prosecutors are taking Sable Offshore to court, accusing the oil company of repeatedly discharging dirt and other material into coastal streams and wetlands without a permit as it rushed to bring a pipeline and an offshore drilling platform back online. … The lawsuit accuses Sable of digging around the idle pipeline it is seeking to repair and reopen without first seeking a permit from the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. … The work, called “pig and dig” operations, risks damaging the “sensitive aquatic and riparian habitat” by discharging dirt and vegetation in violation of state water quality rules, according to the complaint.

Other water pollution news:

Aquafornia news Cowboy State Daily (Cheyenne, Wyo.)

$1.2 billion data center breaks ground in Cheyenne, CEO stresses low water impact

The six bathrooms that will be in a 184,000-square-foot data center that Related Digital is building out for CoreWeave in Cheyenne are going to use more water than the data center’s cooling systems. That’s according to Related Companies CEO Jeff Blau, who was in Cheyenne Tuesday to break ground on the $1.2 billion facility. … “What are the two complaints you hear about, you hear about water consumption. Neighborhoods and communities are concerned that we’re going to use up all the water,” he said. So, the $1.2 billion data center that Related Digital is developing isn’t going to use any water. 

Other industrial water use news:

Aquafornia news The Conversation

Blog: Geothermal energy has huge potential to generate clean power – including from used oil and gas wells

… There are several ways to get energy from deep within the Earth. Hydrothermal systems tap into underground hot water and steam to generate electricity. These resources are concentrated in geologically active areas where heat, water and permeable rock naturally coincide. In the U.S., that’s generally California, Nevada and Utah. … Some geothermal fluids contain valuable minerals; lithium concentrations in the groundwater of California’s Salton Sea region could potentially supply battery manufacturers. … Despite its challenges, geothermal energy’s reliability, low emissions and scalability make it a vital complement to solar and wind.

Other geothermal news:

Aquafornia news Nature Water

Report: Water democracy and the unequal right to water

The human right to water is often framed in terms of pipes, treatment plants, and funding. Far less attention is paid to governance and who gets to decide on the rules that shape water quality, price, and reliability. Now, writing in Nature Water, Kristin Babson Dobbin and co-authors shed light on how local democracy influences the right to water. … By analysing over 2,400 community water systems in California, Dobbin et al. show that ‘water democracy’ — the extent to which residents can vote for their water system’s governing board — is linked to measurable differences in performance. 

Other water access news:

Aquafornia news KBAK/KBFX (Bakersfield, Calif.)

Tehachapi water dispute intensifies as city and district remain at odds

The ongoing water distribution dispute between the City of Tehachapi and the Tehachapi Cummings County Water District has escalated, with both parties taking their grievances to social media. The conflict, which began three years ago, centers on the allocation of water from the California State Water Project. … City Manager Greg Garrett claims that the majority of water from the SWP is being allocated to agriculture, leaving the city with insufficient resources for residents and future developments. … In contrast, Thomas Neisler, general manager of the water district, insists that the city’s goals can be met without additional SWP water.