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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 San Diego Union-Tribune

City Council balks at steep proposed water rate hikes, delays vote by a month

The San Diego City Council delayed a planned vote on steep water and sewer rate hikes Tuesday, saying it needs more time to consider them amid concerns over the potential impacts on the region’s cost of living. The proposal would raise water rates for San Diego customers by more than 60% and sewer rates by more than 30% over the next four years. City officials say the increases would help cover rising costs for labor, imported water, chemicals, energy, construction projects and other priorities. … But council members and residents who spoke during the public comment portion of Tuesday’s council meeting said the cost of living in San Diego is already too high.

Other San Diego water management news:

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Interior mostly mum on shutdown plans

… [L]ess than 12 hours before the midnight deadline that marks the end of fiscal 2025 — and without agreement in Congress on a continuing resolution — only one of Interior’s 16 divisions — the Bureau of Reclamation — had published its shutdown plans publicly. … But the Bureau of Reclamation’s shutdown plan could provide insight into how other divisions could be preparing. … According to the newest contingency plan, during both short- or long-term funding lapses, only 241 of Reclamation’s employees would be furloughed, with the majority funded by a resource other than annual appropriations.

Other government shutdown news:

Aquafornia news CBS8 (San Diego)

San Diego seeks $1.4M for Tijuana River Valley study

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a proposal Tuesday to request $1.4 million in state funding for a comprehensive contamination study of the Tijuana River Valley. The move is part of a renewed effort to designate the area as a federal Superfund site, which could unlock billions in federal funding for cleanup efforts. …  If approved by the state, the funds would be allocated to the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board to conduct the study.

Other Tijuana River news:

Aquafornia news Action News Now (Chico, Calif.)

New Sites Reservoir project public negotiation sessions scheduled

The Bureau of Reclamation has announced the next round of public negotiation sessions with the Sites Project Authority to develop a Partnership Agreement for the proposed Sites Reservoir Project. The project would create a new 1.5 million acre-foot offstream reservoir just west of Maxwell. The agreement that’s being negotiated will outline terms and conditions to be followed by both the Bureau and the Sites Project Authority.

Related article:

Aquafornia news The New Lede

Blog: Why the top US farming region is sinking

… The agriculture industry’s seemingly bottomless thirst gives the Valley another distinction: It is losing its groundwater – the essential stores of freshwater in underground aquifers – at a rate among the fastest on Earth. As a result, the Valley is sinking. Land subsidence is triggered by farmers drilling thousands of feet deep to tap into the aquifers and pumping the water to the surface. As water is sucked from the aquifers, layers of clay between them and the topsoil compacts, and the ground sinks. Last year, researchers from Stanford University used satellite imagery to determine that in most years since 2006, some areas of the Valley floor have sunk by a foot a year. 

Other groundwater news:

Aquafornia news Source New Mexico (Santa Fe)

NM Supreme Court reorganizes water courts

A New Mexico Supreme Court order reorganizing the state’s water courts goes into effect Wednesday, Oct. 1, the Office of the Administrative Courts announced this week. The order creates a “regional structure for water courts more closely aligned with the boundaries of New Mexico’s stream systems,” a news release announced, with designated water judges presiding over water law cases in a particular regions. Prior to the order, each of the state’s 13 judicial districts had one water law judge. Under the order, five district court judges are appointed to serve as water court judges in the three regions.

Aquafornia news Sacramento Water Forum

News release: Water Forum releases draft Water Forum 2050 Agreement

The Water Forum has announced the release of the DRAFT Water Forum 2050 Agreement, a landmark update to the regional accord that has guided efforts to balance the Sacramento region’s water supply reliability with the protection of the lower American River for the past 25 years. First signed in 2000, the Water Forum Agreement brought together business leaders, citizen groups, environmental advocates, water providers, and local governments to address growing water demands while preserving the environmental and recreational values of the lower American River. 

Aquafornia news Penn State University

Saltwater contamination threatens water supplies

Tidal rivers, which are a source of water for drinking and irrigation, are increasingly vulnerable to saltwater intrusion, according to the findings of an international research team. … Saltwater entering these freshwater supplies can tip the salinity scales, making the water unsuitable for human and animal consumption or for irrigating crops. In a global perspective paper, published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, the team highlighted how a combination of climate change impacts — including prolonged drought and rapid sea-level rise — along with localized human activities, are intensifying the increase in salt in vital freshwater sources.

Aquafornia news ABC10 (Sacramento, Calif.)

Riverdale Park groundwater PFOS/PFOA levels exceed state notification limits

The Riverdale Park Tract Community Service District (RPTCSD) has notified the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors that levels of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in local groundwater have exceeded state notification levels, according to a letter submitted for discussion at the next board meeting. … While these levels surpass the notification standard, they remain below the response level of 70 ppt, which would require immediate action to remove the water source from service. 

Aquafornia news Navajo-Hopi Observer (Williams, Ariz.)

Opinion: Can the Navajo Nation sell its water?

… The BIA [Bureau of Indian Affairs] states that the federal Indian trust responsibility is a legal obligation under which the U.S. “has charged itself with moral obligations of the highest responsibility and trust” toward Indian tribes. …  If the BIA has a moral obligation to the Navajo people, is it moral to take away their water rights or allow the sale of the water rights while they are advocating or holding in trust for the Navajo people our land, water and fiduciary trusts? Is it not a moral responsibility to make sure those who you are looking after have water while they don’t have a permanent government? … I encourage my people to consider the impact of the sale of our water supply and rights for a small portion of the tribe.
–Written by Navajo Nation constituent member Neal Riggs.

Aquafornia news Chico Enterprise-Record (Calif.)

Butte County agrees to help PID with Magalia Reservoir road project

Unanimously, the board agreed to have Chief Administrative Officer Andy Pickett sign a letter of intent to contribute to the project’s funding in some form — or at least work with the district to find and secure funding.

Related article:

Aquafornia news Delta Stewardship Council

News release: Governor appoints Ann Patterson and Audrey Cho to the Delta Stewardship Council

Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Ann Patterson and Audrey Cho to the Delta Stewardship Council. … Patterson, of Sacramento, has been appointed as a member of the Council’s sevenmember board, effective September 24, 2025. … Cho, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the Council’s executive team as legislative and policy advisor, effective October 2, 2025.

Aquafornia news Action News Now (Chico, Calif.)

Feather River Mural Project nearing completion

The Feather River Mosaic Mural Project is nearing an end in the city of Oroville. It’s been three years in the making, involving more than 1,000 kids creating the drawings and placing mosaic tiles on 60 16′ by 18″ panels. When it’s finished, there will be nearly 600 feet of beautiful mosaic mural wall installed along Table Mountain Boulevard, illustrating the journey of the Feather River from its headwaters in the Sierra Nevada and Southern Cascade mountains to its convergence with the Sacramento River.

Aquafornia news Times-Standard (Eureka, Calif.)

Tuesday Top of the Scroll: ‘Protecting the lifeblood of our people’; Klamath tributary bill signed into law

… [A] bill was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom that would keep emergency flow regulations in place for two Klamath tributaries. Supporters hailed the new law as essential for protecting salmon habitat and tribal rights. The Scott and Shasta rivers, major Klamath tributaries, have been under emergency drought regulations for years. Siskiyou County farmers, who pushed against the bill through lobbying associations, were required to limit water take to keep minimum flows in place after fish populations plummeted during a drought from 2020 to 2023. 

Other Klamath River Basin news:

Aquafornia news Aspen Public Radio (Colo.)

October marks the start of the new water year. Here’s what forecasters are looking out for on the Colorado River

October 1 marks the start of Water Year 2026. Hydrologists and water experts use October as the start of the water year, especially in the Western United States, when the majority of precipitation shifts from rain to mountain snow, and snowpack begins accumulating. … Much of the Upper Colorado River Basin will be entering Water Year 2026 in some state of drought. On October 1, 2024, only 7% of the Upper Colorado River Basin was experiencing drought conditions. 

Other wet season forecast news:

Aquafornia news SJV Water (Bakersfield, Calif.)

Kern County supervisor predicts “death of SGMA” after groundwater bill is tabled

A pair of bills that arose out of the ongoing fight over groundwater in eastern Kern County’s desert have come to very different conclusions – one awaiting the Governor’s signature and the other tabled indefinitely. Both bills address a process known as groundwater adjudication, in which a judge decides how much water is available in a basin and then assigns pumping rights to various users. These cases can go on for up to 10 years as courts sift through rights going back more than 100 years and try to find and engage with every pumper in the disputed region.

Other groundwater news:

Aquafornia news The San Diego Union-Tribune

Big San Diego water rate hikes are ‘crucial,’ budget experts warn ahead of vote

As San Diego council members prepare to vote on major water and sewer rate hikes, the city’s independent budget analyst warns that higher rates are all but unavoidable in order to keep the Public Utilities Department afloat — and that not raising rates would hurt customers in other ways. The City Council is scheduled to vote on Tuesday on a proposal that could raise water rates for San Diego customers by more than 60% and sewer rates by more than 30% over the next four years. … Without additional revenue, the IBA predicts that the PUD will need to cut its expenses by slashing either its operating costs — likely by cutting staff — or its spending on capital improvements.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news The Sacramento Bee

As the government nears a shutdown, here’s how Californians will see the impact

… Get ready for a partial federal government shutdown, starting at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, that promises to be unlike any other. … Go to the budget office’s website and you’ll be referred to specific agencies, where some detail their plans and some don’t. … Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, noted that, based on past shutdowns, the EPA will suspend inspections at the “most hazardous waste sites, as well as drinking water and chemical facilities.” She also warned that efforts to address PFAS — often referred to as “forever chemicals” that are linked to potential health risks, including cancer — could face delays during the shutdown.

Other government shutdown news:

Aquafornia news KJZZ (Phoenix)

Arizona cities are taking different approaches to regulate large water users like data centers

A number of Arizona cities have adopted rules restricting water deliveries to users who use a lot of water. … The notion of large water users is often thought to be targeted at data centers, which are top of mind for many Arizonans at the moment. But they can also include places like golf courses and some manufacturing facilities. A new study looks at the kinds of rules cities have imposed, and it found that cities have, by and large, taken different approaches. Sarah Porter is director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy. She joined The Show to talk more about what the research shows.

Other data center water use news:

Aquafornia news Public Policy Institute of California

Blog: Environmental restoration gets a boost in California

Ecosystem restoration is an effective way to improve conditions for recreation, wildlife, and more. Yet permitting—while necessary for ensuring projects are well designed and beneficial—has long slowed restoration projects across California. Is that now shifting? We spoke with the State Water Board’s Paul Hann and Sustainable Conservation’s Erika Lovejoy about a new general order that’s changing the game.

Other environmental restoration news: