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 Chris Bowman.
Subscribe to our weekday emails to have news delivered to your inbox at about 9 a.m. Monday through Friday except for holidays.
Please Note: Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without subscribing. Also, 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.
Rainfall and snow storms boosted California’s groundwater
supplies and replenished the Sierra Nevada snowpack, but
scientists say dry conditions in the summer — and starting as
soon as this weekend — could reverse that progress. …
temperatures in California — including in San Francisco — are
forecast to climb over their usual seasonal highs. That
could accelerate the rate at which the state’s snowpack melts,
according to Andrew Schwartz, lead scientist and
station manager at the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow
Laboratory …
The Colorado River is in trouble. More than two decades of
megadrought fueled by climate change have sapped its supplies,
and those who use the river’s water are struggling to rein in
demand. Now, with current rules for river sharing set to expire
in 2026, policymakers have a rare opportunity to rework how
Western water is managed.
After a wet El Niño winter, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration says there’s a 69% chance La Niña
could develop by July and last through winter, potentially
bringing dry and cool conditions to Southern California. What
could happen locally: La Niña is typically associated with
drier weather in Southern California. However, we saw one of
the wettest winters last year, and that occurred during a La
Niña event. Why is this happening? Temperatures in the eastern
Pacific Ocean have begun to cool. What’s the difference between
La Niña and El Niño? La Niña is often associated with drier and
cooler conditions in Southern California. Wetter weather is
commonly associated with El Niño, which is when warm water off
the coast sends heat and moisture into the atmosphere.
Groundwater basins in California and across the world are the
source for much of the water that grows our food. But many
challenges come with groundwater: Keeping use sustainable,
nitrate contamination and impacts from climate change. The
world’s top scientists, policymakers and experts will be
addressing these topics June 18-20 in San
Francisco at the 3ʳᵈ
International Groundwater Conference Linking Science &
Policy, along with the latest advancements on groundwater
demand management, conjuctive use, managed aquifer recharge,
groundwater governance and emerging artificial
intelligence resources related to groundwater and
agriculture. Learn
more about this conference.
It’s a tale as old as the American West: folks fighting over
water. This time, however, the battle brewing in a remote
California community is one you’ve likely never heard before.
The clash is centered in the normally sleepy community of Pine
Valley, which, according to most recent U.S. Census Bureau
figures, has a population of 1,645. Although you don’t have to
live in town to sign, that figure is close to how many people
signed a petition boasting 1,800 signatures that was circulated
to Stop SD Crescentwood Cemetery. … Critics argue, though,
that it sits above the Campo-Cottonwood Sole Source Aquifer,
which serves the groundwater needs of thousands of East County
residents. Depending upon whom you talk with, the facility
could host as few as four burials a year or as many as 350. The
problem … is that “effluvium” from decomposing human bodies
could leach into the ground, eventually making its way down and
contaminating the aquifer.
Further legal action on the Kern River was put on pause
Thursday morning following an order by the 5th District Court
of Appeal that stayed a local injunction mandating enough water
be kept in the river for fish. … The underlying lawsuit was
filed in 2022 by Bring Back the Kern and several other public
interest groups along with Water Audit California, against the
City of Bakersfield for dewatering the river. … That 2022
lawsuit demands the city study the impacts of its river
operations on recreation and the ecosystem under the Public
Trust doctrine, which states all natural resources are held in
trust by the state for the greatest beneficial use by the
public. That was once automatically considered to be farming,
industry and municipal uses. But in recent years, recreation,
aesthetics and the environment have gained equal footing.
A new project for the Mojave Water Agency aims to support
strategic planning for sustainable groundwater basin management
and conjunctive use projects, the agency announced. The
announcement came on Tuesday by Geoscience Support Services,
Inc., a geohydrology firm that provides specialized
hydrogeology and groundwater consulting and services.
Geoscience entered into a new contract with the Apple
Valley-based Mojave Water Agency to evaluate groundwater
resources and develop advanced recovery and management
strategies. The project supports the Mojave Water Agency’s
mission to manage groundwater basins and address risks to
sustainable water supplies.
Despite the prevailing dry conditions in warmer months, the
Sacramento Valley and the north Delta have remained free of
harmful algal bloom (HAB) detections—a testament to our
proactive monitoring and mitigation efforts. As we continue to
closely watch over these waterways and utilize the latest
technology, we’re committed to keeping our communities safe and
our ecosystems thriving. With warmer temperatures and summer
recreation at California freshwater lakes and rivers on the
horizon, it is time for Californians to be vigilant about the
dangers posed by freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms
(HABs). According to the California Department of Water
Resources (DRW), algal blooms can release toxins into the water
which have the potential to significantly harm both people and
pets. It can also create hypoxia which impacts fish
populations.
The effort to grant “rights of nature” to Boulder Creek through
Nederland as a legacy for generations to come lasted less than
three years. The human guardians appointed to voice those
rights lasted less than five months. The Nederland town board
voted unanimously late Tuesday to repeal a 2021 rights of
nature resolution meant to give a policy voice to watershed
environmental protections, in clearly stated pique at a
nonprofit group opposing a dam the town wants to build on the
creek’s middle branch. Nederland board members
claimed they were misled by Save the World’s Rivers and its
leader Gary Wockner to bolster river protections, only to have
the group file formal objections in water court to Nederland’s
plan for a new reservoir on Middle Boulder Creek.
The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) today
presented its 2024 Excellence in Water Leadership Award to
Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) General Manager Andy Fecko
for his leadership and commitment to water resource issues,
especially in reducing fuel load in our National Forest system
lands. At PCWA, Fecko manages several billion dollars of
infrastructure that must be operational at all times, including
during and after wildfires that have become more common and
destructive in the past decade. In response to the devastating
Kings Fire in 2014, Fecko led the region’s creation of the
French Meadows Forest Restoration Project – a public/private
forest health partnership. The project consists of 30,000 acres
of ecological thinning within the Tahoe National Forest. This
is a first-of-its-kind project that established the formula for
success in California forest management, which is based on
collaboration.
Six years ago the state water board approved an order
establishing new nitrogen monitoring and reporting requirements
in the Central Valley. Growers in other regions have faced
similar mandates.
Fresno State students can now learn more about one of
California’s most precious resources – water. There’s a new
educational offering at Fresno State. The interdisciplinary
program is designed to teach students all about water systems
in California. Political Science Professor Thomas Holyoke says
it’s different than other minors. “This would require students
to take a variety of classes from different areas of the
university,” Holyoke said. That includes classes in geology,
geography, agriculture, political science and beyond.
Subsidence has reared its head again as a key factor cited by
state Water Resources Control Board staff for recommending that
the Kaweah groundwater subbasin be placed on probation – the
first step toward possible state takeover of groundwater
pumping. The recommendation was contained in a draft report
released May 6, which set Nov. 5 for Kaweah’s hearing before
the Water Board. Subsidence was listed as a major factor in
similar staff reports for the Tulare Lake and Tule subbasins.
Tulare Lake was, indeed, placed on probation by the Water Board
April 16 and the Tule subbasin comes before the board Sept. 17.
The Kaweah report identified additional challenges
for water managers in the subbasin, which covers the northern
half of Tulare County’s valley portion into the eastern fringes
of Kings County.
After yearslong battles with the city of San Diego over
crumbling stormwater infrastructure in their southeastern San
Diego neighborhoods, hundreds of people whose homes and
businesses were damaged by flash flood waters in January are
now suing the city. The $100 million mass tort lawsuit has
nearly 300 plaintiffs — homeowners and renters as well as
business owners in the communities of Southcrest, Logan Heights
and others along the Chollas Creek watershed. The lawsuit
contends that city leaders have known for years that the creek
and stormwater infrastructure around it are in urgent need of
attention.
Two California water utilities went before the state’s Supreme
Court on Wednesday to argue that the Public Utilities
Commission cut corners when it decided to discontinue the use
of surcharges to compensate the utilities for sales shortfalls
from water conservation efforts. The Golden State Water Co. and
the California-American Water Co. claim that the commission
made the decision to eliminate the so-called decoupling
mechanisms without giving them adequate notice that it was
considering this option as part of a yearslong rulemaking
procedure. As a result, the utilities argue, they had no
opportunity to provide evidence to support their case that
these mechanisms — which allow them to impose a surcharge on
their customers when they face a revenue shortfall because of
California’s efforts to conserve water in drought-plagued years
— were serving their purpose.
After another wet winter, record rainfall has turned California
green and replenished the state’s reservoirs, which had been
perilously low during the worst days of the drought. Lake
Oroville, the state’s second-biggest reservoir, often serves as
a rainfall barometer. As of Tuesday, Oroville was at 100%
capacity, according to data from the state Department of Water
Resources. … The left photograph shows Enterprise Bridge
on Dec. 21, 2022, when the lake was at 29% of its total
capacity. The right side shows the same area April 24, 2024,
when the lake was at 96% of capacity — a figure it has now
eclipsed. As of May 7, Lake Oroville was at 128% of its
historical level. Lake Shasta, the state’s largest reservoir,
was 97% full Tuesday, or 115% of its historical level.
Over the past decade, a signature California program that
charges polluters for their planet-heating emissions has
generated billions of dollars for state initiatives, and Gov.
Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that these revenues are effectively
helping to reduce pollution and combat climate change.
… The program has also supported projects intended to
reduce wildfire risk by thinning vegetation and restoring
degraded forests. … Another issue that
has generated criticism is the fact that about 65% of
the annual cap-and-trade revenues must be dedicated each year
to several programs, with 25% going to high-speed rail and the
remainder split between affordable housing, transit and rail,
low-carbon transit operations, and safe drinking water.
The ongoing drought across the western United States has led to
concerns about the future of hydropower. As reservoirs see
water levels drop, officials worry about electricity generation
being reduced, as well. This is an issue Syris
Valentine has written about. Valentine is the climate
solutions fellow with Grist Magazine. He joined The Show to
talk about what he’s learned.
It’s the largest salmon restoration project in the world and
its happening in our backyard. In the past few months,
four dams on the Klamath River have been disabled and the river
is flowing freely for the first time in more than a century.
… The initial phase of drawdown – the draining of Iron Gate,
Copco, and JC Boyle reservoirs – is now complete.
A new study found that the Colorado River may experience a
rebound after two decades of decreased flows due to drought and
global warming. “Importantly, we find climate change will
likely increase precipitation in the Colorado headwaters,”
Professor Martin Hoerling, the study’s lead author, wrote to
The Salt Lake Tribune in an email. “This will compensate some
if not most of the depleting effects of further warming.”
Recently published in the Journal of Climate, the study by
researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Cooperative
Institute for Research in Environmental Science used data from
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. … The
study’s climate projections forecast that there is a 70% chance
that climate change will lead to increased precipitation in the
Upper Basin between 2026 and 2050. That precipitation increase
could boost the river’s flows by 5% to 7%.
