Take an interactive online tour of the Sacramento-San Joaquin
Delta and learn more about its importance as a water delivery
hub, an agricultural cornucopia, a haven for fish and wildlife,
Some people in California and across the West struggle to access
safe, reliable and affordable water to meet their everyday needs
for drinking, cooking and sanitation.
There are many ways to support our nonprofit mission by donating
in someone’s honor or memory, becoming a regular contributor or
supporting specific projects.
As atmospheric rivers blasted across California this year, they
brought epic amounts of rain and snow follwing a three-year
drought.
Devastating and deadly floods hit parts of the state and now all
eyes are on the potential for more flooding, particularly in
the San Joaquin Valley as the record amount of snow in the
Sierras melts with warmer temperatures.
With anticipated sea level rise and other impacts of a changing
climate, flood management is increasingly critical in California.
Our 2023 California Water Leaders
cohort completed its year with a report outlining policy recommendations
for leveraging green infrastructure, such as restoring
floodplains, meadows and wetlands, to help manage water
statewide.
The cohort of
22 up-and-coming leaders – engineers,
attorneys, planners, scientists, water managers and other
professionals from water-related organizations – worked
collaboratively and had full editorial control on the
report.
Updated and redesigned, the easy-to-read overview comes as
the nation’s largest dam removal project is underway with
the first of four Klamath River hydropower dams
demolished this year.
The Layperson’s Guide covers the history of the region’s tribal,
agricultural and environmental relationships with one of the
West’s largest rivers. The river’s vast watershed straddles
Cailfornia and Oregon and hosts one of the nation’s oldest
and largest reclamation projects.
California’s water agency released a final environmental report
on the controversial plan to build a tunnel beneath the
Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The highly anticipated
document is expected to lead to approval of the long-disputed
water project.
The final salmon egg taking of the season will be available for
the public to view at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery next week,
according to hatchery officials. Egg-taking combines eggs from
euthanized female fish with milt, which contains sperm, from
male salmon. The fertilized eggs are then submerged in a water
tank and later taken to a holding area in the hatchery to
continue the fertilization process. The egg-taking is done to
aid in the conservation of the species. … Although late
in the season, dozens of Chinook salmon can still be seen
swimming up the fish ladder at the hatchery’s visitor center.
After the conclusion of salmon spawning, the ladder will remain
open through the winter for the migration of steelhead trout.
Officials gathered in a small metal hangar at the south end of
the Salton Sea on Thursday to celebrate $72 million in funding
for restoration efforts at the Salton Sea, marking the first
major investment by the federal government in restoration
efforts at the sea. The $72 million is part of a total of $250
million in funding for the Salton Sea approved as part of the
Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. … The historic
announcement explicitly links cuts of Colorado River water
supply to the rapidly dwindling Salton Sea, something IID
officials have sought for years. … [California Natural
Resources Secretary Wade] Crowfoot called the funding the first
major federal investment at the Salton Sea, after years of
state and local officials calling for more federal action on
the sea. The federal government is one of the biggest
landowners around the sea.
Governor Gavin Newsom today highlighted the state’s progress to
deliver safe drinking water to communities across the state –
since 2019, more than 100 water system consolidations
facilitated by the state have secured reliable access
to safe drinking water for 90,000 people.
… “There’s nothing more fundamental than ensuring our
communities have access to clean drinking water, and I’m
incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made from day one of my
administration on this long-standing challenge,” said
Governor Newsom. “Close to 2 million Californians have
benefitted from improved access to safe drinking water
since 2019, a testament to our ongoing commitment to supporting
communities in every corner of our state.”
Wetlands are among the most
important and hardest-working ecosystems in the world, rivaling
rain forests and coral reefs in productivity of life.
They produce high levels of oxygen, filter toxic chemicals out of
water, sequester carbon, reduce flooding and erosion, recharge
groundwater and provide a
diverse range of recreational opportunities from fishing and
hunting to photography. They also serve as critical habitat for
wildlife, including a large percentage of plants and animals on
California’s endangered species
list.
Operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the
Bay Model is a giant hydraulic replica of San Francisco
Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin
Delta. It is housed in a converted World II-era
warehouse in Sausalito near San Francisco.
Hundreds of gallons of water are pumped through the
three-dimensional, 1.5-acre model to simulate a tidal ebb
and flow lasting 14 minutes.
As part of the historic Colorado
River Delta, the Salton Sea regularly filled and dried for
thousands of years due to its elevation of 237 feet below
sea level.
Drought—an extended period of
limited or no precipitation—is a fact of life in California and
the West, with water resources following boom-and-bust patterns.
During California’s 2012–2016 drought, much of the state
experienced severe drought conditions: significantly less
precipitation and snowpack, reduced streamflow and higher
temperatures. Those same conditions reappeared early in 2021
prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom in May to declare drought emergencies
in watersheds across 41 counties in California.
