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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An agreement to build a waterway allowing fish to swim freely
past a dam on the lower Yuba River has moved forward as part of
an initiative that also includes returning a threatened salmon
species to another part of the watershed. Federal, state and
local agencies have partnered on the potentially $100 million
project and tout its goal of restoring access for a variety of
fish species to parts of the river system walled off for more
than a century. … But local anglers have raised concerns
about the project, fearing that the free-flowing bypass will
allow predatory fish, particularly striped bass, to access a
section of the river seen as a haven for certain species.
Sen. Jerry McNerney is stepping into the fight over one of the
biggest modern-day water projects in California — a tunnel to
reroute more water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin River
Delta south to farmers and cities — just as it’s heating up.
Representatives of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region have
long railed against the project for its potential impact on the
environment and local water supplies. But McNerney, a 22-year
veteran of Congress who came to the state Senate last year to
represent San Joaquin County, which will bear the brunt of the
tunnel’s construction, sees political forces aligning in a way
that they haven’t in decades. “It’s going to be more of a
challenge for us to keep the discussion to actually the benefit
and cost of this thing, as opposed to just the will to get it
done,” he said.
For years, the Klamath Basin along California’s remote northern
border has been mired in drought, missing out on the string of
wet winters that benefited the rest of the state. But not
any longer. Officials at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
announced this past week that stormy weather over the past
several months was enough, alongside the removal of four
dams on the Klamath River and other water projects, to
likely ensure sufficient water for farms, fish and wildlife
refuges in the region. The federally run Klamath Project, the
extensive network of dams and canals that supplies water along
the California-Oregon state line, is projected to deliver the
most water it has since at least 2019 this year — 330,000
acre-feet — according to the Bureau of Reclamation.
A group* of my Colorado River collaborators
has put together what we hope can be a useful set of
foundational principles as the basin states and federal
leadership search for a path toward a negotiated agreement for
post-2026 Colorado River management. They’re based on a number
of key premises: The Colorado River Compact will remain the
foundation of the river’s management, but we have to find a way
past the deep disagreement between Upper and Lower basin states
on what the Compact actually says.
One of the biggest mysteries surrounding President Donald
Trump’s EPA is how it plans to revoke the endangerment finding
— the lifeblood of most climate regulations. … Experts said
EPA may be betting that it can upend the scientific finding —
which paved the way for the nation’s rules on climate pollution
on cars, power plants and across other sectors — without taking
direct aim at the overwhelming evidence that greenhouse gases
are driving up global temperatures. Instead EPA
Administrator Lee Zeldin and other officials whom the president
tasked in January with undoing the finding could raise
questions about whether a sector — or even the whole country —
contributes enough climate pollution globally to warrant
regulation.
The grim reality for agriculture under the state’s new
groundwater law has pitted farmer against farmer in several
regions, including the Pleasant Valley subbasin. An April 22
meeting of the Pleasant Valley Groundwater Sustainability
Agency (GSA) erupted in accusations of conflict of interest as
some farmers demanded the resignation of GSA General Manager
Brad Gleason. … Specifically, Gleason was accused of signing
a $25 million loan application without board approval. The
alleged application was with the U.S. Department of Agriculture
for a proposed pipeline that would bring surface water to the
subbasin where Gleason has land, according to a letter sent to
the board by grower Phillip Christensen. Gleason, who has
farmed in the area for more than 40 years, denied the
allegations in a terse back-and-forth with attorneys at the
meeting.
Turns out there’s a lot more than sewage polluting our rivers,
oceans and air, according to scientists who study the
cross-border sewage crisis. More than 175 toxic chemicals have
been found in water samples collected from the Tijuana River
Valley, according to Dr. Paula Stigler Granados, who spoke at
the Coronado High School Stop the Sewage Health Forum on
Wednesday. … She said that out of the 392 chemicals found in
samples, 224 appear on a regulatory list, and 175 appear in the
EPA Toxic Substance list. In addition, many of the chemicals
are what scientists call an “emerging concern,” which means no
one knows just how toxic they are yet. … This includes
everything from pharmaceutical drugs like anesthetics to
illegal drugs like cocaine and meth, according to a list shared
at the meeting.
Sunlight glimmers on Lake Tahoe on a spring morning in April as
the John LeConte, the 48-year-old research vessel for the UC
Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, motors across the
glassy water. The engine turns over with a rhythmic revving
that eventually fades into a background hum. Gentle waves
ripple out from the prow, but the water is otherwise completely
still. I’m onboard the John LeConte with a group of scientists.
We’re heading to the middle of Lake Tahoe to get a picture of
what’s happening beneath the surface of the water, all the
way down to the deepest parts of the lake.
More than 1,000 additional NOAA employees will soon exit the
agency after accepting Commerce Department early retirement and
buyout offers, according to current and former employees. The
additional departures raise the number of total staff
reductions since February to more than 2,200 employees, or
nearly 20 percent of the agency’s workforce under the Biden
administration, according to current and former staffers who
have tracked the reductions. The moves come as workers across
the federal bureaucracy face deep reductions in force, or RIFs,
at their departments. An informal tally circulating among
agency employees and provided to POLITICO’s E&E News by a
former staffer indicated that the total number of people who
took early retirements or buyouts is around 1,050 people. An
April 22 staff meeting agenda from one of NOAA’s line offices
also indicated the agency had accepted the retirement and
buyout applications of between 1,050 and 1,100 employees.
Four area lawmakers are coming together and calling for the
reopening of Folsom Lake to boaters. Assemblyman Josh Hoover,
Congressman Kevin Kiley, Senator Roger Niello, and Assemblyman
Joe Patterson are demanding action in response to the lake’s
recent closure, citing concerns about its impact on the
region’s economy and recreational access. The group contends
that restrictions tied to invasive species prevention have gone
too far and are calling for immediate steps to allow boaters
back on the water as peak season approaches. In a joint letter
sent this week to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the
California Department of Parks and Recreation, the group
expressed strong concerns about the lake’s recent closure and
the impact it is already having on local recreation and
businesses.
The Bureau of Reclamation recently agreed to take the first
step in a major water project for northern Arizona, and it
could impact Flagstaff’s future water supply. The water
supply at Flagstaff’s Red Gap Ranch has been in the city’s
hands for nearly two decades. Now a new study could bring the
long-planned water pipeline one step closer to reality. The
Bureau of Reclamation will begin an appraisal-level study to
assess the pipeline’s feasibility, design and cost. It’s the
first federal step in a project meant to boost water resilience
during drought and disasters. If built, the pipeline would
stretch more than 35 miles from Red Gap Ranch to the city. The
study follows support from Gov. Katie Hobbs and Sen. Mark
Kelly, and aligns with a broader tribal water rights agreement
signed last fall.
California is a national and global powerhouse when it comes to
nuts. Recent data shows that the Golden State produces roughly
80% of the world’s almonds and 60% of the world’s pistachios.
It’s a lot of nuts and a lot of money. But changing climate
conditions are challenging nut growers. With warming winters
and a propensity for drought, crops that did
well 20 years ago might not make it 20 years from now. That’s
where the plant geneticists and breeders at UC Davis’ Wolfskill
Experimental Orchard come in. This week, Gabriela Glueck,
KCRW’s Julia Child Reporting Fellow, takes us on a trip to the
orchard to meet with two nut crop breeders who are trying to
set up California almond and pistachio growers for success.
Officials in Santa Barbara County are exploring the possibility
of allowing visitors to swim in Lake Cachuma, a human-made
reservoir in the Santa Ynez Valley where swimming has been
banned since its creation in 1953. … Swimming is banned
at the lake because it’s used as a local water source. That’s
been the case since the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation created the
lake in 1953 by constructing the Bradbury Dam, then called the
Cachuma Dam, thereby blocking the flow of the Santa Ynez River.
The lake is still owned by the Bureau of Reclamation, though
it’s managed by the county. Bantilan said the county is in
touch with local water agencies about allowing swimming at the
lake, a move that’s already taken place at other reservoirs in
the state.
Carlsbad’s residential water and sewer rates will increase 20%
on July 1 and a total of 49% over the next three years under a
plan approved Tuesday by the City Council. Several residents
opposed the rate hikes, but city staffers said they are needed
to pass along a 14% increase in the price of water purchased
from the San Diego County Water Authority and to cover
inflation and the rising costs of maintenance and capital
improvements. … The City Council approved the new rate
structure on a 4-1 vote with Councilmember Melanie Burkholder
opposed. Burkholder said the higher bills would be bad for
business, and that the city should “do more with less” and
consider deferred maintenance.
Air pollution remains a major problem in many parts of
California. … However, the contribution of anthropogenic dust
from agricultural sources, among major pollutants in
California’s semi-arid Central Valley, remains largely
unclear. … We find that the Central Valley accounts for
about 77% of total fallowed land areas in California, where
they are associated with about 88% of major anthropogenic dust
events. … We also find that the geographic coverage of these
fallowed lands expanded between 2008 and 2022 with associated
increasing anthropogenic dust activities. … Overall, our
results have important implications for public health,
including increased risk for Valley fever and for regional
climates, such as increases in extreme precipitation and
snowmelt over the Sierra Nevada. … (D)eposited dust can
change snowmelt timing over the Sierra Nevada and substantially
impact California’s vulnerability to water
resources.
… Rivers are easily wounded. But given a chance, they heal
themselves with remarkable speed. Their life pours back. On 2
October 2024, the century-old Iron Gate dam was removed from
the upper Klamath River, who flows out of Oregon and into
California. Its demolition concluded the largest de-damming
project in US history, and was the outcome of two decades of
campaigning and watershed activism, led by members of the
Klamath Tribe. Only a few days later, something extraordinary
happened. A sonar camera set up by scientists detected a single
chinook salmon migrating upstream to spawn, past the
pinch-point where the Iron Gate Dam had stood. It was the first
fish to make that journey in more than 100 years, guided by an
ancient navigation system and driven by an undeniable urge.
In the beginning there was water and land, rivers and
floodplains. Now there are levees and dams, and centuries of
history brought by the rivers dictating the fate of Sutter and
Yuba counties. Knowing the history of the land, a reasonable
person may wonder how — more than why — people have lived there
for so long. A new exhibit at the Sutter County Museum delves
into that answer, showing the history of floods and human
intervention in the Yuba-Sutter area. … The museum’s new
flood exhibit walks visitors through the evolution of the land
surrounding the Sutter Buttes and extending past the Feather
and Yuba rivers.
With Utah facing a drier year, Gov. Spencer Cox issued an
executive order (Thursday) declaring a state of emergency in 17
counties due to drought conditions. … The governor’s
executive order comes after the Drought Response Committee
recently recommended he act due to drought conditions. …
Cox’s emergency declaration also comes after he told reporters
last week he was working on issuing one due to worsening
drought conditions in southern Utah, which has seen a weak
snowpack this winter. Though the governor said last week it’s
been a “pretty normal year for most of the state,” there are
some areas that are worse off than others. Currently,
severe drought covers 42% of the state, and 4% is in extreme
drought, according to the state’s website. This year,
Utah’s snowpack peaked at 14.3 inches on March 23, which is
equal to the state’s typical annual peak, according to state
officials. However, southwestern Utah’s snowpack was only about
44% of normal.
Arizona has taken another step forward in securing the future
of water in the desert. New rules for turning wastewater into
drinking water have been approved. The purification
process is one that the Arizona Department of Environmental
Quality said more local utilities could adopt. An oversight
council has just approved the new advanced water purification
rules. ADEQ said the rules create a regulatory framework
ensuring safe and reliable purification of wastewater for
drinking. With the new steps, Arizona cities and water
providers can apply for a permit to use advanced water
purification. By doing that, ADEQ said it creates a crucial
tool for managing water resources amid ongoing drought and
increasing demand.
In response to a letter urging federal officials to prevent the
decommissioning of the Potter Valley Project, the acting
commissioner of the federal Bureau of Reclamation advised that
the matter is under review. … The letter, which was sent to
Aaron Sykes, a board member with the Lake Pillsbury Alliance,
ends with: “The Department of the Interior is working to
(ensure) that concerns such as yours regarding projects like
Potter Valley are part of the review process to ensure the
Administration’s goals are achieved.” In April, a letter signed
by the presidents of four local County Farm Bureaus –
Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma and Marin – was sent to federal
officials asking “the Trump Administration to intervene and
prevent (the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) from
approving (Pacific Gas and Electric’s) decommissioning plan
(for the Potter Valley Project) until a long-term solution is
secured.”
