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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Some National Weather Service offices in California are among
those hit hardest by meteorologist vacancies, according to new
data from an employee union — heightening concerns as the state
contends with another potentially devastating fire season and
the ongoing threat of extreme weather. … Two of the
nation’s weather forecast offices with the worst meteorologist
vacancy rates are in California. They are the Hanford office,
which covers the San Joaquin Valley, including Fresno and
Bakersfield; and the Sacramento office, which also covers
Stockton, Modesto, Vallejo, Chico and Redding. The offices are
also responsible for the western Sierra Nevada. … Fall and
winter bring their own mix of extreme weather whiplash, with
some areas seeing extended perilous fire conditions just before
the arrival of punishing rain, sudden landslides and deadly
blizzards.
The Southwest United States is currently facing its worst
megadrought of the past 1,200 years. According to a recent
study by the University of Texas at Austin, the drought could
continue at least until the end of the century, if not longer.
… Much like the seven-year El Niño and La Niña climate
patterns, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) has been a
dependable ocean climate cycle that alternately brings long
phases of drought and rains to the Southwest U.S. every 20 to
30 years. However, a study published in Nature Geoscience that
analyzed the area’s climate record going back for millennia
suggests that this is not necessarily the
case. Researchers found that during the last period of
hemispheric warming some 6,000 years ago, the Pacific Decadal
Oscillation was forced out of rhythm, leading to a drought that
lasted for thousands of years. Now, as the world warms under
the effects of climate change, it appears to be happening
again.
The Imperial Irrigation District, which provides water to
farmers in the southeastern corner of California, drew a
figurative line in the sand earlier this month, calling for a
halt to the conversion of agricultural fields into solar panel
farms. … The state Department of Conservation says that
agricultural lands declined by more than 1.6 million acres
between 1984 and 2018, averaging 47,000 acres a year. The most
productive land experienced the largest
decline. … As farmers, particularly the larger
corporate growers, take land out of production, many believe
that their economic salvation lies in solar panel arrays that
generate the emission-free electricity that the state wants, as
it phases out power fueled by hydrocarbons. However, that
doesn’t sit well with farmers who want to continue production,
as the Imperial Irrigation District’s call for a solar
moratorium implies. –Written by CalMatters columnist Dan Walters.
It’s never too early to start thinking about applying for
our preeminent water leadership programs.
Applications for the 2026 cohorts will be
available in the fall for the William R. Gianelli Water
Leadersprogram, focused on California
participants, and the biennial Colorado River
Water Leaders program, focused on
participants from across the basin. Consider now whether you or
someone at your organization is an emerging leader in their
early to mid-career and would be a good fit for one the
programs. The goal of both programs is to build a network of
water leaders from diverse backgrounds who will deepen their
water knowledge, build their leadership skills and learn
to take a collaborative approach to decision-making about water
resources.
House Appropriations subcommittees approved three fiscal 2026
bills Tuesday with significant cuts to energy, environment and
climate initiatives. The House Interior and Environment
Appropriations Subcommittee passed its bill on a party-line 8-5
vote. The legislation would slash funding for the Interior
Department, EPA and other environmental agencies, though not as
deeply as proposed by President Donald Trump’s budget plan.
Subcommittee Chair Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) noted the legislation
has funding for EPA grants that support water
infrastructure and reduce air pollution. In addition,
it targets several agency rules for the power sector.
… Democrats decried its cuts for national parks as well
as to EPA’s efforts to combat climate change. The agency would
receive $7 billion in fiscal 2026, a 23 percent drop.
Other environmental and resource management agency news:
… How water is used, moved, and managed in the Colorado River
Basin is dictated by a series of interwoven compacts, treaties,
laws, and court cases that collectively compose what is known
as the “Law of the River.” At the center of this legal manual
is the Colorado River Compact of 1922. That agreement divided
the river between an Upper Basin (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah,
and Wyoming) and a Lower Basin (Arizona, California, and
Nevada). The Upper Basin had to send a certain amount of water
to the Lower Basin. Each basin got an equal slice of the river:
7.5 million acre-feet. But these shares were based on faulty
assumptions about supply; They assumed the river’s volume was
larger than it was. … This is more pressing now because
the rules for how water moves through the river’s
infrastructure expire in 2026. The federal government has given
the states a deadline of November to come up with a draft of
something new. Here’s some of what’s at play.
The Delta Stewardship Council has announced that its Delta
Science Program will award $5.9 million to fund eight critical
scientific studies in the Sacramento-San Joaquin
Delta and Suisun Marsh over the next
three years. In addition to the eight projects selected for
Delta Science Program funding, the State Water Contractors will
fund two studies that support recovery efforts for endangered
fish in the Delta, bringing the total awards to over $7.8
million. … The awarded projects address high-priority
science actions identified in the collaboratively developed
2022-2026 Science Action Agenda, which prioritizes and aligns
science actions to inform management decisions. The projects
cover a range of important research topics, including harmful
algal blooms, eco-cultural restoration, tribal knowledge,
subsidence, hydrology, acoustic telemetry, endangered species,
and more.
The California State Assembly denied a hearing for Senate Bill
10, a bill that would use toll road revenues to help combat the
Tijuana River pollution crisis. The bill, SB 10, would
use funds from tolls collected at the proposed East Otay Mesa
toll facility to address water and air pollution. Additionally,
the funds would help offset the financial obligations of the
South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant. … SB
10 was introduced in December and passed the Senate floor on
June 3, with a vote of 29-10. It then moved to the Assembly,
where it failed to gain momentum. … While SB 10 was
denied its hearing, the Tijuana River pollution crisis is also
being fought on the federal level. Bicameral legislation was
introduced just last week that would place the Environmental
Protection Agency in charge of mitigation efforts in hopes of
streamlining the process.
A landmark report for the global agreement on wetlands paints a
dire picture of the state of the world’s water bodies that
underpin all life on Earth. The report, released Tuesday
by the secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands, says that
since 1970 more than one-fifth of wetlands have been lost,
meaning they have shrunk so much they’re no longer viable or
have completely disappeared. … Wetlands feed
billions of people globally, play a crucial role in
replenishing drinking water sources, mitigate climate change
and protect communities from intense storms and flooding by
acting as natural barriers and sponges, among many other
services that support life. … The razing and filling of
wetlands for agriculture, urban settlements and
industrialization are top drivers of wetland loss and are
amplifying stress on global water resources, the report said.
Intensive water use for agriculture and other industry accounts
for a combined 89 percent of water withdrawals.
… Now that four dams have been completely removed from the
main stem of the Klamath, Tribes and fish advocates are hopeful
that water quality and fish runs can recover. But they know the
work is just beginning — not just on the Klamath, but its
tributaries. … The Trinity River is arguably the Klamath
watershed’s most important artery. Historically, it teemed with
salmon and steelhead and poured clean, cold water into the main
stem Klamath. But for over seven decades, dams have blocked 100
miles of habitat on the tributary, and enormous volumes of
water are diverted to an entirely different watershed. An
ambitious restoration program is improving habitat and how the
river flows, but climate change, over-allocation, and the
unpredictability of the Trump administration threaten the
river’s recovery.
Project partners are returning to Baldwin Beach this upcoming
fall to tackle the final phase of lead cable removal, pulling
out the last 75 feet of the nearly 100 year old cable system.
It’s the final leg of removal after a barge crew pulled around
eight miles of cable from Lake Tahoe’s depths in November. The
remaining length of cable runs from the sand on Baldwin Beach,
and into the land. Depending on the water level, the capped and
enclosed end can be underwater. It marks where the project’s
first phase stopped and the second phase will begin. The
project required two different permits, which necessitated the
two-part removal. The USDA Forest Service is the lead
permitting agency on this final phase at Baldwin Beach.
… According to the Forest Service’s Special Uses/Lands
Program Manager, Karen Kuentz, the fall removal allows time for
botanists to adequately survey the California endangered Tahoe
yellow cress and to minimally impact the recreating public.
More than 122,500 acres of San Luis Obispo County land could
open to oil and gas leasing if the Bureau of Land Management
revives a management plan developed during President Donald
Trump’s first term. On June 23, the bureau published a notice
in the Federal Registrar announcing plans to prepare a
supplemental environmental impact statement and a resource
management plan that would evaluate the impact of allowing oil
and gas leasing on land and mineral estate managed by its
Bakersfield Field Office. … In 2019, the bureau
published a new supplemental environmental impact statement for
the project. The Center for Biological Diversity and Los Padres
ForestWatch sued again, arguing that the bureau still failed to
address the impact of fracking on air and water
quality and the health of nearby communities. The
State of California filed a related lawsuit against the plan in
2020. … [T]he bureau is developing a supplemental
environmental impact statement to yet again review the impact
of expanded oil and gas production.
Turnout was sparse for Pacific Gas and Electric’s July 1 Open
House at Eagle Peak Middle School in Redwood Valley — a missed
opportunity for local residents to meet directly with PG&E
leadership, including North Coast Regional Vice President Dave
Canny. The event, held inside the school’s gymnasium, featured
a range of informational booths on wildfire prevention,
vegetation management, customer support programs, and updates
on the Potter Valley Project. Representatives were stationed
around the room to answer questions and share materials with
attendees. PG&E’s plan to decommission the Potter
Valley Project was a key topic. Tony Gigliotti, PG&E’s
Senior Licensing Project Manager for Power Generation, was
available to explain the utility’s surrender application and
decommissioning timeline. … When asked about the lack of
silt mitigation plans, PG&E stated that those details would
be addressed during the upcoming environmental review
process.
Sycamore Pool in Bidwell Park will be closed starting
Wednesday, July 16, through Friday, July 18, for sediment
removal and cleaning According to the City of Chico, the pool’s
cleaning was delayed due to the migration of protected
Spring-run Chinook Salmon. The California Department of Fish
and Wildlife requested the city hold off on the cleaning until
after mid-June. Necessary permits were updated and expedited
for the sediment removal. City officials say that the pool has
accumulated more sediment than usual due to heavy winter rains
following the Park Fire, which washed debris into the pool. The
increased sediment has notably reduced the pool’s depth,
particularly on the west end. “At this time of year, we
are usually on a steady biweekly cleaning schedule at Sycamore
Pool,” said Shane Romain, City of Chico Parks and Natural
Resources Manager. “
House Republican appropriators unveiled their fiscal 2026
funding legislation for the Interior Department and EPA, with
steep cuts proposed for both agencies. The bill would approve
about $38 billion for agencies under its purview, nearly $3
billion below the fiscal 2025 amount. Interior would get about
$14.8 billion and EPA would be funded at $7 billion, a 23
percent cut for the environment agency. The legislation is,
however, more generous than the president’s budget
request. … EPA would receive roughly $7 billion
from the legislation in fiscal 2026, about a $2.1 billion or 23
percent decrease from its enacted funding this year.
… That sum includes $2.1 billion for the agency’s
Clean Water and Drinking Waterstate
revolving funds, which Trump proposed to eliminate
almost in their entirety in his plan. That is still $662
million below current levels, Democratic lawmakers noted in
their bill summary.
Other water and environmental project funding news:
One of the state’s best investigators was on the hunt for
golden mussels — a dangerous new invader in
California’s waters, with a reputation for destruction.
Wearing a collar and a tongue-lolling grin, Allee, a Belgian
Malinois, sniffed along the glittering hull of a bass boat at
an inspection station in Butte County. … The dog was
searching for any hint of the thimble-sized mussels hidden in
the nooks and crannies of boats headed to Lake
Oroville, the state’s second-largest reservoir, or two
smaller reservoirs nearby. … State water managers made the
alarming discovery last October that golden mussels, which are
native to China and Southeast Asia, had invaded the
Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta — the
core of California’s massive water delivery
systems. … Now the mussels are here to stay. They
cannot be eradicated. Water suppliers bracing for the onslaught
have instead turned their efforts to shoring up pipes, pumps
and treatment plants against the infestation.
… [T]he Central Valley Salmon Ecology Group, a team of
researchers that bridge academia and resource management
facilitated by the Fisheries Collaborative Program (FCP) at the
University of California, Santa Cruz, has come up with a
playbook for how water managers can tweak the timing,
temperature and volume of releases to dramatically increase the
odds of juvenile salmon surviving the perilous
journey to the open ocean. The approach, called “facilitated
migration,” is detailed in a paper published on July 3 by the
Ecological Society of America’s journal Ecological
Applications. … The paper’s authors present both a
conceptual framework, which could apply to other species that
migrate in highly modified environments, and practical steps
spelled out in operational terms that water managers can
understand and implement. The study shows that the approach can
increase successful juvenile-salmon migrations by 40 to 400%.
When it comes to the planned decommissioning of PG&E’s
Potter Valley Project ― the hydroelectric power plant and two
related dams in Northern California ― there seem to be two
schools of thought in Sonoma County. One: Save the dams,
at all costs. … Two: Accept the inevitable, at all costs. …
Now, as Pacific Gas & Electric Co. prepares to file its plans
by July 29 to the federal government to decommission the
project, the rift between those two schools is widening. The
chasm was on display during a July 1 town hall hosted by the
Sonoma County Farm Bureau at the Finley Community Center in
Santa Rosa. … The questions revolve around how hundreds
of thousands of customers would continue to have access
to water once PG&E stops diverting water from the
Eel River to the Russian River ― a move that is likely still a
decade away.
The Trump administration on Monday took another step to make it
harder to find major, legally mandated scientific assessments
of how climate change is endangering the nation and its people.
Earlier this month, the official government websites that
hosted the authoritative, peer-reviewed national climate
assessments went dark. Such sites tell state and local
governments and the public what to expect in their backyards
from a warming world and how best to adapt to it. At the time,
the White House said NASA would house the reports to comply
with a 1990 law that requires the reports, which the space
agency said it planned to do. But on Monday, NASA announced
that it aborted those plans. … “The USGCRP (the
government agency that oversees and used to host the report)
met its statutory requirements by presenting its reports to
Congress. NASA has no legal obligations to host
globalchange.gov’s data,” NASA Press Secretary Bethany Stevens
said in an email.
Artificial intelligence is showing promise when it comes to
weather forecasting, but it still couldn’t predict the Texas
floods. The best-performing weather models during the July 4
floods were traditional ones specially designed to produce
local forecasts at high resolution. Global-scale models were
far less accurate — and so were AI models, weather experts say.
“All those new fancy AI models? They missed it too,” said
Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the California Institute
for Water Resources, in a live YouTube talk on July
7. Some meteorologists say that could change. AI weather
models are starting to exhibit an ability for deep learning of
atmospheric physics, which means they could be capable of
forecasting unprecedented weather events based on atmospheric
conditions.
