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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On April 2, 2025, the Fifth District Court of Appeal issued its
Opinion in Bring Back the Kern v. City of Bakersfield, Case No.
F087487, reversing the Kern County Superior Court’s preliminary
injunction and related implementation order. In November 2023,
the trial court issued the injunction, based on Fish and Game
Code section 5937, but directed the parties to work together to
establish what flow rates are necessary to comply with the
injunction; four days later, the trial court issued the
implementation order, approving the flow regime to which the
Plaintiffs and Defendant (but not the various irrigation
districts and Kern County Water Agency that are named as Real
Parties in Interest) stipulated. The appellate court held the
trial court erred by failing to consider whether the uses of
water under the flow regime were reasonable, by requiring
Plaintiffs to post only a nominal bond, and by violating the
Real Parties’ due process rights.
A groundbreaking white paper published by the UK Water
Partnership (UKWP) in collaboration with data and AI
engineering firm Aiimi highlights how artificial intelligence
(AI) is poised to revolutionise the water industry. Titled “AI
Within Reach”, the paper offers an urgent but optimistic
roadmap for deploying AI to tackle critical challenges, from
climate change to customer affordability. As the industry
enters AMP8, companies face mounting pressure to deliver
ambitious capital programmes, respond to climate change, and
improve resilience – all while maintaining affordability for
customers. AI presents a critical opportunity to help achieve
these goals, but without coordinated action, much of its
potential may remain untapped.
… Nearly 1 million acres of farmland across the state are
expected to come out of production due to SGMA. Without new
uses for that land, agricultural jobs will disappear, local tax
revenues will plummet, and our small towns, which are already
stretched thin, will be left with few options. A 2023 Public
Policy Institute of California report put it bluntly: without
action, the economic fallout for the Central Valley could be
massive. If we don’t find new ways to keep this land
economically viable, our rural communities are going to suffer
badly. But legislation currently moving at the state Capitol,
Assembly Bill 1156, provides a lifeline by making it easier to
repurpose fallowed farmland for clean energy projects like
solar panels. It’s a smart, timely solution that protects
farmers, supports clean energy, and brings jobs and investment
back to rural California.
The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) announces changes
to its boat inspection and banding policies effective May 7,
2025, in response to increasing concerns about invasive mussel
species. EBRPD has long required watercraft inspections to
prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species into local lakes
and reservoirs. To simplify re-entry for frequent visitors,
park staff have used tamper-proof bands placed between the
watercraft and trailer when the boat leaves the lake. These
bands serve as proof that the vessel hadn’t launched in other
waters. Boats returning with an intact band have not required
re-inspection when entering any lake in the Park District or
the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). What’s
new for summer 2025 is that EBRPD’s banding program is
transitioning to color-coded, lake-specific bands and is no
longer accepting EBMUD bands, effective May 7.
To celebrate Earth Week, the Department of Water Resources
(DWR) is rolling out a new program to work with local
communities on multiple turf and landscape replacement projects
that will save water and help combat against future droughts
and climate change. What makes this innovative partnership
unique is the focus on replacing turf at businesses and
institutions rather than solely residential sites. In
collaboration with Watershed Progressive, DWR’s Turf
Replacement Pilot Program provides direct assistance to replace
ornamental turf with drought-tolerant and water-efficient
landscaping in California’s frontline communities. Supported by
the Budget Act of 2021, the program is investing $35 million in
communities that are on the frontlines of climate change, lack
reliable water supplies, and need support with restoring
natural environments.
… Proposition 4’s $10 billion bond (was) approved by
California voters in November 2024 to fund climate adaptation
work across the state. … But as Trump has cut or threatened
federal climate funding, “everyone is hoping to get Prop 4
money,” says Robert Mazurek, the executive director of the
California Marine Sanctuaries Foundation. Under
Proposition 4, more than 30 state agencies (many under
the umbrella of the California Natural Resources Agency)
will give out bond money to grantees across the state for
projects that help foster more resilient water systems, less
fiery forests, more biodiverse landscapes, safer coastlines,
cleaner air, and more. Most of those applications for grants
haven’t opened yet—but many groups are already eyeing it.
Here’s Bay Nature’s guide to help organizations understand and
prep for Prop 4’s rollout.
For months, Los Angeles city officials and an outside
contractor have worked to ensure that the Santa Ynez Reservoir,
the 117-million-gallon water complex in the heart of Pacific
Palisades, could return to service by early May. Since early
2024, the reservoir had sat empty due to tears in the cover
that floats across its surface. The reservoir was empty during
the Jan. 7 Palisades fire, sparking anger from residents and
prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to call for an investigation. With
repairs complete, crews with the Los Angeles Department of
Water and Power were refilling the reservoir last week when
they discovered further tears and “pinhole sized leaks” in the
floating cover. As a result, DWP confirmed Wednesday that
the reservoir will have to be drained, again, so that crews can
fix the floating cover. DWP said they expected the repairs to
take three to four weeks, with the reservoir now estimated to
come back online by mid- to late June.
The Trump administration and Mexican officials had a positive
meeting Monday night on addressing sewage flowing into
California and are developing plans to address the decades-old
issue, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said Tuesday. Zeldin,
speaking at the Marine Corps base in San Diego, said he had a
90-minute conversation with Mexican Environment Secretary
Alicia Bárcena and both sides agreed to collaborate on steps to
repair and upgrade an international sewage treatment plant that
cleanses Mexican wastewater before it enters the United States.
… Major infrastructure upgrades agreed on in 2018 and funded
through the U.S.-Mexico trade agreement negotiated by Trump
during his first term aren’t yet finished, allowing billions of
gallons of raw sewage to reach the Tijuana River Valley and
eventually the ocean.
The California State Water Resources Control Board heard an
update on implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater
Management Act, which requires local agencies to bring
groundwater basins into balance by 2040 and 2042. …
Since 2023, the California Department of Water Resources has
determined that plans for seven basins were inadequate. In
March 2023, it referred six basins to the state water board for
intervention. The state water board may consider probation for
the Delta-Mendota, Chowchilla and Pleasant Valley subbasins
later this year. In his update to the board last week,
Paul Gosselin, DWR deputy director for sustainable groundwater
management, said the two drivers that led to the 2014 passage
of SGMA were high rates of land subsidence and thousands of
wells that went dry during the drought. He said subsidence
remains a significant issue that affects infrastructure.
Assemblymember Chris Rogers has introduced his bill, Assembly
Bill 263, which aims to protect salmon populations in the
Klamath River watershed while also providing local agricultural
operations with certainty regarding river flows. This was
introduced in partnership with the Karuk and Yurok Tribes, as
well as the California Coastkeeper Alliance. … Bill 263 would
allow specified emergency regulations adopted by the board for
the Scott River and Shasta River watersheds to remain in effect
until permanent rules establishing and implementing long-term
instream flow requirements for these watersheds are enacted.
According to Assemblyman Rogers, this measure is crucial for
protecting salmon populations in the Klamath River watershed
while providing certainty regarding river flows.
… President Ryan Walker of the Siskiyou County Farm
Bureau says farmers have concerns about the regulations and how
it could affect their profits.
… Water users across the (Colorado River Basin) have for
years been talking about what to do next. They agree that water
use should be cut deeper and for the longer haul than we have
before. There are even proposals to do so. But no one knows
which — if any — are still on the table. … It’s telling that
while state negotiators continue to meet (and make no real
progress), no one from the Bureau of Reclamation — the federal
agency tasked with operating Lake Mead and Lake Powell — has
attended those negotiation sessions since the Trump
administration took office. In fact, Reclamation still doesn’t
even have a commissioner. The administration has been dragging
its feet on getting the leadership in place to finally break
this logjam. And time is running short. –Written by Arizona Republic columnist Joanna
Allhands.
Despite advances in wastewater treatment, tiny plastic
particles called microplastics are still slipping through,
posing potential health and environmental hazards, according to
new research from The University of Texas at Arlington. …
(W)hen a plastic item reaches the end of its useful life, it
never truly disappears. Instead, it breaks down into smaller
and smaller pieces called microplastics—particles five
millimeters or less, about the width of a pencil eraser—that
end up in our soil and water. “What our systematic literature
review found is that while most wastewater treatment facilities
significantly reduce microplastics loads, complete removal
remains unattainable with current technologies,” said Un-Jung
Kim, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences at
UT Arlington and senior author of the study published in
Science of the Total Environment.
The Trump administration has shunted one of the US federal
government’s top scientific agencies onto a “non-science
trajectory”, workers warn, that threatens to derail decades of
research and leave the US with “air that’s not breathable and
water that’s not drinkable”. Workers and scientists at the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) are
warning of the drastic impacts of cuts at the agency on
science, research, and efforts to protect natural resources.
… Trump administration officials are seeking to abolish
the scientific research division at Noaa, the Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research (Oar) office. It is the latest of a series
of cuts at the agency that began the second Trump
administration with 12,000 employees around the world,
including more than 6,700 engineers and scientists.
After years of planning, environmental review and engineering
design, the Carpinteria Sanitary District is now on the
threshold of a major project that includes construction of an
advanced water purification facility capable of producing over
one million gallons of potable water every day. Capturing
and reusing this valuable resource, which would otherwise be
discharged to the Pacific Ocean, is an important piece of our
long-term water supply puzzle locally. This novel
water resiliency project, referred to as the Carpinteria
Advanced Purification Project, or CAPP, is being developed
through a partnership between the Carpinteria Valley Water
District and the Carpinteria Sanitary
District. … Although CAPP may sound like a drop in
the proverbial bucket, delivering just 1,200-acre feet of
purified water per year — less than 1/1,000th of the statewide
goal — it will meet 25% of Carpinteria Valley Water District’s
total demand.
Drought and climate change are impacting water supplies around
the world. But desalination — pulling fresh, drinkable water
from saltwater— can offer some relief. Desalination technology
has existed for a while; dry countries like Israel, Saudi
Arabia and Spain have used it for years. Most desalination
technology uses a lot of energy and leaves behind a toxic
byproduct: all the salt extracted from the water. Scientists
and entrepreneurs are working to improve its capabilities, from
moving the process offshore to running mobile desalination hubs
on solar power. One of those entrepreneurs is Robert
Bergstrom, CEO of OceanWell, based in California. The company
is testing desalination pods at a reservoir near Los Angeles.
Eventually, the pods will go into the ocean to create fresh
water.
Under the shadow of a giant sculpture of a bow-and-arrow along
San Francisco’s Embarcadero, more than 100 federal
environmental workers and protesters gathered late Tuesday
afternoon to send off an arrow of their own aimed at the Trump
administration. They rallied in defense of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and its mission, warning that
the administration’s plans to dismantle it would significantly
harm residents of the Bay Area. Many of the protesters work for
the EPA’s Pacific Southwest office, a few blocks away,
responsible for enforcing federal environmental laws throughout
California, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands and
about 150 Native American tribes. … (A)s many as 60
employees received notifications Monday about looming staffing
reductions and a reorganization.
… While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has changed
directions on several environmental subjects since President
Donald Trump took office, PFAS regulations are not yet among
those. Indeed, the Biden Administration EPA’s PFAS Strategic
Roadmap still is posted on the EPA’s website – at least for now
– and the EPA has not reported in two cases the positions it
will take on judicial challenges to final Biden-era PFAS
regulations. Thus, although those regulations are under
challenge, they are in effect, they have not been stayed, and
they are having impacts in the regulated community. The
EPA’s April 2024 PFAS maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) under
the Safe Drinking Water Act will affect drinking water systems,
of course. More broadly, they also will affect groundwater
cleanups as the low MCL values become integrated into screening
levels, risk analyses, and remediation levels.
Outside of major cities like Fresno and Clovis, drinking-water
quality for San Joaquin Valley residents can be dicey. The
Valley is full of examples of rural water systems failing to
either produce enough supply or deliver fresh water that is not
tainted by contaminants, be they manufactured, like farming
chemicals, or naturally occurring elements in local soils like
arsenic. … Now, Rep. David Valadao, a Republican from
Hanford, is teaming up with Rep. Norma Torres, a Democratic
legislator from Southern California, on a new bill that would
amend the federal Safe Drinking Water Act by adding a special
focus on nitrate and arsenic pollution in groundwater. The
amendment would authorize the federal government to allocate
$15 million a year in grants to clean up failing water systems
in rural communities.
Generative AI is a power and water hungry beast. While its
advocates swear it’ll change the world for the better, the
tangible benefits today are less clear and the long term costs
to both society and the environment may be enormous. Even the
federal U.S. government knows this, according to a new report
published Wednesday by the Government Accountability Office
(GAO), a nonpartisan watchdog group that answers to
Congress. … One immediate obstacle to the
investigators was AI companies’ lack of transparency around
their water usage. … According to the GAO’s estimates,
AIs doing 250,000,000 queries a day would use as much
electricity as 26,071 U.S. household’s use in a day and
1,100,836 gallons of water.
Staten Island lies in the heart of California’s Sacramento-San
Joaquin River Delta, and exemplifies the woes of this troubled
region. More than one quarter of the Delta―about 200,000
acres―is deeply subsided. This extreme soil loss puts stress on
the levees encircling the islands. And, because the soil there
is peat and so rich in organic matter, subsidence in the
central Delta also spews carbon into the air. … But
Staten Island also offers among the best hope for solving the
Delta’s soil loss and greenhouse gas emission problems. The
Nature Conservancy is testing ways of halting and even
reversing subsidence on the island, and the latest project is a
wetland restoration slated to begin as early as this
summer.
