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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In some places, farmer cooperation is critical to the continued
existence of whooping cranes and other wetland-dependent
waterbird species, close to one-third of which are
experiencing declines. Numbers of waterfowl (think ducks and
geese) have crashed by 20 percent since 2014,
and long-legged wading shorebirds like sandpipers have
suffered steep population losses. Conservation-minded
biologists, nonprofits, government agencies and farmers
themselves are amping up efforts to ensure that each species
survives and thrives. With federal support in the crosshairs of
the Trump administration, their work is more important (and
threatened) than ever. Their collaborations, be they domestic
or international, are highly specific, because different
regions support different kinds of agriculture — grasslands, or
deep or shallow wetlands, for example, favored by different
kinds of birds. Key to the efforts is making it financially
worthwhile for farmers to keep — or tweak — practices to meet
bird forage and habitat needs.
The Supreme Court on Thursday sharply limited the reach of
environmental impact statements in a victory for developers. In
an 8-0 decision, the justices said these claims of the
potential impact on the environment have been used too often to
delay or block new projects. … In Thursday’s unanimous
decision, the high court ruled for the developers of a proposed
88-mile railroad in northeastern Utah, a spur line that could
carry crude oil that would be refined along the Gulf Coast.
… Sections of the rail line would run along the
Colorado River. … Agency officials said they
haven’t yet had a chance to study the Supreme Court’s decision,
and so it is unclear what the ruling’s effect will be (on
California high-speed rail), if any. The same is true for
the Delta Conveyance Project — a proposed $20-billion
tunnel that would move water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin
River Delta to cities and farmlands to the south that
is undergoing NEPA review.
Many of California’s reservoirs have filled nearly to capacity
this year with runoff from the ample snowpack in the Sierra
Nevada. But the situation is very different along the Colorado
River, another vital water source for Southern California,
where a very dry spring has shrunk the amount of runoff
streaming into reservoirs. The latest forecast from the federal
Colorado Basin River Forecast Center shows that the river’s
flows into Lake Powell will probably be about 46% of average
over the next three months. … The snowpack in the upper
Colorado River Basin reached 89% of the median level on April
1, but the outlook worsened over the last two months because of
persistent dryness, warm temperatures and dry soils in the
mountains that have absorbed a portion of the runoff.
… The water level of Lake Powell, on
the Utah-Arizona border, sits at 33% of capacity. Downstream
near Las Vegas, Lake Mead is 32% full.
As hot, dry and disastrous as the last few years have been, it
appears that the chaos caused by a warming planet is just
getting started. Though the hottest year in nearly two
centuries was recorded only last year, the world will probably
shatter that record yet again by 2029, according to a new
report from the World Meteorological Organization, the climate
and weather arm of the United Nations. There is a very good
chance that average warming over the next five years will be
more than 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1.5 degrees Celsius, above
preindustrial levels, the cap established by the Paris
Agreement to ward off the worst consequences of climate change.
… In the western U.S. states, including
California, those effects most probably include
drought, heat waves and longer fire seasons
with more intense wildfires, climate scientists said.
Gov. Spencer Cox’s emergency drought declaration has now
expired, but state water managers say conservation should
“remain a top priority” as the state’s typically driest season
approaches. … Cox declared a state of emergency for 17
of Utah’s 29 counties late last month, citing extreme and
severe drought conditions already in place across large swaths
of central and southern Utah. Below-average snowpack levels in
those regions were also a factor in the emergency.
… Although Utah’s reservoir system remains at 87% of
capacity, drought continues to be a challenge heading into
summer. About 70% of Utah remains in drought, including 46% of
the state that is either in severe or extreme drought,
according to the U.S. Drought Monitor’s final report before
meteorological summer begins.
The January firestorms that swept through Altadena and Pacific
Palisades destroyed not only thousands of homes but also
portions of the water and sewer systems that served them.
Smaller water systems were hit the hardest, according to a
study by UCLA researchers released Thursday. In Altadena, for
example, the burned areas covered 79% of Rubio Cañon Land &
Water Assn.’s service area and 88% of Las Flores Water Co.’s
territory. By comparison, less than 5% of the Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power’s service area suffered damage.
The DWP serves about 4 million people; Las Flores supplies
fewer than 5,000. … The report notes that smaller water
suppliers such as Las Flores and Lincoln Avenue have limited
access to funds to help rebuild their systems.
Since CalTrout’s inception 50 years ago, we have worked
tirelessly to protect and restore the Eel River. This
remarkable river, the third largest in California, holds
immense potential to recover a harvestable population of wild
salmon. These salmon have long served as an economic driver on
the North Coast and have been vital to the communities that
have lived near the river for thousands of years. As
PG&E moves forward with its plans to remove Scott and Cape
Horn dams as part of its decommissioning of the Potter Valley
Hydroelectric Project, here are six things to know about how
and why this is happening.
Fallout from the ongoing who-owes-what dispute over the still
sinking Friant-Kern Canal led to some awkward and very
carefully worded moments during a meeting to discuss
replacement pump stations. At its May 22 meeting, the Friant
Water Authority ultimately voted to restart the bidding process
to build four replacement pump stations to deliver water from
the canal to the Saucelito Irrigation District. But the
board added some strings. It will only start construction if:
Litigation filed by Saucelito and its sister districts,
Porterville and Terra Bella, regarding the “Cost Recovery
Methodology” was resolved through a settlement or
verdict; Friant had sufficient cash on hand and certainty
of funding sources necessary to cover future payments for the
parallel canal and pump stations. The vote elicited a
mixed reaction.
A new Executive Director has taken the helm of the Kings River
Conservancy with a focus on community engagement and
conservation. Molly Schnur-Salimbene was named the new
executive director of the conservancy in its monthly “Kings
River Currents” newsletter. Schnur-Salimbene first joined the
conservancy as an education director about seven months
ago. She took on the role April 1 after previous executive
director Vernon Crowder announced his retirement in
January. Schnur-Salimbene hopes to “create more of a sense
of community with our local communities along the Kings and
increase our visibility” in her new role. … A new
education director was also announced. Erica Chaffee will take
Schnur-Salimbene’s former role. Born and raised in Fresno,
Chaffee has a Master’s Degree in early childhood education with
a focus in special education.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday declared a state of emergency
for San Joaquin County following last year’s failure of the
Victoria Island Levee. The emergency proclamation allows
the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to assist the
county with additional work to shore up the levee, according to
a news release from Newsom’s office. San Joaquin County
first submitted a request for financial assistance to the
California Disaster Assistance Act on Nov. 6, 2024, officials
said. … The failure of the levee in October 2024
included a 2,000-foot section of the breakwater that caused the
release of water at an estimated 6,000 gallons per minute
through its base, the state said. Reclamation District
engineers found slumping last fall along the Old River on
Victoria Island, near Highway 4, between Stockton and Discovery
Bay. … Additional work began in late November as crews
scrambled to repair the damaged section of levee before winter
rains could damage it further.
Staff shortages and new layers of bureaucracy are suffocating
NOAA and threatening its ability to accurately predict extreme
weather events, ensure U.S. ports stay open and safeguard the
nation’s commercial and recreational fisheries, say current and
former agency officials. The coil around NOAA squeezes in two
ways, they say. The first is personnel. More than 1,000 NOAA
employees have left the agency since the start of the Trump
administration, and the empty desks have led to staffing issues
in key weather service offices — just as hurricane season
approaches. For example, NOAA’s Global Forecast System — which
governments and industries worldwide rely upon — has
“measurably declined” in recent weeks because staff cuts have
meant fewer weather balloon launches, said Tim Gallaudet, who
served as acting NOAA administrator in the first Trump
administration.
Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre once served as an
environmental fellow in Sen. Cory Booker’s Washington office.
She leveraged that contact Thursday, as the New Jersey Democrat
and former presidential candidate visited her city to see the
Tijuana River sewage pollution crisis up close and demand more
federal action to address the issue. Booker called the
situation “an environmental justice crisis” and said he will
take “what I saw here back to Washington to help make sure this
community’s fight for clean air and water is heard and
answered.” … Booker’s visit comes the day after a UC San
Diego report found dangerous chemical compounds are present not
only in the water of the Tijuana River and off the coast of
Imperial Beach, but are also aerosolized by ocean spray and
make it into the air.
California’s water infrastructure is buckling under the weight
of inaction. The State Water Project — the backbone of water
delivery for 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of
farmland — is being pushed to the brink by climate change,
extreme weather swings and seismic vulnerabilities. … The
Delta Conveyance Project is the critical upgrade we need. It’s
a well-studied, extensively vetted and urgently needed
modernization of the very infrastructure that underpins the
health, safety and prosperity of much of California. But
despite its importance, the DCP has been stalled for nearly two
decades by duplicative permitting, frivolous lawsuits and a
maze of redundant bureaucratic hurdles — all while our climate
risks mount and our water delivery system grows more fragile.
That’s why Governor Newsom’s proposal in the May Revise budget
to streamline administrative process is exactly the right move
at exactly the right time. –Written by Jennifer Pierre, general manager of State
Water Contractors.
As two landmark water recycling projects slowly move forward,
officials want to hear from you. First up: the city of
L.A.’s effort to convert the Hyperion wastewater treatment
plant. The goal is to recycle all that treated wastewater that
currently ends up in the ocean. The city is hosting a meeting
in June to provide information about the project and to solicit
feedback. Second, the Metropolitan Water District of
Southern California recently released its draft environmental
impact report for their regional water recycling project, a
partnership with L.A. County Sanitation Districts. The water
recycling facility is in Carson and the MWD will take public
comment through July 14 online, as well as through upcoming
community meetings. Both projects would treat wastewater,
which currently winds up in the ocean, to meet drinkable
standards for use at our homes and businesses.
… On May 19, (Paul) Westerhoff — who is the deputy director
of the National Science Foundation Nanosystems Engineering
Research Center for Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment, an
interdisciplinary, multi-institution nanosystems engineering
research center headquartered at Rice University — kicked off
the event, acknowledging the launch of ASU’s Global Center for
Water Technology, which he’ll be leading. Part of ASU’s ongoing
work with the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative, which began
in 2022, the new center will advance innovative technologies
that enhance water quality while generating an additional
250,000 acre-feet per year of sustainable water annually within
a decade. The center’s work will be for and about Arizona: “We
looked at what do we need in Arizona that Arizona State
University can provide,” Westerhoff said.
Pebble Beach Company, California Coastkeeper Alliance, The
Otter Project and Monterey Waterkeeper are teaming up for a
historic alliance to enhance the protection of water quality in
the Carmel Bay, which is designated as an Area of Special
Biological Significance (ASBS). As part of its
longstanding commitment to environmental sustainability and
stewardship, Pebble Beach Company will, in coordination with
its not-for-profit organization colleagues, pursue a
first-in-nation Clean Water Act permit for discharges from
Pebble Beach Golf Links into the Carmel Bay ASBS. This includes
increasing water quality monitoring and developing updated best
management practices related to dry-weather and stormwater
discharges into the Carmel Bay ASBS, building on the company’s
longstanding discharge management plan. Pebble Beach Company
will also donate $50,000 to the Big Sur Land Trust to support
environmental projects related to water quality in the Carmel
Bay ASBS and for programs to facilitate access to Carmel Bay.
After a brutal spring of toxic algae blooms turning some sea
lions into sick, snarling seaside hazards, anxious beachgoers
can breathe a sigh of relief as experts say the worst of the
poisoning is over. … The California coastline can
experience large-scale blooms of algae called Pseudo-nitzschia
australis when warm water combines with excess nutrients such
as nitrogen and phosphorus. Researchers say that climate change
and an increase in agricultural runoff,
wastewater discharge and urban
stormwater have increased the scale and
frequency of these blooms in recent years. Small fish
including anchovies and sardines ingest the toxic algae, which
then bioaccumulate in larger marine mammals that eat the
fish.
The Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District awarded a contract
to upgrade the chemical pipelines at the Back Basin Groundwater
Treatment Plant.A 5-0 EVMWD board vote May 8 authorized a
$349,737 public works contract with Tharsos, Inc., whose office
is in La Mesa, for the work. Ardurra, which has a Temecula
office, performed the design of the upgrades and the board
action also authorized a $34,000 expenditure for Ardurra staff
time during the construction phase. The total $404,952
authorized expenditure amount also covers $19,296 for EVMWD
staff time and $1,919 for overhead, and the board action also
found the replacement or reconstruction of an existing facility
to be categorically exempt from California Environmental
Quality Act review.
The school year is wrapping up but teachers looking for
water-focused curriculum are invited to “The Future of Water,”
a series of hands-on workshops presented 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saturday, June 14 at Dry Creek Preserve in Woodlake. The event
is organized by Sequoia Riverlands Trust, a Visalia-based
nonprofit focused on land preservation, and the Sequoia
Environmental Educational Directive, known as SEED. SEED is a
coalition of local nonprofit organizations, educators, and
businesses interested in promoting outdoor education and
supporting climate literacy in Tulare County. While “The Future
of Water” is open to the public, teachers looking for lesson
plans about water conservation and natural and man-made water
systems are especially encouraged to attend. High school
students may attend with their teacher.
The San Joaquin River connects three of the defining features
of California’s landscape, the Sierra Nevada Central Valley in
San Francisco Bay the river and its tributaries cover a
drainage of over 15,000 square miles. Today on KVPR Central
Valley roots the story of the river and how it earned its many
names. Long before the river was called the San Joaquin, native
peoples lived along its banks and fished its waters. The Mono
tribe called the river Typici-h-huu, which means important or
great river. The Yokuts also called the river home, and named
it Tihshachu, which means “salmon spearing place.” … In
either 1805 or 1806, an expedition led by Gabriel Moraga
entered the Central Valley and came across the river. Moraga
named it after St. Joachim, the father of the Virgin Mary. Thus
the name San Joaquin River was born.
