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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After decades of efforts to boost Humboldt County’s threatened
steelhead trout population, the California Department of Fish
and Wildlife is ending operations at the Mad River hatchery.
The property will remain open for public access to the river,
facilities will be repurposed for office space, and trout
stocking in inland waters will continue. Officials state it’s a
combination of aging infrastructure, significantly costly
repairs and maintenance, modernization needs and low fish
production and returns. ”It operates on about $730,000
annual budget, we estimate it needs one million dollars
immediately, and the annual operating cost just to keep the
status quo. We’re looking at 10 million in immediate repairs
that need to be tackled, and long term to make it a reliable
hatchery going forward, we need about $30 million,” said
California Department of Fish and Wildlife information officer,
Peter Tira.
A group of 15 specialists met Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to
evaluate the condition of the levee that runs along the south
side of the Feather River from the Montgomery Street roundabout
to Ophir Road in Oroville. Geotechnical experts from the U.S.
Army Corp of Engineers were joined by representatives from the
California Department of Water Resources, the Sutter Butte
Flood Control Agency and flood-modeling specialist consultants
long with Oroville city engineers, administration and the mayor
conducted “an in-depth evaluation of the levee, which has
safeguarded our community since its original construction in
1913,” said Oroville Mayor Dave Pittman. … The group
conducted the inspection of the levee known as Butte County
Levee 52 by car and on foot. The city expects to receive a full
analysis of the findings in the next 60 to 75 days, according
to Brian Ring, Oroville city administrator.
San Diego’s notoriously bad customer service and billing for
sewer and water customers is dramatically improving thanks to
new software, more employees and shifting priorities.
Hours-long customer-service hold times have shrunk to a
record-low 69 seconds on average, while significantly fewer
customers are getting hit with surprise cumulative bills as
high as $2,000. The remarkable results come less than two years
after city officials made sweeping changes that include a new
billing system, switching customer service software to Amazon
Connect, new call routing and more payment options. The city
also created a new policy requiring employees to alert
customers when their bill is being withheld for a leak
investigation or other irregularities.
… As an environmental scientist, I see big changes in store
for Muir’s Range of Light. … What does climate change mean
for backpackers, tourists, and skiers, for agriculture and
cities? In all cases, water is at the heart of the story. Sixty
percent of all of California’s water supply comes from the
Sierra. That water irrigates the great orchards and crops of
the Central Valley, supports municipal water supplies, and
nurtures the extensive wetlands of the San Francisco Bay area.
Precious water is wasted when a big flush of spring runoff
overwhelms reservoirs. Agriculture and cities depend on
snowpack to gradually release water and maintain reservoirs.
… With climate change, water runoff will occur much
earlier, and flooding will be more severe. California will
suffer even more drought, stimulating more water
projects.
… Contemplated for decades and gaining traction among
Republican lawmakers, the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation’s proposed Shasta Dam and Reservoir
Enlargement Project would boost the capacity of California’s
largest reservoir. Since President Donald Trump took office for
his second term, the federal government has not mounted any
public effort to raise the dam. But Trump has taken several
steps in that direction, including signing executive orders
instructing federal officials to waive environmental rules and
deliver more water to California growers. Last week, the dam
project appeared to get a push in the House Natural Resources
Committee’s budget reconciliation bill, with a designation of
$2 billion “for construction and associated activities that
increase the capacity of existing Bureau of Reclamation surface
water storage facilities.” Though the budget language does not
name Shasta Dam, experts say it’s precisely crafted to
facilitate the project.
… The mountains that feed the Colorado River with snowmelt
are strikingly dry, with many ranges holding less than 50
percent of their average snow for this time of year. The low
totals could spell trouble for the nation’s largest reservoirs,
but those dry conditions don’t seem to be ringing alarm bells
for Colorado River policymakers. Inflows to Lake Powell, the
nation’s second largest reservoir, are expected to be 55
percent of average this year, according to federal
data released this week. … The federal offices that
manage Western water are in disarray amid layoffs and
restructuring since Donald Trump returned to the White House.
The Bureau of Reclamation, the top federal
agency for Colorado River dams and reservoirs, is without a
permanent commissioner. All the while, state and federal
policymakers are spending most of their time and attention on
drawing up new water-sharing rules.
Tap water is now safe to drink in areas served by all nine
water systems where damage from the firestorms in Altadena and
Pacific Palisades had prompted “do not drink” notices, state
regulators said Friday. The last water utility with such a
notice, the Las Flores Water Co. in Altadena, was cleared to
resume delivering drinking water and lifted its “do not drink”
and “do not boil” advisory on Friday, four months after the
notice was issued. Las Flores has recommended to
customers that when they resume using water, they take
various steps to flush the household system, including running
all the faucets for at least five minutes before
using. Officials from the State Water Resources Control
Board said they have been working with utilities to
help assess damage, test for potential contamination and ensure
it’s safe to resume water service.
Imperial Beach leaders want the federal government to take
stronger action in the ongoing Tijuana sewage crisis by
accelerating its construction projects and pressuring Mexico
with punitive action, if necessary. That pressure could include
limiting border crossings and sales of potable water to Tijuana
during county-declared public health threats. … Imperial
Beach’s resolution asks Congress to expedite the rehabilitation
and expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater
Treatment Plant (SBIWTP), a $600 million project overseen by
the US International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC). It
also suggests the federal government take punitive action
against Mexico, if necessary. It notes that 90 percent of
Tijuana’s imported water comes from the Colorado
River, underscoring the city’s dependence on its 1944
United States-Mexico Water Treaty, and says Mexico has shown
“persistent noncompliance” in the treaty terms, causing the
ongoing wastewater pollution.
On Monday, AB 263 overwhelmingly passed the state Assembly. The
bill protects salmon populations in two key tributaries of the
Klamath River watershed by keeping minimum flow requirements in
place until the State Water Board can establish new long-term
flow regulations. The bill is now headed to the state Senate
for their consideration. … AB 263 was introduced in
partnership with the Karuk Tribe, California Coastkeeper
Alliance, and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s
Association (PCFFA). The bill would maintain river flows
for at-risk salmon runs on two critical Klamath River
tributaries – the Scott and Shasta Rivers.
The White House has ordered federal agencies to stop
considering the economic damage caused by climate change when
writing regulations, except in cases where it is “plainly
required” by law. The directive effectively shelves a powerful
tool that has been used for more than two decades by the
federal government to weigh the costs and benefits of a
particular policy or regulation. The Biden administration had
used the tool to strengthen limits on greenhouse gas emissions
from cars, power plants, factories and oil refineries. Known as
the “social cost of carbon,” the metric reflects the estimated
damage from global warming, including wildfires, floods and
droughts. It affixes a cost to the economy from one ton of
carbon dioxide pollution, the main greenhouse gas that is
heating the planet.
Boaters and paddlers are being encouraged to stay up to date
with the strengthened procedures at Lake Tahoe this summer to
protect the lake from the spread of aquatic invasive species.
The Lake Tahoe watercraft inspection stations, boat launches,
and marinas are opening for the 2025 boating season, and now is
the time to be informed of new and mandatory procedures before
heading to the water this year. Changes this year include
mandatory decontaminations and additional processing time for
motorized boats traveling from other areas, as well as more
roving non-motorized inspectors at popular recreation areas.
… Those closures or restrictions are in place on some
waterways close to Lake Tahoe, including Lake Tahoe: Folsom
Lake, Lake Clementine, Camanche Reservoir, Castaic Lake,
Woodward Reservoir, and others.
A week following a boil water notice in the Five Cities area,
San Luis Obispo County is still investigating the cause of the
contamination. While that order has been lifted for the
communities of Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, Oceano, Pismo Beach
and Avila Beach, some residents are still taking precautions.
… Nola Engelskirger from San Luis Obispo County Public
Works says she understands people’s concerns, but now that the
notice is lifted, there is nothing to worry about. “People
should know their water is safe. It is meeting all drinking
water standards. The boil water notice was lifted, and right
now we are doing everything we can to take precautions to not
have that happen again,” she said.
This alert provides an overview of the ongoing implementation
of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). It
details the status of Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs),
recent and pending actions by the State Water Resources Control
Board (SWRCB or State Board) concerning probationary
designations, developments regarding fee and reporting
exclusions, SGMA-related litigation, and pertinent legislative
activity. … The outcomes of current and future
probationary proceedings, particularly for critically
overdrafted basins, alongside the results of pending
litigation, will have far-reaching implications for groundwater
management across California. The SWRCB’s upcoming decision
regarding the Chowchilla Subbasin may offer a precedent for
other basins that demonstrate substantial GSP improvements and
proactive engagement.
A new paper in Science of the Total Environment, co‑authored by
researchers from several USGS Mission Areas and Centers,
including the California Water Science Center, finds
fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides at every sampling site
across five Sacramento Valley wildlife refuges. Because levels
stayed high even far from crops, scientists are probing what
this means for pollinators. … Even though National
Wildlife Refuges are designed to protect biodiversity, this
study shows they are not immune to pollution. The findings
highlight the need for stronger efforts to manage pesticide
use, both inside and outside protected areas, to ensure the
health of these important ecosystems.
From a small California winery to a large-scale energy project
in China, floating photovoltaics—or “floatovoltaics”—are
gaining in popularity. Commonly installed over artificial water
bodies, from irrigation ponds and reservoirs to wastewater
treatment plants, floating solar projects can maximize space
for producing clean energy while sparing natural
lands. But where there is water, there are waterbirds.
Little is known about the impacts—positive or negative—floating
solar projects may have on birds and other wildlife. A paper
from the University of California, Davis, published in the
journal Nature Water, is among the first to outline key
considerations to better align renewable energy and
biodiversity goals.
Every day, Rancho Palos Verdes inches closer to destruction.
The beleaguered Southern California city, which is southwest of
downtown Los Angeles and hugs the waterline between Redondo
Beach and San Pedro, is quite literally sliding into the ocean,
sometimes at a rate of 4 inches per
week. … Recently, though, the rate of failure has
slowed somewhat, giving new hope to those on the edge. And it’s
thanks to an unlikely ally: drought. At a May 6 city
council meeting, Rancho Palos Verdes geologist Mike Phipps
explained that the land movement across much of the peninsula
has stabilized (or at least decelerated) recently. “Mr. Phipps
believes this is largely due to significantly below-average
rainfall through April,” according to a news update on the
meeting from the city’s website, which added that
“winterization measures” last fall and “ongoing dewatering
efforts” have also contributed to the slowdown.
… With New Mexico water sources expected to become
increasingly strained by more demand and shrinking supplies
from a hotter, drier climate, the relationship between oil and
gas and its wastewater has sparked a major policy debate in the
past few legislative sessions and in the (New Mexico Water
Quality Control Commission’s) rulemaking. The state’s oil
and gas production generates billions of gallons of wastewater,
which is extremely salty and can include radioactive materials
and heavy metals from underground; chemicals used in the
fracking process; or cancer-causing or toxic compounds mixed in
from the oil and gas, such as benzene. Gov. Michelle Lujan
Grisham has floated using treated oil and gas wastewater in
manufacturing and other industries in her Strategic Water
Supply proposals, but lawmakers stripped produced water from
the final bill.
With communities across Northern California expected to see
rising temperatures, you may be tempted to take a dip in a
local river, lake or stream. Resist that urge, experts say.
Local waterways are seeing chilly, fast-flowing water due to
spring snowmelt, according to the National Weather Service and
other agencies. … “The melting snowpack is creating
cold, higher flows,” Dave Gabbard, PG&E vice president of
power generation, said in the release. “We encourage everyone
recreating in or near water to be situationally aware and have
a plan to quickly and safely escape in case of changing water
flows and cold temperatures.”
Windsor residents and business owners now have until May 21 to
weigh in on a proposed hike to water and sewer rates — a delay
prompted after two council members missed this week’s
vote. The Town Council had been scheduled to approve the
rate increases Wednesday but postponed the decision because
members JB Leep and Tanya Potter were absent. The vote is now
set for May 21. If approved, the new rates would raise a
typical household’s monthly water bill by $3.24 and wastewater
bill by $8.82, bringing average monthly totals to $38.85 for
water and $94.07 for sewer service. Those estimates are based
on single-family homes using about 6,000 gallons of water and
3,000 gallons of wastewater per month. The plan also calls for
continued rate increases through 2029 — annual increases of 6%
for water in 2026, 2027 and 2028, followed by a 5% hike in
2029.
In 2023, amid record-breaking rain and snow, two prisons in the
southern San Joaquin Valley faced a serious risk of flooding.
But neither prison, California State Prison, Corcoran or the
Substance Abuse Treatment Facility, had a robust evacuation
plan on hand and ready for the looming disaster. Instead,
the prisons developed a joint plan to transfer roughly 8,000
incarcerated people to other state prisons within 11 to 14 days
— or longer. Wheelchair-bound individuals, the plan stated,
would take six days to evacuate. And department buses intended
to shuttle people to safety could take up to a day to arrive.
The floods that year ultimately did not reach the prisons, but
the threat they posed illustrated how California’s
90,000-prisoner corrections system has failed to prepare for
natural disasters. That’s according to a report issued last
week by an independent agency that oversees the department’s
disciplinary process and internal investigations.
