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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The headlines below are the original headlines used in the publication cited at the time they are posted here and do not reflect the stance of the Water Education Foundation, an impartial nonprofit that remains neutral.
The Ballona Wetlands — an ecological reserve on L.A.’s
Westside, bordered by Marina del Rey, Playa Vista and Playa del
Rey — are the second-largest chunk of open space in L.A.,
second only to Griffith Park. … Healthy wetlands
can absorb carbon in the atmosphere and buffer coastal
communities from flooding. … Across the world, calls to
protect them are growing as human-caused climate change
accelerates. Despite the potential, the Ballona Wetlands have
been the subject of one of Southern California’s longest
running environmental battles. Nearly 20 years after the
wetlands were designated by the state as an ecological reserve,
there’s still no timeline for completing the plans to restore
them, and public access to the green space remains
significantly limited.
A few strands of thin, feathery, green plants growing under the
dock didn’t catch anyone’s attention last spring. But those
strands spread quickly and within months the lake’s calm waters
were tangled in mats of the feathery Eurasian watermilfoil, an
aggressive aquatic plant that grows quickly and clogs
everything in its path. … This isn’t just an isolated
incident; it’s happening across California. Aquatic invasive
species are spreading faster than ever, infesting our ponds,
creeks, reservoirs, lakes, and rivers. Now is the time to learn
about aquatic invasive species; what they are, how they spread,
and what we can do to stop them. When we understand the issue,
we can make smart choices and protect California’s waters.
Toxins produced by algae have been found in the water of the
Venice Canals in Southern California, where 26 dogs have been
reported sick and five have died. County health officials
have not yet confirmed a direct link between the toxins and the
dog illnesses but are recommending that people and pets avoid
contact with the water as a precautionary measure. The Los
Angeles County Department of Public Health has reported 26
suspected cases of canine illness in the area as of Friday,
which includes five deaths. The most recent illness was
reported on July 30.
… While relatively unknown to the general public, cloud
seeding is nothing new. It was invented in the U.S. and
has been used with little fanfare for over 80 years.
Today, there are 10 states that actively invest in cloud
seeding programs at either a local or state level across the
American West: Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico,
Texas, California, North Dakota, Nevada and soon Montana.
… In times of drought and increasing water insecurity,
to take such a solution off the table would be tremendously
damaging to our national interest. Unfortunately, some are
trying to do just that. –Written by Augustus Doricko, founder and chief executive
officer of Rainmaker Technology Corporation.
The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday informed union
officials that it would terminate the contracts it signed
with various labor partners effective immediately, making it
the second agency to fully implement President Trump’s March
executive order stripping most federal workers of their
collective bargaining rights. … As part of the decision,
the agency will no longer allow union officials to employ
official time. … EPA also said it will “reclaim” office space
previously occupied by unions and cease participating in
arbitration proceedings—arbitrators will be paid only for “work
performed to date” and their decisions are now deemed
“nonbinding.”
Charcoal made from human waste could help solve fertiliser
shortages as well as reduce pollution and energy use, a study
has found. … Treated sewage sludge is already spread on
farmland, but its use is controversial as it often contains
microplastics, heavy metals, Pfas forever chemicals, pathogens,
and pharmaceuticals.The researchers say biochar can avoid this
problem by separating the waste at source. … The biochar
production process also allows nutrient proportions to be
adjusted according to the needs of individual crops. This can
address problems associated with fertiliser use such as weed
growth and eutrophication – when excess nutrients leach into
groundwater, causing rapid growth of algae which depletes
oxygen availability.
Nearly 240,000 residents in parts of southeastern San Diego
County will soon see higher water bills. The Otay Water
District notified customers that it will implement an 8.3% rate
increase effective Jan. 1, saying the “unavoidable” hike is
mostly due to charges passed down from its wholesale water
suppliers: The Metropolitan Water District of Southern
California and the county Water Authority. … Otay Water
officials said the vast majority of the increase is tied to
costs from suppliers, which have seen higher labor and energy
costs and inflation, while also bringing in lower water sales
due to drought conditions.
A federal judge awarded Friends of the River nearly
half-a-million dollars in attorneys’ fees Friday after the
conservation group prevailed in a Freedom of Information Act
dispute that had dragged on for nine years. The award —
$491,676 in attorneys’ fees and $2,548 in costs — was less than
what the organization asked for but nearly twice what the Army
Corps of Engineers had proposed paying. The Corps was on the
hook for at least some of the litigation costs after losing a
FOIA lawsuit related to endangered species and dams on
California’s Yuba River.
… Lithium is a vital component in renewable energy
technology, and we have long known that there is a rich deposit
underground near the Salton Sea.
… Sadly though, Lithium Valley has thus far generated
more unfulfilled plans and lawsuits than EV batteries.
… California’s latest economic blueprint calls out
critical minerals as an economic sector the state will “bet”
on, and it has already invested well over $100 million. Yet
businesses that committed to the effort are reconsidering their
plans as progress stagnates. … Each new lawsuit, policy
and delay pushes the realization of Lithium Valley’s promise
further over the horizon. –Written by Adela de la Torre, president of San Diego
State University.
In a lengthy and highly technical published opinion filed
August 5, 2025, the Fifth District Court of Appeal partly
reversed and partly affirmed a judgment that had upheld the
State Water Resources Control Board’s (“State Water Board” or
“SWRCB”) adoption of the “State Policy for Water Quality
Control: Toxicity Provisions” (the “Toxicity Provisions”),
which policy in relevant part required use of a new “Test of
Significant Toxicity” (“TST”) in analyzing a type of pollution
known as “whole effluent toxicity.” … As to the CEQA
aspects of the Court’s opinion, it provides valuable
CEQA-compliance guidance to agencies with certified regulatory
programs adopting new regulations that will trigger generally
foreseeable future compliance actions the parameters of which
are speculative.
… [T]raditional sources of water are projected to become less
reliable as global warming shrinks the West’s mountain snowpack
and unleashes more intense droughts. … With supplies at risk,
Southern California’s cities and suburbs face major challenges
in planning for the future. Decades from now, how might we get
our water supply? And what ideas are leaders and managers of
water agencies considering to ease risks of shortages — or even
a scenario of a “Day Zero” crisis, in which we approach a point
of running out? … Those who lead the region’s large
water agencies say they are seeking to line up a diversified
mix of sources by recycling wastewater, capturing stormwater,
restoring watersheds, possibly building new water-transport
infrastructure, and even tapping the Pacific Ocean.
The state Water Resources Control Board reversed course on a
proposed fee change for groundwater extraction in the San
Joaquin Valley after receiving a volley of negative letters,
saying changes are “premature.” The update came during an
online Water Rights Fees meeting July 31. Fees target pumpers
in overdrafted subbasins placed on probation by the Water Board
for lacking adequate groundwater plans. State fees … are
intended to repay the state an estimated $5.5 million a year
that it says it costs to oversee six groundwater basins in the
San Joaquin Valley where plans have been deemed
inadequate. Water Board staff had suggested creating a
graduated fee structure based on farm size, giving small
growers a break at $5-per-acre-foot pumped and charging large
growers $40 per acre foot pumped.
… Removing the Scott Dam, alongside the removal of the
smaller Cape Horn Dam downstream, both on the picturesque Eel
River, is part of PG&E’s plan to retire a century-old
hydroelectric operation known as the Potter Valley Project,
which the company says has gotten too expensive to run.
… Downstream communities along the Eel River as well as
environmental groups and tribes have cheered dam removal as a
way to restore the river’s natural flows. Long-declining salmon
and steelhead runs stand to benefit from the
restoration. At the same time, the plan has raised
concerns about power and water supplies in Northern California.
… Much less talked about is the fate of Lake Pillsbury.
… In a study published earlier this year in Nature that
looked at 40 years of water vapor, precipitation and wind speed
observations, [former NOAA research scientist Wenhao] Dong and
his co-authors found that wintertime atmospheric rivers are
growing significantly more frequent and intense over the
Eastern U.S. while diminishing over the West. … [S]tates such
as Washington, Oregon and California have seen atmospheric
river frequency decrease by nearly 4 percent per decade since
1980, the researchers found. This has led to long-term
wintertime drying of the West Coast. … While the West is
drying out overall, there is an increase in extreme
precipitation events that are associated with catastrophic
atmospheric rivers, Dong added.
Although the San Juans have seen a smattering of monsoon storms
this season, the rains have not been as consistent as needed to
help pull the western part of Colorado out of
drought. … The drought conditions are exacerbated
by a dry winter and lower-than-average snowpack. Warmer
temperatures in April and May also caused snow to melt earlier
than usual. … Similar trends across the West also put
water supplies at risk. Combined with April’s lower
precipitation levels, less water is likely to flow into the
major Colorado River Basin this summer, according to NOAA.
… Monsoon season in Colorado goes from June until
September, so there is still time for rain to bring some
much-needed relief, but late summer storms are unlikely to
eradicate the Western Slope’s drought.
… Yellow-legged frogs were once one of the most abundant
animals in the alpine habitats of the Sierra Nevada. But for
the past decade, the Oakland Zoo has been raising individuals
from the now-endangered species and releasing them to the wild
as a way to boost their numbers in the aftermath of a deadly
disease that has decimated 90% of their population. Known as
chytridiomycosis, or the chytrid fungus, the disease leads to
“devastating effects” and has contributed to the greatest loss
of biodiversity ever caused by a pathogen. … After
getting swabbed for the disease one last time, they were
transported to their final destination: Laurel Lake at Sequoia
and Kings National Park.
The Colorado River system, a lifeline for 40 million people
across seven states, is in decline — as negotiations for
water-sharing agreements approach a critical deadline. The
current guidelines governing use of the river expire in October
of 2026, so decision-making should be ramping up for how Nevada
and six other western states will share the essential water
resource in the future. … To better understand how the
pending agreements impact our region, Channel 13 teamed up with
our Scripps News Group member station in Phoenix, Arizona, to
hear from the people who depend on this river and those
sounding the alarm about its future.
This week, the nonprofit Native American Rights Fund hosted its
biennial tribal water symposium in partnership with the Western
States Water Council. It’s been a tradition since 1991, but
this year’s daylong gathering was virtual. The online forum
brought together tribal, state and federal stakeholders to
focus on Indian water settlements – past and present – and the
negotiations needed for them to be ratified by lawmakers on
Capitol Hill. Top-ranking Interior Department officials took
time to reassure tribes that the Trump administration is behind
them – despite recent staffing cuts and Congress clawing back
federal dollars.
The collapse of the Oxbow Bridge, which linked Cibola in La Paz
County to California, poses a serious threat to public health
and safety and has cut off a critical access route between the
two states, the La Paz County Board of Supervisors said. The
bridge connected Levee Road to the west side of the Colorado
River. The Oxbow 2 Fire burned about 5 acres near the Oxbow
Recreation and Wildlife Area, according to the Bureau of Land
Management. The collapse of the bridge also caused
hazardous debris to enter the Colorado River
waterway. This poses risks to environmental resources,
recreational users and emergency responders, La Paz County
Board of Supervisors said.
Several Colorado Democrats are using the recent detections of
zebra mussels in the Colorado River to push for implementation
of key provisions in the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor
Recreation Experiences Act. The EXPLORE Act, as it’s more
commonly known, passed in December 2024 and contained multiple
bills around improving public land access and conservation,
including the aptly named “Stop the Spread of Invasive Mussels
Act.” The law gave new authorities to the U.S. Department
of the Interior and U.S. Department of Agriculture to respond
to and monitor aquatic invasive species.
