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Water news you need to know

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.
Aquafornia news San Francisco Chronicle

Lake Tahoe boat capsize: How rare, sudden storm turned into deadly conditions

The first day of summer in Lake Tahoe began under blue skies, but the sunny Saturday suddenly turned dark when a thunderstorm whipped up strong winds and waves of 6 to 8 feet high. At least six people died when a boat capsized near D.L. Bliss State Park around 3 p.m. … Gusts up to 45 mph were measured by a NASA-maintained buoy in the middle of the lake when the cold front hit. It’s likely that stronger winds materialized over a smaller portion of the lake in a phenomenon known as a downburst. Downbursts are caused by rain-cooled air that falls out of a cloud into a drier environment below, often accelerating as it reaches the ground. Once the downdraft reaches the ground, winds spread out in all directions, like water out of a faucet hitting a sink. Weather models estimated favorable conditions for downburst winds over Lake Tahoe on Saturday afternoon, with a mix of dry and moist air amid an unstable atmosphere.

Other Tahoe storm news:

Aquafornia news The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.)

Opinion: A two-basin deal is the only solution

… We are the Round Valley Indian Tribes. In the early 20th century, without our consent, the Potter Valley Project dammed our river and started diverting significant portions to generate electricity, after which the water was made available, at no cost, to users in the Russian River watershed. All the while, our community endured the loss of a critical part of our economy and culture: the decimated Eel River salmon fishery. … We also understand, however, that we are part of the larger region, and our members live, work and study in the surrounding communities, which support our tribal economy. These communities, in turn, depend on the river. Thus, while removal of the project facilities and the return of a healthy river is our goal, we must achieve this goal mindful of how this may affect others. The Round Valley Indian Tribes support the Two-Basin Solution, which shares this limited resource between both basins by pairing fishery restoration with continued diversions that do not harm the fishery.
–Written by Joe Parker, president of the Round Valley Indian Tribes.

Aquafornia news The Fence Post (Greeley, Colo.)

Wyoming Gov. Gordon: Water and property rights still sacred in Cowboy State

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said his vote approving potential wind development on state land in Niobrara and Converse counties isn’t a slight to the state’s other industries, but a nod to private property rights and economic development. The wind projects garnering headlines and causing tension among neighbors will produce energy to convert to clean hydrogen. … The larger issue for many is water, Gordon said. “What I’ve hear more from Niobrara County folks is that our water is really precious, and if we’re going to be turning it into hydrogen, it’s going to be one more use and it’s going to take water away from us and we already don’t have enough water,” he said. “I understand that issue as well. People are forgetting that water rights are sacred in Wyoming, and you can’t just show up and build something and expect to get the water.” That portion of the project, he said, is still in development and wasn’t within the scope of what the state land board voted upon. 

Other water and energy news:

Aquafornia news NPJ Climate Action

Report: Experiments in nature-based solutions: pursuing conservation, climate action, and land use planning in California

Nature-based solutions that include conservation are an increasingly important arena for advancing climate action. Conservation planning decisions can depend on what kinds of tradeoffs are made and which benefits need to be prioritized. What then does local implementation look like when governance of land use planning tradeoffs is confronted by potentially competing priorities in climate, nature, and development? In this paper, we analyze institutional instruments – namely, local and state plans from across California – to better understand how nature-based solutions include conservation strategies to deliver co-benefits. … Our analysis of local planning documents shows that subnational governments, such as California, are experimenting with different governance arrangements to decipher co-benefits and to manage trade-offs. Specifically, we find the presence of supportive citizen coalitions, funding and financing, and regional collaborations as notable enablers of nature-based solutions in California.

Other land-use planning news:

Aquafornia news Sacramento State University

Blog: Sac State professor turns California’s waterways – and the campus – into a living lab for environmental innovation

Julian Fulton followed his curiosity about water to California’s rivers and oceans, eventually flowing to Sacramento State. In the decade since he began teaching Environmental Studies at the riverside campus, Fulton has integrated science and technology with broader questions of sustainability and how humans can coexist with nature. … His research looks at how to protect California waterways, and he often collaborates with faculty from other departments. He also engages students in his work, including on grant-funded projects like cleaning up San Francisco Bay or studying green stormwater systems designed to filter toxins out of water flowing from campus into the American River. “We’re using it as a learning lab,” he said. “It helps students to understand all these different environmental challenges we have, and to notice sustainability features in the landscape and how they fit into their daily lives.”

Aquafornia news San Diego Union-Tribune

OMWD completes construction of new recycled water pipelines in Carlsbad and Encinitas

Olivenhain Municipal Water District has completed construction of several recycled water pipelines in Carlsbad and Encinitas. The installation of over 5,600 feet of new pipelines will allow several HOA communities in the project area to convert their irrigation systems to recycled water, resulting in more than 12.5 million gallons of drinking water saved every year, according to a news release. … OMWD secured more than $900,000 in grant funding to make the project cost-effective for ratepayers. Specifically, both the US Bureau of Reclamation’s Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Program, and the California Department of Water Resources’ Integrated Regional Water Management Program contributed grant funds to offset project costs, the news release stated. … The project was completed on time and with no interruptions to customers’ water supplies.

Aquafornia news AgNet West

California ag water outlook: hope from Ryan Jacobsen

In an interview with Nick Papagni, “The Ag Meter”, on AgNet West, Ryan Jacobsen, CEO of the Fresno County Farm Bureau, provided critical insight into California’s persistent water challenges—and a glimmer of hope for the future. When asked whether California’s water issues can ever be resolved, Jacobsen called it a “loaded question,” acknowledging the mounting difficulties while still seeing opportunity ahead. “It just keeps getting tougher and tougher as far as a reliable water supply,” he said, referencing the impact of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and federal reductions. … “Whatever happens during this administration can be undone by the next,” he warned. “That’s why Congress must act to create long-term solutions—particularly in the Delta.” 

Aquafornia news Active NorCal

Shasta Dam turns 80: celebrating a Northern California icon of ingenuity and resilience

Eighty years ago, in the heart of rural Shasta County, thousands of workers came together to build something extraordinary—Shasta Dam. Born out of the Great Depression, this engineering marvel not only brought much-needed jobs to the region but transformed the area’s future forever. Construction on Shasta Dam began in 1937 and continued through World War II, officially wrapping up in 1944—an impressive 26 months ahead of schedule. … Standing 602 feet tall, Shasta Dam is the ninth tallest dam in the country and holds back the largest reservoir in California. Today, it’s not just a piece of history—it’s a beloved local destination offering stunning views of Mt. Shasta, fishing spots, scenic walks, and peaceful picnic areas. … So here’s to 80 years of Shasta Dam—a symbol of strength, resilience, and NorCal pride.

Aquafornia news Alta

Essay: A hidden vista in California’s Owens Valley

… What could have been more California than dipping my paddle into the waters being fought over by multiple states, Indigenous tribes, farmers, ranchers, conservation groups, and so on? We are, after all, on the verge of yet another new chapter flowing out of the Colorado River, whose silty waves, east beyond Death Valley, undulate California’s southeast border and which, in the fullness of thirst, became L.A.’s main water source. Parsing those waters has been bogged down for years, seemingly because California has been hogging more than its realistic share—even the mighty Colorado has shrunk, first from an overly optimistic estimation of its volume and now from drought. Welcome to the New West. T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” springs to mind:

Here is no water but only rock
Rock and no water and the sandy road

Other essays on California water:

Aquafornia news FOX15 (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Friday Top of the Scroll: An ‘amicable divorce’ proposed in Colorado River negotiations

New information is emerging about what’s being negotiated between the seven states who rely on the Colorado River: an “amicable divorce” between the Upper and Lower Basins. At a meeting of a council made up of farmers, ranchers and other Colorado River water users here, the head of the Colorado River Authority of Utah disclosed some of what was being negotiated. …  It’s basically a separation between the Upper Basin states of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico and the Lower Basin states of Arizona, Nevada and California. … Lake Powell would basically be maintained at a certain level to keep both basins happy, (Colorado River Authority of Utah Executive Director Amy) Haas clarified to FOX 13 News. She would not disclose specific percentages as each side and the federal government is doing their own modeling. The Lower Basin states also have pledged to reduce their share by 1.5 million acre feet, she said.

Other Colorado River Basin news:

Aquafornia news SJV Sun (Fresno, Calif.)

Gray proposes Valley Water Protection Act 

Two Central Valley Democrats are pitching a new water bill designed to protect water access for the region’s farmers. Rep. Adam Gray (D–Merced) introduced the Valley Water Protection Act last week and was joined by Rep. Jim Costa (D–Fresno). The Valley Water Protection Act would amend the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to protect farmers from enforcement actions that could pose national security threats or regional economic harm. … The bill has widespread support from water users across the Central Valley, including the Turlock Irrigation District, the Merced Irrigation District, the Modesto Irrigation District, the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority and the Friant Water Authority. … Along with Gray’s bill, Westerman introduced the Endangered Species Act Amendments Act of 2025, which would streamline the ESA permitting process and establish clear definitions within the act. 

Other Central Valley water access news:

Aquafornia news The Water Desk (University of Colorado Boulder)

Q&A: Snow droughts imperil the American West’s water supply

In recent years, scientists and water managers have started using the term “snow drought” to describe meager snowpacks in the American West. … Because a lack of snow has such profound implications for the West’s water supply, wildfire risk, recreational activities and ecosystem health, the federal government now regularly tracks the severity of snow drought across the region. The reports rely on data from hundreds of SNOTEL stations—a network of automated sensors that use “snow pillows” to weigh the snowpack and calculate its water content—but federal budget cuts may hamper that system going forward.  To learn more about snow droughts, I recently spoke with one of the authors of those reports: Dan McEvoy, regional climatologist at the Western Regional Climate Center and the Desert Research Institute.

Other snowmelt and runoff news around the West:

Aquafornia news Capitol Media Services (Phoenix)

New deal on Ag-to-Urban water plan moving in Senate

Housing developers left stranded and stalled by a lack of an assured water supply are getting a lifeline under a deal cut between Republicans and Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.  The proposal, known as “Ag-to-Urban,” allows homebuilders to buy water rights from farmers who retire their agricultural land if they promise to use only a certain percentage of the water to supply new developments. … The deal immediately affects only Maricopa and Pinal counties, but the Pima County Active Management Area may also fall under its guidance if a moratorium on new water certificates is put in place by state water regulators, (Sen. T.J.) Shope said. If all three areas were included, more than 400,000 acres of farmland could be eligible for conversion. … While big developers are celebrating a win, elected officials in rural Arizona are criticizing Hobbs for backing the proposal without tying it to new protections for groundwater in their areas. 

Other Arizona groundwater news:

Aquafornia news Maven's Notebook

Partnering with tribes to restore a Delta wetland — benefits go both ways

Five years ago, Plains Miwok cultural practitioner Don Hankins got a surprising invitation from Russ Ryan, a project manager at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The agency owns four islands in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, including one called Webb Tract, and Ryan asked Hankins for help stewarding them from an Indigenous perspective. Hankins was skeptical at first. … But Hankins feels a deep-rooted responsibility toward the Delta. He was also moved when Ryan visited him at California State University Chico, where he’s a professor of geography and planning. On a walk in Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve, the pair forged a partnership that included bringing tribes into planning a new wetland on Webb Tract from the very beginning. “It’s a game changer,” says Hankins, noting that this is the first time tribes have been integral to a restoration project in the Delta.

Other Sacramento and San Joaquin river news:

Aquafornia news KTNV (Las Vegas, Nev.)

Nevada officials airlift bighorn sheep as drought threatens state animal

Nevada is taking action to preserve its state animal, the Desert Bighorn Sheep, by relocating part of a herd based in Southern Nevada. … The reason for the relocation is a lack of available food and water for the herd, with drought being the common denominator. In just one year, dry conditions have significantly worsened across Nevada. While only a small area was abnormally dry in June 2024, now most of the state is experiencing all four levels of drought extremes. “We had to take action,” said Joe Bennett, a specialist with the Nevada Department of Wildlife. According to Bennett, since December, 122,000 gallons of water have been hauled to watering holes, or guzzlers, in Southern Nevada to support sheep hydration. … According to the Nevada Climate Initiative, drought is expected to increase in frequency and severity in the future due to higher temperatures, even if precipitation remains the same or increases slightly.

Aquafornia news Bloomberg Law

States take up ‘forever chemicals’ restrictions as EPA shifts

… While stakeholders wait to see how the EPA’s announcements will develop into specific actions, one particular area of continued uncertainty relates to PFAS in drinking water. … Following its request to stay legal challenges to these two Biden-era actions to allow the new EPA leadership to review these rules, the EPA on May 14 announced that it would maintain the current national primary drinking water regulation for PFOA and PFOS and introduce a proposal to extend the compliance date to 2031. At the same time, the EPA said it would rescind regulations and reconsider regulatory determinations for PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (commonly known as GenX), and the hazard index mixture of these three, plus PFBS, citing compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act as its rationale.

Other PFAS news:

Aquafornia news Forbes

Why the climate sandwich generation is saddled with national debt

Fire and water are seemingly opposing forces. But in the context of global climate, they go together like peanut butter and jelly. And looking at the fire and flood tally so far, 2025 has been extra. … Aridification is causing the arid west to move eastward, encroaching on the mid longitude regions of the U.S. and Canada. Aridity, drought and heat combine to make ideal conditions for fire. Increased average air temperature leads to more water in the atmosphere as water vapor. More energy in the form of heat moves storms. The combination of the two–more water and more energy–means more disasters with higher consequences measured in deaths and dollars. The end result is that communities are sandwiched between dry and wet extremes and the economic consequences of fire and flood disasters. The U.S. sustained 403 weather and climate disasters from 1980–2024 where overall damages and costs reached or exceeded $1 billion each (including the Consumer Price Index adjustment to 2024). When you add them together, the total cost of these 403 events exceeds $2.915 trillion.

Other climate research news:

Aquafornia news Oregon Capital Chronicle (Salem)

Opinion: A half bet at the Keno Dam

Last August, Northwest salmon caught a break when four dams on the Klamath River, which flows from mountain country in southwest Oregon through northern California to the Pacific Ocean, were demolished. But it was a limited break. The goal of that $500 million project, possibly the largest of its kind in American history, remains unreached, and serious effort still is needed to fulfill it. A fully free-flowing Klamath River may be beyond us for a while, but certain half-measures could help.  Hanging over it is the shadow of the decision this month by the Trump administration to abandon a regional agreement involving breach of the four lower Snake River dams in Washington state, also partly for fish run purposes. … Some news stories at the time proclaiming the return of a free run of the Klamath River spoke too optimistically. In Oregon, much of the upper river is blocked by the last two dams, the Keno, west of Klamath Falls and near the same-named unincorporated community, and the Link River, which impounds and partly creates Upper Klamath Lake.

Other salmon restoration and dam removal news:

Aquafornia news Arizona Republic (Phoenix)

Why harmful algae blooms will only get worse in Arizona waterways

Harmful blooms of algae like the one floating near the dam on Apache Lake are on the rise worldwide and are likely to proliferate more in Arizona as warming temperatures create encouraging habitats for the blue-green toxic scum. The Apache Lake bloom, reported May 29, is the second this year in Arizona following one spotted on Lake Havasu a month prior. About 30 harmful blooms plagued Arizona waters last year, affecting parts of Lake Havasu, Saguaro and Canyon lakes and Tempe Town Lake. That’s likely an undercount as the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality voluntarily collects reports and doesn’t have the authority to force water managers to post warnings or test the water. … Harmful blooms also are likely to become more common and more severe in Arizona as conditions get dryer and hotter, said Taylor L. Weiss, with the Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation and assistant professor at Arizona State University.

Other blue-green algae news:

Aquafornia news WyoFile (Lander, Wyo.)

New federal estimates could open more of southwest Wyoming to oil and gas

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s effort to remove barriers to energy development within the 3.6 million-acre Rock Springs Resource Management Plan area (which replaced Green River RMP in 2024) will include revised estimates of oil and natural gas reserves, according to the agency. … Initial “low” estimates, which may change dramatically based on new calculations, will potentially be used to reduce restrictions on oil and natural gas development imposed under “area of critical environmental concern” designations in the Rock Springs RMP updated in December. That plan will likely change after a review spurred by President Donald Trump’s Unleashing American Energy executive order, and Interior orders under his administration. The U.S. Geological Survey — the BLM’s sister agency under the Interior Department — released a report Wednesday revising estimates of “undiscovered, technically recoverable” oil and natural gas reserves underlying onshore federal lands, boasting “significant increases.”

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