Aquafornia

Overview

Aquafornia
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

Subscribe to our weekday emails to have news delivered to your inbox at about 9 a.m. Monday through Friday except for holidays.

For breaking news, follow us on X (Twitter).

Please Note: Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without subscribing. Also, 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 ABC10 (Sacramento, Calif.)

California snowpacks reach 99% of April 1 average

Water years in California can be all over the place with massive years immediately followed by major droughts. It’s been described as hit and miss, but rarely do you get a hit-hit-hit situation in one key metric for water in the state: snowpack. Snowpack is highly variable since it’s a component of water and temperature. You can have big snowfalls followed up by warm and dry conditions, then by early spring when snow melt and runoff is most important, some of the snowpack may be already gone. … This water year is unique since most of the snow has yet to melt and already California reservoirs as a whole are well above average at 115%. … Many lakes are nearly 90% full with many months of runoff and inflows to come. Reservoirs in the Central and Southern Region are not quite as full, but still remain above average or at least close bringing more good water news to the rest of the state.

Other snowpack and water supply news around the West:

Aquafornia news Oregon Public Broadcasting

Salmon return to the Klamath’s Oregon waters, but the river’s headwaters are still blocked

… A lot of hope was pouring into the river along with those fish as the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Klamath Tribes entered the beginning stages of starting a new run of spring chinook salmon. … The country’s largest dam removal project took four dams off the Klamath River in Southern Oregon and Northern California over the past two years. A free-flowing river has reemerged where Copco 1 and 2, Iron Gate and J.C. Boyle dams used to be. For Indigenous tribes, including the Klamath, Shasta, Karuk, Hoopa Valley and Yurok, the project was a huge victory. Painful water conflicts have dragged on for decades in the Klamath Basin, with farmers, fish and tribes all suffering. Now four dams are out, bringing renewed hope for salmon restoration. But on the Klamath, it’s going to take a lot more to piece the basin together again.

Other Klamath River news:

Aquafornia news The Nation

Mining the past, threatening the future

… The (Hualapai Tribe of Arizona) argued that BLM violated the National Environmental Policy Act when it failed to take into consideration the consequences mining could have on water resources. An independent hydrologist hired by the Tribe found that the lithium drilling project not only impacted the spring water levels but could also permanently damage Ha’Kamwe’ (Cofer Hot Springs). … Studies have shown that lithium reserves worldwide and in the United States are disproportionately proximate to tribal lands. … Lithium mining can deplete local water sources, including fresh groundwater, and cause air, water, and land contamination, exposing humans to several health risks, including damage to the nervous system, thyroid, and kidneys.

Other Arizona water news:

Aquafornia news San Francisco Chronicle

This Silicon Valley city has the highest coastal flood risk in California

Redwood City has the highest risk for severe coastal floods of any California city, according to data released Wednesday by Climate Central. The science and communication nonprofit’s report finds over 22,000 people — 27% of the city’s total population —  reside in an area at risk of a 100-year flood occurring in the next 25 years. The city, located in San Mateo county, is one of a number of California coastal and bayshore communities that face risks from damaging floods, particularly in the coming decades, as climate change causes sea levels to rise.

Other sea level rise news:

Aquafornia news inewsource (San Diego, Calif.)

San Diego spent $45M on emergency stormwater repairs in 2024

The city of San Diego spent $52 million last year on emergency repairs for infrastructure projects such as replacing collapsed storm drains, clearing water channels and repairing sinkholes which arose due to heavy rain.  Of the 29 emergency repairs performed across the city last year, 23 were related to stormwater infrastructure and totaled about $45 million, according to a city report. Two years ago, city officials decided to set aside money from the capital improvements budget for an emergency line of funding for storm drains. As the city faces a shortfall of about $250 million in the budget that takes effect July 1, the emergency funds may become even more critical to addressing stormwater needs.

Aquafornia news The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, Calif.)

Should domestic users pay Paso Robles CA Basin water fees?

Domestic well owners should not be charged fees for pumping from the overdrafted Paso Robles Groundwater Basin, according to one water district. “The problem has never been the de minimis users,” Shandon-San Juan Water District Board of Directors president Willy Cunha told The Tribune on Thursday. Farmers are most responsible for dwindling water levels in the basin, so they should be charged the fees — as long as the rates are reasonable, he said. The Shandon-San Juan Water District’s Board of Directors voted 4-0 on March 26 to pass a resolution that opposed charging domestic well owners water extraction fees, water district secretary Stephanie Bertoux said. Why did only four directors vote? The board didn’t provide the public proper notice that board member Matt Turrentine would attend the meeting virtually, so he couldn’t vote on the item, Bertoux said.

Other local water management and rates news: 

Aquafornia news Los Angeles Times

State orders Chiquita Canyon Landfill to take corrective measures or face fines

A smoldering chemical reaction brewing deep inside the recently closed Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic now threatens to consume an entire 160-acre canyon of buried waste, endangering a storage area for hazardous liquid waste, according to state officials. … State regulators worry that damage to the tank farm would cause chemical-laden leachate to spill onto the landfill’s surface and potentially into nearby sources of water. State agencies have ordered Waste Connections to relocate the tank farm to prevent hazardous chemicals from seeping into groundwater or spilling into storm drains that feed into the Santa Clara River.

Aquafornia news The Daily Californian (Berkeley, Calif.)

10-story development contested over toxins in groundwater

A 10-story development on the corner of Ashby and Shattuck Avenues will move forward after labor unions and residents brought forward environmental concerns to the City Council on March 25. … Concerns about benzene levels initially came from the project site’s listing in the State Water Resource Control Board’s Geotracker database, when in 2013 and 2014, soil sampling revealed elevated levels of benzene, petroleum hydrocarbon gasoline and more chemicals. However, since 2022, soil sampling has confirmed that benzene levels were within acceptable limits. … Further concerns about air quality, soil toxins and groundwater were negated by the city because, upon review, it found toxins and air quality standards to be within the accepted limits.

Aquafornia news Los Angeles Times

Edison CEO: It’s ‘certainly possible’ utility sparked Eaton fire. But climate change made it worse

Before sitting down with Pedro Pizarro, president and chief executive officer of Edison International, I gave some thought to how I would ask him about the Eaton fire. Pizarro lives in Pasadena, not far from the charred remains of Altadena. His company’s biggest subsidiary — the utility Southern California Edison, which supplies electricity to 15 million people — has been accused in dozens of lawsuits of igniting the fire. Should I just straight-up ask him whether the deadly conflagration was Edison’s fault? Turned out I didn’t have to. Pizarro brought up the blaze. “We still don’t know whether Edison equipment caused the Eaton fire. It’s certainly possible it did. I’ve pledged to be transparent with the public as we continue to investigate,” he said.

Aquafornia news The New Lede

Blog: Amid EPA upheaval, states fear losing strong federal limits on PFAS in drinking water

With the looming possibility that the Trump administration could reduce federal limits on toxic PFAS chemicals in drinking water, public health advocates are warning that people across the country would suffer. Concerns for the future of the federal limits come amid ongoing litigation over the federal limits on six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. A 60-day stay on the litigation granted in February ends Tuesday, after which the Trump administration could seek to make changes to the standards, which were put into place a year ago under the Biden administration. The Biden-era rule requires public water systems to complete initial monitoring for the PFAS  chemicals by 2027, and to implement technologies for reducing PFAS in their water by 2029 if levels exceed the limit. … The Trump administration has not stated if it will seek to rework the rule but those who helped fight for PFAS mitigation measures say they fear for its future.

Aquafornia news The Colorado Sun (Denver)

Federal judge orders Denver Water to stop Gross Dam construction; Army Corps must rewrite permits

A federal judge late Thursday ordered Denver Water to halt construction on the massive expansion of Gross Reservoir’s dam in western Boulder County and sent three key environmental permits back to the Army Corps of Engineers for a rewrite. The order hands a major, if temporary, victory to environmental and neighborhood opponents fighting the half-finished, $531 million project to nearly triple the storage capacity of the reservoir on South Boulder Creek. Senior U.S. District Court Judge Christine Arguello put a halt to construction nearly four months after Denver Water and the river-defending nonprofit Save the Colorado failed to negotiate a settlement that would further mitigate damage from the project. When settlement talks stalled, Save the Colorado asked for an injunction and Denver Water argued it should go forward pending more talks.

Aquafornia news The San Joaquin Sun (Fresno, Calif.)

Opinion: California Ag is pioneering a new era of innovation, resilience

… Navigating the historically intricate regulatory environment has long posed challenges for agricultural producers and water managers. However, growing momentum toward streamlining and modernizing these regulatory frameworks signals a promising new era of government-industry cooperation. Farmers throughout the San Joaquin Valley are actively advocating for policies that provide greater flexibility in water allocation, enhance local groundwater management, and upgraded mixed use flood control infrastructure. Recent executive orders and updated regulations have already begun to reduce administrative burdens, providing farmer with greater confidence and an enhanced sense of certainty with making critical planting and investment decisions.
–Written by William Bourdeau, executive vice president of Harris Farms, owner of Bourdeau Farms, director of the Westlands Water District, director of American Pistachio Growers, Family Farm Alliance, and chairman of the Valley Future Foundation.

Aquafornia news Science News Explores

New water treatment process removes pollutants most now don’t

Taking medicine can help us get better when we’re ill. But our bodies won’t absorb all of a drug. The leftovers leave in our urine. Water treatment plants were never designed to remove those drugs. So they just flow through these cleanup plants and into rivers and other sources of drinking water. But a simple low-cost, two-step process could help end that. An added benefit, this treatment also removes plant fertilizers. And that’s a good thing, because they can trigger blooms of harmful microbes in lakes, rivers and streams. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and at China Agricultural University in Beijing developed the new process. They shared how it works in the December 5 Journal of Hazardous Materials.

Aquafornia news Record Searchlight (Redding, Calif.)

Thursday Top of the Scroll: Lake Shasta level goes up 18 feet in March after strong rain year

California is only halfway through the rain year, and in Redding’s case, the rainfall and snowfall amounts exceed what the area typically receives in total precipitation, making 2025 one of the wettest years since 2019. …Wet winter storms left waters in California’s largest reservoir, Lake Shasta, less than 16 feet from the top on Tuesday. Precipitation in March pushed the lake level more than 18 feet, according to data from the California Department of Water Resources, boosting the top almost as high as Shasta Dam was after torrential rains in early February. It is expected the lake may be full by end of May.

Other snowpack and water supply news:

Aquafornia news SJV Water

Order that had kept water in the Kern River reversed by 5th District Court of Appeal

In a wide-ranging ruling that could have larger implications for public interest lawsuits throughout California, the 5th District Court of Appeal reversed a preliminary injunction that had required water in the Kern River through the heart of Bakersfield. … Bring Back the Kern, Water Audit California and several other public interest groups sued the City of Bakersfield in 2022 for dewatering the river. They are demanding the city study the environmental impacts of its river operations. That lawsuit is set for trial in December. The preliminary injunction was an outgrowth of that 2022 lawsuit. It was an attempt to keep water in the river for fish that had come teeming back with high flows in 2023. The 5th District’s ruling, issued Wednesday, reversed the injunction but didn’t close the door to a possible future injunction and, in fact, gave lengthy direction for how that could be done.

Related article:

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Roadblock looms as EPA weighs ‘forever chemicals’ rollback

The Trump administration is considering rolling back a major Biden-era regulation on “forever chemicals” in drinking water, a move that could leave people more exposed to the substances linked to cancer, high blood pressure and fertility problems. But any attempt to weaken the rule would run into a formidable statutory standard, experts say — the same one that has gotten EPA into legal messes in the past. Finalized last spring, EPA’s current rule requires water utilities to remove the man-made chemicals from drinking water starting in four years. Formally called per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, “forever chemicals” are known for their virtual indestructibility and have been found in approximately half the nation’s tap water.

Other drinking water news:

Aquafornia news Water Education Foundation

Announcement: Last call to register for Water 101 Workshop; upcoming tour of key water region nearing capacity; come to our open house!

Time is running out to register for next week’s Water 101 Workshop and go beyond recent national headlines to gain a deeper understanding of how water is managed and moved across California. Plus, only a handful of spots remain for the opportunity to extend your ‘beyond the headlines’ water education experience on our Central Valley Tour! And come one, come all to our annual Open House & Reception on May 1.  

Aquafornia news Post Independent (Glenwood Springs, Colo.)

Water returns to Highline Lake after zebra mussel contamination and cleanup

The headgates are open and water is returning to Highline Lake in the state park located outside of Grand Junction (Colo.).  The lake — fed by the Government Highline Canal and connected to the Colorado River — was drained in November after a years-long battle against invasive zebra mussels. Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced that it began refilling the lake on March 31.  The first adult zebra mussel was found in the lake in 2022, marking the first discovery of the species in Colorado water. After finding more mussels, Colorado Parks and Wildlife launched a response that included applying molluscicide to the lake, water sampling, cleanup efforts and ultimately, draining the lake entirely. This was the first time the lake was fully emptied in 60 years. 

Other Colorado River Basin news:

Aquafornia news Calexico Chronicle

(Imperial Irrigation District) board amends budget, OKs water forbearance agreement

The Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors on Tuesday, April 1, approved the first-quarter amendment to the 2025-2026 biennial budget. … The board also approved a new forbearance agreement with the state of California, pledging not to use water conserved by neighboring water districts, an action aimed at addressing ongoing water shortages in the region. The 2025 California Forbearance Agreement commits IID to forego using or diverting water conserved under agreements with Metropolitan Water District and Coachella Valley Water District, according to Tina Shields, IID Water Department manager.

Other water agency budget and rate news:

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Democrats’ forum on NOAA cuts draws fiery comments

A Navy admiral, a lawyer, a fisherman, an environmental group leader and a former head of the American Meteorological Society excoriated the Trump administration Wednesday for what they called a dangerous gutting of NOAA, the nation’s climate, weather and oceans agency. In a forum hosted by Democratic members of the House Natural Resources Committee, panelists representing a broad cross-section of experts and groups cast a grim picture of a core science agency hollowed out by firings and budget cuts. “I have hesitated to say this in prior instances in my life, but lives are at risk, people will die from this, I’m sorry to say,” Mary Glackin, the former AMS president and senior vice president of the Weather Company, told attendees of the hearing led by Rep. Seth Magaziner of Rhode Island.

Other NOAA news: