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 Chris Bowman.
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It’s been said in different ways by a variety of people, but
there’s more than just a grain of truth in it: If the federal
bureaucracy or a socialist regime were ever put in charge of
the Sahara Desert, there would eventually be a shortage of
sand. This helps explain why there is such a scarcity of water
in California that permanent use restrictions have been, for
the first time in the state’s history, set. On July 3, the
California State Water Resources Control
Board approved the rules for “Making Conservation a
California Way of Life.” Under this framework, retail water
suppliers are going to have to figure out how to meet the
imposed “water use objective,” which “is 70% or less of the
supplier’s average annual water use” in 2024-26 by July
2040. —Written by Kerry Jackson, William Clement Fellow in
California Reform at the Pacific Research Institute.
States across the country continue to add to the growing
patchwork of restrictions for per- and polyfluoroalkyl
substances (PFAS) in products, posing challenges for those who
manufacture, distribute, and sell products in the U.S. In 2024
alone, states introduced nearly 250 bills addressing PFAS,
including restrictions for PFAS in products. Thirteen states
have already enacted laws regulating PFAS in products,
including (as previously reported) Minnesota and California. In
the past few months, Maine, Colorado, Connecticut, Vermont, and
Rhode Island have joined the list, each with its own unique and
nuanced set of requirements, deadlines and exemptions. The
variations in these state laws presents a complicated
compliance matrix, necessitating an informed and strategic
approach, particularly for companies navigating the
complexities of extensive, global supply chains.
The Marin County Public Works Department hopes to complete a
$2.5 million project by mid-winter that will ease, but not
eradicate, the flooding problem in Marin City. The project
calls for the purchase of two portable pumps and the
installation of 1,400 feet of pipes to transport rainwater more
quickly to Marin City Pond, a 3-acre detention basin next to
the Gateway Shopping Center. “The pumps won’t solve the
problem;” said Rosemarie Gaglione, the county’s public works
director, “but they’re going to improve it very much.” Gaglione
said that because of the topography in Marin City, a major
storm is not required for flooding to occur there. She noted
that the area has flooded at least once every year since she
joined the county three years ago.
Leaders from the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe and Southern San
Juan Paiute Tribe led a unified call for federal support of the
Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement
in Washington last week. Navajo Nation Council Speaker
Crystalyne Curley, Council Delegate Carl Slater and Navajo
Nation President Buu Nygren met with Congressional members and
the U.S. Department of the Interior, and testified at a hearing
July 23 to examine several proposed Indian water rights
settlements in Arizona, New Mexico and Montana which
collectively total more than $12 billion.
A crusade to combat the proliferation of poop in Colorado’s
backcountry entered a new frontier this week with the creation
of a “Clean 14” initiative focusing on the state’s iconic
14,000-foot peaks. A kiosk opened Tuesday at the north
trailhead to Mount Elbert, the state’s highest peak at 14,437
feet, where hikers can pick up free bags designed to pack out
human waste. Bags used on the trail can be left in a receptacle
contained in the kiosk, 4,400 feet below the summit. The Clean
14 effort is a partnership involving the Colorado
Fourteeners Initiative, the Leave No Trace Center for
Outdoor Ethics and Pact Outdoors, a Gunnison
company that produces the pack-out bags.
After decades of advocacy by environmental groups, a tiny
silver fish is finally getting federal protection in San
Francisco Bay. On Monday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
announced that the bay’s population of longfin smelt is now on
the federal endangered species list, 12 years after the agency
first deemed the fish threatened or endangered. Once so
abundant that it was fished commercially, the fish has plunged
in numbers by over 99% since the 1980s. The roughly
4-inch fish joins five other San Francisco Bay species on the
federal endangered species list — a dubious distinction
that should offer it better protections. Longfin smelt,
which also spend time in the ocean, do not spawn as much in
years when there is not enough freshwater flowing into the bay
during winter and early spring, scientific studies have found.
… Reestablishing the population of longfin smelt
will require fewer diversions of Sierra Nevada water from
Central Valley rivers to farms and other human uses, said Jon
Rosenfield, senior scientist at the nonprofit organization San
Francisco Baykeeper.
…. Megafires burn land at higher temperatures across wider
areas than standard wildfires, putting watersheds across the
United States at greater risk. Sheila Murphy, a research
hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey working on the
effects of wildfires on water quality, says burned areas
fundamentally alter a watershed’s hydrology. As wildfires burn
hotter and consume more trees and structures, water quality
will continue to worsen, research suggests. When watersheds
burn, the threat starts in the forests, continues to water
treatment plants, and can expand to communities and households.
To meet these risks, it will take a coalition of informed
community members, scientists and city officials to work toward
solutions to protect clean water supplies.
Three years ago, climate researchers shocked drought-weary
Californians when they revealed that the American West was
experiencing its driest 22-year period in 1,200 years, and that
this severe megadrought was being intensified by global
warming. Now, a UCLA climate scientist has reexamined the data
and found that, even after two wet winters, the last 25 years
are still likely the driest quarter-century since the year 800.
… The latest climate data show that the years since 2000 in
western North America — from Montana to California to northern
Mexico — have been slightly drier on average than a similar
megadrought in the late 1500s.
According to new data from the California Surveillance of
Wastewater Systems Network, the detection of COVID-19 in San
Joaquin Valley wastewater has risen substantially and is now
categorized as ‘high.’ The network tracks COVID-19 levels in
wastewater across the state. Dr. Trinidad Solis, Deputy Health
Officer for the Fresno County Department of Health, spoke with
KVPR’s Elizabeth Arakelian about the recent rise in COVID-19
detection. Dr. Solis says while there has not been a
significant increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations in Fresno
County, all Central Valley residents should be doing more to
take precautions against the virus.
As water shortages loom in Baja California, the state’s plans
for a desalination plant are back on track after years of
delay. An undeveloped 50-acre plot next to a power plant in
northern Rosarito Beach – envisioned as the site of the
proposed desalination facility – is now in Mexican government
hands. By the end of the year, the state of Baja California
expects to invite prospective developers to submit bids.
Supporters say it’s not a moment too soon. Global warming
threatens to reduce future deliveries from the Colorado River,
the state’s main water supply. Like San Diego, Baja
California’s coastal regions are largely dependent on the
Colorado River for water, and authorities face growing pressure
to find alternate sources.
Farmers consume nearly 7% of California’s electricity. The vast
majority of this electricity is used to power groundwater
pumps, which farmers rely on for irrigating thirsty, high-value
crops such as grapes, almonds, and pistachios. Groundwater is
especially important during drought years, when farmers need to
make up for surface water shortages by pulling water out of the
Central Valley’s underground aquifers. In a new Energy
Institute working paper, Energy Institute alums Fiona Burlig,
Louis Preonas, and Matt Woerman measure the extent to which
higher electricity prices cause farmers to reduce their
groundwater use.
The San Miguel Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted on
Wednesday, July 24, to sign onto the Western District (Colorado
Counties) letter to preserve Shoshone water rights. The letter,
addressed to Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and John
Hickenlooper, is in support of the Colorado River Water
Conservation District’s aim to acquire and permanently protect
the Shoshone water rights. The Shoshone Power Plant, off
Interstate 70 near Glenwood Springs, possesses the oldest
senior water rights directly on the Colorado River in Colorado.
The plant generates 15 megawatts of electricity. This flow from
Shoshone is critical in helping avoid low water levels further
down the river.
The city of San Diego is currently building a massive
wastewater-to-drinking water recycling system – but it must
tear up the streets to do it. The new pipe route tunnels from
Morena Pump Station near the San Diego International Airport,
then 10 miles north to University City and then another 8 miles
to Miramar Reservoir, the final stop for all our transformed
toilet water. But wait – why is San Diego drinking its
own sewage in the first place? And how is that even
possible? Right now, San Diego depends largely on water
imported from hundreds of miles away, a plant in Carlsbad that
makes ocean water drinkable and the small amount of rain that
falls locally. But that imported water is growing less
dependable as climate change and overuse zap the Colorado River
and Sierra Nevada snowpack of its reliability.
California should take urgent and bold measures to adapt its
$59 billion agriculture sector to climate change as the amount
of water available for crops declines, according to a
collaborative report by University of California faculty from
four campuses. Published in the Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences, the report provides a roadmap
for more water capture, storage, and distribution systems that
are in harmony with climate projections and ecosystems. It
further considers how runoff and groundwater can be used
repeatedly as it flows generally from mountainsides to coastal
lands.
The Santa Fe Irrigation District and San Dieguito Water
District have filed a lawsuit against the City of San Diego
over alleged “negligent” maintenance on the Lake Hodges Dam.
The aging dam underwent emergency repairs in 2022 and the
districts’ suit seeks financial damages of $21 million due to
breach of contract and resulting loss of access to local water
which they say has forced them to raise water rates, negatively
impacting customers. The lawsuit also alleges a violation of
California’s Public Records Act, according to a press release
issued by the district. San Diego’s office of the city attorney
said they had not yet been served with the suit as of July 26
and were unable to provide comment at this time.
Summer is here, and the Russian River is a favorite spot for
cooling off. But is it really safe to take a dip? The answer is
complicated. Recent water quality tests reveal a mixed picture.
Coliform bacteria are a group of microorganisms commonly found
in the environment, including human and animal feces. The US
EPA recommends that fresh recreational water for body contact
have fewer than 126 colonies per 100 milliliters
(mL). … High levels of coliform bacteria, including
E. coli, pose significant health risks. Ingesting contaminated
water or exposing open wounds can lead to gastrointestinal
illnesses and skin infections. Symptoms can range from mild
discomfort to more severe conditions requiring medical
attention. A key culprit is the aging and failing septic
systems along the lower Russian River, particularly between
Guerneville and Monte Rio.
The mining of lithium, a material used in most rechargeable
batteries, is essential in the age of electrification, but the
process has notable environmental downsides. Now, as
Interesting Engineering reports, a “greener” method of
harvesting it has surfaced. In order to support our
renewable energy infrastructure and growing adoption of
electric vehicles, we’ll need more lithium. Currently, around
half of the world’s supply comes from South America and places
such as Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. Miners drill holes in
salt flats and pump a mineral-rich brine to the surface, per
the article. Unfortunately, that process uses massive
amounts of water. Around 500,000 gallons are used for each ton
of lithium obtained, a valuable resource in those arid
locations. Additionally, sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide are
commonly used in the extraction, which are harmful to
ecosystems and local wildlife.
The federal government is giving more than a half-billion
dollars to coastal communities to help them use nature-based
preventative measures to address climate-related flooding and
other disasters. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration announced it is allocating $575 million to 19
resiliency projects in several states, with a particular
emphasis on Native American, urban and traditionally
underserved communities that experience repeated floods,
wildfires and other weather-related disasters.
… The fire also is burning near two creeks that provide
critical habitat for struggling salmon. Scientists and
officials said they’re concerned the fire could bring another
severe blow for threatened spring-run chinook
salmon, which typically spend the summer in Deer Creek
and Mill Creek before spawning in the fall. “It’s a very
serious threat, depending on how this fire proceeds,” said
Andrew Rypel, a professor of fish ecology and director of UC
Davis’ Center for Watershed Sciences. Even before the fire,
biologists were so alarmed about a recent crash in the
spring-run salmon population that last year they began
capturing juvenile fish from Deer Creek to breed them in
captivity. Rypel said a large fire like this one could
seriously harm water quality to a point that would kill
fish.
Tracking every move of the Colorado River’s biggest reservoirs
has become a routine for water managers across the West. As
runoff season comes to a close, the latest hopeful sign comes
from Lake Powell, the country’s second-biggest
reservoir. Its water level this week was the highest it has
been in more than three years — 3,586 feet. It’s a mark of two
good snowpack years in a row and successful conservation
efforts.That’s a positive change after the reservoir hit an
all-time low in April 2022, especially in light of news
that Glen Canyon Dam’s lower tubes could be damaged.
Some of this success can be attributed to the 2019 Drought
Contingency Plan, where Lower Basin states — Nevada,
California and Arizona — voluntarily took cuts in their river
water and increased conservation, said John Entsminger, general
manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority. … But in
the larger context of what were considered average conditions
between 2000 and 2020, the Colorado River Basin isn’t where it
needs to be to mitigate Western drought that’s only intensified
over the past two decades.
