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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 Los Angeles Times

Friday Top of the Scroll: Newsom pledges to move forward with Delta water tunnel in California

Gov. Gavin Newsom said his administration is “moving forward aggressively” to continue laying the groundwork for a giant tunnel beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to replumb the state’s water system. “We got to move faster. Move faster,” Newsom said … during a speech Thursday at a conference held by the Assn. of California Water Agencies. … Newsom cast the tunnel as a “climate adaptation project,” noting that climate change is projected to shrink the amount of water the state can deliver with its current infrastructure. … The project is particularly acrimonious, drawing out geographical battles between north and south and thorny fights between officials who want to build the tunnel and environmentalists and Delta residents seeking to protect the local ecosystem and their way of life.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news AP News

EPA to propose rolling back some Biden-era PFAS limits in drinking water under Trump plan

The Trump administration will soon propose softening Biden-era limits on “forever chemicals” in drinking water, delaying but keeping tough standards for two common types and rescinding limits on some rarer forms of the substance, according to an EPA official. The proposal will start the formal process of rolling back parts of the first-ever limits on PFAS in drinking water finalized during former President Joe Biden’s administration. … Jessica Kramer, head of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water, said at a conference in Washington, D.C., on Thursday the agency intended to rescind and revisit certain limits she said were improperly issued by the Biden administration. 

Other PFAS news:

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Outlook for the Colorado River gets even worse

Federal forecasters are predicting an increasingly dire summer across the Colorado River basin, with the latest projections showing the waterway on track for record-low flows. The Colorado Basin River Forecast Center’s May projections for the West’s most important river show just 13 percent of average flowsinto the river’s biggest headwaters reservoir, Lake Powell, amounting to just 800,000 acre-feet. “The record hot and dry winter is the main story,” Cody Moser, a hydrologist with the center, said on a webinar Thursday. “Just really no good news this winter.” Monitoring stations across the region’s mountainous headwaters registered record-low snowpack at many locations, he said.

Other Colorado River management news:

Aquafornia news Los Angeles Times

The Tijuana River is an emergency, coalition says and proposes package to clean it up

The heinously polluted Tijuana River, which has sickened residents and even researchers with its hydrogen sulfide fumes, is gaining attention, and now a coalition of politicians, activists, physicians and economists are pushing California Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare the fetid and toxic river valley a public health emergency. They’ve also put together a plan to clean it up and are pleading with state lawmakers to fund it, even as the state faces a multibillion-dollar deficit. … Among the elements in the package announced Thursday: state Senate Bill 58, which would establish air quality standards for hydrogen sulfide, a toxic pollutant emitted from the river, and Senate Bill 1046, which would set standards and guidelines for workers employed near the river.

Other Tijuana River news:

Aquafornia news SeafoodSource

Trump proposes 41 percent cut to NOAA Fisheries budget, transferring ESA and MMPA responsibilities

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed a 41 percent budget cut to NOAA Fisheries, which includes the removal of effectively all protected species and habitat conservation functions. …  The proposal mirrors many of Trump’s priorities in the fiscal year 2026 budget proposal. … Trump is again pushing for steep spending cuts and the elimination of conservation and habitat work at NOAA Fisheries. Many of those conservation functions – specifically around the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA) – would instead be transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Spending on some projects – such as Species Recovery Grants – would be outright terminated. 

Other NOAA Fisheries news:

Aquafornia news FOX13 (Salt Lake City)

Data center owner withdraws water application, project to continue

The group behind a controversial data center in Box Elder County has filed a notice to withdraw its water rights application, but it does not appear it will abandon the project. In a notice sent Wednesday to the Utah State Engineer, Bar H Ranch announced its application will “be stopped and the application be considered withdrawn.” Utah State Engineer Teresa Wilhelmsen’s office confirmed to FOX 13 News on Thursday morning that she had canceled the application, ending any review of their water rights application. It’s expected that the company will resubmit its application at a later time. … [M]ore than 3,800 people paid $15 and submitted formal protests to the Utah State Engineer over a 1,900-acre-foot water rights application for the data center.

Other data center water use news around the West:

Aquafornia news ABC7 (Denver, Colo.)

Colorado storm offers drought relief, but reservoirs still far down

A late spring snowstorm is offering a brief reprieve from drought conditions across the Front Range, but experts say the region still has a long way to go. … Denver7 Chief Meteorologist Lisa Hidalgo said the storm did provide some benefit to the state’s snowpack but cautioned that drought concerns remain. “I think at one point we were down to about 18% of normal — as of this morning with this most recent snow, statewide snowpack is at about 25% of normal,” Hidalgo said. “People are still going to be mindful, and we’ll likely see more drought restrictions pop up here.” Many Front Range residents are already under water restrictions, including limits on lawn irrigation. 

Other Colorado drought news:

Aquafornia news Navajo Times

Arizona water future tied to unresolved tribal rights

The future of Arizona’s water will depend not only on Colorado River negotiations and groundwater policy, but also on long-unresolved tribal water rights, three water experts told attendees at the 99th Annual Arizona Water Conference and Exhibition here on April 28. … [T]he Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement is one step toward addressing that gap. The settlement involves 39 parties, including the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the state of Arizona, the Arizona Department of Water Resources, Salt River Project and the city of Flagstaff. The settlement would resolve claims involving the upper and lower Colorado River, the Little Colorado River, Cibola allocations, groundwater and supplies tied to the Navajo-owned Big Boquillas Ranch.

Other tribal water news:

Aquafornia news Smart Water Magazine

Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) appoints Karla Nemeth as next Executive Director

The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) has appointed Karla Nemeth, current director of the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), as its next Executive Director. The announcement was made by ACWA President Ernie Avila following a nationwide recruitment process and approval from the association’s Board of Directors. Nemeth will assume the role on 1 September, succeeding the leadership of the organisation that represents around 470 public water agencies across California. … Nemeth has led the California Department of Water Resources since 2018, after being appointed by Governor Jerry Brown and later reappointed by Governor Gavin Newsom.

Aquafornia news Weather.com

Super El Niño increasingly likely, could be record strong

A super El Niño is increasingly likely later this year, and it could become record strong with potential global impacts on rainfall and temperatures from summer through winter. … The majority of model forecasts now suggest there is at least a 50-50 chance this El Niño could become a “super El Niño,” one in which ocean surface temperatures are at least 2 degrees Celsius warmer than average. … In winter, the southern, or subtropical, branch of the jet stream usually is turbocharged in a stronger El Niño. That means a wetter winter usually is the result across the southern tier of states from parts of California and the Desert Southwest. … This could also mean more snow across these areas if the air is cold enough.

Other weather and water forecast news:

Aquafornia news Surfrider Foundation

Blog: Planting the rain at Gardena Willows Wetlands

The Gardena Willows Wetlands Preserve is full of huge willow trees, ponds teeming with chorus frogs, and immersive walking trails. … Stormwater runoff from the surrounding neighborhood passes through the Gardena Willows Wetlands before flowing into the Dominguez Channel and out to San Pedro Bay. Pollutants and nutrients in the runoff are naturally filtered by native plants and living soils within the wetlands before flowing downstream, supporting clean water at the coast. The South Bay Chapter’s Teach and Test Program just opened their second Blue Water Task Force Lab location at the Gardena Willows, an exciting expansion that will introduce more students to hands-on water quality monitoring and community science. 

Other wetlands news:

Aquafornia news Utah News Dispatch

Thursday Top of the Scroll: As Flaming Gorge starts to shrink, questions — and new ideas — about its future grow

To boost a dwindling Lake Powell hundreds of miles downstream and keep its dam generating electricity for more than 350,000 homes, federal officials are planning to let out as much as one-third of the water in Flaming Gorge over the next year. … In a way, it’s familiar territory. A similar effort four years ago sent big quantities of water from Flaming Gorge into the Green River, eventually reaching the Colorado River and feeding into Lake Powell. But the new plan could draw down up to double the 2022 amount. … Matt Tippets, chair of the three-member commission for Daggett County, which encompasses the Utah side of Flaming Gorge, is staying optimistic, saying the reservoir will remain vast even if it dips down to just 60% full. … “If this happens two or three times, two or three years in a row, it may be dire, but I don’t believe we’re at that point yet.” 

Other Colorado River news:

Aquafornia news The Washington Post

Why the odds keep rising for the strongest El Niño in a century

Chances are rising that an El Niño expected to form soon could become one of the most powerful such events on record, according to new data released this week. … It’s the third consecutive month that multiple models have predicted that a potentially record-breaking El Niño could drive global temperatures to new highs and shift patterns of droughts, floods, heat, humidity and sea ice across the planet. … Above-average summer and fall temperatures in the Western U.S., possibly coming with unusual humidity, downpours and tropical storm remnants in the Southwest and Intermountain West. … This could contribute to milder winter temperatures in the U.S. — as well as big storms along the West Coast … as El Niño’s impacts reach a peak from the end of the year into early 2027.

Other El Niño news:

Aquafornia news Association of California Water Agencies

News release: ACWA names Nemeth as executive director

California Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth has been selected to lead the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) as its next executive director, President Ernie Avila announced today. Her selection follows a nationwide recruitment process and overwhelming support of the association’s Board of Directors. Effective Sept. 1, Nemeth will oversee staff of the nation’s largest statewide coalition of public water agencies. Based in Sacramento, ACWA represents approximately 470 members responsible for 90 percent of the water delivered to cities, farms and businesses across California. 

Aquafornia news The New York Times

More miles of the country’s rivers were reconnected last year thanks to dam removals than at any other time in history

… Last year, more sections of the country’s rivers were reconnected thanks to dam removals than at any other time in history, according to the nonprofit group American Rivers. … But federal money allocated to rehabilitate and remove dams is far less than what’s needed. … Under the Trump administration, many federal grants for dam removal and safety have also stalled amid staffing and budget cuts. … In April, the Trump administration intervened in PG&E’s decommissioning of two hydropower dams in Northern California. The two dams have not produced electricity since 2021 because of equipment failure and the utility determined that fixing the equipment didn’t make economic sense. But the administration said they were needed for water security. 

Other dam removal news:

Aquafornia news Water Education Foundation

Announcement: Big Day of Giving is here! Make a BIG splash for water education with a donation today!

Today is Big Day of Giving! Your donation will help the Water Education Foundation continue its work to enhance public understanding of our most precious natural resource in California and across the West – water. Big Day of Giving is a 24-hour regional fundraising event that has profound benefits for our educational programs and publications on drought, floods, groundwater, snowpack, rivers and reservoirs in California and the Colorado River Basin. Your tax-deductible donation of any size helps support our tours, scholarships, teacher training workshops, free access to our daily water newsfeed and more. You have until midnight to help us reach our $10,000 fundraising goal!

Aquafornia news Ag Alert (California Farm Bureau)

Groundwater law begins reshaping valley

… Under SGMA, which is implemented by local agencies, groundwater basins have until 2040 or 2042 to achieve sustainability. But since 2020 or 2022, depending on local conditions, groundwater agencies have been required to prevent “undesirable results” such as land subsidence and household wells running dry. In the San Joaquin Valley, where the aquifers are especially depleted, preventing those outcomes requires major changes ahead of the law’s final deadline. Groundwater agencies covering much of the valley adopted pumping limits, or allocations, within the past few years as the state began cracking down on subbasins with inadequate plans. … The pumping reductions required by SGMA could cause as much as 20% of the San Joaquin Valley’s farmland to be taken out of production by 2040, according to a report by the Public Policy Institute of California.

Aquafornia news Aspen Times (Colo.)

Colorado anglers fear drought will make it ‘hard to keep fish alive’ this summer

Colorado’s trout fisheries could face a difficult summer, impacting the state’s billion-dollar angling industry, as widespread drought conditions drive predictions that streamflows will be well below-average. Kirk Klancke, the president of the Colorado Headwaters Chapter of Trout Unlimited, said he is concerned that the drought will stress fisheries this summer, especially if temperatures are anywhere near as elevated as they were this winter. “If this summer is anything like this past winter was, the chances are pretty good that there’s going to be fish kills in our streams,” Klancke said. … Colorado, and much of the West, experienced one of the hottest, driest winters on record. 

Other drought impact news:

Aquafornia news Public Policy Institute of California

Blog: Tracking headwaters management for wildfire resilience in California

Headwaters are the landscapes where California’s streams and rivers begin. … Up until about 150 years ago, most of California’s headwater forests experienced frequent, lower-intensity fires that kept understories open, limited brush, and supported mature, fire-resilient tree species with high, widely spaced canopies—conditions that also helped sustain reliable water supplies. … Fire suppression has allowed vegetation to build up, increasing the risk of high-severity wildfires. This has major implications for the state’s water supply. When headwater forests burn in severe wildfires, those fires disrupt the processes that regulate water supply—reducing snowpack, degrading water quality downstream, and increasing sediment in reservoirs.

Other water and wildfire news:

Aquafornia news NBC9 (Denver, Colo.)

Will this May snowstorm impact water restrictions?

A spring snowstorm across the Denver metro area is bringing moisture and a temporary break from dry conditions, but water managers say it will do little to improve the region’s long-term supply. Despite steady rain and snow in cities like Denver and Aurora, the storm largely missed key mountain basins that feed the reservoirs serving much of the Front Range. … Most of the water used in Aurora and Denver comes from snowpack in the mountains, which melts gradually and flows into river systems like the South Platte, Colorado and Arkansas basins. This year, that snowpack has been far below normal. … As a result, even a noticeable storm in the metro area is not expected to make much of a difference.

Other snowpack news: