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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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Aquafornia news Politico

Thursday Top of the Scroll: NOAA nominee pledges full weather service staffing

President Donald Trump’s nominee to head NOAA pledged Wednesday to fully staff the National Weather Service, after catastrophic Texas floods triggered a new wave of criticism over the president’s deep cuts across government. Administration critics have wondered whether efforts to reduce the federal workforce and eliminate programs affected the government’s ability to warn residents. … Jacobs, whose background is in weather modeling, has advocated for retooling NOAA’s weather data collection processes, including through greater engagement with private-sector companies that operate their own satellites and would benefit from multibillion-dollar government contracts. … Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) told Jacobs that the nation cannot afford to retrench on climate change given its direct impacts on communities facing rising frequency and intensity of storms, floods, droughts, wildfire and other natural disasters.

Other NOAA news:

Aquafornia news The Colorado Sun (Denver)

Zebra mussel larvae spreading fast in Colorado River and nearby lakes on Western Slope

The Colorado River is now officially “positive” for invasive zebra mussels in the latest failure of containment for the voracious species, after three new samples came up with larvae July 3, from between Glenwood Springs and Silt. The main stem Colorado River discoveries piled on top of a confirmed “large number” of adult zebra mussels in a private body of water in western Eagle County, and two more positive larvae tests, at Highline Lake and Mack Mesa Lake, both near the Utah border, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said Wednesday. Sampling was redoubled throughout June after tests found a single zebra mussel larvae, or veliger, in the Colorado River from a June 9 collection. It’s the second year in a row veligers are being discovered in the West’s key river channel through Colorado, and now CPW officials are also dealing with a full-blown adult zebra mussel invasion in the privately owned Eagle County water. 

Related articles:

Aquafornia news Los Angeles Times

Warnings ignored: The grim connection between the L.A. wildfires and Texas floods

Two major climate disasters of 2025 — the Texas flooding that killed more than 100 people and the L.A. wildfires in January that resulted in 30 deaths and wiped out more than 15,000 homes and businesses — highlight the struggles officials face in fully preparing for extreme weather conditions. In both cases, the National Weather Service offered clear warnings of potentially life-threatening weather events; in Los Angeles, warnings were given days before extraordinary winds — of up to 100 mph — slammed a region already suffering from a record-dry fall. … Since then, there have been calls for sweeping reforms of how Los Angeles County prepares for disasters, and investigations into what went wrong. … With climate change bringing more extreme deadly weather, local emergency management officials around the nation are trying to keep up.

Other flood risk and emergency management news around the West:

Aquafornia news Water Education Foundation

Announcement: Last tickets for Klamath Tour up for grabs; theme announced for annual Water Summit; read the latest about FIRO and atmospheric rivers

The remaining handful of tickets for our first-ever Klamath River Tour are now up for grabs! This special water tour, Sept. 8 through Sept. 12, will not be offered every year, so check out the tour details here. Plus, register for the 41st annual Water Summit Oct. 1, themed Embracing Uncertainty in the West, and read our latest Western Water story on how FIRO is helping harness the power of atmospheric rivers.

Aquafornia news The Hill

Study: Air pollution, warming worsen US Southwest drought

The combined effects of climate change and air pollution have led to direct declines in precipitation in the U.S. Southwest, making drought inevitable, a new study has shown. These circumstances, which began taking hold in about 1980, are likely here to stay as the planet warms, according to the study, published on Wednesday in Nature Geoscience. Its authors attributed this decades-long trend toward less precipitation to La Niña-like conditions, weather patterns that lead to cooler surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Even if El Niño-like conditions had prevailed instead, the Southwest would not have experienced a corresponding surge in rainfall, the researchers found. … The post-1980 period in the U.S. Southwest exhibited the fastest soil-drying among past and future periods of similar lengths — a result that the authors attributed to human-induced warming and a decline in precipitation.

Other drought science and mitigation news:

Aquafornia news The Guardian (London, U.K.)

New Mexico sues US air force over PFAS pollution from military base

The state of New Mexico is suing the US air force over its refusal to comply with orders to address extremely high levels of Pfas pollution stemming from its base, which has tainted drinking water for tens of thousands of people, damaged crops and poisoned dairy cows. Though the military acknowledges Pfas-laden firefighting foam from Cannon air force base is the source of a four mile chemical plume in the aquifer below Clovis, New Mexico, it has refused to comply with most state orders to address the issue. … In 2018, Cannon’s Pfas was found to have poisoned drinking water for over 100 private wells, and has so far taken out one municipal well that serves Clovis, a city of 40,000 people. Levels found in surface water were about 27,000 times higher than US Environmental Protection Agency drinking water limits. … The air force has refused to pay a $70,000 state fine.

Other PFAS and microplastics news:

Aquafornia news Politico

California has an idea to counter Trump’s megabill: Roll back environmental laws

California lawmakers reeling from President Donald Trump’s assault on clean energy are considering a controversial strategy to keep projects on track — slashing environmental permitting further. That plan could intensify a fight between clean energy advocates and environmentalists over the trade-offs between building fast and environmental protection that’s already playing out at home. California officials are scrambling to respond to congressional Republicans’ budget “megabill,” signed into law Friday, which demolishes Biden-era tax credits that incentivize construction of large-scale solar and wind projects, home energy efficiency improvements and electric vehicle purchasing — centerpieces of blue states’ strategies to wean themselves off fossil fuels. Clean energy groups say it will be impossible for California — which already faces a tight budget — to replace those incentives, and are instead pushing lawmakers to cut red tape and allow projects to get shovels in the ground faster.

Other CEQA news:

Aquafornia news Los Angeles Times

‘Shaken up’: 31 workers scramble to safety after partial tunnel collapse

The frightening partial collapse of an L.A. County sanitation tunnel under construction left 31 workers scrambling to make their way to safety on Wednesday evening. … The accident took place in the Clearwater Project, which is designed to carry treated, cleanwastewater from the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant to the ocean. Prior to the accident, the tunnel was expected to reach Royal Palms Beach by the end of the year, at which point it would be seven miles long. The plant is the largest wastewater treatment plant owned and operated by the L.A. County Sanitation Districts. This is the first major incident that has taken place since construction on the project began in late 2019. Work on the tunnel itself started in 2021. But that work is paused for the foreseeable future, [L.A. County Sanitation Districts chief engineer Robert] Ferrante said on Wednesday night.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news The Nevada Independent (Las Vegas)

Study to monitor fireworks’ effect on Tahoe upended when fireworks-laden barge sinks

An isolated storm that caused large quantities of unexploded fireworks to spill into Lake Tahoe has derailed what was expected to be the most comprehensive modern study examining the effects of fireworks shows on the famed lake. Clean Up The Lake, a nonprofit group traditionally focused on removing subsurface lake pollution, including the use of the first human-powered circumnavigation cleanup of Lake Tahoe using SCUBA, switched gears this July to spearhead the study. It was aimed at examining the effects of fireworks on the lake, which has suffered for decades from declining clarity, aquatic invasive species invasions and other human-induced problems. … The study was geared toward examining not just trash, but also water quality, including microplastics in the water, and had the potential to show the effects of firework debris and large-scale public events at the lake. … The barge, which sank in the lake near Incline Village, housed the very fireworks Clean Up The Lake was planning to study after their detonation.  

Other Tahoe area water quality news:

Aquafornia news CNN

Young indigenous kayakers about to complete historic river journey on Klamath River, after ‘largest dam removal in US history’

Ruby Williams’ birthday was not your average 18th. She celebrated it on the Klamath River, with a group of young people making a historic journey paddling from the river’s headwaters in southern Oregon to its mouth in the Pacific Ocean, just south of Crescent City, California. It marked the first time in a century that the descent has been possible, after the recent removal of four dams allowed the river to flow freely. Williams, together with fellow paddler Keeya Wiki, 17, spoke to CNN on day 15 of their month-long journey, which they are due to complete on Friday. At this point, they had just 141 miles (227 kilometers) of the 310-mile (499 kilometer) journey left to go and had already passed through some of the most challenging rapids. … [Wiki said] “I think we’re all just so grateful, knowing that the salmon can finally go from the mouth to the headwaters, and that we can go from the headwaters to the mouth too.”

Other dam removal and fish restoration news:

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Companies seek pause of EPA coal ash cleanup rule

Energy companies that manage coal ash dumps have asked the Trump administration for relief from a new regulation requiring them to inspect and monitor those retention ponds for signs of pollution. If EPA grants their request, it could delay cleanup of one the nation’s most significant sources of industrial waste. In a sweeping rule issued last year, EPA directed companies to begin cleaning up over 100 coal ash dumps and landfills, some of which are known to leak toxic, cancer-causing metals like mercury, lead and arsenic into groundwater. Now, companies say they are struggling to evaluate those sites for signs of leaks and structural problems, as required under the rule. Describing the rule’s deadlines as “unreasonable and unworkable,” the Utility Solid Waste Activities Group has asked EPA to delay additional requirements until the agency creates a permit program to “review, approve, and verify the existence” of coal ash sites across the country, according to a letter viewed by POLITICO’s E&E News. 

Other EPA news:

Aquafornia news Voice of San Diego

Water managers want apology

… When the San Diego County Water Authority settled its long legal battle with the Metropolitan Water District, it brought to a close a nearly 20-year period of expensive and aggressive contention between the two agencies. The agency’s Board of Directors discussed re-upping the contract for the architect of the legal confrontation over all those years, Chris Frahm, from the law firm Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber and Schreck. It blew up into a tense dispute mainly between former San Diego City Councilmember Jim Madaffer, a board member, and General Counsel David Edwards. The dispute was about whether some of Frahm’s work deserved to be considered attorney-client privilege still (the general counsel was vehement it should be public.) … Now, several water managers in the region have sent a letter reiterating that they believe Frahm’s work should be public and demanding the Water Authority chair compel Madaffer to apologize for what could be considered threats and a hostile work environment.

Aquafornia news WaterWorld

Stantec selected to support California Water Plan

Stantec announced on July 8, 2025, that it has been selected by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to provide water resource planning and facilitation services to support the California Water Plan Update 2028, a document that serves as the state’s roadmap to set water management priorities in a changing climate. First published in the 1950s and updated every five years, the California Water Plan is the state’s strategic plan to sustainably manage and develop water resources for current and future generations. Required by California Water code Section 10005(a), Update 2028 will describe the status and trends of California’s water-dependent natural resources; water supplies; and agricultural, urban, and environmental water demands for a range of plausible future scenarios. The document guides state and local agencies to sustainably manage water resources in a manner that benefits all water uses and users in California.

Aquafornia news SJV Water

Porterville city leader jumps ship to manage new water agency

A new groundwater sustainability agency that has struggled to get its footing in recent months is on a fresh trajectory with a new general manager.  Michael Knight, Porterville assistant city manager, is leaving the city to take the reins as manager of the Porterville Groundwater Sustainability Agency. He also will serve as assistant manager for Porterville Irrigation District. His first day is Aug. 4. … Landowners have repeatedly voiced concerns over management and transparency issues since the Porterville ID board voted to break away from the embattled Eastern Tule GSA in February. That move came amidst fallout from a ruling by the state Water Resources Control Board to place the Tule subbasin on probation for its lack of a cohesive groundwater plan that would staunch runaway subsidence in the region and protect domestic wells. 

Aquafornia news The Washington Post

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: Trump’s NOAA pick appears in confirmation hearing days after Texas floods

U.S. senators are set to interview President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday in a confirmation hearing that may be charged with concern over whether massive cuts to the agency’s workforce may have contributed to the deaths of more than 100 people when torrential rain flooded Central Texas early Friday. In the five months since Trump chose Neil Jacobs to serve as NOAA administrator, hundreds of NOAA scientists and meteorologists have left the agency through firings, buyouts and retirements. … Jacobs has emphasized a need for the United States to improve the accuracy of its weather forecasting models, which routinely perform worse than models operated in Europe and, at times, Canada. He has most recently served as chief science adviser for the Unified Forecast System, an initiative he has spearheaded to improve U.S. weather and climate forecasting accuracy using government, academic and private-sector data.

Other NOAA news:

Aquafornia news SJV Water

State wants to better understand salt build up in the Central Valley, starting with Kings County

A state water quality agency hopes to tackle a problem as old as civilization itself – salt build up from irrigation. The Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-Term Sustainability (CV-SALTS) is working with local water managers and using state-of-the-art engineering software to understand how groundwater moves through the western Kings and Delta-Mendota subbasins as part of a long-term salt study. The salt study, which began in 2022, aims to develop a Central Valley-wide plan to manage salinity, focusing first on the Kings and Delta-Mendota subbasins. … The salt study is still laying the groundwork to understand the complex San Joaquin Valley watershed and aquifer system. CV-SALTS will begin developing water and salt management plans by 2026 and develop a prioritization plan by 2028.

Other groundwater news:

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

EPA’s next PFAS headache: Sewage sludge

Six months after EPA warned about “forever chemicals” tainting sewage sludge, states are resorting to a patchwork of policies as the agency’s path forward on the widely used farmland fertilizer remains unclear. In the final days of the Biden administration, EPA inched toward regulating the toxic chemicals in sewage sludge, releasing a draft report outlining risks to people living near farms that use the foul-smelling, nutrient-rich material to grow crops. Now, as the Trump administration weighs options for addressing contamination concerns, states and localities are struggling with how to respond to growing evidence that sludge fertilizer can spread forever chemicals. … Also known as biosolids, sewage sludge is the partially dry byproduct of treated sewage from municipal and industrial sources. EPA has long touted selling the material to farmers, a practice that frees up landfill space and reduces reliance on chemical fertilizer.

Other forever chemicals and microplastics news:

Aquafornia news KQED (San Francisco)

California could flood like Texas. But thunderstorms likely won’t be to blame

A major thunderstorm like the one that produced devastating flash flooding in Texas over the holiday weekend is not likely in the Bay Area or most of California, but climate scientists say that if the perfect weather at the right time of year and geography align, serious flooding can still wreak havoc here. … A big flash-flood-producing thunderstorm in California isn’t entirely out of the picture and can occur during the summertime in the Sierra Nevada or the deserts across the southeastern part of the state. “The kind of thing that happened in Texas could also happen in California,” said Nicholas Pinter, associate director of the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences. “Anyone out hiking in confined, rugged topography needs to be aware that we have this risk of flash flooding in California, kind of similar to Texas.”

Other flood risk news:

Aquafornia news Los Angeles Times

California moves closer to ‘30×30′ conservation goals as threats to public lands loom

California officials have moved closer to their goal of conserving 30% of lands and coastal waters by the target year of 2030, a revelation that arrives as the Trump administration advances directives that could claw back areas that were set aside. Nearly five years after the inception of the so-called 30×30 initiative, California has conserved 26.1% of its lands and 21.9% of its coastal waters — or roughly 41,000 square miles and 1,150 square miles, respectively — according to a California Natural Resources Agency report released Monday. In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order that set the 30×30 effort in motion. The initiative kicked off in earnest two years later when officials released a detailed road map for the plan. At that time, approximately 23.8% of lands and 16.2% of coastal waters were conserved. The stated goals of the 30×30 initiative extend beyond conservation. The plan also seeks to restore biodiversity, expand Californians’ access to nature and help mitigate and build resilience to climate change.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news Circle of Blue

Blog: Changing crucial definition in endangered species act undermines purpose of Klamath Dam removal

Swimming past the California-Oregon border, a lost fish — one of thousands — finds its way home after an exile of over 100 years. As swarms of salmon migrate north to Oregon along the Klamath River, youth from across the region’s indigenous tribes kayak south through northern California to the Pacific Ocean — a 300-mile celebratory journey that would not have been possible just a year ago. What’s changed? Beneath the fish and kayaks lie the watery graves of four dams, built in the early 20th century and dismantled over the past two years at a cost of $500 million, the largest and most ambitious dam removal in history. The return of salmon to the upper Klamath River represents a victory for nature, an exhibition of the century-long transition in how Americans view the environment, and a signal achievement of the 1973 Endangered Species Act. 

Other dam removal and anadromous fish restoration news: