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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 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:

Aquafornia news San Diego Union-Tribune

Another survey spotlights how sewage crisis has affected region’s quality of life

People who live, work or visit communities near the Tijuana River Valley, where untreated wastewater spills over from Mexico, attribute their worsening physical and mental health issues to the cross-border pollution, a federal survey about the sewage crisis found. County public health officials on Tuesday released the findings on behalf of the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which made its online survey available from Oct. 21 through Nov. 22, 2024. More than 2,000 people from Coronado, Imperial Beach, Nestor, Otay Mesa West, San Ysidro and Silver Strand responded. The survey, called an Assessment for Chemical Exposures or ACE, follows a similar survey the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched in October, which also highlighted the severe effect of the crisis on daily life and health. The CDC’s randomized, in-person survey captured data from a much smaller sample. But both document what residents and workers have said for years: the ongoing pollution is affecting their quality of life.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news AP News

Flash flooding hits mountain village in New Mexico, 3 missing

At least three people were missing in a mountain village in southern New Mexico that is a popular summer retreat after monsoon rains triggered flash flooding Tuesday that was so intense an entire house was swept downstream. … In New Mexico, officials urged residents to seek higher ground Tuesday afternoon as the waters of the Rio Ruidoso rose nearly 19 feet (2.7 meters) in a matter of minutes amid heavy rainfall. The National Weather Service issued flood warnings in the area, which was stripped of vegetation by recent wildfires. … Matt DeMaria, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, said storms formed in the early afternoon over terrain that was scorched last year by wildfire. The burn scar was unable to absorb a lot of the rain, as water quickly ran downhill into the river. Preliminary measurements show the Rio Ruidoso crested at more than 20 feet (6 meters) — a record high if confirmed — and was receding Tuesday evening.

Other monsoon and drought news around the West:

Aquafornia news Brookings

Blog: Rethinking regionalization — water utilities as economic development partners

Amid funding and programmatic uncertainty, many communities are testing new plans, exploring new financing tools, and even rethinking how they govern and operate their water infrastructure. Aging distribution pipes, overwhelmed sewers, and other vulnerable systems not only pose environmental and public health risks, but also strain state and local budgets, as well as those of the public utilities that own and operate this infrastructure.   Now, “regionalization”—collaborations or partnerships among geographically proximate local water systems—is gaining renewed momentum nationally as a potential solution. But the specifics of how communities pursue regional coordination vary widely, and simply focusing on the economics of small systems to do so overlooks a key point: how utilities can more effectively function as essential community and economic partners and service providers.  

Aquafornia news Beveridge & Diamond PC

Blog: California passes major CEQA reforms — key takeaways for the regulated community

Last week, California enacted the most significant reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) since the mid-1970s. On June 30, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 131 and Assembly Bill 130 into law, effective immediately. These laws will streamline or exempt new project categories from CEQA review and reduce litigation risks across the state. These unprecedented changes mark a significant shift in how CEQA will shape project timelines and risk profiles for developers, public agencies, and regulated industries. The new framework also raises important questions about the future impacts on environmental protections and environmental justice communities throughout the state.

Other CEQA news:

Aquafornia news Medical Express

Reducing multiple tap water contaminants could prevent over 50,000 cancer cases

Drinking water treatment that pursues a multi-contaminant approach, tackling several pollutants at once, could prevent more than 50,000 lifetime cancer cases in the U.S., finds a new study by the Environmental Working Group. The finding challenges the merits of regulating one tap water contaminant at a time, the long‑standing practice of states and the federal government. In the paper, published in the journal Environmental Research, EWG scientists analyzed more than a decade of data from over 17,000 community water systems. They found that two cancer‑causing chemicals—arsenic and hexavalent chromium, or chromium‑6—often appear together in systems and can be treated using the same technologies. If water systems with chromium‑6 contamination also reduce arsenic levels to a range from 27% to 42%, this action could avoid up to quadrupling the number of cancer cases compared to just lowering chromium‑6 levels alone, the study finds.

Aquafornia news Tahoe Daily Tribune

Keep Tahoe Blue, Sierra Watch, and Palisades Tahoe reach settlement agreement on the resort’s development project

Palisades Tahoe has reached an agreement with Keep Tahoe Blue and Sierra Watch to settle litigation challenging proposed development in Olympic Valley. The organizations have issued the following shared statement: “Sierra Watch, Keep Tahoe Blue, and Palisades Tahoe negotiated in good faith to find a solution that effectively ends the fourteen-year conflict over Olympic Valley while supporting the social, economic, and environmental needs of Olympic Valley and the Lake Tahoe region.” Placer County will now need to approve the revised blueprint, which would end the conservation groups’ legal challenge to the County’s 2024 approvals. … Key to Keep Tahoe Blue’s mission, the agreement cuts upwards of 38% of daily car trips, many of which would have entered the Tahoe Basin, along with preventing more traffic, air pollution, and water pollution that would have threatened the Lake’s water quality and clarity.

Other ski resort water pollution news:

Aquafornia news Data Center Dynamics

American data center operator Novva launches facility in Nevada

American data center operator Novva has launched a facility in Nevada. The data center is located in the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center, an industrial park found east of Reno in Storey County. As announced in May 2023, the facility will offer 60MW of capacity across 300,000 sq ft (27,870 sqm). This will be split across six 10MW raised floor data halls. A 100MW on-site substation will supply power from NV Energy, a Nevada utility. The company says that the data center will use water-free direct-to-chip cooling and offer robot dog monitoring. Novva has stated that additional capacity will be made available in 2026. … This will be Novva’s fourth completed data center. It has existing facilities in Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. 1GW of capacity is currently in development across four data centers, with new facilities in San Francisco and Arizona alongside expansions to the Nevada and Utah campuses. 

Other data center water use news: 

Aquafornia news Chino Valley Champion (Chino, Calif.)

No-go on water treatment plant until end of the year

The water treatment facility on Eucalyptus Avenue in Chino Hills, west of Pipeline Avenue, won’t be operational until the end of the year, after the city learned it would have to build a meter station to comply with a state-mandated blending plan. Utilities Operations Manager Mark Wiley told the city council on June 10 that the city has been going back and forth with the State Water Resources Control Board for a few months on the operations and maintenance monitoring plan. “Another hurdle the state threw out in the 11th hour is that we have to construct a metering station to blend a specified amount of water in the distribution system with well water,” Mr. Wiley said. “Once we build the station, the state needs to sign off on it and issue a permit before we can start operating.” The city expects to have a fully operational facility in December 2025, he said. Mr. Wiley said it will cost approximately $710,000 per year in operations and maintenance costs to run the treatment plant.

Aquafornia news Los Angeles Times

Tuesday Top of the Scroll: Like Texas, many parts of California face serious flood risks

The deadly flash flood along Texas’ Guadalupe River showed the devastating toll such a disaster can take, and California could face similar dangers when extreme weather strikes. Low-lying areas along rivers and creeks can be hazardous when downpours and torrents come, as shown by past floods in parts of the state including the Los Angeles area, the Central Valley and the Central Coast. When a series of extreme winter storms hit California in 2023, about two dozen people died statewide, including some who were swept away by floodwaters and others who were killed by a rock slide, falling trees or car crashes. … In a 2022 study, researchers, including UC Irvine’s [Brett] Sanders, estimated that up to 874,000 people and $108 billion in property could be affected by a 100-year flood in the Los Angeles Basin, revealing larger risks than previously estimated by federal emergency management officials.

Other flood risk news:

Aquafornia news Arizona Daily Star (Tucson)

Groundwater replenishment left hanging by new Arizona law

A newly signed bill giving developers the ability to buy and retire farmland in favor of subdivisions has been hailed by supporters as the single biggest improvement in state water law since the landmark Arizona Groundwater Management Act passed 45 years ago. It’s been promoted as a ticket to water savings, since homes typically use significantly less water than cotton fields. It’s also seen as a path to more affordable housing in the Phoenix area and Pinal County, where the law would have an impact. … But what’s called the Ag to Urban law comes with a big question mark that centers on the often downplayed concept of groundwater replenishment. The law will significantly increase the amount of water that must be recharged into the aquifer to compensate for groundwater pumped by new homes that are built on retired farmland. As of now, it’s not clear where that extra water will come from. 

Other groundwater news across the West: 

Aquafornia news The Denver Post (Colo.)

Concept for Colorado River agreement emerges in states’ negotiations

After months of stalemate, glimmers of hope have emerged for consensus on a new plan to manage the shrinking Colorado River. Negotiators from the seven river basin states said in a series of meetings in recent weeks that they were discussing a plan rooted in a concept that breaks from decades of management practice. Rather than basing water releases on reservoir levels, it would base the amount released from the system’s two major reservoirs on the amount of water flowing in the river. The new concept would be more responsive as river flows become more variable. The comments signal a break in months of stalemate between the Upper Basin states — Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming — and the three Lower Basin states: California, Nevada and Arizona. … The new concept for managing the river reflects an attempt to account for the reality of the shrinking river and will, if adopted, adjust releases from the reservoirs based on the amount of water in the river.

Other Colorado River Basin news: