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.
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.
Last weekend, watercraft inspectors found golden mussels,
a highly invasive aquatic species, on a 65-foot boat
that was headed to Lake Tahoe. Experts say golden
mussels pose an extreme threat to Lake Tahoe. To stop
the mussels from getting into the lake, this spring, Tahoe
implemented much stricter measures that go beyond the norm,
requiring that every single motorized boat not just be
inspected but also be decontaminated before hitting the
water. The boat carrying the golden mussels was put into
quarantine until it’s deemed risk-free, according to the Tahoe
Environmental Planning Agency. The close call was the first
time officials intercepted the golden mussels at one of Tahoe’s
boat inspection stations. … If the mussels were to reach
Lake Tahoe, they would wreak havoc on the ecosystem and degrade
water quality, and there’s no getting them out, experts
say.
When the head of the Environmental Protection Agency announced
a wide-ranging rollback of environmental regulations, he said
it would put a “dagger through the heart of climate-change
religion” and introduce a “Golden Age” for the American
economy. What Lee Zeldin didn’t mention: how ending the rules
could have devastating consequences to human health. The
EPA-targeted rules could prevent an estimated 30,000 deaths and
save $275 billion each year they are in effect, according to an
Associated Press examination that included the agency’s own
prior assessments as well as a wide range of other
research. The AP set out to look at what could happen if
all the rules were eliminated, by first examining exhaustive
assessments the EPA was required to produce before the rules
were approved. … The AP used those and eight different
government and private group databases for its estimate of
financial costs, some death estimates and analysis of pollution
trends.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told a Senate hearing
that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
is “fully staffed” with weather forecasters and scientists
after concerns were raised about some offices losing 24-hour
staffing ahead of hurricane season. “We are fully staffed with
forecasters and scientists. Under no circumstances am I going
to let public safety or public forecasting be touched,” Lutnick
told a Senate appropriations subcommittee overseeing NOAA,
saying he got the National Weather Service (NWS) exempted from
a federal hiring freeze. NOAA, which includes the NWS,
lost around 1,000 people or 10% of its workforce amid federal
job layoffs in the first months of the second Trump
administration, including 600 at the weather service. At least
six NWS offices had stopped the routine twice-a-day weather
balloon launches that collect data for weather models. … The
agency had been scrambling to reassign staffers internally to
fill gaps in understaffed offices over the last few months,
sources have told Reuters.
Water agencies like the Kings River Water Association rely on
up-to-date airborne surveys of the Sierra snowpack to mitigate
flood risks and estimate watershed yield that Valley
communities, agencies and farmers depend on. But with the
California budget crisis at hand, the state plans to slash
funding for the Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) program,
despite its clear benefits. Funding for ASO has been reduced in
the state’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget — from $35 million
down to just $4 million. Without stable investment,
California risks losing one of its most effective climate
adaptation and water management tools. says Kings River
Assistant Watermaster Matt Meadows. As of now it looks like
funding for only two flights in this water year will happen
over the upper Kings River River watershed. Snowpack is
California’s largest reservoir, providing up 75-80% of water
for the state — and the ASO program is the only source to
accurately determine the volume of water stored in that
snowpack, says a letter to the governor.
… For eons, the Colorado River flowed through this canyon,
its pounding rapids carving the landscape. In 1963, though, the
government—determined to tame the river and feed the
Southwest’s unrelenting appetite for water—built Glen Canyon
Dam. Slowly, year by year, the giant reservoir it created
backed upstream, drowning 18 rapids whole and transforming 186
miles of what had been a rushing river into a wide, still,
man-made pool. After that, it was eerily quiet, the river
current slackening as it submitted to the lake. But if you
visit this place now, you’ll hear a rumble. And there, right in
front of you, you’ll see it: white water flashing in the sun. A
standing wave big enough to flip a boat. Water moving and
moving fast. A rapid, drowned for 60 years, is emerging from
the depths. To understand this story, we’ll need to time
travel.
State health officials will face tighter deadlines and more
scrutiny of a water quality permitting program that has been
plagued by massive backlogs and criticized by some small
communities who say they can’t afford their state-mandated
water treatment systems. The changes would come under a new
bipartisan law Senate Bill 305 approved last month. Gov. Jared
Polis is expected to sign the bill this week, according to
state Sen. Jeff Bridges, a Democrat from Greenwood Village who
is one of the bill’s sponsors and chairs the Joint Budget
Committee. …The measure is designed to help the CDPHE battle
a permitting backlog that has left dozens of communities
without a current wastewater discharge permit. Those
communities can still discharge under a special administrative
rule, but the backlog means the communities aren’t complying
with the most current wastewater treatment standards that seek
to reduce the various contaminants, such as ammonia and
nitrates, being discharged into streams.
On Aurora’s eastern edge, where the bustle of metro Denver
fades to farms, the first building of what will become the
state’s largest data center stands behind a wrought-iron fence.
… Seventeen miles west, in a dusty industrial nook of
northern Denver, workers on a recent day scattered across a
huge pit dug into the earth to lay the foundation for that
city’s newest data center. The two construction sites offer a
glimpse into what a predicted boom in Colorado’s data center
industry may look like as the industry expands exponentially
nationwide to meet the needs of Americans’ increasingly online
lives — and to provide the computing power demanded by
artificial intelligence. The potential growth — and repeated
proposals for state incentives to expedite that development —
are creating concerns that the centers’ required power and
cooling needs could keep Colorado from meeting its climate
goals and drain already-stretched water
resources.
Getting federal approval for permits to build bridges, wind
farms, highways and other major infrastructure projects has
long been a complicated and time-consuming process. Despite
growing calls from both parties for Congress and federal
agencies to reform that process, there had been few significant
revisions – until now. In one fell swoop, the U.S. Supreme
Court has changed a big part of the game. Whether the effects
are good or bad depends on the viewer’s perspective. Either
way, there is a new interpretation in place for the law that is
the centerpiece of the debate about permitting – the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, known as NEPA. … The
challenge for federal agencies was knowing how much of that
potentially limitless series of indirect effects courts would
require them to evaluate. … With the court’s ruling, federal
agencies’ days of uncertainty are over.
San Diego County’s cash-strapped water authority is considering
a plan that could remove a discount it gives to local farmers —
something farmers claim could put them out of business. The
authority gives a roughly 25% discount to about 1,000 farmers,
who grow everything from flowers to avocados. Everyone involved
in the issue is facing higher costs. The authority has been
imposing consistent double-digit rate increases on local water
agencies in recent years primarily because of declining demand.
Farmers are facing higher costs for labor, supplies, equipment,
transportation and fuel. Critics say removing the discount is
shortsighted because it threatens to kill off a customer class
the water authority can’t afford to lose. At the same time,
rates for other customers may increase to cover the authority’s
costs.
Stuart Woolf, President of Woolfe Farming and Processing,
recently sat down with AgNet West’s Nick Papagni to discuss how
water challenges have reshaped California’s agricultural
landscape—particularly on the west side of Fresno. With a
career rooted in California farming, Wolf’s reflections offer a
sobering look at what he describes as a prolonged battle for
water security. “I can’t remember a day where we weren’t
concerned about water,” Woolf remarked, encapsulating a
sentiment familiar to many growers in the region. … Woolf
criticized the state’s water management strategies,
particularly the diversion of water for environmental purposes.
He noted that while these efforts aimed to support ecological
health, they have not yielded the intended environmental
benefits. Instead, the burden has shifted heavily onto farmers,
leading to higher production costs and greater uncertainty.
… We applaud the senator’s efforts thus far, but suggest he
get up to speed quickly on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Delta Conveyance
Project, a proposal to modernize the state’s
water infrastructure by constructing tunnels to divert water
from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the California
Aqueduct. Sen. Alex Padilla has not taken a any stand. “I
haven’t reached a conclusion on the conveyance project yet,”
Schiff said. “I’m still in the process, frankly, of trying to
get my head around the whole agriculture industry. I would say
the subset of agriculture that is the most difficult is water.
People spend a lifetime studying it and still struggle with
it.” Schiff said he is “trying to figure out what is the
most effective and efficient way to meet the competing needs of
farms, cities (and) wildlife.” The multi-billion cost of the
project, he added, requires “we weigh the costs of that with
what it would deliver.”
It was one of the largest, longest and most lethal harmful
algae blooms in Southern California’s recorded history,
claiming the lives of hundreds of dolphins and sea lions
between Baja California and the Central Coast. And now,
finally, it’s over. Levels of toxic algae species in Southern
California coastal waters have declined in recent weeks below
thresholds that pose a threat to marine wildlife, according to
the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System, or
SCCOOS, which monitors algae blooms. … This is the
fourth consecutive year such outbreaks have occurred along the
Southern California coast, fueled by an upwelling of
nutrient-rich waters from the deep ocean. Yet multiple research
teams are currently investigating whether the surge of
additional runoff into the sea resulting from
the firestorms may have contributed to the recent bloom’s
intensity. No data on the subject are available yet.
The Interior Department announced Wednesday more than $119
million meant to aid communities reclaiming abandoned coal
mines — part of President Donald Trump’s agenda to achieve
American energy dominance. Two tribes were named as grant
recipients. The Navajo Nation and Crow Tribe of Montana are
among 24 coal-producing states getting federal dollars,
including Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. Between the
pair of tribes, they tallied $607,376 in federal funding
stemming from the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of
1977. The Crow Tribe got $148,721, while the Navajo Nation
secured $458,655. On top of that, the federal agency on
Thursday announced another $3.67 million each for the Navajo
Nation, Crow Tribe and Hopi Tribe through the Abandoned Mine
Land Economic Revitalization Program, which is supposed to help
states and tribes by “turning legacy coal mining sites into
engines of economic growth.”
The state Water Resources Control Board Tuesday passed a
resolution to send the Chowchilla subbasin back under the
purview of the Department of Water Resources. So far, it
is the only subbasin of seven in the San Joaquin Valley to have
succeeded in making the U-turn away from potential probationary
status. Water Board members noted that early engagement
from Chowchilla’s four groundwater sustainability agencies
(GSAs) was key. … The Chowchilla subbasin has
experienced more than five feet of subsidence in the last
decade alone, especially in its western portion where a
significant layer of Corcoran clay exists. In its newest
groundwater plan, managers cranked down allowable groundwater
pumping with both voluntary and mandatory policies, capping
subsidence rates at two feet in 2025, with a goal of zero
subsidence after 2040.
Wyoming may be home to the famous bubbling geothermal features
in Yellowstone National Park, but that doesn’t mean the state
is a hot spot for generating electricity using heat from inside
the earth. A new federal assessment identified Wyoming as
part of a massive underground geothermal energy resource that
could generate electricity equal to 10% of America’s current
power supply, though state-specific research suggests only
modest potential for Wyoming. A May U.S. Geological
Survey’s report on geothermal systems in the Great Basin found
that the arid lands of Nevada and adjoining parts of
California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and a sliver of
Wyoming’s western border with Idaho contain enough
geothermal energy to generate 135 gigawatts of electricity from
the upper 6 kilometers of the Earth’s crust.
Colorado’s Front Range is mostly drought-free following an
above-average rainfall during May, while the Western Slope
continues to deal with persistent drought. The Denver area had
3.57 inches of rain last month, according to National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data, with 2.16 inches
being the normal amount for May. … According to the U.S.
Drought Monitor, which was updated last Thursday, most of the
Front Range is not experiencing drought, while parts of
northeastern and southeastern Colorado are “abnormally dry” or
in “moderate drought.” “The much bigger drought concerns right
now are on the Western slope, where mountain snowpack was poor
this winter, and the snow melted out earlier than usual,”
(Colorado state climatologist Russ) Schumacher said.
“Fortunately they will be getting some rain this week, but
flows in the Colorado River system are
expected to be much lower than average.”
More than 90% of popular freshwater fish in Southern California
are carrying human-infecting parasites, researchers say. This
poses a significant danger for those who like to eat freshly
caught freshwater fish. But there are ways to protect yourself.
The parasites are called trematodes. Two species of the
flatworms were discovered in California’s freshwater fish,
according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of
Infectious Diseases. The tiny, flattened and sluglike creatures
can cause gastrointestinal problems, weight loss and lethargy
when a person eats an infected fish. In some rare and
severe cases, the parasites have caused strokes or heart
attacks. … In fact, even when a person has fallen ill
from a locally caught infected freshwater fish, their
healthcare provider will typically ask if the patient has
recently traveled outside of the United States, Hechinger said.
The federal government is awarding Utah $3 million to purchase
conservation easements in southern Utah near Zion National
Park. The funding — awarded to the Utah Division of
Forestry, Fire and State Lands by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture — was announced Monday and will go toward ongoing
forest preservation efforts outside of the national
park. Called the Zion Connectivity Project, the state will
direct the funding at two properties totalling 766 acres near
the north section of the national park. A conservation easement
— a legally binding agreement between a landowner and
government that places restrictions on the land for
environmental purposes — will prevent the land from being
fragmented or developed. … The region contains a number
of springs and streams, including the La Verkin Creek, which
feeds into the Virgin River and eventually the Colorado
River. The creek supports six native species of fish,
like the Virgin River chub and Woundfin, both federally
endangered.
The spot where the Virgin River curves around the Temple of
Sinawava used to be the end of the line for some of Zion
National Park’s native fish. A dam was built here in 1957 to
house a water line. The concrete structure was only a couple of
feet high, but that was more than enough to trap fish
downstream and cut them off from around 80 miles of river.
… Now, fish can swim those miles as they please. After
several years of planning, the park removed the dam this
spring. Fish need to be able to travel freely throughout a
river’s path for a variety of reasons, (park scientist Roby)
Henderek said, and they require different types of habitat at
different life stages. Baby fish prefer calm backwater
sanctuaries. Adults have to swim upstream to lay
eggs. Between cities and farms diverting water and climate
change intensifying drought, native fish across the
Colorado River Basin face a lot of
challenges.
If you have ever questioned how seriously Colorado takes its
water, let attorney Glenn Porzak tell you about the time he
went to the Colorado Supreme Court in 2001. … Porzak, now a
veteran in the Colorado water law scene, was there to push back
on the state’s attempt to outlaw recreational water
rights. … The Colorado Water Conservation Board
(CWCB) was worried that adding recreation into the already
contentious arena of water ownership would upset the status
quo. … Porzak’s side won, enabling a boom of those so-called
whitewater parks. If a Colorado city wants to bring kayakers
and their money to town, they can throw some big rocks in the
river and apply for a recreational in-channel diversion, or
RICD. … These legal rights are limited in their
capacity. They cannot add water to the river. They can tell
other users to stop taking water out of the river. An RICD does
not necessarily improve river conditions for recreational water
users, but it makes sure they don’t get worse in the
future.
