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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 Pleasanton Weekly (Calif.)

Livermore settles lawsuit with $3.78 million in utility credits

The city of Livermore has agreed to credit a total of $3,783,000 to water and wastewater utilities to settle a lawsuit alleging the agency’s overcharging and misuse of utility fees. The settlement follows nearly two years of litigation wherein the Alameda County Taxpayers’ Association Inc., a California nonprofit corporation, and Livermore resident Alan Heckman claimed that the city unlawfully inflated water, sewer and stormwater charges to generate excess revenue. 

Other water rate news:

Aquafornia news CBS8 (San Diego)

San Diego sues over conditions on federal disaster funds

The city and county of San Diego have filed a lawsuit along with more than two dozen local governments across the nation that challenges alleged Trump administration attempts to place unlawful conditions on emergency and disaster preparedness funds. … The San Diego City Attorney’s Office says that locally, those funds support wildfire and flood prevention projects, counterterrorism emergency response efforts, port and transit security infrastructure, and fire department staffing.

Other flood and disaster preparedness news:

Aquafornia news inewsource (San Diego)

Century-old dam near Lake Hodges undergoing repairs

Repairs on a century-old dam with a suspected leak located downstream from Lake Hodges are underway. The repairs to the San Dieguito dam are projected to cost $650,000. … The dam was built in 1918, forming the San Dieguito Reservoir, which serves as a regulating reservoir when receiving water from Lake Hodges. … The Department of Safety of Dams discovered a potential leak in the dam during a maintenance check last year. Officials isolated the area and created a temporary dam made of rebar and tarps to pull the water away from the dam so repairs can be made. 

Other dam and reservoir news:

Aquafornia news The Independent (Livermore, Calif.)

New groundwater model predicts clean water in southwest portion of Pleasanton

A new model of the area’s groundwater basin suggests that new wells in southwest Pleasanton could supply PFAS-free water for at least 20 years if built, but questions remain on some of the model’s assumptions. The update, performed by the Zone 7 Water Agency and its consultant, EKI Environment and Water, Inc., collected data from new geophysical studies, pumping tests and third parties to replace the previous 2016 model of the area’s aquifer. … Based on the new model, Zone 7 Water Resources Manager Ken Minn concluded that new wells in southwest Pleasanton would not draw the PFAS plume into the area, nor would they adversely affect existing pumping operations elsewhere in the basin. 

Other PFAS news:

Aquafornia news Sierra Sun (Truckee, Calif.)

Truckee Water Agencies celebrate 9th annual Water Professionals Appreciation Week

Most residents or visitors rarely think about where their water comes from or where it goes after use. … California created Water Professionals Appreciation Week in 2017 to recognize the contributions of the state’s water workforce. This year, the observance takes place October 4-12. This week highlights the essential role water agencies and their employees play in providing essential services, protecting natural resources, and supporting local communities. This week, residents are encouraged to reflect on the work that these teams perform.

Aquafornia news Kern County Water Agency

News release: Kern County Water Agency urges investment in essential infrastructure — the Delta Conveyance Project

The Kern County Water Agency (Agency) has noted that the federal government has refused to direct additional funding towards the high-speed rail. The Agency strongly encourages elected officials to shift these infrastructure investment funds toward California’s proposed State Water Project (SWP), Delta Conveyance Project (DCP). The SWP supports a $2.3 trillion regional economy, delivers water to 27 million people, supports 750,000 acres of farmland, and sustains 8.7 million jobs and 800,000 businesses. It has delivered consistent, measurable benefits and remains a California essential infrastructure system, but one that is in serious need of investment and federal funding. 

Other Delta tunnel and State Water Project news:

Aquafornia news Delta Stewardship Council

News release: Council appoints three new Delta Independent Science Board members

The Delta Independent Science Board has welcomed three new members – Dr. Peter Goodwin, Dr. Cathleen Jones, and Dr. Steve Lindley – who were appointed to five-year terms by the Delta Stewardship Council on July 24, 2025. … Dr. Jones and Dr. Lindley’s terms took effect on September 1, 2025. Dr. Goodwin’s term will begin on October 1, 2025. The new members succeed Dr. Virginia Dale and Dr. Bob Naiman, whose terms end on August 31, 2025, and fill one vacancy.

Aquafornia news California Department of Food and Agriculture

News release: CDFA and CalEPA Regulatory Alignment Study

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is working with Crowe LLP and their partner, Blankinship & Associates, (collectively, Crowe) to conduct a regulatory alignment study. … Crowe prepared the Draft Final Recommendations and Implementation Steps outlining draft final recommendations for consideration by CDFA, CalEPA, Water Boards, and all interested parties. The draft final recommendations were informed by a broad range of interviews and feedback throughout the Study. 

Related article: 

Aquafornia news Nevada Current

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: ‘Getting down to the wire,’ conservation groups try to pump up Colorado River negotiations

… The Great Basin Water Network, Living Rivers-Colorado Riverkeeper, Utah Rivers Council, and the Glen Canyon Institute released a report Wednesday with several recommendations they say would prevent the continued over-consumption of the river’s water. … Those recommendations include preventing new dams and diversions, sharing water cuts among states, improving hydrology data, increasing water recycling, stabilizing groundwater decline, preserving endangered species, and improving agricultural irrigation. 

Other Colorado River news:

Aquafornia news The Sacramento Bee

‘Expect extremes’: California officials warn of severe wet-dry swings

California heads into the new water year facing continued risks from climate-driven extremes, the California Department of Water Resources said on Tuesday. In a briefing held virtually on Tuesday afternoon, the department said the state is expected to see “big swings” in weather patterns between large storm events and long, intense dry periods — conditions that are seen as “new normal” for California’s water management — over the next 12 months.

Other water year forecast news:

Aquafornia news San Diego Union-Tribune

City Council balks at steep proposed water rate hikes, delays vote by a month

The San Diego City Council delayed a planned vote on steep water and sewer rate hikes Tuesday, saying it needs more time to consider them amid concerns over the potential impacts on the region’s cost of living. The proposal would raise water rates for San Diego customers by more than 60% and sewer rates by more than 30% over the next four years. City officials say the increases would help cover rising costs for labor, imported water, chemicals, energy, construction projects and other priorities. … But council members and residents who spoke during the public comment portion of Tuesday’s council meeting said the cost of living in San Diego is already too high.

Other San Diego water management news:

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Interior mostly mum on shutdown plans

… [L]ess than 12 hours before the midnight deadline that marks the end of fiscal 2025 — and without agreement in Congress on a continuing resolution — only one of Interior’s 16 divisions — the Bureau of Reclamation — had published its shutdown plans publicly. … But the Bureau of Reclamation’s shutdown plan could provide insight into how other divisions could be preparing. … According to the newest contingency plan, during both short- or long-term funding lapses, only 241 of Reclamation’s employees would be furloughed, with the majority funded by a resource other than annual appropriations.

Other government shutdown news:

Aquafornia news CBS8 (San Diego)

San Diego seeks $1.4M for Tijuana River Valley study

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a proposal Tuesday to request $1.4 million in state funding for a comprehensive contamination study of the Tijuana River Valley. The move is part of a renewed effort to designate the area as a federal Superfund site, which could unlock billions in federal funding for cleanup efforts. …  If approved by the state, the funds would be allocated to the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board to conduct the study.

Other Tijuana River news:

Aquafornia news Action News Now (Chico, Calif.)

New Sites Reservoir project public negotiation sessions scheduled

The Bureau of Reclamation has announced the next round of public negotiation sessions with the Sites Project Authority to develop a Partnership Agreement for the proposed Sites Reservoir Project. The project would create a new 1.5 million acre-foot offstream reservoir just west of Maxwell. The agreement that’s being negotiated will outline terms and conditions to be followed by both the Bureau and the Sites Project Authority.

Related article:

Aquafornia news The New Lede

Blog: Why the top US farming region is sinking

… The agriculture industry’s seemingly bottomless thirst gives the Valley another distinction: It is losing its groundwater – the essential stores of freshwater in underground aquifers – at a rate among the fastest on Earth. As a result, the Valley is sinking. Land subsidence is triggered by farmers drilling thousands of feet deep to tap into the aquifers and pumping the water to the surface. As water is sucked from the aquifers, layers of clay between them and the topsoil compacts, and the ground sinks. Last year, researchers from Stanford University used satellite imagery to determine that in most years since 2006, some areas of the Valley floor have sunk by a foot a year. 

Other groundwater news:

Aquafornia news Source New Mexico (Santa Fe)

NM Supreme Court reorganizes water courts

A New Mexico Supreme Court order reorganizing the state’s water courts goes into effect Wednesday, Oct. 1, the Office of the Administrative Courts announced this week. The order creates a “regional structure for water courts more closely aligned with the boundaries of New Mexico’s stream systems,” a news release announced, with designated water judges presiding over water law cases in a particular regions. Prior to the order, each of the state’s 13 judicial districts had one water law judge. Under the order, five district court judges are appointed to serve as water court judges in the three regions.

Aquafornia news Sacramento Water Forum

News release: Water Forum releases draft Water Forum 2050 Agreement

The Water Forum has announced the release of the DRAFT Water Forum 2050 Agreement, a landmark update to the regional accord that has guided efforts to balance the Sacramento region’s water supply reliability with the protection of the lower American River for the past 25 years. First signed in 2000, the Water Forum Agreement brought together business leaders, citizen groups, environmental advocates, water providers, and local governments to address growing water demands while preserving the environmental and recreational values of the lower American River. 

Aquafornia news Penn State University

Saltwater contamination threatens water supplies

Tidal rivers, which are a source of water for drinking and irrigation, are increasingly vulnerable to saltwater intrusion, according to the findings of an international research team. … Saltwater entering these freshwater supplies can tip the salinity scales, making the water unsuitable for human and animal consumption or for irrigating crops. In a global perspective paper, published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, the team highlighted how a combination of climate change impacts — including prolonged drought and rapid sea-level rise — along with localized human activities, are intensifying the increase in salt in vital freshwater sources.

Aquafornia news ABC10 (Sacramento, Calif.)

Riverdale Park groundwater PFOS/PFOA levels exceed state notification limits

The Riverdale Park Tract Community Service District (RPTCSD) has notified the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors that levels of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in local groundwater have exceeded state notification levels, according to a letter submitted for discussion at the next board meeting. … While these levels surpass the notification standard, they remain below the response level of 70 ppt, which would require immediate action to remove the water source from service. 

Aquafornia news Navajo-Hopi Observer (Williams, Ariz.)

Opinion: Can the Navajo Nation sell its water?

… The BIA [Bureau of Indian Affairs] states that the federal Indian trust responsibility is a legal obligation under which the U.S. “has charged itself with moral obligations of the highest responsibility and trust” toward Indian tribes. …  If the BIA has a moral obligation to the Navajo people, is it moral to take away their water rights or allow the sale of the water rights while they are advocating or holding in trust for the Navajo people our land, water and fiduciary trusts? Is it not a moral responsibility to make sure those who you are looking after have water while they don’t have a permanent government? … I encourage my people to consider the impact of the sale of our water supply and rights for a small portion of the tribe.
–Written by Navajo Nation constituent member Neal Riggs.