AQUAFORNIA KICKOFF-Ariz. Could Get Better Colo. River Deal Under Trump; GOP Lawmakers Try Again on Water Permits
In today’s Aquafornia scroll:
- Arizona could get a better deal in Colorado River water negotiations under Trump, experts say, KJZZ (Phoenix, Ariz.)
- House Republicans try again on water permitting bills, E&E News by Politico
- California’s Big Question: How Brutal Will the Summer Wildfire Season Be? The New York Times
- Attempt to boot judge off of Kern River case by water agency denied, SJV Water
- Opinion: Fresno stretch of San Joaquin River home to bumper crop of returning salmon, The Fresno Bee
- Click here to read all of today’s water news from California and across the West
Water Word of the Week: No portion of the West has been immune to drought during the last century and droughts occur here with much greater frequency than in any other region of the country. While California, no stranger to drought, has had three straight years of near-average or above-average amounts of precipitation, the Colorado River Basin has experienced a drought since 2000, the longest in more than 100 years. June 17 marks the United Nation’s World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. “Desertification, land degradation and drought are among the most pressing environmental challenges of our time, with up to 40% of all land area worldwide already considered degraded,” according to the U.N. So, we’re making drought our Water Word of the Week. You can learn more about this and other water-related topics in Aquapedia, our online water encyclopedia.
What’s on Tap: The California Water Commission will meet June 18 to discuss topics including water supply and salmon strategy, concluding with a tour of the Harvest Water Program led by representatives of the Sacramento Area Sewer District. The Bureau of Reclamation will hold an online workshop June 20 on applying for extraordinary maintenance funding. See details on these and other upcoming water meetings on our events calendar.
At the Foundation: Join us on our Klamath River Tour, Sept. 8-12, as we examine water issues on this special journey along the 263-mile river, from its spring-fed headwaters in south-central Oregon to its redwood-lined estuary on the Pacific Ocean in California. Among the planned stops is the former site of Iron Gate Dam & Reservoir for a firsthand look at restoration efforts following removal of the obsolete structure. In anticipation of high demand, the Foundation will allocate tickets via a lottery method. To enter before limited bus seating is gone, review the tour details here and submit the entry form linked at the top of the tour page.
Water Resource of the Week: In an easy-to-read overview, our Layperson’s Guide to The Klamath River Basin covers the history of the region’s tribal, agricultural and environmental relationships with one of the West’s largest rivers — and a vast watershed that hosts one of the nation’s oldest and largest reclamation projects. Learn how dramatic water shortages and massive salmon die-offs led to a landmark agreement to remove four obsolete hydropower dams blocking salmon passage to hundreds of miles of spawning habitat straddling California and Oregon.
Western Water, our flagship publication by Foundation journalists, is available online. Check out our latest article:
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Aquafornia is a news roundup compiled each weekday by the Water Education Foundation’s journalism team.
