AQUAFORNIA KICKOFF-Kaweah Groundwater Basin Escapes State Enforcement; Lake Mead Drops 2 More Feet as Drought Spreads
In today’s Aquafornia scroll:
- Kaweah is second San Joaquin Valley groundwater basin to escape state enforcement, SJV Water
- Lake Mead drops 2 more feet this month as drought spreads, KTNV (Las Vegas, Nev.)
- Promise and peril envelope California’s next big dam removal in Lake and Mendocino counties, The Press Democrat
- In Silicon Valley’s backyard, Pescadero struggles with unclean water, rising rates, The Mercury News
- Feds must decide on protections for Chinook salmon, Courthouse News Service
- Click here to read all of today’s water news from California and across the West
Water Word of the Week: Following the removal of four obsolete dams on the Klamath River, the largest dam removal project in U.S. history, a group of Native American youth is on a monthlong journey. The group is kayaking 310 miles through ancient tribal lands from the river’s headwaters in Southern Oregon to its mouth on the Pacific Ocean in Northern California, celebrating the river’s restoration. The Klamath River Basin is one of the West’s most important and contentious watersheds, known for its unusual geography straddling California and Oregon. To provide background on this watershed, we have chosen the Klamath River Basin as 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 Association of California Water Agencies is hosting a free, virtual summit on June 30 to review five years of progress in Central Valley water quality under the CV‑SALTS initiative. The Southern California Water Coalition will host a webinar on July 1 titled “Cap-and-Trade Unpacked” to examine how California’s 2025-26 budget and potential reauthorization of the cap-and-trade program and focus on revenues to fund vital water infrastructure projects. 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 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 the obsolete structure’s removal. This will not be an annual tour, so don’t miss this opportunity! Click here to learn how you can sign up.
Water Resource of the Week: 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.
