Header link June 22, 2020

LinkedIn

  • Read more
Header link September 15, 2014

Cart

  • Read more
Header link November 3, 2015

Donate Now

  • Read more
Header link May 15, 2014

Twitter

  • Read more
Header link May 15, 2014

Facebook

  • Read more
Instagram
Header link May 15, 2014

Instagram

  • Read more
Header link May 15, 2014

Contact Us

  • Read more
More options
Water Education Foundation
Home
Water Education Foundation
Everything about California water that matters
  • Water Academy
    • Agriculture
      • Agricultural Conservation
      • Agricultural Drainage
    • Background Information
      • Legislation — California and Federal
      • Regulations — California and Federal
      • Water History
      • Water Rights
    • Bay-Delta
      • Bay Delta
      • Bay Delta Conservation Plan
      • Delta Issues
      • Delta Smelt
      • Sacramento San Joaquin Delta
      • San Francisco Bay
      • Suisun Marsh
    • Dams, Reservoirs and Water Projects
      • California Aqueduct
      • Central Valley Project
      • Folsom Dam
      • Friant Dam
      • Hetch Hetchy
      • Hoover Dam
      • Infrastructure
      • Lake Mead
      • Lake Powell
      • Oroville Dam
      • San Luis Dam
      • Shasta Dam
      • State Water Project
    • Environmental Issues
      • Anadromous Fish Restoration
      • Ecosystem
      • Endangered Species Act
      • Invasive species
      • Lake Tahoe
      • Mono Lake
      • Public Trust Doctrine
      • Salmon
      • San Joaquin River Restoration
      • Watershed
      • Wetlands
    • Leaders and Experts
    • Regions
      • Central Coast
      • Central Valley
      • Mexico
      • Nevada
      • North Coast
      • Pyramid Lake
      • Sacramento Valley
      • Salton Sea
      • San Joaquin Valley
      • Sierra Nevada
      • Southern California
      • Tulare Lake Basin
    • Rivers
      • Carson River
      • Colorado River
      • Klamath River
      • New River
      • North Coast Rivers
      • Russian River
      • Sacramento River
      • Truckee River
      • San Joaquin River
    • Water Issues
      • Climate Change
      • Coronavirus
      • Drought
      • Earthquakes
      • Energy and Water
      • Flood Management
      • Fracking
      • Growth
      • Hydropower
      • Levees
      • Tribal Water Issues
      • Water Conservation
      • Water Equity
    • Water Quality
      • Drinking Water
      • Nitrate contamination
      • Pollution
      • Stormwater
      • Wastewater
      • Water Quality
    • Water Supply and Management
      • Acre Foot
      • Aquifers
      • California Water Plan
      • Conjunctive Use
      • Desalination
      • Gray water
      • Groundwater
      • Integrated Regional Water Management
      • Recreation
      • Surface Water
      • Water Marketing and Banking
      • Water Rates
      • Water Recycling
      • Water Supply
      • Water Transfers
  • Tours & Events
    • Water Tours
      • 2022 Tour Sponsors
    • Events
    • Event Calendar
    • Past Tours & Events
      • Anne J. Schneider Fund Lecture Series
  • Specialized Programs
    • Water Leaders
      • Class Rosters
      • Yearly Class Reports
      • Your Alumni Network
      • Alumni Profiles
    • Project WET
      • Workshops
      • Special Workshops & Events
      • Supplementary Materials
      • California Content Standard Correlations
      • Facilitator's Trainings
      • Foundation School Programs
        • Elementary Programs
        • Secondary Programs
      • Water Kids
      • California Project WET Gazette
      • Gazette Archives
    • Colorado River Project
    • GRA Scholastic Fund Program
  • Maps & Guides
    • Maps & Posters
    • Layperson's Guides
    • Map & Guide Bundles
    • Books
    • Colorado River Materials
    • California Runoff Rundown
    • Other Publications
    • Water Awareness Materials
    • Downloadable Publications
    • Videos and DVDs
      • Video Clips
    • School Age Publications
    • Stickers
    • Free Programs and Publications
  • Newsroom
    • Western Water News
    • Aquafornia
      • About Aquafornia
    • Information Desk
    • Western Water Magazine Archive
      • Full Print Edition
      • Print Edition Excerpts
    • River Report Archive
  • Aquapedia
    • Alphabetical List of Subjects
      • A
      • B
      • C
      • D
      • E
      • F
      • G
      • H
      • I
      • J
      • K
      • L
      • M
      • N
      • O
      • P
      • Q
      • R
      • S
      • T
      • U
      • V
      • W
      • X
      • Y
      • Z
    • Historical Water People
    • Where Does My Water Come From?
      • Northern California
      • Sacramento
      • North Bay
      • South Bay
      • Central Valley
      • Los Angeles
      • Inland Empire
      • San Diego
      • All California Water Sources
    • Timelines
    • Videos
    • Image Gallery
    • Water Directory
      • Federal Agencies
      • State Agencies in California
      • Environmental Organizations
      • Other California Organizations
      • State and Federal Legislative Committees
      • Water Associations and Groups
      • Western States Water Agencies and Districts
    • Online Resources
    • Useful Acronyms
    • About Aquapedia
  • About
    • About Us
      • Board of Directors
      • Staff Biographies
      • Job Openings
    • Announcements
    • Support Our Mission
      • Become a Member
      • Donate in Honor/Memory
      • Donate to Aquapedia or Aquafornia
      • Shop Amazon
      • Planned Giving
    • Contact Us

Leaders and Experts

Aquafornia news June 28, 2022 ABC 10 -Sacramento

Tuesday Top of the Scroll: California water supply forecast to be audited

There’ll be an audit of California’s water supply forecast after the state overestimated and prematurely released 700,000 acre-feet of water last year, officials announced Monday. A news release from Assemblymember Adam Gray (D-Merced) announced that Gray’s request for audit was approved. It aims to examine the impacts of the flawed forecasts and the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and State Water Board. … California’s water operations overestimated the forecast by 68% for the Sacramento River  region, 45% for the San Joaquin River region and 46% for the Tulare Lake region, according to a state report. Those overestimations left the operators with less stored water than was necessary, according to Gray’s news release.

Related article: 

  • Fox 40 -Sacramento: State Senator proposes California buy water rights from farmers
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 28, 2022 Arizona Daily Star

Feds seek ideas on how to manage a drier Colorado River

For many decades, the Colorado River was managed with the attitude that its water levels would remain roughly stable over time, punctuated by alternating wet and dry periods. But in the face of possibly the river’s driest period in 1,200 years, a new approach is now needed to managing the river’s reservoirs — one that can account for “deep uncertainty” about future climate and runoff conditions, says the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. And for the next two months, the bureau wants to hear from the public about how it should go about operating reservoirs including Lake Mead, Lake Powell and other parts of the river system under such conditions.

Related articles: 

  • Newsweek: U.S. megadrought is worst for over 1,000 years: How long could it last?
  • Esquire: Lake Mead Could Soon Be a ‘Dead Pool.’ It’s Already a Pool of the Dead.
  • Farm Progress: Utah urges water conservation this summer
  • ABC 15 – Arizona: Where does your water come from? A look at Mesa, Scottsdale and Tempe supplies 
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 28, 2022 The Washington Post

Researchers hope new tools can forecast rainfall or wildfire season severity months in advance

In the parched southwestern United States, few forecasts are as important as the future height of Lake Mead, which tells federal authorities how much water to release to the 20 million people living downstream of the giant reservoir. This year, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is testing out a new tool it hopes will make those projections a little better: A model that can predict — months in advance — the summer rainfall associated with the North American Monsoon. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 27, 2022 California WaterBlog

Blog: Uncertainty in modeling, an Art Gallery

Water resource planners regularly rely on computer models to illuminate relationships between human- and natural-systems. Anyone who has tinkered with one of California water supply models knows this is a deeply left-brained exercise. During Winter 2021, as part of Jay Lund’s Art and Water class, water resource engineering students took a break from creating and analyzing mathematical models to exercise the right side of their brains and enjoy some art. Please enjoy this collection of art pieces curated by a group of graduate students who can’t quite figure out how to unplug…

Related article: 

  • CBS Bay Area: Oakland photographer puts images of California decline on billboards around state
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 27, 2022 Mono Lake Committee

Blog: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory working at Mono Lake

NASA has been coming to Mono Lake for many years, and they are back on our shores once again. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) team arrived last Sunday and set up a mobile laboratory in the Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center parking lot for the week. The tiny space contains several labs, including a microbial analysis lab in a single portable box, and the hope is that this mobile lab will be able to be transported and utilized anywhere. NASA JPL is here at Mono Lake as part of the Ocean Water Life Surveyor (OWLS) project. This project is working to prepare and fine tune their methods for a trip to Saturn’s and Jupiter’s moons, Enceladus and Europa, respectively. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 27, 2022 California Department of Water Resources

In memoriam of Jonas Minton

Jonas Minton, who served Californians for decades as a member of the DWR team and Deputy Director, passed away this week at the age of 73. Jonas had a passion for protecting the environment and water during his impressive 33-year career with DWR. Jonas was manager of DWR’s Office of Water Supply Division from 1978 to 1994. During the 1990s, he worked for the El Dorado County Water Agency, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and the Executive Director of the Water Forum before being appointed Deputy Director at DWR by Governor Gray Davis in 2000. He was a member of the Water Education Foundation Board of Directors for nine years, through 2014.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 27, 2022 The San Diego Union-Tribune

Opinion: As summer begins, thinking about our drought problem – empathy

In the rainless season we call summer in California, images of shrinking bodies of water have a way of looming large. After more than 22 years of drought compounded by warmer temperatures, Lake Mead and Lake Powell — water sources that are vital to life in the Southwest — have declined to their lowest levels since they were filled. The two reservoirs now sit at just 28 percent of capacity. But now, I don’t have climate change on my mind. Instead, I’m thinking about another reservoir that’s nearly empty: our reservoir of empathy.
-Written by Steven P. Dinkin, president of the National Conflict Resolution Center, a San Diego-based group working to create solutions to challenging issues, including intolerance and incivility. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 24, 2022 The Sacramento Bee

California water expert, environmentalist Jonas Minton dies

Jonas Minton, a California water policy expert and environmentalist who maintained a high profile around the Capitol for decades, has died. Minton, 73, the senior water policy advisor at the nonprofit Planning and Conservation League, died Wednesday due to a heart condition. As a former deputy director of the California Department of Water Resources, he was instrumental in securing protection for 1,200 miles of California rivers under federal law in 1981. He was the former executive director of the Sacramento Water Forum, a group that brokered a wide-ranging deal in the early 2000s between environmental groups and area water agencies to share the waters of the American River.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 24, 2022 Los Angeles Times

Early signs indicate Southern California finally using less water. But big test lies ahead

Less than a month after sweeping water restrictions took effect across Southern California, early indications suggest residents are finally heeding calls to conserve as officials report a noticeable drop in demand throughout the region. Officials at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California reported that demand was 5% lower than what they hoped to see under the first three weeks of restrictions. At the same time, water waste complaints have soared throughout Los Angeles, signaling perhaps that many residents have taken conservation to heart.

Related articles: 

  • Deseret News: California drought – How the Los Angeles area is conserving water 
  • Santa Barbara Independent: Santa Barbara declares Stage II drought
  • Mountain Democrat: Georgetown Divide Public Utility District issues water conservation measures
  • The San Diego Union-Tribune: Mayor Gloria and other leaders urge water conservation, warn of ‘collapse of Colorado River’ system 
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 24, 2022 Delta Stewardship Council

News release: Vice-Chair Virginia Madueño voted chair of the Delta Stewardship Council

At its June 23, 2022 meeting, the Delta Stewardship Council voted Vice-Chair Virginia Madueño to the post of chair. “It’s been a pleasure and a privilege acting in the absence of a full-time chair,” said Chair Madueño. “I see this as a huge responsibility and will rise to the occasion with all of you. Together, we can work creatively as a unified body to meet the needs and challenges we will face in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.” Chair Madueño’s duties will take effect after she takes an oath to the position, which has been vacant since former Chair Susan Tatayon’s term ended in February 2022. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 24, 2022 Colorado Sun

Tree rings show Colorado River Basin drought could get much worse

What two stooped and warped sentinels in the Great Basin are telling us is a scary story, with a twist of possible redemption.  Approximately 1,800 years after popping out of the ground as seedlings, live bristlecone pines are still talking to us nearly 2 millennia later. … Rings from trees that were alive in the west’s Great Basin in the second century A.D. show a devastating 24-year drought back then that makes our current 22-year Western drought look positively moist, the research shows. The tree rings and other evidence from caves and bogs show the drought cut 32% from the average flow of the Colorado River at Lees Ferry, in northern Arizona near the beginning of the Grand Canyon. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 24, 2022 Westside Connect

Gray, others call on state to do better with water

With the San Luis Reservoir serving as a backdrop, Assemblyman Adam Gray renewed on his call for an audit of California’s entire water regulatory system. Gray and State Sen. Anna Caballero hosted a summit of top state, federal and Valley water managers on June 17 at Grasslands Water District. … Caballero echoed Gray’s concern, noting the colossal miscalculations in 2021 that led DWR to mistakenly release enough water to supply every household in the entire Bay Area for a year after grossly miscalculating Sierra runoff. The runoff was much lower, contributing to difficulties brought on by the drought that has worsened this year.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 23, 2022 Los Angeles Times

Wildfires caused by humans are more dangerous, studies find

The sheer acreage consumed by fire in California in recent years is numbing: more than 2.5 million acres last year, and 4.3 million acres the year before that. Already in 2022, before peak fire season has descended upon this drought-parched state, fire has burned nearly 17,000 acres. Yet not all fires are equal. New research from UC Irvine shows that fires caused by human activity — be it arson, a neglected campfire, sparking electrical equipment or ill-conceived gender reveal parties — spread faster, burn hotter and destroy more trees than those caused by lightning strikes.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 23, 2022 AZ Big Media

Here’s why the smell of desert rain may be good for your health

Desert dwellers know it well: the smell of rain and the feeling of euphoria that comes when a storm washes over the parched Earth. That feeling – and the additional health benefits that come with it – may be the result of oils and other chemicals released by desert plants after a good soaking, new University of Arizona research suggests. … [Gary Nabhan, a research social scientist at the UArizona Southwest Center] is lead author of two new studies … that explain how volatile organic compounds that evolved to protect plants from damaging solar radiation, heat waves, drought stress and predatory animals may also have health benefits for humans. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 23, 2022 KSL.com

Latter-day Saints leaders announce water use cutbacks in the West amid drought

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is cutting back on watering lawns and landscapes at temples, meetinghouses and other buildings across the West in an effort to conserve water amid a worsening regional drought. … Officials said the church already switched to water-wise irrigation systems and low-flow plumbing systems for new projects beginning in the early 2000s, and that it is working to retrofit other properties that pre-date that time period. They plan on expanding the use of smart controllers, hydrometers, rain sensors, drip irrigation and use of secondary or reclaimed water to help water lawns and landscapes effectively.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 23, 2022 Environmental Defense Fund

Blog: California’s new Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program is already oversubscribed. Here are 3 features of successful applications

Last month, the state of California reached an important milestone in its effort to proactively address water scarcity and the changing agricultural landscape: The Department of Conservation awarded over $40 million to regional organizations to strategically repurpose previously irrigated farmland in ways that create new public benefits while reducing groundwater use. The highly competitive Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program (MLRP) received 12 applications requesting over $110 million  — more than twice the funding available during the program’s inaugural year. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 23, 2022 Los Angeles Times

Water is flowing again in Mexico’s dry Colorado River Delta

Beside a canal that runs through farmland, rushing water roared through an irrigation gate and flowed down a concrete culvert toward a wetland fringed with cottonwoods and willows. For decades, so much water has been diverted to supply farms and cities that the Colorado River has seldom met the sea and much of its delta in Mexico has been reduced to a dry riverbed, with only small remnants of its once-vast wetlands surviving. Over the past eight weeks, water has been flowing in parts of the delta once again, restoring a stretch of river in Mexico where previously there had been miles of desert sand.

Related article:

  • Western Water Rewind: Water-Starved Colorado River Delta Gets Another Shot of Life from the River’s Flows
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 23, 2022 Monterey County Weekly

Desalination can now be owned and operated by private entities in Monterey County

With an extreme drought tightening its grip, drawing concerns about the future of water in Monterey County and throughout California, the county’s Board of Supervisors overturned a 33-year-old law to allow the private ownership and operation of desalination facilities within the county. Previously, desalination facilities were limited to public ownership, a rule that was criticized as more of a political decision than anything else. The decision to overturn the law and allow private ownership and operation passed 4-1 on June 21, with Supervisor Wendy Root Askew dissenting. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 23, 2022 Courthouse News Service

Thursday Top of the Scroll: Californians finally climbed on water conservation wagon in May

California Governor Gavin Newsom has been urging Californians to conserve water after another dry winter. And according to preliminary data from California State Water Resources Board, Californians cut their water use in May by 5% from the previous May. Erik Ekdahl, deputy director of the water board’s Division of Water Rights, said a board meeting Tuesday that the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada Mountains is gone for the season and the area will not see significant precipitation any time soon.

Related articles: 

  • WaterWorld: Southern Calif. water providers begin emergency drought restrictions 
  • Press Enterprise: Outdoor watering limited to three days a week in Riverside
  • KEYT – Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara City Council declares Stage Two Water Shortage Alert
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 23, 2022 Good News Network

How fog nets are making water abundant in arid Africa – and may be useful in California

During the Moroccan desert summertime drought, fog nets are being used to provide drinking water to hundreds of thousands of people in remote mountain villages. Now villagers can irrigate agricultural fields, turning desertified land back into green gardens, all thanks to mathematician and businessman Aissa Derhem. … The drought-affected state of California, which has already borrowed water-saving strategies from India, could utilize these nets along the coastlines of San Francisco, Oakland, Point Reyes, Monterrey, and Santa Barbara.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
  • « first
  • ‹ previous
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • next ›
  • last »

Water Academy

  • Agriculture
  • Background Information
  • Bay-Delta
  • Dams, Reservoirs and Water Projects
  • Environmental Issues
  • Leaders and Experts
  • Regions
  • Rivers
  • Water Issues
  • Water Quality
  • Water Supply and Management
Footer pod May 20, 2014

Water Education Foundation

Copyright © 2022 Water Education Foundation. All rights reserved.

The Water Education Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, 501(c)3 organization, federal tax ID #942419885.

Privacy Policy

Donor Privacy Policy

  • Read more
Footer pod May 20, 2014

Contact Information

2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205
Sacramento CA 95833

Telephone (916) 444-6240

Contact Us via email

  • Read more

Quicklinks

Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Contact Us

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Donate Today

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Tours

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Newsletter Signup

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Foundation News

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Calendar

  • Read more

Log in

  • Create new account
  • Request new password

Commands

  • Support portal
  • Log in