Topic: Legislation — California and Federal

Overview

Legislation — California and Federal

Today Californians face increased risks from flooding, water shortages, unhealthy water quality, ecosystem decline and infrastructure degradation. Many federal and state legislative acts address ways to improve water resource management, ecosystem restoration, as well as water rights settlements and strategies to oversee groundwater and surface water.

Aquafornia news Slate

Blog: Gavin Newsom finally gets serious about the California housing crisis

… On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills that scale back CEQA—curtailing local power to stop urban development, and particularly housing, on environmental grounds. After more than a decade of reform talk, the state’s housing and homelessness crisis has finally prompted an overhaul of a development procedure that a state study compared to “urban warfare—contested block by block, building by building.” CEQA reform is not really a defeat for environmentalism—as the New York Times insisted on framing it. Rather, it reflects a 21st-century understanding of the environmental movement, one that recognizes that an existing neighborhood is the greenest place for housing to be built. (Of note, one of the bills also permits a variety of non-housing stuff to be built in cities without environmental review, including day cares, food banks, water infrastructure, and critically, “advanced manufacturing” plants, in industrial zones.)

Related articles:

Aquafornia news KQED (San Francisco)

California has invested billions in forest fire efforts. Newsom wants the US to follow

With the worst of wildfire season ahead, Gov. Gavin Newsom urged President Donald Trump on Tuesday to direct the federal government to dramatically increase its investment in forest management. At the Mount Howell lookout tower in Colfax, Newsom spoke to reporters about a model executive order sent to the White House that he said would bring federal firefighting and forest management efforts more in line with California’s. … The draft order would make it federal policy for the U.S. to match the capabilities and investments of “the most advanced states and local governments with respect to forest management and firefighting capabilities.” It would direct the Office of Management and Budget to develop spending plans to do so, including the reversal of recent staffing and funding cuts. … The U.S. Forest Service has lost 10% of all positions, which will likely “impact wildfire response this year,” Newsom said, adding that noncompetitive federal firefighter pay has led to further staffing shortages.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news Reuters

US Supreme Court dealt blows to EPA and environmental protections

The U.S. Supreme Court delivered setbacks to environmental interests in a series of recent rulings including by further restricting the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority and relaxing requirements for environmental impact studies for proposed projects. While cases involving President Donald Trump’s policies on immigration and other issues captured attention during its just-completed nine-month term, the court also continued its years-long trend of narrowing federal protections for the environment in several rulings that could be a boon for businesses. Wendy Park, a lawyer with the Center for Biological Diversity environmentalist group, said those rulings “dealt huge blows to the environment and public health and safety.” “We’ll all suffer from unhealthier air, less safe water and more climate warming,” Park added. Park’s organization was on the losing side of perhaps the term’s biggest environmental decision, one that involved a proposed Utah railway intended to transport crude oil. 

Other Supreme Court environmental news:

Aquafornia news Los Angeles Times

Environmental groups slam Newsom’s overhaul of CEQA

The Golden State’s tug-of-war between environmental advocacy and a worsening housing crisis came to a head Monday evening when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law two bills that will overhaul the landmark California Environmental Quality Act in an effort to ease new construction in the state. The two pieces of legislation, Assembly Bill 130 and Senate Bill 131, were linchpins in the approval of a proposed $320-billion annual state budget deal; the governor’s signature was conditional on their passage. … “Today’s bill is a game changer, which will be felt for generations to come,” the governor said in a statement. Development experts agreed, saying it is among the most significant reforms to CEQA in its 55-year history. But its passage sparked fierce backlash from environmental groups who say it marks a sweeping reversal of essential protections for the state’s most vulnerable landscapes, wildlife and communities.

Other CEQA and California budget news:

Aquafornia news Utah News Dispatch (Salt Lake City)

What the end of the ‘roadless rule’ could mean for Utah’s national forests

The U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture recently announced it would try to roll back the “roadless rule,” a decades-old policy that prevents road construction and logging on nearly 4 million acres of national forest in Utah. … Utah leaders celebrated the decision, with House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, calling it a “big win” for the state. But in Utah, proponents of the rule say it’s a vital tool for protecting the state’s forests, which in turn keep water clean, provide habitat for wildlife and allow recreation opportunities. “This rule protects almost half of the forest service land in Utah,” said Kate Groetzinger, communications director for the Center for Western Priorities. “This opens about half of Utah’s forest land to logging that has been previously protected. That can drastically change the feel of some of our most popular forests.” 

Other national forest news:

Aquafornia news The Guardian (London, U.K.)

EPA employees sign ‘declaration of dissent’ over agency moves under Trump

A group of Environmental Protection Agency employees on Monday published a declaration of dissent from the agency’s policies under the Trump administration, saying they “undermine the EPA mission of protecting human health and the environment”. More than 170 EPA employees put their names to the document, with about 100 more signing anonymously out of fear of retaliation, according to Jeremy Berg, a former editor-in-chief of Science magazine who is not an EPA employee but was among non-EPA scientists or academics to also sign. The latter figure includes 20 Nobel laureates. The letter represents rare public criticism from agency employees who could face blowback for speaking out against a weakening of funding and federal support for climate, environmental and health science. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health made a similar move earlier in June.

Other water and climate research funding news:

Aquafornia news Courthouse News Service

Arizona approves ‘Ag-to-Urban’ water conservation plan

In a bipartisan compromise between state lawmakers and the executive branch, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs approved a program estimated to conserve nearly 10 million acre-feet of water and facilitate thousands of new housing developments across central Arizona. State Senator T.J. Shope’s Senate Bill 1611 met Hobbs’ pen Monday morning, setting in motion what state officials refer to as the “Ag-to-Urban” plan. … Under the program, farmers in either of the active management areas would voluntarily relinquish groundwater rights on individual acres of land irrigated by groundwater in three of the previous five years. In exchange, a farmer would receive conservation credits based on the number of acres relinquished. The farmer would then sell the acres to land developers, who would “pledge” the credits to a water provider that services that land. 

Related articles:

Aquafornia news Smart Water Magazine

Bipartisan WIPPES Act passes U.S. House, requiring labeling of non-flushable wipes

The U.S. House of Representatives during the last week of June passed the Wastewater Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety (WIPPES) Act, a bipartisan, bicameral, and ACWA-supported legislation. This legislation would require wipe manufacturers to clearly label their products as non-flushable to protect wastewater systems from pollution and structural damage, which can cost millions of dollars to repair critical infrastructure nationwide. The legislation passed by a unanimous voice vote, indicating broad support in the chamber. The WIPPES Act was introduced in March by U.S. Representatives Jared Huffman (D-CA-02), Kevin Mullin (D-CA-15), Lisa McClain (R-MI-10) and Tom Kean (R-NJ-07). Next, the WIPPES Act will be taken up in the U.S. Senate.

Aquafornia news CalMatters

Tuesday Top of the Scroll: Last-minute Calif. budget includes sweeping environmental law rollbacks

California lawmakers today approved one of the most substantial rollbacks of the state’s signature environmental review law in decades, including a controversial exemption that would allow high-tech manufacturing plants to be built in industrial zones with no environmental review. The changes to the California Environmental Quality Act were embedded in a last-minute budget bill that sailed through the Senate and the Assembly. The new law exempts nine types of projects from environmental reviews: child care centers, health clinics, food banks, farmworker housing, broadband, wildfire prevention, water infrastructure, public parks or trails and, notably, advanced manufacturing. Aiming to streamline and lower the cost of construction in California, the new law also restricts legal challenges under CEQA by narrowing which documents courts can consider.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news Courthouse News Service

Judge backs Reclamation in fight over California water contract conversions

A federal judge agreed on Monday with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that conversion of temporary water contracts from the California Central Valley Project doesn’t require a new environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act or the Endangered Species Act. U.S. District Judge Jennifer Thurston, a Joe Biden appointee …. said she agreed with and adopted the bureau’s interpretation that (the 2016 Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act) requires contract conversion upon request by farmers and other water users that obtain water from the Central Valley Project and that it strips the bureau of discretion to modify any contractual right other than those related to the financial terms specifically addressed in the statute. 

Other water lawsuit news:

Aquafornia news The National Law Review

The future of water conservation for California urban retail

Beginning January 1, 2025, the “Making Conservation a California Way of Life” regulatory framework requires urban retail water suppliers — not individual households or businesses — to adopt a series of “urban water use objectives.” And beginning January 1, 2027, the regulations require urban retail water suppliers to annually demonstrate compliance with those objectives. The objectives are calculated based on indoor residential water use; outdoor residential water use; commercial, industrial and institutional irrigation use; and potable reuse. Implementation of the objectives includes setting and meeting specific targets for reducing water use per capita, improving system efficiency, and reporting progress to state regulators. Urban retail water suppliers are also required to implement water conservation programs, support the development of drought–resilient infrastructure, and encourage customers to adopt water-saving practices such as using “climate ready” landscapes.

Aquafornia news The Sacramento Bee

Senate rules block plan to sell federal lands under budget bill

The plan to put millions of acres of California forests, parks and other public federal lands at risk of being sold got a devastating, probably lethal, blow as the Senate parliamentarian ruled lawmakers could not consider the proposal as part of its “Big Beautiful Bill” this week. Before such legislation can be considered by the Senate, Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has to make sure what’s in it involves fiscal policy. She decided the plan to sell the land did not meet the standard. Popular destinations near Sacramento and Lake Tahoe were on the original plan’s proposed sale list from the Wilderness Society. … Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, led the effort to sell up to 3 million acres nationwide. He vowed after the ruling to keep fighting. “Stay tuned. We’re just getting started,” he said in a post on X. … He outlined some of the steps he plans. He said he would not be “selling off our forests,” and only land within 5 miles of population centers would be eligible for sales.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news Hunton

Blog: A “course correction” for NEPA — Supreme Court underscores the need for agency deference and limits the scope of NEPA reviews

On May 29, 2025, in a decision long-awaited by project developers, the Supreme Court issued Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado, which clarified the proper scope of review and deference to be afforded to agency decisionmaking under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This decision reinforces longstanding Supreme Court holdings and may help improve the NEPA process by providing support for agencies to focus their NEPA reviews on impacts associated with their authorizations. … The decision is also noteworthy for its commentary on how NEPA litigation has negatively impacted project development. The Court noted that project opponents may not always be motivated by their concern for the environment, instead using NEPA to prevent new infrastructure projects. 

Aquafornia news Somach Simmons & Dunn

Blog: The Supreme Court’s NEPA shift and its ripple effect on water law

… The Supreme Court’s reasoning in Seven County encourages judicial restraint in NEPA cases. Thus, Seven County may prompt federal agencies to conduct NEPA reviews with less fear of judicial oversight than they may have had prior to the decision. For proponents of water infrastructure projects involving the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), or other federal agencies, this shift could create a less onerous permitting process. However, these project proponents remain exposed to regulatory uncertainty — especially in projects involving multiple federal agencies — because of the recent rollback of the Council on Environmental Quality’s unified NEPA framework. The proponents also face litigation risk at the state level, and under statutes that, unlike NEPA, impose substantive constraints on development decisions. In fact, approval of the project at the heart of Seven County remains vacated under some such authorities at this time. Therefore, all stakeholders — project proponents and opposers alike — should proceed cautiously as this area of law continues to evolve.

Aquafornia news SJV Sun (Fresno, Calif.)

Gray proposes Valley Water Protection Act 

Two Central Valley Democrats are pitching a new water bill designed to protect water access for the region’s farmers. Rep. Adam Gray (D–Merced) introduced the Valley Water Protection Act last week and was joined by Rep. Jim Costa (D–Fresno). The Valley Water Protection Act would amend the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to protect farmers from enforcement actions that could pose national security threats or regional economic harm. … The bill has widespread support from water users across the Central Valley, including the Turlock Irrigation District, the Merced Irrigation District, the Modesto Irrigation District, the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority and the Friant Water Authority. … Along with Gray’s bill, Westerman introduced the Endangered Species Act Amendments Act of 2025, which would streamline the ESA permitting process and establish clear definitions within the act. 

Other Central Valley water access news:

Aquafornia news Western Water Notes

Blog: Water and a plan to sell-off public land

Last week, lawmakers introduced a new proposal to sell off roughly 3 million acres of public land in the Western U.S. as part of President Trump’s omnibus spending and tax bill, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” According to the Wilderness Society, more than 250 million acres of land managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management could be up for grabs under a leaked June 14 version of the proposal. Though the plan focuses on land, its effects on water could be profound. The eligible land excludes national parks and a few other protected areas, but it leaves open massive amounts of acreage in each Western state. These eligible areas include land with wilderness characteristics, grazing lands, wildlife corridors for threatened and endangered species, recreation areas and popular camping sites. Its also land that buffers the headwaters of some of our most important rivers in the West.

Other public land sale news:

Aquafornia news South Tahoe Now (South Lake Tahoe, Calif.)

President’s proposed public land sale includes beloved Lake Tahoe sites

Over 250 million acres of public lands could be eligible for sale if the President’s budget reconciliation package, something he has called the “big, beautiful bill,” is passed. A map and analysis were created by The Wilderness Society using source data from BLM, USFS, USGS, NPS, and SENR reconciliation bill text (Senate Energy and Natural Resources) as of June 16, 2025. … The map includes Kiva Beach, much of Fallen Leaf Lake, Tallac Historic Site, and even ski resorts who lease land from USFS, including Alpine Meadows, Heavenly Valley, as well as other treasured acreage through the Sierra and beyond. … The mandates of the bill call for the sale of .5-.75 percent of each BLM and USFS land across 11 western states, or about 3.3 million acres. It opens up 250 million acres for “developers to pick from,” to get to the 3.3 million acres, according to Oliva Tanager of the Sierra Club.

Other public land sale news:

Aquafornia news KJZZ (Phoenix, Ariz.)

(Ariz. state) Senate budget advances, includes more sweeps of dedicated water funding

A special fund set up by the Arizona Legislature and former Gov. Doug Ducey in 2022 to provide $1 billion to secure new water supplies in the desert state is once again being raided to help balance the state budget. The move to use more than $70 million in the Long Term Water Augmentation Fund was called shortsighted by a representative of the state agency charged with using the cash to bring new water to the state. … All that started with 2022 legislation championed by former Republican Gov. Doug Ducey to set aside $333 million a year in three successive years so the authority would have $1 billion dedicated to finding and developing new water sources — mainly from outside of the state. Ducey was intent on having the state develop a water desalination plant on the Gulf of Cortez in Mexico and piping the water to Arizona. That plan fell apart, at least in part because of the secrecy surrounding it and in part because the Mexican government said it never was consulted. That has left the WIFA fund with money that lawmakers decided could be used for something else. 

Related articles:

Aquafornia news KUNC (Greeley, Colo.)

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: Ted Cooke tapped to run Bureau of Reclamation amid pivotal Colorado River talks

President Donald Trump has tapped longtime water manager Ted Cooke to be the next commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The nomination, submitted Monday to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, attempts to fill a pivotal role at the top federal agency for Western rivers, reservoirs and dams. If confirmed, Cooke will become the main federal official overseeing Colorado River matters. His nomination comes at a tense time for the river. The seven states that use its water appear deadlocked in closed-door negotiations about sharing the shrinking water supply in the future. Cooke will likely try to push those state negotiators toward agreement about who should feel the pain of water cutbacks and when. If they can’t reach a deal ahead of a 2026 deadline, the federal government can step in and make those decisions itself.

Other Reclamation and Colorado River negotiation news: 

Aquafornia news KJZZ (Phoenix, Ariz.)

AZ has 19 national monuments. Why a recent Justice Dept. opinion may eliminate their designations

A recently released opinion from the Justice Department suggests that the Trump administration may seek to unilaterally eliminate national monument designations. The administration has previously expressed interest in shrinking or removing protections on protected lands to clear the way for resource extraction or development, and the DOJ opinion would seem to mark an escalation of those priorities. The stakes are particularly high here in Arizona, where we have the second-highest number of national monuments in the country. Roger Naylor, author of “Arizona National Parks and Monuments: Scenic Wonders and Cultural Treasures of the Grand Canyon State,” joined The Show to discuss the implications of this. … “These are essential places to us, not only for our recreation, not only for tourism, but just protecting wildlife corridors and very often protecting watersheds, keeping our water supply safe as well,” (says Naylor.)

Other national monument and Antiquities Act news:

Aquafornia news SFGate

Map shows which 16M acres of Calif. public lands eligible for sale in GOP bill

As the Senate continues to comb through the Big Beautiful Bill, 258 million acres of public land across the western U.S., including large swaths of California, could soon be eligible for sale. A map published by the Wilderness Society, a nonprofit land conservation organization, reveals which parcels of land across 11 states would be up for grabs, in accordance with the land sale proposal detailed by Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah and the chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. If the budget is passed by the July 4 deadline, an estimated 16 million acres in California are at risk of being sold over the next five years. Those vulnerable parcels of land include areas adjacent to Yosemite National Park, Mount Shasta, Big Sur and Lake Tahoe. … In all, up to 3 million acres across all states would be authorized to be sold out of 258 million eligible acres across the West.

Other public land sale news:

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

House Republicans try again on water permitting bills

Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced 15 water-related bills Thursday, targeting everything from the length of federal permitting to the types of water resources protected by the Clean Water Act. The bills would benefit oil and gas companies, farming interests, homebuilders, water utilities and others who say that environmental reviews and long permitting timelines are stifling development. They were introduced by Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chair Mike Collins, (R-GA) … Doug LaMalfa, (R-Calif.) and others. “The Clean Water Act was intended to protect water quality, support healthy communities, and balance the demands of economic growth across the United States,” (Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam) Graves said in a statement.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news Buckrail (Jackson, Wyo.)

U.S. Senate provision would sell off public lands for housing, energy

On Wednesday, June 11, the U.S. Senate released a provision in President Trump’s H.R.1 – One Big Beautiful Bill Act that calls for the sale of approximately 2.2 million to 3.3 million acres of federal land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service. … According to the tax and spending bill, lands in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming could be sold off for energy and/or housing development over the next five years. … The Greater Yellowstone Coalition wrote via press release that the privatization of federal lands could lead to the loss of public access, negatively impact local economies and result in development that harms wildlife habitat and water resources. “Our national public lands are not a luxury, they’re our legacy,” Greater Yellowstone Coalition Executive Director Scott Christensen wrote. “These are outdoor spaces that connect us to each other, fuel the economies of western states and provide clean drinking water to millions of Americans downstream.”

Other public land news:

Aquafornia news Legal Planet

Blog: Last year’s climate bond may not be what you thought

Last year, legislators passed, the governor signed, and California voters approved, a ten billion dollar climate bond (the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024, SB 867 (Allen), which appeared on the November ballot as Proposition 4). While the bond act’s full title largely tells the story of its contents, the water- and resilience-focused spending may not be what all Californians expected from the state’s first self-proclaimed climate bond. … The negotiations will continue to unfold, but in the meantime, it is helpful to look at the contents of the bond’s legislative language. Some may be surprised to learn, for example, that the bond primarily addresses climate adaptation and resilience, rather than climate mitigation such as clean energy infrastructure. This post outlines some major areas, projects, and funding within the language passed in 2024.

Aquafornia news Oregon Capital Chronicle (Salem)

Utah Sen. Mike Lee brings back proposal to sell public land in Western states

Utah Sen. Mike Lee is bringing back a proposal that would allow the federal government to sell off several million acres of public land in Utah and other Western states. … Introduced Wednesday evening, Lee’s amendment to congressional Republicans’ budget bill, nicknamed the “big, beautiful bill,” renews an effort initially spearheaded by Rep. Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, and Mark Amodei, R-Nevada, that sought to dispose of 11,500 acres of Bureau of Land Management land in southwestern Utah and some 450,000 acres of federal land in Nevada. … Though the scope is much bigger, Lee’s reasoning behind the proposal is the same as Maloy and Amodei’s — identify parcels of federal land near high-growth areas, and sell them at market value to local governments to use for housing, water infrastructure, roads and other development. 

Related articles:

Aquafornia news NOTUS

Blog: Burgum tells California Democrats that budget cuts are higher priority than some ‘solid’ programs

California Democrats tried on Thursday to dissuade Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum from cuts to water infrastructure funding. Instead, they got a clear view of the Trump administration’s priorities. The water security programs may be working, but budget cuts are more important, Burgum told lawmakers during a House hearing on President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for the Department of the Interior. … Congress is supposed to have the final say in federal funding, but the administration’s budget proposal, which would eliminate WaterSMART, is raising red flags for some House Democrats, especially given the approach DOGE has taken to federal funding. Burgum was responding to Rep. Luz Rivas, who represents the San Fernando Valley. Rivas said WaterSMART, which funds water management improvements, drought planning and more throughout the American West, was successful in mitigating water shortages in her district. It’s received billions in federal funding since 2010, with billions more matched by state and local partners.

Other California water infrastructure news:

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Bipartisan senators decry cuts to Army Corps, Reclamation

Senate lawmakers blasted the Trump administration’s fiscal 2026 budget proposal for agencies charged with major water infrastructure projects, and they vowed to secure more money for both the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development on Wednesday reviewed proposed budgets for both agencies, with senators from both parties criticizing the president’s desired cuts. “We’re probably going to have to start over with this budget, gentlemen. I’m not telling you anything that you don’t know,” Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kenendy, who chairs the subcommittee, said as he ended Tuesday’s hearing. “It’s just not realistic,” he added, noting he otherwise supports cuts put forth by the Office of Management and Budget. “I just know that the appetite for the work that you all do and the necessity of it. I’m just being realistic.”

Other Senate water news:

Aquafornia news San Francisco Chronicle

Trump administration moves to abolish California’s two newest national monuments

The Trump administration is moving forward with plans to abolish California’s two newest national monuments, Sáttítla Highlands National Monument in the state’s far north and Chuckwalla National Monument near Joshua Tree. The push to eliminate the designations, issued earlier this year by former President Joe Biden, was revealed in a U.S. Justice Department memo this week, responding to legal questions from the administration about rolling back the California monuments. Sáttítla Highlands monument was established in January to protect a remote 224,000-acre volcanic landscape northeast of Mount Shasta, known for lava beds and caves. The designation was sought by Northern California’s Pit River Tribe to prevent geothermal power production at tribally sacred sites. … In a statement, White House spokesperson Harrison Fields cited the president’s pledge to “liberate our federal lands and waters to oil, gas, coal, geothermal and mineral leasing.”

Aquafornia news San Francisco Chronicle

The Klamath River’s dams are gone. Now, a group of native teenagers will paddle the whole thing

In celebration of the largest dam removal project in U.S. history, a group of native youths will embark today on a kayaking descent of the Klamath River from its headwaters in Southern Oregon 250 miles to its mouth in Northern California — the first source-to-sea journey on the newly undammed river. Decommissioning and razing four of the six dams along the Klamath, which stood for more than a century and generated hydroelectric power, took decades of advocacy from environmentalists, fishing groups and in particular the region’s indigenous tribes, who regard the mighty waterway, with its historic salmon runs, as the pillar of life. Two remaining dams on the river, both in Oregon, are being left alone due to their importance managing flood water and supporting agriculture. … Now, to commemorate the milestone, about 30 young people belonging to tribal communities across the Klamath River Basin are launching on a monthlong expedition to see the powerful, freeflowing river in its entirety. 

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Senate poised to confirm EPA, Agriculture nominees

The Senate is speeding to confirm David Fotouhi for EPA deputy administrator and Stephen Vaden for deputy Agriculture secretary this week. Committees are also pushing energy and environment nominees forward. More than four months after President Donald Trump took office, Fotouhi is the third of nine candidates for various EPA posts whose nomination has made it to the Senate floor. Senate lawmakers voted Monday evening 53-43 along party lines to wind down debate on Fotouhi, a lawyer who also worked at EPA during Trump’s first term. A final roll call is scheduled for Tuesday. Fotouhi’s nomination won approval in March from the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on a 10-9 tally, also on party lines. Before Monday’s vote, committee leaders offered starkly contrasting portrayals of Fotouhi’s credentials.

Related article:

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Trump cuts would scrap USGS biological research arm

The Trump administration wants to unplug a high-powered U.S. Geological Survey research program whose scientists have helped protect wildlife, manage forests, thwart pests and illuminate nature for over three decades. Eliminating the biological research branch of the USGS, as called for in President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2026 budget proposal, would accelerate the administration’s targeting of scientific experts and studies already shown in layoffs and grant cancellations at the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health. … The Ecosystem Mission Area is one of five designated mission areas within USGS. It received about $293 million for fiscal 2025. Trump’s proposal would drop it to zero in fiscal 2026. … Other USGS mission areas, such as Natural Hazards and Water Resources, would get less money but still survive under Trump’s proposed fiscal 2026 budget.

Other science and environmental research funding news:

Aquafornia news Best, Best & Krieger LLP

Blog: Supreme Court issues first major NEPA ruling in two decades

On May 29, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an 8-0 opinion that clarifies the scope of environmental effects analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and requires substantial judicial deference to federal agencies in NEPA cases. This decision has broad implications for public agencies and Tribal Nations involved in infrastructure and economic development projects, natural resources management, water supply project operations and other matters where there is a federal nexus. … For local communities, water agencies, and Tribal Nations with projects that depend on the NEPA process, this ruling offers a couple of key takeaways. The first is straightforward. The scope of environmental effects analyzed in an EIS will continue to be limited by the authority of the federal agency. … A more complex implication relates to judicial deference—particularly deference to a federal agency’s choice of alternatives and its feasibility analysis. 

Aquafornia news KERO (Bakersfield, Calif.)

Hurtado’s ‘Common Sense Plan’ bills advance to California Assembly

Four bills authored by State Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield) have cleared the California Senate, advancing to the State Assembly as part of what she calls her “Common Sense Plan” to address affordability, infrastructure, and corporate accountability in the Central Valley. … The advancing legislation includes Senate Bill 224, the Preventing Artificial Water Shortages Act, which would require the Department of Water Resources to adopt better forecasting tools to avoid unnecessary water releases. Hurtado said the bill is aimed at avoiding the kind of mismanagement that led to skyrocketing water prices in some communities. … Senate Bill 556, the Flood Protection and Groundwater Recharge Act, would direct funding toward floodplain restoration projects in flood-prone areas such as McFarland. The measure is intended to reduce flood risks while helping to replenish groundwater supplies in Kern, Kings and Tulare counties.

Other California water and environmental legislation news:

Aquafornia news The Colorado Sun (Denver)

New Colorado stream protection law targets massive permitting backlog, costs

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.

Aquafornia news The Conversation

Blog: Supreme Court changes the game on federal environmental reviews

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.

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Trump USDA nominee tussles with Forest Service over land use

The Trump administration’s nominee to oversee the Forest Service is facing a new dispute over his use of land managed by the agency. Michael Boren, the pick for Agriculture Department undersecretary for natural resources and environment, is clashing with the Forest Service for building a cabin and clearing land in the Sawtooth National Forest near Stanley, Idaho, according to agency correspondence and people familiar with the situation. … Boren’s nomination hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday in the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. The dispute about the cabin and other work including diverting a stream is the latest issue between Boren and the Forest Service over how he manages land in and around the national forest. It also speaks to broader questions about how the Forest Service deals with communities and neighboring property owners, as well as how the agency handles special-use permits for a variety of activities.

Other Forest Service news:

Aquafornia news Orange County Register

What EPA’s gutting of environmental grants means for Southern California communities

When Christy Zamani received word late last year that her nonprofit, Day One, was awarded a $20 million federal grant, it was a shot in the arm for a group that, for nearly 40 years, has served marginalized communities in the San Gabriel Valley. … Then, two weeks ago, bad news. Word came that the grant had been cancelled, part of the Trump administration’s broader pullback of hundreds of what are called “environmental justice” grants, money initially aimed at efforts to improve minority communities impacted by pollution, climate change and air and water quality issues. Those included nearly $300 million for more than 60 projects in California, according to a review of the canceled grants provided by California Sen. Adam Schiff’s office. More than $67 million was set to go to more than a dozen projects spearheaded by organizations in Los Angeles and Orange counties, as well as the Inland Empire. 

Other EPA news:

Aquafornia news Los Angeles Times

Trump administration reverses USDA office closures in California

The federal government has rescinded termination notices for eight of nine USDA offices slated for closure in California. The decision comes after California lawmakers argued that closing the offices would burden farmers. The Trump administration has reversed its decision to shutter eight California outposts of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to a letter from agency head Brooke Rollins. The about-face came at the urging of a group of Democratic California lawmakers led by Sen. Adam Schiff, who decried plans from the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency to close USDA offices in Bakerserfield, Blythe, Los Angeles, Madera, Mt. Shasta, Oxnard, Salinas, Woodland and Yreka. … The original closure plans came amid sweeping layoffs and lease terminations at government agencies across the country led by Elon Musk’s DOGE team — including nearly two dozen California offices related to science, agriculture and the environment. Musk has since stepped down.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news The New York Times

Trump’s proposed budget would cut the Ecosystems Mission Area and much of its work

The Trump administration’s proposed budget for 2026 slashes about 90 percent of the funding for one of the country’s cornerstone biological and ecological research programs. Known as the Ecosystems Mission Area, the program is part of the U.S. Geological Survey and studies nearly every aspect of the ecology and biology of natural and human-altered landscapes and waters around the country. The 2026 proposed budget allocates $29 million for the project, a cut from its current funding level of $293 million. The budget proposal also reduces funds for other programs in the U.S. Geological Survey, as well as other federal science agencies. … The E.M.A. is also a core part of federal climate research. The Trump administration has sharply reduced or eliminated funds for climate science across federal agencies, calling the study of climate change part of “social agenda” research in an earlier version of the budget proposal.

Other water and environmental project funding news:

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Dems seek probe of Bureau of Reclamation staff losses

Democratic senators are pressing the Interior Department to determine whether significant staff losses at the Bureau of Reclamation could put water infrastructure at risk as well as derail the agency’s ability to fulfill congressional mandates. In a Friday letter to Interior acting Inspector General Caryl Brzymialkiewicz, eight senators asked for a review of staff reductions at Reclamation, pointing to an estimated loss of up to 25 percent of the agency’s staff under the Trump administration. “We are concerned that the administration’s actions to gut the agency of qualified public servants could leave critical water infrastructure and communities vulnerable to operational disruptions,” states the letter, led by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), ranking member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Aquafornia news Los Angeles Times

Friday Top of the Scroll: Supreme Court sharply limits environmental impact statements

The Supreme Court on Thursday sharply limited the reach of environmental impact statements in a victory for developers. In an 8-0 decision, the justices said these claims of the potential impact on the environment have been used too often to delay or block new projects. … In Thursday’s unanimous decision, the high court ruled for the developers of a proposed 88-mile railroad in northeastern Utah, a spur line that could carry crude oil that would be refined along the Gulf Coast. … Sections of the rail line would run along the Colorado River. … Agency officials said they haven’t yet had a chance to study the Supreme Court’s decision, and so it is unclear what the ruling’s effect will be (on California high-speed rail), if any. The same is true for the Delta Conveyance Project — a proposed $20-billion tunnel that would move water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to cities and farmlands to the south that is undergoing NEPA review. 

Related articles:

Aquafornia news Deseret News (Salt Lake City, Utah)

What is navigable water and why should you care?

The final listening session focusing on a controversial water rule will be held Thursday in Salt Lake City to give Utah residents a chance to weigh in. Called the Waters of the United States, or WOTUS, the hotly contested issue has wrangled its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. … An Obama-era rule issued in 2015 as an outgrowth of a Supreme Court decision was lauded by environmental activists and conservation groups as the most significant and impressive overhaul of the Clean Water Act in 42 years. … Supporters of WOTUS say it is meant to protect the benefits of water for all people of the United States to enjoy, not just individual property owners. The rule, however, was derided by states, private property owners and ranchers as regulatory overreach that stretched the meaning of words like navigable, near or adjacent.

Other Clean Water Act news:

Aquafornia news Public Policy Institute of California

Blog: The PPIC Water Policy Center turns 10

Launching the PPIC Water Policy Center ten years ago was a risk. How was a small team going to have a big impact on such intractable problems? After a decade, the proof is in the pudding. We’ve done it by being interdisciplinary, seeking out facts amid controversy, and really trying to understand the challenges and opportunities in each water sector. Despite the many difficulties and complexities of California’s water, the state has made tremendous progress on water management in the last decade, and the Water Policy Center has worked hard to support that progress with forward-looking, nonpartisan research. We follow where the facts lead, and that commitment to the facts—even if the results are not popular—has made us a trusted voice on some of the thorniest challenges in the field. Since the center launched ten years ago, we’ve released a wide range of impactful research. Here are just four major areas of research we’ve conducted on issues that matter deeply to all Californians.

Publication

Layperson’s Guide to Water Recycling
Updated 2024

Layperson's Guide to Water Recycling

Cities across California and the Southwest are significantly increasing and diversifying their use of recycled wastewater as traditional water supplies grow tighter.

The 5th edition of our Layperson’s Guide to Water Recycling covers the latest trends and statistics on water reuse as a strategic defense against prolonged drought and climate change.

Aquafornia news Ag Alert

Agencies race to fix plans to sustain groundwater levels

Seeking to prevent the California State Water Resources Control Board from stepping in to regulate groundwater in critically overdrafted subbasins, local agencies are working to correct deficiencies in their plans to protect groundwater. With groundwater sustainability agencies formed and groundwater sustainability plans evaluated, the state water board has moved to implement the 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA. … Under probation, groundwater extractors in the Tulare Lake subbasin face annual fees of $300 per well and $20 per acre-foot pumped, plus a late reporting fee of 25%. SGMA also requires well owners to file annual groundwater extraction reports.

Aquafornia news Los Angeles Times

Monday Top of the Scroll: California wants to harness more than half its land to combat climate change by 2045. Here’s how

California has unveiled an ambitious plan to help combat the worsening climate crisis with one of its invaluable assets: its land. Over the next 20 years, the state will work to transform more than half of its 100 million acres into multi-benefit landscapes that can absorb more carbon than they release, officials announced Monday. … The plan also calls for 11.9 million acres of forestland to be managed for biodiversity protection, carbon storage and water supply protection by 2045, and 2.7 million acres of shrublands and chaparral to be managed for carbon storage, resilience and habitat connectivity, among other efforts.

Related articles: 

Aquafornia news Congresswoman Norma Torres' Office

News release: Congresswoman Torres and Congressman Valadao introduce bipartisan “Removing Nitrate and Arsenic in Drinking Water Act”

Today, Congresswoman Norma Torres and Congressman David Valadao – members of the House Appropriations Committee – announced the introduction of the bipartisan Removing Nitrate and Arsenic in Drinking Water Act. This bill would amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to provide grants for nitrate and arsenic reduction, by providing $15 million for FY25 and every fiscal year thereafter. The bill also directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take into consideration the needs of economically disadvantaged populations impacted by drinking water contamination. The California State Water Resources Control Board found the Inland Empire to have the highest levels of contamination of nitrate throughout the state including 82 sources in San Bernardino, 67 sources in Riverside County, and 123 sources in Los Angeles County.

Aquafornia news The Salt Lake Tribune

Utah looks to other states for more water under new bill

A much-anticipated water bill brought by one of the most powerful lawmakers on Capitol Hill became public Thursday. Senate President Stuart Adams’s SB 211, titled “Generational Water Infrastructure Amendments,” seeks to secure a water supply for decades to come. It forms a new council comprised of leadership from the state’s biggest water districts that will figure out Utah’s water needs for the next 50 to 75 years. It also creates a new governor-appointed “Utah Water Agent” with a $1 million annual budget that will “coordinate with the council to ensure Utah’s generational water needs are met,” according to a news release. But combing through the text of the bill reveals the water agent’s main job will be finding an out-of-state water supply. … The bill also notes the water agent won’t meddle with existing water compacts with other states on the Bear and Colorado rivers.

Related article: 

Aquafornia news Office of Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria

News release: Assemblywoman Soria introduces bill to boost groundwater recharge

Last week, Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria introduced AB 2060 to help divert local floodwater into regional groundwater basins. AB 2060 seeks to streamline the permitting process to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in support of Flood-MAR activities when a stream or river has reached flood-monitor or flood stage as determined by the California Nevada River Forecast Center or the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). This expedited approval process would be temporary during storm events with qualifying flows under the SWRCB permit.

Related article: 

Aquafornia news Western Water

California to uncloak water rights as it moves records online

… In California, just figuring out who holds a water right requires a trip to a downtown Sacramento storage room crammed with millions of paper and microfilmed records dating to the mid-1800s. Even the state’s water rights enforcers struggle to determine who is using what. … Come next year, however, the board expects to have all records electronically accessible to the public. Officials recently started scanning records tied to an estimated 45,000 water rights into an online database. They’re also designing a system that will give real-time data on how much water is being diverted from rivers and streams across the state. … Proponents say the information technology upgrade will help the state and water users better manage droughts, establish robust water trading markets and ensure water for fish and the environment.

Related article: 

JD Supra: Water regulation in the Western states: California’s 2023 legislative proposal highlights

Aquafornia news Ag Alert

Commentary: Can California reject a ’scarcity mindset’ on water?

… Without more investment and regulatory relief, Californians face a future of chronic water scarcity. Our system of water storage and distribution is in trouble. We have depleted aquifers, nearly empty reservoirs on the Colorado River, and a precarious network of century-old levees that are one big earthquake away from catastrophic failure. Then there’s always the next severe drought. Even if the governor aggressively pushes for more investment in water supply infrastructure and more regulatory relief so projects can go forward, the state is again staring down a budget deficit. Bonds to fund water infrastructure projects are going to have a hard time getting approval from voters already overburdened with among the highest taxes in America.
- Written by Edward Ring, senior fellow with the California Policy Center.

Aquafornia news Ag Alert

Summit tackles water challenges facing California

Below-average precipitation and snowpack during 2020-22 and depleted surface and groundwater supplies pushed California into a drought emergency that brought curtailment orders and calls for modernizing water rights. At the Water Education Foundation annual water summit last week in Sacramento, Eric Oppenheimer, chief deputy director of the California State Water Resources Control Board, discussed what he described as the state’s “antiquated” water rights system. He spoke before some 150 water managers, government officials, farmers, environmentalists and others as part of the event where interests come together to collaborate on some of the state’s most challenging water issues.

Related articles: 

Tour Nick Gray

San Joaquin River Restoration Tour 2022
Field Trip - November 2-3

This tour traveled along the San Joaquin River to learn firsthand about one of the nation’s largest and most expensive river restoration projects.

The San Joaquin River was the focus of one of the most contentious legal battles in California water history, ending in a 2006 settlement between the federal government, Friant Water Users Authority and a coalition of environmental groups.

Hampton Inn & Suites Fresno
327 E Fir Ave
Fresno, CA 93720

New EPA Regional Administrator Tackles Water Needs with a Wealth of Experience and $1 Billion in Federal Funding
WESTERN WATER Q&A: Martha Guzman says surge of federal dollars offers 'greatest opportunity' to address longstanding water needs, including for tribes & disadvantaged communities in EPA Region 9

EPA Region 9 Administrator Martha Guzman.Martha Guzman recalls those awful days working on water and other issues as a deputy legislative secretary for then-Gov. Jerry Brown. California was mired in a recession and the state’s finances were deep in the red. Parks were cut, schools were cut, programs were cut to try to balance a troubled state budget in what she remembers as “that terrible time.”

She now finds herself in a strikingly different position: As administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 9, she has a mandate to address water challenges across California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii and $1 billion to help pay for it. It is the kind of funding, she said, that is usually spread out over a decade. Guzman called it the “absolutely greatest opportunity.”

Western Water By Gary Pitzer

Explainer: The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act: The Law, The Judge And The Enforcer

The Resource

A groundwater pump in the San Joaquin Valley. Groundwater provides about 40 percent of the water in California for urban, rural and agricultural needs in typical years, and as much as 60 percent in dry years when surface water supplies are low. But in many areas of the state, groundwater is being extracted faster than it can be replenished through natural or artificial means.

Western Water California Groundwater Map Layperson's Guide to Groundwater Gary Pitzer

With Sustainability Plans Filed, Groundwater Agencies Now Must Figure Out How To Pay For Them
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: California's Prop. 218 taxpayer law and local politics could complicate efforts to finance groundwater improvement projects

A groundwater monitoring well in Colusa County, north of Sacramento. The bill is coming due, literally, to protect and restore groundwater in California.

Local agencies in the most depleted groundwater basins in California spent months putting together plans to show how they will achieve balance in about 20 years.

Western Water California Water Map Gary Pitzer

Understanding Streamflow Is Vital to Water Management in California, But Gaps In Data Exist
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: A new law aims to reactivate dormant stream gauges to aid in flood protection, water forecasting

Stream gauges gather important metrics such as  depth, flow (described as cubic feet per second) and temperature.  This gauge near downtown Sacramento measures water depth.California is chock full of rivers and creeks, yet the state’s network of stream gauges has significant gaps that limit real-time tracking of how much water is flowing downstream, information that is vital for flood protection, forecasting water supplies and knowing what the future might bring.

That network of stream gauges got a big boost Sept. 30 with the signing of SB 19. Authored by Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa), the law requires the state to develop a stream gauge deployment plan, focusing on reactivating existing gauges that have been offline for lack of funding and other reasons. Nearly half of California’s stream gauges are dormant.

Western Water Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Map Gary Pitzer

Bruce Babbitt Urges Creation of Bay-Delta Compact as Way to End ‘Culture of Conflict’ in California’s Key Water Hub
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Former Interior secretary says Colorado River Compact is a model for achieving peace and addressing environmental and water needs in the Delta

Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt gives the Anne J. Schneider Lecture April 3 at Sacramento's Crocker Art Museum.  Bruce Babbitt, the former Arizona governor and secretary of the Interior, has been a thoughtful, provocative and sometimes forceful voice in some of the most high-profile water conflicts over the last 40 years, including groundwater management in Arizona and the reduction of California’s take of the Colorado River. In 2016, former California Gov. Jerry Brown named Babbitt as a special adviser to work on matters relating to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the Delta tunnels plan.

Western Water California Groundwater Map Layperson's Guide to Groundwater Gary Pitzer

As Deadline Looms for California’s Badly Overdrafted Groundwater Basins, Kern County Seeks a Balance to Keep Farms Thriving
WESTERN WATER SPOTLIGHT: Sustainability plans required by the state’s groundwater law could cap Kern County pumping, alter what's grown and how land is used

Water sprinklers irrigate a field in the southern region of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County.Groundwater helped make Kern County the king of California agricultural production, with a $7 billion annual array of crops that help feed the nation. That success has come at a price, however. Decades of unchecked groundwater pumping in the county and elsewhere across the state have left some aquifers severely depleted. Now, the county’s water managers have less than a year left to devise a plan that manages and protects groundwater for the long term, yet ensures that Kern County’s economy can continue to thrive, even with less water.

Western Water Gary Pitzer

California Officials Draft a $600M Plan To Help Low-Income Households Absorb Rising Water Bills
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: State Water Board report proposes new taxes on personal and business income or fees on bottled water and booze to fund rate relief program

Filling a glass with clean water from the kitchen tap.Low-income Californians can get help with their phone bills, their natural gas bills and their electric bills. But there’s only limited help available when it comes to water bills.

That could change if the recommendations of a new report are implemented into law. Drafted by the State Water Resources Control Board, the report outlines the possible components of a program to assist low-income households facing rising water bills.

Western Water Douglas E. Beeman

What Would You Do About Water If You Were California’s Next Governor?
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Survey at Foundation’s Sept. 20 Water Summit elicits a long and wide-ranging potential to-do list

There’s going to be a new governor in California next year – and a host of challenges both old and new involving the state’s most vital natural resource, water.

So what should be the next governor’s water priorities?

That was one of the questions put to more than 150 participants during a wrap-up session at the end of the Water Education Foundation’s Sept. 20 Water Summit in Sacramento.

Western Water Layperson's Guide to Groundwater Gary Pitzer

Novel Effort to Aid Groundwater on California’s Central Coast Could Help Other Depleted Basins
WESTERN WATER Q&A: Michael Kiparsky, director of UC Berkeley's Wheeler Water Institute, explains Pajaro Valley groundwater recharge pilot project

Michael KiparskySpurred by drought and a major policy shift, groundwater management has assumed an unprecedented mantle of importance in California. Local agencies in the hardest-hit areas of groundwater depletion are drawing plans to halt overdraft and bring stressed aquifers to the road of recovery.

Along the way, an army of experts has been enlisted to help characterize the extent of the problem and how the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 is implemented in a manner that reflects its original intent.

Western Water California Water Bundle Gary Pitzer

Statewide Water Bond Measures Could Have Californians Doing a Double-Take in 2018
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Two bond measures, worth $13B, would aid flood preparation, subsidence, Salton Sea and other water needs

San Joaquin Valley bridge rippled by subsidence  California voters may experience a sense of déjà vu this year when they are asked twice in the same year to consider water bonds — one in June, the other headed to the November ballot.

Both tackle a variety of water issues, from helping disadvantaged communities get clean drinking water to making flood management improvements. But they avoid more controversial proposals, such as new surface storage, and they propose to do some very different things to appeal to different constituencies.

Tour

San Joaquin River Restoration Tour 2018

Participants of this tour snaked along the San Joaquin River to learn firsthand about one of the nation’s largest and most expensive river restoration projects.

Fishery worker capturing a fish in the San Joaquin River.

The San Joaquin River was the focus of one of the most contentious legal battles in California water history, ending in a 2006 settlement between the federal government, Friant Water Users Authority and a coalition of environmental groups.

Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA)

A man watches as a groundwater pump pours water onto a field in Northern California.A new era of groundwater management began in 2014 with the passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which aims for local and regional agencies to develop and implement sustainable groundwater management plans with the state as the backstop.

SGMA defines “sustainable groundwater management” as the “management and use of groundwater in a manner that can be maintained during the planning and implementation horizon without causing undesirable results.”

Publication

The 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
A Handbook to Understanding and Implementing the Law

This handbook provides crucial background information on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, signed into law in 2014 by Gov. Jerry Brown. The handbook also includes a section on options for new governance.

Water Conservation

Drought-tolerant landscaping reduces the amount of water used on traditional lawns

Water conservation has become a way of life throughout the West with a growing recognition that water supply is not unlimited.

Drought is the most common motivator of increased water conservation. However, the gradual drying of the West due to climate change means the amount of fresh water available for drinking, irrigation, industry and other uses must be used as efficiently as possible.

Aquapedia background Colorado River Basin Map

Salton Sea

As part of the historic Colorado River Delta, the Salton Sea regularly filled and dried for thousands of years due to its elevation of 237 feet below sea level.

The most recent version of the Salton Sea was formed in 1905 when the Colorado River broke through a series of dikes and flooded the seabed for two years, creating California’s largest inland body of water. The Salton Sea, which is saltier than the Pacific Ocean, includes 130 miles of shoreline and is larger than Lake Tahoe

Aquapedia background California Water Map Layperson's Guide to California Water

Safe Drinking Water Act

The federal Safe Drinking Water Act sets standards for drinking water quality in the United States.

Launched in 1974 and administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Safe Drinking Water Act oversees states, communities, and water suppliers who implement the drinking water standards at the local level.

The act’s regulations apply to every public water system in the United States but do not include private wells serving less than 25 people.

According to the EPA, there are more than 160,000 public water systems in the United States.

Aquapedia background California Water Map Layperson's Guide to California Water

California Environmental Quality Act

The California Environmental Quality Act, commonly known as CEQA, is foundational to the state’s environmental protection efforts. The law requires proposed developments with the potential for “significant” impacts on the physical environment to undergo an environmental review. 

Since its passage in 1970, CEQA (based on the National Environmental Policy Act) has served as a model for similar legislation in other states.

Western Water Magazine

Changing the Status Quo: The 2009 Water Package
January/February 2010

This printed issue of Western Water looks at some of the pieces of the 2009 water legislation, including the Delta Stewardship Council, the new requirements for groundwater monitoring and the proposed water bond.

Western Water Magazine

Overdrawn at the Bank: Managing California’s Groundwater
January/February 2014

This printed issue of Western Water looks at California groundwater and whether its sustainability can be assured by local, regional and state management. For more background information on groundwater please refer to the Founda­tion’s Layperson’s Guide to Groundwater.

Western Water Magazine

Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Quality: A Cause for Concern?
September/October 2012

This printed issue of Western Water looks at hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” in California. Much of the information in the article was presented at a conference hosted by the Groundwater Resources Association of California.

Western Water Magazine

Water Policy 2007: The View from Washington and Sacramento
March/April 2007

This issue of Western Water looks at the political landscape in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento as it relates to water issues in 2007. Several issues are under consideration, including the means to deal with impending climate change, the fate of the San Joaquin River, the prospects for new surface storage in California and the Delta.

Western Water Magazine

Are We Keeping Up With Water Infrastructure Needs?
January/February 2012

This printed issue of Western Water examines water infrastructure – its costs and the quest to augment traditional brick-and-mortar facilities with sleeker, “green” features.

Western Water Magazine

Dollars and Sense: How We Pay for Water
September/October 2009

This printed issue of Western Water examines the financing of water infrastructure, both at the local level and from the statewide perspective, and some of the factors that influence how people receive their water, the price they pay for it and how much they might have to pay in the future.

Western Water Magazine

Making the Connection: The Water/Energy Nexus
September/October 2010

This printed issue of Western Water looks at the energy requirements associated with water use and the means by which state and local agencies are working to increase their knowledge and improve the management of both resources.

Western Water Magazine

Mimicking the Natural Landscape: Low Impact Development and Stormwater Capture
September/October 2011

This printed issue of Western Water discusses low impact development and stormwater capture – two areas of emerging interest that are viewed as important components of California’s future water supply and management scenario.

Western Water Magazine

A Call to Action? The Colorado River Basin Supply and Demand Study
November/December 2012

This printed issue of Western Water examines the Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study and what its finding might mean for the future of the lifeblood of the Southwest.

Western Water Magazine

Nitrate and the Struggle for Clean Drinking Water
March/April 2013

This printed issue of Western Water discusses the problems of nitrate-contaminated water in small disadvantaged communities and possible solutions.

Video

The Klamath Basin: A Restoration for the Ages (20 min. DVD)

20-minute version of the 2012 documentary The Klamath Basin: A Restoration for the Ages. This DVD is ideal for showing at community forums and speaking engagements to help the public understand the complex issues related to complex water management disputes in the Klamath River Basin. Narrated by actress Frances Fisher.

Video

The Klamath Basin: A Restoration for the Ages (60 min. DVD)

For over a century, the Klamath River Basin along the Oregon and California border has faced complex water management disputes. As relayed in this 2012, 60-minute public television documentary narrated by actress Frances Fisher, the water interests range from the Tribes near the river, to energy producer PacifiCorp, farmers, municipalities, commercial fishermen, environmentalists – all bearing legitimate arguments for how to manage the water. After years of fighting, a groundbreaking compromise may soon settle the battles with two epic agreements that hold the promise of peace and fish for the watershed. View an excerpt from the documentary here.

Video

Shaping of the West: 100 Years of Reclamation

30-minute DVD that traces the history of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and its role in the development of the West. Includes extensive historic footage of farming and the construction of dams and other water projects, and discusses historic and modern day issues.

Maps & Posters

San Joaquin River Restoration Map
Published 2012

This beautiful 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, features a map of the San Joaquin River. The map text focuses on the San Joaquin River Restoration Program, which aims to restore flows and populations of Chinook salmon to the river below Friant Dam to its confluence with the Merced River. The text discusses the history of the program, its goals and ongoing challenges with implementation. 

Maps & Posters

Carson River Basin Map
Published 2006

A companion to the Truckee River Basin Map poster, this 24×36-inch poster, suitable for framing, explores the Carson River, and its link to the Truckee River. The map includes the Lahontan Dam and reservoir, the Carson Sink, and the farming areas in the basin. Map text discusses the region’s hydrology and geography, the Newlands Project, land and water use within the basin and wetlands. Development of the map was funded by a grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Mid-Pacific Region, Lahontan Basin Area Office.

Publication

Layperson’s Guide to Water Rights Law
Updated 2020

The 28-page Layperson’s Guide to Water Rights Law, recognized as the most thorough explanation of California water rights law available to non-lawyers, traces the authority for water flowing in a stream or reservoir, from a faucet or into an irrigation ditch through the complex web of California water rights.

Publication

Layperson’s Guide to Water Marketing
Updated 2005

The 20-page Layperson’s Guide to Water Marketing provides background information on water rights, types of transfers and critical policy issues surrounding this topic. First published in 1996, the 2005 version offers expanded information on groundwater banking and conjunctive use, Colorado River transfers and the role of private companies in California’s developing water market. 

Order in bulk (25 or more copies of the same guide) for a reduced fee. Contact the Foundation, 916-444-6240, for details.

Publication

Layperson’s Guide to the State Water Project
Updated 2013

The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the State Water Project provides an overview of the California-funded and constructed State Water Project.

The State Water Project is best known for the 444-mile-long aqueduct that provides water from the Delta to San Joaquin Valley agriculture and southern California cities. The guide contains information about the project’s history and facilities.

Publication

Layperson’s Guide to the Klamath River Basin
Published 2023

The Water Education Foundation’s second edition of the Layperson’s Guide to The Klamath River Basin is hot off the press and available for purchase.

Updated and redesigned, the easy-to-read overview 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.

Publication

Layperson’s Guide to Integrated Regional Water Management
Published 2013

The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) is an in-depth, easy-to-understand publication that provides background information on the principles of IRWM, its funding history and how it differs from the traditional water management approach.

Publication California Groundwater Map

Layperson’s Guide to Groundwater
Updated 2017

The 28-page Layperson’s Guide to Groundwater is an in-depth, easy-to-understand publication that provides background and perspective on groundwater. The guide explains what groundwater is – not an underground network of rivers and lakes! – and the history of its use in California.

Publication

Layperson’s Guide to Flood Management
Updated 2009

The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to Flood Management explains the physical flood control system, including levees; discusses previous flood events (including the 1997 flooding); explores issues of floodplain management and development; provides an overview of flood forecasting; and outlines ongoing flood control projects. 

Publication

Layperson’s Guide to the Central Valley Project
Updated 2021

The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the Central Valley Project explores the history and development of the federal Central Valley Project (CVP), California’s largest surface water delivery system. In addition to the project’s history, the guide describes the various facilities, operations and benefits the water project brings to the state along with the CVP Improvement Act (CVPIA).

Publication Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Map

Layperson’s Guide to the Delta
Updated 2020

The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the Delta explores the competing uses and demands on California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Included in the guide are sections on the history of the Delta, its role in the state’s water system, and its many complex issues with sections on water quality, levees, salinity and agricultural drainage, fish and wildlife, and water distribution.

Aquapedia background

Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Litigation

For more than 30 years, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta has been embroiled in continuing controversy over the struggle to restore the faltering ecosystem while maintaining its role as the hub of the state’s water supply.

Lawsuits and counter lawsuits have been filed, while environmentalists and water users continue to clash over  the amount of water that can be safely exported from the region.

Aquapedia background

National Environmental Policy Act

Passed in 1970, the federal National Environmental Policy Act requires lead public agencies to prepare and submit for public review environmental impact reports and statements on major federal projects under their purview with potentially significant environmental effects.

According to the Department of Energy, administrator of NEPA:

Aquapedia background

Judge Wanger Rulings

Federal Judge Oliver Wanger overturned a federal scientific study that aimed to protect Delta smelt in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

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Groundwater Legislation

California has considered, but not implemented, a comprehensive groundwater strategy many times over the last century.

One hundred years ago, the California Conservation Commission considered adding  groundwater regulation into the Water Commission Act of 1913.  After hearings were held, it was decided to leave groundwater rights out of the Water Code.

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Federal Reserved Rights

Federal reserved rights were created when the United States reserved land from the public domain for uses such as Indian reservations, military bases and national parks, forests and monuments.  [See also Pueblo Rights].

Aquapedia background California Water Map Layperson's Guide to California Water

Federal Endangered Species Act

The federal government passed the Endangered Species Act in 1973, following earlier legislation. The first, the  Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, authorized land acquisition to conserve select species. The Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969 then expanded on the 1966 act, and authorized “the compilation of a list of animals “threatened with worldwide extinction” and prohibits their importation without a permit.”

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California Wild and Scenic Rivers Act

North Fork of the American River,  a section deemed wild and scenic. California’s Legislature passed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1972, following the passage of the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act by Congress in 1968. Under California law, “[c]ertain rivers which possess extraordinary scenic, recreational, fishery, or wildlife values shall be preserved in their free-flowing state, together with their immediate environments, for the benefit and enjoyment of the people of the state.”

Rivers are classified as:

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California Endangered Species Act

California was the first state in the nation to protect fish, flora and fauna with the enactment of the California Endangered Species Act in 1970. (Congress followed suit in 1973 by passing the federal Endangered Species Act. See also the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES.)

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Area-of-Origin and California Water

The legal term “area-of-origin” dates back to 1931 in California.

At that time, concerns over water transfers prompted enactment of four “area-of-origin” statutes. With water transfers from Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy Valley to supply water for San Francisco and from Owens Valley to Los Angeles fresh in mind, the statutes were intended to protect local areas against export of water.

In particular, counties in Northern California had concerns about the state tapping their water to develop California’s supply.

Western Water Excerpt Gary PitzerRita Schmidt Sudman

Changing the Status Quo: The 2009 Water Package
January/February 2010

It would be a vast understatement to say the package of water bills approved by the California Legislature and signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last November was anything but a significant achievement. During a time of fierce partisan battles and the state’s long-standing political gridlock with virtually all water policy, pundits at the beginning of 2009 would have given little chance to lawmakers being able to reach com­promise on water legislation.

Western Water Excerpt Gary PitzerRita Schmidt Sudman

Thirty Years of the Clean Water Act
Nov/Dec 2002

This year marks the 30th anniversary of one of the most significant environmental laws in American history, the Clean Water Act (CWA). The law that emerged from the consensus and compromise that characterizes the legislative process has had remarkable success, reversing years of neglect and outright abuse of the nation’s waters.

Western Water Excerpt Rita Schmidt Sudman

The Davis Administration and California Water
Mar/Apr 1999

In January, Mary Nichols joined the cabinet of the new Davis administration. With her appointment by Gov. Gray Davis as Secretary for Resources, Ms. Nichols, 53, took on the role of overseeing the state of California’s activities for the management, preservation and enhancement of its natural resources, including land, wildlife, water and minerals. As head of the Resources Agency, she directs the activities of 19 departments, conservancies, boards and commissions, serving as the governor’s representative on these boards and commissions.

Western Water Excerpt Rita Schmidt Sudman

CVP Improvement Act Update
May/Jun 1997

Two days before our annual Executive Briefing, I picked up my phone to hear “The White House calling… .” Vice President Al Gore had accepted the foundation’s invitation to speak at our March 13 briefing on California water issues. That was the start of a new experience for us. For in addition to conducting a briefing for about 250 people, we were now dealing with Secret Service agents, bomb sniffing dogs and government sharpshooters, speech writers, print and TV reporters, school children and public relations people.