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

Topic: Southern California

Aquafornia news May 27, 2022 NBC Los Angeles

Map: Where the California drought just got worse

An already grim situation just got worse for California in this week’s U.S. Drought Monitor report. ‘Exceptional drought’ expanded in parts of California’s agricultural Central Valley in this week’s report. That is the most severe of the weekly update’s four drought categories. The area includes portions of Kern, Tulare, Fresno, Madera, Mariposa and Tuolumne counties. The flat region that dominates the central part of the state has some of the most productive farmland in the country, including miles of crop fields with fruits, grains, nuts and vegetables.

Related articles: 

  • FOX 5 San Diego: California adopting more aggressive water conservation rules; what to know
  • Ventura County Star: Camarillo, Thousand Oaks restrict outdoor watering to once weekly as drought continues
  • Best Best & Krieger LLP: State Water Resources Control Board Adopts Emergency Drought Regulation
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 27, 2022 Los Angeles Times

Fire restrictions start early in San Bernardino National Forest

Dry conditions and warming temperatures have forced San Bernardino National Forest officials to institute campfire and hunting restrictions a month earlier than usual. The rules go into effect Wednesday.  Visitors will not be allowed to build or maintain any type of fire, including campfires or charcoal fires, except in a National Forest-provided campfire ring or barbecue grills in approved areas. The restrictions are in effect throughout the 820,000-acre national forest with few exceptions, the forest announced.

Related article: 

  • Law 360: Exploring Calif. Wildfire Insurance’s Legislative Landscape  
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 27, 2022 Orange County Register

Opinion: HOA homefront – Drought emergency is back; did your community notice?

California has experienced many drought periods, but in January 2014 the drought situation became sufficiently severe that then-Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of drought emergency. Soon thereafter, several laws were added to the Davis-Stirling Act, Civil Code Sections 4735 and 4736. Civil Code Section 4735 does not allow governing documents to directly or indirectly prohibit low water-using plants or artificial turf. During a time of declared drought emergency, under subpart “c” of that statute, the HOA cannot penalize homeowners for letting their yards “go brown.”
-Written by Kelly Richardson, contributing columnist. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 27, 2022 The Packer

Western senators moving to drought-proof future water supply

A group of senators has introduced the Support to Rehydrate the Environment, Agriculture and Municipalities, or STREAM, Act. The bill would increase water supply and modernize water infrastructure throughout the West. The three senators, all from states affected by the current drought, include Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). … Infrastructure improvements and additions work toward a long-term solution. And it’s important to think urgently, said the release.

Related article: 

  • Water World: WateReuse celebrates introduction of water reuse funding bill
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 26, 2022 High Country News

Unprecedented fire, wind and snowmelt in the Southwest

It is mid-May, and a couple of days ago, the Hermits Peak Fire in northern New Mexico reached 299,565 acres in size, surpassing the 2012 Whitewater-Baldy Fire as the state’s largest wildfire on record. … It is mid-May, and a dozen other fires have already charred tens of thousands of acres across the West … It is mid-May, and the spring winds have been relentless … It is mid-May, and the temperature in Phoenix has reached 105 degrees Fahrenheit two days in a row.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 26, 2022 Los Angeles Times

Thursday Top of the Scroll: Heat and drought shape Southern California’s summer outlook

Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer, is Monday. What’s in store for the upcoming season of beach days and barbecues in Southern California? To start with, it will be dry. That’s not just because California’s Mediterranean climate means rain mostly falls during a few wet winter months, but because the state is in its third year of drought…. Major reservoirs statewide were at 76% of average levels this week, with the long, hot summer months still ahead….This month, 59.64% of the state is categorized as being in extreme drought, the second-worst category, with just 0.18% in exceptional drought — but then this is May, not July.

Related article: 

  • The Union: Warm days give way to cooling trend: Chance of rain returns Saturday  
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 26, 2022 Water Education Foundation

Announcement: Agenda now posted for special June 9 workshop in Southern California on precipitation forecasting & drought management

California’s vast network of surface water reservoirs is designed to hold carryover storage from year to year to ensure water is available for urban, agricultural and environmental purposes during dry months and years. But climate change has begun to affect our reliance on historical weather patterns to predict California’s water supply, making it even more difficult for water managers to manage drought conditions and placing a greater emphasis on better precipitation forecasting at longer lead times. Learn about efforts being made to ‘get ahead of the storms’ through new science, models and technology at our special one-day workshop June 9 in Irvine, Making Progress on Drought Management: Improvements in Seasonal Precipitation Forecasting.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 25, 2022 Orange County Water District

News release: The first of four PFAS treatment facilities in Garden Grove begins operation

The Orange County Water District and the City of Garden Grove began operating one of four treatment plants being constructed in Garden Grove to remove per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from local well water. PFAS are a group of thousands of manmade, heat-resistant chemicals that are prevalent in the environment and are commonly used in consumer products to repel water, grease and oil. Due to their prolonged use, PFAS are being detected in water sources throughout the United States, including the Orange County Groundwater Basin, which supplies 77% of the water supply to 2.5 million people in north and central Orange County. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 25, 2022 Discover Magazine

La Niña lives! — and that’s bad news

For two winters in a row, La Niña has steered desperately needed rain and snow storms away from the U.S. Southwest, exacerbating a decades-long drought that has shriveled reservoirs and spurred horrific wildfires. Now, hopes that the climate pattern would relent and allow moisture to rebound next winter have suffered a serious blow. La Niña — Spanish for “the girl” — persisted through April, and there’s a 61 percent chance she’ll stick around for a third winter, according to the latest monthly update from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Related articles: 

  • ABC Salt Lake City: The Summer 2022 Outlook is in! What should Utahns expect?
  • Associated Press – Santa Fe: Rain, snow slow New Mexico fire, but hot, dry weather looms
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 25, 2022 The Associated Press

Explainer: How cities in the West have water amid drought

As drought and climate change tighten their grip on the American West, the sight of fountains, swimming pools, gardens and golf courses in cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Boise, and Albuquerque can be jarring at first glance. Western water experts, however, say they aren’t necessarily cause for concern. Over the past three decades, major Western cities — particularly in California and Nevada — have diversified their water sources, boosted local supplies through infrastructure investments and conservation, and use water more efficiently. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 25, 2022 The Sacramento Bee

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: California bans watering of ‘non functional’ lawns around businesses as drought persists

Californians can expect to see more yellow grass around hospitals, hotels, office parks and industrial centers after water regulators voted Tuesday to ban watering of “nonfunctional” turf in commercial areas. The State Water Resources Control Board also moved to order all the state’s major urban water providers to step up their conservation efforts. The moves are the strongest regulatory actions state officials have taken in the third year of the latest drought.

Related articles: 

  • New York Times: California Approves New Water Restrictions Amid Worsening Drought
  • Los Angeles Times: California bans watering ‘non-functional’ grass in some areas, strengthening drought rules
  • San Francisco Chronicle: California orders water suppliers to mandate restrictions. Here’s how much further they could go
  • San Diego Union-Tribune: State tightens drought rules as S.D. officials fear higher water rates
  • SJV Sun: Calif. officials ban watering “useless” grass over drought worries
  • Manteca Bulletin: State edict - Say goodbye green grass
  • Regional Water Authority: Statement - Local Water Providers Support Emergency Conservation Regulations
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 24, 2022 Bakersfield Californian

Methane leaks near Bakersfield homes renew concerns about idle oil wells

Environmentalists advocating new state restrictions on oil and gas drilling have seized upon confirmation last week that two idle wells were leaking methane near a residential area in northeast Bakersfield decades after they were improperly abandoned. Details remained sketchy Monday, including how much gas the wells were emitting and for how long. … Late last month, California officials outlined plans for doing more to cap the state’s orphan oil and gas wells using $25 million in federal money they said will help them prioritize work in populated areas most vulnerable to methane leaks and groundwater contamination.

Related article: 

  • Inside Climate News: California Water Regulators Still Haven’t Considered the Growing Body of Research on the Risks of Oil Field Wastewater
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 24, 2022 Los Angeles Times

Trees are critical infrastructure. Water them amid drought

The lowly sidewalk tree often stands invisible. We rest in its shade, bask in the scent of springtime flowers, and we don’t notice it until it’s gone. But the tree works hard. It captures and filters stormwater runoff and helps replenish groundwater. It cleans our air and cools our neighborhoods. It improves our mental health. It saves lives. With Southern California officials clamping down on outdoor water use amid worsening drought, the message is clear: It’s fine for lawns to go brown, but we need to keep trees alive and healthy.

Related article: 

  • Los Angeles Times: Best California native plants for when summer heats up
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 24, 2022 Voice of San Diego

San Diego pays a lot for abundant water. Tijuana pays a different price for water scarcity

Maria Herrera had about a quarter left in her last five-gallon water jug. On that April afternoon, though, spotty water service returned to the 67-year-old woman’s apartment, before the jug emptied. If it hadn’t, that was all she had left to bathe, do housework or drink. Herrera lives in Villas de Santa Fe, a neighborhood of cookie-cutter apartment blocks on the rapidly growing outskirts of Tijuana. Baja’s state water agency, called CESPT, shuts off her water at least once a week, she said. Last summer, Herrera said she went six days with dry taps. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 24, 2022 UC Riverside

New research: Microbes can degrade the toughest PFAS

Engineers at UC Riverside are the first to report selective breakdown of a particularly stubborn class of PFAS called fluorinated carboxylic acids (FCAs) by common microorganisms. Under anaerobic conditions, a carbon-carbon double bond is crucial for the shattering the ultra-strong carbon-fluorine bond by microbial communities. While breaking the carbon-carbon bond does not completely degrade the molecule, the resulting products could be relayed to other microorganisms for defluorination under in aerobic conditions.

Related articles: 

  • Bloomberg Law: PFAS in Sewage Sludge, Industrial Wastewater Targeted for Rules
  • Jezebel: Erin Brockovich Is Still Trying to Save Us
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 24, 2022 Mercury News

Tuesday Top of the Scroll: Newsom calls for increased water conservation, warning of mandatory statewide restrictions

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday warned major water agencies to show better conservation results or face mandatory statewide water restrictions as California heads into its third summer of severe drought. The threat is a sign of Newsom’s growing impatience with the state’s failure to reduce urban water use, as he has requested since last year. In fact, people have been using more. … Newsom also said the state will closely monitor the situation over the next 60 days, and he told the agencies to submit water use data more frequently to the state and to step up outreach and education efforts to communicate the urgency of the crisis to the public.

Related articles: 

  • San Francisco Chronicle: Newsom says California could get mandatory water restrictions as drought crisis deepens
  • Los Angeles Times: Newsom urges aggressive water conservation and warns of statewide restrictions
  • The Guardian: California threatens ‘mandatory water restrictions’ if people don’t cut back
  • Chico Enterprise-Record: Chico, Oroville enter new phase of water conservation
  • Associated Press: Californians could see mandatory water cuts amid years-long drought, Gov. Newsom says  
  • City News Service: Newsom warns of statewide watering restrictions if local drought efforts fall short
  • Malibu Times: Outdoor watering restrictions cause panic
  • WaterWorld: Inland Empire Utilities Agency adopts drought resolution
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 23, 2022 ABC7 Los Angeles

California water officials urge conservation amid dim outlook for improvement in drought conditions

Outdoor watering restrictions area set to take effect in Los Angeles at the end of the month, and the prospect of an improvement in drought conditions appears dim. Just how bad is the drought? According to state figures, the first three months of the year were the driest in the state’s recorded history. California is currently in the third year of a drought. Wade Crowfoot is the state secretary for natural resources. The one resource he oversees that we all use is water. According to his agency, the drought is getting worse, not better.

Related articles: 

  • NBC Los Angeles: Why Trees Are Not Part of LA’s Two-Day Outdoor Watering Restrictions
  • KSBY: Why scientists believe this summer will be warmer than usual
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 23, 2022 The New York Times

Has California’s fire season begun?

More than half a dozen wildfires broke out across California in a 48-hour span late last week, an unsettling picture of what’s to come as temperatures warm and drought conditions worsen this summer….Today and tomorrow, gusty winds, low humidity and unseasonably hot temperatures are creating high fire risk across an inland swath of California between Redding and Sacramento.

Related articles: 

  • Southern California News Group: Riverside County fire officials ban outdoor burning amid megadrought, early wildfire season
  • East Bay Times: Containment rises for two fires burning in Northern California
  • KMPH: Heat Advisory issued as Valley braces for its first triple-digit temperatures of the year
  • USA Today: Fighting fire with fire: Controlled burns remain essential as US wildfires intensify
  • Patch: CA Fire Danger Elevates Amid Hot, Gusty Weather; 4 Blazes Burn
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 20, 2022 The San Diego Union-Tribune

Congressman Levin introduces bill to fund coastal protection

San Diego County lagoons and wetlands may get more funding for protection and restoration under the Resilient Coasts and Estuaries Act, introduced Tuesday by Reps. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, and Brian Mast, R-Fla. The bill would authorize $60 million per year through 2026 for the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program, which distributes money to preserve the “conservation, recreation, ecological, historical, and aesthetic values of estuaries,” Levin stated. That funding could support conservation of local wetlands, including the San Mateo Creek, San Luis Rey River, San Elijo Lagoon and others…

Related article: 

  • Knee-Deep Times: National Toolkit Offers Steps & Metrics
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 20, 2022 E&E News

Grid monitor warns of U.S. blackouts in ’sobering report’

The central and upper Midwest, Texas and Southern California face an increased risk of power outages this summer from extreme heat, wildfires and extended drought, the nation’s grid monitor warned yesterday. In a dire new assessment, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) described regions of the country pushed closer than ever toward energy emergencies by a combination of climate change impacts and a transition from traditional fossil fuel generators to carbon-free renewable power.

Related articles: 

  • Fox Business: Drought, high temperatures could cause blackouts in large parts of the US this summer
  • KTLA: Summer blackouts could hit these U.S. states, regulators warn
  • Los Angeles Times: This tiny Utah town could shape the West’s energy future
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
  • 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
    • 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
  • 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