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On the calendar today …
- Sites Reservoir Project water rights hearing beginning at 9am. The State Water Resources Control Board Administrative Hearings Office will hold a Public Hearing on the pending petition for Sites Reservoir Project water rights. Interested members of the public who would like to watch this hearing may do so through the Administrative Hearings Office YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/@swrcbadministrativehearing728/featured. Click here for the hearing notice.
In California water news today …
Atmospheric river to fuel California storms this week with rain, wind and snow
“A major winter storm, fueled by a renewed atmospheric river, will bring heavy rain and mountain snow to both Northern and Southern California on Wednesday and Thursday. Heavy rain and gusty winds will impact Wednesday’s commute around the Bay Area, while several feet of snow will begin piling up in the Sierra, including Tahoe. By Wednesday evening and into Thursday morning, showers and thunderstorms will linger locally, while the pulse of heavy precipitation will shift southward, bringing several inches of rain and mountain snow to Central and Southern California. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
El Niño yields to upwelling in the California current, renewing productivity of West Coast ecosystem
“According to the NOAA California Current Integrated Ecosystem Assessment’s annual report, the California Current Ecosystem pulled out of a strong El Niño pattern in 2024. That El Niño delayed the onset of the annual spring upwelling of nutrient-laden water that, was nevertheless strong enough to fuel the rich West Coast ecosystem and improv environmental conditions for salmon. NOAA Fisheries scientists presented the report to the Pacific Fishery Management Council to inform upcoming decisions on fishing seasons. The report provides a snapshot of ocean conditions, fish population abundance and habitat, and fisheries landings and fishing communities’ conditions. It gives short-term forecasts and longer term projections of how conditions across the ecosystem may evolve in 2025 and beyond. … ” Read more from NOAA Fisheries.
Endangered salmon move into newly restored habitat on the Mendocino Coast
“Thanks in part to NOAA’s 20-year investment in this species, Central California Coast coho salmon returned to Mendocino rivers and streams in record-breaking numbers last spawning season. Fish returning to these sites are bigger and healthier than other fish in the watershed. NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation funds habitat restoration projects benefiting the endangered Central California Coast coho salmon and steelhead on the Mendocino Coast. In 2023, it awarded The Nature Conservancy and Trout Unlimited $14.5 million through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for projects being implemented over the next several years. We recently checked in with our Mendocino Coast partners to ask how their work is progressing. They report that juvenile CCC coho salmon and steelhead have moved into recently restored habitats, including one where coho have been absent for 70 years or more. … ” Read more from NOAA Fisheries.
Representative Kiley introduces the Coastal Commission Accountability Act to rein in CA Coastal Commission abuses
“Today Representative Kevin Kiley (R-CA) introduced the Coastal Commission Accountability Act to strip the California Coastal Commission of its powers under federal law. Kiley’s bill will amend the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) to expedite important coastal activities, including national security initiatives, critical infrastructure development, and disaster mitigation and recovery efforts. “The California Coastal Commission is simply out of control and has veered far from its purpose of protecting the coast,” said Rep. Kiley. “From blocking SpaceX rocket launches to obstructing fire prevention projects, the Commission has repeatedly threatened the safety of Californians and weakened our national defense, while needlessly undercutting innovation and economic progress. The need to rein in the Commission has become urgent as we face the challenge of rebuilding Los Angeles following the fires. ” … ” Continue reading at Congressman Kiley’s website.
Senate Committee advances Schiff, Padilla Bill to enact a water settlement between the Tule River Tribe and the US
“U.S. Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla (both D-Calif.) announced that the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs advanced their legislation to formally recognize the Tule River Tribe’s reserved water rights and quantify the Tribe’s water right of 5,828 acre-feet per year of surface water from the South Fork of the Tule River. The bill passed out of committee by voice vote and now moves to the Senate floor for consideration by the full Senate. For decades, the Tule River Tribe has worked with the federal government and downstream water users to advance a settlement agreement, avoiding costly and adversarial litigation for both the tribe and the United States government. This legislation would fulfill the federal government’s trust and treaty responsibilities to the Tule River Tribe by ensuring that the Tribe is able to access the water resources they were promised and to provide clean drinking water to their people. “Water is a precious resource that so many of us take for granted. This legislation will provide much-needed water security for the Tule River Tribe and ensure critical access to clean drinking water,” said Senator Schiff. … ” Continue reading from Senator Schiff’s website.
In commentary today …
What the war on California’s water is really about
Ryan Christopher Jones, a photojournalist and anthropology doctoral student at Harvard studying the local politics of water transfers in the California Delta, writes, “The sprawling estuary about 70 miles inland from San Francisco feels distinctly out of place — more like the swampy Florida Everglades than arid California. But from that confluence of two great rivers, the Sacramento and the San Joaquin, 1,100 miles of webbed waterways and levees send upward of six million acre-feet of freshwater a year to thirstier parts of the state, from farms in the San Joaquin Valley to the Southern California megalopolis. Known as the California Delta, the estuary is among the state’s most important sources of water — and most consistent flash points over environmental protection. … For Mr. Trump and some conservatives, the California Delta is a potent symbol of environmentalism’s overreach and the incompatibility of farming and conservation. And by meddling in California’s water debates, he stokes a host of tensions: between state and federal water management, urban Los Angeles and the rural Delta, and agricultural and residential uses. But the so-called war over California’s water is a dangerous, flawed trope that reduces certain water uses to right or wrong, and turns the Delta into a place with no local stakes. … ” Read more from the New York Times (gift article).
How customers pay for imported water needs to change
Tom Kennedy, Kennedy Water Consulting, writes, “California’s statewide water system is an engineering marvel and is a key reason the Golden State prospered over the last century. Absent the sophisticated mechanisms to capture water and move it to population centers, none of our major cities would exist as they do today. The actions by visionary leaders truly delivered on the promises they made. When these systems were built the main source of funding was from property tax assessments. The Colorado River Aqueduct, built by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, was financed with revenue bonds paid back by property taxes. It was not until the 70’s that over 50% of the cost of MWD’s facilities and operations were recovered through water rates levied on its member agencies. Similarly, the State Water Project’s enabling act – the Burns Porter Act – provided for costs to be recovered through property taxation and many State Water Project Contractors continue to pay their share of ongoing costs via the property tax rolls. Numerous lawsuits have confirmed the right of these agencies to collect revenue to pay ongoing costs via property taxation. Beginning in the 1970s and accelerating after the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, some member agencies of the large wholesale agencies pushed for more revenue to come from rates and charges levied on retail water agencies. … ” Continue reading this commentary.
We’re facing a ‘forever chemicals’ crisis. We must stop PFAS at the source
Mark Ruffalo, actor and environmental activist, writes, “Several years ago, I made a movie called Dark Waters, which told the real-life story of a community in West Virginia poisoned by Pfas “forever chemicals”. DuPont – a chemical manufacturing plant – contaminated the local water supply, killing cows and wildlife, making its workers sick and exposing local residents to toxic chemicals. It was an environmental horror story. It’s still happening across the country. Pfas, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, aren’t just lingering in that community – they’re everywhere. In our air, soil, water and bodies. They’re called “forever chemicals” for a reason: they don’t break down, and once they’re in our bodies, they’re almost impossible to get rid of. … ” Continue reading at The Guardian.
In regional water news and commentary today …
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Could the White House impact your ski turns?
“As actions related to federal public lands incite passion, protests, and demonstrations, its begs the question: could ski resorts that sit on federal public lands be in jeopardy? One conservation organization believes they could be. “This is probably the most dangerous moment we’ve seen for a long time,” Michael Carroll, BLM Campaign Director with the Wilderness Society expressed in terms of the impacts decisions the Trump Administration and the republican controlled Congress could potentially have on federal public lands. “So people need to be paying attention,” he said, explaining one mechanism endangering ski resorts is a federal public land selloff and privatization. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Butte Water District proposed rate increase
“Recently, an anonymous local farmer visited The Gridley Herald office with some concerns about possible water rate increases through Butte Water District (BWD). The last water rate increase was in 2006. General Manager Donnie Stinnett and former General Manager Mark Orme sat down with The Gridley Herald to talk about the proposed rate increase. Butte Water District comprises about 31,000 acres in Butte and Sutter counties. The district has rights to more than 130,000-acre feet of water from Feather River, which is distributed via canals to landowners for irrigation, environmental enhancement and groundwater replacement. Butte Water District is a Groundwater Management Agency under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. … ” Read more from the Gridley Herald.
Local leaders and state agencies address Oroville levee concerns
“The Oroville Dam Citizens Advisory Committee met Friday to address safety and flood concerns, as well as the next steps to improve the Oroville levee. The levee that protects Downtown Oroville from flooding is over a hundred years old and has fallen into disrepair in recent decades. The Oroville levee stretches just over one mile between the Table Mountain Boulevard Bridge and Highway 70. It’s a familiar sight to those who have lived in the city for decades, but it’s a concerning sight for leaders like Oroville Mayor David Pittman and Butte County Supervisor Bill Connolly. “Now we have Oroville Dam, and because of flood control, it will sometimes put a very high flow against that levee, you know, it wasn’t planned for in the past,” said Pittman. … ” Read more from Action News Now.
Celebrating Roseville’s growing groundwater program during Groundwater Week
“Folsom Lake might be our primary water source, but diversifying our supply is essential for long-term resilience—and Roseville’s groundwater program is making impressive strides. Last year, we introduced two new Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) wells in West Roseville. These wells add to the constellation of existing facilities, allowing us to capture and store water underground during wetter periods and providing a critical backup during droughts and dry summers. … ” Read more from the City of Roseville.
BAY AREA
Atmospheric river set to bring thunderstorms, snow, flooding to Bay Area
“Don’t let the Sunday sunshine deceive you. A weak atmospheric river is brewing over California and is set to deliver two rounds of moderate to heavy rainfall, a chance of thunderstorms, small hail and high-elevation snow to the Bay Area this week. A low pressure system moving out of the Gulf of Alaska is slated to produce initial showers Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. The first few drops of rain are expected in the North Bay as the storm follows a typical southerly trajectory down through the Bay Area and the Central Coast. “It will definitely be impacting morning rush hour,” Matt Mehle, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office, told SFGATE. “That’s the problematic part.” … ” Read more from SF Gate.
Against the current: Why are Chinook salmon moving to the urban creeks of San Jose in increasing numbers?
” … Despite the urban and industrial alterations, over the past three years, as large winter storms have swelled the creeks, the numbers of salmon returning to the southern reaches of San Francisco Bay have risen sharply. According to the South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition, a local citizen science and watchdog group, as of early December, more than 180 fish were counted in creeks across the region (by the time of publication, that number had grown to more than 600 with more storms on the way). In one section of San Tomas Aquino Creek, near Levi Stadium, Castillo counted dozens of salmon congregating beneath a pedestrian bridge. “They were in a huge school just hanging out under the bridge,” he said. “Pedestrians and people on their bikes were stopping to watch.” But for every fish he sees, Castillo said he believes eight to 10 go uncounted. Though there is no doubt that salmon numbers are surging across San Jose and other parts of California, exactly where they are coming from is not entirely clear. … ” Read more from Sierra Magazine.
CENTRAL COAST
Erin Brockovich on Moss Landing battery fire: ‘The truth’s not coming out’
“Twenty-five years ago, Julia Roberts won an Oscar for the hit movie “Erin Brockovich.” She portrayed the real-life single mother of three who, as a paralegal, spearheaded a major lawsuit against PG&E for its years of polluting water supplies in the small Mojave Desert town of Hinkley, which residents said caused cancers and other health problems. PG&E settled the case for $333 million in 1996. Today, Brockovich is still an environmental activist. She is working with a San Diego law firm representing residents of Moss Landing, a town in Monterey County where a battery storage plant owned by Vistra, a Texas company, burned Jan. 16, releasing smoke and toxic heavy metals. Vistra says subsequent tests of air, soil and water show no risks to public health. The fire has raised big questions about the future of battery storage in California as dozens more of the plants are planned to help expand solar and wind energy. This interview with the Bay Area News Group has been edited for length. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
More storms on the way to Southern California after sunny weekend
“SoCal residents are in for more rain this week after a clear and warm weekend. National Weather Service officials stated that “a series of storms” will bring cloudy and cooler conditions to the area starting Monday; however, the first round of rain isn’t forecast to be too impactful. “A system will approach the area on Monday, but it will dive to the south on its way into San Diego County…Clouds and the chance of rain will likely hold off until late afternoon or early evening,” the NWS area forecast discussion reads. “There is enough wrap-around moisture to generate some light showers late Monday night into Tuesday south of Point Conception.” … ” Read more from KTLA.
SEE ALSO: Atmospheric river set to roll in, with threat of rain, snow, floods and mud, forecasters say, from the LA Times
4.1 earthquake felt across Southern California, centered near Malibu
“A magnitude 4.1 earthquake centered north of Malibu sent light and weak shaking across Southern California on Sunday. The strongest shaking was felt in parts of Malibu, Agoura Hills, Thousand Oaks and Camarillo, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The strongest shaking was considered “light” as defined by the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale — enough to rattle dishes and windows and feel like a truck has struck a building. Weak shaking may have been felt across a wider swath of the Southland, including downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Gabriel Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, Simi Valley, Oxnard and Ventura. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
More Pacific Palisades residents join lawsuit against LADWP, city over water supply failure
“Twenty-five more Pacific Palisades residents who were affected by January’s deadly brush fire have joined a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power over the disaster. A lawsuit filed on behalf of 23 residents in January accuses the city and department of having a failed water supply system in the coastal community that was ravaged by the blaze. On Wednesday, an additional 25 plaintiffs were added to the complaint. The lawsuit alleges LADWP designed a water supply system that would not have enough water pressure to fight an urban wildfire. It also says the Santa Ynez Reservoir, which is located atop Pacific Palisades, had been empty since February of last year, leading to more difficulty in accessing water during the firefight. … ” Read more from NBC 4.
West Coast’s first water wheel is scooping up trash from Upper Newport Bay
“In just its first few weeks in operation, a low-tech water wheel has already scooped up enough trash and debris from the Upper Newport Bay to fill nine dumpsters — including a mattress and more than 50 spray paint cans. The water wheel — the first of its kind on the West Coast — was officially unveiled on Friday, March 7, with a ribbon cutting and doting city and state officials. Modeled after a system in the Baltimore Harbor, the $5.5 million water wheel will keep refuse washing from inland sources out of the protected nature preserve, as well as the Newport Harbor and the ocean, and off beaches, officials said. The wheel is strategically positioned in the San Diego Creek about 800 feet upstream from the Upper Newport Preserve. It is expected to capture 80% of the floating trash and debris from the San Diego Creek. Depending on rainfall, between 100 and 500 tons of trash reach the Upper Newport Bay via San Diego Creek annually. … ” Read more from the OC Register.
Mojave groundwater project secures big investment
“Cadiz, Inc. has announced a new investment for an $800 million groundwater project that will soon be underway in the Mojave Desert. According to lead engineer Stantec, it will be among the largest new water infrastructure projects in the Southwestern United States, and will help ensure affordable water supplies to communities in California and Arizona. Cadiz, Inc. announced it has entered into a Letter of Agreement (“LOA”) with a lead investor to invest up to $175 million in the Mojave Groundwater Storage Company, LLC (“MGSC”). The MGSC is a new entity established by Cadiz for purposes of construction, ownership, and operation of Cadiz’s groundwater banking project in the Mojave Desert and related projects. … ” Read more from Water Finance & Management.
SAN DIEGO
Water is about to get a lot more expensive for millions of San Diegans
“Millions of Californians are set to see significant water rate hikes over the next few years, with prices for essential water supplies jumping by double-digit percentage points. In one large city, cumulative increases could see prices jump about 70% just in the next five years. San Diego County, the second-largest county in California by population, will see its water rates jump 14% for 2025, according to the San Diego County Water Authority. The public water agency, responsible for providing the majority of water to nearly two dozen area municipalities, including the city of San Diego, currently imports the majority of its water from elsewhere. The utility blamed the rate hikes on increased costs to import water, among other issues. Those costs, handed from a supplier directly to a consumer, are known as “passthrough costs.” … ” Read more from SF Gate.
SEE ALSO: Commentary: How customers pay for imported water needs to change, by Tom Kennedy, Kennedy Water Consulting
EPA chief addresses Tijuana River sewage crisis in San Diego County
“The new administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has seemingly responded to Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre’s letter urging federal action on the Tijuana River sewage crisis impacting southern San Diego County. Lee Zeldin, the 17th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since January 29, 2025, posted on X Saturday evening that he was recently briefed on the large amounts of raw sewage flowing into the U.S. from Mexico, which is impacting the water and air quality for residents in San Diego’s South Bay. “I was just briefed that Mexico is dumping large amounts of raw sewage into the Tijuana River, and it’s now seeping into the U.S. This is unacceptable. Mexico MUST honor its commitments to control this pollution and sewage!,” Zeldin’s post on X reads. … ” Read more from Fox 5.
Along the Colorado River …
Trump administration’s funding, staff cuts spark concerns over Colorado River
“Federal funding freezes and staffing cuts are setting off alarms about the future of the Colorado River, a critical artery that supplies water to some 40 million people in 30 tribes and seven states across the U.S. West, as well as in Mexico. The Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal budget and workforce coincide with a pivotal point in Colorado River history, as the region’s states negotiate the long-term operational guidelines for the 1,450-mile artery. The current interim rules, set in 2007, will expire at the end of 2026. Policymakers warn that a loss of funds and Bureau of Reclamation employees could disrupt programs important for sustaining the drought-strained river — and complicate the negotiations that will steer its course for years to come. … ” Read more from The Hill.
Colorado River ‘running out of time’ to improve lagging spring outlook, forecasters say
“Winter is drawing to a close, and with it, so are the chances of boosting snowpack across the Colorado River Basin. The mountains in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming saw a cluster of storms last month that aided their snowpack levels. But it wasn’t enough to make any meaningful dent into the forecasts, said Brenda Alcorn, a forecaster at the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center. We “saw a really nice bump” from storms in February, Alcorn said during a briefing Friday, “but as we dried out and warmed up in the later part of the month, that came right back down. So, the forecast for the Lake Powell inflows did not change.” As of March 6, snowpack above Lake Powell was at 88% of average; “average,” in forecasting, refers to the average precipitation in the area between 1991 and 2020. That’s similar to the snowpack level last month, which was 86% of normal as of Feb. 1. … ” Read more from the Salt Lake Tribune.
In national water news today …
Farmers called their work climate-smart to get federal funds. Now it may cost them.
“Carolyn Jones never thought it was controversial to herd her cattle to different parts of her 200-acre ranch in northeastern Mississippi to give the grass time to grow back between grazing. “This is really simple stuff we have been doing since the beginning of time,” said Jones, a lifelong farmer and the head of the nonprofit Mississippi Minority Farmers Alliance. About 40 percent of U.S. cattle ranchers already use this technique, according to federal data. It helps ranchers keep their grass healthier, but it also helps the environment, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Last year, the Alliance won a USDA contract to educate other farmers about these long-standing conservation practices. The project description labeled them “climate resilient farming practices” to appeal to President Joe Biden’s green priorities. Now, the Trump administration is considering axing the project, along with hundreds of other agreements “related to climate initiatives,” according to internal USDA documents and two people familiar with the agency’s deliberations. The whiplash shows how farmers have been caught in the middle of a political battle over the language used to describe federal programs. … ” Read more from the Washington Post (gift article).
‘We’re losing our environmental history’: The future of government information under Trump
“As the director of the National Security Archive’s Climate Change Transparency Project, Rachel Santarsiero is in the business of monitoring and facilitating the flow of information from the government to the public. What she’s seeing now, in the first weeks of President Donald Trump’s second administration, is throwing the continuity of that process into doubt. “We’re really losing our history here; we’re losing our environmental history,” Santarsiero told the Bulletin last week. To some extent, government watchdogs, scientists, and climate and environmental activists were expecting this. During the first Trump administration, the use of terms like “climate change,” “clean energy,” and “adaptation” across federal environmental websites fell by 26 percent. In some cases, those terms were replaced by more ambiguous phrases like “energy independence” and “resilience”; other pages referencing climate change simply vanished. But what Santarsiero and others are witnessing now goes far beyond that. … ” Read more from Grist.
Rollbacks gut environmental justice gains, former EPA official says
“For more than a decade, Matthew Tejada was at the forefront of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental justice efforts. … Under President Joe Biden, environmental justice initiatives received an unprecedented resource injection, with billions of dollars allocated in community grants, technical assistance programs and infrastructure improvements. But Tejada, who was involved in setting up institutional mechanisms to roll out funding for the underserved communities across the United States, now watches with growing concern as those gains are being rolled back by the agency’s current leadership. The new management, he says, is dismantling years of progress, cutting funding and abandoning efforts to engage vulnerable communities in decision-making processes. … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
