DAILY DIGEST, 3/26: State Water Project allocation boosted to 40%; SoCal community trying new approach to desal; LA has big plans to recycle more water but it will take decades; EPA announces it will revise ‘waters of the U.S.’ definition; and more …


Several news sources featured in the Daily Digest may limit the number of articles you can access without a subscription. However, gift articles and open-access links are provided when available. For more open access California water news articles, explore the main page at MavensNotebook.com.

On the calendar today …

  • PUBLIC MEETING: Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program Stakeholder Meeting from 10am to 12pm.  Agenda items include brief updates from state agencies and a focused discussion on updates to Groundwater Protection Values.  Click here for the agenda.  Join Zoom Meeting: https://waterboards.zoom.us/j/92073504316?pwd=kHYWP0uv2AtM8AsCITX9P5meHNUOj8.1  Meeting ID: 920 7350 4316  Passcode: 516196
  • EVENT: ACWA Legislative Symposium from 1pm to 5pm. ACWA’s Legislative Symposium has been an annual event engaging water district directors, general managers, attorneys, and staff from across California with up-to-date information on critical water policy issues.  The program will start at 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. followed by a networking reception from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.  Click here to register.
  • PUBLIC MEETING: Cache Creek Channel and Levee Rehabilitation Project DEIR from 5pm to 7pm in Woodland. The California Department of Water Resources–lead agency for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)–has completed preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Cache Creek Channel and Levee Rehabilitation Project (proposed project). The DEIR is now available for a 45-day public review and comment period. The comment period is from March 7, 2025, to April 23, 2025.  The meeting will allow for an opportunity to submit oral or written comments. Substantive comments and response to comments will be included in the final EIR. Click here for the more information.

In California water news today …

Continued winter storms allow for another boost to State Water Project deliveries to 40%

“Today, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced that wet and cold storms in March have allowed for another increase to the State Water Project (SWP) allocation forecast for 2025. The allocation has increased to 40 percent of requested water supplies, up from 35 percent last month. The State Water Project provides water to 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland.  The latest allocation forecast is based on increases in precipitation, snowpack, and reservoir storage in the past month. The allocation increase comes ahead of the April 1 snow surveys next week, when Sierra Nevada snowpack typically peaks.  “As we near the end of the wet season, our focus shifts to snowpack runoff and whether temperatures allow for a slow melt so we can capture as much of that runoff as possible,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “Despite periods of extremely dry conditions this season, water managers have been able to effectively capture, move, and store water for use later this year while also maintaining flood protection.” … ”  Read more from the Department of Water Resources.

Drinkable seawater? One company in drought-plagued SoCal is trying a new approach

“The star of the show is this 12-foot-long, four-foot-wide cylinder that’s getting lowered into the water. After half an hour, it reaches the bottom and goes to work.  “You have a bulk of fluid that passes through the membrane,” said Mark Golay, engineering director with OceanWell, who helped make this machine. “And then it’s pumped back up here to the panel.”  Like a lot of desalination systems, this one shoves salt water through a filter, and spits out fresh water on the other side. Unlike those other systems, this one is designed to work 1,500 feet beneath the surface, where water passes through the membrane on its own because of the immense water pressure. OceanWell said compared to other membrane-based systems that take water from close to the surface, its technology uses 30 to 40% less energy to produce fresh water. … ”  Read more from Marketplace.

SEE ALSO:

LA has big plans to recycle more water. Why the city says it’s going to take decades to do it

Hyperion Sewage Treatment Plant, by Doc Searls.

“L.A.’s big plans to recycle almost all of its wastewater for drinking is likely to take a lot longer than originally proposed.  Back in 2019, former L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a goal to recycle almost all of L.A.’s wastewater by 2035. But the long-awaited plan on how to actually do that pushes the timeline back more than 20 years — to 2056, though some wastewater would be recycled for drinking by 2040.  “In today’s environment where literally our sources of water are drying up before our eyes, we need to move much more quickly,” said Bruce Reznik, director of the nonprofit L.A. Waterkeeper, at a special joint meeting Tuesday between the boards of the L.A. Department of Water and Power and L.A. Sanitation and Environment, the city agencies leading the project. … ”  Read more from the LAist.

Rare severe thunderstorms forecast for West Coast. Here’s where worst weather may hit

“Dangerous thunderstorms hitting the West Coast on Wednesday could feature hail as large as tennis balls, damaging wind gusts and even a tornado, according to the National Weather Service. The weather more typical of the Southeast than the Pacific Northwest will be primed by a moist and near record-warm air mass, creating an unstable atmosphere ripe for severe thunderstorms in Seattle and Portland, Ore.  A few isolated non-severe thunderstorms are possible in the morning in the northern Sacramento Valley all the way toward the Canadian border as a low-pressure system swings toward the West Coast. Thunderstorms are expected to become more widespread and extreme in nature throughout the afternoon and evening along the Interstate 5 corridor from roughly Eugene, Ore. to Seattle. … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Seven major universities to study feasibility of solar panels on CA canals

Solar Canal Rendering by Solar AquaGrid.

“The feasibility of putting solar panels over the state’s network of canals is the topic of a big new research project, co-led by the University of Southern California.  The California Solar Canal Initiative builds on a study from the University of California-Merced, which found solar arrays over the canals could generate clean energy, conserve water, reduce air pollution and save land.  Monica Dean, director of climate and sustainability practice at the University of Southern California-Dornsife, said the research will answer practical questions.  “How would we do it? Which canals make the most sense? How much energy could they actually produce? What would the economic implications of doing this be?” Dean outlined. “We’re taking a hypothetical scenario and making it real.” … ”  Read more from the Public News Service.

SEE ALSOSeven top research universities kick off California Solar Canal Initiative, from Solar Power World

California farmers’ bid for compensation goes down the drain

“A federal appeals court Monday spurned California farmers who sued 14 years ago in search of compensation for the government’s failure to provide irrigation drainage.  Revisiting a remarkably complex and long-lived dispute, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit rejected the farmers’ contention that the government’s acknowledged irrigation drainage failure amounted to a taking of land in the sprawling Westlands Water District.  Under the Fifth Amendment, the government owes compensation for the taking of property. If it ever came due, the total bill for land despoiled by the lack of adequate irrigation drainage could be immense. But in a unanimous decision, the three-judge appellate panel concluded essentially that farmers waited too long before filing a U.S. Court of Federal Claims lawsuit in 2011.  “Appellants here irrigated their land for over 40 years knowing the United States had not provided any drainage,” Chief Judge Kimberly Moore noted. … ”    Read more from E&E News (sorry, subscription required).

California’s ‘dry farmers’ grow crops without irrigation

“Jim Leap fondly recalls the first Early Girl tomatoes he grew at UC Santa Cruz’s farm in 1990. Sweet and bursting with flavor, they were raised without a single drop of irrigated water.  Nearly three decades later, he remains deeply committed to “dry farming” — forsaking modern irrigation and relying on seasonal rainfall to grow tomatoes, winter squash, potatoes, dry beans and corn on the four-acre San Juan Bautista farm that Leap and his wife, Polly Goldman, have owned for eight years.  “What motivated us to dry farm was the environmental ethic,” Goldman said. “We are not using city water or groundwater.”  As California gets hotter and drier because of climate change, Leap, Goldman and other members of this small but brave band of farmers predict that dry farming and other water-sparing techniques will become more popular in the Golden State. … ”  Read more from Silicon Valley.

AG ALERT: Exporters try to navigate impacts of Trump tariffs

Field workers harvest tomatoes at a farm in the central valley of California on September 21, 2010.  Steve Payer / DWR

“Confusion and uncertainty. Those are two words being used by California agricultural exporters with farm products caught up in an escalating trade conflict between the U.S. and its biggest trading partners.  President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs in February on China, which countered with tariffs on U.S. goods and other retaliatory measures. Trump’s tariff orders included Canada and Mexico, though he later put those tariffs on hold, restarted them in March, then revised them to exempt certain imports. He also imposed 25% levies on all foreign steel and aluminum, resurrecting a policy from his first term.  Like China, Canada and the European Union imposed reciprocal tariffs, with the EU duties to take effect in April. Mexico said it has planned retaliatory measures, but they have not been implemented.  “I think it mostly still continues to be confusion rather broadly since there are so many moving pieces here,” said Matthew Viohl, a federal policy director for the California Farm Bureau, which has been tracking the constantly changing trade developments. … ”  Read more from Ag Alert.

Trump administration cuts to NOAA threaten efforts to save sea lions from toxic plankton

“The Trump administration’s targeting of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will jeopardize efforts to save sea lions, dolphins, sea birds and other wildlife stricken by poisons lurking offshore, say marine scientists, public health officials and animal rescuers.  Federal research and funding plays a crucial role in enabling scientists to monitor ocean conditions — including the domoic acid outbreak that is now killing hundreds of marine mammals up and down the California coast.  The data provided by NOAA, and other federally supported efforts, help scientists figure out when and how these outbreaks happen; provide help and aid to the sickened animals that are seizing and convulsing on area beaches; and test and examine their bodies once they have died to see if it was the toxin that killed them, and how it killed them. … ”  Read more from the LA Times.

NASA takes to the air to study wildflowers

Researcher Ann Raiho measures sunlight interacting with yellow Coreopsis gigantea flowers during field work in the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve in California’s Santa Barbara County in 2022.  NASA/Yoseline Angel

“NASA research is revealing there’s more to flowers than meets the human eye. A recent analysis of wildflowers in California shows how aircraft- and space-based instruments can use color to track seasonal flower cycles. The results suggest a potential new tool for farmers and natural-resource managers who rely on flowering plants.  In their study, the scientists surveyed thousands of acres of nature preserve using a technology built by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The instrument — an imaging spectrometer — mapped the landscape in hundreds of wavelengths of light, capturing flowers as they blossomed and aged over the course of months.  It was the first time the instrument had been deployed to track vegetation steadily through the growing season, making this a “first-of-a-kind study,” said David Schimel, a research scientist at JPL. … ”  Read more from NASA.

1 in 8 Californians now face extreme fire danger, Post analysis shows

“One in 8 Californians now live in places at risk for the kinds of devastating wildfires that tore through Los Angeles this winter, according to a Washington Post analysis of state fire maps released Monday.  The maps, drawn by Cal Fire, the state’s forestry and fire protection agency, reveal the threat from wildfire is greater than previous state estimates showed. They reflect the effects of soaring temperatures on California, where hotter, drier weather has primed a landscape filled with vast acres of forest and shrubland for explosive fires — even in winter, during what should be the state’s rainy season. When factoring in areas where state and local firefighters are responsible for fighting blazes, the maps show there are now about 5.1 million people living in the two highest fire severity zones in the state, The Post found. That’s around one in 8 Californians. … ”  Read more from the Washington Post.

Return to top

In regional water news and commentary today …

NORTH COAST

No action taken by Board of Supervisors on bill to extend emergency water regulations

“At Tuesday morning’s Mendocino County Board of Supervisors meeting, the supervisors spent 27 minutes taking public comment and discussing a request from 5th District Supervisor Ted Williams to provide a letter of support for state Assemblymember Chris Rogers’ Assembly Bill 263.  AB 263, sponsored by the Karuk Tribe and supported by California Coastkeeper Alliance, would extend emergency water flow regulations to the Scott and Shasta river watersheds. Both rivers are tributaries of the Klamath River and flow through Siskiyou County.  A summary of the bill reads, “AB 263 would allow the emergency regulations that are currently in place on the Scott and Shasta River Watersheds to remain in effect until permanent rules establishing and implementing long-term instream flow requirements are adopted. These emergency regulations expire on an annual basis, providing a lack of stability for all residents of the Klamath Basin. Extending the temporary regulations until the [California State Water Resources Control Board] finalizes permanent regulations simply maintains a tenuous status quo. Without these protections, there would be less water in the Scott and Shasta rivers, imperiling the delicate recovery of salmon populations.” … ”  Continue reading at the Mendocino Voice.

Ukiah Valley Water Authority expands to include Calpella water district

“The Ukiah Valley Water Authority, a recently formed joint powers authority created to improve water services across the Ukiah Valley, added a fifth member this month with the inclusion of Calpella County Water District, the city of Ukiah reported this week.  In a press release, city officials note that “Calpella’s decision to join the Water Authority was officially approved by the Water Authority Board on March 6, 2025 (with Steve Bogart and Tami Baarsch-Bogart now serving as Calpella representatives.) Calpella’s inclusion fulfills the original goal of consolidating the five agencies initially envisioned to form the regional authority. Now encompassing the city of Ukiah, Redwood Valley County Water District, Millview County Water District, Willow County Water District, and Calpella County Water District, the Water Authority represents a comprehensive approach to regional water management.” … ”  Read more from the Ukiah Daily Journal.

BAY AREA

‘Parade of storm systems’ coming to Bay Area after record-breaking heat

“After several days of unseasonably hot weather, a major cooldown is on the way for the Bay Area.High temperatures surged into the upper 80s and low 90s across the region Monday and Tuesday, driven by high pressure lingering over Northern California. Several locations tied or broke longstanding temperature records Monday, according to the National Weather Service.  Redwood City hit 83 degrees, tying its March 24 record set in 1970. Half Moon Bay climbed to 81, shattering its previous record of 73 set back in 1941. Oakland saw a high of 84, surpassing its 1997 record by 9 degrees. But Roger Gass, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Bay Area office, said a big change is on the way. … ”  Read more from SF Gate.

Pleasanton council adopts plan to help balance water fund ahead of rate increase discussions

“The Pleasanton City Council unanimously voted earlier this month to support city staff’s implementation of a funding scenario for the city’s water enterprise fund that city leaders called a crucial step in the overall water rate-setting process.  The “enhance” scenario was one of three that were introduced to the council during a March 4 special council meeting as part of a water enterprise financial analysis. According to staff, the analysis outlined multiple funding scenarios to establish a “financial framework for prioritizing and funding critical water infrastructure projects that will meet the City’s immediate and future water system needs.”  “With an aging water system, rising costs, and new regulatory requirements, we are taking a thoughtful, strategic approach to setting water rates,” Mayor Jack Balch said in a March 12 press release. … ”  Read more from Pleasanton Weekly.

San Jose: Flash fire prompts emergency response at wastewater treatment plant

“A flash fire at the San Jose-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility prompted an emergency response on Tuesday, but no serious injuries were reported, authorities said.  The fire was reported at 10:20 a.m. at the treatment plant on Los Esoteros Road north of Highway 237, according to statement from the San Jose’s Environmental Services Department.  Two workers were in an enclosed area at the facility and working with unspecified chemicals when an aerosol ignited, resulting in a small fire, the department said.  The workers’ protective gear spared them from being injured, the department said. The San Jose Fire Department was summoned to the site, and the two affected workers were given an “all clear” later in the morning. Additional details were not released. … ”  Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY

Alta Irrigation District to develop major groundwater recharge basins

“Alta Irrigation District has purchased 80 acres to develop the London West Pond recharge basin.  The recharge basin will be located at Ave. 384 and Rd. 56 next to the existing London Pond recharge site.  Flashback: Last year, Alta Irrigation District purchased 40 acres to develop Traver North Basin at Ave. 376 and Rd. 44.  It was the largest purchase the district had made in 50 years.  The big picture: Both groundwater recharge basins will help Alta divert more surface water and boost its groundwater sustainability efforts to comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. … ”  Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun.

Tulare County wetlands preserve to open to the public on Saturday

“The largest remaining wetland prairie in the San Joaquin Valley will open to the public on Saturday, March 29, an event that only comes around once or twice a year.  The James K. Herbert Wetland Prairie Preserve, which houses and protects rare and unique species in Tulare County, will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Attendees can explore the preserve and catch a self-guided tour with staff.  The event is made possible by the  Alta Peak California Native Plant Society, Sequoia Riverlands Trust and the Tulare Kings Audubon Society. … ”  Read more from SJV Water.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Unused pools in LA fire burn scars could turn into mosquito breeding grounds

“If you were affected by the L.A.-area fires earlier this year and have a pool, you may want to get it checked out.  Vector control districts covering the Palisades and Eaton burn scars are warning residents that unmaintained pools could be turning into breeding grounds for mosquitoes as warmer weather returns. To prevent that, officials are applying mosquito control treatments, at no cost to the public.  If you haven’t returned home yet, here’s what you should know about available help. … ”  Read more from the LAist.

SAN DIEGO

Sweetwater Authority transfers water from Loveland Reservoir

“Sweetwater Authority officials said they have enough water to serve customers through 2025 after the recent storms.  The agency announced that it began transferring about 2 billion gallons from its Loveland Reservoir near Alpine to its Sweetwater Reservoir ahead of rainfall earlier this month. The move means the agency won’t have to purchase water from the county Water Authority, which would have cost more than $7 million.  Loveland was at 95% capacity before the water transfer. As of Tuesday, it was about 65% full.  “This is just an example of the authority maximizing its local water sources to benefit its ratepayers,” Manny Delgado, the agency’s board chair, said at its latest meeting. … ”  Read more from iNewsSource.

Poway residents voice concerns over Water Authority’s $66M Aqueduct Improvement Project

“Residents in a Poway neighborhood are expressing frustration with the San Diego County Water Authority’s ongoing First Aqueduct Facilities Improvement Project, citing poor communication and design choices that they claim are negatively impacting their properties. The $66 million project aims to renovate 99 structures along 21 miles of pipelines that transport water to the San Vicente Reservoir. While residents understand the necessity of the work, they are unhappy with its execution and impact on their homes and landscaping.  Nancy and Richard Lakier, longtime Poway homeowners, have been particularly vocal about their concerns. “We have been very frustrated,” Nancy Lakier told CBS8. The couple’s main grievances include inconsistent communication about project start dates and insufficient notice to remove landscaping from the easement alongside their driveway. … ” Read more from CBS 8.

South Bay mayors discuss weight of EPA Administrator’s words on sewage crisis

“There’s new faces and heads of a major federal agencies. The new head of the Environmental Protection Agency stated he looks forward to coming to the South Bay to see the impact of the Tijuana River Sewage Crisis.  The EPA sent the following statement from Administrator Zeldin, “Mexico must fully honor its commitment to control their country’s growing pollution and sewage impacting the United States. The time when excuses, delays, or exceptions are tolerated is over. EPA will ramp up our efforts with all other involved agencies on both sides of the border to confront this crisis head on. I look forward to visiting the border in the near future to view this issue firsthand, meet with elected officials, and ensure permanent solutions are urgently implemented to stop years of Mexican sewage impacting the U.S.”  ABC 10News spoke with local leaders in the South Bay about their thoughts on Zeldin’s statement. … ” Read more from Channel 10.

Return to top

Along the Colorado River …

Some Colorado River states want a new federal review of water management plans

“Leaders in California, Arizona and Nevada sent a letter to Doug Burgum, the newly-appointed Secretary of the Interior, asking for a fresh review of proposals to manage the shrinking Colorado River.  The seven states that share the river are under pressure to create a new plan for dividing its shrinking supplies before 2026 when the current rules expire. The states that sent the mid-February letter represent the Lower Basin, one of two factions in a tense standoff over new river rules.  “Any actions from decision makers like this, or any communications, have the potential to upend very delicate negotiations that are currently taking place,” said Eric Balken, director of the nonprofit Glen Canyon Institute. … ”  Read more from KJSD.

Arizona Senate committee advances measures to relax groundwater restrictions

“As Arizona continues to over pump groundwater across the state, lawmakers advanced four measures Tuesday that would ease pumping regulations in active groundwater management areas.  Two of the bills approved by the Senate Natural Resources Committee Tuesday would allow farmers to irrigate land not already included in an active management area irrigation right if the land meets certain criteria.  The Groundwater Management Act of 1980 established five initial active management areas in Arizona — the cities of Phoenix, Prescott and Tucson, as well as Santa Cruz and Pinal counties — in which groundwater pumping is recorded and regulated, as opposed to pumping being entirely unregulated in other parts of the state. … ”  Read more from the Courthouse News Service.

Striking a balance: How Arizona water systems can balance affordability with the need for rate increases

“Arizona’s water systems, especially small and Tribal systems, are facing mounting financial pressures as they strive to maintain affordable rates for residents while ensuring they have enough revenue to cover costs, fund infrastructure improvements and meet regulatory requirements.  The report Tap Water Affordability in Arizona, recently released by the Kyl Center for Water Policy and supported by the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative, explores the delicate balance between raising water rates to ensure that residents have service stability while also keeping water affordable.  Written by Grant Heminger, Kathryn Sorensen, Sarah Porter with the Kyl Center and Manny Teodoro at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the report reveals that many water systems can raise rates without putting water out of reach for most customers, but doing so requires careful planning and consideration of financial and social factors. … ”  Read more from Arizona State University.

Data centers that power AI have huge impact on Arizona’s power grid, water supply

“Several high-profile technology companies have set up operations in Arizona, sparking concerns about the environmental impact of their services.  For example, the increasing demand for artificial intelligence has led to a rise in the need for data centers, which provide the computing storage capacity required for AI.  However, these data centers consume a significant amount of energy and rely on water-intensive cooling systems to manage the heat generated during energy production.  “Because this energy produces heat, and the heat doesn’t get along well with the servers, and we have to get rid of the heat,” Shaolei Ren, the associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Riverside, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday. “This process is called cooling systems.” … ”  Read more from KTAR.

Southern Colorado’s “dismal” snowpack has water managers praying for big storms this spring

“The pressure is on: Colorado’s average snowpack statewide masks worrisome water conditions in the south, where water providers are banking on more storms to boost water supplies before snowmelt begins in April.  Much of Colorado’s annual water supply is stored in its winter snowpack, which builds up until early April when it melts and flows into soils, streams and reservoirs. Statewide, Colorado is headed toward that April 8 peak with 92% of its normal snowpack for this time of year. But conditions vary widely from north to south and within individual river basins, leaving some water experts concerned about drought, wildfires and reservoir levels, officials said during a Water Conditions Monitoring Committee meeting Tuesday.  One of those experts is Pat McDermott, who is based in the Upper Rio Grande River Basin in south-central Colorado, where the snowpack is 69% of the norm from 1991 to 2020. … ”  Read more from the Colorado Sun.

Return to top

In national water news today …

EPA announces it will revise ‘waters of the U.S.’ definition

Tidal marsh in San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by USFWS.

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to review the definition of “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced this month. Zeldin pledged to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to quickly revise the definition, which determines which waters are subject to the federal Clean Water Act.  “The previous administration’s definition of ‘waters of the United States’ placed unfair burdens on the American people and drove up the cost of doing business,” Zeldin said in a statement. “Our goal is to protect America’s water resources consistent with the law of the land while empowering American farmers.”  The pledge by the Trump administration’s EPA to revise the WOTUS definition follows a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that restricted the reach of the Clean Water Act. In Sackett vs. EPA, the court ruled that the act applies only to streams and wetlands that are connected to navigable waterways. … ”  Read more from Ag Alert.

EPA seeks public input on WOTUS implementation post-Sackett ruling

“On March 24, 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published plans to seek stakeholder input on implementing a new definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The EPA’s goal is to align its WOTUS implementation with the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision, Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency.  Specifically, EPA is requesting feedback on the scope and application of “relatively permanent” waters; the scope and application of “continuous surface connection” and the scope of jurisdictional ditches.  The EPA has opened a 30 day comment period and will host stakeholder listening sessions beginning in April through May 2025. Written comments are due by April 23, 2025, and listening session registration instructions and dates are forthcoming. … ”  Read more from Best Best & Krieger.

New study shows extreme and far-reaching impacts of Sackett ruling on federal wetland protections

“Wetlands and ephemeral streams provide a wide variety of benefits to people and wildlife, from flood protection for local communities, to preventing pollutants from entering the water supply, to breeding grounds for endangered bird species. Wetlands can also act as carbon sinks, sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.  Since the 18th century, the United States has lost half of its wetlands. In 1972, Congress passed the Clean Water Act to address water pollution, regulating, among other things, the discharge of pollutants into water bodies across the country.  Federal regulation established jurisdiction over all kinds of water bodies that “significantly affect the chemical, physical, or biological integrity of traditional navigable waters, the territorial seas, or interstate waters.”  Many seasonal streams, as well as loosely connected wetlands, were thus protected by the federal government in the interest of downstream water quality. Any discharges of pollutants into these water bodies, or the dredging and filling of wetlands or streams, would require a permit from government agencies. But all that changed with a May 2023 ruling by the Supreme Court called Sackett v. The Environmental Protection Agency, which rewrote the legal definition of wetlands and suddenly left many of these bodies of water unprotected, according to a new study from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).  … ”  Read more from Inside Climate News.

Return to top

About the Daily Digest: The Daily Digest is a collection of selected news articles, commentaries and editorials appearing in the mainstream press. Items are generally selected to follow the focus of the Notebook blog. The Daily Digest is published every weekday with a weekend edition posting on Sundays.

 

Subscribe to get the Daily Digest
in your email box ever morning.

It’s free!

Subscribe here.