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In California water news this weekend …
California snowpack below average — what does this mean for water supplies
“Despite some heavy rainstorms and squalls of snow in recent months, the Sierra Nevada snowpack today stands at 90% of average, according to state officials. This year’s measurements mark a sharp uptick from a year ago, when the statewide average lagged at 38%. Still, it’s nothing like the record-smashing snowpack of 2023, which measured more than twice the historical average. Snow levels at this time of year are considered especially important, since they help water managers determine how much water will be available through the dry season, which typically begins around May. Sierra Nevada snowpack supplies about a third of the state’s water on average. As snow fell this morning, a Department of Water Resources survey team measured several spots on the snowy meadow at Phillips Station, a few miles south of Lake Tahoe. The average snow depth was 39.5 inches, with a water content of 17 inches — numbers representing 70% of the April 1 average for that location. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
Sierra snowpack at 90% of normal, survey shows, with more snow still to come
“Winter storms in the Sierra Nevada this month have boosted the snowpack to 90% of the normal, a good sign for California’s water supply, state officials said Friday. The Sierra snowpack has now been near average levels for a third year in a row, said Andy Reising, the Department of Water Resources’ manager of snow surveys and water supply forecasting. “It’s great news for the state,” said Reising, speaking to reporters in a snowy meadow near Lake Tahoe. Measurements officials have taken at about 260 sites across the Sierra show that the northern mountains have more snow than the southern areas. As of Friday, the snowpack in the northern Sierra measured 108% of average for the date, while it stood at 83% in the central Sierra and 81% in the southern Sierra. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
SEE ALSO: March Delivers: Statewide snowpack at 90% of average as California approaches end of wet season, press release from DWR
Atmospheric River forecast: Major model shift prompts big changes to NorCal 7-day
“A big shift in one of the most reliable weather forecast models for Northern California has prompted a significant change in the forecast for the region next week. For the past couple of days, the KCRA 3 weather team has been tracking a potential strong storm fueled by moisture from an atmospheric river. Heavy rain, snow and wind were expected to hit the region on Wednesday, April 2. As of Friday morning, the American Global Forecast System (GFS) model had removed the storm from Northern California altogether. Because of this change, the KCRA 3 weather team has removed Wednesday’s Alert Day. The forecast for Wednesday now calls for a chance of light rain and high-elevation snow. … ” Read more from KCRA.
SEE ALSO: Waves of storms to enter the West into midweek, from AccuWeather
Kern farmers agree to continue funding the delta tunnel – with caveats
“The Kern County Water Agency voted Thursday to pony up its $32.6 million share of planning and pre-construction costs for the so-called delta tunnel after its member districts gave a somewhat grudging go-ahead. This phase of the tunnel is expected to cost $300 million, a tiny fraction of the eventual cost, estimated at $20 billion by the Department of Water Resources but closer to $50 billion by environmental opponents. “The decision was not easy for us. There were a lot of thoughts and discussion about dropping out entirely or lowering our participation level,” said Sheridan Nicholas, General Manager of the Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa Water Storage District. The district ultimately voted at its March 12 meeting to continue funding the tunnel but sent a letter to the agency with contingencies. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Coalition calls for investigation and postponement after cyberattack disrupts Delta tunnel hearing
“The Environmental Justice Law and Advocacy Clinic at Yale Law School, on behalf of the Delta Tribal Environmental Coalition (DTEC), sent a letter to the State Water Resources Control Board to demand a “full investigation and immediate postponement” of the Delta Conveyance Project proceedings following a disturbing cyberattack that targeted a public hearing on March 24, 2025. The DTEC includes the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians, Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Winnemem Wintu Tribe, Little Manila Rising, Restore the Delta) and San Francisco Baykeeper. “The cyberattack flooded the State Water Resources Control Board’s remote hearing platform with hateful and racist imagery, an incident that appeared designed to intimidate Tribal and community members who took time to participate in the hearing process. The failure of the Board’s remote hearing infrastructure to prevent such an attack raises grave concerns about security, accessibility, and the integrity of the proceedings,” according to a statement from the DTEC. … ” Read more from the Daily Kos.
California Dairy Sustainability Summit includes dairy water panel
“A well-attended panel discussion on water for dairy operations was part of the program for the California Dairy Sustainability Summit, held March 25 in Visalia. Over 500 attended the conference, including dairy producers and processors along with a wide range of dairy agri-service personnel, university Extension staff and students. This fifth annual conference was hosted by Dairy Cares, California Dairy Quality Assurance Program, California Dairy Research Foundation, Dairy Council of California and the California Milk Advisory Board. Over 30 commercial firms and dairy organizations exhibited at the trade show providing additional financial support allowing milk producers to attend at no charge. Milk Producers Council was a supporting organization as well. … ” Read more from the Milk Producers Council.
A historic California wine region is in peril: ‘Never seen it this bad’
“Grape growers and winemakers along California’s Sierra Nevada foothills have to be wondering whether history is repeating itself: Do they face the same consequences as the first immigrants to exploit the region’s soils, the Gold Rush prospectors? Some struck it rich, but many did not, and fled elsewhere. All California wine regions are staggered by the industry’s many current woes, which range from slumbering sales to restrictive tariffs, but they especially complicate prospects in the Sierra foothills, where the trade is historic but has struggled to establish a standing as a fine-wine region. David Ashcraft, founder of Vintroux Real Estate in Sonoma County, which specializes in vineyards and wineries, has twice as many wine-related listings as usual for his 25 years of business. Of the 22 he currently lists, 15 are in the foothills, nine in Amador County alone, and he is not the only broker active in the area. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
‘Feral, almost demonic’ sea creature attacks surfer in California. What caused it?
“A longtime surfer and marine wildlife advocate was “left shaken” to his core after a relentless and horrifying encounter with a deranged sea creature in California. RJ LaMendola shared what he called “the most harrowing and traumatic experience” in all his 20 years of surfing in a March 21 post on Facebook. He was “riding the waves in solitude” about 150 yards from the shore when “out of nowhere, a sea lion erupted from the water, hurtling toward (him) at full speed,” he said in the post. LaMendola managed to dodge the creature’s charge — but it popped back up moments later with its “teeth bared like some deranged predator” and slammed into his board “with unbelievable force,” he said. By now he’d realized “this was no playful encounter,” he said. “This was something else entirely — something wrong.” … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee. | Read via PhysOrg.
Podcasts …
ECONEWS REPORT: Celebrating Klamath Dam removal through art
The Klamath dams are out. Let’s celebrate! Goudi’ni Native American Arts Gallery presents Undammed, an exhibition that celebrates the historic removal of dams on the Klamath River. Art has been at the forefront of the struggle by Native communities to bring down the dams, from protest art lampooning corporate executives to bumper stickers expressing solidarity with the cause. Gallery Director Brittany Britton and artists Lyn Risling and Annelia Norris, join the show to discuss the upcoming show, the role of art in dam removal activism, and the local Native art scene.
CAPITOL WEEKLY: Dan Walters marks fifty years covering the Capitol
Longtime political columnist Dan Walters joins us to talk about his fifty years covering state capitol politics. Walters began covering politics in 1975 – just months after Jerry Brown was sworn in for his first term as Governor – and hasn’t stopped since. He began writing his column for the Sacramento Union in 1981 and continued when he moved to the Union’s crosstown rival The Sacramento Bee in 1984. He has been with CalMatters since 2017. Walters spoke with us about how the capitol has changed in the half century he has been covering it, shared his favorite Jerry Brown story, and finally came clean about how he scooped the rest of the press corp on the state Budget story, over and over again. Plus – Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics?
In regional water news this weekend …
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Snow levels slightly below average but Valley farmers are hopeful
“A water forecast for the future. On Friday, crews from the California Department of Water Resources conducted a manual snow survey at the Phillips Station near Sacramento. “Our survey here today recorded a snow depth of 39.5 inches and a water content of 17 inches, and this represents 70% of the April 1 average,” says Andy Reising, Department of Water Resources Snow Survey Manager. The state’s overall snowpack currently sits at 90% while central California is seeing about 83%. This measurement is critical as the snow translates to runoff that will flow in rivers and fill reservoirs. Though a promising picture, the reading is still slightly below average. … ” Read more from Channel 30.
Friant Division water allocation raised to 100 percent
“With the continuing wet winter and spring and the encouraging snowpack the Bureau of Reclamation announced on Thursday it has raised the water allocation locally for Friant Division contractors through the Central Valley Project to 100 percent. That means Friant Division Class 1 users will receive the full allotment of 800,000 acre feet that’s captured from Millerton Lake for long term contracts. Class 1 contractors are generally cities and districts who don’t have access to groundwater. There’s still no additional water for Class 2 users in which the allocation would be increased up to 1.4 million acre feet. The allocation for Class 2 users is still 0 percent. “We are extremely grateful for the BoR’s continued responsiveness and leadership in delivering a full allocation for Class 1 contractors, which brings certainty and relief to many of our growers and communities in the Friant Division,” stated the Friant Water Authority, which oversees the Friant-Kern Canal. … ” Read more from the Porterville Recorder.
Progress picks up on well registration efforts among Kings County landowners
“Lemoore area growers and landowners weren’t happy about giving out their well locations and pumping data but said, if they had to, they’d rather give that information to a local agency than the state. “The state represents LA and Sacramento, not us,” said home owner Cynthia Dias, who registered her domestic well with the South Fork Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) at its second well-registration workshop held March 26. “I’d rather it be on a local level than the state,” she said of giving out her private well information. Wednesday’s turnout, about 45 people, was significantly higher than the GSA’s first workshop March 3 where only nine people showed up. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
California suspends environmental laws to speed rebuilding of utilities after L.A. fires
“In a continued effort to expedite rebuilding after Los Angeles’ devastating firestorms, Gov. Gavin Newsom this week suspended California environmental laws for utility providers working to reinstall key infrastructure. His latest executive order eliminates requirements to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act, commonly known as CEQA, and the California Coastal Act for utilities working to rebuild “electric, gas, water, sewer and telecommunication infrastructure” in the Palisades and Eaton fire burn zones. Newsom also continued to encourage the “undergrounding” of utility equipment when feasible, which he said will help minimize the future fire risk in these communities. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Inside the tricky, complicated process of debris removal after LA’s fires
“Fire survivors who lost their homes have until April 15 to decide whether to join a government program to clear their lots, or to opt out and hire a private contractor to do the job instead. FEMA recently extended that deadline, which was March 31, and expanded eligibility to include condos and multi-family homes. The goal is to get people who haven’t yet signed up to do so. County officials are urging everyone who is on the fence to join the program, emphasizing that property owners can always pull out later. And the vast majority of eligible residents have done so — nearly 9,800 out of more than 12,000 eligible land parcels as of the latest count. But questions about cleanup and concerns about insurance money remain for homeowners. … ” Read more from the LAist.
‘God knows what’s in the water’: Los Angeles surfers in limbo as wildfire toxins linger
“Alex Sinunu was used to surfing three or four times a week in Santa Monica Bay – after all, the beach was just a mile from his home and he could ride his bike there with his board. But ever since the megafires that swept through neighboring Pacific Palisades in early January, the ocean has been filled with ash, debris – and endless questions. The massive blaze consumed thousands of homes and other structures, many of them on the edge of the Pacific coastline. Subsequent rainstorms sent tons of debris washing into the ocean, turned the water brown and raised fears about the toxins that could be coming from all the charred remains of buildings and cars – including asbestos, lithium-ion batteries and plastics. … In a city where surfing is a way of life, waiting for the all-clear has been agonizing. Sinunu is part of a local surfing group called the Surfcats, and they are feeling the pain of staying away. The ocean is so close, yet so far. “It would be like living in Mammoth and not being able to ski in winter,” he says, referencing the famous ski town in the California mountains. … ” Read more from The Guardian.
L.A. fire contaminant levels could sicken the marine food chain, new tests show
“Levels of lead and other heavy metals spiked in the coastal waters off Los Angeles after January’s fires, raising serious concerns for the long-term health of fish, marine mammals and the marine food chain, according to test results released Thursday by the nonprofit environmental group Heal the Bay. For human surfers and swimmers, the results were somewhat encouraging. Contaminant levels from sampled water weren’t high enough to pose likely health risks to recreational beachgoers. But tests of seawater collected before and after the heavy rains that came in late January, after the fires abated, identified five heavy metals — beryllium, copper, chromium, nickel and lead — at levels significantly above established safety thresholds for marine life. Even at relatively low concentrations, these metals can damage cells and disrupt reproduction and other biological processes in sea animals. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Powering up Lithium Valley
“Near the southwest shore of the Salton Sea, a billboard greets visitors. Its brightly colored banners depict an array of activities: golf, boating, fishing, camping and nature trails. A large red arrow pointed toward the lake suggests these recreational opportunities are available nearby. Yet the billboard is tattered: fading, peeling and tagged with graffiti. The signage is an emblem of the former resort destination’s decline. In the 1950s and ’60s, vacationers flocked to the Golden State’s largest lake for water sports, outdoor recreation and entertainment by the likes of Frank Sinatra and the Beach Boys. Today, the sea is shrinking, exposing areas of dusty lake bed, or playa, at its edges. The shoreline is crowded not with sunbathers but with thousands of hay bales — part of a strategy to reduce windblown dust from the playa that sickens nearby residents. … Yet approximately a mile below the surface of the Salton Sea’s south shore area lies a resource so sought-after that it has the potential to radically transform the area’s fortunes, the sea’s health — and the country’s electric future. … ” Read more from the University of Southern California.
Along the Colorado River …
Utah becomes first state to ban water fluoridation
“Utah has become the first US state to ban the decades-old practice of adding fluoride to public water supplies, due in part to a mix of health concerns about the practice. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed the new law on Thursday, prohibiting fluoridation starting May 7. The move comes amid growing scrutiny of the practice, which started in the 1940s as a strategy to help people prevent cavities and reduce tooth decay. Though more than 70% of the US population receives fluoridated public water supplies and many medical professionals support the practice, opposition has been growing due to studies suggesting fluoride may have neurotoxic effects on fetuses and young children. Newly appointed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been calling for an end to fluoridation in public drinking water for years. … ” Read more from The New Lede.
Also on Maven’s Notebook this weekend …
NOTICE: Opportunity to comment on revised draft Utility Wildfire General Order
Lake Oroville update: Flood control releases ongoing, Oroville Wildflower & Nature Festival, Feather River forks open, Fish stocking, and more …
