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On the calendar today …
- WORKSHOP: Central Valley Flood Protection Board beginning at 10am. The Board staff Board staff will lead a discussion on the proposal to update current fee structure, and an overview of proposed new fees for regulatory services that currently do not require fees. Click here for the agenda.
- WEBINAR: USGS Friday’s Findings – 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone in US Streams from 11am to 11:30am. The environmental ubiquity of tire and road wear particles underscores the need to understand the occurrence, persistence, and environmental effects of tire-related chemicals in aquatic ecosystems. One such chemical is 6PPD-quinone, a transformation product of the tire antioxidant 6PPD. 6PPD-quinone is one of the most toxic known chemicals to aquatic animal life and is the causative agent for coho salmon prespawn mortality. We present results from the first national surface water reconnaissance of 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone, where 6PPD-quinone concentrations in urban stormwater runoff and receiving waters exceeded the 11 nanograms per liter EPA acute aquatic life screening value. The episodic nature of the runoff events emphasizes the importance of best practices for 6PPD-quinone sampling and analyses. Click here to join webinar.
- WEBINAR: Fast-Tracking Wildfire Safety Projects & Expanding Beneficial Fire: Executing Governor Newsom’s Emergency Order on Wildfire from 2pm to 3pm. Governor Newsom has proclaimed a State of Emergency to fast-track wildfire safety projects to protect California communities. Join Secretaries Crowfoot and Garcia to hear how state agencies will execute this directive. We will discuss how to request suspension of permitting requirements for priority wildfire safety projects, provide input on actions that state agencies should take to expedite and expand prescribed and cultural fire projects, and learn plans to update and expand the CalVTP—a key permit streamlining tool that has expedited over 500,000 acres of wildfire resilience projects. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
Court refuses to lift injunction on geotechnical investigations DWR says are essential to controversial delta tunnel project
“A Sacramento Judge has rejected another attempt by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to lift an injunction that blocks DWR from conducting geotechnical investigations DWR claims are essential to planning for the proposed Delta Conveyance Project (DCP). The court issued the injunction in June 2024 based on DWR’s admission that it had not complied with the 2009 Delta Reform Act as required by law. DWR later sought an order modifying the injunction to allow it to proceed with a smaller subset of the planned geotechnical work. The court denied that request in 2024. DWR appealed, and that appeal is pending. DWR also attempted to demonstrate Delta Reform Act compliance by certifying a portion of the geotechnical work in a submission to the Delta Stewardship Council (DSC). That effort resulted in an opinion from the DSC to the effect that proceeding with the proposed work would not violate the Delta Reform Act. Armed with the DSC’s opinion, DWR returned to the Superior Court in March 2025 … ” Read more from Restore the Delta.
Changes to Delta operations start today: Balancing water needs for millions of Californians and the environment
“California’s water system is complex and requires real-time adjustments to balance the needs of our state’s cities and farms and the natural environment. Starting today, the State Water Project (SWP) is adjusting operations to meet those needs. The SWP’s pumping plant near Tracy diverts water from the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and lifts it into canals that flow to reservoirs and local water agencies. In March, the pumps moved approximately 125,000 acre-feet of water, enough to supply 375,000 households for a year. Today, San Luis Reservoir, an important parking spot for water that eventually flows to San Joaquin Valley farms and Southern California cities, is 90% full and holds 331,000 more acre-feet than it did last year at this time. As of today, SWP pumping rates in the Delta have been reduced from approximately 1,200 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 600 cfs. Operators likely will maintain that lower rate through the end of May unless San Joaquin or Sacramento River flows increase beyond certain high-flow thresholds. … ” Read more from DWR.
The La Niña that never truly was, is over. Here’s what comes next
“La Niña has fizzled out, data released Thursday shows. According to the Climate Prediction Center, temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific have returned to near-normal. And, according to a technical definition, La Niña never truly developed. The outlook for La Niña became progressively weaker over the past half year. In October 2024, experts predicted that La Niña would emerge during the fall. After months of delay, officials announced in January that La Niña conditions had finally arrived, with below-average sea surface temperatures in the Pacific. But those temperatures didn’t hold. The Climate Prediction Center update calls for neutral conditions — neither La Niña nor El Niño — for the coming months. That means different climate patterns, some of which are harder to anticipate than La Niña, could have outsize effects on California weather in the coming months. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle (gift article).
La Niña is over. Scientists now say it was stronger than it seemed.
“La Niña is over, scientists declared Thursday. And while the climate pattern was notably brief and had been waning, scientists said the episode was not as weak as it once seemed. When the planet-cooling climate pattern emerged this year, scientists said it developed later and in a weaker state than they had expected. But researchers say that is because unusual warmth that has dominated the Pacific and other global oceans for the past two years masked La Niña, which is defined by a patch of cooler-than-normal Pacific waters. La Niña’s end, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday, marks the beginning of an uncertain spell in global weather, with no strong driver of seasonal patterns and trends in temperature or precipitation. Forecasters instead will have to look toward factors that influence the climate on a weekly to monthly scale that can be harder to predict, even as some of even as some of La Niña’s characteristics, such as a drying influence in the Southwest United States, may increase the likelihood of an active fire season. … ” Read more from the Washington Post.
SEE ALSO: La Nina exits after three weak months, leaving Earth in neutral climate state, from the Associated Press
Record heat is ramping up in the West, with several days of 90s and 100s ahead
“Records will be tested and breached across the western United States on Thursday and through the weekend as an early-season heat dome expands and intensifies. The most extreme temperatures compared with normal are expected from the Desert Southwest to the Rockies through late week. Heading into the weekend and early next week, the heat wave will migrate east, bringing the hottest weather of the season so far to a slug of the Plains and the South. That will mean temperatures around 100 to 110 degrees in the deserts of California and Arizona, plus 90s in locations such as New Mexico, southeastern Colorado and the Plains from Kansas to Texas. “The strengthening [high-pressure] ridge will promote plenty of sunshine and increasing warmth for most of the region,” the Weather Prediction Center wrote in a Thursday morning discussion. It expects “daily high temperatures soaring to between 10 and 30 degrees above normal.” … ” Read more from the Washington Post.
Thirsty for power and water, AI-crunching data centers sprout across the West
“Driving around the cities and small towns of the West, one of the most consequential changes to the landscape are hard to see. Data centers, the buildings of the future, are usually low-slung, their large bulk is best seen from above. A drone’s-eye view shows a spreading, warehouse-flat landscape born of the economic and electrical revolution that is reshaping places like Phoenix, the city of Santa Clara in Silicon Valley, or rural Oregon towns close to the Columbia River. Data centers are remaking local communities and economies around the country, most dramatically in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., but also around the West. These centers, the beating hearts of the internet, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, sprawl over tens or hundreds of thousands of square feet. At their core are halls filled with identical rows of hundreds of computer servers arranged in aisles – a “cold aisle” where the server draws in cool air, and a “hot aisle” where exhaust is vented. … ” Continue reading from & the West.
The fix for parched western states: Recycled toilet water
“If you were to drink improperly recycled toilet water, it could really hurt you — but probably not in the way you’re thinking. Advanced purification technology so thoroughly cleans wastewater of feces and other contaminants that it also strips out natural minerals, which the treatment facility then has to add back in. If it didn’t, that purified water would imperil you by sucking those minerals out of your body as it moves through your internal plumbing. So if it’s perfectly safe to consume recycled toilet water, why aren’t Americans living in parched western states drinking more of it? A new report from researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Natural Resources Defense Council finds that seven western states that rely on the Colorado River are on average recycling just a quarter of their water, even as they fight each other and Indigenous tribes for access to the river amid worsening droughts. … ” Read more from Grist.
What the Northern Sierra 8-Station Index tells us about California’s water situation
“The 8-Station Index is compiled by the California Department of Water Resources as a tool to measure the amount of water that has fallen in the Northern Sierra. Measurements from the eight stations cover the watersheds of the Sacramento, Feather and American rivers during the rain season, which begins Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30 the following year. During a dry season, the average precipitation can be as little as 20 inches, while the wettest season ever recorded was 2016-17 when 94.7 inches fell. This year, the index is at 53.6 inches, which is 118% of the season average to date and 101% of the season total. … ” Read more from KCRA.
California cuts ‘green tape’: 500+ fast-tracked projects have restored nearly 200,000 acres and improved 700 miles of streams
“California is making it faster, easier, and more affordable to launch environmental restoration projects across the state, thanks to a program the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife established in 2021 called Cutting Green Tape. It’s a simple idea: streamline the complex red tape – ‘green tape’ in the case of restoration work – that often delays or blocks habitat restoration projects. Instead of forcing good environmental work to get stuck in paperwork, Cutting Green Tape removes unnecessary barriers and helps important conservation projects get approved more quickly. And it’s working. Since 2022, the program has helped more than 500 restoration projects move forward by reducing costly delays and making the approval process easier to navigate. … ” Read more from the Office of the Governor.
Pharmaceutical contamination alters wild salmon behavior
“As Atlantic salmon face growing migration challenges due to climate change, a new obstacle has emerged — this time from the pharmaceutical industry. In the longest-running study of its kind, researchers have found that pollution from medications, including the anti-anxiety drug clobazam, is present in waterways at levels high enough to affect the behavior and success of juvenile salmon on their critical river-to-sea migration. The study — released Thursday, April 10, by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences — builds on prior laboratory findings showing that psychiatric drugs like oxazepam can alter fish behavior. This time, the research team took its work out of the lab and into the wild, where over 900 pharmaceutical compounds or their byproducts have now been detected globally in freshwater systems. “Research shows that pharmaceuticals can enter the environment during production, use, and disposal,” said lead author Dr. Jack Brand. “We wanted to know: do these drugs, at real-world concentrations, actually change how fish behave and move in natural settings?” … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
‘Really unusual’: New study shows why salmon vanished in Northern California
“During the summer of 2014, two graduate students studying wildlife biology at UC Berkeley noticed something strange was happening along the California coastline. Suzanne Rhoades and Cleo Woelfle-Hazard were monitoring salmon at two field sites hundreds of miles apart: the South Fork of the Eel River running through Humboldt and Mendocino counties and the Salmon Creek Watershed in western Sonoma County. But they realized steelhead trout and coho salmon, whose populations have been in decline, were noticeably absent from both watersheds — a troubling discovery they quickly relayed to professor Stephanie Carlson, Berkeley’s A.S. Leopold chair in wildlife biology, who had been overseeing their work. The news struck Carlson as “really unusual” and “a big surprise.” … ” Read more from SF Gate.
SEE ALSO: Progress Made in Supporting Healthy Salmon Populations, from the Del Norte Triplicate
Native Calif. species known as ‘nature’s Swiss Army knife’ is rapidly expanding
“Molly Alves carefully stepped through the dry reed grass carpeting Tásmam Koyóm, a 2,325-acre valley in Northern California and the ancestral lands of the Mountain Maidu people. The beaver restoration program manager for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife stopped next to a sparkling pond just a few feet away from the dome that rose out of the ground, fashioned out of twigs, mud and stone. She glanced over at the structure, listening for the rustling of the semi-aquatic rodents she knew were huddled within. “We have to be pretty quiet because the beaver family is inside this lodge right now,” Alves said in a video shared by the agency Tuesday. It’s where they spend the majority of the winter, leaving only to access their caches of food they store underwater. A year and a half has passed since the historic moment when wildlife officials re-released a family of six beavers to their state habitat — the first time they had returned to their native range in nearly 75 years as part of a major project spearheaded by the CDFW and the Maidu Summit Consortium. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
Federal circuit diverts ESA takings challenge
“The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states, in part, “nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” The federal Endangered Species Act deals with a different type of “taking.” Section 9 of the Endangered Species Act generally prohibits any person from “taking” any species of fish or wildlife listed as endangered. 16 U.S.C § 1538. This is a general prohibition, because if a project involves a federal permit or approval, a federal resource agency can prepare a biological opinion under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and issue an incidental take statement authorizing the take of the species under certain conditions. 16 U.S.C. § 1536. … In United Water Conservation District v. United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently addressed whether precluding a California water conservation district from diverting water from a river to protect an endangered species of fish is a physical taking or regulatory taking under the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. … ” Read the full post from Nossaman.
San Francisco v. EPA: Requiem for receiving water limitations?
“The federal Water Pollution Prevention and Control Act, commonly known as the Clean Water Act, controls water pollution by requiring discharging parties to secure permits controlling the amounts of pollutants they release into waterbodies. In City and County of San Francisco v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2025) 2025 WL 676441, the U.S. Supreme Court voided a significant component of these permits—and perhaps a significant source of liability for public agencies in the process. The Clean Water Act permit at issue in the San Francisco case is a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, or NPDES, permit (see 33 U.S.C. § 1342). Importantly, compliance with an NPDES permit constitutes compliance with the Clean Water Act—often referred to as the “permit shield”—while discharging into a waterbody without an NPDES permit, or in violation of an NPDES permit, is a violation of the Clean Water Act (Id. at § 1342(k)). … ” Read more from California City News.
A rare, giant starfish could hold the key to restoring kelp forests on the California coast
“Ashley Kidd signed onto the Zoom call a few minutes late, giddily explaining that 12 minutes ago there was an unexpected development in a planned spawn of critically endangered starfish. Kidd, conservation project manager with the Sunflower Star Laboratory in the Monterey Bay area, was part of a squad set to travel to an aquarium in Alaska, where the plan was to inject the facility’s sunflower sea stars with a hormone that would induce spawning. Then, they would freeze some of the sperm of the males there and take that — plus 10 live, adult starfish and larvae — back with them to the Lower 48. But some of the massive, velvety echinoderms began the spawning process spontaneously — three days before the group would arrive. “The nice thing is they had six males go off, and so [with] all that sperm, because we’re going to be there on Monday, we can hit the ground running,” Kidd said. The mission marks another step forward in a sprawling, multi-institution effort dedicated to recovering the species that scientists didn’t realize were key for maintaining healthy kelp forests until they essentially disappeared overnight. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
California’s $59bn agriculture industry reels under Trump’s wavering tariffs
“California’s $59bn agricultural industry is bracing for disruption as Donald Trump’s tariffs continue to spike tensions and trigger economic turmoil with China – one of the state’s biggest buyers. California is the country’s breadbasket, supplying roughly one-third of US vegetables and 75% of its fruits and nuts. But it also exports much of its produce – close to $24bn worth in 2022. This means farmers in the state could lose out significantly as China imposes retaliatory tariffs on US goods. The threat of another prolonged trade war has contributed to growing uncertainty in an industry where decisions often have to be made long before harvests or sales. It’s difficult for producers to decide to cull or keep dairy cows from their herds, rip plants tended to for years from the soil or pluck trellises of grapevines from their pastures. … ” Read more from The Guardian.
Oil company fined record $18 million for defying state orders to stop work on pipeline
“The California Coastal Commission today fined an oil company a record $18 million for repeatedly defying orders to stop work on a corroded pipeline in Santa Barbara County that caused a major oil spill nearly a decade ago. The vote sets the stage for a potentially high-stakes test of the state’s power to police oil development along the coast. The onshore pipeline in Gaviota gushed more than 100,000 gallons of crude oil onto coastal land and ocean waters, shutting down fisheries, closing beaches and harming marine life and coastal habitats in 2015. Sable Offshore Corp., a Houston-based company, purchased the pipeline from the previous owners, Exxon Mobil, last year, and is seeking to restart the Santa Ynez offshore oil operation. The Coastal Commission said Sable has done something no alleged violator has ever done before: ignoring the agency’s multiple cease-and-desist orders and continuing its work. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
SEE ALSO: California Coastal Commission orders Central Coast oil pipeline to stop unpermitted development, from the Courthouse News Service
In commentary today …
LA has water partly thanks to something Trump wants to eliminate
Opinion writer Tom Philp writes, “Most Californians probably think little about the efficiency of any given plumbing fixture, but the modern-day showerhead is among an arsenal of water-saving devices that help explain how California cities have grown for more than a generation while using less water. Instead of being praised for supporting efficient water-saving devices like showerheads and quietly waging war on inefficient ones like toilets, Trump is trying to tell California how it should regulate water usage. This is dangerous given that bad water policy could leave communities short of water when, say, there is a devastating fire. And Washington telling California how to regulate water is also outright unconstitutional. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Irrigators likely to receive full water allocations, Reclamation says
“Klamath Basin water has always been about the numbers. And this year, those numbers are finally looking up. At the annual Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) meeting the evening of Tuesday, April 1, third-generation farmer and KWUA President Scott Seus shared the news local water users have been hoping for since 2019. “The Bureau of Reclamation sent us a letter that said we would have a supply adequate enough to satisfy all ‘A’ and ‘B’ contractors,” Seus said. “B” contractors in the Klamath Project have not been allocated any water since 2019, with most “A” contractors receiving reduced water allocations for farming during that same period. “As of this morning (April 1), we stood at 172% of normal snowpack,” Seus said Monday evening. … ” Read more from Herald & News.
Column: Divisive water politics (re: Potter Valley Project)
Columnist Jim Shields writes, “Gather around, time to spend a quick minute looking at a water resource issue that affects you whether you know it or not. It’s a tortuously convoluted hot mess. It, of course, is the 120-year-old PG&E Potter Valley Project (PVP), a combined operation that provided electrical energy, flood control, and water for consumers, including the agriculture sector. Six years ago, PG&E announced it was going to abandon the corporate-owned PVP citing it was no longer operationally profitable. Attempts to sell the PVP on the open market resulted in no takers of the offer. … ” Read more from the Fort Bragg Adovcate.
Orick residents, at perpetual risk of catastrophic flood, get their first glimpse at massive plan to restore Redwood Creek
“Two dozen residents gathered Wednesday at the Orick Community Hall to learn more about the Redwood Creek Estuary Restoration Project, a massive undertaking to reroute the creek and restore critical fish habitat — and, perhaps, provide some measure of enhanced flood protection for the vulnerable town. “It’s been a big, long push to get here,” said Gregory Hufford, a civil engineer and representative of the families that own property on the north side of Redwood Creek. “It all started with a conversation with a person who works in restoration at California Trout … who said, ‘This is bad — it’s not going to get any better; it’s just going to get worse.’ And from my perspective, nothing could be worse than it is right now.” … ” Read more from the Lost Coast Outpost.
Eureka Public Works needs emergency work on wastewater plant
“At next week’s Eureka City Council meeting, the council will vote on emergency measures designed to avert “catastrophic failure” at the Elk River Wastewater Treatment Plant. The city’s Public Works department is asking the council to declare an emergency and thereby allow the department’s director to bypass typical channels and negotiate with a contractor to clean two occluded sludge digesters as soon as possible. “What’s happened over the last two years is we’ve had really heavy rain events (and) that’s also been combined with a lot of sewer cleaning that the city contracted,” Deputy Public Works Director – Utility Operation Michael Hansen told the Times-Standard. “We’ve had a lot more sand and grit and debris wash through than what the plant can really handle.” … ” Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Upper Truckee Marsh South restoration project moving forward
“A project that would restore critical marshland in South Lake Tahoe is moving forward after acquiring the necessary funding this week. What is currently the closed Motel 6 property in South Lake Tahoe will in just a few years become acres of marshland to help feed into Lake Tahoe and keep the water there pure and filtered. The California Tahoe Conservancy’s Upper Truckee Marsh South Project is one step closer to getting underway thanks to the Tahoe Fund reaching its fundraising goal of $200,000 to go toward the Motel 6 demolition, where the 31-acre wetland will ultimately be restored. “What’s happened here is the motel and the parking lot have been built on about 8 to 10 feet of fill of what used to be the meadow and marsh, and over time, because of development and just natural processes, the river has down cut and become separated from the rest of the meadow and the marsh and the flood plain,” Executive Director of the California Tahoe Conservancy Jason Vasques said. … ” Read more from News 4.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Boaters could bring new invasive species to Redding lakes
“Whiskeytown National Recreation Area rangers are cautioning anglers and boaters to clean their equipment and crafts (small and large) before taking them to Whiskeytown Lake and other Shasta County waters. They and California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials are trying to stop golden mussels from invading North State waters after the animals first arrived for the first time in Northern California last October. The tiny fresh and brackish water mollusk could spell big trouble for California reservoirs, clogging pipes, they said; and could potentially devastate Whiskeytown Lake’s other freshwater bodies’ ecosystems. The state recently began to require inspections of boats at Folsom Lake and Lake Clementine in the Sacramento area to stop the invasive species from spreading. … ” Read more from the Redding Record Searchlight.
UC Davis research confirms new salmon run in restored Putah Creek
“California’s chinook salmon fishing season could be shut down for the third year in a row. That’s because the number of salmon in the Sacramento River is significantly low and the state wants the population to rebound. Right now, a rare example of salmon success is flowing through a restored watershed that runs through Solano and Yolo counties, including the UC Davis campus. UC Davis researchers Thursday announced a new study that proves years of hard work to heal the Putah Creek habitat is saving salmon. “In most places, salmon are declining. Putah Creek is kind of an exception to the rule. It’s really been a success story,” said Professor Andrew Rypel, a co-author on the study and director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis. … ” Read more from CBS News.
BAY AREA
Point Reyes is far from the only national park that hosts agriculture
“The park ranger was a little impatient. “There is no grazing in John Day Fossil Beds,” she said, “because it is a national monument.” I had asked her about cattle in this remote unit of the National Park System for a reason. After the recent agreement to remove almost all the long-standing ranches from Point Reyes National Seashore in western Marin County, I wanted some wider context. How unusual is it for national parks to contain commercial agriculture? Are such operations just historical vestiges, to be eased out over time? How does Point Reyes—along with adjacent parts of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area that are managed from Point Reyes—fit in? Quite a few parks in fact allow, or have allowed, some form of agriculture, usually livestock grazing. A list prepared in 2011 found twenty such areas. John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, in semi-desert eastern Oregon, was one of them. But since the list was prepared, grazing at John Day, and in many other parks, has dwindled or ceased. Point Reyes joins a lengthy parade. … ” Read more from Bay Nature.
SEE ALSO: Congress to investigate controversial Point Reyes land deal, from the San Jose Mercury News
Sampling the Storm: Tracking PCBs in Bay Area Waterways
“Scientists Kyle Stark and David Peterson sit in a parking lot off I-880, near Oakland International Airport, watching a forecast map and waiting for rain. Storm chasing is often a waiting game. Today, the Bay Area is only expected to receive half an inch. ”We usually don’t get out of bed for anything less than an inch of rain,” says Kyle, an environmental scientist at SFEI. But with a dry start to March and the rainy season coming to a close, they’ll make an exception. Raindrops start to pepper the windows, and a film of motor oil, detergents, and urban dust appears on the creek’s surface, announcing the arrival of urban stormwater runoff. But the pollutants they’re after travel below the surface. Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are toxic, human-made chemicals with a long legacy in San Francisco Bay. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Estuary Institute.
Golden mussels prompt East Bay boat launch closures
“Tiny aquatic invaders have pulled the plug on this year’s boating season as a public utility agency serving the East Bay Area works to make sure they stay out of the drinking water. The East Bay Municipal Utility District, which provides drinking water for 1.4 million customers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, announced Wednesday that it will keep boat launches closed to private vessels for the 2025 season due to the spread of the golden mussel. The ban is in place at all EBMUD reservoir recreation areas with boat launches: Pardee Reservoir and Camanche Reservoir North and South in the Sierra Foothills, and San Pablo Reservoir in the East Bay. … ” Read more from Pleasanton Weekly.
CENTRAL COAST
Judge strikes down plan to build 98 homes in SLO County beach town
“A San Luis Obispo Superior Court judge struck down plans for a 98-home development proposed for a local beach town on Tuesday. About three decades ago, the Anastasi Co. applied to divide an almost 20-acre property into 100 lots on Pecho Road in Los Osos, according to court documents. In 1991, the county approved a tentative tract map for the housing development with two conditions: that construction would wait until the project could connect to a community-wide sewer system and the applicant could demonstrate an adequate water supply for the development. Then, in October 2023, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors approved a final tract map to subdivide the property — before new developments were authorized to connect to the Los Osos Water Recycling Facility. … ” Read more from the San Luis Obispo Tribune.
SEE ALSO: Judge reverses Board of Supervisors’ approval of Los Osos housing project map, from New Times SLO
Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency seeks well owner alternate for board
“Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency (SMGWA) has announced a vacancy for a well owner alternate representative on its board of directors and is now accepting applications. Established in 2017 to adhere to California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, SMGWA serves the San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley communities. Applicants must own or operate an individual well, small water system or other non-municipal water sources within the Santa Margarita Groundwater Basin. The position requires a commitment of five to 10 hours per quarter, including evening meetings, and is unpaid, with a term of three years. Ideal candidates should possess collaborative experience, strong community engagement skills and knowledge relevant to supporting the Agency’s mission and the Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan. … ” Read more from the Press Banner.
Paso water basin JPA waives rural residential fees at inaugural meeting
“Now that four water districts over the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin have opted into a joint powers authority, its board alleviated rural users of water fees, leaving the cost primarily up to agricultural users. At the inaugural meeting of the Paso Robles Area Groundwater Authority on April 7, consisting of the city of Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo County, and the Shandon-San Juan and Estrella-El Pomar-Creston water districts, SLO County Groundwater Sustainability Director Blaine Reely announced that de minimus water users, or those who use little water, won’t be charged a fee for water usage. The decision came after “all involved” in a fee study expressed desire to exclude small domestic groundwater users, Reely said. … ” Read more from New Times SLO.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Stanislaus County gated community could lose water access as supplier owes millions
“A gated community in Stanislaus County is at risk of losing its water supply as the local water district that supplies the community with water sourced from Kern County is behind on its bills. Roughly 1,300 people live inside Diablo Grande, a community in the hills right past Patterson’s city limits. All of them could lose their water supply by June 30. Western Hills Water District owes the Kern County Water Agency more than $13 million. Diablo Grande resident Tom Murphy moved into his house back in 2008. “The water has been a problem since 2008,” he said. “They got it resolved in 2010, I believe, and then since then, it’s been OK, but now we’re looking at the shortage from the supplier.” … ” Read more from CBS News.
Boaters in Stanislaus and beyond can take these steps against invasive mussels
“Boaters in Stanislaus County and beyond can join the battle against a new invasive creature. The golden mussel can disrupt native wildlife and clog water infrastructure and boat engines, state officials said. It was first detected near the Port of Stockton in December. Most other sightings also have been in or near the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, but one was as far south as Kings County. … ” Read more from the Modesto Bee.
Farmers scramble to save early crops after severe storms sweep through region: ‘We kind of dodged a bullet here’
“Recent storms have brought heavy rains and sizable hail as well as concerns for Valley farmers in California, where serious weather is not only threatening crops but also farmers’ livelihoods — and, ultimately, our food supply. In early March, Tulare County, California, was hit with downpours and more that left farmers worried. David Borba, a local farmer, told ABC30 News that the hail could have caused significant damage. “The hail would’ve been a big problem,” Borba said, noting that it could knock blooms off young plants in this early part of the growing season and reduce crop yields. The local farmer told the news station that his almonds, pistachios, and other crops avoided major damage, but some areas seemed to experience heavier rains. “We kind of dodged a bullet here,” Borba added, though with more storms expected, he remains cautious. … ” Read more from The Cool Down.
SJV Water: Irrigation district kills groundwater partnership in the crib amid accusations of power mongering, lack of transparency
“Less than two months after agreeing to join forces with the City of Porterville to manage area groundwater, the Porterville Irrigation District board voted Tuesday to abandon the partnership and hold a public hearing on whether to form its own groundwater agency. That hearing will be held May 13. The move provoked anger among growers who crammed into the irrigation district’s tiny board room to ask pointed questions and have their say. “Everything seemed fine, and now things have changed,” said dairyman Matt Kidder. “You even voted to move ahead with the city. You want the power. That’s the problem.” “Well, yeah!” responded Sean Geivet, general manager for the irrigation district. “I am comfortable with this board. They are elected by all of you guys. So that’s who I represent.” Porterville Vice Mayor Ed McKervey said the only power struggle he saw was between the irrigation district and its own growers. He accused the board of deciding to kill the city partnership before Tuesday’s meeting even got underway. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
City of Ontario says local taxpayer funding diverted to state-focused project
“The City of Ontario urges Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) to practice transparency as the Agency advances its extensive Chino Basin Program (CBP). IEUA, in concert with six cities and a local water utility, established a technical advisory and policy committee to advise the IEUA Board of Directors on projects such as these. IEUA, however, fails to respect this multi-jurisdictional approach by obscuring the funding process for the CBP. “Our efforts to create water security for our residents are undermined by the Chino Basin Program. IEUA has failed to act with the clarity required of a public agency throughout this process and threatens our ability to invest in much-needed local water recycling infrastructure,” said Ontario City Councilmember Debra Porada. “Ontario has long supported a local alternative project to keep recycled water in the communities that need it the most, in cooperation with every agency that agrees to participate.” … ” Read more from the City of Ontario.
Strings attached: Huntington Harbour Yacht Club members to create ‘oyster condos’
“A single adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day. Huntington Harbour residents are now doing their part to restore a native population of Olympia oysters while cleaning up their water at the same time. More than 200 empty shell strings were handed out by Orange County Coastkeeper volunteers during an event Sunday at the Huntington Harbour Yacht Club. The program began in 2021 after the U.S. Navy, which was dealing with coastal erosion at the Naval Weapons Station in Seal Beach, reached out to the nonprofit, according to Matt Sylvester, OC Coastkeeper’s communications director. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
SAN DIEGO
Mexico’s sewage construction pushes more wastewater into Tijuana River
“Mexico is diverting untreated wastewater into the Tijuana River as it works to repair its faulty sewage infrastructure. About five million gallons per day (MGD) have been diverted since April 8 as Mexico repairs a critical junction box that is a part of its International Collector project. The junction box must be dried so it can be rebuilt with reinforced concrete. On Wednesday, Mexico shut off the water supply to a portion of Tijuana for other projects, which eliminated the need to divert wastewater into the Tijuana River. Because of that, the average daily impact has been three million gallons per day, according to Maria-Elena Giner, commissioner for the U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission. … ” Read more from the Coronado Times.
Along the Colorado River …
Trump threatens sanctions, tariffs on Mexico in water dispute
“U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened Mexico with sanctions and tariffs in a dispute over water sharing between the two countries, accusing Mexico of breaking an 81-year-old treaty and “stealing the water from Texas Farmers.” Under the 1944 treaty, Mexico must send 1.75 million acre-feet of water to the U.S. from the Rio Grande through a network of interconnected dams and reservoirs every five years. An acre-foot of water is enough to fill about half an Olympic-sized swimming pool. The current five-year cycle is up in October, but Mexico has sent less than 30% of the required water, according to data from the International Boundary and Water Commission. “Mexico OWES Texas 1.3 million acre-feet of water under the 1944 Water Treaty, but Mexico is unfortunately violating their Treaty obligation,” Trump posted on Truth Social. … ” Read more from Reuters.
Mexico scrambles to boost US water deliveries ahead of next year’s USMCA treaty review
“Mexico currently owes the United States more than 1.5 billion cubic meters of water with just six months left to settle the debt, putting the federal government in a difficult situation as it seeks to appease its northern neighbor while ensuring there is sufficient water to meet the needs of Mexican citizens, agriculture and industry. The United States government is pressuring Mexico to send the water north, but the country’s northern states are in drought, making it very difficult if not impossible to comply with the obligations set out in a 1944 bilateral water treaty. What the outcome of this situation will be is not yet clear, but the potential for conflict between Mexico and the United States — at a time when the bilateral relationship is already strained — is high. … ” Read more from Mexico News Daily.
SEE ALSO: Water war with Mexico, from the Daily Kos
‘Worst case scenario’: Arizona remains hottest, driest in recent history
“The record-breaking drought affecting Arizona and most of the Southwest is only getting worse, experts fear. Coming out of a La Niña weather system, known for bringing warm, dry winters to the region, soil moisture across the state is below 10% of the historic average, meaning most of the remaining snowmelt will soak into the soil rather than create runoff to refill streams and aquifers. Soil moisture has remained below average across the state for at least the past 15 years, National Weather Service meteorologist Mark O’Malley said at an Arizona Drought Monitoring Technical Committee meeting Wednesday morning. “I don’t see that changing at all this year,” he said. … ” Read more from the Tucson Sentinel.
Will Arizona have a rainy monsoon? Here’s what Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts for summer
“Spring in Arizona has been fairly tame so far. Phoenix dipped in and out of the 90s throughout March, though we may see the first 100-degree day of the year far too soon. The triple-digit temperatures will come soon enough, though. Summer weather was expected to remain on-trend with the recent years’ above-average temperatures. On April 2, the Old Farmer’s Almanac released its long-range summer forecast for North America. It covered seasonal rainfall forecasts and predicted how hot it could be this summer, saying, “It’s going to be a scorcher”. Arizona was one of the states labeled as “hot-dry” in the Old Farmer’s Almanac weather map. Here’s what the Almanac predicts summer will feel like in Arizona and the rest of the country. … ” Read more from Arizona Central.
Arizona wants this city to cut its groundwater use. Residents want flexibility
“The Arizona Department of Water Resources has proposed that the Willcox area should reduce its groundwater overdraft by at least 50% over the next 50 years to address groundwater depletion and land subsidence. The annual overdraft — the difference between how much groundwater is pumped out and how much is replaced by runoff or recharge — is estimated to be 108,426 acre-feet per year. Cutting that in half would represent a water use reduction of 42% over 50 years, based on supply and demand estimates. The agency outlined its draft goal at an informal public hearing on April 8 in the southeastern Arizona city, part of its proposal for the Active Management Area the state designated in December 2024. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has said she would enforce groundwater protection in rural Arizona in the absence of legislative proposals with enough enforcement teeth. … ” Read more from Arizona Central.
WATCH: See how 13,000 square miles of watersheds supply water to the Valley
“Salt River Project manages 13,000 square miles of watersheds on which the Phoenix metro area heavily relies. The water that flows into the Verde and Salt rivers supplies water for about half of the Valley’s residents. Part of SRP’s sustainable watershed management includes fire suppression efforts, forest restoration and more, which are all made possible through various partnerships. ABC15 Meteorologist Ashlee DeMartino got a tour of the three watersheds where the water that comes out of your faucets starts as rain and snow.” Watch video at Channel 15.
Reducing groundwater overdraft to protect people and farms: ADWR staff brief Willcox draft AMA plan
“ADWR staff on April 8 traveled to Willcox to share with residents some of the opportunities that lay ahead as ADWR and stakeholders of the new Willcox Active Management Area work together to find solutions to the alarming rate of groundwater depletion within the basin. The public meeting served as an information session and public workshop. The “workshop” portion included some how-to instructions to help water users file grandfathered groundwater rights applications, which are due in April 2026. As for the informational portion of the meeting, ADWR staff presented attendees with essential details about current groundwater conditions – which, for a thriving agricultural community that relies solely on groundwater, presents real challenges. … ” Read more from the Arizona Department of Water Resources.
In national water news today …
Beyond showerheads: Trump’s attempts to kill appliance regulations cause chaos
“Donald Trump makes no secret of his loathing for regulations that limit water and energy use by home appliances. For years, he has regaled supporters at his campaign rallies with fanciful stories about their impact. He is so exercised by the issue that, even as global stock markets convulsed Wednesday in response to his tariff plans, Trump took time out to issue an executive order titled “Maintaining Acceptable Water Pressure in Showerheads.” Contemporary shower fixtures are only one of the items that rankle the president, who complains that “there’s no water coming and you end up standing there five times longer,” making it difficult to coif his “perfect” hair. He has frequently denounced dishwashers that he claims take so long and clean so poorly that “the electric bill is ten times more than the water”; toilets that require flushing “ten or 15 times”; and LED lightbulbs, which he faults for making him look orange. In his first term, Trump pursued an array of gimmicks to try to undermine the rules. His moves were opposed by industry and environmental groups alike. If it’s possible for regulations to be popular, these ones are. … ” Read more from Pro Publica.
A byproduct of manure runoff is polluting drinking water in thousands of us communities, according to a new report
“Tens of millions of Americans have likely consumed drinking water containing cancer-causing chemicals that form when livestock manure and other organic substances end up in public water sources, according to a new analysis. Thousands of industrial-scale farms across the country spray manure from livestock onto farm or other lands, which then runs off into waterways. When water utilities disinfect water using chlorine and other chemicals, the process interacts with manure runoff to create a byproduct known as trihalomethanes, or TTHMs, which have been found to cause birth defects and cancers. A new analysis by the environmental watchdog organization Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that, between 2019 and 2023, unsafe levels of TTHMs ended up at least once in each of nearly 6,000 community water systems across 49 states and Washington, DC affecting an estimated 122 million people. … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
Trump orders agencies to ‘sunset’ environmental protections
“President Trump directed agencies that regulate energy and the environment to sunset a wide array of environmental protections in an executive order issued Wednesday night. He ordered agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Energy Department, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and Fish and Wildlife Service to amend regulations so that they expire by October 2026. The order applies to all regulations issued under laws governing things like energy appliance standards, mining and offshore drilling — as well as regulations issued under the Endangered Species Act. It’s not yet clear whether the order will also apply to regulations at the EPA under laws like the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act or Safe Drinking Water Act because the order directs that particular agency to provide the White House with a list of statutes that should be subject to the order. … ” Read more from The Hill.
Trump hits delete for energy, environment regs
“President Donald Trump issued a series of directives late Wednesday aimed at scaling back regulations covering everything from showerheads to endangered species as part of his pledge to enact the “most aggressive regulatory reduction” in the country’s history. Trump’s deregulatory moves this week included an executive order on showerhead regulations, an order directing energy and environmental agencies to “sunset” certain regulations, an order aimed at eliminating “anti-competitive regulations” and a memo directing agencies to repeal existing rules that don’t align with a series of recent Supreme Court decisions. The White House budget office is also soliciting calls from the public for ideas about how to slash regulations. “Today, OMB sent to the Federal Register a call for your ideas on how to deregulate, so please send them in!” Jeff Clark, the acting head of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, posted on the social media platform X on Wednesday. … ” Read more from E&E News.
E.P.A. is said to plan deep cuts to greenhouse gas reporting program
“The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered the virtual elimination of a 15-year-old federal program that requires thousands of power plants, oil refineries, cement factories and other large industrial facilities to publicly report their greenhouse gas emissions, according to two people briefed on the decision. At an agency meeting last week, political appointees told staff members they planned to eliminate reporting requirements for all but one of the 41 categories that are currently ordered to submit data, according to the two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal discussions. Gutting the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program would effectively leave the federal government blind when it comes to identifying and measuring sources of pollution that are dangerously heating the planet. Without that data, it would be difficult to know which sector of the economy or particular facility was a heavy polluter or be able to track emissions over time. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
Trump administration fires hundreds of climate and weather specialists
“The Trump administration has re-fired hundreds of probationary workers at NOAA after a court ruling cleared the way. The administration first terminated more than 800 NOAA workers in February, but the workers were reinstated after a federal court blocked the move in March. On Wednesday, an appeals court overturned the ruling, and on Thursday, officials told the NOAA workers they were being fired once again. “The Department is reverting your termination action to its original effective date,” said the letter sent to employees, Reuters reports. Among those fired were specialists working to track El Niño and La Niña, understand the risks from severe storms, and forecast the future impact of climate change, The Guardian reports. … ” Read more from Yale e360.
