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On the calendar today …
- WEBINAR: WaterHub Roundtable: Water messaging that bridges divides from 12pm to 1pm. We know safe drinking water and sanitation are issues voters care about, but that has not prevented some politicians from stripping health and environmental protections and defunding vital programs, often citing economic concerns or dismissing them as woke or wasteful. In this roundtable, the Water Hub will review recent polling showing what voters care and worry about, and which solutions they support, and then will facilitate a discussion about how we can message our issues in a way that will tap into shared values. We will dig into the language of justice and equity, in particular, offering our thoughts and inviting ideas from attendees. This conversation will help inform our 2025 public opinion research, so please bring ideas for questions to test in the months ahead! This Water Hub webinar is affiliated with Chicago Water Week, presented by Current. Click here to register.
- APA PUBLIC HEARING: Onsite Treatment and Reuse of Nonpotable Water beginning at 1pm. The State Board proposes to amend California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Division 4 for the purpose of adding Chapter 3.5 to provide uniform statewide criteria for onsite treated nonpotable water systems (OTNWS). The adoption of the proposed regulations will establish risk-based water quality standards for the onsite treatment and reuse of nonpotable water for nonpotable end uses in multifamily residential, commercial, and mixed-use buildings. Untreated graywater systems that are used exclusively for subsurface irrigation and untreated rainwater systems that are used exclusively for surface, sub-surface, or drip irrigations, which are regulated by Chapter 15 and Chapter 16 of the California Plumbing Code (Part 5 of Title 24 California Code of Regulations), will not be addressed by these proposed regulations. Click here for the hearing notice.
- WEBINAR: California Water Plan Water Balances at 1:30pm. The California Water Plan Team will provide an overview of newly available water use and supply balances for Water Years 2017, 2020, and 2021. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
California snowpack is reaching peak melt. Here’s why
“A prolonged spell of relatively warm and dry conditions across California is rapidly melting the state’s snowpack into creeks, streams and rivers. Hot weather this week will accelerate the melt. Several rivers fed by snowmelt, mainly in central and southern Sierra Nevada, are expected to hit their spring peak flows in the coming days. The Merced River at Pohono Bridge and the Tuolumne River at Hetch Hetchy, both in Yosemite National Park, are forecast to reach maximum flow on Sunday. It’s not just above-average temperatures driving the melt, but that in tandem with direct, strong sunlight warms up the snowpack, said David Rizzardo, hydrology section manager at the California Department of Water Resources. “Solar radiation is a key driver in snowmelt,” Rizzardo said. Using airborne data and hydrology models, Rizzardo explained, “we can see that the snow itself has warmed up to the point that it is ready to melt. Snow insulates itself very well, so it takes weeks for the snow to warm up enough that it will yield runoff.” … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle (gift article).
SEE ALSO: Caution urged near rivers and streams due to cold, swift flows from snowmelt, from The Union
Arrowhead bottled water company wins one of three pending court cases
“The company that sells Arrowhead brand bottled water has won a court ruling overturning a decision by California water regulators, who in 2023 ordered it to stop piping millions of gallons of water from the San Bernardino National Forest. Fresno County Superior Court Judge Robert Whalen Jr. said in his ruling that the State Water Resources Control Board’s order went “beyond the limits of its delegated authority.” The board had ordered the company BlueTriton Brands to stop taking much of the water it has been piping from water tunnels and boreholes in the mountains near San Bernardino. The board issued the “cease and desist” order after the agency’s staff conducted an investigation and determined the company was unlawfully diverting water from springs without valid water rights. The judge found, however, that the state water board “misunderstood and inappropriately applied” state law. He said the legal question was “not about water rights,” and he cited a provision stating the board does not have the authority to regulate groundwater. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via Yahoo News.
From forecast to flow: Optimizing California’s reservoirs with FIRO
“California is adapting to increasingly intense storm patterns, largely driven by atmospheric rivers. These narrow bands of concentrated water vapor transport immense amounts of moisture from the tropics, often resulting in heavy rain or snow when they reach land. By utilizing advanced weather forecasting tools and improved monitoring, Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) optimizes reservoir operations to manage runoff more effectively to increase water storage while mitigating flood risks to maximize the performance of California’s existing infrastructure. At the April meeting of the California Water Commission, Dr. Marty Ralph, Director of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E), discussed how FIRO is being implemented in California. … ” Continue reading this Maven’s Notebook feature article.
Why are all of America’s biggest cities sinking?
“Cities sit unmoving on the landscape — a sprawling collection of roads, sidewalks, and buildings designed to last for generations. But across the United States, urban areas are silently shifting: The land beneath them is sinking, a process known as subsidence, largely because people are using too much groundwater and aquifers are collapsing. The sheer weight of a metropolis, too, compacts the underlying soil. A new study published on Thursday in the journal Nature Cities mapped the scale of this slow-motion crisis across the country. Researchers used satellites to measure how the elevation has been changing in America’s 28 most populous cities — including New York, Dallas, and Seattle — and found that in every one of them, at least 20 percent of the urban area is sinking. In 25 cities, two-thirds or more of the area is subsiding, with rates up to 0.4 inches each year. (In the maps below, red indicates areas where subsidence is fastest.) Groundwater withdrawal was responsible for 80 percent of total subsidence in the cities. … ” Read more from Grist.
The nation’s largest cities are sinking, including San Francisco
“The nation’s largest cities, including San Francisco, are sinking, according to a new study that calls the downward spiraling a “widespread” and “slow-moving hazard,” threatening thousands of buildings and millions of people. Known technically as land subsidence, the phenomenon can cause roads, bridges, utilities, dams and building foundations to buckle and increase the likelihood of flooding. Often it is the result of groundwater pumping. … But there are other causes, too. In San Francisco, where groundwater pumping is not an issue, the compaction of filled-in land at such places as Treasure Island, the city’s eastern bayshore and San Francisco International Airport is causing the land to sink. Some San Francisco compaction sites are experiencing as much as 5 millimeters of annual subsidence, or about a fifth of an inch a year, according to the study. As a whole, the city averaged just under 1 millimeter of sinking. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
SEE ALSO: Land under the country’s largest cities is sinking. Here’s where — and why, from the Washington Post
Governor Newsom announces upgrades to 21 state fish hatcheries to boost salmon populations
“Governor Newsom today announced that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is upgrading 21 fish hatcheries to boost the state’s salmon and trout populations and protect hatcheries from the impacts of climate change. The project helps build the California salmon and trout supply, which are central to the health of California’s biodiversity but also indigenous peoples, communities, and the state’s multimillion-dollar fishing industry. “Our salmon populations are not only an important part of our state’s biodiversity, but a rich component of our history and heritage. We have a responsibility to prepare for the future and protect the ecosystems and people whose well-being are connected to the continued success of these important species,” said Governor Newsom. … ” Continue reading this press release.
Quantifying the compounding effects of natural hazard events: a case study on wildfires and floods in California
“Compounding weather events occur when two or more weather hazards combine to produce societal or environmental impacts. Despite the potentially catastrophic damage these hazards can cause to critical infrastructure, the quantification of such compounding hazards lags behind. This study presents a new method for analyzing how consecutive severe weather events interact and compound damage over time. The framework examines whether initial events amplify the impact of subsequent disasters, using flexible lag identification to determine optimal recovery periods. Applied to California wildfires and subsequent floods, it reveals regional variations in compounding effects and their temporal evolution. By quantifying these compounding hazards, this methodology provides crucial insights for policy makers and resilience managers to address climate change risks and the dynamic nature of compounding hazards. While developed for California, this approach can be applied globally to assess compounding hazards and inform disaster preparation strategies.” Read the journal article at Nature.
University researchers predict improved water yields after forest thinning
“Thinning of forests, generally undertaken to reduce dangers from wildfire and restore the forest to a more natural state, also can create more mountain runoff to mitigate drought effects in the central Sierra Nevada region that relies on snowpack. In fact, researchers from the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources at the University of Nevada, Reno found that the quantity of additional water produced by thinned forests can be so significant that it might provide further incentive for forest managers to undertake prescribed burning or tree-removal using heavy equipment and hand crews with chainsaws. Water yields from thinned forests can be increased by 8% to 14% during drought years, found the study undertaken by Adrian Harpold, an associate professor in the Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Science, and Elijah Boardman, a doctoral student in the Graduate Program of Hydrologic Sciences. … ” Read more from UNR.
‘Another broken promise’: California environmental groups reel from EPA grant cancellations
“After weeks of speculation, the news came down with chilling formality: “Dear EPA Grant Recipient,” read the official government email. “Attached is your Termination of Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.” That’s how hundreds of organizations found out they had officially lost EPA grant funding as part of the many cutbacks to environmental programs demanded by the Trump administration. Among them was the Community Water Center, a nonprofit that works to provide safe, clean drinking water to rural communities in California. Their $20-million award had been earmarked for a major project to consolidate water systems in the low-income Central Coast communities of Pajaro, Sunny Mesa and Springfield, which have long been reliant on domestic wells and small water systems that are riddled with contaminants above legal limits. The project was more than five years in the making, and now sits in limbo as President Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin slash funding for more than 780 grants geared toward environmental justice that were awarded under President Biden. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Access to Pacific Crest Trail threatened by federal cuts
“Access to the beloved Pacific Crest Trail may soon be limited – due to a drop in federal grants and big layoffs proposed for federal public lands agencies. In the next two weeks, the Trump administration is expected to release the reduction-in-force targets for the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Megan Wargo, chief executive officer of the Pacific Crest Trail Association, said federal grant money dried up last October, so they’ve had to cancel 56 weeks of crew maintenance work on the trails. “If large sections of the trails are forced to be closed because of this lack of maintenance and care, that’s devastating that folks won’t be able to access their public lands because of these cuts,” she explained. … ” Read more from the Public News Service.
In commentary today …
Edward Ring: Saving California’s rural water users
Edward Ring writes, “Despite its status as an agricultural superpower, eclipsing every other U.S. state in farm output, California’s farming sector wields relatively little influence in Sacramento. When you evaluate the state’s GDP components, the sectors that dominate are financial, IT, and services, at around a half-trillion each, followed by manufacturing and government at around $400 billion and $300 billion, respectively. Against that economic power, the value of California’s agricultural output – loosely estimated somewhere around $60 billion – is a rounding error. It’s not just money, it’s population. California’s top ten counties for agricultural production – Fresno, Tulare, Monterey, Kern, Merced, Imperial, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Santa Barbara, and Kings – are home to 5.2 million people. And even if every voter in those ten counties sent state legislators to Sacramento who were fully committed to protecting agriculture, they would only represent 13 percent of the electorate. … ” Read more from Edward Ring.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Commentary: A surge of salmon – and hope – after Klamath dams’ removal
Russell “Buster” Attebery and Joseph L. James write, “Last year, we watched as the last of four dams were removed from the Klamath River in a historic endeavor. Karuk and Yurok citizens sighed in relief, grateful that decades of tribal-led activism, scientific research and litigation had succeeded in reopening 400 stream miles of spawning habitat for salmon and other species. The tears of joy came just a few weeks later, when research cameras showed the first of more than 6,000 fish traveling past the first dam site. Spawning salmon were crossing into Oregon’s Spencer Creek, a tributary of the Klamath, for the first time in 112 years. The salmon had remembered the way, for it is embedded into their DNA just as it is in our ancestors’ – a testament of shared memory and spiritual connection between our people and the river. Millions of baby salmon are now emerging into this free-flowing river above the former dam sites. Just as our ancestors worked in harmony with these waters for millennia, we continue this sacred relationship by restoring the ecological foundations that sustain the river’s health and our traditional foodways. … ” Read more from Oregon Live.
White-water rafting on the ‘New Klamath’ River
“Dam removal on the Klamath River has forever changed the landscape for large stretches of the vital waterway. With summer approaching, many people are getting excited to experience what’s being called the New Klamath for the first time. One Phoenix [Oregon] based white-water rafting outfitter is taking the lead when it comes to exploring this new frontier. Indigo Creek Outfitters has spent weeks learning and mapping the new twists, turns , and drops; starting at the old Copco Reservoir and traveling the more than 14 miles down Ward’s Canyon to the former Iron Gate site. Owner and tour guide Will Volpert says the changes to the river are nothing short of spectacular. … ” Read more from KOBI.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Rep. Kiley secures $2.55M in grants for Lake Tahoe water districts
“Representative Kevin Kiley (R-CA) secured millions of dollars in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding for Lake Tahoe utility districts, helping them complete necessary infrastructure projects that will benefit all its residents and improve its wildfire response capabilities. North Tahoe Public Utility District (NTPUD) received $1.25 million in community project funding, which will be used for the Kings Beach Watermain Replacement Project. The project will provide an overhaul of its wildfire resistance program by adding new fire hydrants and upgrading and replacing waterlines. That project will break ground in early June and will be completed before October 15, which is the end of Lake Tahoe’s construction season. … ” Read more from South Tahoe Now.
320-acre ranch protected forever as agricultural land and wildlife habitat
“lacer Land Trust and a local family have permanently protected Upper Ranch, a 320-acre working ranch north of the city of Lincoln. This project follows on the successes of the Trust’s recent Clover Valley and Vista Ranch land protection projects.Ancestors of today’s Tahti, Fleming, and Bokisch families purchased Upper Ranch in the 1800s. The land consists of high-quality grazing land with unfragmented blue oak woodlands and annual grasslands. Nearly a mile of Raccoon Creek runs through the ranch, providing a biodiverse range of wildlife habitat. … ” Read more from YubaNet.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Red Bluff resident seeking answers from water district over unexplained invoices
“A Red Bluff resident is speaking out against his local water district. The resident, Dennis Hay, has three acres of land that fall under the Proberta Water District territory. Hay first received an invoice from the district in 2022, telling KRCR there were no details on what the charge was for, and he’s had no water ordered or delivered. The total for the most recent invoice, he said, adds up to nearly $1,300. He’s tried to solve this with the district, saying finding ways to communicate has been difficult. “Couldn’t get a number, couldn’t get anybody down at the district office,” Hay said before adding, “What I’m looking to ultimately do is have my property detached from the district because I can’t get water, and I don’t want to get water.” … ” Read more from KRCR.
Golden Mussels discovered during boat inspection at Folsom Lake
“The new vessel inspection program at Folsom Lake State Recreation Area uncovered an infestation of invasive golden mussels on a boat Tuesday at Beals Point. During an inspection, California State Parks staff identified several live golden mussels attached to a vessel. The vessel, which had recently been in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, was stored for further inspection. State Parks is working with the owner and other agencies to safely decontaminate and quarantine the vessel. “Thanks to this new program and the diligent work of our inspection team, we prevented this vessel from ever touching the water, which could have had catastrophic consequences,” said Folsom Lake State Recreation Area Superintendent Mike Howard. … ” Read more from YubaNet.
SEE ALSO: Boat inspectors intercept golden mussels at Folsom Lake; restrictions end soon, from the Sacramento Bee
BAY AREA
Bay Area company develops new technology that holds promise of safer desalination practices
“An experimental technology now in testing holds the promise of revolutionizing California’s depleted water supply. California spends billions to store water, pump water and recycle water. But even with climate change bearing down, one strategy is a tougher sell: desalinating water and pulling it from the sea. Just ask Tim Quinn, Ph.D., who spent four decades as one of the state’s top water managers. “Every step in traditional desalination is hugely fraught with controversy,” Quinn said. There are roughly a dozen desalination plants operating in California, including the massive Carlsbad plant at San Diego. But approval of new plants is typically met with fierce opposition from many environmental groups. Now, Quinn and his colleagues, at a startup called OceanWell, believe they have a system that’s much safer for the environment. … ” Read more from ABC 7.
Unincorporated Pleasanton residents relying on hose water after line breaks
“There is a garden hose running from Rick Hempy’s house to his neighbor’s homes, supplying them with water to shower, bathe or wash dishes. The web of hoses, which includes the one from Hempy’s home, was the unincorporated neighborhood’s latest water troubles. Last summer, a line supplying at least six homes broke, forcing the city of Pleasanton to feed water to the homes through a fire hydrant. But the city cut off the fire hydrant line last week, leaving at least six the homes in the unincorporated Remen Tract neighborhood without water. Hempy said he’s worked out a deal with his neighbors to help pay what he’s charged for water, but said the city is just “rubbing nickels trying to make things work.” “If we were in the city of Pleasanton, it would have been fixed,” Hempy said this week. “We’re the bastard son of the city of Pleasanton. They don’t want anything to do with us.” … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
CENTRAL COAST
Agency launches water pilot program for rural residents in Salinas Valley
“Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SVBGSA) has announced the launch of its Water Efficiency Pilot Program to help rural residents improve water efficiency and contribute to sustainable groundwater management. The Salinas Valley, like much of California, relies on groundwater for residential, commercial and agricultural uses. In rural areas, communities are often at a greater risk of losing their water supply, due to dependence on a single source, limited conveyance infrastructure and financial resources. SVBGSA is taking a three-track approach as part of the program: conduct a bilingual survey to assess current water use patterns, offer free home visits from trained experts to identify water-saving opportunities and provide an online resource to help rural water users become more water efficient. … ” Read more from The Rustler.
Water supply in Five Cities region is now safe, but how it was contaminated remains under investigation
“At Tuesday’s board of supervisors meeting, Public Works director, John Diodati said the contaminated water event was rare and unusual. “For over the last 50 years, we’ve treated Lopez water for the five cities and this is the first boil notice,” said Diodati. “We test the water at the treatment plant daily, weekly within our distribution system and have never exceeded the sample that has warranted a boil order.” According to Diodati, over the next few weeks San Luis Obispo County’s public works department will work with the State Division of Drinking Water to find the source, and prevent future water contamination from happening again. … ” Read more from KCBX.
Capinteria: Planning Commission approves plan to decommission Chevron oil facilities
“On Monday, the Carpinteria Planning Commission unanimously approved a plan for the decommissioning and removal of the Chevron oil and gas processing facilities near the Carpinteria Bluffs. The approval of the development plan and coastal development permit marks a major checkpoint for the project, which has been in the city pipeline since October 2021. Luis Perez, a senior project manager and consultant with MRS Environmental, presented the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the project at Monday’s hearing. The EIR was the finalized version of an earlier draft submitted by Chevron in November 2023, and the culmination of a “long and exhaustive process” that looked at all the potential environmental issues, Perez said. … ” Read more from Coastal View.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Tulare County Supervisors take water concerns to Sacramento
“Tulare County Board of Supervisors made its annual trip to Sacramento to advocate for issues important to the county. The two days of meetings were held on April 22-23, immediately before the 2025 California State Association of Counties Legislative Conference. “It went very well,” Supervisor Larry Micari said. “It was a very worthwhile trip.” The five supervisors, along with County Administrative Office Jason Britt, Chief of Staff Israel Sotelo, Jr. and Public Information Officer Jennifer Fawkes, had separate meetings with two state senators, Shannon Grove and Melissa Hurtado, and two assembly members, Alexandra Macedo and Stan Ellis. … ” Read more from the Visalia Times-Delta.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
LADWP says it never ran out of water in Pacific Palisades during fire, so why did hydrants run dry?
“On January 7 and 8, our ABC7 teams in the field covering the Palisades Fire interviewed desperate homeowners who reported that they, along with firefighters, didn’t have water. “They’re out of water,” said one man. “It does feel helpless when you’re watching it burn and there’s nothing you can do.” … As residents watched their homes burn, firefighters told them there was nothing they could do because they had no water. … But in multiple interviews with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, officials maintain they never ran out of water. They said the problem was that demand reached four times the normal use. … ” Read more from ABC 7.
L.A. fires expose long-standing local and national water infrastructure challenges
In this episode of Metro Blueprint, experts discuss how the catastrophic fires in Los Angeles exposed long-standing challenges in water utility systems in Southern California and beyond. Joe Kane, fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Greg Pierce, the research and co-executive director of UCLA’s Luskin Center for Innovation, explain how policymakers can improve these systems amid a more extreme and destructive climate.
Tiny water companies can no longer serve Altadena
“The overarching water myth in our part of our state is one of massive entities — MWD, LADWP — controlled by criminally wealthy Kings of California with unholy power straight out of a film noir plot. Ordinary people who dare question the way that water works need to be told, once again, “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown,” and move on to fairer fights with organizations that aren’t so rich and gigantic that they are unassailable. When you live in Altadena, the water with which you irrigate your yard and brush your teeth does not come from anyone living very large. It comes from one of three tiny, ancient-for-California water companies that have so few resources that when disaster strikes, there is no bucks-up bureaucracy to bankroll a big fix. Disaster has struck. … ” Read more from the Whittier Daily News.
Rancho Palos Verdes landslide has slowed with below average rainfall, but costs continue to mount
“Below average rainfall this year has slowed the landslide in Ranchos Palos Verdes, but some parts are still moving roughly 4 inches a week, city officials reported Tuesday. While that’s good news compared with the same period last year and in 2023, when the land was moving at twice the rate, the latest numbers highlight how the slow-moving disaster continues to ravage the area, forcing dozens of families to abandon their homes. The city’s geologist, Mike Phipps, attributed the slowdown to the 6 inches of rain the peninsula has received since the beginning of the wet season in October, which is around 46% of the seasonal average. Phipps said the city’s dewatering wells, which pump water out of the ground, have also helped slow the land movement. The heavy rains of 2023-24 led to land movement that slowly ripped apart buildings and homes, prompting gas and power shutoffs and constant repairs to the main thoroughfare through the landslide complex. … ” Read more from the LAist.
SAN DIEGO
A closer look at new San Onofre Beach lease agreement
“By now, all of you San Onofre State Beach lovers have heard that its beloved beaches, campgrounds and trails will continue to be open to the public for at least another 25 years. State officials recently celebrated the signing of a lease agreement between the California parks department and the U.S. military for continued public access of San Onofre State Beach. The parties officially signed the agreement last August, prompting a collective sigh of relief from the millions of people who frequent the beloved coastal area each year. San Onofre is part of Camp Pendleton, which is a military base owned by the U.S. Marine Corps, a component of the U.S. Navy. For the past 53 years the military has leased part of San Onofre to the California Department of Parks and Recreation for $1. Talk about a bargain. … ” Read more from the Voice of San Diego.
San Diego Coastkeeper publishes 2024 Annual Report
“San Diego Coastkeeper (Coastkeeper) has released its 2024 Annual Report, reflecting a year of significant achievements in environmental advocacy, legal enforcement, and community-driven science. The report highlights the growth and impact of the organization’s five main programs, spotlights key clean water campaigns, and illustrates its continued commitment to protecting and restoring swimmable, drinkable, fishable waters throughout San Diego County. “2024 was truly emblematic of the passion and hard work of Coastkeeper’s staff and volunteers, and the trust and encouragement of our donors,” said Coastkeeper’s Executive Director, Phillip Musegaas. “This annual report illustrates the progress a small-but-mighty team can make in twelve short months, and we’re all incredibly driven to carry that momentum through the year ahead.” … ” Read more from the San Diego Coastkeeper.
Along the Colorado River …
Dry Colorado River forecast gets drier
“What a difference a month makes. The forecast for how much water will flow this year into Lake Powell, a bellwether reservoir on the Colorado River, was already meager. Now, after a dry April, it’s even more miserly. That does not bode well for a basin mired in contentious debate about which of the seven states should cut their water use and by how much. “It provides even more urgency to what was already an urgent situation,” said Anne Castle, former U.S. commissioner and chair of the Upper Colorado River Commission. On April 1, the traditional end of the snow accumulation period in the American West, the forecast for spring and summer runoff into Lake Powell, on the Arizona-Utah border, was 67 percent of the 30-year average. Not great, but not unusual for the boom-and-bust river. … ” Read more from the Circle of Blue.
Bleak forecast for Colorado River runoff
“The forecast for spring-summer runoff in the Colorado River has taken a nosedive due to sharply decreased snowpack and total precipitation in April compared to earlier months. The federal forecast for 55% of normal April to July runoff into Lake Powell means this year’s runoff could be the second lowest in the past six years. The prediction was made Wednesday by the federal Colorado Basin River Forecast Center, a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It comes as various river experts were already warning that another crisis is looming for the river’s supply as water levels in its reservoirs trend lower, following a rebound from record low levels in 2023 and 2024 due to good precipitation and snowpack. It also comes at a crucial time in the seven-state negotiations over future Colorado River operations, as the Lower Basin states including Arizona are deadlocked with the Upper Basin states over how to cut water use to bring the overused river’s supply and demand into balance. … ” Read more from the Arizona Republic.
A dry winter on the Colorado River has big reservoirs on track for trouble
“If you took a look at a map of Rocky Mountain snow right now you would see a lot of red. The mountains that feed the Colorado River with snowmelt are strikingly dry, with many ranges holding less than 50% of their average snow for this time of year. The low totals could spell trouble for the nation’s largest reservoirs, but those dry conditions don’t seem to be ringing alarm bells for Colorado River policymakers. Inflows to Lake Powell, the nation’s second largest reservoir, are expected to be 55% of average this year, according to federal data released this week. If forecasts hold true, 2025 would see the third-lowest amount of water added to Lake Powell in the past decade. “It’s looking like a pretty poor water supply and spring runoff season,” said Cody Moser, a hydrologist with the Colorado River Basin Forecast Center. … ” Read more from KUNC.
Interior secures 18 short-term agreements to boost Colorado River conservation
“Today, the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation marked major progress for the continued short-term health of the Colorado River System. Eighteen short-term System Conservation Implementation agreements with water entitlement holders in Arizona and California have been negotiated to include additional conservation of Colorado River System water. Interior and Reclamation are committed to working intensely with representatives of the governors of all seven Colorado River Basin states and tribal nations within the basin to forge a sound water management plan for the river that will promote the prosperity of all 40 million people living in the Basin for generations to come. Extension of 18 short-term agreements with tribal, municipal and agricultural water users in the Lower Colorado River Basin will result in additional water savings through 2026, totaling approximately 321,000 acre-feet in Lake Mead storage, the equivalent of approximately five feet in reservoir elevation. … ” Read more from the Department of Interior.
Take a tour with SRP to see the reality of Arizona’s water storage
“What if, despite what we often hear, Arizona is not in a water crisis? The more accurate term would be a persistent “water challenge.” It’s the desert. We go through droughts. We have for thousands of years. The key to ensuring our water supply is capturing as much water as we can during wet years, which are less frequent. Here in the Valley, we capture water exceptionally well. Come along as we take a tour of Arizona’s lakes and dams with the Salt River Project (SRP). … ” Read more from Fox 10.
Another Lake Powell pipeline proposal — but for Arizona tribes
“There’s another proposal on the table to build a pipeline from Lake Powell, but the water wouldn’t go to St. George. Arizona lawmakers this month introduced legislation that would fund a pipeline to bring water from Lake Powell to three tribes with Colorado River rights. The $5 billion deal — negotiated by the tribes, the federal government and the state of Arizona in May — includes $1.75 billion for the pipeline, and now needs approval from Congress. The Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2024 is crucial to the many tribal communities in northeastern Arizona that lack access to drinking water, said Rep. Juan Ciscomani, an Arizona Republican who sponsored the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. “Those of us in the West understand that water claims are inadequate without the infrastructure needed to move the water,” Ciscomani told the House Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday. “Investing in our water infrastructure is more important now than ever with the persistent drought affecting the Colorado River and all communities that rely on it as well.” … ” Read more from KSL.
A river runs through us
“Here in the Kawuneeche Valley, on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park, the Colorado River does not yet roar. It’s a trickle, a thin ribbon of water running down a wide, hollow notch in the Rockies. The sedges are turning yellow, a sign of the coming autumn, and lodgepole pines mark the rise of the Never Summer Mountains to the west. “This is an iconic landscape,” says Jennifer Wellman, The Nature Conservancy’s freshwater project director for Northwest Colorado. But it’s more than that: The Colorado River provides half the water for Colorado’s Front Range and serves more than 40 million people on the west side of the Continental Divide. The first part surprises me most, since Denver and the Front Range corridor lie beyond the Colorado River watershed. But Wellman points up to a horizontal gash cutting through the forest—a frontier-era canal that reroutes water from one of the headwater streams and sends it east. Grand Ditch, as it’s called, is a symbolic bit of infrastructure: The Colorado River is diverted before it really begins. … ” Read more from The Nature Conservancy.
In national water news today …
The Trump administration has all but stopped enforcing environmental laws
“Protecting the nation from polluters is a core function of the Environmental Protection Agency. But in the last few months, federal enforcement of major violations of environmental laws appears to have ground to a halt. A Grist review of data from the Department of Justice and EPA found that the Trump administration has not filed any new cases against major polluters in its first three months. Similarly, the number of minor civil and criminal enforcement cases has also significantly declined since President Donald Trump took office on January 20. The hands-off approach to environmental enforcement comes amid Trump’s repeated pledges to go easier on polluters. His administration has begun rolling back dozens of regulations; granting exemptions from federal air quality requirements to coal plants; and rewriting pollution standards for cars and trucks. Federal environmental enforcement declined during Trump’s first term, but the decrease during the first three months of his second term has been more drastic. … ” Read more from Grist.
Zeldin wants a ‘Reagan era’-sized EPA. He already has one.
“EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has heralded a downsizing to Reagan-era staffing levels, but the growth in the agency’s workload in the last four decades poses pressing questions about its ability to keep up — and whether the Trump administration even intends to try. When President Ronald Reagan left the White House in January 1989, EPA was less than two decades old, and many laws and regulations now central to its mission had yet to be put on paper. The agency was far from confronting the threat of “forever chemicals” nor had it tackled the perils of acid rain and was just beginning to take stock of the potentially catastrophic effects of a thinning stratospheric ozone layer. … ” Read more from E&E News.
Utility bills could rise as Trump’s EPA to end Energy Star program, experts warn
“US customers could face higher energy bills, experts have warned, amid reports that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to end the Energy Star program whose blue labels have certified energy efficiency on home appliances for more than 30 years. “If you wanted to raise families’ energy bills, getting rid of the Energy Star label would be a pretty good way,” said Steven Nadel, executive director of the non-profit research organization the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). “This would take away basic information from consumers who want to choose cost-saving products easily. There’s a reason this program has been so popular with consumers and manufacturers alike.” … ” Read more from The Guardian.
Congress counters Trump with massive FEMA restructuring plan
“A bipartisan group of House members is drafting a sweeping bill to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency — and in some cases expand its services — in an effort to head off President Donald Trump’s threats to shrink or abolish the agency. Under the bill, FEMA could pay for major repairs to homes damaged in disasters, instead of only temporary fixes. The agency would be able to penalize states that don’t try to mitigate disasters, according to a detailed summary obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News. The bill also would remove FEMA from the Department of Homeland Security and make it an independent agency reporting directly to the president. The measure, which is described as a discussion draft, was written by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Sam Graves, Republican of Missouri, and Washington Rep. Rick Larsen, the panel’s top Democrat. … ” Read more from E&E News.
Trump administration decommissions sea ice data that sounded an alarm on Arctic climate change
“Key datasets used to monitor the impacts of climate change in the Arctic have emerged as the latest victim of cost-cutting by the Trump administration at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), based at the University of Colorado Boulder, announced Tuesday that NOAA was ending its support for data products that document the extent and thickness of sea ice, the accumulation of snow and the retreat of melting glaciers. “As a result, the level of services for affected products below will be reduced to Basic—meaning they will remain accessible but may not be actively maintained, updated, or fully supported,” the center noted. This blindsided scientists who use the NSIDC’s data. “That’s incredible. Let us walk blindfolded and not gather any information about our surroundings,” said Eric Rignot, a glaciologist at the University of California, Irvine, when informed of the decision by Inside Climate News. … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
