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On the calendar today …
- PUBLIC HEARING: Delta Conveyance Project water right hearing beginning at 9am. The State Water Resources Control Board Administrative Hearings Office will hold a Public Hearing on the pending Petitions for Change of Water Right Permits for the Delta Conveyance Project. Interested members of the public who would like to watch this hearing without participating may do so through the Administrative Hearings Office YouTube channel at: bit.ly/aho-youtube. DWR is providing brief recaps here. Click here for the meeting notice.
- MEETING: Delta Independent Science Board from 9am to 4:30pm. Agenda items include an update on the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program by DWR, an overview of the Golden Mussel Framework by CDFW, a discussion on the contaminants monitoring review, and the Delta Lead Scientist report. Click here for the meeting notice.
- WORKSHOP: Diversions for groundwater recharge from 10am to 11am. The Recharge Permitting team will conduct a virtual public workshop with the purpose of engaging stakeholders who plan to pursue diversions of surface water for recharge this upcoming winter. The Recharge Permitting team seeks to engage potential diverters through this virtual public staff workshop. For parties interested in acquiring a permit, the workshop will focus on steps applicants can take to submit a timely and successful temporary permit application. For parties interested in the non-permit pathway, the workshop will include an overview of Water Code 1242.1 (flood recharge diversions), including recent changes based on Executive Order N-16-25. Click here for the workshop notice.
- WEBINAR: Climate Resilience in Action – Restoring Rivers for Flood Protection from 12pm to 1pm. In the third webinar of Sustainable Conservation’s Climate Resilience in Action series, we turn our focus to flooding. Building on earlier discussions about California’s latest devastating wildfires, the importance of forest health, and the need for ecosystem restoration, Restoring Rivers for Flood Protection will explore how natural floodplains and restored rivers can reduce the state’s increasing flood risk while providing critical habitat, safeguarding water supplies, and protecting communities. We’re honored to have experts from River Partners and American Rivers join us to discuss how collaborative, nature-based approaches are redefining flood protection in California. Through smart river restoration and floodplain reconnection, we’ll explore how communities and ecosystems can leverage these approaches to be better prepared for a future shaped by extreme weather and complement existing drought and fire strategies to build a healthier, more resilient California. Click here to register.
- MEETING: Delta Protection Commission from 5pm to 7pm in Oakley. Agenda items include appointments to Delta Protection Advisory Committee (DPAC), consider Approval of DPAC Charter revision, six-month work priorities, and the Delta Leadership Program Graduation. Click here for the agenda.
Newsom’s proposal to fast track the Delta Conveyance Project
Newsom seeks to short-cut process to build $20-billion Delta water tunnel
Sara Nevis / California Department of Water Resources
“Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing to accelerate his administration’s plan to build a $20-billion water tunnel beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta by short-cutting permitting for the project and limiting avenues for legal challenges. Newsom urged the Legislature on Wednesday to adopt his plan to “fast-track” the tunnel, called the Delta Conveyance Project, as part of his revised May budget proposal. “For too long, attempts to modernize our critical water infrastructure have stalled in endless red tape, burdened with unnecessary delay. We’re done with barriers,” Newsom said. “Our state needs to complete this project as soon as possible, so that we can better store and manage water to prepare for a hotter, drier future. Let’s get this built.” The tunnel would create a second route to transport water to the state’s pumping facilities on the south side of the Delta, where supplies enter the aqueducts of the State Water Project and are delivered to 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Governor Newsom’s press release, updated with reactions from tunnel friends and foes
Post includes reactions from Californians for Water Security, the Delta Counties Coalition, Food & Water Watch, Metropolitan Water District, Restore the Delta, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, Save California Salmon, Southern California Water Coalition, State Water Contractors, and elected officials. Read the press release and reactions here.
Newsom pushes to fast-track $20 billion delta tunnel for California water
“Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised budget proposal announced Wednesday includes a push to fast-track a contentious tunnel project that could deliver more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to farms and cities throughout the state. The Delta Conveyance Project has been through many iterations and decades of debate by California lawmakers, going from a proposed canal to two tunnels and now a single tunnel. Newsom wants the Legislature to adopt his plan to accelerate the $20 billion, 45-mile-long tunnel through the delta by passing bills to simplify permitting, confirm that the Department of Water Resources has the authority to issue bonds to cover the project’s cost, prevent unnecessary litigation delays and support construction. … ” Read more from KQED.
Newsom’s plan to fast-track Delta tunnel project blasted by local officials
“Local elected officials are blasting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call for fast-tracking the Delta tunnel project that could divert more water to Southern California. Also known as the Delta Conveyance Project, the $20 billion endeavor would channel water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and direct it south. Critics, including San Joaquin County leaders and Northern California legislators, warn it could sap badly needed water from farm use. “The Delta Tunnel is a direct attack on the region’s economy, and it’s clear that politicians care more about lawns in Beverly Hills than protecting the fruit-and-nut basket of the world,” U.S. Rep. Josh Harder, D-Tracy, said in a statement. Harder has never been a fan of the project, calling it a “boondoggle” at a town hall meeting in Stockton two years ago. He reintroduced a bill in February to try to stop it. … ” Read more from Stocktonia.
Politico: Water wars
“Newsom is aligning himself with President Donald Trump’s demands for more water deliveries — and picking a fight with Delta lawmakers — by asking the Legislature to fast-track a proposed $20 billion, 45 mile-long tunnel to route water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to farmers and cities south. He teased the ask, which will take the form of a trailer bill, during his annual revised budget presentation Wednesday morning, when he called the Delta Conveyance Project “one of the most important climate adaptation projects in this country.” “We have got to move that project forward and learn the lessons from the high-speed rail,” Newsom said, referring to delays and ballooning costs plaguing the high-speed rail project. … ” Read more from Politico (scroll down).
Newsom pushes Trump-style power grab via budget trailer bills to build Delta tunnel, gut environmental and public protections
“Governor Gavin Newsom’s May Revise budget includes a dangerous suite of trailer bills that creates entirely new law and statutory carve outs specifically for the controversial Delta Conveyance Project by gutting public oversight, weakening environmental protections, and trampling on tribal sovereignty and community input. The Governor is pushing these legislative changes as part of a “streamlining” agenda, but advocates say it amounts to a Trump-style power grab — greenwashed with climate rhetoric — that sacrifices the Delta and working Californians to benefit powerful water agencies and corporate agriculture. … ” Read more from Restore the Delta.
Californians for Water Security applauds Governor Newsom’s trailer bill to advance Delta Conveyance Project
“Californians for Water Security (CWS) applauds Governor Newsom for the introduction of a trailer bill announced today to streamline approval processes and remove unnecessary delays to keep the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP) moving forward to secure California’s water future. These proposals will help address the administrative processes that add costs and delays to the project while also balancing the environmental protections to help protect the Delta’s habitats and communities. The Governor’s proposal is expected to expedite the project while also delivering millions of dollars in savings by eliminating costly delays. “Modernizing California’s water supply is not only vital to our economy but also long overdue,” said Jennifer Barrera, President & CEO, California Chamber of Commerce. “We appreciate the Governor’s proposal to both remove barriers to innovation while protecting the environment and meeting both regulatory and operational requirements.” … ” Read more from Californians for Water Security.
Delta Tunnel opponents slam Gov. Newsom’s revised budget plan to fast-track project
Dan Bacher writes, “Governor Gavin Newsom today announced, as part of his May Budget Revise, a controversial proposal to fast-track and “streamline” the Delta Conveyance Project, AKA Delta Tunnel. Newsom claimed the project would advance “much-needed and long-overdue improvements to the State Water Project,” while a coalition of Tribes, fishing groups, environmental justice organizations, Delta water districts and Delta counties and cities say the project would do irreparable harm to the San Francisco-Bay Delta ecosystem and Delta communities. Echoing the Trump Administration’s plans to export more Delta water to agribusiness billionaires and Southern California water brokers, Newsom stated, “For too long, attempts to modernize our critical water infrastructure have stalled in endless red tape, burdened with unnecessary delay.” … ” Read more from Dan Bacher at the Daily Kos.
Newsom administration proposes permanent weaker rules for State Water Project
“On May 14, 2025, the Newsom Administration proposed two “trailer bills” in the State Legislature that would create special rules for the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and its State Water Project (SWP), eliminating requirements that all other water right holders must fulfill. The bills would fast-track the administration’s proposed tunnel under the Delta (“Delta Conveyance Project”) that would increase diversions of Sacramento River water to the San Joaquin Valley and southern California by 19%. Specifically, the bills would fast-track litigation relating to the tunnel, misapplying laws first passed whose purpose was to reduce “green tape” for environmentally “beneficial” projects. The bills would allow the State to sell bonds for its proposed tunnel even when courts have found the sale of such bonds premature and unlawful. … ” Read more from the CSPA.
Small California community worried construction of delta tunnel project would tear town apart
“In his budget proposal released on Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom included funding for the $20 billion water tunnel known as the Delta Conveyance Project. No place will be more impacted by the project than the tiny town of Hood, in Sacramento County. It will be ground-zero in the effort to build the tunnel, and with fewer than 300 people, they don’t have a lot of political clout. But the feeling in town about the project is pretty much unanimous. “Typical small town. Everybody knows everybody,” said Mayor Mario Moreno, as he stood on the street corner that makes up the entire downtown. He presides over the 271 residents of Hood. The sign says, “Population 313,” but it’s a little out of date and some people have left. But those who remain have a pretty universal feeling about the plan to place the Delta Conveyance tunnel project there. … ” Read more from CBS San Francisco.
In other California water news today …
New research shows billions in economic risk from continued state inaction on water supply
“A new economic analysis by Jay Lund (UC Davis), Josué Medellín-Azuara (UC Merced), and Alvar Escriva-Bou (UC Davis) shows the high cost of inaction on California’s perpetual water supply challenges, estimating that the state could lose enough water annually to supply up to 9 million households—with economic losses totaling between $3.4 and $14.5 billion per year, depending on the severity of the scenario. The study, Inaction’s Economic Cost for California’s Water Supply Challenges, builds on prior research showing that California’s total water supply is on track to shrink by 12–25% by 2050, a loss of up to 9 million acre-feet per year, equivalent to one or two Lake Shastas. The new report emphasizes that without coordinated state action, these reductions could result in the fallowing of up to 3 million acres of farmland, the loss of 67,000 jobs, and lasting damage to California’s agricultural and rural communities. The research underscores the urgency of Senate Bill 72, authored by Senator Anna Caballero, which would create the first-ever statewide water supply target and direct California to develop 9 million acre-feet of new water supply by 2040. The bill aims to bring federal, state, regional, and local partners together to better plan, invest, and build toward a more secure, reliable, and sustainable water future. … ” Read more from CA Water for All.
From “if” to “how” — the Sites Reservoir contracting strategy
JP Robinette, Engineering and Construction Manager of the Sites Project Authority, writes, “Sites Reservoir represents a historic opportunity to improve the generational water outlook for California’s farms, cities, and environment. The Sites Project Authority has established a model for how to come together and develop a mega-project with local leadership and investment from water agencies across the state as well as the state and federal government. This unique combination of local leadership, collaboration, and integration into existing, critical state water infrastructure has resulted in bipartisan support and an affordable, permittable, and buildable project that will add 1.5 million acre-feet of storage to our water system. That water, enough to serve 7.5 million people for a year, will be stored for use when our Participants need it most. … ” Read more from the Northern California Water Association.
Maps show where land is sinking in California’s biggest cities
“Major California cities are sinking, according to a recent study. High-resolution maps based on the satellite data analyzed for the study reveal exactly where San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego experienced the highest subsidence rates from 2015 to 2021. Big changes in land surfaces could result in potential damage to buildings and infrastructure, according to the study. Sinking land also compounds dangers associated with sea level rise for coastal communities, including in the Bay Area. … ” Read more and view maps at the San Francisco Chronicle.
“If you want to live, don’t drink the water”
“Donald “Curly” Brooks lifted his shirt and stared intently into the mirror of his prison cell. The warped, thick metal never gave him a clear picture of himself. In his 45 years inside prisons across the state, he rarely saw his image clearly reflected. It didn’t help that a deteriorating eye condition left him legally blind. Still, he could see something was wrong. He pinched loose flesh near his waistline and commented matter-of-factly, “l think I’m dying.” Brooks, 64, once struck an imposing figure inside Mule Creek State Prison, where he’s been housed since 2017. … When the doctors checked Brooks for kidney stones, they also discovered he had kidney cancer. But they couldn’t tell Brooks how or why he contracted it. Others had dealt with similar illnesses they didn’t have before arriving at Mule Creek – kidney issues, cancer, men on thyroid medication, some for life. … ” Read more from The Appeal.
How a California county eliminated PFAS from the water supply
“Yorba Linda, Calif., is home to the largest water treatment plant in the country using ion exchange to remove PFAS from its water supply. The plant has been in operation since 2021, and it’s been extremely effective — there is no trace of these “forever chemicals” in the water going out to the plant’s 80,000 customers. … A detailed account of PFAS treatment facilities in other water districts isn’t readily available, but a 2024 survey by the American Water Works Association found that just 17 states had approved a PFAS treatment system design for ground and/or surface water. The EPA has estimated that as many as 10 percent of the 66,000 water systems in the country will need to address PFAS. Yorba Linda, then, is ahead of the game. … ” Read more from Governing.
NIH to award $8 million for new USC Superfund Center to research and address ‘forever chemicals’
“A team of scientists from Keck School of Medicine of USC and USC Viterbi School of Engineering has been awarded an $8 million, five-year grant from one of the National Institutes of Health to launch a Superfund Research Program Center where they will study environmental contamination from “forever chemicals,” or PFAS, which are used to make multiple household items from cookware to furniture. With the grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the USC scientists are establishing the Southern California Superfund Research and Training Program for PFAS Assessment, Remediation and Prevention, or ShARP Center. There, they will investigate how these chemicals impact liver health, and how to detect and remove them from public water sources. … ” Read more from the University of Southern California.
Arizona, Utah, CA, WA seek federal money for water infrastructure
“U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, is part of a bipartisan bill to unlock federal funding for water infrastructure in the West. Working alongside U.S. Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, Kelly has introduced the Restoring WIFIA Eligibility Act. It’s part of efforts by their states, Washington state and California to get federal dollars. Established in 2014, the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) created a program to provide credit assistance to wastewater, drinking water, and stormwater projects, both public and private. With terms that included low, fixed-interest rates and repayment schedules, WIFIA loans allowed applicants to draw funds when needed. Still, Kelly’s office said “certain interpretations of the program” created hurdles for any projects with federal involvement. That, said the senator, made them ineligible for WIFIA loans because of language that made them available only to non-federal borrowers. … ” Read more from the Center Square.
Despite Trump Slump, Governor Newsom’s revised budget delivers on housing, education, water, and jobs
“Governor Gavin Newsom today released his May Revision proposal for the 2025–26 state budget, putting forward a balanced plan that strengthens California’s future — despite economic disruptions caused by federal instability. While adjusting for a projected $11.95 billion shortfall driven by a “Trump Slump” — tariffs disruption, market volatility, and a decline in international tourism that have directly resulted in a staggering $16 billion estimated hit to the state’s revenues — and health care cost pressures, the Governor’s proposal remains focused on forward-looking investments in housing, education, and infrastructure, while curtailing unsustainable spending. … With climate extremes intensifying, the Governor is fast-tracking modernization of the State Water Project through the Delta Conveyance Project. His proposal streamlines permits and reduces litigation delays to accelerate construction, while protecting water access for 27 million Californians and preparing for a future marked by more severe droughts, floods, and climate volatility. … ” Continue reading this press release from Governor Newsom.
In regional water news and commentary today …
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
South Lake Tahoe begins phase of Bijou restoration to address flooding and sediment runoff
“The next phase of the Upper Bijou Park Creek Restoration Project, aimed at reducing flooding and sediment runoff into Lake Tahoe, is set to commence soon. This phase, known as the ‘Rockwood to Blackwood Drainage Improvements Project,’ is part of the broader Bijou Watershed Restoration Project, which includes nine different initiatives. Brianna Greenlaw, an associate civil engineer with the City of South Lake Tahoe, explained that the project will involve the installation of new stormwater collection, conveyance, and treatment infrastructure from Rockwood to Blackwood Drives. This area runs through the Heavenly Valley Estates Mobile Home Park, a community that has experienced significant flooding due to its location along the 850-acre watershed. … ” Read more from Channel 4.
Commentary: Algae blooms, traffic and plastics at Lake Tahoe — what can we do about it?
Niobe Burden Austere, a professional photographer and advocate, writes, “To many in the Reno-Carson area, Lake Tahoe is more than a getaway — it’s a sanctuary. After living overseas for a decade, I was stunned upon returning to see just how much the lake has changed. Early algae blooms now cloud the shoreline, plastics litter the beaches even in winter, and oil residue clings to the rocks. These aren’t isolated signs — they point to a lake under mounting environmental pressure. All those who love Lake Tahoe are part of this story. And we have a responsibility to be part of the solution. After the presentation of the long-awaited 2023 Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Environmental Threshold Evaluation (1), I delved deeper than intended and found a staggering lack of transparency by TRPA staff to the public and even to the Governing Board when first presented on Feb. 26. … ” Read more from This is Reno.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
American River: Expert issues warning after ripping common plant out of ground: ‘It spreads so fast’
“A botanist took to TikTok to complain about an invasive species appearing in his area. TikToker Jessie Dickinson (@sacramentofoodforest) shared a video in which he called out the presence of horehound in the Oak Woodland next to the American River in Sacramento. “One of the most common invasive species you will find near water in Sacramento is the invasive mint, horehound,” he said in the caption. Horehound was brought to the United States by colonists in the 18th century as a cultivated herb, and it was believed to escape cultivation and become invasive for the first time in 1833 in California, according to the Native Plant Trust. It has been touted as a cough suppressant for centuries and gained popularity as an ingredient in cough drops. … ” Read more from The Cool Down.
Vacaville council balks at water rate increase
“The Vacaville City Council decided not to raise water rates for the time being, as councilmembers railed against a state mandate to lower levels of toxic hexavalent chromium (Chromium 6) in the city’s water supply. On a 6-0 vote Tuesday night, the council directed staff to pursue alternatives and bring the decision back to the council at a later date. Councilmember Michael Silva was not present at the meeting and thus did not vote. The council accepted 1,110 written protests from the community, but more than 16,000 would have been needed to override the council’s ability to vote in accordance with state law. The council was not bound by this process to vote for the increase, but was allowed to vote because that threshold had not been met. … ” Read more from the Daily Republic.
NAPA/SONOMA
Staffing cuts to National Weather Service river forecast center could leave Sonoma, Napa counties ‘flying blind’ ahead of storms
“The closer you live to the Russian River, the likelier it is you’ve spent time on this no-frills website, whose wavy, colored lines alert users when the river is approaching flood levels, and when it will recede. The site is maintained by the California Nevada River Forecast Center, or CNRFC, under the umbrella of the National Weather Service. It’s one of 13 forecast centers preparing “timely river and flood forecasts” for some 4,000 river locations across the nation. The California Nevada forecast center is a small field office, based in Sacramento. But its work has outsized importance to North Bay residents. The data it collects during heavy rains helps emergency service officials figure out who needs to be evacuated as the region’s largest rivers rise, none packing a more destructive, dangerous punch than the Russian. The CNRFC also provides information vital to Sonoma Water, the Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies, as they make decisions on when to release water from reservoirs, and how much. But now, in the face of cuts and attrition engineered by the Trump administration, that office is operating with a little over two-thirds of its usual workforce. Under Trump, staff shortages have become endemic in offices throughout the National Weather Service. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
Federal funding flip-flops stop work on Sonoma forest safety and working lands projects
“In January, President Trump signed sweeping executive orders that led to freezing billions of dollars in federal funding while his administration evaluates whether they align with its new policy goals. Among the many casualties of the resulting shortfalls are projects funded by local Resource Conservation Districts. Affected projects range from wildfire protection efforts to habitat conservation to agricultural programs, and the cuts impact all the landowners, neighbors, consumers, and workers caught in their wake. “This [is having] a big trickle-down effect, from an individual to the county level,” says Christine Kuehn, executive director of the Sonoma RCD. … ” Read more from Knee Deep Times.
Can Colgan Creek do it all? Santa Rosa reimagines flood control
“Colgan Creek was once just a creek. Like most creeks, it would occasionally overtop its banks and spill out over the floodplain. The City of Santa Rosa, like most cities with most creeks, did not want it to flood. A functioning floodplain is good for many things, but not for building upon. In the late 1970s, Santa Rosa converted lower Colgan Creek from a natural waterway into an earthen flood-control channel. Its path was moved, in some cases hundreds of feet; its bends straightened; and its banks denuded, all so that water could flow more freely downstream to the Laguna de Santa Rosa wetlands. Riprap was added here and there to reinforce the new alignment and reduce erosion. The creek’s ecological function became secondary to its flood-fighting role. … ” Read more from Knee Deep Times.
BAY AREA
Bay Area environmental justice projects in limbo after federal funding is canceled
“Bay Area nonprofits, counties and cities with environmental justice projects are searching for new funding after the Trump administration terminated the grants that funded their work in the last two weeks. At least three nonprofits, Contra Costa County and the city of San José received emails from the administration, primarily from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, stating “the objectives of the award are no longer consistent with EPA funding priorities.” The grant terminations came as the administration has sought to eliminate any focus on environmental justice at the EPA. The grant recipients had planned to establish a bike-share program in East San José, provide food to low-income families in Vallejo, purchase air purifiers for families with asthmatic children along the peninsula, enable San Rafael residents to prepare their neighborhoods for flooding and create a resilience hub with a 24/7 emergency shelter and plant trees in North Richmond. … ” Read more from KQED.
East Bay MUD proposes rates to fund water and wastewater operations for the next two years
“Today, East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) General Manager Clifford Chan recommended proposed rates and charges for Fiscal Year 2026 (July 1, 2025) and Fiscal Year 2027 (July 1, 2026) to the agency’s Board of Directors. These rates and charges will help support the proposed $3.2 billion biennial budget, which reflects EBMUD’s commitment to keep essential water and wastewater services reliable and resilient. This budget includes a 10-year financial plan for a Capital Improvement Program that renews critical infrastructure, protects the environment, and delivers high-quality water at reasonable rates. Proposed decreases in general in the monthly water service charge (based on meter size) and proposed increases in the volumetric unit rates (applicable to water usage) are based on an updated cost of service study completed in 2025. Bill impacts will vary based on water use, elevation and other factors. If approved, EBMUD water would cost about 2 cents per gallon. … ” Read more from EBMUD.
Pleasanton City Council pushes ahead with higher water rates
“Many Pleasanton water customers, who have been plagued with infrastructure issues for the past several years, will soon see major increases to their bills. The Pleasanton City Council is expected to approve a new water rate structure this year that would give discounts to the city’s highest users and more than double the costs its lowest users pay. The city plans to replace a tiered rate structure — which collected the lowest fees from Pleasanton’s lowest users — with a “uniform” structure for everyone. The change comes as the city continues its search for new water supplies after recently shutting down its three wells due to significant contamination from PFAS chemicals, which can cause cancer and other diseases. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
Palo Alto, Mountain View move forward with wastewater plant
“Mountain View is another step closer to expanding the use of recycled water in the city, after reaching an agreement with Palo Alto to foot more than half of the cost of an advanced water purification system. Mountain View plans to contribute $32.5 million of the total project cost, which is estimated to cost nearly $60 million. The Mountain View City Council unanimously approved the cost-sharing agreement at its Tuesday meeting, authorizing $22 million in payments over the next two years. The city also plans to cover a $10.5 million loan issued by Palo Alto once the purification system is constructed. “This is an example of right-sizing the quality of water for the use of the water,” said City Council member Pat Showalter, who expressed enthusiasm for the project at the May 13 meeting. … ” Read more from Palo Alto Online.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Hanford-area groundwater agency enacts well registration and reporting policies
“Kings County growers in and around the Hanford area will be required to register their wells, report how much they pump and register private recharge areas under three new policies enacted by the Mid-Kings River Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA). The policies were approved during a May 13 special meeting. Only a year after imploding and then re-forming, the agency has been getting up to speed with other GSAs in the region thanks to a landowner advisory group, according to board member and Kings County Supervisor Doug Verboon. “They (the advisory group) have gone above and beyond my expectations,” Verboon said. The group has continued to build trust within the community by including their input in the conversation. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Porterville water district launches its own groundwater agency
“The Porterville Irrigation District board of directors voted unanimously to launch a second version of its own groundwater sustainability agency Tuesday, May 13. “The only logical choice we have is to form our own GSA and move forward with our own plan,” said grower Armando Leal. This the latest in a string of steps for the district, which voted in late September to break away from Eastern Tule GSA following the state Water Resources Control Board’s decision to place the Tule subbasin on probation for lacking a groundwater plan that would bring aquifers into balance by 2040. Hoping to escape the metering requirements, well registration, and pumping fees that come with probation, Porterville ID and several other districts bailed out of Eastern Tule. Porterville ID initially agreed to partner with the City of Porterville to form a new GSA citing overlapping boundaries, the city’s proven track record on fixing domestic wells and its storage capacity at Lake Success east of town. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Commentary: State Water Board closing in
Brik McDill, PhD., a retired psychologist, writes, “As of April 2025, Kern County’s situation under California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act is serious. The Kern Subbasin — one of the largest and most heavily pumped groundwater basins in the state — was officially placed on probation by the California State Water Resources Control Board in March 2024. This marks a significant escalation, as probation is essentially the first step toward state DWR intervention when local groundwater sustainability plans fail to meet SGMA requirements. The Kern Subbasin’s GSPs were deemed inadequate by the California Department of Water Resources, mainly due to ongoing issues like declining groundwater levels, land subsidence and impacts on drinking water wells. On probation, pumpers in Kern must now report groundwater extraction data directly to the state and pay associated fees. If no significant progress is made, the state could impose interim pumping limits. Some subbasins and agencies within Kern County are negotiating revised plans, but as of now, the probation status remains active. This is a major development because Kern County is central to California’s agricultural economy and groundwater has historically been a critical resource there. … ” Continue reading at the Bakersfield Californian.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Rancho Palos Verdes is home to a Trump golf course. But his cuts are imperiling the city’s landslide response
“For the last 18 months, the city of Rancho Palos Verdes has been struggling to address a worsening local emergency — the dramatic expansion of an ancient landslide zone that has torn homes apart, buckled roadways and halted utility services. Triggered by a succession of heavy winter rains in 2023 and 2024, the ongoing land movement has upended the lives of residents and cast the city into financial uncertainty. Without significant outside aid, officials say they expect to spend about $37 million this fiscal year on emergency landslide mitigation — a sum nearly equal to the city’s annual operating budget. Now, to make matters worse, the Trump administration has announced that it will cease funding the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grants — a major pot of money the city hoped to use to finance a long-term prevention and stabilization plan. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Clean Water at Last: San Antonio mobile home park families in Thermal celebrate after decades of waiting
“Dozens of families in the San Antonio Mobile Home Park in Thermal are celebrating a life-changing milestone that many people take for granted: safe, clean running water in their homes. After nearly three decades of living without reliable access to clean water, residents can now turn on their taps without fear. For years, they relied on bottled water, makeshift plumbing, and daily workarounds because of dangerous arsenic levels in the groundwater and years of alleged neglect by former park owners. … ” Read more from NBC Palm Springs.
Geologically rich but economically poor, Salton Sea communities want a say in their lithium future
“The Salton Sea is a haven for wildlife, a repository of critical minerals and the site of some of the worst environmental and economic conditions in California. The contrast between its natural riches and its impoverished population has sharpened as companies seek to mine vast deposits of lithium, a mineral used to make batteries for electric cars, computers and cellphones. “Today, the Salton Sea region stands at a critical juncture with a chance to become a major domestic supplier of lithium,” state Sen. Steve Padilla, who represents parts of Riverside, Imperial and San Diego counties, recently told the Senate Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development. The Chula Vista Democrat wants to give the region a bigger say in how it grows amid the projected lithium boom. His bill, SB 534, would create a “green empowerment zone” around the sea that would govern how to use public money, invest in local communities and support the transition to a renewable energy economy. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
Salton Sea restoration panel engages community, provides updates
“The Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) provided critical updates and addressed community concerns during a panel discussion at the Salton Sea Conference on May 9 at Imperial Valley College. The panel, consisting of Joe Shea, assistant secretary for Salton Sea policy with the California Natural Resources Agency and leader of the SSMP; Mario Llanos, deputy assistant secretary for the SSMP; and Miguel Hernandez, public affairs officer for the SSMP, outlined the program’s progress in habitat restoration, dust suppression projects and community engagement initiatives before opening the floor for questions from attendees. Shea began the panel by presenting data on the expansion of dust suppression projects and habitat restoration efforts across the Salton Sea. Since 2015, some 33,500 cumulative acres of exposed lakebed have been identified. “As of the start of this year, we’ve got about 3,000 acres of dust suppression projects,” Shea said. “And then we’ve got another 6,000 or so acres under construction. We are working aggressively to bring that number up.” … ” Read more from the Calexico Chronicle.
Imperial Irrigation District opens fish farm doors, sharing how sterile grass carp are raised
“The Imperial Irrigation District (IID), an employer of about 1,400 diverse jobs across its water and power utilities, recently opened its doors to the only fish farm of its kind in the West, showing, first-hand, how sterile grass carp are raised to control weeds in the District’s thousands of miles of water delivery canals. Students from El Centro’s Kennedy Middle School are among the newest visitors to learn firsthand about IID’s special triploid fish-creating operation and understand how it works. “When I think of IID, I think of fish,” said IID Director Alex Cardenas to the student group, albeit a bit tongue-in-cheek. “But I do want you all to know that IID is a major contributor that provides solutions every day and has many very important operations, like our Fish Farm.” … ” Read more from Imperial Irrigation District.
SAN DIEGO
Imperial Beach Mayor Aguirre calls out San Diego County for lack of border sewage funding
“Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre joined South County community members Wednesday to call for increased county action and funding for the Tijuana River sewage crisis. Aguirre, a candidate for San Diego County Supervisor in the July 1 Special Election, laid out a five-point “County Sewage Action Plan” and called on county leaders to adopt “immediate, targeted action” in their upcoming budget to protect South Bay residents’ health in wake of the trans- border sewage issue. “This isn’t just sewage — it’s sickness, school disruption, economic harm — and it’s being given lip service,” she said. “If this was happening in La Jolla, no one would blink at doing what’s needed to clean up the mess, but we get shortchanged. … ” Read more from Channel 10.
Along the Colorado River …
As time grows short for a Colorado River deal, Trump is set to fill vacant water post
“The Trump administration is preparing to announce its pick to head the Bureau of Reclamation, a crucial position in deciding the future of the Colorado River, a White House spokesperson told the Arizona Republic. The move would effectively complete the new federal team overseeing strained negotiations over one of Arizona’s largest water sources. The new commissioner will take charge amid tense negotiations among the seven states that use the Colorado River, which has strained under multi-decadal drought and high water demand. Southwestern states are working on an agreement to manage the river after the current guidelines expire in 2026. Without a proposal from the states, the new administration must impose a solution and risk drawing the river into a stream of lawsuits and conflict. … ” Read more from Arizona Central.
Commentary: Arizona will have less water after 2026. Where will new supplies come from?
Opinion columnist Joanna Allhands writes, “Cities across central Arizona can expect markedly less Colorado River water after 2026. So, where are they going to find the water to replace it? It’s a fair question. And the short answer is: We don’t know yet. Officials have been working to find more water for years. Some of those ideas are even in various stages of planning and construction. But none will be ready by 2027. And it’s unclear if they will produce enough water to fill the gap — in part, because we don’t know how large the gap might be. Arizona’s Water Infrastructure Finance Authority has set a goal of securing 100,000 to 500,000 acre-feet of water a year over the next 10 to 15 years from outside Arizona. But that was based on what cities said they might be willing to buy a couple of years ago. And who knows if that will still be enough … ” Continue reading at Arizona Central.
Farmers, cities seek to join fight against Arizona’s water-pumping lawsuit
“A group of farmers, ranchers and cities are going to court to stop the state attorney general from pursuing her effort to halt pumping of groundwater by a Saudi-owned alfalfa farm in western Arizona. There’s no legal basis for the claim by Attorney General Kris Mayes that the actions of Fondomonte are violating any state water laws, Attorney David Brown says. Instead, Mayes is trying to convince Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Minder that the company is creating a “public nuisance’’ by draining water from the aquifer. But the real purpose behind the new court filing, Brown said, is the fear that if Mayes wins in court, “this case is just the beginning.’’ “This case is a known test case for future lawsuits against other groundwater users who lawfully use groundwater under Arizona law,’’ the lawsuit says. And that, Brown told the judge, could mean his clients. … ” Read more from the Arizona Daily Star.
Farmers in this Mexican border state fear Arizona dam project threatens their way of life
“Up the twisting mountain road that follows the Río Sonora north from Hermosillo, Mexico, residents in the town of Banámichi worry the water that keeps their valley green could soon be diverted to the growing Sonoran capital. A project to dam up Sonora’s rivers in three places would create a reservoir just about 10 miles upstream from Banámichi. Officials plan to channel some of that water away to Hermosillo. But at a recent community event, residents expressed fears that the dam will leave their stretch of river dry. “They want to take this water to Hermosillo and what are we going to do?” said third-generation cattle rancher Francisco Maldonado. “We are going to be without water.” … ” Read more from KJZZ.
Could a public lands deal amount to a water grab for Utah?
“A controversial federal budget amendment would transfer about 10,000 acres of public land in Utah to a water district — reviving concerns in the Colorado River Basin about a pipeline from the country’s second-biggest reservoir. Rep. Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, has proposed a land transfer to Washington County in Southern Utah, and water activists are drawing comparisons to the contentious Lake Powell pipeline project because of similarities to the pipeline’s map. Some say it’s a water grab that could have implications for Southern Nevada. In a joint statement Wednesday from Reps. Susie Lee, D-Nev., and Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., they called on House Republicans “to immediately withdraw this reckless public land sale proposal which looks to be a Trojan horse to steal Nevadans’ and Arizonans’ water.” … ” Read more from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Wyoming begins exploring voluntary water conservation programs
“In Cheyenne, Wyoming, the northernmost city receiving Colorado River water, the state engineer and attorney general’s offices met with legislators on the select water committee last week to discuss ongoing Colorado River negotiations. Their message was clear: Wyoming must adapt to a future in which the river has an inadequate supply of water for all of its users. Brandon Gebhart, Wyoming’s state engineer responsible for managing and regulating the water within the state, and Chris Brown, with the Wyoming attorney general’s water and natural resources division, gave committee members background on the Colorado River negotiations, and outlined why it is in Wyoming’s interest to come up with its own water conservation statutes. With many Colorado River basin mountain ranges holding less than 50 percent of their average spring snowpack, it’s clear that the river and its reservoirs will again be stressed this year by deepening drought. “We don’t have anything set up right now,” said Gebhart. “But I think it’s very important that if we’re to do that, we need to do it in a way that doesn’t impact our water users, and it’s something that Wyoming can live with.” … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
In national water news today …
The Trump administration plans to undo standards on toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in the U.S. drinking water supply
“The Trump administration on Wednesday announced plans to rescind and postpone rules limiting “forever chemicals” in drinking water that were enacted under the Biden administration and designed to prevent millions of people from exposure to these persistent and dangerous contaminants. Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said the agency plans to issue new rules this fall that would repeal drinking water levels for four PFAS chemicals and delay the implementation of limits on two others. PFAS—or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—have been used in the manufacturing of a huge range of products for decades, becoming ubiquitous in water and soils despite the dangers they pose to human and environmental health. Research has shown that roughly half of the U.S. population consumes water contaminated with PFAS, which are linked to cancers, reproductive and neurological problems and low birth weights. New data shows that PFAS are found at more than 8,500 drinking water sources across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
SEE ALSO:
- What the EPA’s partial rollback of the ‘forever chemical’ drinking water rule means, from the OC Register
- The Immense Societal Burdens of PFAS “Forever Chemicals,” from the NRDC
WOTUS: A narrowing EPA definition is reshaping the Clean Water Act
“Debra Shankland was a kid when the Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire in 1969. “I saw the dead fish, I smelled it,” the retired biologist and environmental educator told a room of US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) representatives on Wednesday. Shankland was one of many speakers at the latest listening session led by the EPA as the agency crafts a new definition for the long controversial language “waters of the United States” contained in the Clean Water Act. The interpretation of that phrase, commonly shorthanded as WOTUS, can have massive implications for the health of small streams, remote wetlands, creeks and other waters. The EPA, along with the Army Corps of Engineers, released a memo in March that narrowed the scope of what waters receive protection. The listening session this week is part of a larger public comment period on the agency actions to re-shape federal water regulation after years of confusion and debate. The government is aiming to officially clarify and establish a “definition that is simple and durable and withstands the test of time,” EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said. … ” Read more from the New Lede.
The weather service had a plan to reinvent itself. Did DOGE stop it?
“Ken Graham had a plan. When he became the director of the National Weather Service during the Biden administration, Mr. Graham introduced “Ken’s 10,” a list of priorities he hoped would streamline the department. In January, addressing a conference hall full of meteorologists in New Orleans, he ticked off some successes, like replacing an antiquated and siloed communications system. There were challenges, too: Outdated technology and a stagnant budget made it difficult to get employees to stick around. But in a speech that sounded almost like a sales pitch, Mr. Graham reminded those in the audience that their work saved lives and, at the cost to every taxpayer of about $4 a year, offered a great return on investment. The crowd was skeptical. But Mr. Graham assured them the weather office fit into the incoming administration’s agenda. The agency was already lean and had a plan to be more efficient. He just needed time. … ” Continue reading at the New York Times (gift article).
SEE ALSO: NOAA seeks to reassign employees to fill ‘critically understaffed’ weather service offices, from The Hill
What deep cuts to NOAA mean for US fisheries
“On a cold, bright April day, Sarah Schumann and Dean Pesante are painting the bottom of their fishing boat, the 38-foot Oceana, to prevent barnacles and weeds from attaching. They’re almost ready for the spring fishing season at Point Judith, Rhode Island, New England’s second most valuable fishing port. Schumann and Pesante harvest bluefish, dogfish, scup, and bonito using gillnets that they set daily at the mouth of the Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island Sound. “Our income and catch have dropped about 30 percent over the last four years,” Pesante told Civil Eats. They’ve caught fewer bluefish in the summer season and found far fewer bluefish during the fall run out of the bay. “We didn’t even reach the quota with what we were landing,” he said. There are multiple factors that likely contribute to the declining bluefish catch, including rapidly warming ocean waters, which affect fish migration and behavior; dredging to lay cables for offshore wind turbines, which disrupts fish habitat; and a reduced quota for fishers, which explains some but not all of the lowered catch. … ” Read more from Civil Eats.
