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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: Central Valley Flood Protection Board from 9am to 3pm. Agenda items include a legislative update, an update from the US Army Corps, a discussion on the Lower American River Erosion Protection Project, and staff activity reports. Click here for the agenda.
In California water news this weekend …
‘Ecosystem in crisis:’ Groups say Delta water policies endanger salmon
“The Delta is an “ecosystem in crisis,” with state and federal water policies doing great harm to chinook salmon and steelhead populations, seven environmental groups and a Native American tribe allege in a letter to the State Water Resources Control Board. Two of the state’s top water delivery systems, the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project, are “exacerbating conditions for endangered species at high risk of extinction in the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary” that violate maximum fish take rates under the Endangered Species Act, the May 16 letter states. The groups and tribe allege that the State Water Project exceeded the annual loss limit for hatchery winter-run chinook salmon. And they blame the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for water releases that are killing more salmon and steelhead than their permits allow. … ” Read more from Stocktonia.
Here are California’s dirtiest beaches. Take a look before you take a dip
“As temperatures rise across the Southland, droves of people will hit the beach in search of a reprieve — but you might want to think twice before taking a dip near one of the region’s most famous landmarks. For the second year in a row, the area around the Santa Monica Pier was named one of California’s dirtiest beaches by environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay. The pier-adjacent beach came in at No. 2 this year due to persistent water quality issues, according to the organization’s annual Beach Report Card. Heal the Bay monitors beaches along the California coast — testing water samples for fecal bacteria, including coliform, E. coli and enterococcus. High concentrations of these bacteria indicate the presence of pathogens that could be harmful to beachgoers. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
SEE ALSO: Heal the Bay Releases Annual Beach Report Card Honor Roll and Beach Bummers Lists, from Heal the Bay
California’s snowpack shrinks, igniting concerns of early wildfires
“California’s snowpack is dwindling, and climate scientists believe another record-breaking hot summer could be in the cards, ramping up the possibility of an early fire season. The state’s snowpack is at 14% of average peak snowpack, down from 96% on April 1 — the date snow scientists consider the height of the snowpack, according to the state. The snowpack is melting a little faster than usual, but state scientists said the rate of snowmelt isn’t entirely abnormal. However, climate scientists believe early snowmelt this year could be partly due to human-caused climate change. Andy Reising, manager of the California Department of Water Resources’ snow surveys and water supply forecasting unit, said it’s important to understand that snow is not melting uniformly across all watersheds. … ” Read more from KQED.
Snowflakes, death threats and dollar signs: Cloud seeding is at a crossroads
“Cloud seeding is a safe and proven technology widely employed by desert states in the U.S. to increase precipitation. There are new advances, but conspiracy theorists threaten to shut it all down.” Listen or read transcript from NPR.
California concerns over new $2.7B reservoir
“California state officials voiced mounting concern this week over long-standing delays and cost overruns in the proposed Pacheco Reservoir expansion, a multibillion-dollar project that has yet to secure critical permits or water rights, years after initial funding was promised, according to a report by The Mercury News. The Pacheco Reservoir Expansion Project, a joint effort by Valley Water, the San Benito County Water District, and the Pacheco Pass Water District, represents a long-term strategy to strengthen the reliability of safe, clean drinking water supplies amid the challenges of climate change. But the project’s escalating costs—now estimated at $2.7 billion, nearly triple the original $969 million estimate—and its failure to secure much-needed permits attracted scrutiny, according to the report. Newsweek reached out to the California Water Commission and Valley Water via email for comment. … ” Read more from Newsweek.
California’s pelicans are once again starving. This year, it’s the babies
“A baby pelican traveled at least 500 miles up California’s coast before landing near Mendocino alone on May 10 — exhausted and starving. Now, the fledgling is in the care of International Bird Rescue, which took in an above-average number of emaciated young brown pelicans so far this spring. It’s the third starvation event in four years for the iconic California seabirds. Experts can’t fully explain why, though they said climate change is at play. “Everything’s getting weirder,” said Corinne Gibble, a marine bird specialist for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “We’re having harmful algal blooms and more unexpected weather events. What we can do is get more birds into rehab and better the science around helping them.” … ” Read more from KQED.
Padilla, Schiff, Murray, Cantwell call out Trump’s outrageous, partisan decision to slash flood protection funding for blue states
“Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.), members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, joined the Washington state Senate delegation for a press conference calling out President Trump’s outrageous, overtly political decision to zero out critical funding for Army Corps of Engineers construction projects in blue states like California and Washington while steering hundreds of millions more to red states. Senators Padilla, Schiff, Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) criticized the Army Corps’ plan released late last week that announced their intention to zero out all Army Corps construction funding for California ($126 million), as well as cut $500 million for the Howard Hanson Dam in Washington state. This funding was included in the Corps’ Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget request, in the Senate’s bipartisan draft FY 2025 funding bill, and even in House Republicans’ draft FY 2025 funding bill. But the Trump Administration — using the new discretion afforded by the yearlong continuing resolution House Republicans drafted that was signed into law — ignored the draft bills and instead apportioned funding on a brazenly political basis. … ” Read more from Senator Alex Padilla.
Urban fires can mean long trips for helicopters to get water. One firefighter had a better idea
“Mark Whaling and a crew raced up and down a hill in a tanker truck as they battled a wildfire in Los Angeles County, scrambling to get water from a street hydrant in time to stay ahead of flames moving up a ridge. A helicopter flew in to drop water, but it had to fly a long distance to refill — and a fire that might have been stopped went on to destroy homes. As they fought that early 2000s blaze, Whaling says, he spotted a sealed, million-gallon water tank nearby that firefighters had no way of accessing. He thought that was ridiculous. “We don’t tell fire engines, ‘Protect the city and go find your own water.’ We put fire hydrants every 600 feet all around cities,” said Whaling, who has since retired from the county fire department. “But when it comes to the helicopters, we weren’t supporting them as robustly as we should.” … ” Read more from the Associated Press.
In commentary this weekend …
Commentary: It’s time to settle Merced River – fairly, sustainably
Stephanie Dietz, a director on the Merced Irrigation District Board, writes, “For far too long, the people of California – especially those of us in the agriculturally vital San Joaquin Valley – have been presented with a false choice: fish or farms. That narrative is not only tired; it’s untrue. In reality, California’s water must serve multiple needs: clean drinking water, productive agriculture, recreational use, and healthy ecosystems. Our state’s water policy and legal framework reflect this multi-benefit approach. Nowhere is this more urgently needed — and more possible — than on the Merced River. For over a decade, a narrow faction within the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) has pursued a misguided attempt to take as much as half of Lake McClure’s water and send it to the Pacific Ocean. This effort, buried in the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan, is based on the hope of improving salmon populations by a few hundred fish — with no credible guarantee of success, and at a staggering cost – up to $672 million in lost local economic activity and $167 million in local labor income. … ” Read more from the Merced Times.
We need integrated funding to scale up multibenefit projects
Marie Grimm, Anna Serra-Llobet, Molly Bruce, and Michael Kiparsky write, “Climate and ecological challenges are fundamentally linked, demanding solutions that address both environmental and social issues. Multibenefit projects–like levee realignments that reconnect floodplains–can combine climate adaptation, water management and ecosystem restoration efforts. However, most funding programs focus on single-purpose projects, making it difficult to support multibenefit solutions. Our new article studies the Pajaro River flood risk management project in California, exploring how funding can support and hinder multibenefit solutions. We find that local champions were able to integrate multiple benefits into a single-purpose project. However, relying on local innovation is not a general solution to a structural problem. We therefore recommend that agencies and policymakers adapt funding programs to support multibenefit solutions. … ” Read more from Legal Planet.
Podcasts …
VIC BEDOIAN: Delta lawmakers oppose tunnel fast-track
A bipartisan coalition of state lawmakers, local leaders, tribes and environmental groups are opposing Governor Gavin Newsom’s move to fast-track construction of the Delta tunnel that would shop water from northern California to the south of the state. Last week the governor proposed a package of bills that would restrict environmental scrutiny, legislative oversight and limit lawsuits opposing the project. Newsom proposed to pay for the $20 billion dollar project with a bond measure that customers would have to pay for. Vic Bedoian reports from Fresno.
WATER IS A MANY SPLENDOR’ED THING PODCAST: Food Shortage A Canary of Sorts
Food shortage these days can occur when droughts take over the growing fields, fertilizers, pesticides and other farm essentials are not available or experiencing much higher prices or illegal immigrant farm workers are sent back home to their countries. It is important to play this scenario of conditions through and sometimes it can be understood better by looking at past events. Let’s think back to 2009 and listen to this water relationship that impacted farmworkers across the central portion of the Central Valley of California. A farm workers shortage of food may be serving, all of us, as the canary in the mine. Rachael Kline of the Community Food Bank is coordinating the last of the 2009 California Governor’s food distribution to farmworkers in the Central Valley. The line of families and workers stretches across a large parking forming a huge circle. The meeting place is the Vineyard Workship Center in Fowler, California. Water is a Many Splendor ’ed Thing and Conversations brings you another water relationship that has a personally significant impact to your life. Produced by Stephen Baker, Bringing People Together to Solve Water Problems, water@operationunite.co 530-205-6388DIGGING INTO LAND USE LAW: Rewriting the rules: The Supreme Court’s landmark decision on Clean Water Act permits
In this episode of Digging Into Land Use Law, Byron Gee, Willis Hon and Sara Johnson review in detail the recent Supreme Court opinion in City and County of San Francisco vs. EPA and its implications for Clean Water Act permittees. They discuss both the immediate fallout of this recent opinion and what may come next from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the world of Clean Water Act discharge permits. As EPA and states conform their permitting regimes with this new case, there will almost certainly be significant impacts to the manner in which wastewater and stormwater permittees must comply with the Clean Water Act across the county.
TALKING UNDER WATER: EPA shakes up PFAS regulations
In this episode of Talking Under Water, the hosts discuss recent industry news, including President Trump’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, which amounts to $4.2 billion in a total funding reduction across the entire agency in 2026 compared to 2025 for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Additionally, the hosts discuss recent U.S. Geological Survey grants to 12 state agencies to support landslide risk reduction and hazard mitigation projects; and the EPA’s latest strategy update on addressing PFAS chemicals. Finally, the hosts share news on the EPA extending compliance deadlines for PFOA and PFOS and rescinding the Hazard Index.
RIPPLE EFFECT: Update on microplastics
Move over PFAS, Sara Page, Drinking Water Treatment Lead for the Utah Division of Drinking Water, joins us to discuss my new favorite(?) emerging contaminant – microplastics. This is a fascinating discussion about the very complicated and complex nature of microplastics. Sara does a great job of breaking down the key considerations of shape, type (chemical composition), additives, and age as a means for us to get our heads wrapped around this incredibly dynamic topic. I walked away with a newfound appreciation for the importance of surface area and degradation over time as important considerations. This is a topic to watch.
In regional water news this weekend …
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
What to know about algae in Tahoe this summer
“During the summer, algae in Lake Tahoe is a hot topic. While these tiny organisms are a natural part of Tahoe’s aquatic ecosystem, algae can become a harmful algal bloom, or HAB, where the water is warm and shallow. For everyone who enjoys the region’s lakes, rivers, and creeks, it’s important to know how to spot a HAB, where to report your sightings, and what to do to keep yourselves, your pets, and others safe. Lake Tahoe is famous for its blueness. The growth and spread of algae is one reason blue lakes around the world can appear green in the summer. Algae form the base of many food webs, and most algae in Lake Tahoe, though sometimes unattractive, does not pose a health risk to people or animals. Harmful algal blooms are a different story. HABs can be mistaken for harmless types of algae that naturally occur in Tahoe and can be found clinging to rocks, washing up on beaches, and attached to the bottom of creek and river channels. HABs, however, pose a risk to public health and safety as they can produce toxins. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
California Tahoe Conservancy hosts public tours of restoration project at former Motel 6
“The California Tahoe Conservancy let the public tour its latest restoration project at the former Motel 6 property in South Lake Tahoe Wednesday. According to the group, the portion of the Truckee River underneath the Motel 6 is the missing link between miles of marshland that feeds into Lake Tahoe, providing critical wetland habitat among other environmental benefits. “These wetlands provide a lot of really important functions. One of those is protecting and improving water quality by providing natural filtration,” Senior Environmental Scientist at the California Tahoe Conservancy Stuart Roll said. In addition to helping keep Tahoe blue, the marshland habitat is home to several ecosystems and wildlife. … ” Read more from Channel 4.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Golden mussels found during boat inspection at Thermalito Forebay
“The Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) newly implemented invasive mussel inspection program for State Water Project (SWP) facilities in Oroville uncovered golden mussels attached to a pontoon boat late Wednesday afternoon in Butte County. Staff immediately contacted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for further inspection and decontamination. The vessel will not be allowed to launch at a DWR reservoir until CDFW confirms that it is free of mussels. The pontoon had been out of the Delta waters for an unknown period and was purchased Wednesday morning in Stockton by Oroville-area residents who planned to launch the boat at Lake Oroville for the Memorial Day weekend. The boat was brought to DWR’s inspection site at the North Thermalito Forebay where golden mussels ranging in size from approximately 1/8 inch to ¾ inch were discovered during the inspection. … ” Read more from DWR News.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
River advocates flummoxed by state agency’s stance on upper Kern River flows
“Boaters and anglers trying to get greater flows on the upper Kern River have been frustrated by what they feel is an absolute betrayal of the river ecosystem by the one state agency they hoped would be their strongest ally – the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The advocacy groups have been urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to mandate Southern California Edison leave more water in the river as part of the utility’s ongoing relicensing application for its Kernville power plant, KR3. That process is delayed with one study not expected to be complete until April 2026. After that, FERC will likely deem proposals by Edison and other stakeholders “ready for environmental analysis,” which will trigger a 60-day public comment period. FERC is expected to make a determination on the new licence by Nov. 30, 2026. Because FERC has already dismissed the idea of decommissioning KR3 a new, 50-year license will likely be granted. The debate now is over how the plant will operate, including how much water Edison can take out of the river. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Metropolitan celebrates four inspiring water-saving projects at One Water Awards
“Four water-saving projects that showcase the value of collaboration in increasing water efficiency among diverse Southern California communities were celebrated today by the Metropolitan Water District at its third annual One Water Awards. Such projects have already helped the region reduce per person potable water use by 45% since 1990. The awards highlight extraordinary accomplishments in conservation, including partnership, leadership, community responsibility and environmental impact. This year’s winners installed leak detection devices in affordable housing, expanded the use of recycled water in parks and schools, helped homeowners associations embrace water-efficient landscaping, and transformed the outside of a high-profile veterans organization complex with California Friendly® plants. … ” Read more from the Metropolitan Water District.
Commentary: Why Santa Monica might need a desalination plant, and maybe even nuclear power
Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow write, “Santa Monica is known for its ocean views, sunny skies, and strong environmental values. But there’s a challenge on the horizon that could test the city’s priorities: water. If Santa Monica follows through on California’s state housing requirements, which call for tens of thousands of new homes, the city’s water supply will not be able to keep up. That could mean building something the city and its neighbors have never had before: a desalination plant. And powering it might require making some tough decisions, possibly even considering nuclear energy, something many local environmentalists have long opposed. … If Santa Monica builds all the new homes required by the state, it will mean tens of thousands more people living here (or even more), using water for everything from showers and toilets to cooking and gardening. Even with continued conservation and recycled water programs, the city just doesn’t have enough natural supply to keep up. That’s where desalination, turning seawater into drinking water, starts to look like a real option. … ” Read more from the Santa Monica Mirror.
Chino Basin program accelerates to enhance local water supply reliability
“Backed by regional partnerships, the Chino Basin Program (CBP/Program) continues to move forward, representing a visionary, collaborative approach to enhancing regional water security, addressing groundwater sustainability, and providing significant water quality and environmental benefits. “The declining reliability of imported State Water Project (SWP) supplies due to the variability and impacts of extreme weather changes underscores the need to further diversify our water portfolio and invest in alternative, reliable water supplies,” stated IEUA Board Member Steve Elie. “The Chino Basin Program allows IEUA and its partners to make better use of local recycled water supplies to improve resiliency, better manage groundwater quality while ensuring ongoing compliance with wastewater permitting requirements, and increase local control to offset SWP variability.” … ” Read more from IEUA.
Local agencies seek info on Chino Basin Program funding
“Four Inland Empire water agencies, the cities of Chino, Montclair, and Ontario, along with the Monte Vista Water District, have submitted a joint letter to the California Water Commission (CWC) requesting a review of the Chino Basin Program’s (CBP) ongoing eligibility for state funding under the Water Storage Investment Program (WSIP). The agencies cite a need for greater transparency and clarity regarding both the financial framework of the CBP and its long-term implications for local groundwater supply. “We look forward to working with IEUA to secure the clarity and commitments needed to ensure this project serves the best interests of all stakeholders,” said Ontario City Councilmember Debra Porada. “We are asking for clear financial terms and an open dialogue before public resources are committed.” In the letter addressed to CWC Chair Fern Steiner, the agencies express concern over the lack of formal financial commitments from retail water providers in IEUA’s service area. … ” Read more from the Fontana News-Herald.
Orange County Water District and City of Tustin dedicate new PFAS treatment plant
“The Orange County Water District (OCWD; the District) and the City of Tustin celebrated the dedication of a new PFAS treatment plant, marking a major milestone in ensuring safe and reliable water for Tustin residents and businesses. The dedication ceremony brought together local, state and federal representatives to recognize the proactive actions of both OCWD and the City of Tustin in addressing PFAS, a group of manufactured chemicals increasingly found in water sources across the country, including the Orange County Groundwater Basin. The new treatment system, implemented at the existing Main Street Water Treatment Plant, uses ion exchange technology to treat up to 6,400 gallons of groundwater per minute. The centralized plant is fed by four offsite wells connected through approximately 2.5 miles of conveyance pipeline. “This state-of-the-art PFAS treatment plant is a critical investment in our city’s water future,” said Tustin Mayor Austin Lumbard. “By removing PFAS from local groundwater, we help ensure that water delivered to residents and businesses is exceptional and continues to meet all state and federal drinking water standards.” … ” Read more from the Orange County Water District.
As summer nears, a question looms: How safe are Southern California beaches?
“Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kickoff to summer, where Southern California locals and tourists flock to the sand and surf, enjoying fun in the sun as the weather starts to warm — but how safe are local beaches ahead of the busy season? A massive fire earlier this year along part of the Los Angeles-area coastline sent ash, chemicals and debris onto the sand and into the ocean, a playground for millions of people who visit its beaches each year. And a toxic algae bloom has ravaged wildlife from Santa Barbara County to San Diego for months, killing and sickening countless sea birds and marine mammals, with reports of sea lions attacking swimmers and surfers. But as Southern California residents decide where to go to beat the heat, there is one silver lining ocean advocates are talking about – an annual report card released by Heal the Bay on Thursday, May 22, showing lower-than-normal bacteria levels at many Los Angeles and Orange County beaches the past year. … ” Read more from the OC Register.
SEE ALSO:
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- Heal the Bay report: OC earns 34 ‘Honor Roll’ spots; Santa Monica Pier area is most polluted, from the OC Register
- 7 LA County beaches make Heal the Bay’s water quality ‘honor roll’, from the LA Daily News
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
California reaches major restoration milestone at the Salton Sea
“Governor Gavin Newsom today announced a major restoration milestone at the Salton Sea – filling the East Pond Expansion with water to restore habitats lost over time due to increased salination and water loss. This comes as part of the larger Species Conservation Habitat Project, which is part of the state’s 10-year plan for implementing projects around the Salton Sea to develop an environment sustainable for local wildlife and improve air quality by reducing dust expelled from the dried seabed. The Salton Sea, California’s largest inland water body, has shrunk in recent years due to reduced inflows, resulting in an exposed lakebed that could potentially release small dust particles that further impact the already-poor air quality in the Imperial Valley. The reduced water levels and increased salinity also negatively impact habitat for wildlife, including birds traveling the Pacific flyway. … ” Read more from the Office of the Governor.
SEE ALSO: State celebrates major Salton Sea milestone, from the Imperial Valley Press
Metropolitan launches program supporting community improvements in Palo Verde Valley
“Metropolitan Water District joined with Palo Verde Irrigation District Wednesday (May 21) to launch a new program to support and strengthen the Palo Verde Valley community, as local farmers temporarily fallow part of their land to conserve water and help stabilize the Colorado River. The Community Enhancement Collaborative will provide $8 million to small businesses, public agencies and other community organizations for projects that support the greater Palo Verde Valley, which stretches across Riverside and Imperial counties. “Palo Verde farmers are helping the entire Colorado River basin through their efforts to reduce their water use. We are grateful for their contribution and want to support the continued success of their community,” said Cynthia Kurtz, chair of the Metropolitan board’s Ad Hoc Committee on Ag and Tribal Partnerships. ” … ” Read more from the Metropolitan Water District.
SAN DIEGO
Coming water rate hikes could be less painful than feared. Just how painful depends on where you live.
“County water officials are still whittling down a wholesale water rate hike scheduled for next year by making budget cuts and projecting more robust sales to local water agencies. A proposed rate increase that began at 18% and was reduced to 12% last month was further reduced to 10.4% Thursday by the leaders of the county water authority. That will mean smaller increases next year in the water bills of residents and businesses across the county, because local water agencies typically pass on to their customers any increases in what they pay for outside water. But just how much gets passed on could vary widely by local water agency for several reasons, including how much water each agency is able to store in reservoirs and underground water basins. Water authority officials used historical trends Thursday to predict which agencies would see increases of greater than 10.4% and which might see smaller hikes. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Along the Colorado River …
Experts: Arizona and other states need to stop fighting over water and do something now
“Overcoming conflicts among water users — especially across borders — is the first obstacle to securing Arizona’s water future, and if leaders don’t act now, they may miss critical solutions. That was one of the clear messages from water managers and state officials at the University of Arizona Water Resource Research Center conference. Experts drew on the challenges and the importance of studying, managing and crafting policy around a common resource. Whether it’s coming from a river or an aquifer, speakers said, Arizona’s water is shared across boundaries: the seven states relying on the Colorado River, tribal nations, counties in the same basin, or across the international border with Mexico. “It doesn’t belong to anyone, it belongs to the whole of us,” Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Verlon Jose said May 21, talking about the 2025 conference theme: “Shared Borders, Shared Waters: Working Together in Times of Scarcity.” … ” Read more from the Arizona Republic.
A “glimmer of hope” brightens Arizona’s moisture outlook following a very dry winter season
“As dry and discouraging as much of the 2024-2025 winter has been for the water supply in the Southwest, a “glimmer of hope” for wetter days ahead is emerging, according to research from the National Weather Service. “I’m going to bring a glimmer of hope here – but just a glimmer,” said NWS chief meteorologist Mark O’Malley to the Drought Interagency Coordinating Group (ICG), which twice annually makes recommendations to the Arizona governor about their expectations for continuing drought conditions. The reason for that hope, said O’Malley, is because the lengthy “La Niña” atmospheric condition that brought months of dry, warm conditions to the Southwest has dissipated, for the time being, at least. … ” Read more from the Arizona Department of Water Resources.
Fort Yuma Quechan Tribe working to heal the ailing Colorado River ecosystem by planting one native seed at a time
“A pelican descends through a canopy of green cottonwood leaves. The frost-plumed bird lands upon an exposed sandbank in a thin ribbon of blue water flanked by lithe willows. Gorgeous as it is, this lush Sonoran Desert oasis is but a relic of a time when the water was much more than a sliver. Here, the once-mighty Colorado River swelled across the Fort Yuma Quechan Reservation, straddling California and Arizona near the U.S.–Mexico border. Frank Venegas, the Quechan Tribe’s water technician, looks out on the river and shakes his head. He grew up fishing here with his uncles and laments not being able to do the same with his nephews. Now, not only has the water been reduced to a trickle through the reservation, but in many areas, just beyond this stretch of shoreline, invasive plants choke out river access. The Quechan people have relied on the Colorado River and its riparian ecosystem for spiritual, cultural and material needs since time immemorial. “If we don’t have a living river, who are we as people?” … ” Continue reading from Reasons to be Cheerful.
Front Range cities step up opposition to $99 million Colorado River water rights purchase
“Denver, Aurora, Colorado Springs and Northern Water voiced opposition Wednesday to the Western Slope’s proposal to spend $99 million to buy historic water rights on the Colorado River from Xcel Energy. The Colorado River Water Conservation District has been working for years to buy the water rights tied to Shoshone Power Plant, a small, easy-to-miss hydropower plant off Interstate 70 east of Glenwood Springs. The highly coveted water rights are some of the largest and oldest on the Colorado River in Colorado. The Front Range providers are concerned that any change to the water rights could impact water supplies for millions of city residents, farmers, industrial users and more. The Front Range providers publicly explained their concerns, some for the first time, at a meeting of the Colorado Water Conservation Board, a state water policy agency. … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun.
In national water news this weekend …
Budget proposal raises concerns over cuts to water infrastructure funds
“The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a tax and spending bill on May 22, 2025, with a 215-214 vote. The Senate is next in line to review the budget package. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the budget would add roughly $3.8 trillion to the deficit over 10 years. The budget could change as it makes its way through the Senate. The FY2026 budget proposal initially showed a $2.46 billion reduction in Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds compared to 2025 – however specific details about the State Revolving Fund reductions are not prominent in publicly available documents surrounding the spending bill. … ” Read more from Water World.
USGS’ biological research arm could vanish next week
“All 1,200 scientists and staff at the U.S. Geological Survey’s biological research arm are on edge this week as they wait to learn whether they’ll still have jobs come Monday. For weeks, the biologists who work in the division, known as the Ecosystems Mission Area, have watched two parallel threats unfold. Most immediate is the expected firing of most division staff as soon as next week, if federal courts allow agencies to complete — without congressional oversight — the mass layoffs President Donald Trump has demanded. On May 9, U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston issued a temporary restraining order to prevent the imminent layoffs of more than 100,000 employees from at least 17 federal agencies and departments, including USGS. Illston this week is considering a longer-lasting injunction, but if the court does not order one, the pause will expire Friday. The White House, in the meantime, has asked the Supreme Court to intervene. … ” Read more from High Country News.
Trump, who called FEMA ‘slow,’ is making people wait months for help
“Public officials have started pleading with the Trump administration for help in recovering from deadly disasters as President Donald Trump triggers frustration in states struck by tornadoes, floods and storms by taking no action on requests for aid. Trump has left states, counties and tribes in limbo as he delays making decisions on formal requests for millions of dollars in Federal Emergency Management Agency funding. Some areas that are still reeling from extreme weather are unable to start cleanup. “We’re at a standstill and waiting on a declaration from FEMA,” said Royce McKee, emergency management director in Walthall County, Mississippi, which was hit by tornadoes in mid-March. The county of 13,000 people can’t afford to clean up acres of debris, McKee said, and is waiting for Trump to act on a disaster request that was submitted by Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, on April 1 after the tornadoes killed seven people, destroyed or damaged 671 homes, and caused $18.2 million in public damage. “I’m disappointed, especially for the people that lost their houses,” McKee said. Trump himself assailed FEMA in January for being “very slow.” … ” Read more from E&E News.
Also on Maven’s Notebook this weekend …
NOTICE of additional 15-day written comment period to the proposed water measurement and reporting revisions
