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In California water news today …
Big Los Angeles-San Diego water settlement reached
“The San Diego County Water Authority and Metropolitan Water District are set to announce a historic settlement of decades of legal disputes following the 2003 deal to purchase water from Imperial Valley farmers. The disputes are insanely complex and they have cost San Diego ratepayers an estimated $20 million in legal fees. But they basically boil down how much Metropolitan charges San Diego to transfer water San Diego purchased from the Imperial Irrigation District, or IID. The Water Authority agreed to purchase water for several decades from IID. It also invested heavily in lining the canals that bring water from the Colorado River, saving significant amounts of water that had been lost to seepage. Much of the saved water is San Diego’s for many decades as well. But Metropolitan brings the water to San Diego and its fluctuating costs to do that led to many years of legal battles. … ” Read more from the Voice of San Diego.
New high-tech maps developed by Stanford could fast track groundwater recharge: Here’s how it works
“Researchers at Stanford are hoping to jump start a water revolution in California. The goal is to rapidly expand the areas where we store water — not by building reservoirs, but by returning millions of gallons back into the ground in a new and efficient way. You could say San Jose is a city on the way up. We’re not talking tech jobs or housing prices, but its geology. A recent study found the elevation of San Jose has risen slightly over the decades, while dozens of other cities around the country are steadily sinking. One common factor is groundwater. Just ask Jason Gurdak, hydrologist with Valley Water.”Well, here in Santa Clara County, we’ve had subsidence that was first measured in 1915. We were actually the first city in the United States that had subsidence caused by groundwater over pumping,” Gurdak said.But, that early warning set water managers on a decades-long road to recharge. … ” Read more from KGO.
Thunderstorms to spread across in the West this week
“The Southwest is typically dry to start June as the annual monsoon usually doesn’t ramp up into July. However, AccuWeather meteorologists say former Tropical Storm Alvin, along with a separate, non-tropical storm, will conspire to bring early-season rainfall. “A low pressure area tapping into moisture from the Gulf of California and, additionally, moisture from the eastern Pacific being brought north by former Tropical Storm Alvin will cause thunderstorms in the Desert Southwest through Tuesday,” explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Jacob Hinson. Overall, the rain will be beneficial. Much of the region has been entrenched in an extreme to exceptional drought. “The drought means the ground is dry and, counterintuitively, less able to absorb water, “said Hinson. … ” Read more from AccuWeather.
Could Sacramento see mass ‘abandonment’? New risk model predicts just that
“The flood plains of Sacramento are a geologic world away from the more cinematic California of coastal crags and lofty peaks. Yet that sometimes overlooked region could be home to one of California’s great disasters waiting to happen, according to a February report from First Street, a prominent climate risk prediction firm. The firm’s models suggest that the mounting risks of catastrophic flooding will drive Sacramento County — the heart of California’s fourth-largest metro area, at about 2.4 million people — to lose, in the average scenario, 28% of its population by 2055. Increasingly bad air quality, higher insurance costs and demographic shifts could also be drivers of population decline. But is this scenario, which First Street calls “climate abandonment,” actually likely? … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle (gift article).
Limited Chinook sport fishing to reopen in California
“While low Chinook salmon counts have called for the continued closure of Chinook salmon fishing in the Klamath River Basin and mainstem Sacramento River, Chinook fishing opportunities will be allowed in three inland Central Valley rivers for the first time in two years. At its May 14 meeting in Sacramento, the California Fish and Game Commission unanimously adopted sport fishing regulations for the 2025 season, opening limited Chinook salmon fishing on sections of the Mokelumne, Feather and American rivers, within adjusted seasons and a daily bag limit of one fish. The Sacramento River and Klamath River Basin and its tributaries will remain closed to protect those stocks. “I’m happy to see some Chinook salmon fishing opportunity brought back in Central Valley rivers,” said Jay Rowan, fisheries branch chief. “Increased hatchery production and a few good water years have led to a rebound in some of the key Central Valley salmon tributaries, which is encouraging to see.” … ” Read more from the Mountain Democrat.
LAO REPORT: The 2025‑26 Budget: State Mandates—Regional Water Quality Control Boards
“In this post, we discuss the Governor’s May Revision budget proposal to retroactively suspend three municipal stormwater mandates. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local governments when (1) new state laws or regulations mandate that they implement a new program or higher level of service and (2) the local government does not have offsetting revenues—such as fees or federal funds—available to cover the associated costs. Activities required by federal law are not considered mandates for which the state must reimburse costs. State law tasks the Commission on State Mandates (CSM) with determining whether new state laws or regulations affecting local governments create state-reimbursable mandates. Typically, the process for determining whether a law or regulation is a state-reimbursable mandate takes several years. State law further requires our office to analyze any new mandates identified by CSM as a part of our annual analysis of the state budget. In particular, state law directs our office to report on the annual state costs for new mandates and make recommendations to the Legislature as to whether the new mandate should be repealed (permanently eliminating it or making it optional), suspended (rendering it inoperative for one year), modified, or funded in the annual Budget Act. … ” Continue reading from the Legislative Analyst’s Office.
CA Senate to consider extension of Habitat Conservation Fund
“California’s Habitat Conservation Fund escaped the budget axe for the past two years — but this week, the state Senate is considering a bill to extend it through 2035. The money goes to buy land to establish wildlife corridors and keep habitat pristine. Beth Pratt, California regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federation, said the fund benefits species all across the state. “Whether you’re a humpback whale in the Pacific Ocean, a monarch butterfly overwintering on California’s coast, a Chinook salmon spawning in the Sacramento River, or mountain lions roaming in L.A.’s Santa Monica Mountains,” said Pratt, “this fund is critical to ensuring that wildlife have a future in California.” … ” Read more from the Public News Service.
Proposed water rules raise concerns for California agriculture
“Lawmakers in California are weighing a slate of new water-related proposals during the 2025–2026 legislative session, several of which could have direct impacts on the state’s agriculture industry. As these proposed regulations move through their respective committees and public hearings, stakeholders across the agricultural sector are closely monitoring their potential implications. Introduced by Democratic Assemblymember Diane Papan, Assembly Bill 1146 would prohibit the release of stored water from a state reservoir under “false pretenses.” To enforce this prohibition, it would authorize the State Water Resources Control Board to issue an interim relief order and impose penalties of $10,000 for each day of violation. … ” Read more from Valley Ag Voice.
After half a century, California legislators on the verge of overhauling a landmark environmental law
“When a landmark state environmental law threatened to halt enrollment at UC Berkeley, legislators stepped in and wrote an exemption. When the Sacramento Kings were about to leave town, lawmakers brushed the environmental rules aside for the team’s new arena. When the law stymied the renovation of the state Capitol, they acted once again. Lawmakers’ willingness to poke holes in the California Environmental Quality Act for specific projects without overhauling the law in general has led commentators to describe the changes as “Swiss cheese CEQA.” Now, after years of nibbling at it, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature are going in with the knives. Two proposals have advanced rapidly through the Legislature: one to wipe away the law for most urban housing developments, the other to weaken the rules for most everything else. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
In commentary today …
Sound science prevails, for now
Scott Hamilton, President, Hamilton Resource Economics, writes, “Delta smelt have been featured in several front-page stories in Valley Ag Voice over the last several years. This is partly because this little fish has cost farmers in the Valley hundreds of thousands of acre-feet nearly every year since measures were implemented to offset Water Project impacts in 2008, and partly because the science supporting some of those measures was weak at best. Since 2008, operations of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project have been governed in part by regulations to protect endangered fish, including salmon and delta smelt. In 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation requested reinitiation of consultation to update water project operations based on new information and science that had emerged since 2008. The USFWS Service completed its Biological Opinion in 2019, approving the proposed water project operations. … ” Read more from Valley Ag Voice.
In regional water news and commentary today …
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Land sinking in Red Bluff, Corning: What it means for Tehama and can it happen in Redding?
“Parts of Tehama County, including areas around Red Bluff, Corning, and Antelope, are sinking. — a condition that could cause damage to infrastructure and deplete groundwater permanently if the ag-producing county does not reverse it, geologists say. For those who wonder, Redding and the rest of Shasta County aren’t having the same problem, in part because Shasta’s groundwater is replenished by the ACID Canal, flowing from the Sacramento River. It’s also because Shasta doesn’t have as much agriculture stressing the groundwater supply, according to groundwater experts in both counties’ public works departments. Mid- to southwestern parts of Tehama County are suffering land subsidence, a drop in the Earth’s crust when too much groundwater is removed. The soil collapses into the space left by the lack of water, making the ground above it sink. … ” Read more from the Redding Record-Searchlight. | Read via Yahoo News.
Farmers surprised by Tehama County groundwater emergency declaration
“Tehama County farmers were somewhat taken aback when government representatives announced recently that the Board of Supervisors may need to implement emergency groundwater measures next week. Speaking through a press release, Administrative Services Director Tom Provine stated that on May 13, the supervisors directed the County Counsel Office to draft language that would trigger similar requirements on local well permitting as those outlined in paragraph 9 of Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-7-22. He claimed officials have discovered that areas in the mid- to southwestern part of the county have experienced observable land subsidence on a scale that has never been recorded in the county. The board will consider passing an urgent ordinance to facilitate immediate intervention after reviewing the latest data, assessing the severity of the situation, and discussing potential measures. … ” Read more from the Red Bluff Daily News via MSN News.
Placer County Water Agency awards $250,000 in grants in Tahoe/Truckee
“At the May 19 meeting of the Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) Board of Directors, the Board awarded five grants totaling $250,000 to three public water purveyors in Placer County. Funded through PCWA’s Financial Assistance Program, these grants support Placer County water districts with projects that enhance safe and reliable drinking water service, water infrastructure reliability, and water and energy resources stewardship. Funding for these grants comes from Agency-wide revenue, not ratepayers. “This year, we received a dozen requests for grants through our Financial Assistance Program,” said Board Chairman Robert Dugan. “This is our opportunity to assist other county water purveyors with projects that address their unique challenges while aligning with our countywide priorities. The projects chosen all help assure safe, reliable water for our county’s future.” … ” Read more from the Sierra Sun.
Sacramento street flooded knee-deep after early morning water main break
“A water main broke early Sunday morning in Sacramento, submerging the street in a deluge that went above people’s knees. Sometime after 5 a.m. in the areas of Fruitridge Road, 25th Avenue, 27th Avenue, 59th Street and Cabrillo Way, a Sacramento pipe burst and residents worked quickly to save their valuables and minimize damage. “The cabinets I’m sure are damaged,” said Mona Newell, an area resident. “There might be mold issues eventually down the road.” The break was closer to 25th Avenue, according to Carlos Eliason, a spokesperson for the city of Sacramento’s utilities department. Eliason said the city worked to pump standing water, which they said Sunday morning would take about two hours, and estimated water services on the street would be off for roughly six to eight hours. … ” Read more from Channel 10.
BAY AREA
Nicasio Reservoir project prompts flooding concerns
“Nicasio residents are urging the Marin Municipal Water District to reconsider a proposal to add storage to the nearby reservoir. Over the past two weeks, residents have told district officials that they fear the project could exacerbate flooding along Nicasio and Halleck creeks, and that the community would see no benefit from the added storage at Nicasio Reservoir. The community uses well water and is not served by the reservoir or the district’s supply. Residents said increased flooding would threaten their properties, the roads, the school and their well water and septic systems. “In light of the drawbacks, I urge the board to seek alternatives to your proposal to raise the level of Nicasio Reservoir,” resident Tom Wood said at a project meeting on May 22. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Speedy LA fire clean-up hailed as ‘historic’, safety questioned
“Diana Lieb was already on the fence about rebuilding after the Eaton Fire swept through her Altadena, Calif., neighborhood and burned down her house on January 7. There were the still-unresolved insurance claims and economic uncertainty: could she even afford to rebuild? There was also the lingering trauma of going back: her twin daughters’ school was also destroyed. But when she heard there could still be toxins in the soils even after federal clean-up crews removed all the debris from her lot, it was the last straw. “It would mean rebuilding a home where my kids are gonna grow up, obviously I don’t want them to be on land that is toxic,” Lieb says. “There has not been much communication about what is healthy to be around.” … In April in a widely circulated report, Los Angeles County health officials found more than a quarter of properties in the Eaton Fire scraped by federal crews still had toxins above California standards. Lieb decided to list her lot on the market a few days ago. For now, she and her family will continue to live with her parents in West LA. … ” Read more from National Public Radio.
SAN DIEGO
They sued the city of San Diego over last year’s flooding. Now the city is suing them.
“More than a dozen San Diego County residents are being accused of contributing to the damage from last year’s flooding — most of them by the city of San Diego, and now another two by an East County school district. The new accusations come within a wave of litigation that the city of San Diego in particular has faced from hundreds of people since stormwater overwhelmed city infrastructure in January 2024. More than 1,500 people are suing the city in 54 lawsuits, saying its failure to maintain its storm channels led to catastrophic flooding that displaced thousands, mainly in underserved neighborhoods in the Chollas Creek watershed. Many are still rebuilding. In recent weeks, the city has filed countersuits against 11 parties — including two flood victims — maintaining that they were responsible for maintaining drainage facilities on their properties or that they “took action on their properties that might have diverted or increased storm water runoff,” the City Attorney’s Office said. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune.
Along the Colorado River …
Colorado River Basin reservoir storage: Where do we stand?
“We now begin June, when the Colorado River’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, should be swelling with melting snow for use later this year and beyond, but that is not happening. Although Lake Powell is our reservoir and Lake Mead is theirs (or vice versa), the two reservoirs are effectively one very large facility located downstream from Upper Basin consumptive users and upstream from Lower Basin users. At least 60% of the total storage in 46 reservoirs tracked by Reclamation is in Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The total contents of the two reservoirs have been steadily declining since early July 2024 and continued to decline through at least 31 May 2025. Never in the past 15 years has the decline in total storage of Powell and Mead extended so late into spring. Current reservoir storage data are showing us, in real time, an ominous pattern familiar from past dry years: upstream use of water before it has a chance to get to Lake Powell combined with releases from Lake Mead to users further downstream is outpacing the melting snowpack’s ability to replenish the two reservoirs. … ” Read more from the Inkstain blog.
The Colorado River Basin’s groundwater is disappearing faster than the river itself
“The Colorado River Basin lost an alarming amount of groundwater over the past 20 years, a new study found. Nearly 28 million acre-feet of water has been depleted from the region, nearly the volume of a full Lake Mead, the country’s largest reservoir. It’s twice the amount that was lost from the river’s reserves in the same period and the loss is accelerating, the report said. There was a three-fold increase in the rate of depletion over the past decade when compared to the rate of the previous 14 studied. While significant attention and legislation has been directed to the Colorado River, the water below the surface has not been as heavily scrutinized. To do so, the research team used NASA satellite technology — involving lasers and assessments of gravitational pull on targeted locations — to assess these less visible groundwater supplies. What they found gave them cause for concern. … ” Read more from Deseret News.
Gila River Tribes intend to float solar panels on a reservoir. Could the technology help the Colorado River?
“About 33 miles south of Phoenix, Interstate 10 bisects a line of solar panels traversing the desert like an iridescent snake. The solar farm’s shape follows the path of a canal, with panels serving as awnings to shade the gently flowing water from the unforgiving heat and wind of the Sonoran Desert. The panels began generating power last November for the Akimel O’otham and Pee Posh tribes—known together as the Gila River Indian Community, or GRIC—on their reservation in south-central Arizona, and they are the first of their kind in the U.S. … Covering water with solar panels is not a new idea. But for some it represents an elegant mitigation of water shortages in the West. Doing so could reduce evaporation, generate more carbon-free electricity and require dams to run less frequently to produce power. But, so far, the technology has not been included in the ongoing Colorado River negotiations between the Upper Basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, the Lower Basin states of Arizona, California and Nevada, tribes and Mexico. … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
Column: Sharing risk on the Colorado River
Columnist Allen Best writes, “Even-steven. That was the intent of delegates from the seven basin states in 1922 when they met near Santa Fe to forge a compact governing the Colorado River. But what exactly did they agree upon? That has become a sticking point in 2025 as states have squared off about rules governing the river in the drought-afflicted and climate-changed 21st century. The negotiations between the states, according to many accounts, have been fraught with tensions. Becky Mitchell, Colorado’s lead negotiator, delivered a peek into that dispute at a forum on May 22 in Silverthorne along the headwaters of the river. The Colorado River Compact was a quid pro quo. California, in particular, but also Arizona, was ready to see the highs and lows of the rivers smoothed out. They, as well as Nevada, wanted a giant reservoir in Boulder Canyon near the small town of Las Vegas, which then had a population of 2,300. Those Southwestern states couldn’t do it alone, though. They needed the federal government to build the dam later called Hoover. For that, they needed the support of Colorado and the three other upper-basin states. … ” Read more from the Steamboat Pilot & Today.
These 3 Arizona cities are planning to add advanced purified wastewater into their systems
“With dwindling water supplies, cities throughout Arizona are exploring multiple ways to meet residents’ water needs. In March, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality gave municipalities a new tool: Wastewater treated by advanced purification can now flow directly from local water systems into residents’ taps. For years, cities have used advanced purified water as an indirect potable source, recharging it into aquifers or other water supplies, and later extracting it for purification and human consumption. The new regulations enable cities to use advanced purified water immediately for direct consumption. … At least three cities already have plans to introduce advanced purified water in their systems: Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tucson. … ” Read more from KJZZ.
Chemicals used in fracking in Colorado underreported under new state law
“A report released by environmental advocacy groups last week claims oil and gas companies haven’t been complying with a 2022 state law that requires them to disclose all chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing and drilling operations. As a result, the analysis estimates operators have injected 30 million pounds of unknown chemicals into the ground throughout Colorado in the past 21 months. According to the report, Chevron and its subsidiaries make up over half of the undisclosed wells. Physicians for Social Responsibility published the report on May 20 along with Physicians for Social Responsibility Colorado, FracTracker Alliance and the Colorado Sierra Club. It comes almost three years after Gov. Jared Polis signed HB 22-1348, a first-in-the-nation law that requires oil and gas companies to report chemical compounds used during hydraulic fracturing, a process better known as fracking, and drilling. The law took effect in July 2023. “Whoever knows the information has to supply the information fundamentally,” Ramesh Bhatt, the conservation chair of the Colorado Sierra Club, told CPR News. “The result of this lack of compliance with the 2022 law now is that we know nothing about 30 million pounds of chemicals that have been used.” … ” Read more from Colorado Public Radio.
Colorado warns anglers and families to limit eating fish laden with PFAS at popular lakes
“Colorado anglers and their families should strictly limit fish consumption from catches at popular lakes such as Chatfield Reservoir and Barr Lake because of increased risk of ingesting PFAS “forever chemicals” and mercury, according to new state maps and health warnings issued Thursday. The state health department’s fishing advisory maps added new warnings for areas contaminated by a PFAS variant called perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS. The toxic chemicals, which never break down in nature and can’t be washed out, gather in the flesh of common game fish like walleye and smallmouth bass. The new state maps say, for example, that while the Food and Drug Administration recommends a healthy diet include two to three servings of fish a week, no one should eat more than one serving a month of smallmouth bass caught at Chatfield. … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun.
In national water news today …
Coastal communities are flooding more than we realize. Here’s why.
“Fast-rising seas have forced some coastal communities to endure flooding far more frequently than previously thought, and much more often than federal tide gauges would suggest, according to a new findings from researchers in North Carolina. “I view it as a harbinger of what’s to come,” said Katherine Anarde, an assistant professor of coastal engineering at North Carolina State University and one of the lead authors of the study, published Monday in the journal Communications Earth & Environment. To document the true prevalence and duration of flooding, researchers installed sensors inside stormwater drains and cameras above them in three North Carolina communities — Beaufort, Carolina Beach and Sea Level. What they found was startling. During a single year, from May 2023 through April 2024, they logged 26 days of flooding in Beaufort, 65 days in Carolina Beach and 128 days in Sea Level. Many of those floods — defined as water getting on a nearby road — happened on sunny days, and very few were associated with large storm events. … ” Read more from the Washington Post.
Trump cuts hundreds of EPA grants, leaving cities on the hook for climate resiliency
“Thomasville, Georgia, has a water problem. Its treatment system is far out of date, posing serious health and environmental risks. “We have wastewater infrastructure that is old,” said Sheryl Sealy, the assistant city manager for this city of 18,881 near the Florida border, about 45 minutes from Tallahassee. “It’s critical that we do the work to replace this.” But it’s expensive to replace. The system is especially bad in underserved parts of the city, Sealy said. In September, Thomasville applied to get some help from the federal government, and just under four months later, the city and its partners were awarded a nearly $20 million Community Change grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to make the long-overdue wastewater improvements, build a resilience hub and health clinic, and upgrade homes in several historic neighborhoods. “The grant itself was really a godsend for us,” Sealy said. In early April, as the EPA canceled grants for similar projects across the country, federal officials assured Thomasville that their funding was on track. Then on May 1, the city received a termination notice. “We felt, you know, a little taken off guard when the bottom did let out for us,” said Sealy. … ” Read more from Grist.
Satellite measures river flow waves for the first time
“Long river waves, known as flow waves, have been measured by satellite for the first time, researchers announced May 14, a breakthrough that could expand understanding of river dynamics, floods and the other hazards sometimes present when the waves form. In a study in Geophysical Research Letters, the researchers found that the long waves can be spotted and studied using data from a NASA-French space agency satellite designed to study Earth’s water. The study used satellite data from the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission. The satellite was launched in 2022 and is being used by an international team of hydrologists and oceanographers to assess Earth’s rivers, lakes, oceans and coastal areas. Its high-tech radar instruments are capable of measuring water elevation — and, it turns out, river waves. … ” Read more from the Washington Post.
Chaos at FEMA, NOAA as hurricane season starts
“The nation enters the 2025 hurricane season with significant fear about the federal government’s ability — and willingness — to help with natural disasters. Yet much of the worry isn’t centered on hurricanes. Rather, state and local officials are concerned the Trump administration won’t provide much, if any, assistance to U.S. communities after less-than-catastrophic disasters, which previously have received federal aid. Democratic-led states also fear President Donald Trump will cut off disaster aid if they spurn his efforts to deport undocumented immigrants. At the same time, the nation’s vaunted weather forecasting and warning system is eroding, experts say, as personnel cuts limit the use of sophisticated equipment such as weather balloons and aircraft that collect atmospheric data. A recent reduction in launches of National Weather Service weather balloons — caused by staff cuts — has led to a slight decline in the past few weeks of the accuracy of U.S. weather models, a former NWS chief says. All these developments underscore a much broader point. … ” Read more from E&E News.
One-track mind: Unanimous SCOTUS decision on rail line approval further narrows scope of NEPA
“On May 29, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado that dramatically changes the way courts scrutinize federal agencies’ environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Justice Brett Kavanaugh, writing for a five-justice conservative majority (with Justice Neil Gorsuch abstaining), held that (a) courts must afford federal agencies “substantial judicial deference” regarding both the scope and contents of their environmental analyses; and (b) courts do not need to consider the effects of the action to the extent they are “separate in time or place” from the proposed project. The ruling gives federal agencies permission to greatly streamline their NEPA analyses at a time when those agencies are rapidly being drained of their resources and facing increasing pressure to expedite lengthy permitting processes. The decision at issue in this case was the approval by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) of an 88-mile rail line connecting the oil-rich Uinta Basin in Utah to the rest of the national freight rail network. … ” Read more from Troutman Pepper Locke.
SEE ALSO:
- Supreme Court Restores Agency Deference In NEPA Reviews, from JD Supra
- Impact on the Environment and Potentially Greater Impact on Administrative Law – SCOTUS Today, from JD Supra
The ‘water mafia’ is real—and it’s draining Iran dry
“U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a rare and pointed critique of the Iranian regime’s environmental corruption during a speech in Saudi Arabia on May 13. It was rare not only because this issue is often ignored, but because Trump himself is hardly known as an environmental protection advocate. “While your skill has turned dry deserts into fertile farmland,” he said, addressing Arab leaders, “Iran’s leaders have managed to turn green farmland into dry deserts, as their corrupt water mafia—let’s call it the water mafia—causes droughts and empty riverbeds. They get rich, but they don’t let the people have any of it.” This wasn’t the first time Trump spotlighted Iran’s environmental mismanagement. In 2018, he warned that the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei-led Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), particularly through its construction arm, Khatam al-Anbiya, was hastening Iran’s ecological collapse: “The IRGC’s corruption and mismanagement have exacerbated the effects of an ongoing drought and created an ecological crisis. Unregulated dam construction by its companies like Khatam al-Anbia has dried rivers and lakes and helped create unprecedented dust storms that threaten Iranians’ jobs and lives.” … ” Read more from Foreign Policy.
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
NOTICE of Public Hearing and Comment Period – Proposed Changes to the Irrigated Lands Program Sacramento River Watershed General Order
