Several news sources featured in the Daily Digest may limit the number of articles you can access without a subscription. However, gift articles and open-access links are provided when available. For more open access California water news articles, explore the main page at MavensNotebook.com.
In California water news today …
North Coast Water Board makes historic move with vineyards to protect water quality, safeguard aquatic life
“The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board voted to approve a first-of-its-kind order to protect waterways, groundwater and aquatic species by regulating waste discharge for about 65,000 acres of vineyards. Known as the General Waste Discharge Requirements for Commercial Vineyards, the regulations are a major step forward in the effort to protect water resources from adverse impacts that commercial cultivation of winegrapes might cause. During storms, bare soil in vineyards can erode and contribute excess sediment to local rivers, which harms fish. The order establishes water quality regulations for owners and operators of commercial vineyards and requires them to implement on-farm practices to prevent or control discharges of sediment, nutrients and pesticides to surface water and groundwater. Requirements in the order will go into effect when vineyards begin enrolling under the order in July 2028. … ” Read more from the North Coast Regional Water Board.
Diverting flood flows – Details on the opportunity to utilize wasted water
“Earlier this year, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order (EO) N-16-25. That order is designed to facilitate the diversion and storage of flood flows and aligns with the Governor’s broader water supply strategy, which is focused on attacking the misalignment between water supply and demand while also factoring in the impacts of climate change. But the questions remain: will it be effective and will there be any unintended consequences? One key aspect of EO N-16-25 is that it waives a part of Water Code section 1242.1 that required a regional or local agency to have adopted a local flood control plan or to have considered flood risk in its most recent general plan. That water code section was created in 2023 by Senate Bill 122. It provides that the diversion of floodflows does not require an appropriation right as long as it meets certain conditions. Those conditions include the waived one, public notice, and the use of existing infrastructure. … ” Read more from Nossaman.
California farmland or solar fields? Ag secretary pushes back
“U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is voicing strong opposition to the increasing use of prime agricultural land for solar panel installations. In a recent statement, Rollins highlighted her personal ties to farming and the emotional toll of watching solar projects replace fertile farmland. “Watching the solar panels take over all of that farmland in that 72-mile drive is heartbreaking,” said Rollins, referencing her childhood summers on a row crop farm in Minnesota. Rollins emphasized that preserving farmland is not just about food production, but also about national security, the sustainability of family farms, and protecting the American rural identity. … ” Read more from Ag Net West.
Column: Fresno stretch of San Joaquin River home to bumper crop of returning salmon
Columnist Marek Warszawski writes, “Earlier this month, Fresno welcomed 448 members of the Salmonidae family to town. Which in this case is Latin for adult, spring-run Chinook salmon. The 448 adult salmon represent a milestone for the San Joaquin River Restoration Program, marking the highest number of captured returns since spring-run juveniles were reintroduced to the river system in 2014 following the 2008 legal settlement that modified the operations of Friant Dam to provide minimum flows for native fish. Prior to the dam’s completion in 1942, hundreds of thousands of Chinook salmon migrated along the San Joaquin River every spring and fall either on their way toward the ocean or up river to spawn. Over the ensuing decades, the waterway was significantly altered to meet the demands of agriculture. The passage of salmon is blocked by dams, spillways and other impediments – except during precipitation-heavy years like 2017 and 2023. … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee. | Read via Yahoo News.
Officials celebrate historic milestone at iconic lake after years of drought: ‘This will be the first time’
“Lake water levels are always somewhat seasonal, but widespread drought in California has left many reservoirs drier than usual over the last several years. Fortunately, the still-melting snowpack from snowy winters in 2023 and 2024 means that many places are now reaching capacity because of increased snowmelt. Lake Oroville, California’s second-largest reservoir, recently reached its full capacity of 900 feet, marking a major milestone, Newsweek reported. A Department of Water Resources spokesperson told the outlet: “This will be the first time the reservoir has reached full capacity three years in a row.” It’s also good news for Lake Shasta, the state’s largest reservoir, which has reached 94% of its capacity. … ” Read more from The Cool Down.
We set a big chunk of California wilderness on fire. You’re welcome
” … Before European settlers arrived in California and insisted on suppressing fire at every turn, the landscape burned regularly. Sometimes lightning ignited the flames; sometimes it was Indigenous people using fire as an obvious, and remarkably effective, tool to clear unwanted vegetation from their fields. Whatever the cause, it was common for much of the land in California to burn about once a decade. … With that in mind, the state set an ambitious goal in the early 2020s to deliberately burn at least 400,000 acres of wilderness each year. The majority of that would have to be managed by the federal government, since agencies including the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service own nearly half of the state’s total land. And they own more than half of the state’s forests. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
California faces rough fire season as US Forest Service work becomes more politicized
“It has become a yearly tradition. At some point in the spring, before the chaos of fire season, the chief of the U.S. Forest Service sends staff a letter. In it, they share their goals and intentions for the next few months. For the public, it’s a window into the agency’s plans. On the brink of fire season, the stakes are high for the state. Forecasters predict worse-than-normal conditions, especially in Northern California and the mountains. The Trump administration has a track record of politicizing fires, threatening to withhold aid, and taking aim at the state’s governor. A well-functioning Forest Service — one able to balance firefighting and restoration — is crucial for Californians. Many residents live within or close to the Forest Service or other federal public land. Much of the state’s best-loved areas are also on or near these lands: Tahoe, Yosemite, the Sierra Nevada and the Coastal Ranges. Most of the state’s drinking water filters down from the forests. And all of the state’s air can be polluted from out-of-control fires. … ” Read more from KQED.
SEE ALSO: When wildfire season coincides with threats to federal emergency support, from The Hill
California’s big question: How brutal will the summer wildfire season be?
“With Los Angeles still recovering from the devastating fires that killed at least 30 people and destroyed thousands of homes, California’s residents are being warned that the summer, typically the worst season for wildfires, could be especially brutal this year. Every summer across the state, the atmosphere dries up and the temperatures turn warm, sucking moisture from the landscape and turning the parched vegetation into kindling, ready to burn under the right conditions. This year, forecasters are already seeing signs that the pattern could be more intense than usual. The snow in the Sierra Nevada, the frozen reservoir that moistens the landscape through the spring, is nearly gone; it melted off earlier than normal. This year’s grass crop is plentiful, especially in Northern California, which received more rain than the southern part of the state, and it’s already fueling fires as it dries out. And forecasters predict the summer will be exceptionally hot. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
Last year’s climate bond may not be what you thought
“Last year, legislators passed, the governor signed, and California voters approved, a ten billion dollar climate bond (the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024, SB 867 (Allen), which appeared on the November ballot as Proposition 4). While the bond act’s full title largely tells the story of its contents, the water- and resilience-focused spending may not be what all Californians expected from the state’s first self-proclaimed climate bond. In January, the Governor put out his plan for Climate Bond Implementation, which proposed that approximately 27% of total Bond funds be allocated and distributed in 2025-2026. The Legislature may decide to change the Governor’s proposal—for example, to institute multi-year spending plans (per the Legislative Analyst’s Office recommendation) or to pull back on the Governor’s proposed funding shifts in the May budget revision (such as the proposal to move $300 million in climate-related project costs from the General Fund to the Proposition 4 climate bond). Of course, the state’s fiscal outlook and this year’s budget negotiations have added extra complications to bond decisions. … ” Read more from the Legal Planet.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Klamath River reborn: A journey through America’s largest dam removal project
“Bill Cross pulled his truck to the side of a dusty mountain road and jumped out to scan a stretch of rapids rippling through the hillsides below. As an expert and a guide, Cross had spent more than 40 years boating the Klamath River, etching its turns, drops, and eddies into his memory. But this run was brand new. On a warm day in mid-May, he would be one of the very first to raft it with high spring flows. Last year, the final of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River were removed in the largest project of its kind in US history. Forged through the footprint of reservoirs that kept parts of the Klamath submerged for more than a century, the river that straddles the California-Oregon border has since been reborn. … ” Read more from Mother Jones.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Marlette Lake dam rehabilitation project breaks ground
“Shovels have hit the dirt as part of the Marlette Lake Dam rehabilitation project’s groundbreaking ceremony held at the Spooner Lake State Park Visitor’s Center on Thursday, June 12. The project aims to ensure the longevity of the historically significant community resource. “Without this project, our dam is at risk of catastrophic failure,” Chelsea Cluff, professional engineer and project manager with Lumos & Associates, explained at the event, “partially due to the age of the embankment.” The dam is now over 150 years old.A 2017 survey revealed the risk of catastrophic failure, particularly under seismic scenarios, and also found significant seepage that could compromise the dam. Additionally, the survey identified that the emergency spillway is undersized for certain flood conditions. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
CENTRAL COAST
Grand Jury report praises Santa Barbra County’s water distribution network and investments
“The Santa Barbara County Grand Jury released a report of its findings about local water resources Friday. The investigative body found that while water is a finite local resource with unique collection and distribution challenges, each entity tasked with providing water across the county has made notable proactive plans to prepare for potential droughts and increased demands from future population growth. Additionally, the 2024-2025 Grand Jury found that coordination amongst county-wide water management groups, “has improved significantly” since a 2016-2017 Grand Jury finding that limitations existed and recommendations were made to improve coordination. “Water availability has been a concern in the region of Santa Barbara County since the earliest settlements of the Chumash,” explained Friday’s Grand Jury report. … ” Read more from KEYT.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Attempt to boot judge off of Kern River case by water agency denied
“A move to boot Kern County Superior Court Gregory Pulskamp off the long-running Kern River lawsuit was denied, according to a ruling issued Tuesday by the assistant presiding judge of the court. The Kern County Water Agency filed a motion May 30 to remove Pulskamp citing its belief the judge would be biased against the agency because a preliminary injunction he had issued requiring enough water be kept in the river for fish was overturned by the 5th District Court of Appeal. An opposing attorney called the attempt to disqualify Pulskamp unusual, improper even, given the case hasn’t been decided yet. The trial date is still seven months away. Typically, disqualification motions come after a trial outcome is reversed, not in the middle of an ongoing lawsuit, according to attorney Adam Keats, who represents Bring Back the Kern and several other public interest groups fighting to get water back in the riverbed through Bakersfield. The agency, however, argued in its motion that the injunction and reversal should be considered similar to a trial. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Editorial: Kern judge’s water case ruling does not show bias
“It’s easy to get lost in the technical weeds of a lawsuit, especially over water rights. These cases are complicated and confusing. The only people paying close attention are lawyers, water rights owners, environmentalists and that lonely news reporter who finds writing about water interesting. People fighting over whether Kern River water should flow through Bakersfield are fortunate to have Kern County Superior Court Judge Gregory Pulskamp presiding over a 2022 lawsuit that pits community activists and environmentalists against agricultural water agencies and the city of Bakersfield. … ” Read more from the Bakersfield Californian.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Final evacuation order officially lifted nearly six months after Palisades fire
“Nearly six months after a wildfire devastated the Pacific Palisades, the final evacuation orders have been fully lifted, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. A portion of the coastal Los Angeles neighborhood had remained under an evacuation order because of dangerous downed wires, potentially explosive lithium-ion batteries and toxic wildfire debris, according to Lyndsey Lantz, a spokesperson for the Fire Department. The Army Corps of Engineers, the lead agency overseeing wildfire cleanup, has overseen federal contractors in clearing wreckage away from more than 3,200 properties, alleviating some of those worries. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Eaton fire damage costs could mean higher utility bills throughout California
“More than 30 million Californians across the state could see their electric bills go up to pay for the devastating Eaton fire, as officials scramble to shore up a state wildfire fund that could be wiped out by damage claims. One early estimate places fire losses from the Eaton fire at $24 billion to $45 billion. If Southern California Edison equipment is found to have sparked the blaze on Jan. 7, as dozens of lawsuits allege, the damage claims could quickly exhaust the state’s $21-billion wildfire fund. “Everyone is concerned about this,” said Michael Wara, director of Stanford’s climate and energy policy program, who was involved in the fund’s creation. “If we need to put more money into the fund, where will it come from?” … ” Read more from the LA Times.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Building Lithium Valley: What’s next for energy, jobs and infrastructure?
“Renewable energy, battery manufacturing and the future of Lithium Valley were some of the key topics highlighted at the 2025 Imperial Valley Economic and Energy Summit on June 11 and 12. The two-day event at Imperial Valley College included panel discussions about various issues, including the future of geothermal energy and the importance of lithium and critical minerals to the Valley’s economy. One session, “Maneuvering the Permitting Process,” was held at 11:30 a.m. on June 11. Tom DuBose, the president of DuBose Design Group, was the moderator. DuBose has been involved in Imperial County permitting projects for 35 years. He introduced Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez, who stressed the importance of “bringing permitting back down to the local level.” Gonzalez said it is necessary to “remove barriers and have face-to-face interaction here at the county level.” … ” Read more from the Desert Review.
SAN DIEGO
At first, everyone hated it. Now, Oceanside’s sand project has wide support.
“Oceanside’s proposed Re:Beach sand restoration and retention project has been endorsed by an important advisory panel on San Diego County’s coastal environmental issues. The San Diego Association of Government’s Shoreline Preservation Working Group voted last week to select the Oceanside proposal as a regional pilot project and a possible example for other cities facing eroding coastlines. “We should all embrace it,” said working group member Amy Steward, a Coronado City Council member. She called the plan a “nice compromise” between efforts to armor the beach with harmful structures such as seawalls and the more natural solution of replacing the sand, which can be effective in the short term but often washes away quickly. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Along the Colorado River …
Arizona could get a better deal in Colorado River water negotiations under Trump, experts say
“The Colorado River flows all the way from Colorado to the Gulf of California. Its basin stretches into seven states and Mexico — all of which rely on the water. The Colorado River is vital to Arizona. It’s one of the main water sources of the Phoenix metro area, and we use it for countless things, including agriculture, generating electric power and, of course, drinking. For 100 years, the seven basin states have followed the guidelines of a compact outlining what each entity’s water allocations are. But the demand on water has grown and the amount of water has diminished over time, largely due to warming temperatures. Negotiations continue among the seven states about how to make due with less are ongoing, and the federal government could ultimately play a big role in determining allocations. Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke said at a recent roundtable that under the Trump administration, the state could be better positioned than it was under the Biden administration. … ” Read more from KJZZ.
Like Saudi-backed alfalfa farm, this Australian fishery is pumping Arizona groundwater
“Storks scatter, white against blue water, as Dan Mohring’s pickup truck rumbles down the dirt road. He’s towing a trailer full of ground-up beef, chicken, fish and nutrient bits behind him, ready to be shot out of a cannon into the ponds below. It’s time to feed the fish. Mohring fires up the machine and the food flies out in a rainbow arc. Then the water comes alive. Hundreds of thrashing, gobbling barramundi wiggle their way to the surface, all fighting for a piece. Until, in a few months, they will become food themselves. In the desert of landlocked Arizona, where the Colorado River crisis has put water use under a microscope, Mainstream Aquaculture has a fish farm where it’s growing the tropical species barramundi, also known as Asian sea bass, for American restaurants. … ” Read more from KJZZ.
Commentary: Data centers bring jobs and cash to Arizona. Phoenix could regulate that away
Steve Zylstra, president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council, and Josh Levi, president of the Data Center Coalition, write, “The average household now has 21 devices connected to the internet, powering laptops, phones, televisions, lighting, thermostats and even some appliances. Every online purchase, telehealth appointment and digital classroom relies on access to data. Cloud-based computing is now central to our nation’s economic growth and innovation, supporting industries including advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defense. This demand, along with artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge applications, is creating a growing need for data storage and processing made possible by data centers — the physical facilities that provide the digital infrastructure supporting our modern lives and the 21st century economy. Arizona has become one of the most important states in the country for deploying data centers, with projects from greater Phoenix to Tucson. … ” Read more from the Arizona Republic.
A Lake Mead’s worth of water has vanished from the ground. Could Las Vegas suffer?
“The water beneath our feet that we use to bathe, drink and water crops is vanishing faster than ever in the Colorado River Basin, according to a new study. From Arizona State University researchers, the study of satellite images has found that an amount of water comparable to Lake Mead has been lost from the ground in the period studied from April 2002 to October 2024. That’s roughly twice as fast as water on the surface. For Jay Famiglietti, a study co-author who pioneered the practice of using satellites to study groundwater at ASU, the loss of 27.8 million acre-feet of groundwater should be a wake-up call for everyone from decision-makers to regular citizens who call the West home. “Groundwater is a trans-generational resource,” Famiglietti said. “If we want our great-great-great-grandchildren to eat, then it’s time to think more holistically about the water that we use and what kind of protection it needs.” … ” Read more from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Big Pivots: Early flowers again this year. That’s good, right?
Allen Best writes, “We’re on track to a 9 degree rise in average temperatures. That has profound implications for the Colorado River. Spring came early this year on the mountain slopes near Crested Butte. David Inouye has monitored the blooming of wildflowers there during the last 55 years. This was not a record year, he reported in May, but it was remarkably different from just a few decades ago. “Thirty years ago, flowering didn’t start until the first week of June,” reported Inouye, who studies the timing of periodic biological events in plants and animals, a discipline called phenology. By late April this year, seven species of wildflowers had blooms on the slopes of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. More wildflowers earlier in spring. What’s not to like about that? In Paonia this year, where Inouye lives, apricot trees flowered in mid-March. Later frosts killed this year’s crop. That, he says, is one harm to earlier spring. Early springs produced by rising temperatures also have long-term consequences. … ” Read more at the Aspen Times.
In national water news today …
Trump administration abandons deal with Northwest tribes to restore salmon
“Less than two years ago, the administration of President Joe Biden announced what tribal leaders hailed as an unprecedented commitment to the Native tribes whose ways of life had been devastated by federal dam-building along the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest. The deal, which took two years to negotiate, halted decades of lawsuits over the harm federal dams had caused to the salmon that had sustained those tribes culturally and economically for thousands of years. To enable the removal of four hydroelectric dams considered especially harmful to salmon, the government promised to invest billions of dollars in alternative energy sources to be created by the tribes. It was a remarkable step following repeated failures by the government to uphold the tribal fishing rights it swore in treaties to preserve. The agreement is now just another of those broken promises. … ” Read more from Pro Publica.
SEE ALSO: Trump pulls out of Pacific Northwest salmon restoration agreement, from The Hill
Alaska just hit a climate milestone — its first-ever heat advisory
“In the high glare of a summer evening in Fairbanks, Alaska, Ciara Santiago watched the mercury climb. A meteorologist at the National Weather Service office, she had the dubious honor of issuing the state’s first ever official heat advisory as temperatures were expected to hit the mid-80s. It’s the kind of bureaucratic alert that rarely makes national headlines. But in a city where permafrost thaw buckles roads, homes lack air conditioning, and the high at this time of year is generally in the low 70s, the warning comes as a sign of rapidly shifting climate. Alaska is warming more than twice as fast as the global average. … ” Read more from Grist.
How Trump’s assault on science is blinding America to climate change
“President Donald Trump long ago decided climate change was a “hoax.” Now his administration is trying to silence government research that proves him wrong. Since Trump returned to the White House in January, his administration has fired or let go hundreds of climate and weather scientists — and cut ties to hundreds more who work in academia or the private sector. His team has eliminated major climate programs, frozen or cut grants for climate research and moved to shutter EPA’s greenhouse gas reporting program. The Trump administration has slow-walked climate-related contracts — including one for the upkeep of two polar weather satellites. And it’s begun to wall off the United States from international climate cooperation. … ” Read more from E&E News.
