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On the calendar today …
- LEG HEARING: Senate Committee on Environmental Quality beginning at 9am. Click here for the agenda.
- MEETING: CA Water Commission beginning at 9:30am. Agenda items include updates on the Water Supply Strategy, California Salmon Strategy, and Drought Resiliency Interagency and Partners Collaborative. In the afternoon, Commissioners will tour the Harvest Water project. Click here for the agenda and remote access instructions.
- WEBINAR: EPA Cybersecurity Guidance for Drinking Water and Wastewater Systems from 10am to 11am. The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Infrastructure and Cyber Resilience Division provides crucial free resources for water and wastewater utilities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from water-related emergencies. This session will specifically delve into the significance of the free tools and resources that the EPA provides to help strengthen the cyber resilience of water and wastewater systems. Click here to register.
- WEBINAR: Recycled Water: A Key to a Resilient Water Future from 12pm to 1pm. What role will recycled water play in protecting California’s water future—and are you ready to lead? California’s water future depends on innovative and sustainable solutions—and recycled water is emerging as one of the most promising. As communities across the state confront the realities of prolonged drought, climate change, and rising demand, expanding the use of recycled water presents a critical pathway to long-term resilience. Join us for a free live webinar that will explore the opportunities, challenges, and innovations shaping recycled water systems, highlighting successful models from across the nation. This session is designed to provide you with a practical, policy-focused overview of what recycled water is, how it is being safely utilized across California, and why it is vital to the communities you serve. Click here to register.
- MEETING: Drought Resilience Interagency & Partners (DRIP) Collaborative, Water Infrastructure and Planning Workgroup from 3pm to 4:30pm. Agenda items include Existing Understanding and Data on Drought and Water Shortage Impacted Vulnerable Communities and Discuss and Refine Scope of Three Primary Ideas for Recommendation. Register here.
- WEBINAR: Birdy Hour with Lynne Trulio: Beautiful California Biodiversity – Understanding and Protecting It from 5:30pm to 6:30pm. We share the Earth with millions of other species. But, our planet is experiencing a biodiversity crisis in which a significant portion of these species are in danger of extinction in coming decades. While the Earth has undergone mass extinctions in the past—such as when a meteor strike doomed the dinosaurs—the current mass extinction event is caused by humans. This loss of species is a tragedy for the Earth’s ecology and non-human inhabitants, but will also have significant impacts on human societies. In this talk, we will discuss the causes of the current biodiversity crisis, with a focus on California biodiversity. We will discuss what species are most endangered, what we can do to try to limit the loss of species, and efforts in our region to preserve our local biodiversity, especially endangered plants, invertebrates and animal species. Register here for this virtual presentation.
In California water news today …
Ted Cooke tapped to run Bureau of Reclamation amid pivotal Colorado River talks
“President Donald Trump has tapped longtime water manager Ted Cooke to be the next commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The nomination, submitted Monday to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, attempts to fill a pivotal role at the top federal agency for Western rivers, reservoirs and dams. If confirmed, Cooke will become the main federal official overseeing Colorado River matters. His nomination comes at a tense time for the river. The seven states that use its water appear deadlocked in closed-door negotiations about sharing the shrinking water supply in the future. Cooke will likely try to push those state negotiators toward agreement about who should feel the pain of water cutbacks and when. If they can’t reach a deal ahead of a 2026 deadline, the federal government can step in and make those decisions itself. … ” Read more from KUNC.
SEE ALSO:
- Trump nominates former Arizona water official to lead Reclamation, from the SJV Sun
- Trump administration nominates official to oversee Colorado River negotiations, from the Las Vegas Review-Journal
Today: Lawmakers to vote on audit of Delta Conveyance Project
“This morning, the Joint Legislative Audit Committee will meet at 9:30am. The Committee is expected to vote on a request submitted by Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom, Senator Jerry McNerney and Restore the Delta to audit the Delta Conveyance Project. The audit request, filed on June 3, alleges DWR has spent nearly $700 million in public funding on these numerous iterations of the ‘Tunnel’ over the past 15 years and is the subject of much litigation. The request alleges that State Water Project contractors have repeatedly fallen short of statutory requirements to demonstrate proof of an adequate and reliable water supply to meet projected demands, and lists several State Water Contractors they say are not reducing reliance on the Delta as required by the Delta Reform Act. … The Department of Water Resources responded in a letter to the Committee, stating that an audit would be ‘an unnecessary use of resources that could impede efforts of the Auditor on more meaningful work and would create a costly delay.’ The letter notes that the audit request seeks information that is already publicly available and addresses questions with well-established answers. DWR undergoes regular audits, operates transparently with public agencies under the Brown Act, and consistently provides detailed financial and project information to legislators and the public, the letter states. DWR maintains that expenses for project planning have been paid by the contractors, not by the general fund, and total just under $300 million. … ” Read more from Maven’s Notebook.
Proposed new groundwater fee structure has Tulare County farmers crying foul
“Tulare County farmers are incensed by a proposed new fee structure that they say will put the entire burden of state groundwater oversight across the San Joaquin Valley solely on their shoulders. It costs the state Water Resources Control Board about $5.5 million a year to oversee six basins in the San Joaquin Valley that have been found to have inadequate groundwater plans as part of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Two of those subbasins have been placed on probation, under which farmers are required to pay fees to reimburse the state for those oversight costs. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Enviros, utilities and tech bros walk into a data center
“For a state that considers itself a leader in both tech and climate, California is falling behind in both building data centers and putting guardrails around their environmental impacts. Democrats in Sacramento are taking cues from lawmakers in Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia as they explore special electricity rates for data centers aimed at controlling costs for other customers. They’re also weighing new energy reporting standards to better understand the supercomputers’ impacts on California’s electric grid. Those proposals come as electric utilities are embracing data centers as a potential business savior that promises to increase electrical demand several fold after an era of energy efficiency. “This trend is absolutely real for us,” Pacific Gas and Electric CEO Patti Poppe said during the utility’s most recent quarterly earnings call in April. “This will be so beneficial for our customers.” … ” Read more from Politico.
A black swan hovering over the West’s water supply
“Although California state water officials are brimming with a rare calm contentment over the Sierra snowpack at 100 percent and a record amount of water banked in reservoirs and underground storage, a black swan hovering over this complacency is the amount of precious water being consumed by the rapid expansion of Data Centers, not only in California but also in other drought-stricken states in the West. Data Centers are the digital hubs that keep us connected via email; allow us access to popular apps like Waze or AXS for buying sports and entertainment tickets; store our files on a cloud; transport us to websites or power the tsunami of AI and AI agents. All of these Data Centers are drawing down millions of gallons of water from municipal or regional water supplies for their cooling towers, chillers, pumps, pipes, condensers and computer room air handler units. … ” Read more from The Environmental Magazine.
Agriculture is at a critical juncture, farm leaders warn
“Grappling with higher costs and challenges related to water, labor, regulations and trade, some California farm leaders question whether the nation’s No. 1 agriculture state has reached a tipping point. California Farm Bureau President Shannon Douglass discussed the high cost of operating a farm in California during the Agri-Pulse Food & Ag Issues Summit West in Sacramento last week. “When we talk about the things that are keeping me up at night, it really comes down to what is going to keep our members in business,” Douglass said. Citing the most recent U.S. Census of Agriculture, she noted how the state has lost 20% of its farms during the past decade, with a disproportionate number of them being small and medium in size. This loss, Douglass said, is evidence that agriculture in the Golden State is at a tipping point. … ” Read more from Ag Alert.
Here are national monuments Trump could dismantle
“During his sole term in office, former President Joe Biden claimed a place among the nation’s most prolific creators of national monuments. Now President Donald Trump could set a new kind of record as the first president to abolish monuments. Environmentalists and Democratic lawmakers are casting a wary eye on where, and when, Trump might aim a new legal directive that argues he has the power to wipe out national monuments created by his predecessors in the White House. The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) recently published an opinion overturning nearly 90-year-old guidance that said presidents could not revoke monument status. “We’ve never lived in a world where the president at his whim can abolish a monument and what that means exactly; we will have to see,” said Justin Pidot, a law professor at the University of Arizona who previously worked at the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality. “But it massively scales back the protective power of the Antiquities Act.” … ” Read more from E&E News.
California’s 2025 wildfire season was already going to be dangerous. Trump has made it worse
“As California continues to reel from the historic firestorm that decimated portions of Los Angeles in January, the state is now facing the prospect of an exceptionally active wildfire season fueled by hot, dry conditions. It may not be ready: Experts say sweeping changes at federal agencies that play key roles in California’s wildfire preparation and response could make a challenging season even worse. The latest forecast from the National Interagency Fire Center calls for above-normal fire activity across much of California and the Northwest through September. The government outlook warns of “significant fire potential” in Northern California, the Sierra Nevada and several of the state’s coastal areas due largely to a pronounced warm and dry trend. The forecast arrives as the Trump administration is enacting budget cuts, layoffs, office closures and restructuring at the U.S. Forest Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Klamath River kayakers reach Keno on First Descent
“It was a long, 20-mile flatwater day for kayakers in the ongoing Klamath River First Descent that reached Keno on Tuesday afternoon. The day started in Klamath Falls. Instead of paddling single kayaks, many teamed up in two-person kayaks to make the journey from Lake Ewauna to the official start of the Klamath River. Wednesday, they’ll begin with a portage around the Keno Dam before continuing along the river that has no dams as it flows to the Pacific Ocean. The 310-mile journey is scheduled to end July 11 in Requa, where the Klamath meets the Pacific Ocean. “We’re proud and grateful for what our tribes and our ancestors have done. We’re just really proud of our youth,” said Lily Yasana, a Klamath-Modoc Indian who was watching from the Keno Bridge as the paddlers ended their day on the water. … ” Read more from the Herald & News.
Water woes, planned dam removal threatens North Bay water security
“At Potter Valley Rodeo this Memorial Day weekend, “The Star-Spangled Banner” echoed across the arena in Hannah Foster’s voice. A tradition almost as old as her family’s six generations farming in this corner of rural Mendocino County. But beyond the pageantry, Foster is sounding the alarm: The water that sustains her tiny town—and several cities beyond—may be running dry, and hardly anyone downstream seems to notice. For more than a century, hydroelectric dams have diverted water through the valley from the northward flowing Eel River’s watershed to the southerly Russian River’s east fork, where the two wind within a mile of each other near the Lake County border. The local ecology, economy and culture have adapted accordingly. … ” Read more from the Bohemian.
California North Coast Water Board to regulate discharges from vineyards
“The California 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 roughly 65,000 acres of vineyards. Known as the General Waste Discharge Requirements for Commercial Vineyards, the regulations mark a step forward in the effort to protect water sources from adverse impacts that commercial cultivations 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 Stormwater Solutions.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Why Lake Tahoe’s famous waters aren’t clearer — or cloudier — in latest report
“Lake Tahoe’s water clarity is neither improving nor worsening, according to the 2024 Lake Tahoe Clarity Report released by UC Davis’ Tahoe Environmental Research Center on Monday. The 2024 annual average clarity for Lake Tahoe was 62.3 feet or 19.0 meters. This marks a decline from 68.2 feet in 2023, and is the third-worst recorded depth since clarity readings were first collected in 1968. However, the report notes that “it is not statistically worse” by comparison. The lake’s clarity is measured by how deep below the water surface a 10-inch white disk, known as a Secchi disk, remains visible when lowered into the water. The smaller the value of the depth measurement, the less clear the lake’s water. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
President’s proposed public land sale includes beloved Lake Tahoe sites
“Over 250 million acres of public lands could be eligible for sale if the President’s budget reconciliation package, something he has called the “big, beautiful bill,” is passed. A map and analysis were created by The Wilderness Society using source data from BLM, USFS, USGS, NPS, and SENR reconciliation bill text (Senate Energy and Natural Resources) as of June 16, 2025. [Click through to] see the interactive map of all Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) public lands that are part of the bill. The map includes Kiva Beach, much of Fallen Leaf Lake, Tallac Historic Site, and even ski resorts who lease land from USFS, including Alpine Meadows, Heavenly Valley, as well as other treasured acreage through the Sierra and beyond. … ” Read more from South Tahoe Now.
Pilot program planned to screen boats at New Bullards Bar Reservoir
“The first discovery of golden mussel in North America at Rough and Ready Island near Stockton in San Joaquin County has water managers throughout California on the alert, including the Yuba Water Agency, which manages New Bullards Bar Reservoir. On Tuesday, the Yuba Water Agency announced that it will launch a new watercraft screening pilot program later this summer at New Bullards Bar Reservoir in Yuba County. The pilot program aims to prevent the spread of the golden mussel, a highly invasive species found in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta last fall that could pose a significant ecological and economic threat to the Yuba River watershed. … ” Read more from the Appeal Democrat.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Lake Oroville sitting near full capacity, California Department of Water Resources monitoring lake level and operations
“Lake Oroville is nearing its full capacity, a stark contrast to its all-time low of 643 feet above sea level nearly four years ago. The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is closely monitoring the water levels and operations of Lake Oroville. According to DWR spokesperson Raquel Borrayo, the lake is currently at 98% capacity. Between the end of May and the beginning of June, it even reached full capacity. Scott Duke, a local boater, shared his enthusiasm for the high water levels at Lake Oroville. … ” Read more from Action News Now.
Fish Passage Project offers lifeline to threatened and endangered fish species at the Sacramento Weir
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has unveiled an environmental safeguard to protect endangered fish as part of the Sacramento Weir Widening Project. The system aims to prevent thousands of salmon and sturgeon from becoming stranded or blocked from reaching spawning grounds during flood events. The fish passage, developed by the Sacramento District, is an innovative 1.6-mile “double hybrid technical fishway” connecting the Sacramento River to Tule Canal, which runs through the Yolo Bypass west of Sacramento. Unlike typical fish ladders, this system features two parallel channels designed for fish up to 10 feet long. Earlier designs with single-channel fish ladders were rejected after hydraulic modeling showed water would move too fast during floods for fish to navigate. “This structure serves as a fish highway from the Sacramento River to the Tule Canal, and vice versa,” said Robert Chase, senior fisheries biologist who recently retired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District. “It’s about getting fish back on track where they need to go.” Without this connection, fish would swim up the bypass with a good chance of stranding or potentially dying. … ” Continue reading from DVIDS.
Sacramento’s Cosumnes River Preserve could be impacted by U.S. sale of federal land for housing
“The U.S. Senate is considering selling over 16 million acres of federal land in California to turn into housing, including in Sacramento. The plan is part of President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” or budget reconciliation bill, which proposed putting over 250 million acres of public land in western states for sale, including land governed by the Bureau of Land Management U.S. Forest Service. The spot in Sacramento that could be impacted is the Consumnes River Preserve. “We were out there for about three hours this morning and it’s a prize. It’s really something worth saving,” said Josh Schermerhorn, who was enjoying the Consumnes River Preserve with his wife Kathy on Tuesday. Senators who support this bill said selling federal land will generate upward of $10 billion for the government. … ” Read more from CBS Sacramento.
BAY AREA
South Bay sport fish not such good eating
“Long ago, the quiet shores of southern San Francisco Bay featured rich wetlands, streams thick with salmon and steelhead, and a bounty of other fishes and invertebrates which fed wildlife and people alike. Perhaps more than anything else, there was clean water. But after nearly two centuries of Western occupation and the steady pollution that has become a signature of our time, the South Bay has become a toxic sink. Fish still live here, and people still catch and eat species like striped bass, white croaker and leopard shark, but emerging research suggests they should reduce their portions. In a study published in May, sport fish captured in a remote backwater between Alviso and Milpitas called Artesian Slough topped the charts for concentrations of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Other sites in the South Bay also ranked high in contamination for multiple species of frequently eaten fish – especially common carp, largemouth bass, leopard shark, shiner surfperch and striped bass – with some of the same species showing lower PFAS concentrations in the northern realms of San Francisco Bay. … ” Read more from Maven’s Notebook.
Backed by supporters, SF State’s Marine Research Lab delays closure
“A coalition of advocates and loyal supporters has staved off the closure of a unique marine research center on the San Francisco Bay—at least for another six months. San Francisco State University first announced earlier this year that it could no longer afford the Estuary and Ocean Science Center on its 53-acre Romberg Tiburon Campus. Although scientists, conservationists and community members jumped into action and raised millions of dollars, their fundraising effort appeared to fail. In early May, the university signaled that it would likely shutter the campus. But the university told KQED this week that it is exploring a new financial option to keep the bayside research center afloat. “We are in conversation with [a] foundation,” said Amy Sueyoshi, SF State’s provost and vice president of academic affairs. “It looks hopeful that it could both cover ongoing expenses and maybe take on Romberg Tiburon in the future. And so we want to explore that relationship in the coming months.” … ” Read more from Bay Nature.
After 28 years, Alameda Creek opens up to fish
“In the summer of 1997, Jeff Miller went for a long walk along Alameda Creek. He started where the 40-mile stream meets the San Francisco Bay, sandwiched between the San Mateo and Dumbarton bridges. From there, he followed the water inland. For the first twelve miles, Miller marched along a stream hemmed into a flood control channel, and cut around downtown Fremont backyards. Over two days, he traced the creek through old quarry lakes, through quiet community parks, and finally out of the city and into the hills. There, the creek began to twist into largely undeveloped expanses of oak woodland as it cut across the Diablo Range. Miller followed public trails where they existed, and found his own paths where they didn’t. As he climbed with the water, the stream thinned and quickened. Gravel peppered its bottom. Trees shaded and cooled the water. … ” Read more from Bay Nature.
Highway 37 project in line for $73M grant
“A major project to relieve bottlenecks and protect against flooding on Highway 37 could get a big funding boost. The California Transportation Commission staff is recommending the project receive $73 million in Senate Bill 1 gas tax funds. The funding is part of a $810.5 million “Trade Corridor Enhancement Program” grant package being allocated across the state. The three-phase Highway 37 project — which will widen a 10-mile stretch from Sears Point to Mare Island, among other improvements — is one of 24 projects recommended for funding. The Senate Bill 1 funding will specifically support the estimated $251 million phase 2 of the project, which focuses on the eastbound improvements. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
Two dead gray whales wash up in Richmond over one week
“Two gray whales washed up dead in the San Francisco Bay near Richmond over the past week, bringing the year’s total whale deaths to 22 in and around the bay, according to the Marine Mammal Center. The whale strandings come just a few weeks after six whales were believed to have washed up around the San Francisco Bay over a week. That number has since been revised to five whales after two were determined to be the same whale, but four additional whales washed up in late May and early June, according to the Marine Mammal Center. Whale beachings this year are outpacing the numbers of recent years, with the numbers higher than previous years that saw an influx due to an unusual mortality event, with gray whales dying in higher-than-usual numbers. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Fire district asks water agency to not shut off Diablo Grande’s water
“A Stanislaus fire district is asking the Kern County Water Agency to keep the water on in a small community facing a potential water shut-off. The West Stanislaus County Fire Protection District has formally requested that KCWA not shut off water to Diablo Grande, a small neighborhood southwest of Patterson, amid ongoing legal and financial disputes. The fire district said its fire response would be affected if water were to be shut off. … ” Read more from Fox 40.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Imported sand tested in San Clemente as a way to protect the beach
“An offshore structure built from rocks with the added perk of creating a new surf spot. Underwater speed bumps set parallel to shore to slow down waves. Living shorelines made of dunes and native plants to keep sand grains in place. A wave of innovative ideas are floating around San Clemente as the beach town seeks solutions for its disappearing beaches, efforts planners hope could salvage one of the coastal town’s most valuable resources: the beach. Several solutions are proposed in a newly released, 255-page study that looks at the history of why local beaches are sand-starved, which are the most critically in need and ideas for how to slow erosion to keep the shoreline healthy. … ” Continue reading at the OC Register.
Press release: Cadiz moves forward with nation’s largest tribal-led water project to tackle drought and inequity in the American Southwest
“In a historic step toward solving the American Southwest’s water crisis, Cadiz, Inc. is advancing development of the Mojave Groundwater Bank, a first-of-its-kind infrastructure project that combines environmental innovation, tribal partnership, and water equity to address the region’s growing demand for clean, sustainable water.Announced in October 2024, the project will construct, own, and operate a water storage and delivery system capable of moving and banking up to 2.5 million acre-feet of water-enough to supply millions of people over the coming decades. The Mojave Groundwater Bank is located at the base of a 2,000-square-mile watershed in California’s Mojave Desert, where a naturally replenished aquifer holds an estimated 30-50 million acre-feet of groundwater-more than what’s currently stored in both Lake Mead and Lake Powell combined. … ” Continue reading this press release at MorningStar.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Coachella Valley Water District announces completion of clean water project
“A pipeline project designed to provide clean, accessible water to residents living in eastern Coachella Valley has been completed, Coachella Valley Water District officials announced today. The Avenue 66 Transmission project, also known as the Saint Anthony Mobile Home Park Water Consolidation project, involved the installation of more than 26,000 linear feet of water pipes along Avenue 66. The project connects to three mobile home parks — Saint Anthony, Seferino Huerta and Manuela Garcia — and will supply water to the communities of Mecca and North Shore. “Access to safe, affordable water and sewer services brings additional benefits, including new housing opportunities and economic growth,” CVWD Board Vice President Castulo Estrada said in a statement. … ” Read more from KESQ.
SAN DIEGO
Dredging project to start removing sand from San Elijo Lagoon
“A long-awaited dredge has finally arrived and is starting to remove some 70,000 cubic yards of sand that’s clogging the western part of San Elijo Lagoon, restricting tidal flow and causing fish die-off problems. “It took a lot longer than what was anticipated,” Nature Collective CEO Jennifer Bright said Thursday as she eyed the newly arrived dredging equipment floating near the shoreline behind Ki’s Restaurant. The nonprofit Nature Collective, which is coordinating the dredging project, had hoped to have the dredge in place in late 2024, but multiple issues caused months-long delays, officials said. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The end of San Diego’s sandy beaches?
“San Diego’s coastal resiliency master plan, a major pilot project that favors nature over armor to protect beaches from flooding and erosion, is entering phase two, with many details still to work out. But one thing is clear. As sea level rises, retreat is seeping into local coastal planning. A bathroom here, a staircase there. In Encinitas, for example, Beacon’s Beach parking lot is being moved back from the bluff edge. The city of San Diego’s environmental committee last week voted to recommend the city council approval of the coastal resiliency master plan and its environmental impact report. While retreat isn’t a big part of the city’s approach, the possibility was raised for at least two of the six project sites. … ” Read more from the San Diego Reader.
Study: Tijuana River sewage visible from space via NASA tool
“The Tijuana River sewage crisis in San Diego’s South Bay can be seen from space, according to a new study published in ScienceDirect’s Science of the Total Environment journal. Using a special tool aboard the International Space Station, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory recently captured photos of the South Bay that detected a type of bacteria in the air that can make people sick if they ingest or inhale it. The Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) tool used to capture the photos is typically used to map minerals on Earth. Now, scientists are testing if it can be used to map the planet’s water quality. Scientists have detected the same form of bacteria in water samples on the ground. … ” Read more from Channel 10.
Along the Colorado River …
Lake Mead’s water projected to hit lowest point on record
“Lake Mead’s water levels are projected to be the lowest in recorded history by 2027, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The lake, which was first filled in 1930, is already only 31 percent full after dropping to a low of 1,041.71 feet of water above sea level in July 2022. Its levels have risen since that low in 2022, but are expected to fall again to 1,041.06 feet as of May 2027. Lake Mead is the nation’s largest reservoir and is part of the Colorado River Basin network which supplies water to seven U.S. states, 30 tribal nations, and also parts of Mexico. Approximately 25 million people, including residents of the major cities of Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Los Angeles, rely on water from Lake Mead. Millions also rely on the lake’s ability to create electricity across Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada. … ” Read more from Newsweek.
The West’s Climate Mayors call for federal help as Colorado River flows decline
“A group of mayors representing cities across the West is calling for the federal government and state leaders to rally around efforts to help the region address water scarcity as climate change takes a toll on the Colorado River and other vital water sources. The bipartisan group Climate Mayors outlined a series of proposals for the Trump administration and state governments in a document released this week, saying federal and state involvement and financial support will be essential as cities seek to advance solutions including new infrastructure and water-saving initiatives. “The Colorado River was allocated in a much wetter time period than now,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, the current chair of Climate Mayors. “Every part of the river system has been impacted by climate change, and so we need to talk about what’s the best way to address those changes, and how to spread the impact most intelligently,” Gallego said in an interview. “Our group of Western mayors thinks this really needs to be a local, state and federal priority.” … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via Yahoo News.
Arizona, other Colorado River Basin states face deadline on water sharing agreement
“Anxiety over Arizona’s water supply is growing. Seven states that rely on the Colorado River have to come to an agreement by next year. On June 17, Governor Katie Hobbs met with the Arizona Reconsultation Committee to discuss the status of negotiations. The backstory: These seven states have to come to an agreement by June 2026, but they’re stuck in a stalemate. It’s the upper basin versus the lower basin. The upper basin states are Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The lower basin is California, Nevada and Arizona. The upper basin doesn’t want to give up its water or reduce its use, but the lower basin is running out of water. According to Gov. Hobbs, it’s a mixture of less rain, less runoff from the snowpack, drought conditions, and overuse. Now, water levels in Lake Mead are on the decline. … ” Read more from Channel 10.
Groundwater in the Colorado River Basin is low, raising farmers’ electric bills
“Groundwater in Arizona and the rest of the Colorado River Basin is drying up fast, and it’s causing farmers to spend more money in attempts to reach diminishing water supplies under the earth’s surface. A study from Arizona State University published in May found that the Colorado River Basin, which stretches across parts of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, has lost enough water over the past 10 years to fill Lake Mead. The water loss is most pronounced in Arizona, where many farmers are reliant on pumping groundwater to the surface. “Groundwater is being used faster than expected in the whole Colorado River Basin,” said Karem Abdelmohsen, a post-doctoral researcher at Arizona State University and first author on the study, in an interview with Straight Arrow News. “As groundwater levels drop, it becomes more expensive to access water.” … ” Read more from Straight Arrow News.
Hoover Dam’s story told ‘through the people who lived it’ at new visitor center
“The first visitors to enter the renovated Hoover Dam Visitor Center on Tuesday morning made their way slowly through the building’s new exhibit, exploring each facet of life that made the dam’s construction possible. For the people behind the project, that meant illustrating both the dangers people put themselves through during the Great Depression and the typically ignored spouses who made life in Boulder City possible. Terri Saumier, a facility services manager under the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, said the $15 million project had a focus on telling the dam’s “story through the people who lived it” from Day 1. For locals, Saumier called the new space one of the most beautiful in the region. “It is designed to be educational and fun for everyone, providing an authentic account of the day in the life of the people who built Hoover Dam,” said Genevieve Johnson, Reclamation’s acting regional director for the Lower Colorado Basin. “Together, they created one of the most iconic landmarks in the world.” … ” Read more from the Las Vegas Sun.
Arizona: Senate budget advances, includes more sweeps of dedicated water funding
“A special fund set up by the Arizona Legislature and former Gov. Doug Ducey in 2022 to provide $1 billion to secure new water supplies in the desert state is once again being raided to help balance the state budget. The move to use more than $70 million in the Long Term Water Augmentation Fund was called shortsighted by a representative of the state agency charged with using the cash to bring new water to the state. And several lawmakers on the Senate Appropriations Committee — who overwhelmingly voted Tuesday to advance the package of bills making up the $17.6 billion budget for the coming year — criticized the so-called “sweep” of money from the dedicated fund. “It’s not even a sweep,” complained Sen. Vince Leach. … ” Read more from KJZZ.
Western Slope communities consider water limits as drought deepens in west
“Aspen residents could face mandatory water restrictions this month as the city responds to a drought parching western Colorado. Water experts warn that the low snowpack could lead to more severe drought as the summer progresses. Aspen is already under Stage 1 Water Shortage, after the city council voted to institute the measures last week. The goal is to reduce water use by 10 percent by reducing use at public facilities, and urging voluntary conservation by businesses and residents in the 6,600-person resort community. Even with these measures in place, the city may not be able to avoid mandatory restrictions, said Aspen utilities resource manager Steve Hunter. “There’s a fairly decent possibility” restrictions will become mandatory in late June or July, he said. … ” Read more from Colorado Public Radio.
Trump pushes ‘America First’ in Mexico water deal. Experts worry it may backfire
“In April, there was a post. “We will keep escalating consequences, including TARIFFS and, maybe even SANCTIONS, until Mexico honors the Treaty, and GIVES TEXAS THE WATER THEY ARE OWED!” President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social account. The president’s signature declarative, all-caps style had collided with the highly technical realm of water negotiations between the United States and Mexico. It’s a world governed by an 81-year-old treaty that binds the two neighbors’ taps at a time when water is increasingly scarce on the border. After years of drought, Mexico is failing to come up with the water it owes the United States under that treaty. “Everybody wants the same amount of water that they used to,” said Rosario Sanchez, a research scientist at Texas A&M University who studies border waters. “Right now, we don’t have enough water for all the uses or all the users.” … ” Read more from KJZZ.
SEE ALSO: Water battles between the US and Mexico persist, from iNewsSource
In national water news today …
Nasa data reveals dramatic rise in intensity of weather events
“New data from Nasa has revealed a dramatic rise in the intensity of weather events such as droughts and floods over the past five years. The study shows that such extreme events are becoming more frequent, longer-lasting and more severe, with last year’s figures reaching twice that of the 2003-2020 average. The steepness of the rise was not foreseen. The researchers say they are amazed and alarmed by the latest figures from the watchful eye of Nasa’s Grace satellite, which tracks environmental changes in the planet. They say climate change is the most likely cause of the apparent trend, even though the intensity of extremes appears to have soared even faster than global temperatures. A Met Office expert said increases in extremes have long been predicted but are now being seen in reality. He warned that people were unprepared for such weather events, which would be outside previous experience. … ” Read more from the Guardian.
Microplastic pollution near coasts tied to higher disease rates
“People who live in U.S. coastal communities near heavily polluted waters may face higher risks of Type 2 diabetes, stroke and coronary artery disease, according to researchers who analyzed ocean plastic levels and county health data. The analysis focused on counties bordered by ocean waters with high concentrations of microplastics — tiny plastic particles that come from broken-down plastic waste like packaging, fabrics and personal care products. This risk was higher compared to residents of coastal counties with low levels of microplastic pollution in nearby waters, according to new research published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association. “This is one of the first large-scale studies to suggest that living near waters heavily polluted with microplastics may be linked to chronic health conditions. Plastic pollution is not just an environmental issue — it may also be a public health issue,” said Dr. Sarju Ganatra, senior author of the study and medical director of sustainability at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Massachusetts, in a press release. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
