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On the calendar today …
- PUBLIC MEETING: Yolo Bypass Comprehensive Study at 10:30am or 6:30pm: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is holding two virtual informational outreach meetings on July 7, 2025, to give an overview and obtain feedback from the public on the Yolo Bypass Comprehensive Study. They want to hear about your priorities, interests, and concerns as they work towards a regional approach to resource management for the Yolo Bypass system. The Study will evaluate and develop recommendations for the federal government’s participation in the comprehensive management of the Yolo Bypass, including potential changes to the existing infrastructure. The non-Federal sponsors for the Yolo Bypass Comprehensive Study are the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency and Central Valley Flood Protection Board, which is supported by the California Department of Water Resources. The two meetings will cover the same information and provide the same opportunities for feedback. Teams link available here.
- LEG HEARING: Assembly Committee on Natural Resources at 2:30pm. Click here for more information.
In California water news today …
California has a drinking water problem
“California’s drinking water has elevated levels of a certain contaminant found to be associated with adverse birth outcomes, causing experts to advise that safe water advisories need to be updated. According to a nationwide study led by researchers at Columbia University, parts of the state have levels of arsenic in public drinking water higher than 5 micrograms per liter. While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently maintains that levels of arsenic in drinking water are safe at 10 micrograms per liter or less, the study found certain health risks were associated with lower levels. Researchers found that consumption of drinking water with levels of arsenic of 10 micrograms or less were connected to a higher chance of babies being born preterm, with lower birth weights, or smaller than expected for their gestational age. … ” Read more from Newsweek.
California’s plan to ‘Make Polluters Pay’ for climate change stalls again. Why oil companies are fiercely opposed
“California lawmakers have for years vowed to hold fossil fuel companies liable for damages caused by their emissions, including worsening wildfires and floods and mounting costs of climate recovery and adaptation. But the state’s so-called Climate Superfund bills have once again stalled in Sacramento amid fierce lobbying and industry pressure — leaving communities to cover the costs. The latest version of this effort, Senate Bill 684 and Assembly Bill 1243 — known as the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act — would require the largest oil and gas companies doing business in the state to pay their fair share of the damages caused by planet-warming greenhouse gases. The fees would be collected into a Superfund that would be put toward projects and programs to help the state mitigate, adapt and respond to climate change. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Farmworkers heal climate-scarred land with native seeds
“Irma Quiroz pulled her bandana over her face, lowered her hat, and flicked a switch. A towering seed-cleaning machine roared to life, sending a cloud of dust and residue into the air. Quiroz shoveled native grass seeds into the machine as her husband, Juan Gómez, held out a palm to inspect the stream of cleaned seeds, looking for any that were empty or underdeveloped, as they cascaded out of the machine into white sacks. They were now ready for restoration sites across California. Quiroz and Gómez are seed-cleaning specialists and field workers at Hedgerow Farms, a native seed farm near the Central Valley town of Winters. Hedgerow’s collectors gather seeds from native plants in the wild, and field workers grow them out at the 300-acre farm to produce more seeds. This spring, neat rows of mugwort, purple needlegrass, and California poppies sprouted in the midst of neighboring almond orchards, tomatoes, and alfalfa. … ” Read more from Civil Eats.
Solar push sparks water, ethics concerns in California
“As California continues its push toward clean energy, the agricultural community is raising red flags over the unintended consequences of solar development on farmland. AgNet West’s own Josh McGill investigated the issue and found a troubling contradiction: while farmers are restricted from pumping groundwater due to SGMA regulations, massive lithium mines required for solar battery storage are being greenlit—drawing water from the same aquifers.“ How are you going to have water to mine lithium, but not water to grow an almond crop?” — Josh McGill … ” Read more from Ag Net West.
Fallow farmland in California fuels dust storms
“California’s Central Valley plays a major role in U.S. agriculture, growing about one-third of the country’s vegetables and most of its fruits and nuts. The region produces around 400 types of crops. However, farmland here doesn’t always stay active—each year, thousands of acres are left fallow, or unused, depending on water supply, market needs, and climate. A new study published in Communications Earth & Environment shows that these fallow lands are the main cause of human-made dust storms in the region. Researchers from the University of California, Merced, analyzed data from 2008 to 2022 and found that 88% of major dust storms were linked to idle farmland. Dust storms are more than just a weather event—they cause dangerous air pollution through tiny particles called PM2.5 and PM10. These particles can harm people’s lungs and hearts and may even carry diseases. Dust storms also lower visibility, increasing the risk of traffic accidents. … ” Read more from Farms.com.
Should bioplastics be counted as compost? Debate pits farmers against manufacturers
“Greg Pryor began composting yard and food waste for San Francisco in 1996, and today he oversees nine industrial-sized composting sites in California and Oregon that turn discarded banana peels, coffee grounds, chicken bones and more into a dark, nutrient-rich soil that farmers covet for their fields and crops. His company, Recology, processes organic waste from cities and municipalities across the Bay Area, Central Valley, Northern California, Oregon and Washington — part of a growing movement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by minimizing food waste in landfills. But, said Pryor, if bioplastic and compostable food packaging manufacturers’ get their way, the whole system could collapse. At issue is a 2021 California law, known as Assembly Bill 1201, which requires that products labeled “compostable” must actually break down into compost, not contaminate soil or crops with toxic chemicals, and be readily identifiable to both consumers and solid waste facilities. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Atomic energy, out of a box? In the rural West, an experimental reactor technology inches closer to reality.
” … The anti-nuclear movement’s grassroots legacy has echoed across the American West and still lingers as a new generation of reactors, known as small modular reactors (SMRs), sparks renewed debate from Oregon to Wyoming over nuclear energy’s role in the transition from older power sources pouring greenhouse gases into the atmosphere to newer, cleaner ones. Today’s debate is shaped by a new context: the accelerating climate crisis. While past activists feared the risks of nuclear power, many now weigh those concerns against the urgent need for rapid decarbonization. The question is no longer just whether nuclear is safe, but whether it’s necessary. Developers bill SMRs as cleaner, cheaper, and more flexible than their towering predecessors. TerraPower, a company co-founded by Bill Gates, backs them, and tech giants like Google and Amazon view them as a low-carbon solution to meet the skyrocketing energy demand, particularly for the growing number of data centers needed to meet the exploding demand for artificial intelligence. Do they trade safety, water, and local control for uncertain solutions to power a data-hungry future? Or are they a necessary element of that future? … ” Read more from & the West.
Hotter temperatures ahead for California heading into mid-July as fire season heats up
“Well, that anomalously cool coast-hot inland dipole pattern (in which the usual cool coast-hot inland pattern was amplified even more than is usual in summer) has continued since last update–and, at this point, a bit later into the still-young summer than seasonal ensembles had originally suggested. The last couple of weeks, in particular, have featured relatively mild and sometimes unsettled weather–with multiple episodes of (mainly) mountain thunderstorms. Those thunderstorm episodes have themselves turned out to be rather consequential, and were associated with both the deadly recreational boating tragedy on Lake Tahoe and also an outbreak of lightning-sparked wildfires in California’s northern mountains in recent days. Several of these fires have now burned at least a few hundred acres–not huge fires by contemporary standards, but an indication that conditions even in higher elevation forests have become drier in recent days and that subsequent ignitions amid renewed heat will likely become more active than others so far this season. Notably, there has been active fire behavior within high-intensity fire footprints from as recently as 2018 (i.e., the Carr Fire near Redding). … ” Read more from Weather West.
How this shift in weather can spark California wildfires
“California is a thunderstorm desert. Lightning is less frequent here than nearly everywhere else in the United States. But on occasion, California gets a taste of tropical weather during summer. Some of the state’s most widespread thunderstorms occur from a seasonal shift in the winds miles high in the atmosphere. These winds draw humid air from the Gulf of California toward the Southwest U.S., a pattern known as the North American monsoon. Monsoon thunderstorms can trigger flooding rains, dust storms and lightning-sparked wildfires with impacts stretching as far east as Texas and as far west as California. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Firefighters scramble as multiple wildfires erupt in California ‘expected to increase steadily’
“Just as firefighters in California got one wildfire under control, an even bigger blaze erupted. The Madre Fire has quickly expanded to become the state’s largest so far this year. The Juniper Fire ignited on the last day of June, about 50 miles east of Los Angeles, California. Three days later, it was 98% contained, per MyNewsLA, having charred over 700 acres in Riverside County. Although it may be a relatively small fire compared to the larger blazes California has seen in the past year, it has had significant impacts. More than 5,000 people were ordered to evacuate on the fire’s first day, according to the New York Times. As firefighters gained control of the Juniper Fire, a much larger one broke out about 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles. … ” Read more from The Cool Down.
In commentary today …
Valley Water leaders urge state-federal coordination
In June, the Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley submitted letters to President Donald J. Trump and Governor Gavin Newsom, along with a comprehensive policy memorandum, urging increased cooperation and immediate implementation of complimentary state and federal executive orders to help address California’s devastating water crisis. President Trump’s Executive Order, issued January 24, 2025, lays a powerful foundation for restoring water reliability across Central and Southern California. The Blueprint commended this bold action and urged the Administration to adopt a clear, results-driven benchmark: increase water supply availability by 9 million acre-feet per year (MAF/yr) by 2040, with measurable progress in the next two years. … ” Read more from the Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Officials celebrate as iconic wetlands see remarkable comeback after years of drought: ‘Revitalizing a habitat that had been idle for years’
“Record-breaking snowfall at the Klamath Basin flooded 23,000 acres of the Lower Klamath and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuges, bringing the wetlands back to near full capacity, where it has not been since 2008. The wetlands are actively being refilled with an additional 14,000 acres of water as snow continues to melt. “This lifeblood source of water is revitalizing a habitat that had been idle for years,” an article for Western Outdoor News reported. Even privately owned lands beyond the refuge have been flooded by local farmers, adding to the 30,000 acres of privately owned agricultural fields that provide foraging grounds for migrating waterfowl in the Pacific Flyway, which is a major north-south flyway for migratory birds in the Americas. … ” Read more from The Cool Down.
Audio: Klamath River bounces back following dam removal
“The Klamath Basin is a large, beautiful area of southern Oregon and far Northern California. This area has long been celebrated for fishing, hunting, agriculture. The river has been the center of life for many tribes who rely on salmon and trout for food. There are rich cultures still there, and their lives revolve around the fish and the river. The Klamath was once the third-largest salmon run on the entire West Coast. And those numbers really crashed after the construction of four major dams during the early part of the last century. The dams had produced electric power, but they weren’t designed to coexist well with fish. And dams have a limited lifespan. It would have cost a ton of money to update them. And there was much more support to take them down. This was something tribes and others had wanted for decades. And this effort has allowed the river to be reborn in a more natural state. Something else in this area is that land is increasingly being returned to tribal control. Recently, about 15,000 acres were turned over from a conservation group to the Yurok. So this is a time of a lot of change and revitalization along the Klamath.” Listen at KQED.
With 6,000-foot tunnel and $2.1 billion, California set to save remote region
“A long-awaited fix is finally taking shape for one of the most hazardous and landslide-prone stretches of California’s Highway 101: a massive tunnel project that would become the longest in the state’s history. The trouble spot lies deep in the so-called Redwood Curtain — the remote, forested region of California’s far North Coast, where Highway 101 clings to steep cliffs above the Pacific. It’s a rugged, isolated stretch of road, more than five hours north of San Francisco and nearly as far from Portland. When it fails, entire communities like Crescent City and the hamlet of Klamath are cut off. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
Trinidad to reconsider joining engineering study for water pipeline extension as Rancheria connection project moves forward
“As the Trinidad Rancheria slowly but surely works toward securing a source of water for the multi-story Hyatt hotel it wants to build next to The Heights Casino, the City of Trinidad will take a fresh look at whether or not to upgrade its own municipal water supply from that same source — a mainline extension from the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District (HBMWD). The Rancheria is currently working on a draft feasibility study analyzing the potential connection to an extended HBMWD mainline. Trinidad residents, meanwhile, have been divided, sometimes bitterly, over the question of whether the city needs a more reliable and voluminous water supply. … ” Read more from Lost Coast Outpost.
Lawsuits challenge county’s approval to remove Mendocino’s beloved main street water tower
“The controversy over a 1904 water tower slated for demolition on Mendocino’s Main Street has sparked two lawsuits against Mendocino County and the county’s Board of Supervisors. The lawsuits allege violations of California’s environmental law after the board voted to allow removal, overruling the Mendocino Historical Review Board. The tower’s owners say it is structurally damaged beyond repair, but locals and historical board members argue it is a landmark that should be preserved. The town of Mendocino is a federally recognized historic district and has been since 1971, according to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. … ” Read more from the Mendocino Beacon.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
New Keep Tahoe Blue center opens in South Lake Tahoe
“A new headquarters for Keep Tahoe Blue is opening in South Lake Tahoe. The environmentally focused building is designed to bring the community together to protect the lake. For more than 70 years, the League to Save Lake Tahoe has advocated for clean water, wildfire resilience, and sustainable development. Now, the League has a new home: the Spurlock/Evers Environment and Education Center. “This new building for Keep Tahoe Blue is a symbol of our renewed commitment to the Tahoe community and to our mission here at the League,” said Adrián Escobedo, the League’s community program director. … ” Read more from KUNR.
Over 1,000 pounds of trash found at Lake Tahoe after Fourth of July weekend
“More than 15 million people visit Lake Tahoe every year, eclipsing many national parks. But the Fourth of July weekend might be considered the peak of that tourism chaos, when thousands of people descend on the scenic shoreline to cool off in the water, take in the gorgeous views and, inevitably, leave behind their trash. This year was no exception, but cleanup efforts left local advocates feeling unexpectedly optimistic. Over 650 volunteers who gathered at the lake Saturday as part of Keep Tahoe Blue’s 12th annual holiday cleanup event picked up approximately 1,375 pounds of trash. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
SEE ALSO: Less trash found on Lake Tahoe beaches during post-July 4 cleanup.
This California lake is seeing ‘apocalyptic’ overcrowding — and officials are cracking down
“A drowning. Heavy traffic. Trash everywhere. Cars parked in fire lanes. Fistfights on the beach. Last summer at bucolic Pinecrest Lake was rough. The scenic getaway, tucked in a forested granite basin in Tuolumne County off of Highway 108, has been a summertime escape for generations of Bay Area and Central Valley residents — some of whom own cabins at the lake. There’s a market and restaurant, a marina that rents pontoon party boats, an amphitheater that shows movies under the stars, a campground and a wide sand beach. Like other outdoor destinations in Northern California that have seen surges in visitation since the pandemic, Pinecrest becomes overcrowded and unmanageable on busy summer weekends, as thousands of people pack the beach. “There have been some apocalyptic weekends,” said Tuolumne County Supervisor Anaiah Kirk, whose district includes Pinecrest. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Summer maintenance begins at Feather River Fish Hatchery in Oroville after completion of salmon tagging operation
“The Feather River Fish Hatchery in Oroville has wrapped up its tagging operations for adult spring-run Chinook salmon. According to the California Department of Water Resources, around 7,919 salmon were tagged this season. Officials say the tagging helps track the success of hatchery operations and improve fish population management. The DWR and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife also continued thiamine treatments to address vitamin deficiencies in Chinook salmon, enhancing their survival from egg to juvenile. … ” Read more from Action News Now.
Collaborative salmon recovery efforts taking shape in Butte Creek
“As part of our five-year strategic priorities, the Northern California Water Association is taking a closer look at how local actions throughout the Sacramento River Basin bring these priorities to life. One of our central goals—Vitalizing Healthy Rivers, Landscapes and Communities: Ridgetop to River Mouth Water Management—is being advanced through the sub-priority Energizing our Rivers and Creeks. A promising example of this work is underway, a collaborative effort in lower Butte Creek. This local initiative reflects a broader commitment in the Sacramento River Basin to improve conditions for native fish, particularly spring-run Chinook salmon, by enhancing flows, habitat, and fish passage in a way that integrates community values and landscape needs. … ” Read more from the Northern California Water Association.
Algal bloom advisory issued for Middle Fork of the Lake Oroville Reservoir
“The Middle Fork of the Lake Oroville Reservoir in Butte County is under a caution algal bloom advisory. According to the California Department of Water Resources, residents and visitors should keep themselves and their pets away from the algal blooms. Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, can grow rapidly under certain conditions and may produce toxins harmful to humans and animals. When harmful algal blooms (HABs) are detected, activities in the water may be restricted due to safety concerns. The DWR says they regularly test the water for toxins and posts advisories both on-site and online when necessary. … ” Read more from Action News Now.
NAPA/SONOMA
Doran Beach is popular with campers. Could the ocean wash it away?
“For about a half-century, Denise Longacre’s family has dug for clams and stoked seaside campfires on Doran Beach, a crescent swoop of sand jutting out of the Sonoma County coast at the mouth of Bodega Bay. … County experts warn that ocean waters increasingly cover areas of Doran from sea to harbor during winter storms and King Tides — inundations that provide a grim glimpse of a future in which rising seas could overwhelm this narrow but important spit of land. Doran’s two-mile peninsula shelters Bodega Harbor, the largest fishing port between San Francisco and Fort Bragg. More than one-third of Doran Regional Park could be permanently underwater by the end of the century, if worst-case scenarios for sea level rise developed by the U.S. Geological Survey and National Research Council unfold as projected. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
SEE ALSO: Is Sonoma County’s Doran Beach disappearing? What experts say, from KCRA
BAY AREA
Marin City residents unimpressed with Caltrans flood plans
“Caltrans’ latest project to reduce flooding at its Highway 101 exit in Marin City is insufficient, local officials told the agency. “It’s unclear … the degree to which building a second culvert will address the flooding,” Dana Clark, a Marin City Community Services District board environmental consultant, said at a recent Caltrans hearing. “It gets completely cut off at certain times of the year.” “What you’re doing is very discriminatory. You’re ignoring us in the community,” said Terrie Green, the board chair. Green wanted to know why Caltrans was not addressing polluted runoff from Highway 101 that flows through Golden Gate Village, why the agency has not built a highway barrier wall despite repeated requests since 2008, and why there was not a second entrance and exit from the highway into the community. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
Transportation Authority of Marin approves sea-level plan
“Plans to protect Marin’s roads, paths and transit from rising seas have taken a major step forward with the approval of a new adaptation report. Capping a two-year effort, the board governing the Transportation Authority of Marin voted unanimously to accept the 200-page document at its meeting on June 26. The report identifies seven focus areas in the county, along with several potential projects designed to defend the county’s transportation network from rising water. Approval enables the agency’s staff to begin working with officials in the county’s 11 municipalities to implement policy changes and start developing projects, including elevating roads and restoring marshlands. “This is really intended to be more than just another study that sits on the shelf,” Anne Richman, executive director of the Transportation Authority of Marin said at the meeting. “There’s a lot of technical data behind the actual report, and we really want it to be useful to the jurisdictions.” … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
Developers have a new plan for the heart of a Bay Area mountain after facing opposition
“A developer no longer plans to build a giant warehouse on the site of an aging quarry on San Bruno Mountain – but the revised proposal includes a data center and advanced manufacturing facility instead. Orchard Partners LLC unveiled the downsized plan at a community meeting in Brisbane this week in an effort to appease environmentalists who raised concerns about noise, traffic and adverse impacts on the mountain’s endangered butterfly species. Instead of the 1.3-million-square-foot, three-story warehouse proposed last October, the developer is now proposing a pair of two-story industrial buildings totaling about 900,000 square feet. One building would house the data center, while the other would host a combination of warehouse space and advanced manufacturing. “We came back with something that’s materially smaller and has materially fewer truck trips,” said Don Little, a partner at the Lafayette-based real estate company. “I think in all respects we’ve touched on and addressed the key issues that we were told about.” … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Uncertainty of future FEMA disaster funding alarms Bay Area emergency planners
“Across the Bay Area, county officials responsible for emergency planning are bracing for the economic aftershocks should President Donald Trump make good on promises to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency and scrap federal funding that has long helped residents recover from floods, earthquakes and other calamities. FEMA already has stopped boots-on-the-ground response operations, slashed the list of reimbursable public projects and throttled disaster reimbursements for repairs following natural disasters, extreme weather or other emergencies — just a handful of the changes flagged by Rick Kovar, Contra Costa County’s emergency services manager. In a push to “wean” states off FEMA, the Trump administration has also reduced federal cost-sharing, paused applications for emergency management grants and ignored prior approvals for dozens of hazard-mitigation projects, including four in California worth more than $125 million for flood prevention. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
CENTRAL COAST
County crews reinforce Carmel River Lagoon sandbar
“Monterey County Public Works staff added sand and reinforced the sandbar on the westerly end of the Carmel River Lagoon last week. The reinforced sand was a recommendation from NOAA National Marine Fisheries Services and is meant to protect the presence of Steelhead Salmon and other endangered species from being prematurely washed into the ocean. Members of the public have previously been observed attempting to breach the lagoon sandbar, which is already narrow, further endangering juvenile species. “As Carmel River State Beach is a popular destination for the 4th of July holiday, County workers and State Parks Rangers are urging beach goers to enjoy the ocean and the beach but please leave the sandbar alone,” said a news release. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald. | Read via MSN News.
Paso Robles landowners protest groundwater fees in petition
“A group of property owners who rely on the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin has launched a petition seeking to suspend the ongoing Proposition 218 vote organized by the Paso Robles Area Groundwater Authority. The petition, which was made public June 30, alleges the process violates constitutional rights, does not meet legal notice requirements, and misleads rural landowners about financial impacts. Rural residential properties use about 2 percent of the groundwater from the basin, with most of that returned to the ground through recharge. According to the petition, which is available at https://sites.google.com/view/prop218petition, multiple violations of Proposition 218 are outlined. The measure guarantees property owners the right to protest or vote on new or increased fees attached to their properties. … ” Read more from the Paso Robles Daily News.
Farm Bureau backs Paso Robles groundwater basin authority
“The San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau announced its support for the newly formed Joint Powers Authority (JPA) established to manage the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin under the California Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. In a public statement, the Farm Bureau emphasized that the new JPA represents the most efficient and cost-effective means of complying with the groundwater management law while ensuring long-term water availability for all beneficial users of the basin. … ” Read more from the Paso Robles Daily News.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Free testing offered to detect nitrate in SJ Valley domestic wells
“The nonprofit Valley Water Collaborative provides free domestic well testing and clean drinking water to people in the San Joaquin Valley who are affected by high nitrate levels. The service is part of a 35-year agreement between the agricultural, dairy and treatment plant industries and the state water control board. The Central Valley is deeply impacted by high nitrate levels and other drinking water contaminants, especially in unincorporated areas that rely on domestic wells instead of public water systems that treat and filter groundwater. “Our priority-one basins which have the highest levels of contamination are Modesto and Turlock, so we were finding a lot of positive results there — ‘positive’ meaning tested positive for high levels of nitrate,” said Sara Bernal, community outreach manager at Valley Water Collaborative. … ” Read more from the Modesto Bee.
‘How did we get here?’: Calif. megadevelopment runs out of water
“It may sound like an end-times warning for California about the existential risk of building megadevelopments in places where water is scarce — but in one Central California community, the worst fears of running out of the precious resource have become a reality. And, even in a best-case scenario, there seemingly is no solution except for one that is both temporary and unfathomably expensive. Diablo Grande is a planned community in the foothills of Stanislaus County, about 30 miles southwest of Modesto. The community was initially approved for construction on 29,000 acres in the early 1990s and was dreamed up as a massive project featuring thousands of homes, half a dozen golf courses and even a hotel. A scaled-back version of the plan was ultimately built — featuring 600 homes and a since-shuttered golf course — and the grand vision of Diablo Grande never came to fruition. … ” Continue reading at SF Gate.
Hydropower saps flows from the mighty Kern River. Rafters want their whitewater back.
“It started out like a typical whitewater rafting trip on the North Fork of the Kern River. Boaters paddled through churning rapids, gliding past boulders and crashing through breaking waves. But after a few miles, as they approached a dam, the group drifted to the bank and lifted their blue raft out of the water to begin an eight-hour journey on land. Their plan: to hold an unusual protest by carrying the raft on foot for 16 miles beside a stretch of river that is rendered impassable where the dam takes much of its water and reroutes it far downstream.
“That 16 miles of river is not runnable in a boat,” said Jonathan Yates, an avid kayaker who organized the protest. “There’s not enough water in the river.” … ” Read more from the LA Times.
EASTERN SIERRA
Mono Lake could be losing its California gulls
“California gulls that nest at the eastern Sierra’s Mono Lake suffered a catastrophic breeding failure last year, according to the latest installment in a four-decade-long series of reports tracking the birds’ health. Biologists with Point Blue Conservation Science said in their study of the gulls’ 2024 breeding season that although 20,000 breeding birds built roughly 10,000 nests at the lake, just 324 chicks survived. It was the worst reproductive year on the books for these birds at Mono Lake,” said Bartshe Miller, Eastern Sierra policy director for the Mono Lake Committee, a group that’s worked for decades to restore an ecosystem devastated by water diversions to Los Angeles. … ” Read more from KQED.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
CA data: just one Palisades brush clearance before fire
“State data shows the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention carried out only one brush clearance operation in the Pacific Palisades before the deadly Palisades Fire killed 12 Americans and destroyed 6,837 structures, highlighting the state’s slow progress in forest management. This single Cal Fire-funded fuel reduction operation in Cal Fire’s database covering 2023 to the present involved mastication of 184 acres of scrubland across the over 75,000-acre Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority between November and December 2024. This operation focused on the border between the coastal community of the Pacific Palisades and the slightly more inland Brentwood community in MRCA’s Westridge-Canyonback Park along Mandeville Canyon Road, and along the Bel-Air, eastern side of the San Diego Freeway. … ” Read more from the Center Square.
Six months after January’s fires, recovery is just beginning for many
“The most destructive fires in L.A. County history erupted six months ago today, killing at least 30 people and destroying more than 16,000 structures, mostly homes, and reshaping the region in ways large and small. Instead of January’s landscape of chimneys and staircases rising from rubble, today empty dirt lots extend block after block in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades. A handful of people who survived the Eaton and Palisades fires have broken ground on rebuilds. Many remain displaced. Still others decided to move on, restart their lives elsewhere. For most, the emotional pain remains all too present. How much can change in six months. And how little. … ” Read more from the LAist.
SEE ALSO: 6 months later, 12 ways the Eaton and Palisades fires changed Southern California, from the San Jose Mercury News
This UCLA research project needs your help studying birds after wildfires
“Researchers at UCLA are asking the public for help documenting changes in bird behavior from wildfire smoke. It takes 10 minutes a week to participate. Why are they doing this: “We don’t know a lot about how wildfire smoke is impacting birds,” Olivia Sanderfoot, the director of Project Phoenix, said. Her team is trying to change that. Forecasting where wildfire smoke will blow is difficult, so the researchers are turning to the public to get a geographic spread on how birds along the West Coast are affected. Why start now: This is the third year Project Phoenix has been conducting research, working between July and November, which is peak fire season on the West Coast. Volunteers can join at any point during those months. … ” Read more from the LAist.
Along the Colorado River …
A conceptual breakthrough has emerged for the Colo. River’s future
“After months of stalemate, glimmers of hope have emerged for consensus on a new plan to manage the shrinking Colorado River. Negotiators from the seven river basin states said in a series of meetings in recent weeks that they were discussing a plan rooted in a concept that breaks from decades of management practice. Rather than basing water releases on reservoir levels, it would base the amount released from the system’s two major reservoirs on the amount of water flowing in the river. The new concept would be more responsive as river flows become more variable. The comments signal a break in months of stalemate between the Upper Basin states — Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming — and the three Lower Basin states: California, Nevada and Arizona. The states’ representatives are wrestling with a seemingly simple question: How should the river’s water be allocated as long-term drought and higher temperatures fueled by climate change decimate the amount of water available? … ” Read more from the Las Vegas Sun.
Audio: States may meet federal deadline on new Colorado River water-sharing deal
“About 40 million people rely on the Colorado River for drinking water. It also irrigates agricultural fields. It’s also shrinking. Now, states might agree on a potential deal on sharing the river.” Listen at NPR.
Satellite images show how much Lake Mead has shrunk in 25 years
“Satellite images illustrate how water levels in Lake Mead have fallen in the past 25 years. Lake Mead supplies vital water to millions in Nevada, Arizona, California, and parts of Mexico. However, declining water levels could jeopardize city water systems, farm irrigation, and hydroelectric power output. Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the U.S., capable of storing approximately 29 million acre-feet of water. It is closely followed Lake Powell, with a capacity of around 25 million acre-feet. Recent forecasts lowered runoff into Lake Powell to just 55 percent of average, down from an earlier estimate of 67 percent, due to an underwhelming winter snowpack. … ” Read more from Newsweek.
Sarah Porter: The future of Arizona’s water policy
“Sarah Porter’s fondest memories of growing up in Phoenix include spending time with her family camping, hiking, and fishing. So when Porter saw an opportunity to transition from her career as a lawyer working in complex commercial litigation to serving with the National Audubon Society, she stepped into a role that reconnected her with one of her passions. Her work with the Audubon Society ultimately led to her current position as director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy, where she has served in this capacity since 2015. … ” Read more from the Arizona Capitol Times.
Groundwater replenishment left hanging by Arizona’s new ‘ag to urban’ law
“A newly signed bill giving developers the ability to buy and retire farmland in favor of subdivisions has been hailed by supporters as the single biggest improvement in state water law since the landmark Arizona Groundwater Management Act passed 45 years ago. It’s been promoted as a ticket to water savings, since homes typically use significantly less water than cotton fields. It’s also seen as a path to more affordable housing in the Phoenix area and Pinal County, where the law would have an impact. There, homebuilders say existing state restrictions on building new homes using groundwater have reduced housing supplies and triggered a spike in home prices. What’s more, the new law went through the Legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support. … ” Read more from the Arizona Daily Star.
Rural groundwater conservation plans failed this year in the GOP-controlled Arizona Legislature
“At the beginning of the year, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs introduced a plan to conserve shrinking rural groundwater supplies. But that, and similar efforts, died in the GOP-controlled Legislature. In rural areas of the state, many communities rely on dwindling groundwater supplies where there are no restrictions on water pumping. Rural Republicans stood with Hobbs in January when she announced her plan to address the problem by creating rural management areas around endangered groundwater basins where pumping would be restricted. But it didn’t get consideration by legislative Republicans. Hobbs said Tuesday that she hasn’t given up. … ” Read more from KJZZ.
Why isn’t agrivoltaics taking off in Arizona?
“Under patches of shadow, Greg Barron-Gafford crouched to check on a row of artichokes. It was mid-April in the southern Arizona town of Oracle, which had already seen a string of 90-degree days in the previous few weeks, plus a 100-degree spike. Still, the plants appeared robust, their leaves lush and perky. Other plants — herbs, garlic, carrots — seemed to be thriving, too, despite the heat. The garden’s bounty had even drawn wild animals: Recently, gophers had raided the site, so Barron-Gafford and his colleagues were considering installing a buried fence to thwart them. Part of the garden’s vitality was thanks to the 30 3-meter-high solar panels overhead, which provide crucial shade that keeps the crops underneath from drying out. About 30 feet away, another garden — that’s a generous word for it — sprawled forlornly under the full heat of the sun, its plants wilted and shriveled. … ” Read more from the High Country News.
Arizona Game and Fish is using beavers to help restore wetland habitats
“Biologists from the Arizona Game and Fish Department have been testing out a new protocol when relocating beavers. And now at least two of these furry mammals are, sort of, state employees. In certain circumstances, the department has to move beavers who are causing land management issues. And with their new translocation protocol, some beavers may now be paired with man-made dams. … ” Read more from KJZZ.
Residents near South32 Hermosa Project alarmed by potential groundwater impacts
“Residents living near the South32 Hermosa Project recently received a letter notifying them that their groundwater levels could be affected by the developing mine. The company states in a letter shared with AZPM that, “Based on scientific modeling included in the U.S. Forest Service’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement, specific wells located within a projected ‘cone of depression’ could experience a change of groundwater levels exceeding 10 feet over the life of the project.” Although no immediate impacts are anticipated, South32 is offering a voluntary Well Protection Program for potentially affected landowners. … ” Read more from Arizona Public Media.
In national water news today …
As the world warms, extreme rain is becoming even more extreme
“Colossal bursts of rain like the ones that caused the deadly flooding in Texas are becoming more frequent and intense around the globe as the burning of fossil fuels heats the planet, scientists say. Warm air holds more moisture than cool air, and as temperatures rise, storms can produce bigger downpours. When met on the ground with outdated infrastructure or inadequate warning systems, the results can be catastrophic. These were the ingredients for tragedy in Texas, a state that is well acquainted with weather extremes of all kinds: high heat and deep cold, deluges and droughts, tornadoes hurricanes, hail and snow. Indeed, the Hill Country, the part of the state where the Guadalupe River swelled on Friday, is sometimes called “flash flood alley” for how at risk it is to seemingly out-of-nowhere surges of water. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
Landmark US study reveals sewage sludge and wastewater plants tied to PFAS pollution
“Sewage sludge and wastewater treatment plants are major sources of Pfas water pollution, new research finds, raising questions about whether the US is safely managing its waste. A first-of-its-kind study tested rivers bordering 32 sewage sludge sites, including wastewater treatment plants and fields where the substance is spread as fertilizer – it found concerning levels of Pfas around all but one. The study is the first to sample water up- and downstream from sites, and to test around the country. It found the levels downstream were higher for at least one Pfas compound 95% of the time, suggesting that the sludge sites are behind the increased pollution levels. “We have an indication of very widespread problems and significant exposures that people are going to be facing,” said Kelly Hunter Foster, an environmental attorney with the Waterkeeper Alliance, which conducted the study. … ” Read more from The Guardian.
Breaking down the true cost of AI data centers’ rapid growth across America
“To fulfill the promise of AI, data centers have sprung up around the country, using water, land, and electricity to deliver computing power for the booming tech. A team of BI reporters and editors sought to quantify the spread of these centers and show the impact on their surroundings. I chatted with two lead reporters on the project, Hannah Beckler and Dakin Campbell, about their takeaways. Hannah, Dakin, in a nutshell, how many data centers are there in the United States, and how fast is the boom happening?There are 1,240 data centers either built or approved for construction in the United States. That’s four times as many as there were in 2010. … ” Read more from AOL News.
How this group got Trump to sign a pro-environment executive order
“President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday seeking to “Make America Beautiful Again,” establishing a council tasked with conserving public lands, protecting wildlife populations and ensuring clean drinking water while remaining silent on climate change. For an administration that has largely focused on rolling back climate regulations and boosting the oil industry, the order is a first nod at outlining a cohesive environmental policy. The move is the culmination of a months-long campaign by Benji Backer, a 27-year-old self-described conservative environmentalist, who brought a draft of the order to the White House in February. But many environmental groups questioned the administration’s commitment to environmental protection. “Given the all-out assault on clean water, public lands and wildlife protection from the Trump administration, it’s hard not to be skeptical of anything it announces,” said Andrew Wetzler, senior vice president for nature at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an advocacy group, in a statement. … ” Read more from the Washington Post.
‘A self-inflicted tragedy’: Congress approves reversal of US climate policy
“The U.S. House of Representatives voted 218-214 on Thursday to pass President Donald Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill, greenlighting deep cuts to America’s social safety net and the decimation of the country’s only federal climate strategy. Democrats uniformly opposed the bill, while all but two House Republicans supported it. “This bill will leave America a far crueler and weaker place,” said Robert Weissman, co-president of the nonprofit Public Citizen, in a statement. It “races the United States and the world toward climate catastrophe, ending support for renewable energy that is absolutely vital to avert worst-case climate scenarios.” The so-called Big Beautiful Bill has now been approved by both chambers of Congress; all it needs now is Trump’s signature before it can become law. Trump is expected to sign it during an evening ceremony on July 4, Independence Day, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. … ” Read more from Grist.
Announcements …
NOTICE: Proposed revised notification and/or response levels for PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS and proposed notification and response level for PFHxA
NOTICE of Proposed Rulemaking: Water Storage Investment Program Early Funding
NOTICE: State Water Board conditionally approves USBR’s Sacramento River Temperature Management Plan
NOW AVAILABLE: Final Independent Peer Review Report for the Hydrologic Engineering Center Reservoir Simulation Water Temperature Model
