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On the calendar today …
- MEETING: Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience (SAFER) Advisory Group from 9am to 12pm. The Advisory Group will discuss the Draft Fund Expenditure Plan. Click here for the agenda and remote access instructions.
- WORKSHOP: Real-time Data Direct Grant Program from 10am to 12pm. The California Department of Water Resources will host the first of two workshops for the Real-Time Data Direct Grant Program Draft Guidelines. Both hybrid workshops will be held virtually through MS Teams and at the Joint Operations Center at: 3310 El Camino Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95821 Members of the public can contact Boone Lek at 916-837-5700 or boone.lek@water.ca.gov to RSVP or request the Teams virtual meeting invitation.
- WORKSHOP: Delta Farmland Conversion Impact Workshop from 1pm to 3pm in Rio Vista. Agriculture is a cornerstone of the Delta economy, and changes to farmland use can create challenges for those who rely on it. Preliminary research by Delta Protection Commission staff suggests that more Delta farmland is being converted for habitat and flood management projects than for urban development. Additional conversions are planned. We are preparing a report to better understand the scale and impacts of these changes and to offer practical, achievable recommendations to prevent negative impacts. To ensure the report reflects the experiences of those most affected, we want to hear from farmers, reclamation districts, and other affected parties. How has your land, farming operation or reclamation district infrastructure been affected, or how might it be in the future? To attend, please use this sign-up form. Location: The Point Restaurant, 120 Marina Drive, Rio Vista.
- MEETING: Delta Protection Commission from 5pm to 7pm. Agenda items include a report on Delta Stewardship Council, Delta Protection Advisory Committee (DPAC) Activities, and National Heritage Area Advisory Committee (NHAAC) Activities; consider approval of striped bass slot limit proposal letter, presentation on delta farmland conversions: water supply, flood control, and habitat projects; and a Delta Conveyance Project Update. Click here for the agenda.
In California water news today …
Cost to build largest new reservoir in California in 50 years increases by $2 billion to at least $6.2 billion
“Construction costs to build the largest new reservoir in California in 50 years, a vast 13-mile-long off-stream lake that would provide water to 500,000 acres of Central Valley farmlands and 24 million people, including residents of Santa Clara County, parts of the East Bay and Los Angeles, have risen sharply. The price tag for Sites Reservoir, proposed to be located in the rural ranchlands of Colusa County 70 miles northwest of Sacramento, have increased from $4.5 billion to at least $6.2 billion, and potentially as much as $6.8 billion, the project’s planners confirmed Wednesday. The increase is due to inflation for concrete, steel and other construction materials since 2021, when the original estimate was generated, planners said. Factory shutdowns during the COVID pandemic caused many construction materials to increase in price, and tariffs imposed by President Trump have led to more cost increases in recent months. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
DWR: Securing Statewide Water Supplies Part 1: California’s Water Future is in Jeopardy
“California is expected to lose 10% of its water supply by 2040 due to climate change, and the State Water Project could lose up to 23% of its delivery capability. Our precipitation patterns and hydrology are becoming increasingly extreme and unpredictable, meaning a future of longer and more severe dry periods mixed with big but infrequent storms that produce high flows. These changing conditions are problematic as current State Water Project (SWP) infrastructure and operations are unable to capture high flows moving through the system, leading to decreased supplies. Continued declines in supplies will have dire consequences for the 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland across California who receive clean and affordable water from the SWP. This water is an irreplaceable component of regional supply portfolios for communities and farmland in the Bay Area, Central Coast, Central Valley and Southern California. While this future is alarming, it is preventable. If we modernize the water conveyance infrastructure in the Delta, we can help offset these projected water supply losses due to climate change and maintain the SWP as a critical water source for two-thirds of the state. … ” Read more from DWR.
RESTORE THE DELTA: Tribal leaders and environmental advocates demand lawmakers reject Delta tunnel fast-tracking legislation in day of action for water justice
“Tribal leaders and environmental justice advocates met with legislators today for the 2025 Day of Action for Water Justice, urging lawmakers to reject Governor Newsom’s proposed trailer bills that would fast-track the Delta Conveyance Project and bypass critical environmental protections. The day-long event began with power meetings between Tribal members, environmental advocates and legislators to urge support for equitable, science-based water solutions that protect the Bay-Delta and to reject the financially reckless Delta Conveyance Project that threatens ecosystems, Tribal sovereignty, and public health. Advocates cited a recent report published by the California Water Impact Network prepared by ECOnorthwest that estimates the project could in reality cost anywhere from $60 to over $100 billion – three to five times higher than the approximately $20 billion that the Department of Water Resources is claiming. These skyrocketing costs would largely fall to ratepayers across California. … ” Read more from Restore the Delta.
SEE ALSO: Tribal Leaders, Enviros Urge Legislature to Reject Bills Fast-Tracking Delta Conveyance Project, from the Daily Kos
VIDEO: Water Blueprint leaders headline AgCenter Water Roundtable Discussion
“California’s water policies are evolving—fast. From sweeping statewide laws like SGMA to new federal orders prioritizing California water, the pressure is on for growers to adapt, and quickly. At a recent roundtable hosted by The Ag Center, two Water Blueprint leaders, Austin Ewell and Geoff Vanden Heuvel, shared key perspectives navigating the changing landscape. One panelist described it plainly: “You go through the stages of grief… you can’t sustain what you thought you could. So you adapt.” SGMA continues to drive change, requiring major cutbacks in groundwater pumping, which has hit some crops harder than others. Tree nut growers face long-term water commitments, while dairies—though also at risk—may have more flexibility. Vanden Heuvel, the Water Blueprint Board Vice Chair, noted, “You take the trees out, you can grow a winter forage crop. And you know who can eat that? Dairy cows.” … ” Read more and watch video from the Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley.
Fish food is made on floodplains
“Like all living things, fish need to eat. In large river valleys the fish food needed to support abundant fish populations is primarily made in wetlands. But in the Sacramento Valley, like in most other large river valleys in the developed world, the former floodplain wetlands that once supplied that food energy have been drained and cut off from leveed river channels, primarily for conversion to agriculture. Loss of more than 95% of the wetlands formerly connected to Central Valley streams has resulted in depriving the river ecosystems of the energy needed to make native fish biomass. The building of thousands of miles of levees in the Central Valley has resulted in massive population declines of California’s native fish. Put simply, levees starve salmon. In California, fish are not only an important part of our natural legacy and cultural heritage, but also endangered populations are the legal proxy by which the health of the state’s rivers are judged. Meaning that the legal mechanisms for regulating the supply of water into California’s economy are significantly influenced by the relative health of specific fish populations. This means that in short, endangered fish populations also threaten the secure supply of one critical natural resource fueling the world’s 4th largest economy (4.1 trillion-dollar GDP) – water. … ” Read more from Cal Trout.
This once-popular Delta gamefish is disappearing quickly, study finds
“The white sturgeon, once one of the most numerous, popular and tasty gamefish in the Delta, has seen its numbers drop so precipitously that it may need to be listed as a threatened species, a new report says. Until the 1990s, the population of legally harvestable white sturgeon in the rivers of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta was estimated at about 150,000, according to the report from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. A 2020-21 survey showed their numbers had shrunk to 30,000 for fish in the 40- to 60-inch size range. Then came an algae bloom that is believed to have killed thousands more white sturgeon. The official estimate is now 6,447 of the larger fish. When a wider range of sizes is included – sturgeon measuring 10 to 87 inches – there are about 19,000 in the Delta, researchers said. … ” Read more from Stocktonia.
DWR advances groundbreaking climate-resilient flood mapping through FEMA partnership
“A groundbreaking flood mapping study completed by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) shows that climate extremes will significantly increase major flooding in the coming decades, highlighting the urgent need for stronger state and regional flood management efforts to prepare for and address these rising risks and more frequent flood events. Research has consistently shown that as the climate warms, the atmosphere holds more moisture — intensifying the strength and destructive potential of major atmospheric rivers reaching California. In response to the growing flood risk, DWR partnered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the Cooperating Technical Partners Program to complete a groundbreaking flood mapping study that represents a major advance in climate-resilient flood planning. By integrating future climate scenarios into flood inundation modeling, this innovative effort delivers more accurate information for communities, planners, and emergency managers. It equips them to better understand and prepare for the evolving risks of extreme flooding and can help target future state and local investments in flood infrastructure. … ” Read more from DWR.
Data centers are drawing heat in Sacramento
“Affordability is the name of the game these days, and California’s data center boom is prompting Sacramento lawmakers to try to make sure ratepayers won’t foot the bill. The legislative push comes as California, with the second-most data centers in the country, tries to woo the tech industry while balancing its energy and water demands with electric costs spiking and threatening to climb higher. One measure moving through the Assembly right now, Sen. Steve Padilla’s SB 57, would require the California Public Utilities Commission to establish a special electricity rate for energy-intensive customers like data centers that power artificial intelligence in order to prevent cost shifts. The CPUC would also be directed to prioritize new grid connections for customers that have backup power systems and procure zero-carbon electricity. … ” Read more from Politico.
Weather Service cuts are harming agriculture, worsening wildfire danger, California senators say
“California lawmakers are growing increasingly concerned about federal staffing cuts at the National Weather Service, which they say are harming the state’s agriculture industry and putting critical fire operations in jeopardy. In a letter dated Wednesday and obtained by The Times, both U.S. senators from California, Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, urged the Trump administration to reverse its considerable cuts to the nation’s leading weather agency, which has lost at least 600 employees to layoffs and buyouts this year. “The safety and lives of millions of Americans as well as the economic success of California depend on weather forecasts from the state’s NWS offices,” reads the letter, which was spearheaded by Schiff and addressed to Howard Lutnick, the Secretary of Commerce, and Laura Grimm, the acting administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the National Weather Service. “Protecting human lives from severe weather events is not a partisan issue, and it is important that the NWS has the workforce required to meet its core mandate to protect human life,” the senators wrote. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via Yahoo News.
Four new projects funded to advance ocean health and sustainability
“Four Stanford teams have been chosen by the Big Ideas for Oceans grant program to develop innovative solutions aimed at addressing climate change and sustaining ocean health. The principal investigators span diverse disciplines, including electrical engineering, biology, oceans, and environmental social sciences. The seed grants, which together exceed half a million dollars, were jointly awarded by the Oceans Department and the Woods Institute for the Environment at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. “The Big Ideas for Oceans grant program helps ensure that oceans figure prominently in cutting-edge science and critical conversations about climate change and sustainability,” said Oceans Department chair Fiorenza Micheli, the David and Lucile Packard Professor in Marine Science and co-director of the Center for Ocean Solutions. “The seed grants support early-stage projects that have the potential to lead to breakthrough ocean knowledge and solutions.” … ” Read more from Stanford.
Trump administration eyes California for new oil and gas drilling — including Bay Area
“The Trump administration has taken a first step toward opening more of California for oil and gas development, launching reviews of potential extraction in such mineral strongholds as Kern County as well as in less explored places like the Bay Area. The federal government hasn’t issued a drilling lease in California for years, largely because of environmental hurdles. While oil and gas wells still operate under older leases in parts of the state, officials say their new reviews will address the standstill and could clear the way for fossil fuel companies to operate on additional federal lands. They say there’s the possibility for hundreds of new wells in the state. The move follows the president’s directive to “unleash” more of the nation’s energy reserves. President Donald Trump has said oil and gas development will reduce gasoline prices and electricity bills and boost the economy. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
CEQA Reform: AB 130 and SB 131 create series of exemptions for wide range of projects
“On June 30, 2025, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law budget trailer bills AB 130 and SB 131, which take effect immediately. Together, these bills create multiple new California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) exemptions to streamline the approval of a variety of projects. SB 131 creates a wide range of new, statutory CEQA exemptions, which differ from categorical CEQA exemptions in that the many exceptions that apply to categorical exemptions––such as the “unusual circumstances” exception––do not apply. These new statutory exemptions are summarized in the table, below. … ” Read more from Brownstein & Hyatt.
In commentary today …
Using floodwaters to combat groundwater loss in Fresno and the Central Valley
Tom Holyoke, professor of political science at CSU Fresno, and Laura Ramos, director of the California Water Institute at CSU Fresno, write, “A recent story published in The Fresno Bee raised eyebrows: It claimed that climate change trends are going to make the San Joaquin Valley increasingly dangerous to live in, which means homeowners insurance will become difficult and expensive to get. While there have been some skeptical reactions to this report, from the organization First Street, over the way its models predict long-term devastation for Fresno, it does make a few important points. The report argues that climate change is exacerbating three dangerous trends: fire, wind and flooding, with flooding being the most destructive. Even if the magnitude of these threats is uncertain, we largely agree with the assessment that these are the biggest challenges the Central Valley faces (not just the city of Fresno). But if flooding is the biggest threat, it may also be our greatest opportunity. … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee.
Can Clear Lake be saved? New hope for Northern California’s vital resource
Eric Sklar, chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake, and Sarah Ryan, environmental director of the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians, write, “Clear Lake remains in crisis, but there is new reason for hope. Once a jewel of Northern California, this ancient lake has been choking on past pollution and toxic blooms for decades. Thanks to new state investment, there’s finally momentum toward action. What’s at stake isn’t just the lake’s beauty, but the health, heritage and water security of an entire region. For nearly 50 years, harmful algal blooms have plagued Clear Lake due to nutrient pollution and warming temperatures. These blooms are more than just unsightly and exceedingly malodorous. They pose real and growing risks to the people who live around the lake and depend on it every day. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
In regional water news and commentary today …
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
How the city of Orland is ensuring communities have access to safe drinking water
“Continuing our spotlight on local actions that bring NCWA’s five-year strategic priorities to life, this next story focuses on the people and partnerships working to ensure safe drinking water for every community in the Sacramento River Basin. Under the priority “Ensuring Communities Have Access to Safe Drinking Water,” we’re highlighting a powerful example of regional problem-solving: the City of Orland’s Emergency Groundwater Resource Project. In recent years, over 150 households on the rural edges of Orland were left without a reliable source of drinking water. As groundwater levels declined and private wells went dry or became unsafe, families were forced to rely on temporary measures like bottled water delivery and emergency tanks. While some of these homes were in areas that lacked the resources to drill new wells, other residents faced unexpectedly high costs for emergency well drilling—making it difficult to secure a safe and reliable water supply. In response, the City of Orland, with support from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), launched a comprehensive, multi-phase project to consolidate these households into the City’s municipal water system. … ” Read more from the Northern California Water Association.
Levee project could transform Sacramento stretch of the American River. Some community members want it stopped
“It’s a sunny weekday morning and Joshua Thomas is walking down a trail along the American River in Sacramento. Massive oak trees shade this trail on the south bank of the river near Watt Avenue. He points to one that is hundreds of years old and named Odin. Thomas said it’s the largest tree on this stretch of the river. “That tree is marked for removal,” Thomas said. “That’s where they’re going to put the access ramp.” The Army Corps of Engineers is planning to remove that tree, he said, along with hundreds of others as part of a levee reinforcement project, called the American River Common Features Project. This section of the project—upstream from Sacramento State’s campus—still needs approval from the Central Valley Flood Protection Board, which is voting on it Friday. … ” Read more from Capital Public Radio.
Esparto fireworks blast spewed toxic fumes on Yolo County crops. What’s next?
“The Yolo County Environmental Health Division and state agencies will analyze soil in valuable agricultural fields after a fireworks explosion earlier this month at an Esparto warehouse spewed toxic fumes on nearby crops. The July 1 explosion killed seven people and leveled structures as fireworks burst into the air, sending black plumes across land that has grown almonds, mulberries, tomatoes and peppers. Work to identify and remove hazardous materials began by clearing solid debris before testing the soil for contaminants, Yolo County spokesperson Laura Galindo said this week. “At this time, evaluations are ongoing and no final determinations have been made,” Galindo wrote in an email. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
NAPA/SONOMA
Officials raise alarm over growing groundwater shortage in Sonoma Valley
“El Verano and eastern Sonoma Valley face worsening groundwater shortages, leading officials to designate those regions as Groundwater Sustainability Priority Areas requiring stronger conservation efforts. The Sonoma Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency made the announcement in June following years of observing the continously declining water levels in the Valley’s deep aquifers, some of which have dropped by nearly 100 feet over the last decade. In the most severely impacted zones, groundwater levels are falling by as much as 8 feet per year, officials say. “This is a decades-in-the-making issue that no single agency or solution can fix alone,” said Marcus Trotta, principal hydrogeologist at the Sonoma County Water Agency and plan manager for the Sonoma Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency. “We need everyone’s help.” … ” Read more from the Sonoma Index-Tribune.
BAY AREA
Ross to regulate flooding caused by home projects
“Ross will require residents to curb stormwater runoff caused by residential building projects. The Town Council approved design guidelines at a meeting Thursday. The rules apply to residential projects that increase the total area of impervious surfaces to reduce localized flooding. The town’s municipal code already requires residents with permitted construction projects to mitigate increases in stormwater runoff. The new guidelines detail how to mitigate runoff from projects that add nonporous, hard surfaces. “So when you introduce impervious surfaces, the rain can no longer sink into the ground,” Public Works Director Richard Simonitch said. “It collects on the hardscape and can runoff into the streets and into your neighbor’s rear yard.” … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
CENTRAL COAST
Salinas lettuce farmers find success two years after floods
“The Salinas Valley’s spring lettuce crop shaped up nicely as harvest appeared to be going well by mid-July. The late season produce crops would quickly follow as preparations for the fall and winter crops in the desert were still over a month away from planting. This comes on the heels of a record crop value for Monterey County lettuce crops in 2024. Leaf and head lettuce are the two main categories of lettuce highlighted in the annual crop report published by the Monterey County Department of Agriculture. By category, leaf lettuce remained the top leafy green grown in the region, valued at more than $933 million in gross receipts. All combined, leafy greens including head lettuce, spring mixes, and kale sold off the farm for more than $1.6 billion on a year that saw Monterey’s total crop value achieve its own record at over $4.99 billion. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Manteca’s original water expert left his mark on San Joaquin County
“Woodward Park. Woodward School. Woodward Avenue. Woodward Reservoir. Just who is this Woodward who has so many things named after him in the Manteca area? Walter Woodward is considered among the top 12 prominent pioneers in Manteca history. Woodward was Manteca’s first real estate agent and an early advocate of irrigation. His irrigation advocacy helped change the South San Joaquin County landscape as well as the economy. Born in Vermont in 1858, Woodward’s embracing of the economic value of irrigation was gleaned on stops on his way to eventually moving to Manteca in 1905. As a boy, he dug ditches to convey irrigation water to his father’s farm in Colorado. … ” Read more from the Manteca Bulletin.
House passes Congressman Valadao’s bill to allow for Kaweah Hydroelectric Project’s continued operations
“Today, the House of Representatives passed Congressman Valadao’s (CA-22) bill, H.R. 1044. The existing permit for the Kaweah Hydroelectric Project in Tulare County is set to expire in 2026, and this bill authorizes seven permit renewals to ensure it can continue operating. “The Kaweah Hydroelectric Project is a critical source of clean, reliable, and affordable energy for California, and these permit renewals are the key to keeping it running,” said Congressman Valadao. “Without authorization, CA-22 ratepayers would see a dramatic increase in their energy costs and would be left to foot the bill for dismantling much-needed infrastructure. This is an issue that’s been a priority throughout my time in Congress, and I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues to get this bill across the finish line.” … ” Read more from Congressman Valadao. … ” Read more from Congressman Valadao.
California’s highest court to hear Kern River case
“For the first time in more than 100 years, the Kern River is headed back to the California Supreme Court where justices may overturn or uphold an order mandating flows be kept in the riverbed through Bakersfield. The high court announced Wednesday that it would grant review of a 5th District Court of Appeal’s ruling that overturned a Kern County Superior Court judge’s order mandating water be kept in the river for fish. The 5th District’s ruling was also “published,” meaning it can be used as legal precedent in other, similar cases. The Kern River plaintiffs asked the Supreme Court to review the 5th District’s ruling and have it depublished. Justices granted review but declined to depublish the ruling. Instead, justices said the 5th District’s Kern River ruling could stand, pending their review. And that the ruling could be cited as both an authoritative precedent as well as to show there is a conflict of authorities and that it was up to trial courts to then “choose between sides of any such conflict.” The end result, observers said, may be to essentially to defang the 5th District’s ruling without actually having it depublished. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
There’s finally a plan for the last great slice of undeveloped SoCal coast
“For decades, the giant swath of land near where the Santa Ana River dumps into the Pacific Ocean sat covered in bobbing oil derricks. Around them, subdivisions and master-planned communities filled out the rest of Orange County; first slowly, then seemingly all at once. By the 2000s, houses, condos and strip malls surrounded the 387.6-acre oil field known as Banning Ranch, leaving it with the title of the largest privately owned coastal open space remaining in Southern California. Developers had circled the property bordering upscale Newport Beach and Costa Mesa for years, hoping to turn the swath of open land that had produced oil since the 1940s into the area’s newest megaproject. But in a surprise Southern California twist, conservation groups secured the nearly $100 million needed to purchase the site in 2022, with plans to set the land aside as protected open space. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
SAN DIEGO
Water, sewer rate hikes proposed for Oceanside
“Oceanside residents and business owners can expect a bump in water and sewer rates beginning Jan. 1 under a proposal headed to the Oceanside City Council for approval in September. The city’s Water Utilities Department has proposed an average 6% increase for water rates across all categories of users in 2026 and the same amount again in 2027, and 4% more each year for sewer rates, officials said Tuesday. “If rates don’t increase, we have to use our reserves,” said John McKelvey, a principal management analyst, at a meeting of the city’s Water Utilities Commission. “When reserves are gone … it’s a bad situation.” The commission voted 4-0, with three members absent, to recommend the City Council’s approval. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
How a settlement could keep water rates from increasing
“The settlement will save millions in legal fees and will pave the way for San Diego to sell some of the expensive water it has secured over the last 30 years. Then, patients with early onset Alzheimer’s don’t qualify for Medicare right away and that’s causing an expensive dilemma. Plus, a local nonprofit is putting a focus on women veterans.” Listen at KPBS.
State Assembly denies hearing on Senator Padilla’s legislation to protect Tijuana River Watershed
“State Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego) expressed his disappointment following the California State Assembly’s decision to deny a hearing for Senate Bill 10, a legislative effort aimed at addressing the pollution crisis affecting the Tijuana River. Senator Padilla highlighted the persistent struggles faced by families in San Diego’s South Bay due to the flow of millions of gallons of sewage and pollution from Tijuana. He emphasized that this issue has been a top priority since his election to the Senate. “I am deeply disappointed my colleagues in the Assembly chose to deny San Diego families a chance to finally have some solutions to this decades-long crisis,” he stated. He also acknowledged the need for greater awareness regarding the environmental impacts facing the community. … ” Read more from the Imperial Valley Press.
Along the Colorado River …
Wildfires persist in Southwest states; senators raise concern
“The Dragon Bravo Fire continues to damage Arizona’s crown jewel, the Grand Canyon, as wildfires in the Southwest persist. As of Wednesday, the Gothic Fire in Nevada was 30,786 acres and 10% contained. The Bureau of Land Management Nevada reported the size of the fire decreased in acres due to more accurate mapping of the fire area. BLM also reported low humidity at night in the area surrounding the Gothic Fire is promoting fire growth. The bureau reported southerly winds with gusts up to 30 mph will combine with low humidity to create high fire danger later in the week. The organization is predicting the winds will push the Gothic Fire north or northeast. … ” Read more from Center Square.
Reclamation invests almost $200M in water reuse in the Colorado River Basin
“The Bureau of Reclamation is investing approximately $200 million in water reuse projects in Arizona and Utah as part of a continued commitment to developing long-term sustainability in the Colorado River Basin. An agreement being finalized with the City of Phoenix includes a $179 million investment in the city’s water purification infrastructure. This funding will be allocated to the design and construction of the city’s North Gateway Advanced Water Purification Facility. “Increased water recycling, reuse and conservation is necessary to address long-term drought in the Colorado River Basin and these partnerships with Arizona and Utah do just that,” Acting Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Scott Cameron said. “We commend the commitment to sustainable water management by Phoenix as well as by the state of Arizona through the recent passage of the Ag to Urban legislation that will promote further conservation.” … ” Read more from the Bureau of Reclamation.
Audio: AZ officials want to boost water supplies — but cutting funds from agency working to do that
“Three years ago, Arizona lawmakers and then-Gov. Doug Ducey said they were setting aside $1 billion over three years for a water augmentation project. The thinking at that time was that project would be a desalination plant in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. But last year, lawmakers and Gov. Katie Hobbs swept more than $300 million from the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority, known as WIFA, the organization that’s responsible for seeking out and funding these kinds of projects. The organization’s director says this year’s spending plan isn’t much better. Chelsea McGuire says WIFA’s board is in the process of reviewing 17 submitted proposals that are looking to be qualified to move on to phase two of a three phase process. She says by this fall, we should know the basic contours of those water importation proposals and the teams behind them will be asked to do a feasibility analysis. McGuire joined The Show to talk about the state of WIFA’s finances.” Listen at KJZZ.
Lake Powell forecasts show hydropower generation is at risk next year as water levels drop
“Federal officials reported Tuesday that the water level in Lake Powell, one of the main water storage reservoirs for the Colorado River Basin, could fall low enough to stop hydropower generation at the reservoir by December 2026. The reservoir’s water levels have fallen as the Colorado River Basin, the water supply for 40 million people, has been overstressed by rising temperatures, prolonged drought and relentless demand. Upper Basin officials sounded the alarm in June, saying this year’s conditions echo the extreme conditions of 2021 and 2022, when Lake Powell and its sister reservoir, Lake Mead, dropped to historic lows. The basin needs a different management approach, specifically one that is more closely tied to the actual water supply each year, the Upper Colorado River Commission’s statement said. … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun.
SEE ALSO: Lake Powell warning over water levels issued for 2026, from Newsweek
In national water news today …
EPA plows ahead with reorg
“EPA has resumed its efforts to reorganize the agency after the Supreme Court earlier this month lifted a lower court’s injunction that stalled the Trump administration’s restructuring efforts. But EPA employees will have less say in where they end up under the restructuring because of the time lost while the injunction was in place, an EPA official told colleagues in an internal email obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News. The apparent move to limit employees’ options about where they land in the agency signals that EPA is hustling to comply with the administration’s directive to restructure the federal bureaucracy. It’s also frustrating staffers who expected to have more of a say in where they landed after the reshuffle, according to EPA employees granted anonymity because they fear reprisal. … ” Read more from E&E News.
House 2026 budget guts environmental protections
“Republicans are proposing deep cuts to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill, which additionally would limit federal help for farmers dealing with “forever chemical” contamination. The bill, released this week and debated in a US House of Representatives subcommittee on Tuesday, would impact regulations for clean water and air, use and management of public land, wildlife habitats and endangered species protections. In addition to a broad 23% proposed cut to the EPA’s overall budget, the bill seeks to reduce the budgets of the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service each by about 6%. All three proposed agency budgets, however, are higher than President Donald Trump requested. … ” Read more from the New Lede.
Announcements …
NOTICE of Document Availability – Proposed Adoption of Water Measurement and Reporting Regulation Revisions
