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On the calendar today …
- MEETING: State Water Resources Control Board beginning at 9am. Agenda items include Consideration of a proposed Resolution adopting revisions to water measurement and reporting regulations, Consideration of a proposed Resolution to adopt the draft State Fiscal Year 2025-26 Clean Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan; and Consideration of a proposed Resolution approving an amendment to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Santa Ana River Basin to incorporate Total Maximum Daily Loads for Copper. Click here for the full agenda.
- MEETING: State Board of Food and Agriculture from 10am to 2pm. Agenda items include presentations on Agricultural Real Estate and Credit Observations; Agricultural Transitions and Cost – SGMA Implementation; and Agricultural Labor – Costs and Trends. Click here for the full agenda and remote access instructions.
- WEBINAR: Navigating Change: Federal Updates on Energy, Transportation & Water Policies from 12pm to 1pm. Fundamental changes are in the works for energy, transportation and water project development as federal agencies are implementing new policies and have begun updating their rules in response to President Trump’s numerous executive orders. Our upcoming webinar will provide an update, including how agencies are implementing the executive orders; latest developments in changes to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures; whether there has been progress toward streamlining federal approvals; and what the courts have had to say. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
Explosive wildfires tear through the West as megafires emerge
“Wildfires are intensifying across the western United States, with extreme heat, dry fuels and gusty winds pushing several into megafire territory. From Arizona to California, crews are battling fast-moving flames and days of brutal conditions. The Dragon Bravo Fire, burning along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, has scorched nearly 123,000 acres since a lightning strike ignited it on July 4. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, it is currently the largest wildfire in the Lower 48 states. Containment has dropped back to just 13% after the fire briefly reached 26% over the weekend. Crews say worsening weather has caused erratic fire behavior, particularly along the northern and southwestern flanks. … ” Read more from AccuWeather.
SEE ALSO:
- ‘Help is not on the way’; As fire season ramps up, thousands of Forest Service firefighting positions are vacant, from High Country News
- USDA proposes closing Forest Service offices while moving more workers to the Mountain West, from KUNC
LA Times video: Allensworth rising – A fight for water
“In the town of Allensworth, California, residents join forces with Dr. Ashok Gadgil to fight for clean water and to preserve the town’s historic legacy, continuing the work of their families who lived in the town for generations.” Watch video from the LA Times.
SEE ALSO: Allensworth: Striving to Thrive, from the Community Alliance
California’s Central Valley is fertile ground for agtech experimentation
“In 2019, Nathan Rosenberg was directing robots inside a 40-foot shipping container to grow crops. The Worcester Polytechnic Institute senior had co-founded a high-tech vertical farming startup — one of many betting on high-tech systems to grow crops in stacked layers, with tightly controlled light, humidity and nutrient levels. But a few years in, he realized the entire model was flawed. “The sun is actually very efficient at growing stuff,” Rosenberg said. “And if you pay for the sun, it’s not a good business.” Around the same time, investor frenzy surrounding agricultural technology was deflating. In 2021, investors poured $56 billion into agrifoodtech across the world, with nearly half into vertical farming and alternative protein startups. By 2022, that figure dropped to $34.4 billion; by 2023, $16.7 billion. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
The Central Valley tradition of cattle ranching faces an uncertain future
“… Many ranchers are choosing to sell their land to developers and get out of the business. From 1984 to 2018, California lost about 425,000 acres of grazing land, the state Department of Conservation found in a review of the most recent statewide data. Most of the land was converted to “urban and built-up land.” Some Capital Region counties have seen major losses of ranchland. From 1998 to 2020, Sacramento County lost about 29,000 acres of grazing land, a 16 percent loss of all its ranchland, according to the state. In that time, San Joaquin County lost about 32,000 acres, a 20 percent loss overall. San Joaquin and Sacramento counties saw increases in residential housing during that time, driven in part by an influx of coastal residents seeking cheaper housing, a trend that is expected to continue. Ranching supporters worry about the loss of a California tradition. … ” Read more from Comstock’s.
United States Bureau of Reclamation to hold public negotiation sessions with Sites Project Authority
“The Bureau of Reclamation announced the start of public negotiation sessions with the Sites Project Authority for a Partnership Agreement for the proposed Sites Reservoir Project. Reclamation and the Sites Project Authority are collaborating on a plan for a new 1.5-million-acre-foot offstream reservoir, located about 10 miles west of Maxwell, California. The agreement will outline the terms and conditions for both parties involved. The public is invited to attend these sessions and will have the opportunity to offer comments on the contracting action. … ” Read more from Action News Now.
SEE ALSO: Reclamation initiates Sites Reservoir Project public negotiation sessions, press release from the Bureau of Reclamation
Officials frightened by drastic transformation in Los Angeles water source: ‘Not in good shape’
“State officials and nonprofit groups have sounded the alarm on the City of Los Angeles’ failed promises to restore water levels at California’s Mono Lake, citing massive harms being done to the local ecosystem, the Los Angeles Times reported. “It’s not in good shape right now,” said Barthshé Miller, policy director of the nonprofit Mono Lake Committee, per the Times. “There is a systemic illness in the lake in terms of the health of the ecosystem, and it needs more water to recover to full health and vitality.” Mono Lake is a unique and ecologically significant body of inland saltwater that straddles the Eastern Sierras and the Great Basin Desert. Famous for its iconic tufa columns, for generations, Mono Lake has served as an important resting, feeding, and nesting spot for migratory birds. … ” Read more from The Cool Down.
Solving the mystery of sea star wasting disease: A breakthrough discovery
“If you’ve spent time tide pooling along the West Coast lately, you may have noticed something troubling: sea stars with twisted arms, lesions, or bodies that seem to be melting away. This distressing sight is a trademark of Sea Star Wasting Disease (SSWD), a sickness that has devastated sea star populations along the Pacific Coast of North America since mass die-offs occurred in 2013. Now, for the first time, scientists, including those at the USGS Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC), have solved a decades-long mystery and identified the cause of this devastating disease. … ” Read more from the USGS.
In commentary today …
California water management and agriculture: are we biting the hands that feed us?
The Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley writes, “Water is life here in California and nowhere is that truer than on the farm. California agriculture feeds the nation and the world, producing more than 400 crops and generating billions of dollars for the economy. But our hardworking farmers are facing enormous challenges and our state’s water laws are being tested like never before. California water management decisions must provide farmers with the tools to meet the requirements of SGMA in order to protect our unmatched agriculture industry. To be frank, it’s a matter of national security. Farmers are no strangers to adapting to the cyclical nature of water availability. If you don’t already know, farmers have been using drip irrigation, soil moisture sensors, and other water-saving tools for roughly three decades. But even the most efficient systems can’t make up for poor water management due to out-of-touch policies. … ” Read more from the Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley.
AB 1156 offers hope and a future for the Central Valley — and families like mine
“In the Central Valley, agriculture isn’t just an industry—it’s a way of life. In Fresno County, 20% of jobs are directly or indirectly tied to ag. But today, our future—and the future of farming across the Central Valley—is in question. The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), signed into law in 2014, aims to protect California’s most precious resource: water. I understand and support the intent behind SGMA; conserving groundwater is essential to the long-term survival of agriculture in this state. But the reality is stark: as SGMA is implemented, vast swaths of productive farmland—nearly a million acres statewide—are being fallowed, with no clear economic alternative for the land or the people who rely on it. That’s where Assembly Bill 1156 comes in. … ” Read the full commentary at the San Joaquin Valley Sun.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Yurok Tribe, Farmers Ditch Company, and California Trout break ground on Scott River Restoration Project
“The Yurok Tribe, Farmers Ditch Company (FDC), and CalTrout kicked off construction today on a project that will restore degraded fish habitat, improve fish passage, and enhance river flows within a section of the Scott River, all while balancing agricultural needs. The Scott River is one of the largest and most significant tributaries of the Klamath River, and following dam removal on the Klamath, this project will help achieve recovery across the entire Klamath River watershed. The project, which is the culmination of an agreement between FDC, CalTrout, and the Yurok Tribe that was signed in June 2024, aims to improve the FDC point of diversion and to improve surface flows and fish habitat that connect the Sugar Creek coho salmon stronghold to cold water in the headwaters of the Scott River. … ” Read more from Cal Trout.
A call to local anglers for the Pikeminnow Fishing Derby
“All in an effort to assist in the health of the Eel River, there’s still time to participate in the Pikeminnow Fishing Derby! In the 1970’s, a small group of Sacramento Pikeminnow were introduced to Lake Pilsbury, assumed to be bait fish. From there, the initial population made their way into the Eel River, exploding in population. Now considered an invasive species, the Sacramento Pikeminnow poses a threat towards native fish populations of the Eel River. Various methods have been conducted to help decrease Pikeminnow numbers, but now the TRIB Research and Cal Trout organizations are calling upon local anglers to take to the banks of the Eel River for the second year in a row. … ” Read more from Redwood News.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Camp Richardson sewage leak being repaired – warnings remain
“On Friday afternoon, Camp Richardson Resort managers located a leak and immediately initiated repair. After the pipe was repaired, the contaminated soil was removed, and the hole was backfilled with clean sand. Water samples collected on Saturday indicate the highest levels of bacteria are adjacent to the area where the leaking pipe was discovered, as shown in the photos below. Samples taken from the east end near Jameson Beach and the west end near Valhalla Pier and Boathouse do not show levels that exceed state standards at this time, according to the USFS-Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. … ” Read more from South Tahoe Now.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Concrete weirs block fish in Big Chico Creek, restoration project planned
“Concrete weirs built in the 1950s in Big Chico Creek are obstructing Chinook salmon and steelhead trout from reaching upstream spawning habitats, according to biologists. The Chico State Ecological Reserve, in collaboration with the Mechoopda Tribe and the City of Chico, is working on the Iron Canyon Fish Corridor Restoration Project, led by California Trout, to address this issue. Danielle Feulner from the Chico State Ecological Reserve explained the current challenges faced by the fish. … ” Read more from KRCR.
Palermo and the pipeline to clean water
“Ongoing flood risks have burned the community of Palermo for decades and those fears have been amplified by the declining quality of the residents’ water thanks to high-water storms and the septic systems most properties have. Maintaining water quality, or at the very least bringing it up to standards, in Palermo has been a long battle. Butte County has made attempts in the past to mitigate the issues but it has frequently found difficulties in both funding and government requirements. Supervisor Bill Connelly, whose district contains Palermo, said the most recent the most recent effort has been successful, despite a bump in the road that pushed the project back. “For a decade we tried to bring the sewer to Palermo,” Connelly said. “But there was no way they could afford it, even with grants. Now we’re trying to bring domestic water in.” … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record.
NAPA/SONOMA
Santa Rosa Water begins major sewer rehabilitation project
“Processing the daily flushings of just under 175,000 people who live in Santa Rosa alone is no small task. To keep ahead of the flow, Santa Rosa Water is undertaking an upgrade project to its main sewer line. City engineers say that project entails rehabilitation of the Llano sewer trunk in west Santa Rosa. Richela Maeda, a Santa Rosa Water civil engineer, said this major sewer infrastructure project will repair approximately one and a half miles of trunk sewer that’s located adjacent to Llano Road right near the city’s Laguna Treatment Plant. … ” Read more from NorCal Public Media.
BAY AREA
Santa Clara County polluted creek cleanup near cement plant starts
“A Santa Clara County hillside polluted for decades by a controversial cement plant and quarry is on the path to restoration. Heidelberg Materials, which owns the Lehigh Permanente Quarry and Cement Plant, detailed its restoration plans for a roughly 1.7-mile stretch of Permanente Creek at an annual community meeting Thursday. Company representatives also gave updates on the reclamation plan for the 3,510-acre site. The creek restoration project will clear the waterway of thousands of tons of debris and contaminated sediment over the next five years, caused by decades of pollution from the cement plant and quarry in Santa Clara County’s foothills near Cupertino. The work is expected to cost millions of dollars as the company returns the creek to its natural state that once harbored fish and wildlife. The restoration — which Heidelberg Materials is required to complete by 2030 after a Sierra Club pollution lawsuit and settlement — is slated to begin Wednesday in collaboration with the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board and Santa Clara County. … ” Read more from the San Jose Spotlight.
San Mateo County navigates immigrant fears as it attempts to improve water issues
“San Mateo County officials are urging Pescadero residents to report unsafe drinking water after a Bay Area News Group report revealed concerns about water quality that have persisted in the rural coastal town. Acknowledging that many non-English-speaking farmworkers and renters the county says it will depend on to monitor water concerns have been rattled by ICE raids in the state, officials emphasized that residents who report such issues can do so confidentially and will not be asked about their immigration status. The initiative follows a Bay Area News Group story detailing how residents continue to deal with unsafe water in their homes. One resident said she has relied on water pulled from a nearby creek for 20 years that turns “murky like chocolate” during rainstorms. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
California’s sinking land causes local homes to lose nearly $2B in value
“Excessive groundwater pumping in California’s Central Valley is causing homes in the area to massively devalue, according to a new study, as the land over which they are built sinks at an alarming speed. An analysis by the University of California, Riverside, found that homes in areas where the ground is gradually giving in lost between 2.4 percent and 5.8 percent of their sale value, between $6,689 and $16,165 per home. Overall, California’s Central Valley has lost a total of $1.87 billion in aggregate housing value due to land sinking caused by groundwater pumping, researchers concluded. “Basically, the land is sinking and so are the property values,” said Mehdi Nemati, a UC Riverside assistant professor of environmental economics and policy who led the study, in a press release. “This is the first time anyone has quantified how much land subsidence costs homeowners in this region.” … ” Read more from Newsweek.
Tehachapi water district faces aging infrastructure, higher costs and decreasing supply
“A decreasing supply of imported water, higher operating costs and aging infrastructure are among the challenges Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District faces. General Manager Tom Neisler described those challenges — and also accomplishments — in a presentation July 30 to the district’s board of directors. Several members of the public, along with district staff, attended the special workshop meeting to help the board prepare for an update of its strategic plan. The district’s strategic plan was first adopted in 2019, and at that time, the board directed staff to schedule a review every two years. … ” Read more from the Tehachapi News.
Along the Colorado River …
Every last drop: water scarcity and winegrape vineyard expansion in Arizona and Colorado
“The rapid expansion of winegrape cultivation in Arizona and Colorado presents a complex intersection of water law, agricultural policy and economic development that demands immediate attention from policymakers and industry stakeholders. Both states face mounting pressure to balance agricultural growth with increasingly scarce water resources, creating regulatory challenges that test the limits of existing legal frameworks.Arizona’s wine industry has experienced remarkable growth, expanding from approximately 75 licensed wineries in 2015 to 159 as of 2023, producing more than 700,000 gallons of wine (according to 2023 TTB data). However, this expansion occurs against the backdrop of severe groundwater depletion, particularly in the state’s most productive wine regions. The Willcox Basin, home to the established Willcox American Viticultural Area (AVA), exemplifies the regulatory tensions facing the industry. … ” Read more from the Wine Industry Advisor.
Podcast: New report highlights concerns over water, power usage in data centers across the West
“For years, officials in Nevada have courted the tech industry as a way to diversify the state’s economy. And now it appears, they could get their wish in the form of data centers. The facilities used to power AI and store the exponentially growing amount of digital data have sprung up across the West. However, some are concerned that the amount of water and power they use could increase strain on drought-stricken areas. Those concerns were outlined in a report from the nonprofit Western Resource Advocates, pointing to policies it says states and utility commissions should consider to better regulate an emerging industry it warns could devastate natural resources. … ” Read more from KNPR.
Tribe, environmentalists seek ruling against Oak Flat copper mine as deadline nears
“A federal judge will hear arguments Aug. 6 from the San Carlos Apache Tribe and a group of environmentalists who want to halt a land exchange that would allow the construction of a huge copper mine at Oak Flat, a site held sacred by Indigenous communities. San Carlos asked the court to stop the exchange in response to the Trump administration’s June 20 publication of a final environmental impact statement that set a 60-day deadline for the U.S. Forest Service to trade 2,200 acres in the Tonto National Forest for private lands owned by Resolution Copper. A 2014 law requires the Forest Service to trade Oak Flat to the mining company within 60 days of publication of a legal environmental impact statement. … ” Read more from Arizona Central.
Colorado’s entire congressional delegation, Democrats and Republicans alike, tell Trump to release water project funds
“Colorado’s entire congressional delegation, Republicans and Democrats alike, is calling for the release of $140 million in frozen funds for Colorado River water projects. In January, the last days of the Biden administration, the Bureau of Reclamation awarded funding for 17 projects as part of the federal drought-response effort in the overstressed Colorado River Basin. Three days later, President Donald Trump issued sweeping executive orders that aimed to reshape federal spending priorities to match his administration’s policies. The Colorado projects were caught in the maelstrom. Colorado water managers were thrown for a loop. It stalled hoped-for progress on everything from irrigation ditch repairs to fish passage projects. Supporters of the Western Slope’s effort to purchase powerful Colorado River water rights at Shoshone Power Plant saw the promise of $40 million evaporate. The state’s federal lawmakers want that to change. … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirms plan to treat Colorado River for invasive zebra mussels
“Colorado Parks and Wildlife has confirmed plans to begin treating part of the Colorado River for invasive zebra mussels. The announcement comes after the river officially tested positive last month. CPW will begin to apply EarthTec QZ, an EPA-registered copper-based molluscicide, to a privately owned lake in western Eagle County connected to the river system that tested positive for the species. Following the initial treatment, staff will monitor the water to evaluate its effectiveness. CPW staff will continue sampling efforts on the Colorado River and its tributaries above and below the infested stretches of water. “While the identification and treatment of this body of water is an important step forward for managing zebra mussels on the Western Slope, the fact is, we still don’t conclusively know if this is the only established population of zebra mussels in the Colorado River Basin or how these detections are related, ” said Invasive Species Program Manager Robert Walters. … ” Read more from Colorado Public Radio.
In national water news today …
New report calls plastics a “grave” danger to health as nations negotiate treaty
“Plastics are a “grave” danger to humans and the planet, responsible for an estimated $1.5 trillion annually in health-related costs, and nations need to center human health as they finalize the global plastics treaty, scientists said in a new report released Monday. The report, The Lancet Countdown on health and plastics, warns that increased plastic production is behind this massive economic loss and “global plastic output is on track to nearly triple by 2060.” The report was published as leaders from nations around the world gather in Geneva, Switzerland, this week for the sixth round of global plastic treaty talks. The impacts of plastic production and pollution “result in huge economic costs to society,” Dr. Philip Landrigan, lead author and director of the Global Observatory on Planetary Health at Boston College, said in a statement. “To those meeting in Geneva: please take up the challenge and the opportunity of finding the common ground that will enable meaningful and effective international cooperation in response to this global crisis.” … ” Read more from The New Lede.
Killing EPA climate rule could backfire on industry
“When EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced last week that his agency would move to repeal the foundation of EPA’s climate regulations, he claimed it would provide a boon to U.S. industry and eliminate $1 trillion in “hidden taxes.” But analysts and legal experts are less sure. They warn that EPA’s efforts to kill the so-called endangerment finding instead could expose a broad range of industries to more lawsuits — as well as encourage Democratic-led states to bolster their own climate laws. It’s a “very high-risk strategy,” said Jonathan Adler, a law professor at William & Mary Law School. Eliminating the endangerment finding has been “something of a white whale” for conservative groups, he added. “And I think that’s shortsighted. I think that it’s likely to not produce the effects they want and could even backfire.” … ” Read more from E&E News.
SEE ALSO: Trump’s EPA proposes to end the U.S. fight against climate change, from the LA Times
Why a NASA satellite that scientists and farmers rely on may be destroyed on purpose
“The Trump administration has asked NASA employees to draw up plans to end at least two major satellite missions, according to current and former NASA staffers. If the plans are carried out, one of the missions would be permanently terminated, because the satellite would burn up in the atmosphere. The data the two missions collect is widely used, including by scientists, oil and gas companies and farmers who need detailed information about carbon dioxide and crop health. They are the only two federal satellite missions that were designed and built specifically to monitor planet-warming greenhouse gases. It is unclear why the Trump administration seeks to end the missions. The equipment in space is state of the art and is expected to function for many more years, according to scientists who worked on the missions. … ” Read more from the LAist.
